Real Madrid win 5 Trophies in a single year

As many, if not most of you are aware, Real Madrid accomplished something, that until last weekend, had never before been done in the history of the club.

For the first time in the storied 115-year history, Los Blancos lifted 5 trophies in a single calendar year.

While some might scoff that the 5th was the Club World Cup - not exactly always the same caliber as many of top European sides we face - these aren't exactly scrub teams, and the diminutive scorelines are certainly evidence of how we didn't exactly blow away the competition (Kashima Antlers were actually up 2-1 at one point in last year's final.)

The key point, is that this team has managed to, in some cases convincingly and others by the skin of their teeth, win more silverware in one year than any other Real Madrid team before them. And that's no small feat.

They say that the mark of a true champion is the ability to keep on winning trophies regardless of who well they are playing.

That saying is certainly apropos for Zidane's men at the moment. The last few months haven't exactly yielded the best performances. We are 11 points back in the league going into El Clasico this weekend (RM with a game-in-hand) - while not insurmountable, no team has ever come back from that large a deficit to win La Liga. We've looked lackluster during some games we should have won handily, and at times have seemed to have lost our edge, drive, and team flow.

But yet we pulled it together a number of times in recent weeks, and none more so than to do what was needed to trounce Sevilla and then win the Club World Cup.

It is easy to speculate as to why we've ebbed and flowed at all. It could be complacency - say what you will about being professionals, at some point staying on top requires far more focus than getting to the top. It could be arrogance - especially against the bottom-table sides we drew against, Real Madrid acted as though they expected to win without much effort and were proven wrong repeatedly.

Regardless, Zidane seems to be able to wrangle the troops when it's absolutely necessary. He's shown it repeatedly against top sides, particularly when there is a trophy on the line.

A top squad is bound to experience dips in form here and there. And for whatever reason, we've seen a dip in the first half of this season. But Zizou continues to create his legacy by getting his squad to deliver when it matters most. Call it whatever you will, throw whichever stats at it to suit your argument of choice, but I firmly believe in the Zidane Effect, as intangible as it might be.

How else do you explain the fact that Zidane and Real Madrid have won every single final they've played in since he took over? That's right, 7 finals, 7 victories, and a total of 8 trophies. In fewer than two years he is already in 2nd place for most every trophies for a Real Madrid manager.

I'd say that Zinedine Zidane has more than earned our trust and loyalty for quite some time.