It was a summer of upheaval at Real Madrid – something very out of the norm for them in recent years.
Real have lifted three consecutive Champions League titles with a remarkably similar team, keeping hold of their coach and top players while not really signing anyone for their first team.
But this summer saw Zinedine Zidane walk away from the Santiago Bernabeu after his hattrick of European Cups and he was replaced by Spain coach Julen Lopetegui, who was then infamously fired by his country on the eve of the World Cup.
Cristiano Ronaldo then departed Madrid after nine very successful years for a new life in Turin, with Real deciding not to invest in an immediate replacement.
The most experienced attacking signing was Mariano Diaz returning from Lyon, although re-signing a player who was deemed not good enough very recently didn’t exactly excite the fans.
Instead, arguably their most exciting signing was 18-year-old Vinicius Junior.
The Brazilian from Flamengo arrived for a truly incredible fee, considering his lack of experience – €45m – although he has gone straight into the ‘B’ team, Castilla, and played just 12 minutes for the senior side.
But despite the lack of time, it now looks as though he’s making a big impact at the club – just not in the way that’s wanted.