The top-five European leagues concluded over the weekend with Italian Serie A and Spain’s La Liga the last to play their respective games. Meanwhile,
FA Cup
,
DFB Pokal
and
Coupe de France
finals were played in England, Germany and France respectively.
There’s only the matter of Europa Conference League and UEFA Champions League finals to be played in Europe’s club competitions.
As players shift focus to much-needed rest, Euro 2024 and World Cup qualifiers, we take a look at how things unfolded in the top-five European leagues – English Premier League, La Liga, Serie A, Bundesliga and Ligue 1.
English Premier League
Manchester City won the league
for a record fourth straight season,
holding off Arsenal
to clinch the title with a two point gap. Liverpool had also been in title contention until fading off late into the season following a string of surprise defeats and draws.
All three teams that came up at the start of the season – Luton Town, Sheffield United and Burnley – were relegated, the first time it has happened since 1997-98.
Champions: Manchester City
Relegated: Luton Town, Sheffield United, Burnley
Champions League: Manchester City, Arsenal, Liverpool, Aston Villa
Europa League: Manchester United, Tottenham Hotspur
Europa Conference League: Chelsea
La Liga
Real Madrid were crowned champions of Spain
and finished 10 points clear of Barcelona who
went the season without a trophy
. Girona, who had produced a stellar run until January, finished third. They have qualified for the UEFA Champions League but their murky ownership status might change things.
Three teams from Andalusia were relegated with Cadiz, Granada and Almeria going down.
Champions: Real Madrid
Relegated: Cadiz, Almeria, Granada
Champions League: Real Madrid, Barcelona, Girona, Atletico Madrid
Europa League: Athletic Bilbao, Real Sociedad
Europa Conference League: Real Betis
Serie A
Inter Milan secured the title
with ease and to make things sweeter, they clinched it by beating city rivals AC Milan. With their 20th league title, they added a second star to their logo. Although days after the season concluded, Inter’s owners were unable to pay their loan and the
club ownership went into the hands of US fund Oaktree
.
Champions: Inter Milan
Relegated: Frosinone, Sassuolo, Salernitana
Champions League: Inter Milan, AC Milan, Juventus, Atalanta, Bologna
Europa League: AS Roma, Lazio
Europa Conference League: Fiorentina
Bundesliga
Bayer Leverkusen ended Bayern Munich’s dominance
of 11 straight Bundesliga titles by clinching their first league championship ever. The Xabi Alonso-managed side
went unbeaten the entire season
to boot – a
record in German football
. Leverkusen finished the campaign with a record 28 wins and six draws.
Eintracht Frankfurt have qualified for the Europa League at least and can make it to the Champions League if Dortmund win the Champions League title against Real Madrid in the final.
Champions: Bayer Leverkusen
Relegated: FC Cologne, Darmstadt 98
Champions League: Bayer Leverkusen, VFB Stuttgart, Bayern Munich, RB Leipzig, Borussia Dortmund
Europa League: Eintracht Frankfurt, Hoffenheim
Europa Conference League: Heidenheim
Ligue 1
Paris Saint-Germain clinched their 12th league title
and third in a row. They have now won the French league title in 10 of the last 12 years. PSG secured the title with three games to spare, finishing ahead of Monaco.
Champions: Paris Saint-Germain
Relegated: Lorient, Clermont
Champions League: PSG, Monaco, Brest, Lille
Europa League: Nice, Lyon
Europa Conference League: Lens