Background – Such is the domination of the big two in Spanish Football, any glimpse of a realistic alternative or threat to the duopoly is often over-egged by the sporting media. Regrettably, true pretenders to Real Madrid’s & Barcelona’s crown are few and far between, however at the turn of the last millennium a credible force was emerging in Galicia. Deportivo La Coruña had for a number of seasons, been viewed as the nearly man of Spanish football. A couple of runners-up spots and a Copa del Rey won in unusual circumstances was all the club had to show for its troubles. Many observers thought the club had shot its bolt, but the appointment in 1998 of Javier Irureta, saw Depor challenge at the top once again.
The story of the campaign – Barcelona, powered by the goals of
Rivaldo, had won the previous two championships with comparative ease and
unsurprisingly, was the pre-season favourite to make it three titles in a row. Barça
made a steady start to the season, losing just one of its first nine matches.
They shared top-spot in the first couple of months of the season with Rayo
Vallecano, who helped by a favourable fixture list, featured in the top three
until the end of November. Barça’s loss at the Riazor in week 10 saw them drop
from first spot and never return. Real Madrid endured a wretched first-half to
the season, a start which cost manager John Toshack his job in November. His
replacement, Vicente Del Bosque didn’t have it all his own way, losing two of
his first three matches in charge, including a 1-5 reverse at home to Real
Zaragoza. Depor on the other hand, built on a sound start and seven consecutive
victories from the end of October to Christmas put the club in the box seat
with an eight point lead. Depor couldn’t repeat its form in the second half of
the season, losing on seven occasions, but such was the patchy form of their
closest rivals, their points advantage never came under serious threat. Depor’s
first league title was secured with a scoreless draw in the penultimate fixture
at Santander.
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| Campeones 1999-00 - Deportivo La Coruña |
Relegation Battle – As Deportivo’s progress to a first league title
became inevitable, focus turned to the bottom of the league, which had a very unfamiliar
look to it. Sevilla and Atlético Madrid had struggled all season, with the
former recording just five wins all season and the latter failing to win any of
its last 16 matches. It was the loss of form of Real Betis that was most
dramatic however. Betis had been as high as sixth in week 12, but a complete
loss of form in the second half of the season, saw the club gradually sucked
into the relegation zone. Hopes of avoiding the drop were raised in week 36 when
a 3-0 victory at Real Valladolid, brought them within touching distance of Real
Oviedo and Numancia. However, a 0-2 defeat at home to Real Madrid a week later,
saw Betis join Atlético and the cross-city rivals Sevilla in La Segunda
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| Atlético's attempts to keep Hasselbank appear a tad desperate |
Extras – Deportiva La Coruña eleven defeats during the season, are the
most losses suffered by a championship winning side in La Liga history. Real
Mallorca played their first official match at their new Son Moix stadium,
losing 1-2 to Real Madrid on the opening day of the season. Despite seeing his
side relegated, Jimmy Floyd Hasselbank finished second in the race for the
Pichichi, scoring 24 of Atlético’s 48 goals. Despite finishing fifth, Real Madrid's triumph over Valencia in the Champions League Final ensured entry into the follow season's competition, at Real Zaragoza's expense.
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| Forget the branding, Real Mallorca play at Son Moix |
For the record – Despite relegation, Atlético Madrid recorded the
biggest win in the league, beating Real Oviedo 5-0. Barcelona was the league’s
top scorers with 70 goals, whilst not surprisingly, bottom club Sevilla
conceded the most goals with 67 entering their net. A total of 999 goals were
scored at an average of 2.63 per game. The average attendance in the top flight
over the course of the season was 26,984, with Barcelona topping this league, averaging
65,526 for its 19 home matches.
Pichichi – Journeyman striker Salva Ballesta joined Racing
Santander from Sevilla in 1998. His total of 27 goals in the 1999-00 season
included 12 penalties and earned him the Trofeo Pichichi. In the summer of
2000, Salva made the surprising decision to join relegated Atlético Madrid and
topped the scoring charts in La Segunda in 2000-01, but missed out on
promotion. A move to Valencia in 2001 saw him play regularly in the
championship winning side, but appearances for Los Ches became less frequent and a series of lone moves rarely brought
the best out of the striker. Salva ended his career at Albacete Balompie in
2010 and is now youth team coach at Malaga.
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| Salva decides to show off his thighs |
Zamora – Argentine goalkeeper Martín Herrera joined Deportivo Alavés
from Ferro Carril Oeste and won the Trofeo Zamora in his first season in La
Liga, conceding only 37 goals in 38 matches. Herrara played a total of 94
league matches for Alavés, as well as many cup appearances, including the 2001
UEFA Cup Final against Liverpool. After a brief spell at Fulham, Herrera
returned to Argentina where he won the Apertura championship in 2006.
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| Herrara made a stunning start to his career in Spain |
The Clubs today –
Deportivo La Coruña sit atop of La Segunda, hoping to make a quick return to
the top tier following last season’s relegation. They are joined in the second
division by Real Valladolid, Numancia and Galician rivals, Celta Vigo. Real
Oviedo and Deportivo Alavés have dropped the furthest and now play their
football in Segunda B. Fourteen of the 1999-00 participants can be found in
this season’s La Primera.
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| The Final Table - 1999-00 |
Labels: A Season in the Spotlight
