Once Real Madrid’s heir to Ronaldo’s throne, Mariano vanishes—then reappears with a single goal that echoes years of emptiness.
Full Breakdown:
Mariano Díaz, the man once trusted with Real Madrid’s sacred No. 7 jersey, endured an unbelievable 1,045-day drought without scoring a single goal in professional club football. From May 15, 2022, until March 2025, the striker—who once tore up Ligue 1 with Lyon—became football’s most forgotten man.
After a €20 million return to Madrid in 2018, hope soared. But the moment he inherited Ronaldo’s jersey, everything unraveled. Game time vanished. Confidence collapsed. Transfers brought no revival—zero goals in 13 appearances for Sevilla confirmed his ghost status.
Then came March 2025—a low-stakes international friendly: Dominican Republic vs Puerto Rico. No glamour. No pressure. Just a match. And Mariano scored.
Why it matters:
His last goal came nearly three years prior.
His strike didn’t come in La Liga, a Champions League night, or a final—but it mattered more emotionally than any trophy.
Once labeled Ronaldo’s successor, his career became a cautionary tale of weighty expectations and lost confidence.
That one goal was not a comeback—it was a closure. A flicker from a ghost, reminding us that even forgotten legends have their moments.
Mariano Díaz: A name that once shook Madrid. Now, a whisper of
what could’ve been.
