The year 2000 was a crazy one for Spanish soccer. There was a six-team race for the title that ended with a surprise champion, a shocking relegation, three teams in the Champions League semi-finals (and two in the final), stunning upsets in the Copa del Rey, and a wild run in the Euro 2000. It was a year that the Spaniards will never forget.
In other words, in 2000 Spanish teams caused chaos in almost every competition. But let us start with what happened within Spanish borders. The crushing of the top positions in La Liga was not unprecedented. In the previous two years, champions Barcelona had eliminated the competition by leaving Athletic Bilbao nine points behind in 1998 and Real Madrid 11 in 1999, but in the former case the difference between the second-placed team and the eighth was just six points, and in the latter eight. In 2000, however, the Catalans were focused on the Champions League and they too got caught up in the mess going on below them, and as a result the tide changed.
Barcelona kicked off with five wins in their first six games. Despite a 2-1 loss to Alaves, they led with 15 points, followed by Deportivo La Coruna and Zaragoza with 11 points each. Real Madrid had just nine points after losing 3-2 to Valencia, who started the season with four straight losses. By the 9th game, Valencia had beaten La Coruna 2-0. Even though Barcelona had two draws in a row (including a 2-2 with Real at Camp Nou), they still led with 20 points, followed by Zaragoza (17), La Coruna (15), and Real Madrid, winless in seven straight games, with 12.
Then, things got wild from the 10th game onward. La Coruna beat Barcelona 2-1 and went on a seven-game winning streak, while Barcelona lost four in a row. After a 3-2 loss to Sevilla in the 15th game, Barcelona was 10 points behind the leading La Coruna. Zaragoza, with 26 points, had just crushed Real Madrid 5-1 at Santiago Bernabeu, and Alaves had 24 points. Valencia, after beating Barcelona 3-1, had 21 points, while Real Madrid, with only one win in their last 13 games, had 17.
By the 20th game, the standings had shifted again. La Coruna lost to Zaragoza (2-1), got crushed by Santander (3-0), drew with Espanyol (0-0), and lost to Alaves (2-1). Zaragoza, meanwhile, smashed Valencia 4-2 in the 19th game and drew 0-0 with Barcelona, who had started to recover. So, the standings were: La Coruna (37), Zaragoza (35), Barcelona (34), Alaves (29), and Valencia (27), with Real Madrid at 26 points but with two games in hand due to their participation in the FIFA Club World Cup. After La Coruna’s heavy 4-1 loss to Valladolid, Zaragoza and Barcelona closed the gap to two points (40-38), but they blew it.
In the 23rd game, La Coruna embarrassed Real Madrid 5-2, while Barcelona lost 1-0 to Alaves, and Zaragoza drew 2-2 with Atletico Madrid. In the next game, La Coruna lost 1-0 to Numancia, but Barcelona lost 2-1 to Betis, and Zaragoza drew 1-1 with Rayo Vallecano. So, the standings were La Coruna (43), Zaragoza (40), Alaves (38), Barcelona (38), Real Madrid (36 with a game in hand), and Valencia (34).
After the 27th game, it was pandemonium. La Coruna lost 1-0 to Malaga, Real Madrid beat Barcelona 3-0 in the 26th game but then drew 1-1 with Oviedo, leading to this: Depor (49), Alaves (45), Zaragoza (44), Real (44), Barcelona (44), and Valencia (41). And there was still a long way to go. Barcelona beat La Coruna 2-1 in the 29th game and Valencia 3-0 in the 31st, reducing the gap to 58-56 with five straight wins. Zaragoza followed with 54 points, Real and Alaves with 50, and Valencia with 45. But then, something unexpected happened again. Barcelona lost 3-0 at home to Mallorca and then 3-0 to Oviedo in the 33rd game, allowing La Coruna, despite a 2-0 loss to Rayo Vallecano, to go five points clear at 61-56.
And just like that Real Madrid who had beaten Zaragoza (55 points) 1-0, reached 56 points and jumped into the title race. But their focus was more on the Champions League, and a 4-2 home thrashing by Santander, followed by a 1-0 home loss to Alaves, knocked them out of contention. With three games left, Depor lost 2-1 to Celta, allowing Barcelona to close within two points (64-62), but Barca threw away their chance again. In the 36th game, La Coruna drew 2-2 with Zaragoza, but Barcelona lost 2-0 at home to Rayo Vallecano.
Despite that, Barca and Zaragoza still had title hopes going into the last game. In the 37th game, La Coruna drew 0-0 with Santander, Barcelona drew 0-0 with Sociedad, and Zaragoza beat Malaga 3-2. Valencia, with five straight wins, could have stayed in the race but drew 0-0 with Celta. So, Depor had 66 points, Barca and Zaragoza had 63, setting up three scenarios. Depor needed just one point to clinch the title, as they wouldn’t win a tiebreaker. Barcelona needed a win and a Depor loss to become champions, even in a three-way tie. Zaragoza needed a win, a Depor loss, and a Barca non-win.
In the end, La Coruna won 2-0 against Espanyol, clinching their first-ever Spanish title with 69 points. Barcelona’s 2-2 draw with Celta left them second with 64 points, edging out Valencia (63 points) who beat Zaragoza 2-1, leaving Zaragoza in fourth place with 63 points. Real Madrid finished fifth with 62 points, and Alaves sixth with 61. The mastermind behind Depor’s triumph was Javier Irureta, who relied on Jacques Songo’o in goal, a back four of Manuel Pablo, Donato, Noureddine Naybet, and Enrique Romero, Mauro Silva and Flavio Conceicao as defensive midfielders, Victor and Fran on the wings, Djalminha as the playmaker, and Roy Makaay (22 goals) upfront.
At the bottom, Sevilla, who had just been promoted the previous year, went straight back down, finishing last with 28 points. The bigger shock was Atletico Madrid, finishing second to last with 38 points, getting relegated for the first time in 66 years. And to think that their reserve team had finished second in the Segunda Division in 1999! Highlights of their dismal year included a 3-1 win over Real Madrid at the Bernabeu, reaching the Copa del Rey final, and Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink’s impressive season, finishing as the league’s second top scorer with 24 goals, behind Salva Ballesta of Santander, who had 27.
The Copa del Rey in 2000 was expected to go to either Real Madrid or Barcelona, but Espanyol won it. Atletico beat Barcelona 3-0 in Madrid in the semifinals, and Espanyol held Real to a 0-0 draw at the Bernabeu. Barcelona didn’t show up for the second leg due to national team call-ups and lost 3-0 by default. Espanyol then pulled off a surprise, beating Real 1-0. In the final at Mestalla, Espanyol won 2-1 over Atletico with goals from Raul Tamudo and Sergio, claiming the Copa del Rey for the first time since 1940.
The 2000 Champions League turned into a Spanish affair. Barcelona seemed like the favorite, but it was Real Madrid and Valencia who met in the final, with Real emerging as the European champions. Louis van Gaal had transformed Barcelona into a Dutch enclave, excelling in the group stage with Ruud Hesp in goal, Michael Reiziger, Abelardo, Frank de Boer, and Sergi in defense, a midfield of Pep Guardiola, Phillip Cocu, Luis Figo, and Luis Enrique, and a forward pair of Rivaldo and Patrick Kluivert. Ronald de Boer, Jari Litmanen, Dani, and Boudewijn Zenden provided depth from the bench. Barca had the best attack with 19 goals, easily defeating Fiorentina, Arsenal, and AIK.
Barcelona kicked off their campaign with a comeback win, 2-1 in Stockholm, thanks to goals from Abelardo and Dani. They followed it up by defeating Fiorentina 4-2 at Camp Nou, with Rivaldo netting twice and Figo and Luis Enrique adding one each. They drew 1-1 with Arsenal at home, courtesy of a Luis Enrique goal, and then won 4-2 in London with goals from Rivaldo, Luis Enrique, Figo, and Cocu. They crushed AIK 5-0, with Kluivert scoring twice and Zenden, Gabri, and Frederic Dehu each adding one. They finished the group stage with a 3-3 draw in Florence, with Rivaldo scoring twice and Figo once.
Real Madrid had a tougher route, battling Porto for the top spot. In November 1999, Vicente del Bosque replaced John Toshack as coach, and there were doubts about their success. Under Del Bosque, an 18-year-old Iker Casillas in goal, with defenders Michel Salgado, Fernando Hierro, Ivan Helguera, and Roberto Carlos (later joined by Ivan Campo and Aitor Karanka due to injuries), midfielders Fernando Redondo, Guti, Savio, and Steve McManaman, and forwards Fernando Morientes and Raul, led the team. After a 3-3 draw in Athens against Olympiakos (Savio, Roberto Carlos, and Raul scoring), Real won 4-1 against Molde in Madrid (two goals from Savio, one each from Morientes and Guti), 3-1 against Porto (goals by Morientes, Helguera, and Hierro), lost 2-1 in Portugal, beat Olympiakos 3-0 at the Bernabeu (Raul, Morientes, and Roberto Carlos), and won 1-0 against Molde in Norway (Christian Karembeu).
Valencia, despite their struggles in the Spanish league, topped their group ahead of Bayern Munich. They beat Glasgow Rangers 2-0 at Mestalla with two goals from Kily Gonzalez, drew 1-1 with PSV Eindhoven in the Netherlands (goal by Claudio Lopez), drew 1-1 in Munich (goal by Gerard), drew 1-1 at home against Bayern (goal by Adrian Ilie), won 2-1 in Scotland (goals by Gaizka Mendieta and Lopez), and finished with a 1-0 victory over PSV (goal by Lopez).
In the second group stage, Barcelona continued their dominance. They drew 1-1 in Berlin against Hertha (goal by Luis Enrique), thrashed Sparta Prague 5-0 at home (two goals each from Kluivert and Luis Enrique, one from Guardiola), beat Porto 4-2 (two goals by Rivaldo, one each from Frank de Boer and Kluivert), won 2-0 in Portugal (goals by Abelardo and Rivaldo), beat Hertha 3-1 at home (goals by Xavi, Gabri, and Kluivert), and won 2-1 in Prague with two goals from Gabri.
Real Madrid started with a 2-1 win in Kyiv against Dynamo (goals by Morientes and Raul), and beat Rosenborg 3-1 at home (goals by Raul, Savio, and Roberto Carlos), but suffered two humiliating defeats to Bayern. Despite goals by Morientes and Raul, they lost 4-2 in Madrid and 4-1 in Munich. Shaken by these defeats, Real dropped points at home in a 2-2 draw with Dynamo (goals by Raul and Roberto Carlos), but finished with a 1-0 win in Trondheim (goal by Raul).
Valencia did what they needed to advance to the quarterfinals. They beat Bordeaux 3-0 at Mestalla (goals by Farinos, Ilie, and Gonzalez), lost 3-0 to Manchester United at Old Trafford, and 1-0 to Fiorentina in Italy. Ilie and Mendieta secured a 2-0 win over Fiorentina at home, won impressively 4-1 in France (goals by Miroslav Djukic, Mendieta, Gonzalez, and Juan Sanchez), and finished with a 0-0 draw at home against United.
The draw for the next round pitted Barcelona against Chelsea, Real Madrid against Manchester United, and Valencia against Lazio. Only Barcelona were considered favorites, but they left Stamford Bridge with a 3-1 defeat. Figo’s goal gave them a glimmer of hope, which they seized at Camp Nou, winning 5-1 after extra time with goals from Rivaldo (two), Figo, Dani, and Kluivert, advancing to the semifinals. Real Madrid, after a 0-0 draw at Santiago Bernabeu, were not favored, but Raul’s two goals and an own goal by Roy Keane saw them win 3-0 in England, progressing with a 3-2 aggregate score. Valencia pulled off the surprise of the season by thrashing Lazio 5-2 at Mestalla, with Gerard scoring a hat-trick and Miguel Angel Angulo and Claudio Lopez adding goals to secure a strong lead. Despite losing 1-0 in Rome, Valencia advanced comfortably.
In the semifinals, they faced Barcelona and continued their dominant form. Barcelona were stunned at Mestalla, losing 4-1 with goals from Angulo (two), Mendieta, and Lopez. The 2-1 win for Barcelona in the return leg was not enough, and Valencia progressed to the final. Real met Bayern again and although everyone thought they had no chance they managed to qualify. Nicolas Anelka, then the most expensive signing in the club’s history, scored once in the 2-0 Madrid win and the goal he scored in the 2-1 defeat in Germany justified some of the €35 million in today’s money spent to get him from Arsenal in the summer of ’99 (they sold him for the same money to Paris Saint-Germain at the end of the season) and sent them to the final in Paris. There, Hector Raul Cuper’s Valencia, featuring Santiago Canizares, Jocelyn Angloma, Mauricio Pellegrino, Miroslav Djukic, Amedeo Carboni, Javier Farinos, Gaizka Mendieta, Gerard, Kily Gonzalez, Miguel Angel Angulo, Claudio Lopez, and Adrian Ilie, had momentum. However, Real Madrid dominated at the Stade de France, winning 3-0 with goals from Morientes, McManaman, and Raul (the top scorer of the tournament with Rivaldo and Mario Jardel of Porto, each scoring 10 goals), clinching their 8th Champions League title.
After the club competitions, Euro 2000 took center stage. Spain, in a group with Yugoslavia, Norway, and Slovenia, were favorites but barely made it to the quarterfinals. Despite an excellent season, coach Jose Antonio Camacho left out Morientes and Farinos, raising eyebrows. Critics were vindicated when Spain lost 1-0 to Norway in their opener. Camacho made changes for the Slovenia match, dropping Jose Francisco Molina, Paco Jemez, Ismael Urzaiz, and Fran for Canizares, Abelardo, Alfonso, and Mendieta. Goals from Raul and Joseba Etxeberria secured a 2-1 win.
For their final group match, needing a win and a draw or Norway’s defeat against Slovenia in the other game, Camacho benched Hierro and Etxeberria (substituting him after 22 minutes for Fran), pairing Helguera with Guardiola in midfield. The match didn’t go as planned, with Yugoslavia scoring through Savo Milosevic, and after Alfonso’s equalizer, Dejan Govedarica put Yugoslavia ahead again. Pedro Munitis, a halftime substitute, quickly equalized, but Slobodan Komljenovic restored Yugoslavia’s lead. With Norway-Slovenia ending 0-0, Spain was on the brink of elimination. In stoppage time, Mendieta equalized with a penalty, and Alfonso scored a dramatic winner at 90+5′, securing a 4-3 win and topping the group. The quarter-final against France also had its suspense. A penalty from Mendieta had Spain leveled Zinedine Zidane’s awesome direct free-kick goal, but in the last seconds of the match, they missed the chance to send the game into extra time. Raul’s misplaced penalty gave France a 2-1 win and was the epilogue to an incredible year in which all sorts of crazy things happened in Spanish football.
