Madrid Leads La Liga's 2024 Calendar Year Standings in Football
Madrid Leads La Liga's 2024 Calendar Year Standings in Football
Real Madrid clinched the top spot in 2024's La Liga standings considering results per calendar year, edging out competitions from rivals Barcelona and Atletico Madrid, concluding the year with 90 points out of a possible 114.
White Angels, as they are popularly known, suffered only two losses this year - a defeat to Barcelona in October and an early December encounter against Athletic Club, along with nine draws and 27 victories. This performance yields their best calendar year score since 2021, where they ended the year with 97 points, having played three more league games.
They scored 89 goals throughout the year, only second to Barcelona's tally of 96 goals. When it comes to goals conceded, they outperformed every team in La Liga for the entire 2024 calendar year with 33 goals, the fewest among all.
Real Madrid maintained their lead over Barcelona, who ended the year with 85 points despite playing an additional game, raising their possible total to 117. Atletico Madrid managed to secure 79 points by the year's end.
Currently, Real Madrid is second in the La Liga table, trailing leaders Atletico Madrid by just one point. They clinched the title last season with 95 points, with Barcelona trailing behind with 85 points.
The 2024 La Liga table and comparison with 2023
The only team from the 2023 top six to increase their points tally in 2024 is none other than Real Madrid. In 2023, Real Madrid ranked third in the calendar-year table with 85 points, but notched up five more points this year. On the other hand, Atletico Madrid and Barcelona ended the year on 88 points - a decrease for both teams compared to 2023.
Girona and Real Sociedad experienced significant setbacks, with Girona losing 16 points from 2023 and Real Sociedad dropping 19 points, which can be attributed to the sale of key players and the challenges of European competitions in 2024/25.
On the other hand, Getafe, who played the full 2024 season, recorded the least number of points at 33, down 18 points from their 51-point return in 2023. Below them, Las Palmas and Valencia also struggled, with Las Palmas and Valencia recording only 38 and 33 points respectively in their debut La Liga season.
Athletic Club's historical performance in 2024
Among the competition, Basque side Athletic Club has generated significant buzz due to their exemplary performance in the league. They secured fourth place in the standings with 69 points, achieved after winning 29 games throughout the year. This is the highest percentage of games won in a single calendar year since 1982. In the 2024 season, they only lost eight matches, which was their lowest number since 1956.
Coach Ernesto Valverde has demonstrated an exceptional performance at San Mamés and has managed to pull the best out of the team to improve their form this year. A 14-game unbeaten streak also contributed to their ascent, which they last achieved in 2023, and ranks joint-fifth in their all-time longest unbeaten run.
Real Madrid's archrivals, Athletic Club, also put up an impressive show in La Liga, managing to win 29 games in 2024, their highest win percentage since 1982. Despite the strong performances from both Real Madrid and Athletic Club, it was Atlético Madrid who stayed at the top of La Liga, with Real Madrid directly challenging them, sitting second with a point difference.