Real Madrid clinches a record-breaking 36th La Liga championship.

Real Madrid clinched their 36th La Liga championship with a record-breaking win on Saturday, thanks to Barcelona's second-half meltdown against Girona. The Catalan side lost 4-2, leaving Real Madrid insurmountable at the top of the table.

, and Hanna Hofmann

2024 May 5 . 12:49 PM

2 min read

Jude Bellingham has been central to Real Madrid's title-winning campaign.

Real Madrid clinches a record-breaking 36th La Liga championship.

Real Madrid secured a 3-0 victory over Cádiz earlier in the day, putting pressure on Barcelona to win their match to keep the La Liga title race mathematically alive with four games left in the season.

At first, it seemed like Barcelona might delay the almost certain Real Madrid title victory for another week, with goals from Andreas Christiansen and Robert Lewandowski giving the Blaugrana a 2-1 lead at halftime, thanks to Paulo Gazzaniga's incredible goalkeeping keeping the score down.

However, Barcelona missed several opportunities after the break, and Girona tied the game in the 65th minute through Cristian Portu. Less than a minute later, Miguel Gutiérrez scored to give the Blanquivermells the lead. And Portu's second goal, a stunning volley from the edge of the box, sealed the win.

With Real Madrid's dominance in the league this season, it's no surprise that a 36th title seemed inevitable for a while. The team has only suffered one defeat all year - against Atlético Madrid back in September - while Barcelona has struggled with form.

Girona jumped to be Real's closest title challenger prior to them losing to Real Madrid in a 4-0 beatdown in February.

Real Madrid's most recent victory against Cádiz was fueled by goals from Brahim Díaz, Joselu, and of course, Jude Bellingham, who scored 18 league goals this season, including two injury time winners in both victories against Barcelona in El Clásico.

Bellingham, who won his first trophy with Real Madrid, is now one of the club's most important players, while veterans Nacho and Luka Modrić added trophy number 25 each to their already impressive resumes along with Marcelo and Karim Benzema.

"I'd be lying if I said when I was young that I didn't dream of winning La Liga as captain," said Real Madrid captain Nacho on his team's website, reflecting on their victory. "It's a feeling I've been waiting for this year. It's a dream come true.

Winning the La Liga title is an incredible experience, but winning it as captain is even better."

But there's not much time to celebrate as the second leg of the Champions League semifinal against Bayern Munich approaches on Wednesday. With so many titles under their belt, winning the league is just half the battle for Real Madrid - the ultimate prize is winning in Europe.

"We'll celebrate the title with our fans on Saturday," said manager Carlo Ancelotti after the game, per the club's website. "For now, it's important to have a measured celebration because Wednesday's goal is extremely significant."