La Liga

La Liga

Country	Spain
Confederation	UEFA
Founded	1929
Number of teams	20
Levels on pyramid	1
Relegation to	Segunda División
Domestic cup(s)	Copa del Rey Supercopa de España
International cup(s)	UEFA Champions League UEFA Europa League
Current champions	Barcelona (22nd title) (2012–13)
Most championships	Real Madrid (32 titles)
TV partners	Canal+ 1 GolT C+ Liga Cuatro
Website	www.lfp.es
2013–14 season

The Primera División (First Division) of the Liga Nacional de Fútbol Profesional (LFP), commonly known in the English-speaking world as La Liga (/lə ˈliːɡə/, Spanish: [la ˈliɣa], The League), and officially named for sponsorship reasons Liga BBVA (BBVA League) is the top professional association football division of the Spanish football league system. It is contested by 20 teams, with the three lowest placed teams relegated to the Segunda División and replaced by the top two teams in that division plus the winner of a play-off. A total of 59 teams have competed in La Liga, nine of which have been crowned champions. Since the 1950s, Real Madrid and Barcelona have dominated the championship. Real Madrid have won the title a record 32 times and Barcelona 22 times. During the 1930s and 1940s and in the last two decades, however, La Liga has seen other champions, including, Atlético Madrid, Athletic Bilbao, Valencia, Real Sociedad, Deportivo, Real Betis, and Sevilla.

La Liga is the strongest league in Europe over the past five years, according to UEFA's league coefficient. La Liga is one of the most popular professional sports leagues in the world, with an average attendance of 30,275 for league matches in the 2011–12 season. This is the fifth-highest of any domestic professional sports league in the world and the third-highest of any professional association football league in the world, behind the German Bundesliga and English Premier League.

Competition format

The competition format follows the usual double round-robin format. During the course of a season, which lasts from September to June, each club plays every other club twice, once at home and once away, for a total of 38 games. Teams receive three points for a win, one point for a draw, and no points for a loss. Teams are ranked by total points, with the highest-ranked club at the end of the season crowned champion. If points are equal between two or more clubs, the rules are:

• If all clubs involved have played each other twice:
  • If the tie is between two clubs, then the tie is broken using the head-to-head goal difference (without away goals rule)
  • If the tie is between more than two clubs, then the tie is broken, using the games the clubs have played against each other:
    • a) head-to-head points
    • b) head-to-head goal difference
    • c) head-to-head goals scored
• If two legged games between all clubs involved have not been played, or the tie is not broken by the rules above, it is broken using:
  • a) total goal difference
  • b) total goals scored
• If the tie is still not broken, the winner will be determined by Fair Play scales. These are:
  • yellow card, 1 point
  • doubled yellow card/ejection, 2 points
  • direct red card, 3 points
  • Suspension or disqualification to coach, executive or other club's personnel (outside referee decisions), 5 points
  • Misconduct of the supporters: mild 5 points, serious 6 points, very serious 7 points
  • Stadium closure, 10 points
  • If the Competition Committee removes a penalty, the points are also removed
• If the tie is still not broken, it will be resolved with a tie-break match in a neutral stadium.

A system of promotion and relegation exists between the Primera División and the Segunda División. The three lowest placed teams in La Liga are relegated to the Segunda División, and the top two teams from the Segunda División promoted to La Liga, with an additional club promoted after a series of play-offs involving the third, fourth, fifth and sixth placed clubs. Below is a complete record of how many teams played in each season throughout the league's history;

10 clubs = 1929–1934 12 clubs = 1934–1941 14 clubs = 1941–1950 16 clubs = 1950–1971 18 clubs = 1971–1987 20 clubs = 1987–1995 22 clubs = 1995–1997 20 clubs = 1997–present

Qualification for European competitions

The top teams in La Liga qualify for the UEFA Champions League, with the first, second, and third placed teams directly entering the group stage and the fourth placed team entering n the playoffs for the group stage of UEFA Champions League. Teams placed fifth and sixth play in the UEFA Europa League, along with the cup winners. If both teams in the cup final finish in the top 6, an additional berth in the Europe League is given to the team that finishes in 7th.

History

Foundation

In April 1927, José María Acha, a director at Arenas Club de Getxo, first proposed the idea of a national league in Spain. After much debate about the size of the league and who would take part, the Real Federación Española de Fútbol eventually agreed on the ten teams who would form the first Primera División in 1929. Barcelona, Real Madrid, Athletic Bilbao, Real Sociedad, Arenas Club de Getxo and Real Unión were all selected as previous winners of the Copa del Rey. Atlético Madrid, Espanyol and Europa qualified as Copa del Rey runners-up and Racing de Santander qualified through a knockout competition. Only three of the founding clubs, Real Madrid, Barcelona, and Athletic Bilbao, have never been relegated from the Primera División.

The 1930s

Although Barcelona won the very first Liga in 1929 and Real Madrid won their first titles in 1932 and 1933, it was Athletic Bilbao that set the early pace winning Primera División in 1930, 1931, 1934 and 1936. They were also runners-up in 1932 and 1933. In 1935, Real Betis, then known as Betis Balompié, won their only title to date. Primera División was suspended during the Spanish Civil War.

In 1937, the teams in the Republican area of Spain, with the notable exception of the two Madrid clubs, competed in the Mediterranean League and Barcelona emerged as champions. Seventy years later, on 28 September 2007, Barcelona requested the RFEF to recognise that title as a Liga title. This action was taken after RFEF was asked to recognise Levante FC's Copa de la España Libre win as equivalent to Copa del Rey trophy.

The 1940s

When the Primera División resumed after the Spanish Civil War, it was Atlético Aviación (nowadays Atlético Madrid), Valencia, and Sevilla that initially emerged as the strongest clubs. Atlético were only awarded a place during the 1939–40 season as a replacement for Real Oviedo, whose ground had been damaged during the war. The club subsequently won their first Liga title and retained it in 1941. While other clubs lost players to exile, execution, and as casualties of the war, the Atlético team was reinforced by a merger. The young, pre-war squad of Valencia had also remained intact and in the post-war years matured into champions, gaining three Liga titles in 1942, 1944, and 1947. They were also runners-up in 1948 and 1949. Sevilla also enjoyed a brief golden era, finishing as runners-up in 1940 and 1942 before winning their only title to date in 1946. By the latter part of the decade, Barcelona began to emerge as a force when they were crowned champions in 1945, 1948 and 1949.

Di Stéfano, Puskás, Kubala and Suárez

Although Atlético Madrid, previously known as Atlético Aviación, were champions in 1950 and 1951 under catenaccio mastermind Helenio Herrera, the 1950s saw the beginning of the Barcelona/Real Madrid dominance. During the 1930s, 1940s, and 1950s, there were strict limits imposed on foreign players. In most cases, clubs could only have three foreign players in their squads, meaning that at least eight local players had to play in every game. During the 1950s, however, these rules were circumvented by Real Madrid and Barcelona, who naturalized Alfredo di Stéfano, Ferenc Puskás, and Ladislav Kubala. Inspired by Kubala, Barça won the title in 1952 and 1953. Di Stéfano, Puskás, and Francisco Gento formed the nucleus of the Real Madrid team that dominated the second half of the 1950s. Madrid won the first division for the first time as Real Madrid in 1954 and retained its title in 1955. They were winners again in 1957 and 1958, with only Athletic Bilbao interrupting their sequence. During this period, Real Madrid also won an unprecedented five consecutive European Cups. Barcelona, with a team coached by Helenio Herrera and featuring Luis Suárez, won the title in 1959 and 1960.

The Madrid years

Between 1961 and 1980, Real Madrid dominated the Primera División, being crowned champion 14 times. This included a five-in-a-row sequence from 1961 to 1965 and two three-in-a-row sequences (1967–1969 and 1978–1980). During this era, only Atlético Madrid offered Real Madrid any serious challenge, adding four more titles to their tally in 1966, 1970, 1973, and 1977. Of the other clubs, only Valencia in 1971 and the Johan Cruyff-inspired Barcelona of 1974 managed to break the dominance of Real Madrid.

The 1980s

The Madrid winning sequence was ended more significantly in 1981 when Real Sociedad won their first-ever title. They retained it in 1982 and their two in a row was followed by another by their fellow Basques Athletic Bilbao, who won back-to-back titles in 1983 and 1984. Terry Venables led Barcelona to a solitary title in 1985 before Real Madrid won again another five in a row sequence (1986–1990) with a team guided by Leo Beenhakker and including Hugo Sánchez and the legendary La Quinta del Buitre - Emilio Butragueño, Manolo Sanchís, Martín Vázquez, Míchel and Miguel Pardeza.

The 1990s

Match between Deportivo de La Coruña and Osasuna.

Johan Cruyff returned to Barcelona as manager in 1988, and assembled the legendary Dream league title in 1991 after a three-year drought. They were challenged by a re-emerging Valencia in both competitions.

The 2000s

Real Madrid dominated both La Liga and the Champions League from 2000-03 thanks to its Galácticos.

Under the management of Héctor Cúper, Valencia finished as Champions League runners-up in 2000 and 2001. His successor, Rafael Benítez, built on this and led the club to a Liga title in 2002 and the winning a double with a league title and the UEFA Cup in 2004.

Big Two dominance

From 2005-06 to 2012-13, Barcelona and Real Madrid had finished first and second for the eighth time in nine years, the exception being 2007-08 when Villarreal finished second. Of the two other teams that had won La Liga in that decade, Deportivo had dropped to the Segunda División while Valencia also came close to relegation. One La Liga coach said that most teams no longer bother trying against these "Big Two" teams, who account for over 60% of fans in Spain and receive €140m (£118m) a year in domestic TV rights, while Atlético Madrid and Valencia take in €42m, and teams at the bottom of Liga get around €15m. The inability to compete with the "Big Two" also becomes self-fulfilling, as the best players at Spain's "other" clubs would eventually join Real Madrid or Barcelona or leave the country.

The 2004–05 season saw a resurgent Barcelona, inspired by the brilliant Ronaldinho, win their first title of the new century, followed by the Liga-Champions League double in 2005–06.

With world class players like Raúl, Ruud van Nistelrooy and Gonzalo Higuain, Real Madrid won back to back La Liga titles in 2006–07 and 2007–08 season, while Barcelona went trophyless these two years. The

Under Josep Guardiola's Dream Team, powered by La Masia talents such as Lionel Messi, Xavi, and Andrés Iniesta, Barcelona added three straight Liga titles (2008–09, 2009–10, and 2010–11).

In the 2011-2012 season, Real Madrid won its 32nd title under the management of José Mourinho with a record-breaking points tally of 100, a record 121 number of goals scored, most overall (32) and away (16) wins in a single season in La Liga History. The next season, 2012-2013, FC Barcelona, under the management of Tito Vilanova equalized the historical record of 100 points achieved by Real Madrid the previous season, scoring 115 goals.

Teams

A total of 20 teams will contest the league, including 17 sides from the 2011–12 season and three promoted from the 2011–12 Segunda División. This will include the two top teams from the Segunda División, and the victorious team of the play-offs.

Villarreal CF, Sporting de Gijón and Racing de Santander were relegated to 2012–13 Segunda División the previous season: Villarreal were relegated after twelve years in La Liga, Sporting de Gijón returns to Segunda División after four-year tenure in La Liga, while Racing de Santander ended ten consecutive seasons in La Liga, the longest period in its history.

The three relegated teams were replaced by three 2011–12 Segunda División sides: Deportivo de La Coruña made an immediate return to the top level as Segunda División champion. The second placing team Celta Vigo was also promoted to La Liga after a five-year absence. The third promoted team was decided in the promotion play-offs where Real Valladolid returned to La Liga after two seasons in Segunda División.

Transfers

The most expensive transfer in the world was Cristiano Ronaldo who was bought by Real Madrid C.F. in La Liga 2009-10 for £80 million (€93.9 million/$131.6 million) from Manchester United.

Stadia and locations

Athletic

At. Madrid

Barcelona

Real Betis

Celta

Deportivo

Espanyol

Getafe

Granada

Levante

Málaga

Mallorca

Osasuna

Rayo Vallecano

Real Sociedad

Real Madrid

Sevilla

Valencia

Real Valladolid

Real Zaragoza

Location of teams in 2012–13 La Liga

Team	Home city	Stadium	Stadium capacity
Athletic Bilbao	Bilbao	San Mamés	39,750
Atlético Madrid	Madrid	Vicente Calderón	54,851
Barcelona	Barcelona	Camp Nou	99,786
Betis	Seville	Benito Villamarín	52,745
Celta de Vigo	Vigo	Balaídos	31,800
Deportivo La Coruña	A Coruña	Riazor	34,600
Espanyol	Cornellà de Llobregat	Cornellà-El Prat	40,500
Getafe	Getafe	Coliseum Alfonso Pérez	17,700
Granada	Granada	Nuevo Los Cármenes	22,524
Levante	Valencia	Ciutat de València	25,534
Málaga	Málaga	La Rosaleda	28,963
Mallorca	Palma	Iberostar Stadium	23,142
Osasuna	Pamplona	El Sadar	19,553
Rayo Vallecano	Madrid	Campo de Vallecas	15,489
Real Madrid	Madrid	Santiago Bernabéu	85,454
Real Sociedad	San Sebastián	Anoeta	32,076
Sevilla	Seville	Ramón Sánchez Pizjuán	45,500
Valencia	Valencia	Mestalla	55,000
Valladolid	Valladolid	Nuevo José Zorrilla	26,512
Zaragoza	Zaragoza	La Romareda	34,596

La Liga clubs in Europe

Main article: La Liga clubs in Europe

In addition to their success in Primera División, Valencia, Real Madrid, Barcelona and Atlético Madrid are four of the most successful teams in European competition history. All four clubs are the only Spanish clubs to have won five or more international trophies. Whilst, Real Madrid, Barcelona and Valencia are also in the top ten most successful clubs in European football in terms of total European trophies. In 2005–06, Barcelona won the UEFA Champions League and Sevilla won the UEFA Cup. The Primera División became the first league to do the European "double" since 1997.

The Primera División is currently first in the UEFA rankings of European leagues based on their performances in European competitions over a five-year period, ahead of the English Premier League in second and Germany's Bundesliga in third.

Champions

Main article: List of Spanish football champions

Performance by club

Club	Winners	Runners-up	Winning Seasons
Real Madrid	32	21	1931–32, 1932–33, 1953–54, 1954–55, 1956–57, 1957–58, 1960–61, 1961–62, 1962–63, 1963–64, 1964–65, 1966–67, 1967–68, 1968–69, 1971–72, 1974–75, 1975–76, 1977–78, 1978–79, 1979–80, 1985–86, 1986–87, 1987–88, 1988–89, 1989–90, 1994–95, 1996–97, 2000–01, 2002–03, 2006–07, 2007–08, 2011–12
Barcelona	22	23	1929, 1944–45, 1947–48, 1948–49, 1951–52, 1952–53, 1958–59, 1959–60, 1973–74, 1984–85, 1990–91, 1991–92, 1992–93, 1993–94, 1997–98, 1998–99, 2004–05, 2005–06, 2008–09, 2009–10, 2010–11, 2012–13
Atlético Madrid	09	08	1939–40, 1940–41, 1949–50, 1950–51, 1965–66, 1969–70, 1972–73, 1976–77, 1995–96
Athletic Bilbao	08	07	1929–30, 1930–31, 1933–34, 1935–36, 1942–43, 1955–56, 1982–83, 1983–84
Valencia	06	06	1941–42, 1943–44, 1946–47, 1970–71, 2001–02, 2003–04
Real Sociedad	02	03	1980–81, 1981–82
Deportivo La Coruña	01	05	1999–00
Sevilla	01	04	1945–46
Betis	01	00	1934–35

All-time La Liga table

The All-time La Liga table is an overall record of all match results, points, and goals of every team that has played in La Liga since its inception in 1929. The table is accurate as of the end of the 2012–13 season.

Pos	Team	Seasons	Points	Played	Won	Drawn	Lost	GF	GA	1º	2º	3º	4º	5º	6º	T	Debut	Since/Last App	Best
1	Real Madrid	82	4023	2610	1533	532	545	5509	2989	32	21	7	8	3	4	75	1929	1929	1
2	Barcelona	82	3900	2610	1467	540	603	5462	2994	22	23	12	12	4	6	79	1929	1929	1
3	Valencia	78	3170	2512	1128	577	807	4175	3271	6	6	10	10	10	7	49	1931–32	1987–88	1
4	Athletic Bilbao	82	3118	2610	1137	599	874	4412	3532	8	7	10	4	7	10	46	1929	1929	1
5	Atlético Madrid	76	3108	2462	1139	570	753	4257	3209	9	8	13	9	7	6	52	1929	2002–03	1
6	Espanyol	78	2602	2474	897	571	1006	3432	3658	-	-	4	5	2	5	16	1929	1994–95	3
7	Sevilla	69	2556	2256	914	496	846	3420	3177	1	4	4	4	10	6	29	1934–35	2001–02	1
8	Real Sociedad	66	2356	2150	805	537	808	3018	3023	2	3	2	5	4	2	18	1929	2010–11	1
9	Real Zaragoza	58	2109	1986	698	522	766	2683	2847	-	1	4	5	4	4	18	1939–40	2012–13	2
10	Real Betis	48	1776	1614	579	412	623	2049	2299	1	-	2	3	4	4	14	1932–33	2011–12	1
11	Deportivo La Coruña	42	1701	1416	540	348	528	1929	2011	1	5	4	1	-	1	12	1941–42	2012–13	1
12	Celta de Vigo	47	1584	1546	529	355	662	2078	2399	-	-	-	2	4	4	10	1939–40	2012–13	4
13	Real Valladolid	41	1435	1428	456	369	603	1729	2120	-	-	-	1	1	1	3	1948–49	2012–13	4
14	Racing de Santander	44	1416	1428	453	336	639	1843	2368	-	1	1	2	-	1	5	1929	2011–12	2
15	Sporting de Gijón	40	1319	1382	454	339	589	1671	2018	-	1	1	2	2	1	7	1944–45	2011–12	2
16	Osasuna	35	1290	1242	412	308	522	1428	1678	-	-	-	2	2	2	6	1935–36	2000–01	4
17	Real Oviedo	38	1174	1192	408	292	492	1642	1951	-	-	3	2	2	4	11	1933–34	2000–01	3
18	Mallorca	27	1148	988	333	256	399	1182	1371	-	-	2	-	2	1	5	1960–61	2012–13	3
19	Las Palmas	31	937	1020	345	225	450	1249	1619	-	1	1	1	1	1	5	1951–52	2001–02	2
20	Villarreal	13	720	494	196	132	166	684	640	-	1	1	1	2	-	5	1998–99	2013–14	2
21	Málaga CF	12	582	456	154	120	182	587	653	-	-	-	1	-	1	2	1999–00	2008–09	4
22	CD Málaga	20	543	647	186	171	290	666	926	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	1949–50	1989–90	7
23	Hércules	20	538	628	184	149	295	716	1050	-	-	-	-	1	4	5	1935–36	2010–11	5
24	Granada	19	532	590	185	139	266	682	887	-	-	-	-	-	2	2	1941–42	2011–12	6
25	Rayo Vallecano	14	532	528	152	129	247	616	867	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	1977–78	2011–12	8
26	Elche	19	525	602	183	159	260	685	910	-	-	-	-	1	1	2	1959–60	2013–14	5
27	Tenerife	13	510	494	155	128	211	619	744	-	-	-	-	2	-	2	1961–62	2009–10	5
28	Real Murcia	18	445	586	145	143	298	607	992	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	1940–41	2007–08	11
29	Getafe	9	438	342	117	87	138	415	448	-	-	-	-	-	1	1	2004–05	2004–05	6
30	Salamanca	12	375	423	123	102	198	422	581	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	1974–75	1998–99	7
31	Alavés	11	366	342	111	68	163	417	585	-	-	-	-	-	1	1	1930–31	2005–06	6
32	Sabadell	14	353	426	129	95	202	492	720	-	-	-	1	1	-	2	1943–44	1987–88	4
33	Cádiz	12	343	448	104	127	217	393	662	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	1977–78	2005–06	12
34	Levante	8	299	288	84	65	139	324	452	-	-	-	-	-	1	1	1963–64	2010–11	6
35	CD Logroñés	9	293	346	96	92	158	291	489	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	1987–88	1996–97	7
36	Castellón	11	285	334	103	79	152	419	588	-	-	-	1	2	-	3	1941–42	1990–91	4
37	Albacete	7	277	270	76	76	118	320	410	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	1991–92	2004–05	7
38	Córdoba	8	210	244	79	52	113	263	362	-	-	-	-	1	-	1	1962–63	1971–72	5
39	Compostela	4	190	160	52	45	63	199	241	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	1994–95	1997–98	10
40	Recreativo de Huelva	5	188	186	50	46	90	202	296	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	1978–79	2008–09	8
41	UD Almería	4	170	152	43	41	68	166	231	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	2007–08	2010–11	8
42	Burgos CF	6	168	204	59	50	95	216	310	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	1971–72	1979–80	12
43	Pontevedra	6	150	180	53	44	83	165	221	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	1963–64	1969–70	7
44	Numancia	4	148	152	37	37	78	155	253	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	1999–00	2008–09	17
45	Arenas de Getxo	7	107	130	43	21	66	227	308	-	-	1	-	3	-	4	1929	1934–35	3
46	Real Burgos	3	96	114	26	44	44	101	139	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	1990–91	1992–93	9
47	Gimnàstic de Tarragona	4	91	116	34	16	66	181	295	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	1947–48	2006–07	7
48	CF Extremadura	2	83	80	20	23	37	62	117	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	1996–97	1998–99	17
49	CP Mérida	2	81	80	19	24	37	70	115	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	1995–96	1997–98	19
50	Alcoyano	4	76	108	30	16	62	145	252	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	1945–46	1950–51	10
51	Real Jaén	3	71	90	29	13	48	121	183	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	1953–54	1957–58	14
52	Real Unión	4	56	72	21	14	37	153	184	-	-	-	-	-	1	1	1929	1931–32	6
53	AD Almería	2	52	68	17	18	33	71	116	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	1979–80	1980–81	10
54	Europa	3	42	54	18	6	30	97	131	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	1929	1930–31	8
55	UE Lleida	2	40	68	13	14	41	70	182	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	1950–51	1993–94	16
56	Xerez	1	34	38	8	10	20	38	66	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	2009–10	2009–10	20
57	CD Condal	1	22	30	7	8	15	37	57	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	1956–57	1956–57	16
58	Atlético Tetuán	1	19	30	7	5	18	51	85	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	1951–52	1951–52	16
59	Cultural Leonesa	1	14	30	5	4	21	34	65	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	1955–56	1955–56	15

League or status at 2013–14:

	2013–14 La Liga
	2013–14 Segunda División
	2013–14 Segunda División B
	2013–14 Tercera División
	2013–14 Divisiones Regionales
	To be determined
	No longer affiliated with RFEF
	Clubs that no longer exist

Players

Eligibility of non-EU players

In La Liga, players can claim citizenship from the nation their ancestors came from. If a player does not have European ancestry, he can claim Spanish citizenship after playing in Spain for five years.^{[citation needed]} Sometimes, this can lead to a triple-citizenship situation; for example, Leo Franco, who is Argentine-born, of Italian heritage, and can claim a Spanish passport, having played in La Liga for over five years.

In addition, players from the ACP countries — countries in Africa, the Caribbean, and the Pacific that are signatories to the Cotonou Agreement — are not counted against non-EU quotas, due to the Kolpak ruling.

Individual awards

Until season 2008–09, no official awards for La Liga existed. Following the 2008–09 season, the Liga de Fútbol Profesional, the governing body, instated the LFP Awards. Apart from these awards, many individual awards are conceded relating to La Liga, although not sanctioned by the LFP nor the Royal Spanish Football Federation and therefore not regarded as official.

The most notable of these are four awarded by Spain's biggest sports paper, Marca, namely the Pichichi Trophy, awarded to the top scorer of the season, the Ricardo Zamora Trophy for the goalkeeper with the least "goals-to-games" ratio; the Trofeo Alfredo di Stéfano, for the player judged to be the best overall player in the division; and the Zarra Trophy is awarded to the Spanish domestic player with the highest goal total in La Liga.

All-time top scorers, top 30

Rank	Nat	Name	Years	Goals	Apps	Ratio
1		Telmo Zarra	1940–1955	251	277	0.91
2		Hugo Sánchez	1981–1994	234	347	0.67
3		Raúl	1994–2010	228	550	0.41
4		Alfredo di Stéfano	1953–1966	227	329	0.69
5		César Rodríguez	1939–1955	223	353	0.63
6		Quini	1970–1987	219	448	0.49
7		Lionel Messi	2004–	215	245	0.88
8		Pahiño	1943–1956	210	278	0.76
9		Edmundo Suárez	1939–1950	195	231	0.84
10		Carlos Santillana	1970–1988	186	461	0.40
11		Juan Arza	1943–1959	182	349	0.52
12		Guillermo Gorostiza	1929–1945	178	256	0.70
13		David Villa	2001–	172	312	0.55
14		Isidro Lángara	1930–1948	165	142	1.16
15		Samuel Eto'o	1998–2009	162	280	0.58
16		Luis Aragonés	1960–1974	160	360	0.44
17		Ferenc Puskás	1958–1966	156	180	0.87
18		Julio Salinas	1982–2000	152	417	0.36
19		Adrián Escudero	1945–1958	150	287	0.52
20		Daniel Ruiz	1974–1986	147	303	0.49
21		Raúl Tamudo	1997–	146	405	0.36
		Cristiano Ronaldo	2009–	146	135	1.10
23		Silvestre Igoa	1941–1956	141	284	0.50
24		Manuel Badenes	1946–1959	139	201	0.69
		Juan Araújo	1945–1956	139	207	0.67
		José Mari Bakero	1980–1997	139	483	0.29
27		László Kubala	1951-1964	138	215	0.64
28		José Luis Panizo	1939–1955	136	325	0.41
29		Jesús María Satrústegui	1973–1986	133	297	0.45
30		Joaquín Murillo	1952–1964	132	227	0.58

(Bold denotes players still playing in La Liga.)

Ballon d'Or

• Alfredo Di Stéfano - 1957, 1959 (Real Madrid)
• Raymond Kopa - 1958 (Real Madrid)
• Luis Suárez - 1960 (Barcelona)
• Johan Cruyff - 1973, 1974 (Barcelona)
• Hristo Stoichkov - 1994 (Barcelona)
• Rivaldo - 1999 (Barcelona)
• Luís Figo - 2000 (Barcelona/Real Madrid)
• Ronaldo - 1997 (Barcelona), 2002 (Inter Milan/Real Madrid)
• Ronaldinho - 2005 (Barcelona)
• Fabio Cannavaro - 2006 (Juventus/Real Madrid)
• Cristiano Ronaldo - 2008 (Real Madrid)
• Lionel Messi - 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012 (Barcelona)

See also

• Football records in Spain
• List of attendance figures at domestic professional sports leagues
• List of football clubs in Spain
• List of foreign La Liga players
• Supercopa de España

External links

• (English) La Liga
• (Spanish) RFEF