Last summer Zinedine Zidane publicly confessed that his Real Madrid team’s biggest priority was regaining La Liga after four seasons of failure on the domestic front.
Nine months later Los Blancos deservedly reached that goal, and Zidane is due a great deal of for his authoritative but sensible management of his squad.
Zidane’s greatest achievement, as he has noted himself, was allowing every player to justifiably feel they were making a significant contribution to their team’s challenge, with the French coach’s rotation policy allowing back-up performers like Kiko Casilla, Mateo Kovacic and Lucas Vazquez to gain a meaningful amount of playing time.
TEAM OF THE SEASON
Jan Oblak (Atletico Madrid); Dani Carvajal (Real Madrid), Diego Godin (Atletico Madrid), Gerard Pique (Barcelona), Marcelo (Real Madrid); Manu Trigueros (Villarreal), Steven N’Zonzi (Sevilla), Toni Kroos (Real Madrid); Lionel Messi (Barcelona), Antoine Griezmann (Atletico Madrid), Cristiano Ronaldo (Real Madrid)
Player of the Season
Lionel Messi
He didn’t win the title but Lionel Messi was the only reason Barcelona took their challenge to the final day.
Young Player of the Season
Marco Asensio
Marco Asensio showed himself to be a major future star with some scintillating performances towards the end of Real Madrid’s triumphant campaign.
Best Signing
Diego Lopez
Veteran keeper Diego Lopez was thought to be well past his best, but his outstanding form made Espanyol’s defence one of the best.
Best Manager
Zinedine Zidane
Zinedine Zidane might not be a tactical innovator but he led Real Madrid perfectly, getting the most out of his whole squad.
Biggest Flop
Andre Gomes
Andre Gomes desperately struggled to make an impact at Barcelona after joining from Valencia, often singled out for criticism by fans.
Best Game
Real Madrid 2-3 Barcelona
April’s Clasico had everything, including a winning goal for Lionel Messi with 12 seconds remaining to keep the title race alive.
Goal of the Season
Kevin Prince Boateng, Las Palmas vs Villarreal
A dazzling one-touch passing move culminated with an outrageous backheeled assist by Tana and an acrobatic precise volley from Boateng.
Hope for 2017/18
After Sevilla and Atletico Madrid fell away, hopefully one of them will mount a stronger challenge to the big two next year.