The reason for Real Madrid’s early line-up announcement dates back to the 2021-22 season. Until then, journalists from various outlets had often unveiled XIs in the build-up to important matches, much to the frustration of the club and even some fans.
Leaks of the line-up became even more common at the start of that campaign, when Ancelotti made a surprise return from Everton to replace Zinedine Zidane in the dugout. Miguel Angel Diaz, a journalist for radio station Cadena COPE, would regularly publish Ancelotti’s choices before Madrid wanted them to be made public.
In years gone by, that might have led to division behind the scenes. Those at Madrid’s Valdebebas HQ remember when then-manager Jose Mourinho sought out a ‘mole’ who was leaking dressing room matters, including line-ups, to the media. He blamed goalkeeper Iker Casillas, who denied supplying the press with information.
This time, however, Madrid and Ancelotti decided to take it in their stride to wrong-foot the press. For the first derby of 2021-22 against Atletico Madrid at the Bernabeu in December, they published their line-up around two hours before kick-off. It is a tradition that has stuck.
