OPINION: IS IT ATLETICO DE MADRID'S TIME?
For the past two decades, the Spanish La Liga has been dominated by Real Madrid and Barcelona, with Barcelona enjoying the lion share of the spoils by winning the elite league title 10 times between year 2001-2021.
Their domineering hold to the league was briefly disrupted by Atletico Madrid under the stewardship of the charismatic Diego Simeone in the summer of 2014,it was the first time they won the league since 1996.
After winning the La Liga in 2014,the revered title eluded the Wanda metropolitano for 7 years and was later reclaimed in the summer of the 2020/2021 season.
The exceptional tales of Real Madrid and Barcelona cannot be told without mentioning some incredibly talented individuals.
The Camp Nou had the honour of gracing some of the most gifted players of the modern day football, the likes of Andres Iniesta, Xavi, Dani Alves,Neymar, Luis Suarez and of course Lionel Messi (to name a few were players) used their talents to bring honours and pride to the Catalunya football giant.
Football lovers across the globe were treated to a dramatic and exhilarating transfer window in the summer of 2021,a lot of surprising deals were completed but none was as shocking as the departure of Barcelona club captain and legend Lionel Messi to Paris saint Germain.
An 18 years marriage between Messi and Barcelona that saw the former won 35 trophies for the Catalunya side was dissolved.
Fast forward to today, Barcelona are 9th in the league and crippled by debts ranging to $1.6b, ludicrous spendings on signings and the astronomical wages of Lionel Messi was pointed out as the cause of the financial nightmare.
Fast forward to today,Barcelona are 9th on the league table and has lost points in 4 league games this season and Club coach Ronald Koeman is under intense pressure to turn the fortune of the club around, their most recent defeat came at the hands of bitter rival Atletico de Madrid and Benfica in the UEFA CHAMPIONS LEAGUE.
Chances of Barcelona getting to their former glory days are low due to relying on cheap deals to boast their squad and also lack of serious financial backing for their coach.
The ingenuity of Florentino Perez to lure the most sought-after players is one that deserves accolades,Santiago Bernanbeu witnessed the arrival of Angel di Maria, Gareth bale, Benzema, Toni Kross, Luka modric and Cristiano Ronaldo.
With the collective skills of this players,the Spanish giants ran riot not only in their domestic league but also in the UEFA CHAMPIONS LEAGUE,winning the prestige title 4 times in the past decade.
The club squad of Real Madrid boast of ageing key players such as Benzema(33) Hazard(30), modric(36),Kross(31)marcelo(33) and Bale (32).
The Madrid outfit were handed their first defeat of the season by Espanyol last week few days after their shocking loss to Sheriff tiraspol in the UEFA CHAMPIONS LEAGUE.
Ageing and tired legs need to be sold or released for youthful and exciting players.
A major expensive revamp of the squad is needed.
One that looks insurmountable,The club’s former interim president Carles Tusquets said recently they had been forced to delay payments to players. Despite earning €715.1 million in the 2019/20 season, according to data compiled by Deloitte, the club is still struggling.
Atletico de Madrid looks to be the sole beneficiary of the recent troubles plaguing her counterparts, the doors are wide open for Diego Simeone's men to inherit the supremacy that was once enjoyed by her rivals.
After winning the league title last season,The Colchoneros started the season in a remarkable fashion, they sit second in the league table as joint leaders after real Madrid.
Their most recent exploits saw them defeat Barcelona 2-0 and also earning all three points against AC Milan in the UEFA CHAMPIONS LEAGUE.

It's left to be seen how long they can keep their foot on the gas but one thing we can count on is the discipline and tactical balance that Diego Simeone has instilled in his team.

Am ABUBAKAR BUHARI, a newbie football writer.
Am the original writer of this article.
This is my first piece so please criticize constructively,I plan on writing more in the coming weeks.

Nice piece, I had to log in to comment, I enjoyed reading ur write up, however work on your paragraphing and punctuations, looking forward to reading more from you in furture