La Liga

Overview

La Liga (officially LaLiga EA Sports for sponsorship reasons) is the top professional football division in Spain, organized by La Liga (Asociación de Fútbol Profesional). Founded in 1929, the league consists of 20 clubs who compete in a double round-robin format from August to May. Widely regarded as one of the two or three greatest football leagues in the world, La Liga has been home to the two greatest players in football history — Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo — and has produced more UEFA Champions League winners than any other domestic competition.

History & Major Events

La Liga has historically been dominated by Real Madrid and FC Barcelona, known as "El Clásico" rivals. These two clubs have won the vast majority of La Liga titles and are consistently among the world's most valuable and supported football clubs. Barcelona's "tiki-taka" era under Pep Guardiola (2008-2012) is considered one of the greatest periods in football history, winning four La Liga titles, two Champions League trophies, and playing football of breathtaking technical quality. Real Madrid countered with their "Galacticos" era and later Zinedine Zidane's three consecutive Champions League victories (2016, 2017, 2018). Atletico Madrid emerged as a genuine third power under Diego Simeone, winning La Liga titles in 2013-14 and 2020-21 and reaching two Champions League finals. Athletic Club Bilbao's unique policy of only fielding players from the Basque Country has made them one of football's most celebrated institutions.

Records

Real Madrid holds the record for the most La Liga titles with 36 championships. FC Barcelona has won the competition 27 times. Lionel Messi is the all-time La Liga top scorer with 474 goals, playing exclusively for Barcelona during his 17-year stint in Spain. Telmo Zarra, who played in the 1940s and 1950s, held the all-time scoring record for decades with 251 goals. Real Madrid's record 10-0 win over Rayo Vallecano in 2015 is among the biggest margins of victory in the competition's modern history. Barcelona set the record for the most goals scored in a single La Liga season with 121 goals in the 2011-12 campaign.

Best Players

La Liga has been the stage for arguably the greatest collection of footballing talent ever assembled in a single league. Alfredo Di Stéfano, Real Madrid's iconic forward of the 1950s and 1960s, was the first genuine global superstar of football. Johan Cruyff's time at Barcelona in the 1970s transformed the club philosophically. In the modern era, the league was defined by the Messi vs. Ronaldo rivalry, which played out for a decade (2009-2018) and saw both players consistently produce historically unprecedented scoring numbers. Iker Casillas was the world's best goalkeeper for nearly a decade. Xavi Hernandez, Andres Iniesta, and Sergio Busquets formed the greatest midfield trio in football history. Current stars include Vinicius Junior, Jude Bellingham, Robert Lewandowski, and Pedri, ensuring La Liga's place at the pinnacle of world football.