The Merengue took a record haul in 2017 and also joined a select group of clubs to be crowned world champions in consecutive years
Real Madrid set a year-best in club history after taking the Club World Cup with a narrow victory over Gremio on Saturday.
Cristiano Ronaldo’s free kick was enough to seal a 1-0 win for the Spanish side, who had squeezed past Al Jazira 2-1 in the semis.
Gremio defended doggedly but showed little inclination to attack their illustrious opponents, even after falling behind in the second half.
Article continues below
Editors' Picks
Juve on alert: Exiled Icardi may have already played his final game for Inter Sarri vindicated for dropping Kepa as Chelsea & Pedro impress in Spurs win Magnificent Mane takes centre stage as league leaders Liverpool put on a five-star show Lukaku sends reminder that his Man Utd career is far from over
That timid approach allowed Madrid to cruise to victory in the final, and in the process make history.
The Club World Cup is the fifth trophy Zinedine Zidane’s men have lifted in 2017, a number that the club have never previously managed.
La Liga was the first competition to fall into Zidane’s hands this year, and was followed by victory over Juventus to retain the Champions League.
Further triumphs in the UEFA and Spanish Supercups swelled their trophy count to four, and Ronaldo and Co. completed the ‘manita’ on Saturday with the world title.
Madrid also became the first team in Club World Cup history to retain the title, and tie Barcelona for most overall victories in the competition with three.
Not since Tele Santana’s Sao Paulo side in 1992 and 1993 (under the previous Intercontinental Cup format) had a team been proclaimed world champions for two years running, a distinction also achieved by the likes of Pele’s Santos (1962 and 1963), Helenio Herrera’s Inter (1964-5) and Milan under the direction of Arrigo Sacchi (1989-90).