Barcelona’s squad contains a number of talented individuals such as Andres Iniesta and Cesc Fabregas as well as the world’s best player in recent years Lionel Messi; however, this season the Spanish league title went to a deserving club: Real Madrid.

There are several reasons as to why Los Blancos triumphed in La Liga following Barca’s recent domination on both the domestic and European fronts. Below are the most significant reasons:

a) Away Record: Real won a stunning total of 16 matches out of 19 played away from Madrid. Los Blancos only conceded 13 times away from home. In addition, the biggest away win was the triumph at the Camp Nou which effectively sealed the title for the club.

b) Cristiano Ronaldo: CR7 has scored a remarkable 45 goals in only 37 games in La Liga. What is even more remarkable is the fact Ronaldo did not miss a single match which shows how dedicated and fit he has been this season. Add to that an impressive tally of 12 assists in the league and one can clearly see why he is considered as one of the best players in the world along with Barca’s Messi. Ronaldo’s most important goal came against Barca as he registered the winner in the 2-1 away triumph to end the Catalans’ dream of repeating as champions.

c) Attacking Firepower: Real managed to score a record 117 times (with one remaining fixture to play. Ronaldo might have scored 45 goals, but two of his teammates Gonzalo Higuain and Karim Benzema combined for 42 goals with Higuain scoring 22 goals in just 17 league starts. Higuain came off the bench on 17 other occasions.

d) Mesut Ozil: The German midfielder contributed to the Real cause with 17 assists. Ozil was behind Ronaldo’s winner at the Camp Nou when he provided the great assist for the Portuguese star to finish off Barca’s hopes of winning the title. It is important to note that Angel Di Maria was as crucial as Ozil this season with the Argentina international assisting his teammates on 15 occasions.

e) Jose Mourinho: The Portuguese coach remains a controversial figure with his outspoken criticism of referees and opponents as well as his use of psychological warfare to engage with competitors and officials alike. However, Mourinho has relatively toned down his rhetoric and has focused more on getting the results this season. His tactics foiled bitter rivals Barca at the Camp Nou and he was finally able to lead Real to a win against the Catalans in the league.

Mourinho’s ability to get the best out of his players and his anti-Barca strategy have been successful this season as he brought the league title back to Madrid following a few years of domination by the club’s Catalan rivals.