Zinedine Zidane’s side went into their match on Thursday knowing a victory over the Yellow Submarine would seal the title their first title in three years.
But the title was already looking likely when Barcelona went 1-0 down at home to Osasuna after just 16 minutes thanks to Arnaiz Diaz Jose Manuel's strike.
Real were soon taking care of their own business, though, as Karim Benzema put them 1-0 ahead just before the half-hour mark.
Luka Modric teed up the Frenchman for his 20th goal of the season as Real players could start smelling title glory.
Barcelona responded in the second half with a beautiful free-kick from Lionel Messi but it was all too little, too late.
Real Madrid knew the title was close and got a bit carried away. When they were awarded a late penalty, Sergio Ramos and Benzema attempted a pass. However, Benzema had encroached and the referee awarded a retake. Benzema took over and made no mistake the second time around.
Villarreal did pull a goal back but it wasn't enough to spoil the party.
Meanwhile, Barca went on to lose at home to Osasuna with them conceding a 94th-minute winner.
Oh dear.
This La Liga triumph represents Zidane’s 11th trophy during his managerial reign at the club. After initially taking over in January 2016, Zidane won the Champions League in the 2015/16 campaign before adding the Super Cup, Spanish Super Cup and Club World Cup to his trophy cabinet.
The 2016/17 La Liga title followed as they retained their Champions League, Super Cup and Club World Cup crowns.
An incredible third consecutive European Cup was won in the 2017/18 season days before he stepped down.
But the Frenchman returned 10 months later and added another Spanish Cup to his managerial trophy cabinet.
But this title win may go down as his most satisfying piece of silverware to date.
This isn’t a stellar Real Madrid side, losing three and drawing eight of their 37 matches to date. But after beating Villarreal, they’ve now won 10 consecutive league matches to get the better of their stuttering El Clasico rivals, Barcelona.
It's Real first title win in three years and only their third in the last decade.
But with exciting talents like Martin Odegaard, Vinicius Jr, Rodrygo, Fede Valverde, Takefusa Kubo, Reinier Jesus and Brahim Diaz in their ranks and Zidane at the helm, Real will be hoping this is the start of a golden era for them.
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