Real Madrid Tops LaLiga as Barcelona’s Mid-Season Slump Deepens

MADRID, Spain — Real Madrid has surged to the top of LaLiga, capitalizing on Barcelona‘s dramatic mid-season collapse. As of Sunday, Carlo Ancelotti‘s squad leads the league standings, marking the first time this season they have held the top spot without title rivals having games in hand.

Just eight games ago, Barcelona appeared unstoppable, sitting six points clear of Real Madrid and 10 ahead of Atlético Madrid. However, a shocking downturn in form has seen the Catalans plummet from first to third place. Since their loss to Real Sociedad in mid-November, Hansi Flick‘s team has managed only six points from their last eight league matches, including just one win and four defeats.

Real Madrid, meanwhile, has taken full advantage of Barcelona’s struggles. Over the same eight-match span, Madrid has secured 19 points, turning a six-point deficit into a seven-point lead over their arch-rivals. Atlético Madrid has also capitalized, now sitting five points ahead of Barcelona with 21 points from their last eight games.

Barcelona’s decline has been so severe that they are now level on points with Athletic Club, a team they led by 14 points just two months ago. If the league table were based solely on the last eight matchdays, Barcelona would be in the relegation zone, tied with Real Betis for the second-lowest points total in that period. Only Osasuna, with five points, has performed worse.

The dramatic shift in LaLiga’s title race has left fans and analysts questioning Barcelona’s ability to recover. With Villarreal and Mallorca poised to close the gap further, the Blaugrana now face the real possibility of falling out of the Champions League qualification spots entirely.