Eight of the club's players were nominated for the 2018 award, but they could not save the manager
Julen Lopetegui has been sacked as Real Madrid head coach after seeing the winners of the last three Champions League finals slip to ninth in LaLiga.
The former Spain coach struggled at the Santiago Bernabeu and, upon his departure on Monday, the club noted that eight Madrid players were nominated for the Ballon d'Or and should be capable of better.
While Lopetegui has paid the price for his poor decisions, those world-class stars did not always help their coach in the opening 14 games of the campaign.
Following his sacking, we look at how Madrid's octet of potential prize-winners have underperformed so far this term.
Getty ImagesThibaut Courtois (Appearances: 8)
A new signing under Lopetegui, Courtois had to wait for his chance before replacing Keylor Navas. Despite conceding five at Barcelona on Sunday, the ex-Chelsea goalkeeper could hardly be blamed for that result or the coach's demise.
AdvertisementGetty ImagesRaphael Varane (Appearances: 12, Goals: 0)
The partnership of Varane and Sergio Ramos should be among the best in Europe, but the duo have struggled in 2018-19. Varane was dropped for last week's Champions League game following a string of poor displays and then hobbled out of the Clasico after a humiliating first half.
Getty Sergio Ramos (Appearances: 13, Goals: 3)
Ramos could be accused of some rash decision-making even under Zidane, but his defensive work was particularly shoddy while Lopetegui was at the helm. The captain was all over the place as Madrid fell apart at Camp Nou, their opponents revelling in the fallibility of one of the game's greats.
Marcelo (Appearances: 10, Goals: 3)
Brazil defender Marcelo appeared to be doing more than most to try to rescue Lopetegui. The coach's reign ended with goals from the left-back in three consecutive games, yet his displays at the other end, as with Ramos, were below par.