The 1990–91 season was Real Madrid Club de Fútbol's 89th season in existence and the club's 60th consecutive season in the top flight of Spanish football.
Summary In the summertime, Welsh head coach John Toshack asked for several changes, including the transfers of Bernd Schuster to local rivals Atlético Madrid and defender Oscar Ruggeri, together with midfielder Martín Vázquez, to Torino FC. Meanwhile, President Ramon Mendoza, after a failed bid for Liverpool's John Barnes, reinforced the club with Gheorghe Hagi, Predrag Spasić (after Gheorghe Popescu rejected an offer from Mendoza) and Villaroya. Following a losing streak sinking the team down to the 6th place in the league, Mendoza fired Toshack on 25 November 1990 and appointed club legend Alfredo Di Stéfano as a new head coach. The team clinched the Supercopa de España, defeating FC Barcelona but the situation in the league was worsened with lost matches against Athletic Bilbao, Osasuna, Atlético Madrid and Barcelona.
During February, forward Hugo Sánchez suffered his first injury, and the squad was eliminated in the Copa del Rey round of 16 by Atlético Madrid. Then in March, with a high risk of failing to qualify for next year's European competitions, the team was defeated by Russian side Spartak Moscow at the Santiago Bernabéu Stadium in the European Cup quarter-finals, shattering the chances of Alfredo Di Stéfano to stay as a coach and he resigned after the elimination. After one game with Ramón Grosso as an interim manager, the club appointed Radomir Antić as a new permanent head coach.
Surprisingly, despite the chaotic situation and Hugo Sánchez out for the rest of season since 25 April, Antic managed the squad to reach the third spot in the league standings and the right to play in the 1991–92 UEFA Cup. His notable successes included matches won against Atlético Madrid and Barcelona in the final rounds of the season.
Squad
Transfers
In Pos. Name from Type MF Gheorghe HagiSteaua București MF Luis MillaFC Barcelona €2,1 million DF Predrag SpasićPartizan GK Pedro Luis JaroMálaga CF DF MaquedaCD Logroñés MF Santiago AragonCD Logroñés MF Francisco VillarroyaReal Zaragoza Out Pos. Name To Type FW Bernd SchusterAtlético Madrid MF Martín VázquezTorino FC DF Oscar RuggeriVelez Sarsfield FW AguiláCD Logroñés GK AgustinCD Tenerife DF EstebanReal Zaragoza DF LlorenteCD Tenerife
Winter
In Pos. Name from Type FW Juan Eduardo EsnáiderFerrocarril Oeste Out Pos. Name To Type
Competitions La Liga
League table
Results by round
Matches
Copa del Rey
Round of 16
Supercopa de España
European Cup
First round
Second round
Quarter-finals
Statistics Appearances and goals During the 1990–91 season, Real Madrid used 26 different players comprising five nationalities. The table below shows the number of appearances and goals scored by each player.
References