Drama, dominance and disappointment
As another season of European football comes to an end, a look at what happened in the big five leagues.
PREMIER LEAGUE (ENGLAND)
CITIZENS’ DELIGHT Manchester City left nothing for the last night thanks to a stellar season by Pep Guardiola’s men who were led by Kevin De Bruyne, possibly the most in-form midfielder in the world
THE CHALLENGERS
Reigning champions Liverpool’s heavily injury-plagued season saw them drop off to the third spot behind Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s United who finished second HMAN UNITED H LIVERPOOL
WHO FELL SHORT
Mikel Arteta’s Arsenal, who desperately require a rebuild, missed out on qualifying for European competition for the first time in 25 years after finishing in eighth place
LA LIGA (SPAIN)
REVENGE OF ATLETI
Atletico Madrid needed a win on the last day to guarantee them the title, and their newfound talisman Luis Suarez did not disappoint. Seven years since their last league triumph, Atletico lifted the La Liga
THE CHALLENGERS
In one of the closest-fought leagues in Europe, the two giants had underwhelming campaigns that might mark a changing of the guard, with their ageing squads in desperate need of an overhaul HREAL MADRID
H BARCELONA
WHO FELL SHORT
Barcelona had one of their worst seasons in recent history. Messi’s contract expires next month, with plenty of clamour around him moving on, which may hurt the team
BUNDESLIGA (GERMANY) BOSSING BAYERN
Bayern Munich strolled to become champions of Germany for the 30th time. Robert Lewandowski broke Gerd Mueller's 49-year-old goal-scoring record in the last minute of the last match
THE CHALLENGERS
RB Leipzig, who finished second, did so 13 points behind the champions, with Dortmund another point behind them. The former also lose out on their manager Julian Nagelsmann to Bayern
HRB LEIPZIG HBORUSSIA DORTMUND
WHO FELL SHORT
BVB had a disappointing season, especially considering their pre-season expectations. Many European powerhouses will now be gunning to sign 20-year-old Erling Haaland
SERIE A (ITALY)
IRRESISTIBLE INTER
Antonio Conte’s Inter Milan ran to the title in more of a gradual jog than an explosive sprint. Inter’s first league win in 11 years came as Romelu Lukaku scored his 30th goal of the season
THE CHALLENGERS
Milan began the season in superb form, going unbeaten for the first 15 games, but failed to maintain momentum. Atalanta had a fairytale year as the club with the 11th-highest budget in Serie A finished third HAC MILAN HATLANTA
WHO FELL SHORT
Juventus’s appointment of Andrea Pirlo as manager was a big gamble – but few expected it to go so wrong. They finished 13 points off the title despite Ronaldo’s efforts
LIGUE 1 (FRANCE)
LILLE WONDER
Lille clinched their first Ligue 1 title since 2011, becoming only the second club since 2013 to break Paris St Germain's dominance with their top goalscorer Burak Yilmaz firing on all cylinders
THE CHALLENGERS
PSG had to better Lille’s result on the final day, but could not manage a last-day miracle, leaving them a point behind. Monaco were a distant third, finishing 11 points behind the champions HPARIS SAINT-GERMAIN HAS MONACO
WHO FELL SHORT
Despite a massive financial might and presence of global superstars like Neymar and Mbappe, the Parisians struggled to keep pace, capping a disappointing year