2006–07 La Liga
The 2006–07 La Liga season, the 76th since its establishment, started on 27 August 2006 and finished on 17 June 2007. Real Madrid won La Liga on the better head-to-head against Barcelona in one of its most thrilling seasons to date. Celta de Vigo, Real Sociedad and Gimnàstic de Tarragona were relegated.
| Season | 2006–07 |
|---|---|
| Dates | 26 August 2006 – 17 June 2007 |
| Champions | Real Madrid 30th title |
| Relegated | Celta Vigo Real Sociedad Gimnàstic |
| Champions League | Real Madrid (group stage) Barcelona (group stage) Sevilla (3rd qualifying round) Valencia (3rd qualifying round) |
| UEFA Cup | Villarreal (first round) Zaragoza (first round) Getafe (first round) (via Copa del Rey) |
| Intertoto Cup | Atlético Madrid (third round) |
| Matches played | 380 |
| Goals scored | 942 (2.48 per match) |
| Top goalscorer | Ruud van Nistelrooy (25 goals) |
| Biggest home win | Osasuna 5–1 Betis (14 January 2007) Gimnàstic 4–0 Espanyol (28 January 2007) Barcelona 4–0 Villarreal (25 November 2006) Sevilla 4–0 Levante (29 August 2006) Sevilla 4–0 Deportivo (20 December 2006) Valencia 4–0 Gimnàstic (1 October 2006) Valencia 4–0 Deportivo (10 December 2006) |
| Biggest away win | Atlético Madrid 0–6 Barcelona (20 May 2007) |
| Highest scoring | Racing 5–4 Athletic Bilbao (1 April 2007) |
← 2005–06 2007–08 → | |
Barcelona was in first place for much of the season while arch-rivals Real Madrid were six points behind and in fourth. However, Barcelona began playing inconsistently after January, while Madrid's form improved in that same period. On 12 May 2007, Real Madrid took the league lead for the first time all season by defeating Espanyol 4–3, coming back from a 3–1 first-half deficit. The Sunday after Madrid won their epic battle with Espanyol, Barcelona dropped points with a 1–1 draw to struggling Real Betis. By virtue of their superior head-to-head record, Madrid sat at the top of La Liga with both teams having four league games left.
On the penultimate day of the season, Barcelona failed to overcome city rivals Espanyol in the Barcelona derby, drawing 2–2. In the final La Liga matches, Barcelona thrashed Gimnàstic 5–1, but Madrid came back from a 1–0 deficit to beat Mallorca 3–1 and clinch the title on head-to-head superiority.