Real Madrid are preparing to close the 2025-26 La Liga season against Athletic Bilbao at the Santiago Bernabéu. The match to be played on Saturday, May 23 at 10pm Turkish time will take place within the simultaneous schedule of Spanish football's final matchday. The match no longer has significance in terms of the championship; Barcelona had secured their 29th La Liga title with three weeks to spare by beating Real Madrid 2-0 in the El Clásico played in early May. For this reason, Saturday night is in the nature of a farewell match for a trophyless league season for Madrid. Real Madrid had already secured second place with 83 points; since they are 14 points ahead of third-placed Villarreal, this position cannot mathematically change.
The biggest individual storyline of the match is Kylian Mbappé's Pichichi race. The French star secured being La Liga's top scorer with 24 goals; this is an achievement that crowns Mbappé's individual success in the Real Madrid shirt. Mbappé, who also won the Pichichi last season with 31 goals, obtained the title of Spain's top-scoring player for the second consecutive time. The fans at the Bernabéu will be in anticipation of a goal from Mbappé in the season's final match; the French striker has a chance to push his personal statistics even higher. However, the team's trophyless season is overshadowing this individual success — for the Madrid community, 2025-26 has been a season remembered with disappointment.
The overall picture of the season for Real Madrid is painful. Madrid, the most successful club in Spanish history with 36 La Liga titles, finished in second place this season, 11 points behind their eternal rivals Barcelona. The defeats in the El Clásicos and the form decline at critical moments caused Madrid to lose the league title to the Catalan team. Moreover, Barcelona dominated Spanish football by also winning other trophies such as the Super Cup and the Copa del Rey this season. This final match at the Bernabéu is seen as the beginning of Madrid's recovery and rebuilding process for next season.
Visiting side Athletic Bilbao, on the other hand, is closing a season full of disappointment. Despite drawing a strong team profile that participated in European cups last season, the Basque team declined to 12th place this season; they fought a mid-table battle with 45 points. The result Athletic gets from this match will not create a major change in the league standings. However, the Basque team will want to close the season with a victory in a difficult away game like the Bernabéu to enter next season with high morale. Although the match has no critical significance in terms of points for either team, winning a match played in front of the Real Madrid fans is always a matter of prestige.
Statistical predictions favor home side Real Madrid. According to the data, Madrid's chance of winning is 65.1%, Athletic Bilbao's 15.7%, and the probability of a draw is 19.2%. The Bernabéu's home advantage and Real Madrid's individual quality form the basis of these odds. The Madrid offense led by Mbappé is a candidate to establish superiority against the Athletic defense. However, Madrid's lack of motivation — being the final match of a trophyless season — could also open the door to a surprise result. Teams experiencing a loss of concentration in end-of-season matches is a frequently seen reality of football.
This match will be a moment of assessment for an era at Real Madrid. Following a trophyless season, the club management is expected to take radical decisions in the summer transfer window. The fans at the Bernabéu will demand that their team play for the top again next season. A giant like Real Madrid having a trophyless season is not an acceptable situation; therefore, Saturday night means not just a farewell match, but also a starting line for the future. Mbappé's Pichichi award will go down in Madrid history as the season's only consolation prize.
On the Athletic Bilbao front, end-of-season assessments continue. The Basque team aims to return to European cups next season by preserving its identity and playing philosophy. This unique club, which competes only with players from the Basque region, is one of the most rooted and respected teams in Spanish football. A good result at the Bernabéu will be important for Athletic in terms of morale. The next-season goals of both teams are clear: a return to the championship for Real Madrid, and re-participation in European cups for Athletic.
In conclusion, the Real Madrid – Athletic Bilbao match, although not critical in terms of the points table, contains symbolically and individually important storylines. Mbappé's top-scorer status, Madrid's trophyless-season disappointment, and the season closure at the Bernabéu are the watch-worthy elements of the match. On Saturday night, the Madrid fans will both applaud their stars and leave behind a season full of disappointment. This final curtain of La Liga will also shape Spanish football's expectations for the new season.
Tuna Başkan
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