Champions League: Five times it has saved Real Madrid's season

Out of the Copa del Rey and 19 points behind LaLiga leaders Barcelona, the Champions League is - not for the first time - Real's only hope of trophy success.

La Undécima (2015/16)

Just as he had as a player - it was his stunning volley that secured the European title in 2002 - Zinedine Zidane the coach led Real Madrid to Champions League glory at the first attempt. With the team third in LaLiga and out of the Copa del Rey after fielding the ineligible Denis Cheryshev at Cádiz, Zidane had taken over from the sacked Rafa Benítez in January and, with Zidane in the dugout, Real actually clawed back a 12-point gap to finish just a point behind league winners Barcelona. However, it was Europe that ensured smiles on Madridista faces come May - albeit not without a scare along the way. After seeing off Roma in the last 16, an epic, Cristiano Ronaldo-inspired comeback was required to overturn a 2-0 first-leg deficit against VfL Wolfsburg. Manchester City were then beaten in the last four, before the final against Atlético Madrid - just two years after victory over their city rivals in the trophy decider in Lisbon - saw Zidane's men prevail on penalties to claim a trophy that was the springboard for their a LaLiga-Champions League double the following year.

La Octava (1999/2000)

Like 2015/16, this was also Champions League-winning season that brought a change of coach: John Toshack was sacked in November after publicly challenging president Lorenzo Sanz by retorting, "There's more chance of a pig flying over the Bernabéu" after the Real chief had told the Welshman to take back public criticism of his players. "If he said that, I'll sack him right away," was Sanz's reaction when told about Toshack's remark and, having followed through with the threat, handed the reins to Vicente del Bosque. The Spaniard, then a coach in the club's youth set-up, could not save Real Madrid's league campaign, Los Merengues finishing fifth, seven points behind champions Deportivo La Coruña. In the Copa, meanwhile, Real were knocked out by eventual winners Espanyol in the semi-finals. But it was the Champions League that again rescued the capital club's season: Manchester United and Bayern Munich were beaten in the quarters and semis, respectively, before La Octava was secured with a comprehensive 3-0 triumph over Valencia in the final in Paris.

La Séptima (1997/98)

Jupp Heynckes' Real Madrid side finished down in third in LaLiga, a full 11 points off runaway champions Barcelona, while a disastrous Copa del Rey campaign had brought last-16 elimination at the hands of second-tier Alavés. Only the European Cup could save their season, but that was easier said than done: after all, Los Blancos had not won the trophy for a whopping 32 years. A Real dressing room with a reputation for running itself set its sights on European glory, and, after defeating Bayer Leverkusen in the quarters and holders Borussia Dortmund in the last four, found themselves up against Juventus in the final. The Vecchia Signora were the continent's strongest team, and had Zidane in their ranks, but Predrag Mijatovic's goal, which even today provokes furious debate over whether it was offside or not, won La Séptima - and saw an ordeal of a season end with celebrations on the streets of the Spanish capital.

La Sexta (1965/66)

With Alfredo Di Stéfano now gone, Real Madrid had suffered a quarter-final exit the previous campaign and were not the all-conquering force they had once been in a tournament they had won in each of its first five years. However, a team of Spaniards found its way back to the final in 1966 and, at the showpiece event in Brussels, saw off Partizan Belgrade 2-1 courtesy of goals by Amancio Amaro and Fernando Serena. Having finished second in the league, one point off Atlético Madrid, and been dumped out of the Copa del Generalísimo quarter-finals by Real Betis, it was the only success that Miguel Muñoz's men had to savour that season.

La Primera (1955/56)

Real Madrid's love affair with the European Cup began with a continental title that rescued what was an otherwise utterly unremarkable season. Coached by José Villalonga, Real came third in the Spanish league, 10 points shy of champions Athletic Club, who had also accounted for the men from Madrid in the semi-finals of the Copa. However, that was all forgotten when Los Blancos were crowned winners of the tournament's first ever edition after a narrow, 4-3 victory over Stade Reims in Paris.