The suspense in La Liga's title battle had long since died away, but it is now official: Real Madrid is Spain's new king.
Real Madrid has won La Liga for the 35th time, securing the title with four games to spare after a 4–0 win over Espanyol at the Bernabéu on Saturday. Real has moved to the top of the table, with the previous season's winner Atlético Madrid faltering more than normal and fighting for a top-four finish, and Barcelona still drowning in problems that saw the club lose Lionel Messi to PSG.
The championship is the club's second in three seasons, and it assures that the trophy stays in Madrid after a two-year reign by Barcelona from 2018 to 2019. It was made possible in largely by Karim Benzema's attacking play. The 34-year-old Frenchman has matured well, dominating La Liga with 25 goals (ending Messi's five-year record as the league's top scorer) and scoring 41 goals in 41 games this season across all competitions.
His 14 goals in the Champions League are the most in the competition, with six of them coming in consecutive hat tricks against PSG and Chelsea. Real Madrid still has a chance to add to its record 13 European titles, but it will have to overcome a 4–3 aggregate deficit to Manchester City after a tight first leg at leg the Etihad.
However, Benzema has played a significant role in Real Madrid's rise under Carlo Ancelotti. The attack has benefited greatly from Vinicius Junior's breakout season, as the dynamic 21-year-old Brazilian is second on the team with 14 goals in league play. With this title, Ancelotti has set a new standard after winning the Premier League (Chelsea), Serie A (AC Milan), Ligue 1 (PSG), and Bundesliga (Bayern Munich) at previous coaching stops, it's his first La Liga title in his second stint with Madrid. This is a feat that no other manager in history has accomplished.
There were a few bumps in the road throughout the season. One of its three league defeats was a humiliating 4–0 home loss to Barcelona in the El Clásico in March (a match Benzem di notplay). Madrid was also eliminated from the Copa del Rey quarterfinals, losing 1–0 to Athletic Bilbao. And, despite being on the verge of reaching the Champions League final, the club's European campaign has been uneven. It lost three of its five knockout-stage matches en route to the second leg of the semifinals, including the infamous Champions League group-stage home defeat to Moldova's Sheriff Tiraspol in September.
Nonetheless, Madrid has had a title-winning season at home, in Saudi Arabia (where Madrid beat Barcelona in extra time in the semifinal and then beat Athletic Bilbao in the final of the Spanish Super Cup), and in Paris, if Ancelotti's side can upset Pep Guardiola's at the Bernabéu midweek to return to the Champions League final. And, in the future, there may be much more to take from Paris. Despite PSG boss Mauricio Pochettino's recent remarks that he and Kylian Mbappé would both stay in the French capital next season, the star forward has made no secret of his desire to play for Real Madrid, and all indicators point to him moving there on a free transfer this summer. Mbappé's contract is up for renewal after it expires this season
Other key decisions the club will have to make include the signing of another one-year contract by Croatian legend Luka Modri, as well as the expiration of contracts by Gareth Bale, Isco, and Marcelo. Bale is likely to depart the club (the Washington Post just reported preliminary talks with D.C. United), while Isco is expected to join Real Betis.
Whatever the team is looking like this summer, one thing is certain: it will return to Spain next season with a league title to defend.
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