Nearly a quarter of a century had passed before Real Madrid once again won a match by scoring three or more goals, all finished by Spanish players. The previous occasion dated back to September 14, 2002, when Los Blancos defeated Osasuna 4-1 at the Bernabéu. Iván Helguera scored twice, with Raúl and Guti also on target. Four goals, all Spaniards.

That night in 2002 painted a very different picture of the club. Fresh from lifting the Champions League, Real Madrid started the match with six Spanish players in the lineup: Iker Casillas, Míchel Salgado, Fernando Hierro, Iván Helguera, Guti, and Raúl. As the game progressed, that number grew even further. Albert Celades replaced Conceição, Fernando Morientes came on for Guti, and Óscar Miñambres substituted Salgado. In total, nine Spanish players featured during the match.

The recent clash against Betis reflects a completely different era. Only three Spaniards started the game: Asencio, Álex Carreras, and Gonzalo. Fran García and Dani Ceballos were introduced later, but even then, the maximum number of Spanish players on the pitch at the same time was four. A far cry from the depth and prominence Spanish players once had at the club.

Waiting almost 24 years to see such a statistic again is no coincidence. It underlines how Real Madrid, the transfer market, and football as a whole have evolved. In the early 2000s, Spanish players formed a core part of the squad. In 2026, a match in which all the goals are scored by Spaniards feels more like a rare exception than a norm.

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