Real Madrid won their 35th La Liga championship overnight. Los Blancos picked up their latest league title after recording a 4-0 victory over Espanyol at the Santiago Bernabeu. That victory gave Carlo Ancelotti’s men an unassailable 18-point lead at the summit of the La Liga table, ahead of Sevilla.
Celebrations went long into the night in the Spanish capital. Their title has awarded Real for a season where they have absolutely dominated Spanish football. It has also created a couple of unique pieces of history.
Carlo Ancelotti
Italian mastermind, Carlo Ancelotti, was a surprise appointment after Zinedine Zidane resigned after his second stint in charge. It seemed Ancelotti would be near impossible to prise away from the Everton at the time. He wasn’t.
Real appointed Ancelotti manager of Madrid for the second time in his career. He had previously replaced Jose Mourinho back in 2013 after the Portuguese fell out will the club’s hierarchy. And although he had an excellent record in cup competitions, the La LIGA title evaded him.
This time, the Italian captured the Spanish first division title at the first attempt. Remarkably, this gives Ancelotti the honor of being the only manager ever to win titles in all five of the ‘big leagues’ in Europe.
Ancelotti’s league title honor roll looks like this:
-La Liga (Real Madrid)
-Premier League (Chelsea)
-Bundesliga (Bayern Munich)
-Ligue 1 (PSG)
-Serie A (AC Milan)
Marcelo
There aren’t too many people in world football who would argue with the fact that Marcelo’s best years are behind him. It is a testament to the Brazilian left-back longevity, however, that he has stayed in and around the Madrid first team this season.
Marcelo has been in and out of the first team a lot this year. Injury and bad form to a bout of COVID-19 have restricted his appearances in the league to only 11. The form of French left-back Ferland Mendy has also limited his first-team opportunities.
The 33-year-old Brazilian was another who picked up a unique accolade when Los Blancos got their hands on a 35th La Liga title. When Marcelo collected his winner’s medal for this season’s triumph, it officially made him the most decorated player in Real Madrid history.
His incredible trophy haul with one of the biggest club sides in world football includes:
- 4 Champions Leagues
- 4 Club World Cups
- 3 UEFA Super Cups
- 6 La Liga Titles
- 2 Copa Del Rey Trophies
- 5 Spanish Super Cups
Marcelo now holds the distinction of being the player with the most winners medals in Real Madrid history. He also holds the record for the foreigner with the most appearances for the club. Since his debut back in 2007 against Deportivo La Coruna, he has made 545 first-team appearances for Los Blancos, scoring 38 goals.
With these two footballing legends in their ranks, the 21/22 class of Real Madrid players will never be forgotten anytime soon.
Stuart Kavanagh is an up-and-coming sports journalist from Melbourne, Australia. Along with being the owner of the sports and entertainment website thepyrrhic.com, he is also the co-host of the ‘After Extra Time’ podcast. Football mad, he is always down for debate and discussion at @stueyissickofit on Twitter.