The past six years had undoubtedly been the most glorious six years in La Liga's history.
Why was that?
Because in the past, Real Madrid and Barcelona, those old rivals, had often taken turns enjoying periods of dominance. In recent years, however, both teams had reached the absolute peak of their histories and entered their most glorious eras.
Without going too far back, from the 1990s to the present, there had first been Cruyff's Barcelona Dream Team I, which was later beaten into submission by Valdano's Real Madrid. After that, Barcelona fell into an almost decade-long dark trough, while Real Madrid enjoyed five Champions League titles in three years, including the first Galácticos era at the beginning of the new century.
But after Rijkaard created Barcelona's Dream Team II, Real Madrid completely fell into a dark period. Then Guardiola created Dream Team III, pushing Barcelona football to an all-time peak, while Real Madrid ushered in a comprehensive revival in 2009, marked by Florentino's return and Yang Yang's arrival.
Starting in 2009, both Real Madrid and Barcelona reached their peaks. In the past six seasons, the two teams had reached the Champions League semifinals in five of them. The only season in which neither reached the semifinals was because Real Madrid and Barcelona had met in the quarterfinals, but in terms of strength, both teams had possessed what it took to challenge for the Champions League title.
If it had only been the two Spanish Super League giants, that would have been one thing. But in recent years, Atletico Madrid had risen spectacularly and looked increasingly formidable.
In La Liga, Real Madrid, Barcelona, and Atletico Madrid had stood as three equal powers. In the Champions League, all three La Liga powerhouses had likewise possessed the strength to reach the semifinals. At