Real Sociedad of course were the side that nearly and in my view should've won the league that season. They took everybody by surprise and not only that but the fact that they kept the race alive until the very last weekend of the season.
2002-03 was a long season for both. of course it did end on June 22nd 2003 which was way too long but that is another entry for another day. Real Madrid went into the penultimate game of the season away to city rivals Atlético Madrid while the Basques of Real Sociedad had Celta Vigo to deal with. Two very difficult games I must say. Celta Vigo had a great season finishing 4th ahead of Valencia and Barcelona.
Real Madrid had a Ronaldo hat-trick to thank for as they ended up 4-0 winners which meant they went top. Sociedad meanwhile slumped to a 3-2 defeat to Celta Vigo. This meant Real Madrid finally had Sociedad in their hands.
The final day of the season saw Real Madrid wrap up the title race while Sociedad, having spent the whole season building for this final month had to make do with 2nd. What I loved about this season was that Real Sociedad had shown that it is possible to catch Real Madrid. They certainly put up a better fight than Valencia and Barcelona in this season.
What happened next? Well Real Madrid went on to lead La Liga the following year until a massive drop in form ended their 2003-04 title hopes while Sociedad were fortunate to save themselves from relegation in 2003-04.
Real Sociedad though were relegated five years after finishing 2nd and have since failed to gain promotion although this season (2009-10) they are looking good for a return to La Liga and maybe they will challenge again.!
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