Real Madrid had its worst attendance since 2009

While all the buzz surrounded Cristiano Ronaldo's Juventus debut in Serie A against Chievo, the same couldn't be said for the club he left behind.

With Ronaldo gone from Real Madrid, the Spanish giants opened their season at Santiago Bernabeu to the worst La Liga crowd for Real Madrid since 2009. The announced attendance for Real Madrid's season-opening win against Getafe was a paltry 48,446 out of the stadium's 81,044 capacity. Ronaldo joined Real Madrid for the 2009-10 season.

The empty seats were evident throughout the stadium.

(Photo by JAVIER SORIANO / AFP)

EPA-EFE/KIKO HUESCA

While Ronaldo's absence likely played a role in the low turnout, Real Madrid fans have offered other explanations. Notably, the kickoff was 10:15 p.m. local time on a Sunday. It was an absurd kickoff time ahead of a work day when people have … well … jobs.

Late August is also a popular vacation time for Spanish people, and past Real Madrid openers have fallen well below the Bernabeu's capacity.

Still, Sunday's attendance was a major dropoff from those usual August figures. But it's early. If attendance continues to lag into September, then Real Madrid should start to worry.

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