There's no question that Real Madrid are not only the best team in Spain, but also worthy champions of LaLiga. During their title march there have been guts, glory, magnificence, intensity and, from Karim Benzema, one of the great single-season performances of any footballer for Los Blancos in living memory.
None of which erases how much of an odd, angular, unusual triumph this has been -- a truth that actually makes Madrid's achievement all the more notable.
Having dealt with Espanyol and clinched the title with Saturday's comprehensive 4-0 win (stream the replay on ESPN+ in the U.