This scandal left Serie A severely weakened.
Although the summer transfer window hadn't even opened yet, many of its superstars were already considering leaving.
Chelsea's owner, Roman Abramovich, even made an early verbal offer, expressing his desire to sign Serie A's current biggest star—the "Ukrainian Nuclear Warhead," Andriy Shevchenko!
Suddenly, the eyes of clubs across Europe turned toward the Italian Peninsula.
There was fresh game to hunt!
But the Iberian Peninsula wasn't about to be outdone.
If Serie A was being picked apart, then La Liga was shining brighter than ever this year!
On May 15th, the 38th round of La Liga kicked off.
Real Madrid fielded a heavily rotated lineup and suffered a loss.
But it no longer mattered.
With that match, the La Liga season officially came to an end—
and the annual awards were announced immediately afterward.
This year's La Liga top scorer was... Samuel Eto'o!
He scored 26 goals and delivered 7 assists—an impressive stat line!
He was the second most talked-about forward of the season!
Eto'o: Second???
Yes—second!
Because this season's Golden Boot had two winners.
Alongside Eto'o, Real Madrid's captain Su Hang also netted 26 goals in the league.
Given Eto'o's past with Real Madrid, this season's Golden Boot was aptly dubbed the "Double Royal Crown."
But why call Eto'o the second most eye-catching striker?
Because while scoring 26 goals, Su Hang also contributed 10 assists—posting a "25+10" stat line more reminiscent of basketball!
For comparison, in this year's NBA MVP race:
Dirk Nowitzki ranked third with 26.6 points, 9 rebounds, and 2.8 assists;
LeBron James came second with 31.4 points, 7 rebounds, and 6.6 assists;
and Steve Nash led with 18.8 points, 10.5 assists, and 4.2 rebounds.
Factoring in Su Hang's discipline record, his numbers were arguably second only to LeBron's in brilliance.
But James' Cavaliers finished only fourth in the East and sixth overall,
whereas Su Hang's Real Madrid ruled La Liga!
So...
Su Hang: Don't rush, Little LeBron—the future's yours!
The biggest omission from this year's scoring charts was David Villa.
He bagged 25 goals to take the Silver Boot, just behind Su Hang and Eto'o.
The Bronze Boot went to Barcelona's Ballon d'Or winner Ronaldinho, who scored 17 goals.
Keep in mind, Ronaldinho is a midfielder.
Even when he plays up front, his style remains that of an attacking playmaker.
Fourth place went to Milito with 14 goals.
Fifth place was shared by Torres, Baiano, and Ronaldo, each with 13.
Ronaldo's injuries worsened this season, keeping him out of many games and causing a steep drop in numbers compared to previous years.
Still, his performance against Inter Milan in the Champions League was magnificent. Given his age and fitness issues, this World Cup might well mark the swan song of his prime.
In sixth place, with 12 goals each, were Tristán, Riquelme, and Ewerthon.
Seventh went to Larsson and Diego Forlán, both with 10 goals.
In truth, aside from Villa, La Liga's strikers struggled to impress.
The league may boast plenty of gifted players like Joaquín, Vicente, Xavi, and Iniesta,
but few delivered truly standout numbers.
That's why Su Hang and Villa's call-up to the Spanish national team was already a certainty.
...
The assists table told a similar story.
This year's top playmaker was Ronaldinho, with 17 goals and 18 assists.
But it was also a strange year—
Real Madrid players refused to let Barcelona steal the spotlight.
French legend Zinedine Zidane also notched 18 assists, sharing the title of La Liga's Assist King with Ronaldinho.
Most of Zidane's assists went to Su Hang.
Without Su Hang, Zidane wouldn't have made the list—
and historically speaking, he wouldn't have earned any honors this season at all.
Behind Ronaldinho and Zidane came Beckham, with 12 assists.
In fact, had Real Madrid not kept the same formation in the second half of the season—and if Beckham hadn't been shifted to defensive midfield—his assists might have surpassed both Ronaldinho and Zidane.
But Beckham sacrificed his personal stats for the good of the team—a truly admirable act.
That's Beckham for you. His signature "banana free kicks" grab the spotlight,
but at heart, he's the ultimate team player.
La Liga's third-place assist provider was also from Real Madrid: Su Hang, with 10 assists that came naturally.
Most of them went to Figo.
Given Figo's form this season, even a dog passing him the ball could rack up a few assists.
Su Hang: ???
Fourth place went to Aimar—finally spelled correctly this time.
Fifth place was shared by Miguel, Van Bommel, and Eto'o.
Overall, the key players from Real Madrid and Barcelona dominated the stats once again.
They were clearly a class above the rest of the league.
The top positions were almost entirely theirs.
Beyond Su Hang's 26 goals and 10 assists and Zidane's 5 goals and 18 assists,
Figo posted 9 goals and 7 assists—but his true value to the team went far beyond those numbers.
Double those stats, and you'd be closer to capturing his real impact.
Raúl, with 8 goals and 3 assists, hit one of the lowest points of his career.
It wasn't due to a lack of chances; the issue lay in Real Madrid's style of play.
...
Soon after, La Liga officially announced the seasonal honors:
"La Liga's Best Newcomer Award Announced—Real Madrid's Robinho and Barcelona's Lionel Messi Share the Title! Another Double Crown in La Liga!"
"Neck and Neck! Real Madrid Matches Barcelona in All Major Stats, Breaking the Blaugrana's Long-Standing Data Dominance!"
"With Even Their Statistical Edge Gone, What Does Barcelona Have Left? Young Messi May Not Yet Be Ready to Carry the Team—They Desperately Need Reinforcements!"
"Robinho's Season Wasn't Flashy, but His Strong Finish and Champions League Performances Boosted His Reputation!"
"Barcelona Fans Frustrated by Real Madrid's Third Straight Season of Domination—Some Suggest Signing Su Hang Could Turn the Tables!"
"La Liga's Best Goalkeeper Revealed! Casillas Tops Cañizares and Valdés!"
"Valdés Didn't Lose to Casillas—He Lost to Su Hang!"
"Fierce Competition for Defender Spots in La Liga's Best XI! Eight Nominated, Final Selections Split Evenly!"
"Real Madrid Finds Their New Hierro! Sergio Ramos Makes the La Liga Best XI, Becoming One of the Season's Top Defenders!"
"Roberto Carlos Shines Again, Securing a Spot in the Best XI—Real Madrid Claims Two of the Four Defensive Places!"
"Puyol Barely Makes the Cut—His Rift with Su Hang Cost Him Many Votes."
"Sevilla's Rising Star Dani Alves Crashes the Party, Earning a Best XI Spot After Impressing in the Final Round Win Over Real Madrid!"