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The 365 days since Real Madrid won in Kiev

  /  autty

Just a year ago, Real Madrid fans were wildly celebrating a 3-1 win in Kiev after goals from Karim Benzema and Gareth Bale overcame Liverpool.

Yet that same night, even before Sergio Ramos had collected the trophy, the crisis began as Cristiano Ronaldo put his future in doubt and began the club's biggest crisis in over a decade.

This is what happened since then.

May 26 - May 31: Ronaldo's threat and Zidane's departure

"In the next few days I'll talk to the fans and give them an answer, they've always been by my side, it was great being at Real Madrid and I'll talk in a few days," Ronaldo said in Kiev, mid-celebration of a third consecutive Champions League title.

Three days later, the real shock came as Zinedine Zidane departed the club in a shock exit.

"It's the best thing so that the team keeps winning, as this team needs a change," he said, leaving Florentino Perez, his players and fans stunned.

June: Lopetegui's controversial arrival

tions, Real Madrid surprised everyone by announcing the appointment of Julen Lopetegui as their next coach on June 12, just two days before the start of the World Cup where he was set to lead Spain.

The Spanish FA brought an end to that by sending him packing before the tournament began.

Just days later more news came from Russia as Mateo Kovacic demanded an exit from the Estadio Santiago Bernabeu despite Lopetegui's wishes to keep him.

July: Ronaldo bids farewell

On July 10, after nine seasons and 451 goals, Cristiano Ronaldo's move to Juventus was confirmed for 100 million euros, with Real Madrid confident that Marco Asensio, Bale, Benzema and Vinicius Junior could fill his shoes.

August: Real Madrid lose the UEFA Super Cup

August 15 was Lopetegui's debut with his new club in Tallinn, but it ended in disaster as a Madrid derby ended in victory for Atletico Madrid, who ran out 4-2 winners.

The result showed the need for further signings to replace the departures and they ended the transfer market by signing Mariano Diaz.

September: Real Madrid get going

A thrilling 3-0 win over Roma and good domestic form gave cause for optimism, even in spite of a 0-0 home draw in the Madrid derby.

October: Goals dry up and cost Lopetegui his job

The month that saw Lopetegui's era come to a premature end began with two defeats against CSKA Moscow and then Alaves, beginning a 481-minute streak without a goal.

Lopetegui held on until the Clasico when a Barcelona side without Lionel Messi thrashed Real Madrid 5-1, leading to his immediate dismissal.

November: Solari breathes life into the team

November began with Santiago Solari in the dugout and it brought hope, though once his appointment was made permanent things changed as Eibar thrashed Real Madrid 3-0 and Isco was frozen out, despite a 2-0 win in Rome which was one of the best outings of the season.

December: Champions of the world

December saw results remain just as inconsistent as before, including a devastatingly poor 3-0 defeat at home to CSKA Moscow as Solari condemned Keylor Navas to the history books and dropped several key men.

The year still ended with a smile, though, as victory over Al Ain secured the Club World Cup yet again.

January: Brahim arrives and Vinicius is born

A draw with Villarreal and home defeat to Real Sociedad saw a poor start to 2019, leading to the signing of Brahim Diaz to renew belief in the team alongside the energetic Vinicius Junior who became a starter for the team after a slow start.

Towards the end of the month, a home victory over Sevilla gave hope that the campaign was back on track for Real Madrid.

February: From hope to the big blow

Players like Vinicius and Sergio Reguilon came into the side and became regulars, giving fans hope with a draw against Barcelona at the Camp Nou in the Copa del Rey and victories away against Atletico Madrid and then Ajax in the Champions League.

It was short lived, though, as the month ended with a 3-0 home thrashing in the Copa del Rey semi-final second leg against arch rivals Barcelona.

March: Goodbyes to the league, Champions League and Solari

With a nine-point difference, Barcelona returned to the Bernabeu three days later to decide LaLiga Santander and did so with a 1-0 win thanks to Ivan Rakitic's strike.

Things got worse only three days later again as Ajax overturned a first leg defeat to win 4-1 at the Bernabeu and end Real Madrid's European dominance.

Out of all competitions and with the dressing room divided, Solari was dismissed and on March 11 Perez announced the surprise return of Zidane less than a year after he left the club, now with free reign to rebuild the team.

April: Zidane crash lands

The Frenchman struggled to turn things around and failed to win a single game away from home, losing to Valencia and drawing with Getafe and Leganes.

"We didn't do anything, I'm very angry and can only ask the fans for forgiveness as this can't happen again," he said after defeat against relegation battlers Rayo Vallecano.

May: Rumours and signings

LaLiga finally came to an end with defeats at Anoeta and against Real Betis on home turf, meaning a 19-point deficit to champions Barcelona.

It was a month in which Zidane met with his players to discuss their futures, including the news that some would be moved on.