With the curtain having just come down on an absorbing 2019-20 campaign, Goal selects the best players from Spain's top flight
After a topsy-turvy title race, Real Madrid are La Liga champions for the 34th time after seeing off the challenge of Barcelona.
It was a campaign like no other following the coronavirus-enforced lockdown, but there were still a number of players who impressed throughout.
So with the curtain having just come down on an absorbing 2019-20 campaign, Goal selects the best players from Spain's top flight…
Getty ImagesGK: Thibaut Courtois (Real Madrid)
Marc-Andre ter Stegen may have been more spectacular – the Barcelona shot-stopper even racked up two assists in 2019-20 – and Atletico No.1 Jan Oblak arguably remains the best goalkeeper in the world.
However, Real Madrid's Liga title triumph was founded upon their solid defence, and Thibaut Courtois played a pivotal role in that regard.
The Belgium international has copped plenty of flak since returning to Spain in 2018 but, this season, he kept more clean sheets than any of his peers (18) and did so with the highest save percentage (79%) of any goalkeeper to have played at least seven games.
AdvertisementGetty ImagesRB: Jesus Navas (Sevilla)
Sevilla are now reaping the benefits of Pep Guardiola's decision to experiment with Jesus Navas as a right-back at the tail end of the winger's Manchester City career.
Indeed, the 34-year-old is now enjoying a new lease of life at his childhood club, after returning to the Ramon Sanchez Pizjuan in 2017.
Navas has been an ever-present for Sevilla this season, becoming the first player to reach 500 appearances for the club in the process.
However, he also created more chances (62) and provided more assists (seven) than any other defender in La Liga in 2019-20.
Getty ImagesCB: Sergio Ramos (Real Madrid)
What a difference a year makes!
Last summer, a despondent Sergio Ramos was ready to leave Real Madrid after a dreadful 2018-19 campaign.
Now, he has re-established himself as the "f*cking boss" at Santiago Bernabeu after leading the Blancos to their first title since 2017.
Ramos' penalties were certainly key – six of his 11 goals were spot-kicks – but the highlight of his sensational post-lockdown form was arguably the goal-line clearance which sealed a vital victory at Granada.
GettyCB: Gerard Pique (Barcelona)
There are many reasons why Barcelona have unravelled this season. Gerard Pique is not one of them, though.
It is likely to be of little comfort to the veteran defender after such a traumatic conclusion to the campaign, but the 33-year-old has posted some extraordinary numbers.
It will come as a surprise to learn that Pique has made more successful passes (2681) than any other defender, given Barca's traditional preoccupation with possession.
However, Pique has also been imperious at the back.
He may not carry a great goalscoring threat but, unlike Sergio Ramos for example, he features in the top 10 of nearly every major facet of the role and ranks second for aerials won (129), second for headed clearances (90) and fourth for possession won (220).
Essentially, no other centre-back can match Pique's level of all-round defensive excellence.