Ronaldo scored twice and Real Madrid sealed the 2002/03 title against Athletic

On June 22, 2003, the Santiago Bernabéu hosted the close of a season the Merengue club won’t forget anytime soon. With a 3-1 win over Athletic Club de Bilbao on the final matchday, Real Madrid secured their 29th La Liga title. Two goals from Ronaldo Nazário and one from Roberto Carlos. Just like that.

A race that went to the wire

The 2002/03 edition of the Spanish championship was one of the tightest of the early 2000s. Real Madrid finished with 78 points, just two more than Real Sociedad, who arrived at the final round still dreaming of the trophy. A narrow margin, real pressure right up to the final whistle.

Vicente del Bosque was in charge of the team that season and delivered the most efficient side in the league: 86 goals scored, the best attack in the entire competition. More than just winning, the Merengues racked up routs with regularity.

Ronaldo, the leading name of the campaign

On the individual front, the standout was the Phenomenon. Ronaldo ended the league with 23 goals for the club, the team’s internal top scorer. His brace in the domestic finale against Athletic was more than symbolic: it was the summary of a season built on his finishing.

Roberto Carlos, a left-back who rarely featured as a decisive goalscorer, completed the scoreline and wrote himself into the history of that match with a goal. Athletic did pull one back, but the result was never in doubt.

The third trophy of a historic season

The league was, in fact, the third trophy lifted by Real Madrid that season. Before it, the club had won the UEFA Super Cup against Feyenoord and the Intercontinental Cup against Olimpia of Asunción, in Japan. That is: three different competitions, three titles. A campaign few could replicate.

Twenty-one years later, that del Bosque cycle is still remembered as one of the most productive periods in the club’s recent history. The 2003 title was also the last the coach won at the helm of the team before being let go – ironically, right after the season ended. Football rarely rewards with gratitude.