How Real Madrid Lost the La Liga Title to Barcelona
Real Madrid ended the season empty-handed.
Real Madrid were leading La Liga EA Sports in mid-February, when Barcelona lost to Girona at Montilivi. But everything went wrong after two consecutive defeats.
At the start of the second half of the season, with Xabi Alonso already dismissed, the defending champions held just a one-point lead over their archrivals. By then, it was already clear that Atlético Madrid would not be in contention for the title, while Villarreal clung to hopes of a miracle. The rojiblancos fell off dramatically, a leap into the void without a safety net, and the yellow submarine ran out of steam as the weeks passed.
The truth is that Real Madrid led by two points at the end of matchday 24, with Álvaro Arbeloa having improved on his predecessor’s results, despite bowing out of the Copa del Rey against Albacete. Their domestic form was impeccable, suggesting they would at least stay in the fight until the final stretch of the season. Nothing could have been further from the truth.
The first blow, which cost them the lead, came at El Sadar. Osasuna took the lead through Budimir, but Vinícius equalized in the second half, raising hopes of a comeback. However, Rubén García capitalized on the visitors’ momentum and sealed a 2-1 win deep into stoppage time. A cruel defeat for a Real Madrid side that died of success against Osasuna, a team that had also beaten Barcelona at home the previous season.
Days later, Arbeloa’s side suffered their second straight loss. This time it was at home against Getafe, a side then worried about relegation but now dreaming of a return to Europe—thanks in part to that prestigious victory. The hosts produced a lackluster, insipid performance against the azulones, who won thanks to Satriano’s goal. Barcelona were now four points behind—valuable but not yet decisive.
Farewell to the Champions League, Farewell to La Liga
The almost decisive blow came two months later, after a run of positive results that brought no extra reward due to the consistency of Hansi Flick’s men.
At Son Moix, history repeated itself: Mallorca took the lead, Real Madrid equalized late, and then suffered a last-minute sucker punch. Vedat Muriqi, second in the race for the Pichichi trophy, buried Madrid’s chances. The visitors were once again caught out on the counterattack.
From that moment on, the Champions League became the absolute priority. This was evident in the 1-1 draw with Girona at the Santiago Bernabéu, which fell between the two legs of the knockout tie against Bayern Munich. A penalty on Kylian Mbappé should have been given, but even so, seven points adrift of the lead, a title comeback was already highly unlikely.
Madrid’s points tally.
After the 2-0 defeat in El Clásico, which Barcelona faced as the perfect scenario to clinch the title, the 15-time European champions are now officially in their second consecutive season without a major trophy—and this time, unlike the previous one, without any minor consolation either.
That 2-1 win over Barcelona, so distant in time when Xabi was still on the bench, remains the only genuinely joyful moment for a squad that must find a way to become competitive again.
