During summer the club failed to replace ageing Gunter Netzer with Brazilian midfielder Zico from Flamengo or English Forward Kevin Keegan from Liverpool F.C. both offers rejected by their teams.[1] The club collapsed to the 9th place in the most disastrous League campaign under Bernabeu Presidency era finishing 12 points below Champions Atlético Madrid despite the arrival of international Danish striker Henning Jensen[2] from Borussia Mönchengladbach. However, even with the chaotic club performance, head coach Miljan Miljanić remained in his position and was ratified by President Santiago Bernabéu on 7 June 1977[3]
Shockingly, in European Cup the squad was defeated by Belgian squad Club Brugge[4] after a 0–0 draw in Valencia, the team lost 0–2 in Brugge being the last away trip of Santiago Bernabéu with the squad.[5]
The overall poor performance in La Liga and Copa del Rey meant that Real Madrid would not compete in any European competition for first time in the history.
Squad
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules; some limited exceptions apply. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.