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It had to end like this didn’t it? An arduously long, gruelling, nine months of football, drama, and sensationalism has boiled down to the final day of the season. And they said La Liga was boring.
With Real Madrid a clean three points ahead of Barcelona going into the final game, it is all in Los Blancos’ hands as they look to seal their first domestic triumph in nigh-on half a decade. Such a drought is massive;y disappointing for a team of the size, and ego, of Real Madrid and they will desperate to finally get their hands on the trophy that Barcelona have made their own over the course of the decade.
With the stage set, this is how it is: Barcelona host Eibar and nothing but a win will do for them. Real Madrid need merely a point away at Malaga, and the trophy is theirs. The way most people see it then, the whole thing boils down to Malaga and which side of the mercurial Andalusians turn up at Estadio La Rosadela.
They’ve already played a huge role in the title race by holding Barcelona 0-0 at the Camp Nou (thanks to some incredible saves from that scourge of the Catalan giants, Carlos Kameni) and a 2-0 win at home in Andalusia – that’s four points dropped in a race that no one could afford any slip-ups! Meanwhile, they also gave Madrid a fight to the death at the Bernabeu, although Zidane’s men did end up 2-1 winners. They have another chance to play spoilsport/party catalyst (depending on which side of the debate you sit).
Now for the next part – this is for those not in the know, Malaga’s current coach Michel played 404 games (scoring 97 goals in the process) for Real Madrid’s senior team having come up through the academy and the youth ranks. This had resulted in their President, Abdullah al-Thani, getting caught in the eye of a veritable storm after he replied to a Barcelona fan’s tweet seeking Malaga’s help in their title defence with:
“With the help of Allah we will beat them on the pitch, but the scum of Catalonia will not smell the championship after telling lies about coach Míchel.”
While Barcelona took this matter to court, Al-Thani clarified that his words were not meant toward the state, the club, or any of the team’s management:
“These words were directed towards the Catalan press, who said that Michel would throw the game. It is unacceptable, we don’t throw games. They should plead forgiveness for the things they have said about him.”
While this has subsided (certain sections of the Catalan press have still not gotten over Madrid legend, and Malaga coach, Michel’s comments saying that unlike Jorge Valdano who helped Barcelona win the title in both ‘92 and ‘93 after Valdano’s Tenerife beat Madrid, he was much more of a Madridista), the attentions of the watching world have turned towards the monetary benefits that Malaga can accrue in various scenarios.
Malaga – who were in danger of relegation before Michel’s management helped them surge up the table with some incredible performances – are currently 11th, tied with Valencia on 46 points, and need a victory to cement this place in the league. If they manage to do this, they will recieve 600,000 Euros in extra prize money.
Here, though, is the twist in the tale. If they either draw, or lose (thus making Real Madrid champions), they stand to win an extra 1 Million Euros in extra prize money. This stems for a transfer they made a few years ago. You see, when Isco joined Real Madrid for 37 million Euros, there stipulated add-ons in the deal that included a clause wherein Real Madrid had to pay Malaga 1 Million everytime Isco won La Liga in his first five years at Los Blancos. Although, he’s won 2 Champions League crowns with Los Blancos, domestic glory has eluded him.
Just to clear it up:
| Scenario | Extra Prize Money |
| If Malaga Win (doesn’t matter what Valencia do) | €600,000 |
| If Malaga Draw (and Valencia draw/lose) | €1,600,000 |
| If Malaga Draw (and Valencia win) | €1,000,000 |
If Malaga Lose (and Valencia win/draw) | €1,000,000 |
| If Malaga Lose (and Valencia Lose) | €1,600,000 |
Now, if we are to take Valencia out of the equation, and consider that they will win, then Malaga stand to make more money if they draw/lose. If Valencia, were, however to lose – a highly likely scenario considering they face in-form Villareal) then they still stand to make the most money out of the deal if they draw or lose.
Now, there is no doubt that both Michel and Malaga will play to their utmost abilities (questioning their professionalism is simply absurd), but you cannot escape the truth of the financial advantages that will accrue if they do indeed end up with either a draw or a loss.
