Now that the dust has settled on the 2018-19 football season in Europe, it’s time to take stock. Fans from as far afield as Zambia, Papua New Guinea and the Falkland Islands will know exactly which team triumphed in the major European leagues - Serie A, Bundesliga and La Liga.
More often than not it’s the details that are more interesting - like which clubs were left licking their wounds, which teams qualified for the Champions League and which poor sods were relegated to veritable junk status!
Questions like
was it Messi or Ronaldo who scored the most goals are far more interesting than cold hard statistics and facts.
Let’s take a look at how things shaped up in the Serie A, Bundesliga and La Liga in 2018-19:
Serie A
The top flight of Italian football was once again dominated by Juventus, a club that’s won the last eight titles back-to-back. The Le Zebre launched a spirited fightback to beat Florentina 2-1 after what can only be described as a lacklustre first half.
It was also an epic moment for Cristiano Ronaldo, not in terms of performance or goals but in terms of multi-league glory. The man named the Most Valuable Player of the season in the Serie A became the first player in history to win the Premier League, La Liga and the Italian affair!
Juventus was joined by Champions League qualifiers Napoli, Atalanta and Internationale at the top of the table. Right down below, Empoli, Frosinone and Chiero were relegated out of the league.
In a surprising turn up for the books it wasn’t Ronaldo or even a Juventus player who claimed the top goal scorer award. It was Sampdoria’s Fabio Quagliarella who hoofed in an unassailable 26 goals - five better than the great Ronaldo himself!
La Liga
In a dominant display over Levante and with the able assistance of the club’s captain and talisman, Lionel Messi, Barcelona claimed their 26
th La Liga title.
The boys from Camp Nou did have to withstand a second half barrage from Levante, a club that was all the more fearsome due to the threat of relegation. At the end of the day Valverde’s men changed gear and pulled off the widely anticipated win 1-0.
As it happened, it was Girona, Huesca and Rayo Vallecano that were relegated to the lower league while Atletico Madrid, Real Madrid and Valencia joined Barca as Champions League qualifiers – no surprises there.
As can be expected for the umpteenth time the fabled boot of Messi worked its magic, leaving the Barca captain with an impressive 36 league goals. The Slovenian goalie for Atletico Madrid Jan Oblak ended the season as the best goalkeeper in La Liga.
Bundesliga
Bayern Munich won its 28
th and seventh consecutive Bundelsiga title on the final match day but they had to contend with runners-up Borussia Dortmund champing at their heels.
It was one of the more closely fought contests that eventually saw RB Leipzig and Bayer Leverkusen joining the two front runners as Champions League qualifiers. On the other end of the spectrum, VfB Stuttgart, Hannover 96 and 1. FC Nurnberg crashed out of the Bundesliga.
Bayern Munich’s talented Polish striker Robert Lewandowski grabbed the honours as the league’s top goal scorer with 22 goals. Although the Bavarians triumphed in the end, it was Borussia Dortmund that enjoyed the longest unbeaten run of the season with 15 straight games.
Amongst all those facts and figures it’s now clear who claimed the goalscoring kudos - it was Lionel Messi of course… by 15!
Bet on your favourite sports with Betway
Betway Zambia offers the very best in online sports betting. From football to tennis, rugby to cricket, there is nothing that can match the intensity and excitement that comes from watching your favorite team or player as they take on their biggest rivals in a battle to determine bragging rights for weeks to come. Place a bet with Betway and feel the energy that can only be experienced through the world of sports betting.
If you’re new to Betway, click HERE to register an account now and start betting on sports with your 50% first deposit bonus.
For all the latest sports news, betting tips and promotions follow
Betway on
Facebook,
Twitter,
Instagram and
YouTube.
Download the Betway App.