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Before the resumption of La Liga, Real Madrid had it all to do to overcome the challenge of Barcelona and win their first La Liga title since 2016-17.
After beating Barcelona 2-0 on 1st March, Zinedine Zidane's team had put themselves in pole position to win their first La Liga title in three years.
However, the Merengues followed up with a lacklustre performance in a 1-2 defeat at Real Betis on 8 March. That turned out to be Real Madrid's final game before La Liga was suspended due to the Covid-19 outbreak.
Once football resumed in Spain in June, Real Madrid set about clawing into their two-point deficit to Barcelona in one of the most intense La Liga title races in recent memory.
Real Madrid have been nothing short of relentless, winning seven games in a row to transform that two-point deficit into a four-point lead over Barcelona with just four matches remaining. At the heart of that brilliant run of victories has been captain Sergio Ramos, who has been in superb form at both ends of the pitch.
Sergio Ramos leads Real Madrid's La Liga title charge
In these seven wins, Sergio Ramos has been the central figure in Real Madrid's defence which has only conceded two goals. In five of these games, Sergio Ramos played the full 90 minutes, only being withdrawn in two fixtures, as the 34-year-old's remarkable fitness levels were very much on display.
However, it has been at the other end of the pitch where Sergio Ramos has made the most vital interventions. In seven matches since the La Liga resumption, the Real Madrid captain has scored five goals, a remarkable record for a defender.
Sergio Ramos has been among the scorers in Real Madrid's last two matches. The defender coolly dispathced penalties against Athletic Bilbao and Getafe as the capital club eked out slender one-goal wins in both games.
This run of games has been a reflection of what has been one of the most impressive seasons in the Spanish defender's career.
In 2019-20 La Liga, Sergio Ramos has been nothing short of a rock at the heart of the Merengues defence. In 32 appearances, he has averaged nearly three clearances a game, 1.5 interceptions and 1.3 tackles.
Real Madrid have conceded only 21 goals in La Liga this season, the best in the division, and four goals better than Diego Simeone's miserly Atletico Madrid who are the next best with 25 conceded.
Offensively, Sergio Ramos has scored ten goals in the league this season, averaging 1.3 shots per game. His distribution of the ball has also been nothing short of superb.
He has averaged 61.8 passes per game and has a remarkable pass completion rate of 91%. That pass success is even more impressive when you consider that Sergio Ramos plays seven long balls per game, emphasising the quality and range of his passing.
In 2019-20, the man for the big moments for Real Madrid has undoubtedly been Sergio Ramos. Barring a spectacular collapse in form, his efforts look likely to be rewarded with a fifth La Liga title of his incredible career.
