The failure of the century will see heads roll at Real Madrid

Real Madrid were unseated from their throne as European champions after 1000 days, in the worst possible manner, and the failure of the century will inevitably see heads roll in the Spanish capital.

A frighteningly exciting Ajax side stunned the defending champions at the Santiago Bernabeu, winning 4-1 on the night, and it was their young stars which caused Los Blancos real problems.

Frenkie de Jong landed his first shot across the bow of Los Merengues as a Barcelona signing with a splendid midfield performance, yet almost nobody escapes any blame for this debacle from a Real Madrid perspective.

You can't always win, but you simply can't be eliminated at the Santiago Bernabeu, especially not in the manner of the thrashing which the Amsterdam club handed out on Tuesday.

Four successive home defeats in all competitions have left Los Blancos essentially out of every competition, with their chances of LaLiga Santander success very slim.

The feeling at Valdebebas is that a historic cycle at the club has come to an abrupt end, and mammoth changes are afoot, make no mistake.

None of Gareth Bale, Toni Kroos, Thibaut Courtois, Casemiro or Karim Benzema performed anywhere near to the level of which they are capable, despite being the senior members of the team.

Nobody can keep winning forever, this Champions League elimination was always going to happen, but the manner in which it has happened is what really stings in the Spanish capital, and the tremors will be felt almost immediately with regards to the club's future.