MADRID, 30 Apr. (EUROPE PRESS) –
Real Madrid was proclaimed champion of the National League Championship this Saturday after beating Espanyol 4-0 with four games to go and now has a total of 35 domestic titles, the fourth it has won in the last decade.
The meringues, who lead the national record in league conquests, increase their advantage over FC Barcelona by 9 titles, a distance that has been narrowing -generally- in the last three decades due to the dominance of the culé both with Johan Cruyff and with Pep Guardiola on the bench.
In fact, in this last decade it is Barcelona that has achieved the most League (5), half of the championships held, while Atlético completes the list with two wounds (2013-14 and 2020-21) in this period of ten years that Real Madrid closes with its fourth national title.
The whites won their last League in the 2019-20 season, the season interrupted by the COVID-19 pandemic that was finally able to resume with 11 games to go. Zinédine Zidane’s pupils confirmed their dominance and lifted the cup after beating Villarreal in Valdebebas, the stadium where the Whites played their games that season.
It was Zidane’s second league title as coach, who had already released his record in this tournament with the victory in the 2016/17 season, which ended with four conquests. That campaign, the whites found a very defined eleven -with Cristiano and Benzema achieving 36 goals- and the same midfield as today.
Toni Kroos, Luka Modric and Casemiro already formed the core of Real Madrid in a season with Keylor Navas playing a leading role under the sticks and others such as Isco or Morata, also fundamental with their contribution. Those from Chamartín ended up winning the League with a three-point advantage over a Barça team that put up a fight until the end.
The previous Real Madrid League within the last decade belongs to the 2011-12 season, with José Mourinho on the bench, and after reaching the round figure of 100 points, a record hitherto unbeaten, in addition to Cristiano Ronaldo’s 46 goals Ronaldo, who was accompanied by a sensational Mesut Ozil, author of 17 assists in that championship.
This achieved this Saturday by Carlo Ancelotti is the fourth of the last decade but also the second in the last three years and the third in six, an unusual cadence of titles at Real Madrid this century, which has given Barça more prominence (8 vs 10) with wins for Valencia (2), Atlético (2) and Deportivo (1) in between, the only two clubs capable of breaking the duopoly.
The thirty-fifth league for the merengues also means the fourth league title for Karim Benzema, the third for Luka Modric, Toni Kroos, Isco, Casemiro, Carvajal, Bale, Asensio, Lucas Vázquez, Mariano, Nacho and Courtois (one of them with Atleti), and the second for others such as Vinicius, Jovic, Valverde, Rodrygo, Mendy, Militao and Hazard.
Jesús Vallejo, Eduardo Camavinga, David Alaba and Dani Ceballos make their debut as league champions, while Marcelo is crowned absolute leader with six league titles, an achievement that also makes him the player with the most titles in Real Madrid history (24 in total) ahead of the great Paco Gento.
The sixth league places Marcelo still far from the historical players of Real Madrid with the most national championships under his belt. Paco Gento leads this section with 12, followed by José Antonio Camacho and Santillana (9); as well as Sanchís, Di Stéfano and Miguel Ángel complete the podium with eight.
663739.1.260.149.20220430181217
