Indeed, since 2000, only Valencia (2001/02 and 2003/04) and Atletico Madrid (2013/14 and 2020/21) have stopped either Los Blancos or the Blaugranes from winning the accolade.
Villarreal on course for best season since 2007/08
In all of those seasons, on only six occasions have either Barca or Real failed to finish as runners-up too.
Back in 2007/08, Villarreal finished second under the guidance of Manuel Pellegrini (now at fellow LaLiga outfit Real Betis), splitting the dominance of the big two.
Though they'd finished 10 points ahead of Frank Rijkaard's Barcelona, seeing an end to the Dutchman's reign and the beginning of the Pep Guardiola era in the following campaign, their 77-point haul was still eight behind Real's 85 points.
So near and yet so far for the Yellow Submarine, whose squad that year included the likes of Robert Pires, Santi Cazorla, Diego Godin, Giuseppe Rossi, Guille Franco and Nihat.
Europa League glory
The runners-up spot that season secured them Champions League football, and multiple fourth and fifth place finishes since have seen Villarreal as European regulars, most notably in the Europa League, which they won for the first time in 2021.
Unai Emery, who'd made a habit of winning the trophy with Sevilla, took the Submarine to glory with a penalty shoot-out victory over Manchester United, for arguably the greatest night in club history.
Despite a relative lack of success in trophy terms, however, Villarreal remain one of the Spanish top-flight's success stories.
Fast forward to the current campaign and, whisper it quietly, they're being talked up as dark horses for this season's title.
On the coattails of Barca and Madrid
Their most recent fixture against Levante was postponed because of bad weather, meaning Marcelino's side - currently sat in third - now have two games in hand on Real and Barcelona, and remain only four points behind the former, and eight behind the latter.
The final league game of the calendar year sees them hosting the Catalan giants for what is almost always a goal fest.
In the last four head-to-heads, the away side has been victorious, which may not bode well for Villarreal's attempts to reel the top two back in; however, the scores have been 2-3 (Villarreal win), 1-5 (Barca win), 3-5 (Villarreal win) and 3-4 (Barca win).
It's nothing if not incredibly entertaining, and with Hansi Flick's side struggling badly with their high defensive line, as well as the Submarine's Alberto Moleiro, Tajon Buchanan, and Gerard Moreno all in fine scoring form, Sunday afternoon's game could again be one for the ages - and one in which the three points are vital for both sides.
Marcelino's superb squad mix
It isn't just the aforementioned trio that are seeing Marcelino's side riding the crest of a wave either, as the manager has a potent mix of physicality, speed and creative nous oozing out of his squad.
For example, Arsenal reject Thomas Partey has rediscovered the form that made him a formidable opponent in North London, and his ability to break up opposition play has allowed his team to quickly build counter-attacks.
Despite great upheaval in his personal life, the 32-year-old hasn't allowed that to affect his performances on the pitch, and his experience in the role has been an invaluable part of Villarreal's season.
Another ex-Arsenal man, Nicolas Pepe, may only have two goals and two assists in his 21 appearances in all competitions so far this season, but his LaLiga player of the month gong in August showed that he's about more than just goals.
Best defence in LaLiga
The 30-year-old, who has been stationed out on the right wing, has had the most shots at goal in the entire squad (29 in all comps, 19 of them in LaLiga), and the fact that he's been left out of the Ivory Coast squad for the African Cup of Nations should absolutely benefit his current employers.
With only 13 goals conceded in the league so far this season, currently the best record of any side, it's clear that Villarreal's excellence extends to their back four, too.
Juan Foyth, Renato Veiga and Santiago Mourino have been key to the Submarine only losing two league games so far in 25/26, against Atletico Madrid and Real Madrid.
What's odd is that their form in the Champions League has been the polar opposite, and after six games in the premier European tournament, Villarreal sit in 35th place on one point, only kept off the bottom by Kazakhstan Premier League side, Kairat, having conceded two more goals.
January transfer window could be key
In any event, LaLiga will always be the club's bread and butter, and when taking into account that their recently approved budget for the year stood at (a club record) €215m, compared to a reported €1.25bn for Real Madrid and Barcelona's projected €1.1bn, it should be a real source of pride to anyone connected to the club that the first-team can stand shoulder-to-shoulder with the serial winners of the competition.
At this stage, there's nothing at all to suggest that Villarreal can't continue their great start either, and if Marcelino is allowed to make one or two studious transfer purchases in January, don't bet against them breaking the Spanish top-flight duopoly once more - or even going one better and bringing a first-ever league title to the Estadio de la Ceramica.
