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Real fans bring Madrid to standstill with 29th Spanish league title
Madrid, June 23: Real Madrid were celebrating their 29th Spanish league title after two goals from Ronaldo and a thunderous Roberto Carlos free kick earned them a 3-1 victory over Athletic Bilbao in their final match of the season at the Santiago Bernabeu.
Madrid, June 23: Real Madrid were celebrating their 29th Spanish league title after two goals from Ronaldo and a thunderous Roberto Carlos free kick earned them a 3-1 victory over Athletic Bilbao in their final match of the season at the Santiago Bernabeu.
As soon as the final whistle was blown at the Bernabeu a sparkling display of blazing white fireworks was launched into the Madrid night sky.
The players paraded around the pitch with a replica of the league trophy to the accompaniment of the club's centenary anthem sung by tenor Placido Domingo and a huge banner celebrating the 29th league title was placed in the centre circle.
While the players were still doing their laps of honour at the Bernabeu thousands of fans flooded down the Madrid streets towards the huge plaza surrounding the Cibeles fountain to begin a long night of celebrations which went into the early hours of Monday (June 23).
Thousands of jubilant Real Madrid fans brought the centre of the Spanish capital to a standstill as they converged on the Cibeles fountain to celebrate their team's 29th league title triumph on Sunday (June 22).
After over an hour of singing, dancing and flag waving in the streets surrounding the fountain, fans were joined by players who had paraded down the city's broad Castellana avenue in an all-white double decker bus with the word "champions" emblazoned on the side.
Choreographed by two-goal hero Ronaldo and captain Fernando Hierro the players then danced their way along a walkway set up around the traditional site used by the team to celebrate its triumphs.
In a nerve-jangling final day of the Spanish league season Real clinched the title with a tense 3-1 victory over Athletic Bilbao.
Real had gone into their final game just two points ahead of title rivals Real Sociedad and knowing they had to win at the Bernabeu to guarantee the title.
Sociedad won their match at home to Atletico Madrid, but their impressive 3-0 victory proved to be of no avail given Real Madrid's victory.
Ronaldo once again demonstrated that he is the best in the world when it comes to the big occasion as he almost single-handedly guided Real Madrid to their 29th league title. With Real needing to beat Athletic Bilbao to win the championship, Ronaldo obliged with another match-winning display when it really counted.
The Brazilian, sporting the same bizarre hairstyle he wore at the World Cup, put his side ahead with a close-range strike after nine minutes and, after Bilbao had equalised, won the free kick that led to their second.
It was a first domestic league title for Ronaldo, who scored 34 league goals for Barcelona in the 1996-97 season but had to settle for the runners-up spot behind Real in the league.
A tally of 23 league goals looked a distant target when he arrived from Inter Milan in a $44.2 US million transfer. In December, he won the European Player of the Year award for the second time and the FIFA World Player of the Year award for the third time as he finished the year on a high note.
Ronaldo proved Real's saviour in the second phase of the Champions League, heading the only goal in a 1-0 win away to Lokomotiv Moscow that took his team through to the knock-out phase.
In the quarter-finals, his hat-trick in the second leg away to Manchester United clinched a 6-5 aggregate win for Real and earned him a standing ovation from the Old Trafford crowd.
Ronaldo scored in Real's 2-1 win over Juventus in the semi-final first leg but injury limited him to a substitute's role in the return and Juventus denied the Spaniards a place in the final.
That left the domestic league as Real's only hope of claiming a major trophy and Ronaldo's inspirational run of form at the end of the season led them to victory.
He scored twice in a crucial 2-1 win away to Valencia, twice again away to Atletico Madrid last week and added another double to clinch the title against Bilbao.
Factbox on Real Madrid, who won their 29th Spanish league title on Sunday: Founded: March 3, 1902 Spanish champions (29) -- 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 King's Cup winners (17) - 1905, 1906, 1907, 1908, 1917, 1934, 1936, 1946, 1947, 1962, 1970, 1974, 1975, 1980, 1982, 1989, 1993 European Cup winners (9) -- 1956, 1957, 1958, 1959, 1960, 1966, 1998, 2000, 2002 UEFA Cup winners (2) -- 1985, 1986 European Super Cup -- 2002 World Club Cup (3) -- 1960, 1988, 2002 Coach: Vicente del Bosque President: Florentino Perez Most league games: Manuel Sanchis (524) Most league goals: Hugo Sanchez (234) Most expensive player: Zinedine Zidane ($66 million from Juventus in July 2001) Colours: All white Stadium: Santiago Bernabeu since 1947. Capacity: 75,000.
Bureau Report
After over an hour of singing, dancing and flag waving in the streets surrounding the fountain, fans were joined by players who had paraded down the city's broad Castellana avenue in an all-white double decker bus with the word "champions" emblazoned on the side.
Choreographed by two-goal hero Ronaldo and captain Fernando Hierro the players then danced their way along a walkway set up around the traditional site used by the team to celebrate its triumphs.
In a nerve-jangling final day of the Spanish league season Real clinched the title with a tense 3-1 victory over Athletic Bilbao.
Real had gone into their final game just two points ahead of title rivals Real Sociedad and knowing they had to win at the Bernabeu to guarantee the title.
Sociedad won their match at home to Atletico Madrid, but their impressive 3-0 victory proved to be of no avail given Real Madrid's victory.
Ronaldo once again demonstrated that he is the best in the world when it comes to the big occasion as he almost single-handedly guided Real Madrid to their 29th league title. With Real needing to beat Athletic Bilbao to win the championship, Ronaldo obliged with another match-winning display when it really counted.
The Brazilian, sporting the same bizarre hairstyle he wore at the World Cup, put his side ahead with a close-range strike after nine minutes and, after Bilbao had equalised, won the free kick that led to their second.
It was a first domestic league title for Ronaldo, who scored 34 league goals for Barcelona in the 1996-97 season but had to settle for the runners-up spot behind Real in the league.
A tally of 23 league goals looked a distant target when he arrived from Inter Milan in a $44.2 US million transfer. In December, he won the European Player of the Year award for the second time and the FIFA World Player of the Year award for the third time as he finished the year on a high note.
Ronaldo proved Real's saviour in the second phase of the Champions League, heading the only goal in a 1-0 win away to Lokomotiv Moscow that took his team through to the knock-out phase.
In the quarter-finals, his hat-trick in the second leg away to Manchester United clinched a 6-5 aggregate win for Real and earned him a standing ovation from the Old Trafford crowd.
Ronaldo scored in Real's 2-1 win over Juventus in the semi-final first leg but injury limited him to a substitute's role in the return and Juventus denied the Spaniards a place in the final.
That left the domestic league as Real's only hope of claiming a major trophy and Ronaldo's inspirational run of form at the end of the season led them to victory.
He scored twice in a crucial 2-1 win away to Valencia, twice again away to Atletico Madrid last week and added another double to clinch the title against Bilbao.
Factbox on Real Madrid, who won their 29th Spanish league title on Sunday: Founded: March 3, 1902 Spanish champions (29) -- 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 King's Cup winners (17) - 1905, 1906, 1907, 1908, 1917, 1934, 1936, 1946, 1947, 1962, 1970, 1974, 1975, 1980, 1982, 1989, 1993 European Cup winners (9) -- 1956, 1957, 1958, 1959, 1960, 1966, 1998, 2000, 2002 UEFA Cup winners (2) -- 1985, 1986 European Super Cup -- 2002 World Club Cup (3) -- 1960, 1988, 2002 Coach: Vicente del Bosque President: Florentino Perez Most league games: Manuel Sanchis (524) Most league goals: Hugo Sanchez (234) Most expensive player: Zinedine Zidane ($66 million from Juventus in July 2001) Colours: All white Stadium: Santiago Bernabeu since 1947. Capacity: 75,000.
Bureau Report