Champions Real Madrid clinch 100-point mark
Real Madrid won 32 games, drew 4 and lost only 2 in 38 matches. They finished 9 points above bitter rivals Barcelona. An emotional Jose Mourinho declared on Sunday night as the Spanish giants celebrated their La Liga trophy in grand style:
“As the best club in football history, Real Madrid try to win all the titles. This team has made history as the one that secured 100 points and these players are the ones who made that possible.”
In the 2009/10 Spanish Primera Division campaign, Barcelona fell a point short of hitting a century. On Sunday night, Real Madrid celebrated their league triumph at the Santiago Bernabeu in a ceremonious manner with lighting effects and a special performance by Spanish tenor Placido Domingo singing Nessun Dorma.
Cristiano Ronaldo sets scoring record
Portuguese superstar Cristiano Ronaldo made history on May 13. His header against Real Mallorca at the Bernabeu made him the first player to score against each of the other 19 teams in a single La Liga campaign. Ronaldo’s opener in Madrid’s 4-1 demolition of Mallorca was his 60th goal in all competitions this season.
Lionel Messi wins the Pichichi with 50 goals
Messi lacked behind Cristiano Ronaldo in the goal king chart for most of the season. However, the Barcelona forward made a late comeback during which he netted a hat-trick against Malaga on Matchday 36.
Lionel Messi followed this feat with 4 goals against Espanyol in Barcelona’s penultimate league match. The number 10 player was not on target against Real Betis on Matchday 38 but his 50-goal tally forced Cristiano Ronaldo to settle for the second spot despite netting 46 goals.
Atletico Madrid’s Radamel Falcao finished third in the chart with 24 goals.
Malaga qualify for Champions League football
Malaga secured their 13th home win with a 1-0 defeat of Sporting Gijon on the last day of the season. This result helped them maintain their stand above reigning UEFA Europa League winners Atletico Madrid. Malaga recorded the most away defeats (11) in La Liga but still managed to end in the top-four zone with 58 points.
Villarreal suffer relegation
Speaking about Atletico Madrid, they relegated Villarreal on Matchday 38 with a 1-0 win thanks to Radamel Falcao’s 88th minute effort. Villarreal waved goodbye to top-flight Spanish football on May 13. They will play in the second division with Racing Santander and Sporting Gijon.
