Real Madrid's last defeat to Real Sociedad came on May 2, 2023, a 2–0 loss at Anoeta. Since then, Madrid have gone through four managers and made 16 first-team signings, and the old team sheet from that night has almost disappeared from the first-team picture.

Only five players from the starting XI are still with the first team now: Thibaut Courtois, Antonio Rüdiger, Éder Militão, Aurélien Tchouaméni and Rodrygo. Three others from that side have already retired, Dani Carvajal, Nacho Fernández and Toni Kroos. This is the scale of the reset around José Mourinho's new era, and it is hard to miss how much of the old core has been replaced.

The managers and signings behind the reset

Andy Headspeath, Real Madrid correspondent for Sports Illustrated FC, summed up the change: "What is striking about the Madrid team sheet from that match a little over three years ago is how unrecognizable it is."

He added: "There have been four Real Madrid managers since the defeat to Real Sociedad in May 2023 and 16 first-team signings."

Those numbers fit the eye test. Madrid's current version has been built and rebuilt quickly, not left to drift on the same structure that lost in San Sebastián in 2023. The turnover is not subtle, with Real Madrid arriving on four wins in their last five league matches.

The old Sociedad win is still the reference point

Takefusa Kubo and Ander Barrenetxea scored the second-half goals in that 2–0 win for Real Sociedad. It remains the last time Sociedad beat Madrid in all competitions, with the Basque side now winless in their last eight meetings with them.

That old result still carries the memory of a clean Sociedad performance, but Madrid's current squad looks nothing like the one that took the field at Anoeta. Their first-team group has been reshaped around a different set of players, and the visit of Sociedad now comes with that history sitting in the background rather than defining the present.

Madrid's next meeting with Sociedad will tell its own story, but the more striking fact is already fixed: only five starters from that May 2023 defeat remain in the first team.

Written by Daniel Hartley with AI-assisted research, cross-checked against 1 outlet. How we work →