The "BBC" trio was a term used to call the three forwards of Real Madrid C.F. The trio consisted of Gareth Bale, Karim Benzema and Cristiano Ronaldo. Together, the "BBC" trio won 1 Spanish Super Cup, 3 UEFA Super Cups, 3 FIFA Club World Cups , 1 La Liga Trophy and 4 Champions League trophies. Considered by many as one of the best football trios in the world, the "BBC" trio helped Real Madrid C.F achieved domination over European football. The trio broke up after Cristiano Ronaldo left Real Madrid C.F for Juventus F.C. at the end of 2017-2018 season.
Terminology[]
The "BBC" is the acronym of Bale, Benzema and Cristiano. The name "BBC" influenced by the BBC network(British Broadcasting Channel). The members of the "BBC" formed the three man attacking partnership of Real Madrid C.F and because of that the term "BBC" became popular when describing the trio.
History[]
In September 1, 2013, Real Madrid officially announced that the club had signed Gareth Bale from Tottenham Hotspur F.C.. The transfer gained a lot of attention because of the world record €100 million transfer fee paid for a football player. Expectations were high due to the transfer fee as well as Garth Bale's status as a top player for Tottenham. Bale's arrival made strong head lines in Spain because Real Madrid were trying to win the historic 10th Champions League trophy(La Decima) and many suggested that the transfer fee invested was to win the tournament. Karim Benzema and Cristiano Ronaldo were already playing for Real Madrid. Bale was immediately deployed alongside Benzema and Ronaldo and managed to score on his debut against Villarreal CF. Thus, supporters were delighted and the name "BBC" was given to the trio. The name gained momentum and became widespread among fans and media alike when Real Madrid was mentioned. When Real Madrid won the 10th Champions League, the "BBC" trio confirmed their status as the top footballing trio in the world. "BBC" later aspired many trios such as the "MSN" of Barcelona and the "Mazcar" of Chelsea F.C..
La Decima[]
The historic 10th Champions League (La Decima) had been an obsession for Real Madrid C.F. With the signing of Bale and under the leadership of Carlo Ancelotti, Real Madrid went in full force and eventually managed to capture the trophy in 2013-2014 season. The "BBC" helped a great deal in the process. Cristiano Ronaldo alone scored 17 goals and was the top scorer of the tournament. Memorable performances from the "BBC" were the knock-out round against Schalke 04, the semi-final against Bayern Munich, and the final against Atletico Madrid. The team also won Copa del Rey due to Bale's outstanding solo effort. Overall, the "BBC" did impressively during 2013-2014 season. In total, they scored 97 goals among themselves, which accounted for 61% of the total goals scored by Real Madrid C.F.
The following year[]
The following 2014-2015 season was poor for Real Madrid C.F. The team did not win any trophy. Nevertheless, the "BBC" managed to perform decently scoring 100 goals among them. However, critics pointed out that Ronaldo had been the stand out performer among the "BBC" and the two Bs needed to raise their games. Bale had to combat his long persisting injury problems and Benzema needed to be consistent. Barcelona won treble( Laliga, Copa del Rey, Champions League) and the status of the "BBC" as the best footballing trio in the world was challenged by the "MSN" trio.
La Undecima, La Duodecima, and La Decimotercera[]
In 2015-2016, Real Madrid regained the status of the champions of Europe by winning the 11th Champions League(La Undecima). As expected, the "BBC" trio played a critical role. All three of the "BBC" had respectable performances. The team failed to win Laliga and Copa del Rey but the victory at European front negated the failures at home. The "BBC" trio were praised once again. Following 2016-2017 season, Real Madrid C.F had one of the best performances in recent time. The team captured both Laliga and the 12th Champions League(La Duodecima).However, the "BBC" as a whole did not contribute much. Gareth Bale barely played due to injury and Karim Benzema was struggling. It was Ronaldo who had to take most of the responsibility. However, performances from midfielders such as Toni Kroos, Luka Modrić, and Casemiro along with Ronaldo led the team to the glory. The role of the "BBC" diminished due to the emergence of an excellent midfield. Therefore, in 2017-2018 season, the "BBC" became the second favourite after the aforementioned midfield trio. The team started the season poorly and so did the "BBC." Gareth Bale missed around 50% of the games due to injury and Karim Benzema managed to score only 12 goals. Even Cristiano Ronaldo was not up to his standard compare to his other seasons. Also, the rise of youngsters such as Marco Asensio and Lucas Vázquez pushed the "BBC" out of fans' favour. Even though the team retained the Champions League trophy, the importance and significance of the "BBC" trio greatly reduced.
The break up[]
At the end of 2017-2018 season, Ronaldo left Real Madrid for Juventus F.C and the "BBC" trio broke up.
At the 2020-2021 season, Bale was loaned out to Tottenham Hotspur and might possibly leave Real Madrid next season