[CHAMPIONS] Bernd Schuster has accomplished what the six Real Madrid head coaches before him did not. He'll keep his job for a second year.
It wasn't easy, but Schuster led Real Madrid to the 2008 Spanish La Liga title, which it clinched on Sunday when it rallied from a one-goal deficit to win, 2-1, at Osasuna, and give it a 10-point lead over second-place Villarreal with three games to play.
"It was like one of those American sports films when you have to fight and suffer but you eventually get a happy ending," said Schuster. "We are going to enjoy the moment, celebrate with our fans back in Madrid and have a great time when we play Barcelona at the Bernabeu on Wednesday."
The Merengues' 2008 title was certainly less dramatic than last year's title, which it won on the last day of the season.
Real Madrid invested heavily in the offseason — it spent $182 million on defenders Christoph Metzelder, Gabriel Heinze and Pepe, midfielders Royston Drenthe and Wesley Sneijder and forwards Javier Saviola and Arjen Robben — but its play was hardly a break from last year's unspectacular performance that cost Italian Fabio Capello his job as coach.
After sputtering in the late winter, the Merengues pulled away with five wins and a tie in their last six games.
"This team demonstrated that it has guts, determination… everything," Real Madrid president Ramon Calderon said. "This team can never be written off and they won the title in heroic fashion. Winning the title two years in a row is a huge achievement."
REAL MADRID 2007-08:
PLAYER (COUNTRY) GP-G
Raul (Spain) 35-17
Iker Casillas (Spain) 35-0
Fabio Cannavaro (Italy) 31-0
Fernando Gago (Argentina) 30-0
Guti (Spain) 29-9
Robinho (Brazil) 29-10
Wesley Sneijder (Netherlands) 27-8
Mahamadou Diarra (Mali) 27-0
Julio Baptista (Brazil) 26-3
Gonzalo Higuain (Argentina) 22-7
Ruud Van Nistelrooy (Netherlands) 21-12
Marcelo (Brazil) 21-0
Arjen Robben (Netherlands) 19-3
Gabriel Heinze (Argentina) 19-1
Miguel Torres (Spain) 19-0
Royston Drenthe (Netherlands) 18-2
Pepe (Portugal) 17-0
Michel Salgado (Spain) 8-0
Javier Saviola (Argentina) 8-3
Christoph Metzelder (Germany) 7-0
Roberto Soldado (Spain) 5-0
REAL MADRID TITLES:
La Liga (31) – 1932, 1933, 1954, 1955, 1957, 1958, 1961, 1962, 1963, 1964, 1965, 1967, 1968, 1969, 1972, 1975, 1976, 1978, 1979, 1980, 1986, 1987, 1988, 1989, 1990, 1995, 1997, 2001, 2003, 2007, 2008
Copa del Rey (17) – 1905, 1906, 1907, 1908, 1917, 1934, 1936, 1946, 1947, 1962, 1970, 1974, 1975, 1980, 1982, 1989, 1993
Spanish Super Cup (7) – 1988, 1989, 1990, 1993, 1997, 2001, 2003
Spanish League Cup (1) – 1985
European Cup (9) – 1956, 1957, 1958, 1959, 1960, 1966, 1998, 2000, 2002
UEFA Cup (2) – 1985, 1986
European Super Cup (1) – 2002
World Club Cup (3) – 1960, 1988, 2002