President Florentino Pérez supported Mourinho's request to "be able to manage the team with autonomy" in response to tensions during the previous season's winter transfer window and a public feud regarding Karim Benzema following a 1–1 draw against Almería. Real Madrid fired Director General Jorge Valdano on 25 May after a strained relationship over sporting decisions between him and manager José Mourinho. Former Castilla winger José Callejón was brought back after three seasons at Espanyol for a reported fee of €5 million on 23 May. The club announced on 21 May that veteran Polish goalkeeper Jerzy Dudek's contract would not be renewed he subsequently retired.
Juegos de real football 2012 free#
Versatile Turkish midfielder Hamit Altıntop was signed for four seasons on a free transfer from Bayern Munich on 19 May, but was discovered to have a prolapsed disc on 23 June, undergoing a successful operation four days later. Real Madrid commenced their summer transfer activity on 9 May, signing Turkish central midfielder Nuri Şahin for six seasons from Borussia Dortmund on a transfer reported to be worth €10 million. Real Madrid also recorded the most goals in a league season with 121, surpassing the precious record held by the Real Madrid side that scored 107 goals during the 1989–90 season.
Their total of 100 was one point better than the previous record set by Barcelona in the 2009–10 season (Barcelona would go on to equal this points record in the following season). The season has been often termed by some newspapers as " La Liga de los Récords" (Spanish for "The League of the Records") as Real Madrid broke several long-standing La Liga records, the most prominent being the highest number of points in a single La Liga season. Cristiano Ronaldo, the winner of the Pichichi Trophy and European Golden Shoe last season, was the team's leading scorer with 46 goals in La Liga and 60 overall. They entered the Copa del Rey as the defending champions, but lost 4–3 on aggregate in the quarter-finals to Barcelona. They also competed in the UEFA Champions League for the 15th successive season, losing in the semi-finals to Bayern Munich in a penalty shoot-out. The team won a record 32nd La Liga title and finished the season with a number of records including 100 points in a single season, a record 121 goals scored and goal difference of +89, and a record 16 away wins and 32 overall wins. Real Madrid began the season finishing runners-up in the Supercopa de España to Barcelona, losing 5–4 on aggregate. It covered a period from 1 July 2011 to 30 June 2012. The 2011–12 season was the 108th season in Real Madrid Club de Fútbol's history and their 81st consecutive season in La Liga, the top division of Spanish football.