THE season isn’t quite over for some clubs as the FIFA Club World Cup begins on June 14 with 12 teams from Europe heading to the United States for a competition that has yet to appeal to the footballing community. And yet, once it gets underway, there will not be participant who doesn’t want to win the rather gaudy trophy that looks more like a TV game show prize rather than a piece of soccer silverware. **Atlético Madrid, Borussia Dortmund** and **Juventus** are among the European dozen and they will be eager to have something to show for the 2024-25 campaign.
**Atlético Madrid**
FOR a brief moment, Atléti were title contenders and hit the top of the table after beating Barcelona away from home in December. They had a bad patch in March and had to be content with finishing third once more. They spent heavily in 2024-25, buying Alexander Sørloth from Villareal for € 32 million, Conor Gallagher from Chelsea for € 42 million and Real Sociedad’s Robin Le Normand for € 34.5 million and also paid € 75 million to Manchester City for Julián Alvarez. Sørloth and Alvarez scored 53 goals between them, while Antoine Griezmann, who may be coming to the end of his time with the club, netted 16. Although they drew both league games with Real Madrid in La Liga, their city rivals defeated them in the Champions League round of 16. Atléti were beaten 5-4 on aggregate by Barcelona in the Copa del Rey semi-finals, a 1-0 home defeat followed a stirring 4-4 draw in the first leg. Atléti’s biggest problem was drawing too many games – 10 of their 38 league fixtures. They lost just six times and finished 12 points behind champions Barcelona. A few more wins and they would have a bigger say in the destination of the title.
**Borussia Dortmund**
A LATE flourish, in which they won seven of their final eight games, gave a very respectable look to Borussia Dortmund’s season which, at one stage, looked destined to end in mid-table. They kicked off with a new coach, Nuri Sahin, but he was released in January and replaced by Niko Kovač. BVB paid € 50 million for the Stuttgart pair, Serhou Guirassy and Waldemar Anton and also signed Maximilian Beier from Hoffenheim for € 29.5 million. Guirassy had an excellent first season, scoring 34 goals across all competitions. They also sold Niclas Füllkrug to West Ham for € 27 million and Donyell Malen to Aston Villa for € 25 million. BVB lost four of their first 10 games, including a 5-1 hammering at Stuttgart, and then lost five of seven in January/February. Guirassy wasn’t the only player to catch the eye – Jamie Gittens and Karim Adeyemi were both being eyed by Premier League clubs by the end of the campaign. As well as finishing fourth in the Bundesliga, Dortmund reached the last eight of the Champions League, losing 5-3 on aggregate to Barcelona after a 4-0 drubbing in the first leg. Once more Dortmund were the best supported club in world football, averaging 81,365 at the Westfalenstadion.
**Juventus**
JUVE were the draw experts among Europe’s top five leagues. Only Osasuna of Spain drew as many as Juve’s 16. It arguably cost them a genuine stab at the title as they finished 12 point behind champions Napoli. Juve only lost four games and went 21 games without defeat at the start of the season, losing their unbeaten record on January 25 against Napoli. They also demonstrated the art of a solid defence, opening the season with six consecutive clean sheets. They began with a new coach in the form of Thiago Motta, but he was sacked in March and replaced by Igor Tudor. The new man made a difference as Juve lost just once in their last nine games of the Serie A programme. But Juve’s lack of goals was something of a problem, just 58 in 38 league games. Their top scorer was Dušan Vlahović, who netted 15 in all competitions. Their biggest signing of the season was Douglas Luiz, who cost € 50 million from Aston Villa, but he failed to live up to expectations and there is talk of him leaving in the close season. Juve’s record suggested they were hard to beat, but they lacked the necessary cutting edge to turn draws into wins. If they had, the outcome of 2024-25 might have been so different.
Game of the People was founded in 2012 and is ranked among the 100 best football websites by various sources. The site consistently wins awards for its work, across a broad range of subjects. [View all posts by Neil Fredrik Jensen](https://gameofthepeople.com/author/georgefjord/)