The story of the new Real Madrid does not begin with their signings.
It begins with their goodbyes.
Misa Rodríguez leaves after six seasons and 215 appearances, more than any other player in the team’s history. Teresa Abelleira, another of the players who joined in 2020, departs with 170. Caroline Weir leaves as the club’s record goalscorer and leading assist provider, having scored 63 times in 125 matches.
Rocío Gálvez, Naomie Feller, Sheila García and Alba Redondo have also departed. Between them, the seven players made 926 appearances for Real Madrid.
This is not ordinary squad turnover. It marks the end of a large part of the first era of Real Madrid’s women’s team.
The rebuild follows another trophyless season. In Pau Quesada’s first campaign, Real Madrid again finished second in Liga F, reached the Spanish Super Cup final and made the quarter-finals of both the Copa de la Reina and the Champions League.
Barcelona ended all three runs.
Real Madrid lost the Super Cup final 2-0, were beaten 0-4 in the Copa and exited Europe 12-2 on aggregate. They were consistently competitive against everyone else, but the gap opened up again when the matches that decided trophies arrived.
They must now try to close it with a different spine.
Elisa Senß and Andreia Jacinto have arrived to rebuild the midfield. The Germany international brings experience and defensive strength; the Portuguese midfielder, after four seasons at Real Sociedad, adds control and knowledge of Liga F.
Together they offer complementary profiles, but neither is a direct replacement for Weir.
The Scot was not only the team’s main source of goals from midfield. She was also the player around whom Real Madrid built much of their attacking play. Without her, the creative burden will have to be shared between Sara Däbritz, Sandie Toletti, Filippa Angeldahl and the forwards granted greater freedom to move away from the penalty area.
In attack, Lineth Beerensteyn is the signing expected to make the most immediate impact. The 29-year-old joins after finishing as the Bundesliga’s top scorer in her first season with Wolfsburg. She can play through the middle or start from a wide position and offers a threat in behind that Real Madrid did not always possess last season.
Felicia Schröder represents a different kind of investment. The 19-year-old finished as the top scorer in the inaugural Women’s Europa Cup and scored all four of Häcken’s goals across the two-legged final. She is both an immediate option and a long-term investment, reflected in a contract that runs until 2030.
Janou Levels completes the five senior additions. The Dutch full-back reinforces a defence that has lost Rocío, Sheila and Yasmim, while Silvia Cristóbal has been promoted from the academy.
Goalkeeper Laia López has also stepped up.
Both players belong to a generation that has just made a significant statement. Laia and Silvia started for Spain in the European Under-19 Championship final, while Irune Dorado, another Real Madrid academy player, scored the winning goal. The club had six representatives in the title-winning squad. Not all of them will find an immediate place in the first team, but the academy is beginning to provide genuine options for the rebuild.
Misa’s departure leaves Merle Frohms as the clear first-choice goalkeeper, with Laia as her deputy.
The changes combine established internationals, young prospects and academy players. But they leave one question unanswered: whether the new Real Madrid will be better than the previous team or simply very different.
Pau Quesada no longer starts from scratch. He has had a full season to learn about the squad, determine what worked and experience first-hand the distance that still separates Real Madrid from Barcelona. The rebuild bears his imprint too.
The first task is to turn so many new arrivals into a team before the decisive matches begin. There will not be much time. Real Madrid open their Liga F campaign against Atlético at the Alfredo Di Stéfano and travel to Barcelona on matchday six.
Six years after the women’s team was officially formed, Real Madrid are still searching for the first trophy in their history.
This time, they will pursue it without their record appearance holder, their leading goalscorer and several of the players who built the team’s early years. Real Madrid are changing more than names.
They are entering a new era.
