# Real Madrid Femenino

Active departments of Real Madrid :
| Football | Football B | Football C | Football U-19 |
| Women's Football | Women's Football B | Basketball | Basketball B |
Real Madrid Femenino is a Spanish professional women's football club in Madrid who play in the Primera División, the top tier of Spanish women's football. Founded as the independent Club Deportivo TACÓN in 2014, the club later underwent a merger and acquisition process beginning in 2020, and was rebranded to Real Madrid's women's football department in 2020.

## History
### 2014–2019: Club Deportivo TACÓN

CD TACÓN was founded on 12 September 2014. The name TACÓN (Heel) is an acronym of Trabajo (work) Atrevimiento (dare/bravery) Conocimiento (knowledge) Organización (organisation) Notoriedad (visibility/renown). In their first competitive season, 2015–16, the club only registered an under-14 team. In June 2016, TACÓN announced a merger with CD Canillas for incorporating their women's senior (which had been competing in the second tier for the past three seasons) and under-19 teams.
In their first season at senior level, in the 2016–17 Segunda División, TACÓN finished second in their regional group, below Madrid CFF who won promotion to the Primera División.
Because both TACÓN and Madrid CFF (founded in 2010 by businessman Alfredo Ulloa, a Real Madrid socio - club member - like TACÓN's founder, Ana Rossell) were clubs open to a potential takeover by Real Madrid, a rivalry developed between them. Rosell described the clubs' relations as "cordial" in 2019.
Rossell had petitioned successive Real Madrid presidents, Lorenzo Sanz, Florentino Pérez and Ramón Calderón, to create a women's football section since 1997, but received no official response. According to Rossell, her requests were denied, with club executives citing that a women's section wasn't economically sustainable. In those years, she was a player for Atlético Feminas and Canillas. In 2016, Rossell called publicly for Real Madrid to create a women's football section.
In June 2017 Real Madrid's president, Florentino Pérez, claimed that the club would make its own women's team from scratch, and not buy an existing club. Rossell had claimed in 2013 that Pérez was first starting to consider women's football at the club. Real was thus doing so several years or decades later than many other clubs in Europe and in the city of Madrid itself. On El Larguero in 2017, Pérez said “We will definitely have a women’s team,” he said. “We’re working on it, but it will be from the position of a newly formed club, not a team in which we bring the best player from Germany, Brazil… That is not what Madridismo is all about.”
As late as September 2018, Pérez still ruled out having a women's team, as El Confidencial reported: "Florentino did not want to spend on a section that did not guarantee trophies and his agents lied to him about the expenses necessary for him to create it". Women's football was not mentioned at all by Pérez at the club's annual assembly on 23 September 2018, and Oscar Sanz of El País wrote, "Real Madrid has the dubious honor of being, together with Getafe, the only First Division club that has neither had nor has a women's team."

### 2019: Takeover by Real Madrid

After three seasons in the Segunda División, on 19 May 2019, TACÓN achieved promotion to the Primera División.
On 25 June 2019, the Real Madrid CF board of directors announced a proposal of integrating TACÓN as their women's football section to be presented to their socios (members). As part of the agreement, TACÓN would play their 2019–20 season matches at Ciudad Real Madrid during the transition, with the merger being officially completed on 1 July 2020. On 15 September 2019, The Extraordinary General Assembly of Real Madrid approved the absorption of the club. Florentino Perez, speaking at the General Assembly after the vote to absorb was passed, cited that TACÓN's youth system was the reason why it was chosen as the base for the women's team, thus striving to stay true to Real Madrid's philosophy of developing Spanish talent.

### 2019–2020: Transition year

Having been promoted, the club went on to lose a large majority of its playing squad in the summer of 2019. Argentine midfielder Ruth Bravo moved to Rayo Vallecano, while others like Lixy, Marbel Okoye and Yamilla Badell did not have their contracts renewed. In order to strengthen for the coming season, the club saw the arrival of Swedish duo Kosovare Asllani and Sofia Jakobsson; French midfielder Aurélie Kaci from Atlético Madrid, Ainoa Campo from Madrid CFF, English forward Chioma Ubogagu, goalkeeper Ana Valles Nigerian defender Osinachi Ohale, as well as the Brazilian pair Daiane and Thaisa Moreno, who was nominated for best midfielder in her lone year at A.C. Milan Women. The last signing of the summer was versatile defender Babett Peter from VFL Wolfsburg.
Despite the wealth of talent and experience at their disposal, CD TACÓN's start to the season was nothing short of abysmal, with a heavy loss against Barcelona (9–1) in its debut match, and EDF Logroño particularly standing out. After a poor run with just one win in nine games, the team started to gain a sense of stability in November 2019, going on a five match unbeaten run. TACÓN finished the shortened 2019–20 season in 10th place, with many fans unhappy with how the team had thrown away a 3–0 lead with ten minutes to go and ended up losing 4–3 on home soil in the last match before the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Real Madrid Women were also the subject of a documentary series in 2020.

### 2020–present: Real Madrid Femenino

On 1 July 2020, Real Madrid CF released an official communication confirming the completion of the merger, thereby signalling the complete absorption of CD TACÓN, which would then operate as 'Real Madrid' from that date onwards.
The new structure of the section includes a senior team, reserve side similar to Castilla, known as 'Real Madrid Femenino B', an Under-19 team, 'Juvenil' and a 'Cadete' for under-15s and below. The structure already existed under CD TACÓN and has been integrated into Real Madrid's famous La Fábrica. The remaining TACÓN Juvenil and Cadete teams that couldn't be absorbed right away have since been rebranded as 'Fenix Football Club', which in turn merged with CD Masriver in 2021.

## Home ground

During the transition season, TACÓN played their home fixtures at Field 11 in Ciudad Real Madrid. The matches were not open to the general public, with only club members, selected away fans and those possessing a membership card, allowed to attend. Following the completion of the merger, and given that the senior men's team was using the Estadio Alfredo di Stéfano, Real Madrid Femenino continued to play their home matches at Field 11. At the start of the 2021–22 season, the women's team have alternated between Field 11 and the Alfredo di Stéfano stadium, initially with a reduced capacity for fan attendance.

## Season to season

| Season | Division | Place | Copa de la Reina |
| As CD TACÓN ||||
| 2016–17 | 2ª | 2nd | |
| 2017–18 | 2ª | 1st | |
| 2018–19 | 2ª | 1st | |
| 2019–20 | 1ª | 10th | Quarter-finals |
| As Real Madrid Femenino ||||
| 2020–21 | 1ª | 2nd | Quarter-finals |
| 2021–22 | 1ª | 3rd | Semi-finals |
| 2022–23 | 1ª | 2nd | Runners-up |
| 2023–24 | 1ª | 2nd | Quarter-finals |

## Record in UEFA Women's Champions League

All results (home, away and aggregate) list Real Madrid's goal tally first.
| Season | Round | Club | Home | Away | Aggregate |
| 2021–22 | QR2 | Manchester City | 1–1 | 1–0 | 2–1 |
| 2021–22 | Group stage | Zhytlobud Kharkiv | 3–0 | 1–0 | 2nd |
| 2021–22 | Group stage | Breiðablik | 5–0 | 3–0 | 2nd |
| 2021–22 | Group stage | Paris Saint-Germain | 0–2 | 0–4 | 2nd |
| 2021–22 | Quarter-finals | Barcelona | 1–3 | 2–5 | 3–8 |
| 2022–23 | QR1 | Sturm Graz | 6–0 | 6–0 | 6–0 |
| 2022–23 | QR1 | Manchester City | 1–0 | 1–0 | 1–0 |
| 2022–23 | QR2 | Rosenborg | 3–0 | 2–1 | 5–1 |
| 2022–23 | Group stage | Paris Saint-Germain | 0–0 | 1–2 | 3rd |
| 2022–23 | Group stage | Chelsea | 1–1 | 0–2 | 3rd |
| 2022–23 | Group stage | Vllaznia Shkodër | 5–1 | 2–0 | 3rd |
| 2023–24 | QR2 | Vålerenga Fotball | 2–1 | 3–0 | 5–1 |
| 2023–24 | Group stage | Chelsea | 2–2 | 1–2 | 4th |
| 2023–24 | Group stage | BK Häcken | 0–1 | 1–2 | 4th |
| 2023–24 | Group stage | Paris FC | 0–1 | 1–2 | 4th |
| 2024–25 | QR2 | Sporting CP | 3–1 | 2–1 | 5–2 |
| 2024–25 | Group stage | Chelsea | 1–2 | 2–3 | 2nd |
| 2024–25 | Group stage | Twente | 7–0 | 3–2 | 2nd |
| 2024–25 | Group stage | Celtic | 4–0 | 3–0 | 2nd |
| 2024–25 | Quarter-finals | Arsenal | – | – | – |

## Players
### Current squad

As of 15 February 2025.
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules; some limited exceptions apply. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
| No. | Pos. | Nation | Player |
| 1 | GK | ESP | Misa Rodríguez (vice-captain) |
| 3 | MF | ESP | Teresa Abelleira (3rd captain) |
| 4 | DF | ESP | Rocío Gálvez |
| 5 | DF | BRA | Antônia |
| 6 | MF | FRA | Sandie Toletti |
| 7 | DF | ESP | Olga Carmona (captain) |
| 9 | FW | DEN | Signe Bruun |
| 10 | MF | SCO | Caroline Weir |
| 11 | FW | ESP | Alba Redondo |
| 12 | DF | BRA | Yasmim |
| 13 | GK | FRA | Mylène Chavas |
| 14 | DF | ESP | María Méndez |
| No. | Pos. | Nation | Player |
| 15 | DF | ESP | Sheila García |
| 16 | FW | DEN | Caroline Møller |
| 17 | FW | ESP | Carla Camacho |
| 18 | FW | COL | Linda Caicedo |
| 19 | FW | ESP | Eva Navarro |
| 20 | FW | FRA | Naomie Feller |
| 21 | MF | SWE | Filippa Angeldahl |
| 22 | FW | ESP | Athenea del Castillo |
| 23 | DF | FRA | Maëlle Lakrar |
| 24 | MF | GER | Melanie Leupolz |
| 36 | MF | ESP | Irune Dorado |

### Notable players

    This section lists players who have appeared in least 100 matches or scored at least 35 goals for the club.
* Teresa Abelleira (2020–)
* Ivana Andrés (2020–24)
* Olga Carmona (2020–)
* Maite Oroz (2020–24)
* Kenti Robles (2020–2024)
* Misa Rodríguez (2020–)
* Athenea del Castillo (2021–)
* Esther González (2021–23)
* Caroline Møller (2021–)
* Claudia Zornoza (2021–24)
* Rocío Gálvez (2021–)
* Caroline Weir (2022–)

#### FIFA World Cup participants

    List of players that were called up for a FIFA Women's World Cup while playing for Real Madrid. In brackets, the tournament played:
* Ruth Bravo (2019)
* Teresa Abelleira (2023)
* Ivana Andrés (2023)
* Linda Caicedo (2023)
* Olga Carmona (2023)
* Athenea del Castillo (2023)
* Naomie Feller (2023)
* Rocío Gálvez (2023)
* Esther González (2023)
* Kathellen (2023)
* Misa Rodríguez (2023)
* Sofie Svava (2023)
* Sandie Toletti (2023)
* Claudia Zornoza (2023)

### Records
#### All-time Top 10 scorers

As of 8 February 2025.
| # | Name | Years | Goals |
| 1 | Esther González | (2021–23) | 39 |
| 2 | Caroline Weir | (2022–) | 36 |
| 3 | Athenea del Castillo | (2021–) | 31 |
| 4 | Signe Bruun | (2023–) | 28 |
| 5 | Olga Carmona | (2020–) | 26 |
| 6 | Caroline Møller | (2021–) | 25 |
| 7 | Kosovare Asllani | (2019–22) | 23 |
| 8 | Naomie Feller | (2022–) | 18 |
| 8 | Linda Caicedo | (2022–) | 18 |
| 10 | Marta Cardona | (2020–22) | 15 |
| 10 | Claudia Zornoza | (2021–24) | 15 |

## Coaches

| Coach | Time period |
| CD TACÓN ||
| Marta Tejedor | 2016–18 |
| David Aznar | 2018–20 |
| Real Madrid Femenino ||
| David Aznar | 2020–21 |
| Alberto Toril | 2021–present |

### Current coaching staff

| Position | Staff |
| Head coach | Alberto Toril |
| Assistant coach | Irene Ferreras |
| Goalkeeping coach | Óscar Gaspar |
| Fitness coach | Marcos Chena |