They debated if Real Madrid's Benzema or Barcelona's Lewandowski will have the better season. There is a time and a place for it.
The first trophy that Real Madrid will be hoping to win this season is the LaLiga title.
It was another step towards Madrid becoming the first club in Europe to have won 100 official trophies. It's a race that they lead ahead of others, but how close are they to reaching that landmark figure?
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The Spanish newspaper Diario AS said on its front page that Real Madrid would win 98 trophies with the Super Cup.
There is a different figure on the Real Madrid website. This is the 99th national and international trophy the club has named.
There are 96 competitive honours listed in the club's entry on Wikimedia.
Why is it different? It's up to you to define what constitutes an official trophy. There is no disagreement about the fact that Madrid have won 35 LaLiga titles. The same goes for their 19 victories in the competition. There is no debate about their 12 Spanish Supercopas, five European Super Cup, four Club World Cup, and two European Cup. We have a total of 92.
This is where it gets more complex. Football's evolution has seen a number of historic competitions disappear, but they are still recognised by the sport's governing bodies.
Between 1960 and 2004, the Intercontinental Cup was played between the winners of the European and South American cups. Real Madrid won it three times. The League Cup was played in Spain before being discontinued. In 1985, Madrid won that. We've reached 95 trophies, and it's time to take a look at some other historical tournaments. Spain, France, Italy, and Portugal competed in the Latin Cup between 1949 and 1957. Real Madrid won it two times. We can add the Latin Cup to the list because it has been recognised by both football's governing bodies. Real Madrid has 97 trophy.
The last time the Ibero-American Cup was played it was between the winners of Spain's Copa del Rey and CON MEBOL's Gold Cup. They don't mention it on their website. You've probably never heard of the Small Club World Cup.
The private venture was approved by the Venezuela Football Federation and was won twice by Real Madrid. Madrid considers it a competitive trophy, even though it isn't recognised by the sport's governing body.
Regardless of whether Madrid have 96, 98 or 99, they are not the most successful club in the world. Rangers and Celtic have more official trophies in Europe than any other team. The most successful club in South America is the Nacional, who have 163 trophies.
When would Madrid break the 100 trophy barrier? It could come in the Spanish Supercopa in January or the Club World Cup in May, depending on the figure you accept.
It probably won't be too long before Madrid bring up their 100th trophy, no matter who you're following.
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