La Liga

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La Liga
File:La Liga logo.svg
Organising bodyLiga de Fútbol Profesional (LFP)
Founded1929; 95 years ago (1929)
Country Spain
ConfederationUEFA
Number of teams20
Level on pyramid1
Relegation toSegunda División
Domestic cup(s)Copa del Rey
Supercopa de España
International cup(s)UEFA Champions League
UEFA Europa League
Current championsBarcelona (25th title)
Most championshipsReal Madrid (33 titles)
Most appearancesAndoni Zubizarreta (622)
Top goalscorerLionel Messi (385 goals)
TV partnersList of broadcasters
Websitewww.laliga.es/en
Current: 2018–19 La Liga

The Primera División,[a] commonly known as La Liga[b] and as La Liga Santander for sponsorship reasons with Santander,[1] is the men's top professional football division of the Spanish football league system. Administered by the Liga Nacional de Fútbol Profesional (English: National Professional Football League), also known as the Liga de Fútbol Profesional (LFP), La Liga 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.

62 teams have competed in La Liga since its inception. Nine teams have been crowned champions, with Real Madrid winning the title a record 33 times and Barcelona 25 times. Barcelona won the inaugural La Liga in 1929 with Athletic Bilbao claiming several titles in the league's early years. Barcelona and Real Madrid dominated the championship in the 1950s, winning four La Liga titles each throughout the decade. Real Madrid dominated La Liga from the 1960s through the 1980s, when Barcelona, Athletic Bilbao, and Real Sociedad won the league twice in those years. From the 1990s onward, Barcelona has dominated La Liga, winning 15 titles. Although Real Madrid has been prominent, winning 8 titles, La Liga has also seen other champions, including Atlético Madrid, Valencia, and Deportivo de La Coruña. In the 2010s, Atlético Madrid has become an increasingly stronger team, forming a trio alongside Real Madrid and Barcelona.

According to UEFA's league coefficient, La Liga has been the top league in Europe over the last five years and has led Europe for more years (13) than any other country. It has also produced the continent's top-rated club more times (21) than any other league, more than double that of second-placed Serie A. Its clubs have won the most UEFA Champions League (18), UEFA Europa League (11), UEFA Super Cup (15), and FIFA Club World Cup (6) titles, and its players have accumulated the highest number of (FIFA) Ballon d'Or awards (19).

La Liga is one of the most popular professional sports leagues in the world, with an average attendance of 26,983 for league matches in the 2017–18 season. This is the sixth-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 Bundesliga, and the Premier League.[2][3]

Competition format

The competition format follows the usual double round-robin format. During the course of a season, which lasts from August to May, each club plays every other club twice, once at home and once away, for 38 matchdays. 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.

Promotion and relegation

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;

Number of clubs in La Liga throughout the years
Period (in years) No. of clubs
1929–1934 10 clubs
1934–1941 12 clubs
1941–1950 14 clubs
1950–1971 16 clubs
1971–1987 18 clubs
1987–1995 20 clubs
1995–1997 22 clubs
1997–present 20 clubs

Ranking of clubs on equal points

If points are equal between two or more clubs, the rules are:[4]

  • If all clubs involved have played each other twice:
    • If the tie is between two clubs, then the tie is broken using the goal difference for the two matches those clubs have played against each other (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) total goal difference
  • 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.[5] These are:
    • yellow card, 1 point
    • doubled yellow card/ejection, 2 points
    • direct red card, 3 points
    • suspension or disqualification of coach, executive or other club personnel (outside referees' 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.

Qualifying for European competitions

Barcelona against Schalke 04 in the 2008 UEFA Champions League

The top teams in La Liga qualify for the UEFA Champions League. The first, second, third and fourth placed teams directly enter the group stage of UEFA Champions League. Teams placed fifth and sixth play in the UEFA Europa League, along with the cup winners. If the cup winners finish in the top six, an additional berth in the Europa League is given to the team that finishes in seventh.

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: Athletic Bilbao

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. Nevertheless, the governing body of Spanish football has not made an outright decision yet.

The 1940s: Atlético de Madrid, Valencia and Barcelona

When the Primera División resumed after the Spanish Civil War, it was Atlético Aviación (nowadays Atlético Madrid), Valencia, and FC Barcelona that 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.

Meanwhile, on the other side of Spain, FC Barcelona began to emerge as a force under the legendary Josep Samitier. A Spanish footballer for both Barcelona and Real Madrid, Samitier cemented his legacy with Barcelona. During his playing career with Barcelona, he scored 333 goals, won the inaugural La Liga title and five Copa Del Rey. In 1944, Samitier returned to Barcelona as a coach and guided them in winning their second La Liga title in 1945. Under Samitier and legendary players Cesar Rodriguez, Josep Escola, Estanislau Basora and Mariano Gonzalvo, Barcelona dominated La Liga in the late 1940s, winning back to back La Liga titles in 1948 and 1949. The 1940s proved to be a successful season for Barcelona, winning three La Liga titles and one Copa Del Rey, but the 1950s proved to be a decade of dominance, not just from Barcelona, but from Real Madrid.

1950s: Barcelona and Real Madrid Dominate La Liga

Naturalised Argentine Alfredo Di Stéfano was part of a dominant Real Madrid side in the 1950s
During the 1950s, László Kubala was a leading member of Barcelona scoring 194 goals in 256 appearances.

Although Atlético Madrid, previously known as Atlético Aviación, were champions in 1950 and 1951 under catenaccio mastermind Helenio Herrera, the 1950s continued the success FC Barcelona had during the late 1940s after they had won back to back La Liga titles. During this decade, Barcelona's first golden era emerged. Under coach Ferdinand Daučík, FC Barcelona won back to back doubles, winning La Liga and Copa Del Rey in 1952 and 1953. In 1952, FC Barcelona made history yet again by winning five distinctive trophies in one year. This team, composed of László Kubala, Mariano Gonzalvo, Cesar Rodriguez and Joan Segarra won La Liga, Copa Del Rey, Copa Eva Duarte (predecessor of Spanish Super Cup), The Latin Cup and The Copa Martini Rossi. Their success in winning five different trophies in one year earned them the name 'L’equip de les cinc Copes' or The Team of The Five Cups. In the latter parts of the 1950s, coached by Helenio Herrera and featuring Luis Suárez, Barcelona won yet again their third set of back to back La Ligas, winning them in 1959 and 1960. In 1959, FC Barcelona also won another double of La Liga / Copa Del Rey, conquering three doubles in the 1950s.

The 1950s also saw the beginning of the 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 who naturalized Alfredo Di Stéfano and Ferenc Puskás. Di Stéfano, Puskás, Raymond Kopa and Francisco Gento formed the nucleus of the Real Madrid team that dominated the second half of the 1950s. Madrid won the first division in 1954, 21 years later since 1933, and retained its title in 1955. They were winners again in 1957 and 1958, with only Athletic Bilbao interrupting their sequence. All in all, Barcelona and Real Madrid won 4 La Liga titles each, with Atletico De Madrid and Atletico De Bilbao winning one each during this decade.

The 1960s–1980s: The Real Madrid years

Between 1961 and 1980, Real Madrid dominated the Primera División, being crowned champions 14 times, including five-in-a-row from 1961 to 1965 and two three-in-a-row sequences (1967–1969 and 1978–1980). However, their only European Cup triumph during this period came in 1966, a sharp contrast to their five successive victories in the competition from 1956.

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 broke the dominance of Real Madrid.

The Madrid winning sequence was interrupted 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 fellow Basque team 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 put together 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.[citation needed]

The 1990s: Barcelona's dream team

Johan Cruyff returned to Barcelona as manager in 1988, and assembled the legendary Dream Team. When Cruyff took hold of this Barcelona side they had only won two La Liga title in the past 11 years. Cruyff, who knew the history of FC Barcelona as a player, did not want history to repeat itself. He decided to build a team composed of international stars and La Masia graduates in order to restore Barcelona to their former glorious days. This team was formed by international stars such as Brazilian legend Romario, Denmark’s magician Michael Laudrup, Bulgarian forward Hristo Stoichkov, Dutchman Ronald Koeman, and Spaniards Andoni Zubizarreta and Jose Mari Bakero. Cruyff’s Dream Team also consisted of La Masia graduates Pep Guardiola, Albert Ferrer, and Guillermo Amor.

Johan Cruyff changed the way modern football was played and incorporated the principles of ‘Total Football’ into this team. The success of possession-based football was revolutionary and Johan Cruyff’s team won their first European Cup in 1992 and four consecutive La Liga titles between 1991 and 1994. In total, Cruyff won 11 trophies in eight years, making him the most successful manager in Barcelona’s history until the record was broken by his protege Pep Guardiola two decades later.

Barcelona's run ended with Real Madrid winning La Liga in 1995. Atlético Madrid won their ninth Primera División title in 1996 before Real Madrid added another Liga trophy to their cabinet in 1997. After the success of Cruyff, another Dutchman – Ajax manager Louis van Gaal – arrived at the Camp Nou, and with the talents of Luís Figo, Luis Enrique, and Rivaldo, Barcelona won La Liga title in 1998 and 1999, which included their fourth double of Liga and Copa Del Rey in 1998.

The 2000s

As Primera División entered a new century, the two giants of Spain, Real Madrid and Barcelona, found themselves facing new challengers. Between 1999/00 and 2004, Deportivo La Coruña finished in the top three on ten occasions, a better record than either Real Madrid or Barcelona, and in 2000, under Javier Irureta, Deportivo became the ninth team to be crowned champions. Valencia were also a fierce team in the 2000s and 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, as well as winning the UEFA Cup and La Liga in 2004.

Real Madrid won two Liga titles in 2001 and 2003 and also the UEFA Champions League in 2000 and 2002. With world-class players like Raúl, Ruud van Nistelrooy and Gonzalo Higuaín, Real Madrid won back-to-back La Liga titles in 2006–07 and 2007–08. All in all, Madrid won 4 La Liga's and two champions league from 2000-2010.

The 2000s also continued the success of FC Barcelona. In the 2004–05 season, Barcelona won their first title of the new century under the brilliance of Ronaldinho. Barcelona retained the title and won it again in the 2005-2006 season, as well as winning the UEFA Champions League against Arsenal, achieving their second European Double. Under the era of Pep Guardiola, powered by La Masia's talent, such as Lionel Messi, Xavi and Andrés Iniesta, Barcelona added three straight Liga titles in 2008, 2009 and 2010. FC Barcelona also became the first team in Spain to achieve the Treble in the 2008/09 season, winning all three major competitions in a single season consisting of La Liga, Copa Del Rey and the Champions League. From 2000-2010, FC Barcelona won 5 La Liga titles and 3 Champions League.

The 2010s

Match between Deportivo de La Coruña and FC Barcelona in 2016–17 season.

In the 2011–12 season, Real Madrid won its 32nd title under the management of José Mourinho with a then record-breaking 100 points, a then record of 118 number of goals scored, most overall (32) and away (16) wins in a single season in La Liga. A year later, Barcelona replicated the same feat under coach Tito Vilanova matching the 100-point record. Atlético Madrid won the 2013–14 title, their first in 18 years, and the first title in ten years that Real Madrid or Barcelona had not won.

In the 2014–15 season, under the deadly trio of Messi, Neymar, Suarez, nicknamed the 'MSN', Barcelona made history by becoming the first team to achieve a second Treble. The 'MSN' hit a record breaking 122 goals, eclipsing the 118 goals scored by Madrid in the 2011–12 season. Barcelona continued the dominance in the 2015–16 season, winning the Liga/Copa Del Rey double resulting in 4 titles in 6 years.

Real Madrid brought back the La Liga title under the management of Zinedine Zidane in 2016–17, but Barcelona won the title in the 2017–18 season, as well as winning their eighth double, for a total of 7 La Liga titles in 10 years.

Teams

class=notpageimage|
Location of teams in 2018–19 La Liga
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Location of Madrid teams in 2018–19 La Liga

20 teams contest the league in its current season, including the top 17 sides from the 2017–18 season and three promoted from the 2017–18 Segunda División. Rayo Vallecano and Huesca are the two clubs promoted directly from the second division, and the winner of the play-offs, Valladolid.

Stadiums and locations

Team Location Stadium Capacity
Alavés Vitoria-Gasteiz Mendizorrotza 19,840[6]
Athletic Bilbao Bilbao San Mamés 53,289[7]
Atlético Madrid Madrid Wanda Metropolitano 67,703[8]
Barcelona Barcelona Camp Nou 99,354[9]
Celta Vigo Vigo Balaídos 29,000[10]
Eibar Eibar Ipurua 7,083[11]
Espanyol Barcelona RCDE Stadium 40,500[12]
Getafe Getafe Coliseum Alfonso Pérez 17,393[13]
Girona Girona Montilivi 13,500[14]
Huesca Huesca El Alcoraz 5,500[15]
Leganés Leganés Butarque 11,454[16]
Levante Valencia Ciutat de València 26,354[17]
Rayo Vallecano Madrid Vallecas 14,708
Real Betis Seville Benito Villamarín 60,720[18]
Real Madrid Madrid Santiago Bernabéu 81,044[19]
Real Sociedad San Sebastián Anoeta 25,000[20]
Sevilla Seville Ramón Sánchez Pizjuán 42,500[21]
Valencia Valencia Mestalla 55,000[22]
Valladolid Valladolid José Zorrilla 26,512[23]
Villarreal Villarreal Estadio de la Cerámica 23,500[24]

La Liga clubs in Europe

Main article: Spanish football clubs in international competitions
Real Madrid against Borussia Dortmund in the UEFA Champions League in 2013

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 England's Premier League, Italy's Serie A, and Germany's Bundesliga in fourth.[25]

Real Madrid, Barcelona and Valencia are in the top ten most successful clubs in European football in terms of total European trophies.[citation needed] These three clubs, along with Sevilla and Atlético Madrid, are five of the most successful teams in European competition history; these five are the only Spanish clubs to have won five or more international trophies. Deportivo La Coruña are the sixth-most participating Spanish team in the Champions League — after Real Madrid, Barcelona, Valencia, Atletico Madrid and Sevilla FC — with five Champions League appearances in a row, including a semifinal appearance in 2003–04.[26]

In 2005–06, Barcelona won the Champions League and Sevilla won the UEFA Cup, making the La Liga the first league to do the European "double" since 1997. On 25 August 2015, La Liga became the first league to classify five teams for the UEFA Champions League group stage (Atlético Madrid, Barcelona, Real Madrid, Sevilla and Valencia).

Champions

Main article: List of Spanish football champions

Performance by club

Performance by individual clubs in Primera División
Teams Winners Runners-up Winning seasons
Real Madrid
33
23
 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, 2016–17
Barcelona
25
25
 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, 2014–15, 2015–16, 2017–18
Atlético Madrid
10
10
 1939–40, 1940–41, 1949–50, 1950–51, 1965–66, 1969–70, 1972–73, 1976–77, 1995–96, 2013–14
Athletic Bilbao
8
7
 1929–30, 1930–31, 1933–34, 1935–36, 1942–43, 1955–56, 1982–83, 1983–84
Valencia
6
6
 1941–42, 1943–44, 1946–47, 1970–71, 2001–02, 2003–04
Real Sociedad
2
3
 1980–81, 1981–82
Deportivo La Coruña
1
5
 1999–00
Sevilla
1
4
 1945–46
Real Betis
1
0
 1934–35

Performance comparison

Teams 99–00 00–01 01–02 02–03 03–04 04–05 05–06 06–07 07–08 08–09 09–10 10–11 11–12 12–13 13–14 14–15 15–16 16–17 17–18
RMA 5 1 3 1 4 2 2 1 1 2 2 2 1 2 3 2 2 1 3
BAR 2 4 4 6 2 1 1 2 3 1 1 1 2 1 2 1 1 2 1
ATH 11 12 9 7 5 9 12 17 11 13 8 6 10 12 4 7 5 7 16
ATM 19 - - 12 7 11 10 7 4 4 9 7 5 3 1 3 3 3 2
VAL 3 5 1 5 1 7 3 4 10 6 3 3 3 5 8 4 12 12 4
ESP 14 9 14 17 16 5 15 11 12 10 11 8 14 13 14 10 13 8 11
SEV 20 - 8 10 6 6 5 3 5 3 4 5 9 9 5 5 7 4 7
RSO 13 13 13 2 15 14 16 19 - - - 15 12 4 7 12 9 6 12
ZAR 4 17 20 - 12 12 11 6 18 - 14 13 16 20 - - - - -
BET 18 - 6 8 9 4 14 16 13 18 - - 13 7 20 - 10 15 6
DEP 1 2 2 3 3 8 8 13 9 7 10 18 - 19 - 16 15 16 18
  League champions
  Champions League
  Europa League
  Relegation

All-time La Liga table

The All-time La Liga table[27] 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 2017–18 season.[28] Teams in bold are part of the 2018–19 La Liga.

All-time La Liga table
Pos Team S Pts GP W D L GF GA 1st 2nd 3rd 4th 5th 6th T Debut Since/
Last App 		Best
1 Real Madrid 86 4461 2800 1669 562 569 6041 3184 33 23 9 8 3 4 80 1929 1929 1
2 Barcelona 86 4355 2800 1609 582 609 6002 3143 25 25 12 12 4 6 84 1929 1929 1
3 Atlético Madrid 81 3521 2652 1264 608 780 4592 3331 10 10 16 9 7 6 57 1929 2002–03 1
4 Valencia 83 3459 2702 1209 623 870 4463 3507 6 6 10 12 10 7 51 1931–32 1987–88 1
5 Athletic Bilbao 86 3411 2800 1219 646 935 4672 3749 8 7 10 5 8 10 49 1929 1929 1
6 Sevilla 74 2877 2446 1007 538 901 3729 3431 1 4 4 5 12 6 32 1934–35 2001–02 1
7 Espanyol 83 2841 2664 960 621 1083 3645 3926 – – 4 5 2 5 16 1929 1994–95 3
8 Real Sociedad 71 2622 2340 878 584 878 3294 3289 2 3 2 5 4 3 19 1929 2010–11 1
9 Zaragoza 58 2109 1986 698 522 766 2683 2847 – 1 4 5 4 4 18 1939–40 2012–13 2
10 Real Betis 52 1945 1766 624 446 696 2222 2552 1 – 2 3 4 5 15 1932–33 2015–16 1
11 Deportivo La Coruña 46 1843 1568 569 403 596 2090 2269 1 5 4 1 – 1 12 1941–42 2017–18 1
12 Celta Vigo 52 1838 1736 599 399 738 2337 2685 – – – 2 4 5 11 1939–40 2012–13 4
13 Valladolid 42 1471 1466 463 384 619 1767 2180 – – – 1 1 1 3 1948–49 2013–14 4
14 Racing Santander 44 1416 1428 453 336 639 1843 2368 – 1 1 2 – 1 5 1929 2011–12 2
15 Sporting Gijón 43 1389 1458 471 358 629 1753 2152 – 1 1 2 2 1 7 1944–45 2016–17 2
16 Osasuna 37 1351 1318 426 327 565 1497 1833 – – – 2 2 2 6 1935–36 2016–17 4
17 Málaga 37 1334 1293 395 335 563 1445 1824 – – – 1 – 1 2 1949–50 2017–18 4
18 Oviedo 38 1174 1192 408 292 492 1642 1951 – – 3 2 2 4 11 1933–34 2000–01 3
19 Mallorca 27 1148 988 333 256 399 1182 1371 – – 2 – 2 1 5 1960–61 2012–13 3
20 Las Palmas 34 1042 1134 372 249 513 1371 1820 – 1 1 1 1 1 5 1951–52 2017–18 2
21 Villarreal 18 1031 684 284 179 221 949 839 – 1 1 2 4 2 10 1998–99 2013–14 2
22 Granada 23 667 742 218 175 349 819 1158 – – – – – 2 2 1941–42 2016–17 6
23 Rayo Vallecano 17 662 652 189 148 305 760 1088 – – – – – – – 1977–78 2015–16 8
24 Getafe 13 608 494 162 122 210 562 662 – – – – – 1 1 2004–05 2017–18 6
25 Elche 21 606 678 203 180 295 750 1022 – – – – 1 1 2 1959–60 2014–15 5
26 Hércules 20 538 628 184 149 295 716 1050 – – – – 1 4 5 1935–36 2010–11 5
27 Tenerife 13 510 494 155 128 211 619 744 – – – – 2 – 2 1961–62 2009–10 5
28 Alavés 13 468 418 140 83 195 498 673 – – – – – 1 1 1930–31 2016–17 6
29 Levante 12 462 440 124 108 208 474 690 – – – – – 1 1 1963–64 2017–18 6
30 Murcia 18 445 586 145 143 298 607 992 – – – – – – – 1940–41 2007–08 11
31 Salamanca 12 375 423 123 102 198 422 581 – – – – – – – 1974–75 1998–99 7
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 Logroñés 9 293 346 96 92 158 291 489 – – – – – – – 1987–88 1996–97 7
35 Castellón 11 285 334 103 79 152 419 588 – – – 1 2 – 3 1941–42 1990–91 4
36 Albacete 7 277 270 76 76 118 320 410 – – – – – – – 1991–92 2004–05 7
37 Almería 6 242 228 62 56 110 244 366 – – – – – – – 2007–08 2014–15 8
38 Córdoba 9 230 282 82 63 137 285 430 – – – – 1 – 1 1962–63 2014–15 5
39 Compostela 4 190 160 52 45 63 199 241 – – – – – – – 1994–95 1997–98 10
40 Recreativo 5 188 186 50 46 90 202 296 – – – – – – – 1978–79 2008–09 8
41 Eibar 4 183 152 49 36 67 183 217 – – – – – – – 2014–15 2014–15 9[29]
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 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 4 91 116 34 16 66 181 295 – – – – – – – 1947–48 2006–07 7
48 Extremadura 2 83 80 20 23 37 62 117 – – – – – – – 1996–97 1998–99 17
49 Mérida 2 81 80 19 24 37 70 115 – – – – – – – 1995–96 1997–98 19
50 Leganés 2 78 76 20 18 38 70 106 – – – – – – – 2016–17 2016–17 17
51 Alcoyano 4 76 108 30 16 62 145 252 – – – – – – – 1945–46 1950–51 10
52 Jaén 3 71 90 29 13 48 121 183 – – – – – – – 1953–54 1957–58 14
53 Real Unión 4 56 72 21 14 37 153 184 – – – – – 1 1 1929 1931–32 6
54 AD Almería 2 52 68 17 18 33 71 116 – – – – – – – 1979–80 1980–81 10
55 Girona 1 51 38 14 9 15 50 59 – – – – – – – 2017–18 2017–18 9
56 Europa 3 42 54 18 6 30 97 131 – – – – – – – 1929 1930–31 8
57 Lleida 2 40 68 13 14 41 70 182 – – – – – – – 1950–51 1993–94 16
58 Xerez 1 34 38 8 10 20 38 66 – – – – – – – 2009–10 2009–10 20
59 Condal 1 22 30 7 8 15 37 57 – – – – – – – 1956–57 1956–57 16
60 Atlético Tetuán 1 19 30 7 5 18 51 85 – – – – – – – 1951–52 1951–52 16
61 Cultural Leonesa 1 14 30 5 4 21 34 65 – – – – – – – 1955–56 1955–56 15
62 Huesca – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – 2018–19 2018–19 –
Notes
    • Note: Despite finishing the season in the 13th position in the 2014-15 La Liga, on 5 June, Elche was relegated to Segunda División due to its financial struggles, Newcomers Eibar, who finished the season in the 18th position, took Elche's place in 2015–16 La Liga.
League or status for 2018–19 season
2018–19 La Liga
2018–19 Segunda División
2018–19 Segunda División B
2018–19 Tercera División
2018–19 Divisiones Regionales
To be determined
No longer exists

All-time La Liga table (3 pts. since 1995)

All-time La Liga table (wins, 3 points)
Pos Team GP W D L GD Pts
1 FC Barcelona 882 599 175 139 1.201 1.879
2 Real Madrid CF 882 561 166 155 1.041 1.849
3 Valencia CF 882 418 207 257 364 1.461
4 Atlético de Madrid 806 385 192 229 381 1.347
5 Athletic Club 882 327 242 313 -29 1.223
6 Sevilla FC 768 325 177 266 130 1.152
7 RCD Espanyol 882 300 237 345 -112 1.137
8 Deportivo de La Coruña 806 302 227 277 12 1.133
9 Real Sociedad 768 282 202 284 -1 1.048
10 Villarreal CF 684 284 179 221 110 1.031
11 Real Betis 730 251 206 273 -102 959
12 Celta de Vigo 654 241 168 245 -8 891
13 RCD Mallorca 608 226 151 231 -39 829
14 Málaga CF 646 208 165 273 -121 789
15 Real Zaragoza 616 191 181 244 -114 754
16 Racing de Santander 616 175 184 257 -181 709
17 CA Osasuna 570 172 153 245 -183 669
18 Real Valladolid CF 540 161 159 220 -139 642
19 Getafe CF 494 162 122 210 -104 608
20 Rayo Vallecano 426 136 83 207 -211 491
21 Levante UD 380 106 96 178 -189 414
22 Deportivo Alavés 304 105 65 134 -88 380
23 R. Sporting 350 89 79 182 -209 346
24 CD Tenerife 236 72 65 99 -68 281
25 Real Oviedo 236 66 69 101 -98 267
26 UD Almería 228 62 56 110 -123 242
27 Granada CF 228 56 51 121 -172 219
28 UD Las Palmas 190 49 44 97 -109 191
29 SD Eibar 152 49 36 67 -34 183
30 Recreativo 152 42 41 69 -67 167
31 SD Compostela 122 41 33 48 -30 156
32 CD Numancia 152 37 37 78 -98 148
33 Albacete 118 29 30 59 -57 117
34 UD Salamanca 118 27 24 67 -66 105
35 CF Extremadura 80 20 23 37 -55 83
36 CP Mérida 80 19 24 37 -45 81
37 Elche CF 76 20 21 35 -47 81
38 CD Leganés 76 20 18 38 -36 78
39 Hércules CF 80 21 13 46 -61 76
40 Real Murcia CF 76 12 20 44 -57 56
41 Girona FC 38 14 9 15 -9 51
42 Cádiz CF 38 8 12 18 -16 36
43 Xerez CD 38 8 10 20 -28 34
44 CD Logroñés 42 9 6 27 -52 33
45 Gimnàstic 38 7 7 24 -35 28
46 Córdoba CF 38 3 11 24 -46 20

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. Sometimes, this can lead to a triple-citizenship situation; for example, Leo Franco, who was born in Argentina, is of Italian heritage yet 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 the season 2008–09, no official awards for individuals in La Liga existed. Following[clarification needed] the 2008–09 season, the Liga de Fútbol Profesional (LFP) governing body sanctioned LFP Awards to player individuals. Additional awards relating to La Liga are distributed, some are sanctioned by the LFP or the Royal Spanish Football Federation (RFEF) and therefore not regarded as official.[clarification needed]

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, awarded to the Spanish domestic player with the highest goal total in La Liga.

Since the 2013–14 season, La Liga also awards the monthly manager of the month and player of the month awards.

Transfers

The first La Liga player to be involved in a transfer which broke the world record was Luis Suárez in 1961, who moved from Barcelona to Internazionale for £152,000. Twelve years later, Johan Cruyff was the first player to join a La Liga club for a record fee, £922,000 from Ajax to Barcelona. In 1982, Barcelona again set the record by signing Diego Maradona from Boca Juniors for £5 million.[30] Real Betis set the world record in 1998 when they signed Denílson from São Paulo for £21.5 million.[31]

Four of the last six world transfer records (in euro) have been set by Real Madrid, signing Luís Figo,[32] Zinedine Zidane,[33] Cristiano Ronaldo[34] (plus a deal for Kaká days before Ronaldo[35] which fell just below a world record due to the way the fee was calculated)[36] and finally Gareth Bale, who was bought for £85.3 million (€103.4 million / $140 million) from Tottenham Hotspur in 2013.[37]

The Brazilian forward Neymar was the subject of an expensive and complicated transfer arrangement when he joined Barcelona from Santos in 2013,[38][39] and his outgoing transfer to Paris Saint-Germain in 2017 set a new world record fee at €222m (via his 'buyout clause').[40] Barcelona soon invested a large chunk of this money in a replacement, Ousmane Dembélé, whose deal – €105m – was the second most expensive ever before Philippe Coutinho's transfer to Barcelona for €142m.[41] [42]

Player records

Most goals

As of matches played 29 April 2018
Rank Nat Name Club Years Goals Apps Ratio
1 Argentina Lionel Messi Barcelona 2004– 385 419 0.92
2 Portugal Cristiano Ronaldo Real Madrid 2009–2018 311 292 1.07
3 Spain Telmo Zarra Athletic Bilbao 1940–1955 251 278 0.9
4 Mexico Hugo Sánchez Atlético Madrid, Real Madrid & Rayo Vallecano 1981–1994 234 347 0.67
5 Spain Raúl Real Madrid 1994–2010 228 550 0.41
6 Argentina Alfredo Di Stéfano Real Madrid & Espanyol 1953–1966 227 329 0.69
7 Spain César Rodríguez Granada, Barcelona, Cultural Leonesa & Elche 1939–1955 223 353 0.63
8 Spain Quini Sporting Gijón & Barcelona 1970–1987 219 448 0.49
9 Spain Pahiño Celta, Real Madrid & Deportivo 1943–1956 210 278 0.76
10 Spain Edmundo Suárez Valencia & Alcoyano 1939–1950 195 231 0.84

Most appearances

See also: List of La Liga players
As of 16 May 2016
Rank Nat Name Years Apps Goals
1 Spain Andoni Zubizarreta 1981–1998 622 0
2 Spain Raúl 1994–2010 550 228
3 Spain Eusebio Sacristán 1983–2002 543 36
4 Spain Francisco Buyo 1980–1997 542 0
5 Spain Manuel Sanchís 1983–2001 523 32
6 Spain Iker Casillas 1999–2015 510 0
7 Spain Xavi 1998–2015 505 58
8 Spain Miquel Soler 1983–2003 504 12
9 Spain Fernando Hierro 1987–2003 497 104
10 Spain José Mari Bakero 1980–1997 483 139

Sponsors

See also

Notes

  1. ^ Spanish: [pɾiˈmeɾa ðiβiˈsjon]; "First Division"
  2. ^ /læ ˈliːɡə/, Spanish: [la ˈliɣa]; "The League"

References

  1. ^ "LaLiga and Santander strike title sponsorship deal". LaLiga. 21 July 2016. Retrieved 21 July 2016.
  2. ^ "Attendances in India, China and the USA catching up with the major European leagues". World Soccer. Retrieved 25 May 2016.
  3. ^ "European football statistics". 2008.
  4. ^ "Reglamento General de la RFEF 2010 (Artículo 201.2) (page 138)" (PDF) (in Spanish). RFEF. 7 June 2010. Archived from the original (PDF) on 19 May 2011. Retrieved 23 June 2010. {{cite news}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  5. ^ "Criterios de puntuación del juego limpio" (in Spanish). RFEF. 30 October 1998. Archived from the original on 7 April 2010. Retrieved 18 May 2010. {{cite news}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  6. ^ "Instalaciones" (in Spanish). Deportivo Alavés. Retrieved 29 May 2016.
  7. ^ "Athletic Club - San Mamés (2013)". Athletic Club. Retrieved 10 April 2016.
  8. ^ "Wanda Metropolitano". StadiumDB. Retrieved 20 March 2016.
  9. ^ "Camp Nou - FC Barcelona". FC Barcelona. Retrieved 4 March 2016.
  10. ^ "Celta de Vigo - CLUB". Real Club Celta de Vigo. Archived from the original on 4 November 2012. Retrieved 8 April 2016. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |dead-url= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  11. ^ "Capacity of Ipurua stands at 7,083". SD Eibar. 3 February 2017.
  12. ^ "RCDE Stadium - Ficha Técnica". RCD Espanyol. Retrieved 9 May 2016.
  13. ^ "Datos Generales". Getafe CF. Retrieved 16 May 2016.
  14. ^ "Campanya abonats 17/18" (in Catalan). Girona FC. Retrieved 1 July 2017.
  15. ^ "El Alcoraz" (in Spanish). SD Huesca. Retrieved 24 June 2016.
  16. ^ "Instalaciones - Leganés - web oficial" (in Spanish). CD Leganés. Retrieved 2 April 2017.
  17. ^ Superdeporte. "El Ciutat de Valencia estrena lavado de cara para Europa - Superdeporte". www.superdeporte.es. Retrieved 30 June 2017.
  18. ^ "New features for Benito Villamarín Stadium". www.realbetisbalompie.es. Archived from the original on 4 August 2017. Retrieved 29 June 2017. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  19. ^ "Santiago Bernabéu Stadium". Real Madrid C.F. Retrieved 7 March 2016.
  20. ^ "El estadio - Real Sociedad de Fútbol". Real Sociedad. Retrieved 25 April 2016.
  21. ^ "Sevilla Fútbol Club - La entidad". Sevilla FC. Retrieved 10 April 2016.
  22. ^ "Camp de Mestalla" (in Spanish). Retrieved 30 June 2017.
  23. ^ "Estadio José Zorrilla" (in Spanish). Real Valladolid. Retrieved 30 May 2016.
  24. ^ "2011/12 UEFA Champions League statistics handbook - Clubs continued" (PDF). UEFA.
  25. ^ "UEFA ranking of European leagues". Bert Kassies. November 2017.
  26. ^ "UEFA club competitions press kit (.PDF archive, page 23)" (PDF). UEFA Official Website. Retrieved 25 August 2006.
  27. ^ "Clasificación Histórica Liga BBVA". LFP. 21 June 2016. Retrieved 21 June 2016.
  28. ^ All Time Table of Spanish team in La Liga Rsssf.com
  29. ^ "Official statement". LFP.es. 5 June 2015.
  30. ^ "Gareth Bale: The history of the world transfer record". BBC Sport. 1 September 2013. Retrieved 22 November 2014.
  31. ^ "World Cup winner Denilson on trial at Bolton Wanderers". Daily Mail. 6 January 2009. Retrieved 22 November 2014.
  32. ^ Nash, Elizabeth (25 July 2000). "Figo defects to Real Madrid for record £36.2m". The Independent. London. Retrieved 20 August 2017.
  33. ^ "Zidane al Real". Juventus F.C. (in Italian). 9 July 2001. Archived from the original on 6 August 2001. Retrieved 20 August 2017. {{cite news}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  34. ^ Ogden, Mark (11 June 2009). "Cristiano Ronaldo transfer: Real Madrid agree £80 million fee with Manchester United". The Daily Telegraph. London. Retrieved 20 August 2017.
  35. ^ Wilson, Jeremy (7 June 2009). "Real Madrid to confirm world record £56m signing of Kaka". The Telegraph. Retrieved 21 August 2017.
  36. ^ "Kaka completes Real Madrid switch". BBC. 9 June 2009. Retrieved 21 August 2017.
  37. ^ "Gareth Bale contract leak sparks panic at Real Madrid - and agent's fury". No. 21 January 2016. The Telegraph. 21 January 2016. Retrieved 20 August 2017.
  38. ^ "Barcelona: Neymar deal has damaged brand of La Liga club". BBC Sport. 10 March 2014. Archived from the original on 22 January 2016. Retrieved 20 August 2017. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  39. ^ "Barcelona reveal details of deal to sign Brazil star Neymar". Sky Sports. 24 January 2014. Archived from the original on 11 December 2014. Retrieved 20 August 2017. {{cite news}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  40. ^ "Neymar: Paris St-Germain sign Barcelona forward for world record 222m euros". BBC. The British Broadcasting Corporation. 3 August 2017. Archived from the original on 3 August 2017. Retrieved 20 August 2017. {{cite news}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  41. ^ "Barcelona signs Ousmane Dembele, its Neymar replacement in more ways than one". 25 August 2017. Retrieved 26 August 2017.
  42. ^ https://www.telegraph.co.uk/football/2018/01/08/watch-live-philippe-coutinho-unveiled-barcelona-142million-transfer/

External links

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