La Liga

This article is about the top division in men's Spanish football. For top division in women's Spanish football, seeLiga F.For other uses, seeLiga (disambiguation).

LaLiga EA Sports

Organising body	Liga Nacional de Fútbol Profesional
Founded	1929(1929)
Country	Spain
Confederation	UEFA
Number of teams	20(since1997–98)
Level on pyramid	1
Relegationto	Segunda División
Domestic cup(s)	Copa del Rey Supercopa de España
International cup(s)	UEFA Champions League UEFA Europa League UEFA Europa Conference League
Current champions	Real Madrid(36th title) (2023–24)
Most championships	Real Madrid (36 titles)
Most appearances	Andoni Zubizarreta Joaquín (622)
Top goalscorer	Lionel Messi (474)
TV partners	List of broadcasters
Website	laliga.com
Current:2024–25 La Liga

TheCampeonato Nacional de Liga de Primera División,commonly known as thePrimera DivisiónorLa Ligaand officially asLaLiga EA Sportssince 2023 for sponsorship reasons, is the top men's professional football division of theSpanish football league system.It is controlled by theLiga Nacional de Fútbol Profesionaland is contested by 20 teams over a 38-matchday period.

Since its inception,62 teamshave competed in La Liga. Nine teams have been crowned champions, withBarcelonawinning the inaugural La Liga andReal Madridwinning the title a record 36 times. Real Madrid are also the most recent winners, having won the2023–24 edition.During the 1940sValencia,Atlético Madridand Barcelona emerged as the strongest clubs, winning several titles. Real Madrid and Barcelona dominated the championship in the 1950s, each winning four La Liga titles during the decade. During the 1960s and 1970s, Real Madrid dominated La Liga, winning fourteen titles, with Atlético Madrid winning four.During the 1980s and 1990s Real Madrid were prominent in La Liga, but the Basque clubs ofAthletic ClubandReal Sociedadhad their share of success, each winning two Liga titles. From the 1990s onward, Barcelona have dominated La Liga, winning seventeen titles to date.Although Real Madrid has been prominent, winning eleven titles, La Liga has also seen other champions, includingValenciaandDeportivo La Coruña.

According toUEFA's leaguecoefficientrankings, La Liga was the top league in Europe in each of the seven years from 2013 to 2019 (calculated using accumulated figures from five preceding seasons) and led Europe for 22 of the 60 ranked years up to 2019, more than any other country. It also produced thecontinent's top-rated clubmore times (22) than any other league in that period, more than double that of second-placedSerie A(Italy), including the top club in 10 of the 11 seasons between 2009 and 2019; each of these pinnacles was achieved by either Barcelona or Real Madrid. La Liga clubs have won the mostUEFA Champions League(20),UEFA Europa League(14),UEFA Super Cup(16) andFIFA Club World Cup(8) titles, and its players have accumulated the highest number ofBallon d'Orawards (24),The Best FIFA Men's Playerawards (19)andUEFA Men's Player of the Yearawards (12).

La Liga is one of the most popular professional sports leagues globally, with anaverage attendanceof 26,933 for league matches in the 2018–19 season.This is the eighth-highest of any domestic professional sports league in the world and the third-highest of any professional association football league in the world, behind fellowbig fiveleaguesBundesligaandPremier League,and aboveSerie AandLigue 1.La Liga is also the seventh wealthiest professional sports league in the world byrevenue,after theNFL,MLB,theNBA,thePremier League,theNHL,and theBundesliga.

From 2008 to 2016, it was sponsored byBanco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentariaand known asLiga BBVA.Then, from 2016 to 2023, it was sponsored byBanco Santanderand known asLaLiga Santander.Since 2023, it has been sponsored byElectronic Artsand is known asLaLiga EA Sports.

Competition format

The competition format follows the usual doubleround-robinformat. 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 matches. 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 crowned champion at the end of the season.

Promotion and relegation

A system ofpromotion and relegationexists between thePrimera Divisiónand theSegunda División.The three lowest placed teams in La Liga are relegated to theSegunda División,and the top two teams from theSegunda Divisiónpromoted 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

Tie breaker rules

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-headgoal differencefor those clubs (withoutaway 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
• 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 byFair Playscales.These are:
  • yellow card,1 point
  • doubled yellow card/ejection,2 points
  • direct red card,3 points
  • suspension or disqualification ofcoach,executive or other club personnel (outsidereferees'decisions), 5 points
  • misconduct of thesupporters: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.

Qualification for European competitions

See also:UEFA country coefficients

Current criteria

The top four teams in La Liga qualify for the subsequent season'sUEFA Champions Leaguegroup stage. The winners of the UEFA Champions League andUEFA Europa Leaguealso qualify for the subsequent season's UEFA Champions League group stage.

The fifth place team in La Liga and the winner of theCopa del Reyalso qualify for the subsequent season's UEFA Europa League group stage. However, if the winner also finished in the top five places in La Liga, then this place reverts to the team that finished sixth in La Liga. Furthermore, the sixth place (or seventh if sixth already qualifies due to theCopa del Rey) team qualifies for the subsequent season'sUEFA Conference Leagueplay-off round.

The number of places allocated to Spanish clubs inUEFAcompetitions is dependent upon the position a country holds in theUEFA country coefficients,which are calculated based upon the performance of teams inUEFAcompetitions in the previous five years. As of the end of the2023–24season, the ranking of Spain (andde factoLa Liga) is second.

History

Foundation

In April 1928, José María Acha, a director atArenas 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, theReal Federación Española de Fútboleventually agreed on the ten teams who would form the firstPrimera Divisiónin1929.Arenas,Barcelona,Real Madrid,Athletic Club,Real SociedadandReal Uniónwere all selected as previous winners of theCopa del Rey.Atlético Madrid,EspanyolandEuropaqualified asCopa del Reyrunners-up andRacing de Santanderqualified through a knockout competition. Only three of the founding clubs (Real Madrid, Barcelona, and Athletic Club) have never been relegated from thePrimera División.

1930s: Athletic Bilbao dominion

Athletic Bilbao team in 1933.

AlthoughBarcelonawon the firstLigain1929andRicardo Zamora'sReal Madridwon their first titles in1932and1933,it wasAthletic Bilbaothat set the early pace winning La Liga in1930,1931,1934and1936(in addition to fourCopatrophies), and they also achieved the biggest win in La Liga history by beating Barcelona 12-1; This team, coached byFred Pentland,is known by the nicknameFirst historic squad,notably forming an attacking partnership withBata,Guillermo Gorostiza,José Iraragorri,Chirri IIandLafuente.In1935,Real Betis,then known asBetis Balompié,won their only title to date.Primera Divisiónwas suspended during theSpanish Civil War.

In 1937, the teams in theRepublicanarea of Spain, with the notable exception of the twoMadridclubs, competed in theMediterranean Leagueand Barcelona emerged as champions. Seventy years later, on 28 September 2007, Barcelona requested theRoyal Spanish Football Federation(Spanish acronym RFEF) to recognise that title as aLigatitle. This action was taken after RFEF was asked to recogniseLevante'sCopa de la España Librewin as equivalent toCopa del Reytrophy. Nevertheless, the governing body of Spanish football has not made an outright decision yet.

1940s: Atlético Madrid, Barcelona and Valencia emerge

Results of the five champions during the post-war years

Season	ATM	BAR	ATH	SEV	VAL
1939–40	1	9	3	2	8
1940–41	1	4	2	5	3
1941–42	3	12	7	6	1
1942–43	8	3	1	2	7
1943–44	2	6	10	3	1
1944–45	3	1	6	10	5
1945–46	7	2	3	1	6
1946–47	3	4	2	6	1
1947–48	3	1	6	5	2
1948–49	4	1	6	8	2
1949–50	1	5	6	10	3
TOTAL	3	3	1	1	3
Top three	8	4	5	4	7
La Liga champions Copa del Generalísimo La Liga/Copa del Generalísimo double

When thePrimera Divisiónresumed after theSpanish Civil War,it wasAtlético Aviación(nowadaysAtlético Madrid),Valencia,andBarcelonathat emerged as the strongest clubs. Atlético were only awarded a place during the1939–40season as a replacement forReal Oviedo,whose ground had been damaged during the war. The club subsequently won its first Liga title and retained it in1941.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 in1942,1944,and1947.They were also runners-up in1948and1949.

Athletic Bilbaowas one of the clubs most affected by the war, since many of its players (sympathizers of theRepublican faction) went into exile inLatin Americaand very few returned. But thanks to a search for young talents, they managed to form the well-knownSecond historic squadmade up ofRafael Iriondo,Venancio Pérez,José Luis Panizo,Agustín Gaínzaand the mythical scorerTelmo Zarra(Spanishtop scorerin La Liga history, among other records). They won a La Liga and Copa del Generalísimo double in1943and won the Cup again in1944,1945and1950,in addition to anCopa Eva Duarte(official predecessor of theSupercopa).Sevillaalso 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,Barcelonabegan to emerge as a force under the legendaryJosep Samitier.A Spanish footballer for both Barcelona and Real Madrid, Samitier cemented his legacy with Barcelona. During his playing career with Barcelona he scored 133 goals, won the inaugural La Liga title and fiveCopa Del Rey.In 1944, Samitier returned to Barcelona as a coach and guided them in winning their second La Liga title in1945.Under Samitier and legendary playersCésar Rodríguez,Josep Escolà,Estanislau BasoraandMariano Gonzalvo,Barcelona dominated La Liga in the late 1940s,winning back to back La Liga titles in1948and1949.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 fromReal Madrid.

1950s: FC Barcelona and Real Madrid Dominate

Naturalised ArgentineAlfredo Di Stéfanowas part of a dominant Real Madrid side in the 1950s

During the 1950s,László Kubalawas 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 mastermindHelenio Herrera,the 1950s continued the success FC Barcelona had during the late 1940s.

During this decade, FC Barcelona's first golden era emerged under coachFerdinand Daučík,winning back-to-back La Liga and Copa Del Rey doubles in1951–52and1952–53.In 1952, FC Barcelona made history yet again by winning five distinctive trophies in one year. This team, composed ofLászló Kubala,Mariano Gonzalvo,César Rodríguez Álvarez,andJoan Segarra,won La Liga, Copa Del Rey,Copa Eva Duarte(predecessor of Spanish Super Cup),Latin Cupand Copa Martini & Rossi. Their success in winning five 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 featuringLuis Suárez,Barcelona won yet again back-to-back La Liga's, winning them in1959and1960.In 1959, Barcelona also won another double of La Liga / Copa Del Rey, conquering three doubles in the 1950s.

The 1950s also saw the beginning of theReal Madriddominance. During the 1930s through the 1950s there were strict limits imposed on foreign players. In most cases, clubs could have only 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 naturalisedAlfredo Di StéfanoandFerenc Puskás.Di Stéfano, Puskás,Raymond KopaandFrancisco Gentoformed the nucleus of the Real Madrid team that dominated the second half of the 1950s. Real Madrid won their third La Liga in 1954 — their first since 1933 — and retained their title in 1955. In 1956,Athletic Clubwon their sixth La Liga title, but Real Madrid won La Liga again in 1957 and 1958.

All in all, Barcelona and Real Madrid won four La Liga titles each in the 1950s, with Atlético Madrid winning two and Athletic Club winning one during this decade.

1960s–1970s: Real Madrid superiority

Real Madrid dominated La Liga between 1960 and 1980, being crowned champions 14 times.Real Madrid won five La Liga titles in a row from 1961 to 1965 as well as winning threedoublesbetween 1960 and 1980. During the 1960s and 1970s, onlyAtlético Madridoffered Real Madrid any serious challenge. Atlético Madrid were crowned La Liga champions four times in 1966, 1970, 1973, and 1977. Atlético Madrid also finished second place in 1961, 1963, and 1965. In 1971, Valencia won their fourth La Liga title in 1971 underAlfredo Di Stéfano,and theJohan Cruyff-inspired Barcelona won their ninth La Liga in 1974.

1980s: Real Madrid dominate but the Basque Clubs disrupt their monopoly

Real Madrid's monopoly in La Liga was interrupted significantly in the 1980s. Although Real Madrid won another five La Liga titles in a row from 1986 to 1990under the brilliance ofEmilio ButragueñoandHugo Sánchez,theBasqueclubs of Real Sociedad and Athletic Bilbao also dominated the 1980s.Real Sociedad won their first La Liga titles in 1981 and 1982;Luis Arconada,Roberto López UfarteandTxiki Begiristainstood out from this team. Later, Athletic Bilbao also managed to win two consecutive La Liga titles in 1983 and 1984, also achieving their fifth La Liga and Copa del Rey double in 1984; The starsAndoni Zubizarreta,Santi Urkiaga,Andoni Goikoetxea,Dani,Manuel SarabiaandEstanislao Argotemade this success possible. For its part, Barcelona won their tenth La Liga title in 1985 under coachTerry Venables,their first La Liga win since 1974.

1990s: Barcelona's Dream Team

La Masia graduatesGuillermo Amor,Albert FerrerandPep Guardiola.

Johan Cruyffreturned to Barcelona as manager in 1988, and assembled the legendaryDream Team.When Cruyff took control of his Barcelona side, they had won only two La Liga titles in the past 20 years. Cruyff decided to build a team composed of international stars andLa Masiagraduates in order to restore Barcelona to their former glory days. This team was formed by international starsRomario,Michael Laudrup,Hristo StoichkovandRonald Koeman.Cruyff's Dream Team also consisted of La Masia graduatesPep Guardiola,Albert FerrerandGuillermo Amor,as well as BasqueAndoni Zubizarreta.

Johan Cruyff changed the way modern football was played,and incorporated the principles ofTotal Footballinto this team. The success of possession-based football was revolutionary,and Cruyff's team won their first European Cup in1992and four consecutive La Liga titles between 1991 and 1994. In total, Cruyff won eleven trophies in eight years, making him the most successful manager in Barcelona's history, until the record was broken by his protégé Pep Guardiola two decades later.

Barcelona's run ended with Real Madrid winning La Liga in 1995. Atlético Madrid won their ninth La Liga title in 1996, as well as their only Liga/Copa Del Rey double, before Real Madrid added another league title to their cabinet in 1997. After the success of Cruyff, another Dutchman –Ajaxmanager,Louis van Gaal– arrived at theCamp Nou,and with the talents ofLuís Figo,Luis Enrique,andRivaldo,Barcelona won the La Liga title in 1998 and 1999, including their fourth double of Liga and Copa Del Rey in 1998. All in all, Barcelona won six La Liga titles in the 1990s.

2000s: Real Madrid, Barcelona and Valencia's re-emergence

Results of Barça and Real Madrid in the 21st century

Season	BAR	RMA
2000–01	4	1
2001–02	4	3
2002–03	6	1
2003–04	2	4
2004–05	1	2
2005–06	1	2
2006–07	2	1
2007–08	3	1
2008–09	1	2
2009–10	1	2
2010–11	1	2
2011–12	2	1
2012–13	1	2
2013–14	2	3
2014–15	1	2
2015–16	1	2
2016–17	2	1
2017–18	1	3
2018–19	1	3
2019–20	2	1
2020–21	3	2
2021–22	2	1
2022–23	1	2
2023–24	2	1
TOTAL	11	9
Top three	20	23
League champions Copa del Rey La Liga/Copa del Rey double

The 21st century continued the success Barcelona had in the 1990s under Johan Cruyff, dominating La Liga. Although Real Madrid had been prominent, Barcelona created a hegemony in Spain not seen since the Real Madrid of the 1960s–70s.Since the start of the new century, Barcelona won ten La Ligas, including twotreblesand fourdoubles.This new century however has also seen new challengers being crowned champions. Between 1999–2000 and 2004,Deportivo La Coruñafinished in the top three on five occasions, a better record than either Real Madrid or Barcelona, and in 2000, underJavier Irureta,Deportivo became the ninth team to be crowned champions. Valencia were one of the strongest teams in Europe in the early to mid 2000s; they were crowned La Liga champions in 2002 and 2004 underRafael Benítez,whilst also being runners-up in theUEFA Champions Leaguein 2000 and 2001 underHector Cuperand winning theUEFA Cupin 2004 and theCopa del Reyin 1999.

Real Madrid won their first Liga titles of the century in 2001 and 2003. With world-class players likeRaúl,Ruud van NistelrooyandGonzalo Higuaín,Real Madrid won back-to-back La Liga titles in 2006–07 and 2007–08. Barcelona won their first title of the new century after Real Madrid and Valencia had shared the last four titles under the brilliance ofRonaldinhoandSamuel Eto'oin the 2004–05 season. Barcelona retained the title to make it back-to-back wins in the 2005–06 season.

2010s: Barcelona, Real Madrid and Atletico

In 2009–10, Real Madrid achieved a record 96 points but still finished behind Barcelona, who amassed 99 points. Barcelona then won a third straight La Liga title in the 2010–11 season with 96 points to Real's 92, but Real Madrid ended their winning streak in the 2011–12 season under the management ofJosé Mourinhoand with the likes ofCristiano Ronaldo,Ángel Di María,Mesut ÖzilandKarim Benzema.Madrid won their 32nd La Liga title with a record 100 points, a record 121 goals scored and a record +89 goal difference. The following year, in the 2012–13 season, Barcelona won yet another La Liga title under coachTito Vilanova,replicating the 100 points record Real Madrid achieved the previous year. Atlético Madrid, under the management ofDiego Simeone,won their tenth La Liga title in 2013–14, their first since 1996. They became the first team since Valencia in 2004 to win La Liga and break Barcelona and Real Madrid's dominion over the league.In the 2014–15 season, under the trio ofMessi,Neymar,andSuareznicknamed 'MSN', Barcelona made history by becoming the first team to achieve a second Treble, and winning a sixth Liga/Copa Del Rey double. Barcelona continued their dominance, and in the 2015–16 season they won a back-to-back Liga/Copa Del Rey double, something that had not been achieved since the 1950s.Real Madrid brought back the La Liga title under the management ofZinedine Zidanein 2016–17, but Barcelona won the title again in the 2017–18 season, as well as winning their eighth double,for seven La Liga titles in ten years. Barcelona retained the title yet again and won their 26th La Liga title in the 2018–19 season, for eight La Liga titles in eleven years.Real Madrid reclaimed the title in 2019–20, winning the season that was severely disrupted by theCOVID-19 pandemic.

2020s: present

The 2020–21 season started on 12 September, and was won by Atletico Madrid, with Real Madrid as runners-up.In August 2021, La Liga clubs approved a €2.7 billion deal to sell 10% of the league toCVC Capital Partners.The 2021–22 season was won by Real Madrid with four games to spare,while the 2022–23 season was won by Barcelona with four games to spare.

In 2023, La Liga rebranded itself with a new logo and new sponsor. EA (Electronic Arts) replaced the Spanish financial services giantSantanderthat was the title sponsor of the league for seven years. LaLiga EA Sports and LaLiga Hypermotion are the names of thePrimeraandSegundaDivisions, starting in the 2023-24 season and for the following four seasons.

Clubs

20 teams contest the league in its current season, including the top 17 sides from the2023–24 seasonand three promoted from the2023–24 Segunda División.LeganésandReal Valladolidwere promoted directly, andEspanyolwon thepromotion play-off.

Stadiums and locations

Community of Madrid

Athletic Bilbao

Alavés

Barcelona

Celta Vigo

Girona

Espanyol

Mallorca

Osasuna

Real Betis

Real Sociedad

Sevilla

Valladolid

Valencia

Villarreal

Community of Madridteams:
Atlético Madrid
Getafe
Leganés
Rayo Vallecano
Real Madrid

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Location of teams in2024–25 La Liga

Atlético Madrid

Getafe

Leganés

Rayo Vallecano

Real Madrid

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Location of Community of Madrid teams in2023–24 La Liga

Las Palmas

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Location of teams in2024–25 La Liga(Canary Islands)

Team	Location	2023–24season	First season in Primera División	No. of Primera División seasons	Stadium	Stadium Capacity	Primera División titles	Manager
Alavés	Vitoria-Gasteiz	10th	1930–31	18	Mendizorrotza	19,840	0	Luis García Plaza
Athletic Club	Bilbao	5th	1929	94	San Mamés	53,289	8	Ernesto Valverde
Atlético Madrid	Madrid	4th	1929	88	Metropolitano Stadium	70,460	11	Diego Simeone
Barcelona	Barcelona	2nd	1929	94	Estadi Olímpic Lluís Companys	54,367	27	Hansi Flick
Celta Vigo	Vigo	13th	1939–40	59	Balaídos	24,791	0	Claudio Giráldez
Espanyol	Cornellà de Llobregat	4th (SD)	1929	88	Stage Front Stadium	40.000	0	Manolo González
Getafe	Getafe	12th	2004–05	20	Estadio Coliseum	16,500	0	José Bordalás
Girona	Girona	3rd	2017–18	5	Estadi Montilivi	14,624	0	Míchel
Las Palmas	Las Palmas	16th	1951–52	36	Estadio Gran Canaria	32,400	0	Luis Carrión
Leganés	Leganés	1st (SD)	2016–17	5	Estadio Municipal de Butarque	12,450	0	Borja Jiménez
Mallorca	Palma	15th	1960–61	32	Estadi Mallorca Son Moix	23,142	0	Jagoba Arrasate
Osasuna	Pamplona	11th	1935–36	42	El Sadar	23,516	0	Vicente Moreno
Rayo Vallecano	Madrid	17th	1977–78	22	Campo de Fútbol de Vallecas	14,708	0	Iñigo Pérez
Real Betis	Seville	7th	1932–33	59	Estadio Benito Villamarín	60,720	1	Manuel Pellegrini
Real Madrid	Madrid	1st	1929	94	Santiago Bernabéu	83,186	36	Carlo Ancelotti
Real Sociedad	San Sebastián	6th	1929	78	Reale Arena	39,500	2	Imanol Alguacil
Sevilla	Seville	14th	1934–35	80	Ramón Sánchez Pizjuán	42,714	1	García Pimienta
Valencia	Valencia	9th	1931–32	90	Mestalla	49,430	6	Rubén Baraja
Valladolid	Valladolid	2nd (SD)	1948–49	47	Estadio José Zorrilla	27,618	0	Paulo Pezzolano
Villarreal	Villarreal	8th	1998–99	25	Estadio de la Cerámica	23,000	0	Marcelino

La Liga clubs in Europe

Main article:Spanish football clubs in international competitions

Real Madrid againstBorussia Dortmundin the2012–13 UEFA Champions Leaguesemi-finals

ThePrimera Divisiónis currently third in theUEFA rankingsof European leagues based on their performances in European competitions over a five-year period, behind England'sPremier Leagueand Italy'sSerie A,but ahead of Germany'sBundesligaand France'sLigue 1.

Real Madrid, Barcelona and Atlético Madrid have been in the top tenmost successful clubs in European footballin terms of total European trophies. These three clubs, along with Sevilla and Valencia, are the only Spanish clubs to have won five or more international trophies.Deportivo La Coruñaare the joint fifth-most participating Spanish team in the Champions League with Sevilla — after Real Madrid, Barcelona, Valencia and Atlético Madrid — with five Champions League appearances in a row, including a semi-finals appearance in2003–04.

During the 2005–06 European season, La Liga became the first league to have its clubs win both the Champions League and UEFA Cup since 1997, as Barcelona won theUEFA Champions Leagueand Sevilla won theUEFA Cup.This feat was repeated four times in five seasons: during the 2013–14 season Real Madrid won theirtenth Champions League titleand Sevilla won their thirdEuropa League,during the 2014–15 season Barcelona won theirfifth Champions League titleand Sevilla won their fourthEuropa League,during the 2015–16 season Real Madrid won theireleventh Champions League titleand Sevilla won their fifthEuropa League(becoming the first team to win the title three times in a row), and during the 2017–18 season Real Madrid won theirthirteenth Champions League titleand Atlético Madrid won their thirdEuropa League.

In 2015, La Liga became the first league to enter five teams in theChampions League group stage,with Barcelona, Real Madrid, Atlético Madrid and Valencia qualifying via theirleague positionand Sevilla qualifying by virtue of their victory in theEuropa League,courtesy of a rule change.

Champions

Main article:List of Spanish football champions

Players

Eligibility of non-EU players

In La Liga in 2020, each club is allowed fivenon-EUplayers but are only allowed to name three non-EU players in each matchday squad.

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 theACP countries—countries in Africa, the Caribbean, and the Pacific that are signatories to theCotonou Agreement—are not counted against non-EU quotas due to theKolpak ruling.

Individual awards

Until the 2008–09 season, no official individual awards existed in La Liga. In the 2008–09 season, the governing body created theLFP Awards(now called La Liga Awards), awarded each season to individual players and coaches. The majority of these awards were discontinued after the2015–16 season.Additional awards relating to La Liga are distributed, some not sanctioned by the Liga de Futbol Profesional or RFEF and therefore not regarded as official. The most notable of these are four awarded by Spain's largest sports paper,Marca,namely thePichichi Trophy,awarded to the top scorer of the season; theRicardo Zamora Trophy,for the goalkeeper with the fewest goals allowed per game (minimum 28 games); theAlfredo Di Stéfano Trophy,for the player judged to be the best overall player in the division; and theZarra Trophy,for the top scorer among Spanish domestic players.

Since the 2013–14 season, La Liga has also bestowed the monthlymanager of the monthandplayer of the monthawards.

Transfers

The first La Liga player to be involved in a transfer which broke theworld recordwasLuis Suárezin 1961, who moved from Barcelona toInter Milanfor £152,000 (£4.3 million in 2023). 12 years later,Johan Cruyffwas the first player to join a club in La Liga for a record fee of £922,000 (£14.1 million in 2023), when he moved fromAjaxto Barcelona. In 1982, Barcelona again set the record by signingDiego MaradonafromBoca Juniorsfor £5 million (£22 million in 2023).Real Betis set the world record in 1998 when they signedDenílsonfromSão Paulofor £21.5 million (£47.8 million in 2023).

Four of the last six world transfer records have been set by Real Madrid, signingLuís Figo,Zinedine Zidane,Cristiano Ronaldo(plus a deal forKakádays before Ronaldowhich fell just below a world record due to the way the fee was calculated)and finallyGareth Bale,who was bought in 2013 for £85.3m (€103.4m or $140m at the time; £123.5m in 2023) fromTottenham Hotspur.

Brazilian forwardNeymarwas the subject of anexpensive and complicated transfer arrangementwhen he joined Barcelona fromSantosin 2013,and his outgoing transfer toParis Saint-Germainin 2017 set a new world record fee at €222m via hisbuyout clause.Barcelona soon invested a large amount of the money received from this transfer in a replacement,Ousmane Dembélé,whose deal – €105m – was the second most expensive ever beforePhilippe Coutinho's transfer to Barcelona for €142m in January 2018.

Player records

Further information:La Liga records and statistics

Most appearances

See also:List of La Liga players

As of 26 May 2024

Boldfaceindicates a player still active in La Liga.Italicsindicates a player still active outside La Liga.

Rank	Player	Club(s)	Years active	Apps	Goals
1	Andoni Zubizarreta	Athletic Club,Barcelona,Valencia	1981–1998	622	0
	Joaquín	Real Betis,Valencia,Málaga	2001–2013 2015–2023	622	76
3	Raúl García	Osasuna,Atlético Madrid,Athletic Club	2004–	609	112
4	Raúl	Real Madrid	1994–2010	550	228
5	Eusebio Sacristán	Valladolid,Atlético Madrid,Barcelona,Celta Vigo	1983–2002	543	36
6	Paco Buyo	Sevilla,Real Madrid	1980–1997	542	0
7	Sergio Ramos	Sevilla,Real Madrid	2003–2021 2023–	536	77
8	Manolo Sanchís	Real Madrid	1983–2001	523	33
9	Lionel Messi	Barcelona	2004–2021	520	474
10	Iker Casillas	Real Madrid	1999–2015	510	0

Most goals

See also:List of La Liga top scorers

Boldfaceindicates a player still active in La Liga.Italicsindicates a player still active outside La Liga.

Rank	Player	Club(s)	Years active	Goals	Apps	Ratio
1	Lionel Messi	Barcelona	2004–2021	474	520	0.91
2	Cristiano Ronaldo	Real Madrid	2009–2018	311	292	1.07
3	Telmo Zarra†	Athletic Club	1940–1955	251	278	0.9
4	Karim Benzema	Real Madrid	2009–2023	238	439	0.54
5	Hugo Sánchez	Atlético Madrid,Real Madrid,Rayo Vallecano	1981–1994	234	347	0.67
6	Raúl	Real Madrid	1994–2010	228	550	0.41
7	Alfredo Di Stéfano†	Real Madrid,Espanyol	1953–1966	227	329	0.69
8	César Rodríguez†	Granada,Barcelona,Cultural Leonesa,Elche	1939–1955	221	353	0.63
9	Quini†	Sporting Gijón,Barcelona	1970–1987	219	448	0.49
10	Pahiño†	Celta Vigo,Real Madrid,Deportivo La Coruña	1943–1956	210	278	0.76

Sponsors

• EA Sports
• Puma
• Microsoft
• Mahou-San Miguel Group
• Sorare
• BKT Tyres
• Visit Saudi
• LaLiga Golazos (Dapper Labs)
• Gol-Ball
• El Corte Inglés
• Allianz
• Burger King
• Panini Group
• Nissan
• Nissin Foods
• vivo
• Solán de Cabras
• Legends The Home of Football
• Avery Dennison
• GreenPark Sports
• Fanatics

Sponsorship names

• LigaBBVA(2008–2016)
• LaLigaSantander(2016–2023)
• LALIGAEA Sports(2023–)

See also

• Football in Spain– overview of football sport
• Football records and statistics in Spain
• List of attendance at sports leagues
• List of foreign La Liga players
• List of La Liga broadcasters
• List of La Liga stadiums
• List of Spanish football champions
• Liga F

External links

• Official website(in English)