It was a dramatic end to the 2020-21 Spanish La Liga season as two Madrid giants fought for the title on the final matchday. Atletico Madrid, ten points ahead of FC Barcelona and Real Madrid in January, needed a win to seal their first Spanish La Liga crown in seven years. Real Madrid, meanwhile, was hoping their neighbors would slip up against Real Valladolid. But Diego Simeone’s side came back from a goal down to beat Valladolid to lift their 11th Spanish La Liga trophy. The champions were solid in the backline all season as they conceded just 25 goals in the league.
Forgettable 2020, inconsistency & a top-six finish
Lionel Messi-led Barcelona grabbed 54 points from 23 matches in 2021, the most by any team, yet the Catalan club had to settle for a third-place finish. It was the poor start that cost them a 27th title. Barcelona suffered defeats against Getafe, Real Madrid, Atletico Madrid, Cadiz, and failed to beat Sevilla, Alaves, Valencia, etc., in the first half of the season.
Real Madrid endured a frustrating campaign. The 2019-20 Spanish La Liga champions led the table after the opening seven games. But the Galacticos went winless in the league in November and lost grip on the top spot. Atletico Madrid’s eight-game winning streak made the task more difficult for them. Real Madrid lost the title by two points despite being unbeaten in their last 18 fixtures.
Real Betis brought delight to their fans as they clinched the sixth spot and a place in Europe. The Seville-based club, coached by Manuel Pellegrini, was placed tenth in the points table at the end of last year. However, their form improved and picked up crucial points. Betis sealed a Europa League berth after the victory over Huesca in the penultimate fixture. Real Sociedad, too, had an outstanding season, finishing in the top-five for the first time in eight years.
It was yet another successful campaign for Julen Lopetegui’s Sevilla. They finished fourth for the second successive season and registered their best points tally in Spanish La Liga history. Meanwhile, Villarreal had to settle for seventh-place, and Valencia continued to struggle as they ended up in 13th.
Relegated teams: Huesca, Real Valladolid, & Eibar
Stats
Top Goalscorers
| Player |
Club |
Goals |
| Lionel Messi |
FC Barcelona |
30 |
| Gerard Moreno |
Villarreal CF |
23 |
| Karim Benzema |
Real Madrid |
23 |
Most Assists
| Player |
Club |
Assists |
| Iago Aspas |
Celta Vigo |
13 |
| Marcos Llorente |
Atletico Madrid |
11 |
| Toni Kroos |
Real Madrid |
10 |
| Yannick Carrasco |
Atletico Madrid |
10 |
Most Clean Sheets
| Player |
Club |
Clean Sheets |
| Jan Oblak |
Atletico Madrid |
18 |
| Thibaut Courtois |
Real Madrid |
17 |
| Yassine Bounou |
Sevilla |
15 |
Parameswaran Sankaranarayanan
Parameswaran Sankaranarayan is a sports enthusiast who has worked in print, website, and other digital platforms. He was part of the editorial team of first-ever Indian football-based website - IndianFootball.com (now defunct) - and passionately follows the latest happenings in world football. During his time as a journalist, he had the opportunity to interact with some of the iconic personalities in Indian sports and witness some memorable moments in Indian football.
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