Real Madrid champions of La Liga 2023/24.
As we reach the end of the season and find Real Madrid lifting a trophy, it might seem like nothing new, which, in reality, it isn’t.
However, those who believe it was an easy triumph are mistaken.
Join us as we follow Carlo Ancelotti and his team’s journey to claim the 36th La Liga title.
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Index
The team, its playing style, and its stars
We’ve previously mentioned the absolutely perfect planning executed by Florentino Perez.
The greatest football executive in the world, and arguably one of the greatest in history, managed the seamless transition between experience and youth.
Six years ago, he started buying young players with immense potential.
To balance this youth, he retained some experienced players capable of maintaining high-level performances.
Among the youngsters were Rodrygo, Vinicius Jr., Camavinga, Tchouaméni, Valverde, and others.
Among the experienced players were veterans from consecutive Champions League victories, such as Modric, Kroos, Carvajal, and Nacho.
This group has grown and strengthened, especially in this last season. The youngsters who arrived after 2018 are no longer so young. They have an extensive list of achievements and successes with Real Madrid.
The veterans maintained their excellent form and continued to be crucial. They may not have played as much as before, but they remained indispensable.
As if that wasn’t enough, another wave of promising young players joined the squad seamlessly.
Arda Guller and Nico Paz performed well and started paving their paths to the future.
Brahim Diaz, no longer so young, could be considered the 12th man of this team. He performed excellently coming off the bench and held his own when starting.
But undoubtedly, the standout player had to be Jude Bellingham.
Right from the start of the season, his impact was immense. The English midfielder adapted swiftly to Spanish football, to the city of Madrid, and to the pressure of playing for the biggest club in the world.
In the early stages of the season, when Vinicius Jr. was sidelined due to injury, the English youngster took responsibility upon himself and consistently delivered crucial performances.
His decisive impact is reflected in the numbers. After 34 rounds (with 4 remaining), Bellingham appeared in 26 matches, scoring 18 goals and providing 4 assists. That’s nearly a goal involvement per game on average.
Moreover, he is La Liga’s second top scorer, just behind Dovbyk, who has 20 goals. Bellingham aims for the top spot in the final rounds.
Image: X Real Madrid
Another name that deserves praise, once again, is Vinicius Jr. The Brazilian was born to play for Real Madrid.
It’s astonishing how the pressure of the Merengues’ shirt doesn’t weigh him down. In the toughest moments, he seems to thrive even more.
After a season start plagued by muscular injuries and limited minutes on the pitch, he bounced back impressively.
As we’ll see later, he, with all due respect, reclaimed the title of the team’s number one star, delivering a string of extraordinary performances.
He was the main force behind Real Madrid’s late surge, which, despite winning the title with 87 points, didn’t lead La Liga from start to finish, quite the contrary.
Girona held the lead for several rounds. However, it was in one of Vini’s historic performances that Real Madrid seized the top spot, and they never looked back.
Special mention to Rodrygo, who as usual, demonstrated exceptional intelligence on the field. He scored 10 goals in La Liga, along with 5 assists.
Defensively, Rüdiger maintained a unique solidity, especially considering that Alaba and Militão were hardly available this year due to their injuries.
Furthermore, Lunin deserves praise. The goalkeeper had the tough task of replacing the injured Courtois for almost the entire competition. He handled the responsibility calmly and game after game proved himself capable.
The line-ups varied throughout the season, but Ancelotti’s ideal team would be: Lunin, Carvajal, Rüdiger, Nacho, and Mendy in defense. The midfield trio of Camavinga, Valverde, and Kroos. Up front, Jude Bellingham as attacking midfielder, with Rodrygo and Vinicius Jr. leading the attack.
To illustrate the team’s versatility, Tchouaméni even played as a centre-back on more than one occasion. Camavinga, on the other hand, was used as a left-back.
The playing style, in the best Carlo Ancelotti fashion. A high-intensity team that exudes maturity. They usually have a plan and adapt according to their opponent’s game.
Furthermore, they can adjust to the needs of the game as it progresses. They like to dictate the pace, attacking with high lines and suffocating the opponent.
However, if necessary, they drop back and utilize the speed of their forwards, combined with the refined passing of their midfielders, to launch counterattacks. A winning machine.
Image: Reproduction Football Italia
The path of Real Madrid champions of La Liga 2023/24
As mentioned, the competition didn’t see Real Madrid leading from start to finish.
To the surprise of many, it was another team, much more modest than Real Madrid, Barcelona, Atlético de Madrid, and Sevilla, who took the lead.
From the mentioned round onwards, Real Madrid took the lead and never looked back. For seven rounds, the teams remained very close. None of them pulled away in the lead.
That is until the fateful 24th round. At that time, they were separated by two points and would face each other at the Santiago Bernabeu.
Carlo Ancelotti even said that regardless of the result, the championship wouldn’t be decided in that match. This was one of the few times the coach was wrong.
Vinicius Jr woke up with the intention of making history. Just 6 minutes in, he scored a legendary goal from outside the box.
Bellingham, the popular BelliGOL, scored two, and Rodrygo sealed the deal.
A resounding 4-0 victory, filled with folklore. In addition to the fantastic goal, Vini provided two assists. Moreover, he won all duels against the excellent full-back, Yan Couto, who was seen crying after the match.
From there on, a five-point difference was opened up, which only increased and could still grow until the end of the championship.
Another memorable game was the 2-2 draw against Valencia at the Mestalla.
The team from the Spanish coast took a 2-0 lead, and as usual at their stadium, began chanting and shouting racist chants aimed at Vinicius Jr.
Thinking this would destabilize him, the result was different. Vini scored two goals and equalized the match. It was a cheap outcome (in sporting terms) for Valencia, as in the last play of the game, Bellingham scored the winning goal from Brahim Diaz’s cross.
Image: Disclousure
The referee, bizarrely, had blown the final whistle the moment the cross left the Spanish midfielder’s feet. What a blunder.
Bellingham, rightfully, was sent off for his protests.
It’s impossible not to mention El Clásico when talking about La Liga. The clash between Real Madrid and Barcelona, played in the 32nd round, had all the necessary elements for a title filled with stories.
Playing at home, the Merengues saw their rivals take the lead with a header from Christensen, just 5 minutes into the game.
However, things quickly took the natural course of events, which is the victory of a much more capable team.
Even though we’re talking about the giant Barcelona, the level of football displayed by Real Madrid throughout the season is incomparable.
Thus, Lucas Vasquez won a penalty, and he, the man for the big games, Vinicius Jr, took the responsibility of the kick, equalizing the match at 17′.
Barça protested a lot about a play involving Raphinha. The forward had a shot saved on the goal line by Lunin. According to the players and staff of the Catalan club, the ball had crossed the line.
Despite this, the goal was not given, and the game continued. Barcelona regained the lead with a goal from Fermín.
However, on the other side was Vinicius Jr again. He received the ball wide, delivered a powerful and precise cross low, finding Lucas Vasquez at the far post to equalize the match.
Madrid’s turnaround came from Bellingham’s feet, after another brilliant play by Lucas Vasquez. What a game from the full-back.
Finally, amidst stumbles from their rivals and an insatiable thirst for victory, Real Madrid was crowned La Liga champions for the 36th time, further isolating themselves in the trophy count.
At this moment, they have an incredible 87 points, with 4 more matches to be played. Girona, who are already qualified for the Champions League, commendably have 74.
Congratulations to Real Madrid for winning La Liga 2023/24.
Image: OSCAR DEL POZO / AFP
Written by Vitor F L Miller.
