Atletico is the best club in Madrid.

That isn't opinion or conjecture, or even trolling. That is fact.

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Yes, Real beat Atletico in last season's Champions League final, after Atletico won the league for the first time since 1996. But this season, they have met six times and Atletico has won four of those. They tied the other two.

In the Supercopa back in August, they tied the first game at Real's Bernabeu 1-1 and then Atletico won 1-0 at the Vicente Calderon for a 2-1 aggregate victory. In September, in the league, Atletico won 2-1 away. In the Copa del Rey round of 16 in January, Atletico won 2-0 at home and tied 2-2 when Real hosted.

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On Saturday, Atletico prevailed by an astounding 4-0 score in totally unambiguous fashion. The Colchoneros totally dominated the first half, shutting down Real's vaunted BBC front line of Karim Benzema, Gareth Bale and Cristiano Ronaldo. Real managed no shots on goal in the first half and only one in all.

Atletico, on the other hand, went ahead in the 14th minute when Tiago ripped through a nice Mario Mandzukic setup at the top of the box. The low, hard shot was too much for Iker Casillas to handle in the sort of semi-blunder he's been committing so often in recent years, making the once-impeachable goalkeeper so controversial now.

Not four minutes later, Guilherme Siqueira got to the back line and chipped the ball back for Saul, who had come on for the injured Koke, and bicycle-kicked it behind Casillas, who was helpless this time around. It was one of the better goals of the season.

Real gained a foothold in the second half, but Atletico consolidated its lead fairly comfortably, deploying that spare playing style that has allowed it to punch so far above its weight the last two seasons. And then Atletico added insult to injury.

Arda Turan lifted a cross to Saul by the back line in the 67th minute. Saul headed the ball across to Antoine Griezmann, who forced his way through Raphael Varane and poked it in – or maybe Varane touched it home. It doesn't much matter.

Then, to drive the point home, Tiago found Fernando Torres streaking up the right. He swung a cross into Mario Mandzukic, who confounded the defense with his run and sent an immaculate diving header into the low bottom corner.

Real remains four points ahead of Atletico in the league because the Rojiblancos haven't been as judicious with picking up its points against the other teams.

Yet the miracle of Atletico Madrid endures. The cost of its squad was a fraction of Real's. Its payroll is dwarfed by that of the cross-town glamor club. Real's flash and star power stand in stark contrast to Atletico's substance and utilitarian pieces. As does Real's virginal white to the rage of Atletico's red bars.

It is plain to see who the better team is.

Leander Schaerlaeckens is a soccer columnist for Yahoo Sports. Follow him on Twitter @LeanderAlphabet.