Our next World Cup opponents Real Madrid are without doubt one of the best known sports teams in the world. With that in mind, we have picked out a few exciting facts that might give you some more knowledge on the Spanish giants.

#1 | Club World Cup record holders

The Madrid side are not only record holders in European football with 15 UEFA Champions League wins, they have also won the Club World Cup from its inception in 2000 more than any other team. Real have won the title five times.

#2 | So many nicknames

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Few teams can have quite so many nicknames, so let's go back to the start. Real came from a decree from Spanish king Alfonso XIII in 1920, which naturally enough led to the Royals moniker. Los Blancos refers to the white home kits. The White Ballet refers to the team at the end of the 1950s that was known for its technically accomplished and nimble-footed football. If you are talking about the Galacticos, that is more of a reference to the early 2000s when the likes of Ronaldo, Zidane and Beckham appeared for Real.

#3 | Most valuable squad

1.33 billion Euro is the current squad value of Real on transfermarkt.com, which is more than any other club. The biggest components of that tidy sum are the star trio of Kylian Mbappe (180m), Jude Bellingham (180m) and Vinicius Junior (170m). Our entire squad is worth a paltry 175 million in comparison.

#4 | A very special Club World Cup transfer

There was a special transfer window organised ahead of the Club World Cup, which we were able to make the most of. Real Madrid were able to recruit Trent Alexander-Arnold from Liverpool, as his contract was running out at the end of June, to fill their vacant right-back position. The Spanish giants paid a not insignificant 10 million Euros to register the transfer ahead of the Club World Cup.

#5 | Young stars and an incredible veteran

In the 3-1 win against Pachuca, 43-year-old Xabi Alonso sent a side out with an average age of just 24.5, with young Arda Güler (20) just one of the talents. Bringing on 39-year-old legend Luka Modric raised the average.

Clash against Real Madrid live on DAZN and via text updates on our website

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We can look forward to a dramatic encounter when we face Real Madrid on Thursday evening in Philadelphia (21:00 local time, 03:00 Friday morning Austrian time). You can watch the clash for free on DAZN as usual or follow it on our live text updates.

Opposition analysis: 5 facts on Real Madrid ahead of our Club World Cup clash