La Decima
What is called “La Décima” in football?
What does “La Décima” stand for?
What is the term “La Décima” for in football?
The term La Décima (meaning 10th in Spanish) is a phrase used to describe Real Madrid’s obsession with winning a 10th European Cup, a feat it accomplished in the 2013-2014 season. The Spanish squad defeated Atlético Madrid, another Madrid-based team, to take the title that year.
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Normally, in proper Spanish grammar, la décima would be lowercased unless it starts a sentence, as it would be in English since it is composed of an article la (the) and a common noun decima (tenth). But, Real Madrid, arguably Spain’s top soccer squad — and indeed one of the top soccer squads in the world — had struggled to win a 10th European Cup.
Real Madrid, a club with a long and proud history in Europe, had not won a European Cup (now called the Champions League) since claiming the trophy for a ninth time in 2002. They ended their 12-year wait in the 2014 final against city rivals Atletico Madrid, triumphing 4-1 after extra time. The 12-year span between European Cup victories Nos. 9 and 10 had led to something of an anguished and expectant wait for the seemingly mythic and elusive 10th cup.
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Millions had been spent in the quest to win a 10th trophy, and it was the club’s two most expensive players — Gareth Bale and Cristiano Ronaldo — who netted two of the goals in extra-time. Earlier Sergio Ramos had scored a decisive last-minute equalizer in normal time, and Marcelo Vieira da Silva Júnior (better known as Marcelo) was also on target, scoring the club’s third goal in extra time, as Real Madrid eventually overwhelmed its neighbors to achieve La Décima.