Real Madrid's Spanish Primera Liga triumph this season is an exceptional achievement which demonstrates the determination of a truly high-profile club, deemed as one of the powerhouses in the world of football. Perhaps adding one trophy to a host of major honors sounds to be a normal thing but given the circumstances surrounding the Royal club recently, a league title was just outstanding. Real Madrid fans celebrated over the years a record of nine UEFA Champions League titles and a massive 29 Spanish Liga trophies, but the 30th title of the 2006-2007 season will remain in their memories for long. "I hope the Bernabeu will always be like this, this was a very important title for the club," Brazilian left-back Roberto Carlos said before departing to Turkey's Fenerbahce. Tough Season for Capello and Co. The number of ups and downs experienced by the Spanish giants and their Italian coach Fabio Capello this season has been significant. Real's inconsistent season varied from the exploit of beating Valencia home and away and scoring five times against arch-rivals Barcelona, to the disgrace of losing 3-0 at home to newly-promoted Recreativo and 2-1 to struggling Celta Vigo. Capello, who is now a local hero in Madrid after guiding the club to the Liga title for the second time, was under threat of losing his post and has even seen other managers short-listed publicly by president Ramon Calderon to take his seat. Besides the tension between Capello's and the board, Real suffered a major setback to their 'Galactico' squad, witnessing a huge reshuffle by the Italian tactician who should be credited for establishing a strong side in short period of time. The legendary Zinedine Zidane retired, Ronaldo fell out with Capello and left for AC Milan in January, Roberto Carlos was injured for long spells and David Beckham's initial poor form made him a fringe player for the team. However, Capello managed to deal with the whole situation in ice-cool fashion as he moved to strengthen his attacking options by acquiring the lethal Ruud Van Nistelrooy from Manchester United. The former AS Roma manager also succeeded in bringing Beckham back in business, despite admitting that ignoring the former England captain, as a result of his move to MLS side Los Angeles Galaxy, was a mistake.
A prestigious title deserves to be celebrated! At a certain point in the 2006-2007 season, Real were dumped out of the Champions League and the Copa Del Rey and their Liga title hopes seemed to be fading to the extent that no one expected them to make a comeback. But Capello showed how defiant his side was by grabbing some dramatic results that contributed to their achievement. "To win we had to suffer. We always seem to have to suffer for our victories, but I'm very happy," said Capello after Real were crowned champions. The comments made by some Real players after beating Mallorca 3-1 in the final day to grab the title prove how much the victory meant for the team after a difficult season. "The people who deserve it most are those who believed in us through the bad times," captain Raul Gonzalez said. "It has been an incredible experience but all I'll remember now are the great things and the good things because winning this tonight puts to bed everything else," Beckham said. "There have been a lot of bad times this season but where you finish is more important than how you got there," said goal scoring hero Jose Antonio Reyes. Vicious Rivalry In the 2002-2003 season, Real snatched the Primera Liga title in the final day in a similar fashion, finishing just two points clear of Real Sociedad, but this term it was Barca who were brokenhearted. The legendary rivalry between the two giants of Spanish football is widely regarded as one of the most
