The club did not compete in UEFA competitions for the first time since the 1954–55 season. During the summer, the team was reinforced with the arrivals of: Argentine defender Enrique Wolff,[1] and high-expected Forward Juanito[2] from Burgos CF.[3] Bernabeu traveled to West Germany seeking to replace Paul Breitner by signing Borussia Mönchengladbach's star Herbert Wimmer, but once he saw midfielder Uli Stielike play, he changed his mind and transferred the latter into the club.[4]
President Santiago Bernabéu suffered a bowel obstruction on 29 August 1977 and was transferred to a hospital for emergency treatment being diagnosed with cancer days later.[5] After three seasons, Miljan Miljanić left the club on 8 September 1977 signing an agreement with Santiago Bernabéu at the hospital in a bizarre event.[6] Then, Luis Molowny was appointed by Raimundo Saporta as the new head coach. Also, Saporta was appointed as Acting President on 3 September 1977 due to Bernabeu health issues.[7]
In spite of the turmoil, the club clinched its 18th League title ever closing the season on 7 May 1978 six points above runners-up FC Barcelona. Chairman Santiago Bernabéu died on 2 June 1978 ending Real Madrid's most successful era, with the club clinching 6 European Cups and 16 League titles under his presidency.
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.
^Julian Garcia Candu (8 September 1977). "Saporta, a True Solution". El País (in Spanish). Retrieved 2 July 2020.
^Matches played on 4 January 1978 and 11 January 1978 with Real Sociedad and Real Madrid exempted from competing in the round of 32 due to several rivals withdrawals over the previous rounds.
