Barca

MADRID: The year 2009 will go down in history as the year of records with Barcelona lifting an unprecedented treble, Real Madrid breaking the

Day in Pics: December 19

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world transfer record to sign Cristiano Ronaldo while Euro 2008 winners Spain equalled Brazil's 35-game unbeaten run.

It was undoubtedly Barcelona's year as debutant coach Pep Guardiola belied his experience to guide his hometown club to a unique league, Kings Cup and Champions League treble which no Spanish side had ever achieved and they did it with the most exciting football in years.

By the end of the year, they had also won the World Club Cup.

"We're not the best team in Barcelona's history but we've had the best season," said Guardiola.

Barcelona beat Premier League giants Chelsea and Manchester United to win the Champions League and downed Real Madrid 2-0 in the first 'El Clasico' before a memorable 6-2 thrashing of their rivals in May on their own ground.

Argentine Lionel Messi was the star of the season, scoring in the Champions League final and both Clasico wins over Real and, in one of the worst kept secrets in football, he collected the Ballon D'Or accolade for the world's top player in December.

Real started 12 points behind a rampant Barca when the league resumed in January but new Real coach Juande Ramos went on to collect 54 points from 56 in the league to put Real in with a shout of overhauling Barca.

However, that hope was crushed in May when Barcelona ended Real's 18-match unbeaten league run with an emphatic 6-2 win at the Santiago Bernabeu.

That defeat and the thrashing by Liverpool in the last 16 of the Champions League (5-0 on aggregate) virtually ruled out Ramos' chance of staying on as coach beyond the end of the season.

To make matters worse for Real, arch-rivals Barcelona won an unprecedented treble defeating Manchester United 2-0 in May to add the Champions League crown to the league and Kings Cup titles.

Real responded by recruiting coach Manuel Pellegrini from Villarreal in June and incoming president Florentino Perez sanctioned a record spending spree of over 250 million euros to usher in another 'Galactico' era.

After a year of trying, Real finally landed Ronaldo from Manchester United paying a world record 94 million euros having already signed Brazilian Kaka from AC Milan for 70 million.

Barca watched on as Real stole the summer back pages although they did sign their own 'Galactico' in Zlatan Ibrahimovic from Inter Milan for a club record 69 million euros.

The Spanish national team were also making headlines winning a world record 15 successive matches and equalling Brazil's 35-match unbeaten run, although they missed the chance to better the benchmark falling to a shock 2-0 loss to the United States in the Confederations Cup semi-finals in June.

The 2009/10 season began in tragic circumstances when Espanyol captain Dani Jarque died of a heart-attack on August 8 in his team's pre-season training camp at the age of 26.

Barcelona, on top of the table again by the end of the year, continued where they left off with Ibrahimovic in the goals and they were vital ones too as he came off the bench to volley in a terrific winner to down Real Madrid 1-0 at Camp Nou at the end of November.

Real had made their best league start in 17 years but a third consecutive defeat to Barca was another setback along with their humiliating Kings Cup exit to third division Alcorcon that ended any hopes of emulating Barca's treble season.

Despite two months out with an ankle injury, Ronaldo was averaging almost a goal a game for Real but his petulant side surfaced in a 4-2 win over Almeria when he was sent off for kicking an opponent in the closing stages.

Atletico Madrid exited the Champions League without winning a single match and a worst league start in 56 years saw coach Abel Resino replaced by Quique Sanchez Flores.

Barcelona, Real and Sevilla reached the last 16 of the Champions League after winning their respective groups and intend to go all the way with Real especially keen to do well with the final at their Santiago Bernabeu stadium.