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La Liga
*** Shopping-Tip: La Liga
Image:LFP-La Liga.jpg right|thumb|150x150px|''Liga de Fútbol Profesional''
'''La Liga de Fútbol Profesional (LFP)''' (
English language English: ''League of Professional Football'' ), commonly known as '''La Liga''', is the professional football league in
Spain. Nine clubs have been crowned ''La Liga Champions''. Since the
1950s,
Real Madrid and
FC Barcelona have dominated the competition. The former have been champions 29 times while the latter have won it on 17 occasions. However during the
1930s and
1940s and in more recent seasons, ''La Liga'' has been more competitive. Other winners include
Atlético Madrid,
Athletic Bilbao,
Valencia CF,
Real Sociedad,
Real Betis,
Deportivo La Coruna and
Sevilla FC. ''La Liga'' is
UEFA coefficients consistently rated as one of the strongest leagues in
Europe, along with
Serie A and the
FA Premier League English Premiership.
Throughout its history it has featured some of the best players in the world.
Alfredo Di Stéfano,
Raymond Kopa,
Luis Suarez,
Johan Cruyff,
Hristo Stoichkov,
Rivaldo,
Ronaldinho and
Luis Figo, were all elected
European Footballer of the Year while playing for ''La Liga'' clubs. Di Stéfano and Cruyff won the award twice while in
Spain. In addition
Romario,
Ronaldo LuÃs Nazário de Lima Ronaldo,
Rivaldo,
Luis Figo,
Zinedine Zidane and
Ronaldinho were all voted
FIFA World Player of the Year. Other significant players have included
Ladislao Kubala,
Ferenc Puskas,
Diego Maradona,
Gheorghe Hagi,
Michael Laudrup,
Mario Kempes and
Hugo Sanchez. Current star players in ''La Liga'' include
Samuel Eto'o,
Raul González Raul,
David Beckham,
Deco,
Pablo Aimar,
JoaquÃn Sánchez RodrÃguez JoaquÃn and
Fernando Torres.
Format
''La Liga'' currently takes place between the months of September and June. The term ''La Liga'' is regularly used to refer to just the ''Primera División'' on its own. However it has always featured a ''Segunda División'', currently designated
Spanish Second Division ''Segunda División A''. The lower leagues,
Spanish Second Division B ''Segunda División B'' and
Spanish Third Division ''Tercera División'' are amateur and regionalised. Teams from ''La Liga'' also compete in the
Copa del Rey.
The top four placed ''Primera División'' teams qualify for the
UEFA Champions League. The winner of ''La Liga'' also plays off against the
Copa del Rey winner for the
Supercopa de España. The fifth and sixth placed teams qualify for the
UEFA Cup. A third
UEFA Cup placed is awarded to the
Copa del Rey winners or the seventh placed ''Primera Division'' team. All the teams have the right to request an invite to enter the
UEFA Intertoto Cup. The three last placed teams are relegated to the
Spanish Second Division ''Segunda Division A''.
History
Foundation
In April
1927 ''Jose Maria 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 Division'' in
1928.
FC 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 Athletic Madrid,
RCD Espanyol RCD Espanol and
CE Europa qualified as
Copa del Rey runners-up and
Racing Santander qualified through a knockout competition. Only three of the founding clubs,
Real Madrid,
FC Barcelona and
Athletic Bilbao, have never been relegated from the ''Primera Division''.
The 1930s
Although
FC Barcelona won the very first ''La Liga'' and
Real Madrid Madrid CF won their first leagues titles in
1932 and
1933, it was
Athletic Bilbao that set the early pace winning ''La Liga'' in
1930,
1931,
1934 and
1936. They were also runners-up in
1932 and
1933. In
1935 Real Betis Betis Balompie won their only title to date. ''La Liga'' was suspended during the
Spanish Civil War, but clubs in the Republican area of Spain, with the notable exception of the two
Madrid clubs, competed in '''La Liga del Mediterráneo'''.
FC Barcelona emerged as champions in
1937.
The 1940s
When '''La Liga''' resumed in the
1940s it was
Atlético Madrid Atlético Aviacion,
Valencia CF and
Sevilla FC Sevilla CF that initially emerged as the strongest clubs.
Atlético Madrid Atlético Aviacion were only awarded a place the 1939/40
''Primera Division'' as a replacement for
Real Oviedo, whose ground had been damaged during the war. The club subsequently won their first ''La Liga'' title and retained it in
1941. While other clubs lost players to exile, execution and as casualties of the war, the
Atlético Madrid Atlético Aviacion team was reinforced by a merger. The young pre-war squad of
Valencia CF had also remained intact and in the post-war years matured into champions, gaining three
''La Liga'' titles in
1942,
1944 and
1947. They were also runners-up in
1948 and
1949.
Sevilla FC Sevilla CF also enjoyed a brief golden era, finishing as runners-up in
1940 and
1942 before wining their only title to date in
1946. By the latter part of the decade
FC Barcelona CF Barcelona began to emerge as a force and they were crowned ''La Liga'' champions in
1945,
1948 and
1949.
Di Stefano, Puskás, Kubala and Suarez
Although
Atlético Madrid, previously known as ''Atlético Aviacion'', were champions in
1950 and
1951, the
1950s saw the beginning of the
FC Barcelona CF 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 its squad, meaning that at least eight local players had to play in every game. During the
1950s, however, these rules were circumnavigated by
Real Madrid and
FC Barcelona CF Barcelona who declared
Alfredo Di Stefano,
Ferenc Puskás ,
José Santamaria and
Ladislao Kubala to be Spanish nationals. Inspired by Kubala, Barca won the title in
1952 and
1953. Di Stefano, Puskás and
Raymond Kopa formed the nucleas of the
Real Madrid team that dominated the second half of the
1950s . Real won ''La Liga'' for first time as ''
Real Madrid'' in
1954 and retained it in
1955. They were winners again in
1957 and
1958, with only
Athletic Bilbao Atlético Bilbao interrupting their sequence.
FC Barcelona CF Barcelona with a team coached by
Helenio Herrera and featuring
Luis Suarez gained the title in
1959 and
1960.
La Liga Clubs in Europe
Meanwhile ''La Liga'' teams found success in European competition.
Alfredo di Stefano and friends also worked their magic in the
UEFA Champions League European Cup and
Real Madrid won the cup five times in a row between
1956 and
1960 and then for a sixth time in in
1966. ''La Liga'' clubs also dominated the
UEFA Cup ''Fairs Cup''.
FC Barcelona CF Barcelona,
Valencia CF and
Real Zaragoza won this competition six times between them between
1958 and
1966, resulting in three all-''La Liga'' finals in
1962,
1964 and
1966. ''La Liga'' clubs have continued to be successful in Europe ever since.
Real Madrid have been crowned champions of Europe on 9 separate occasions. ''La Liga'' clubs have won 31 major European trophies between them.
Real Madrid have won 12 titles in total while
FC Barcelona have won 10.
Valencia CF have contributed another 6, while
Real Zaragoza with 2 and
Atlético Madrid with 1 complete the tally.
Deportivo La Coruna have been regulars in the
UEFA Champions League while
Athletic Bilbao,
RCD Espanyol,
Deportivo Alaves CD Alaves and
Real Mallorca have all contested major finals. Even smaller ''La Liga'' clubs, like
Villarreal,
Celta Vigo and
Malaga CF have found success in Europe, winning the
UEFA Intertoto Cup.
The Madrid Years
Between
1961 and
1980,
Real Madrid dominated ''La Liga'' with the club winning the competition 14 times. This included a five in a row sequence (1961-65) and two three in row sequences (1967-69 and 1978-1980). During this era only
Atlético Madrid offered Real any serious challenge, adding four more titles to their tally in
1966,
1970,
1973 and
1977. Only
Valencia CF in
1971 and the
Johan Cruyff-inspired
FC Barcelona of
1974 managed to break the
Madrid monopoly. The arrival of Cryuff in ''La Liga'' also signalled the end of the restrictions imposed on foreign players.
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
Basque Country Basques,
Athletic Bilbao who won back to back titles in
1983 and
1984.
Terry Venables led
FC Barcelona to a solitary title in
1985 before
Real Madrid resumed normal service with another five in a row sequence (1986-90) with a team that included
Hugo Sanchez and the legendary
Quinta del Buitre ''La Quinta del Buitre'' -
Emilio Butragueño ,
Manuel SanchÃs Hontiyuelo Manolo SanchÃs,
Rafael MartÃn Vázquez MartÃn Vazquéz,
José Miguel González MartÃn MÃchel and
Miguel Pardeza Pichardo Miguel Pardeza.
The 1990s
Johan Cruyff returned to
FC Barcelona as manager in
1988, and assembled the legendary ''Dream Team''. Cruyff introduced players like
Josep Guardiola,
José Mari Bakero,
Aitor Begiristain Txiki Begiristain,
Andoni Goikoetxea Goikoetxea,
Ronald Koeman,
Michael Laudrup and
Hristo Stoichkov. This team won ''La Liga'' four times between
1991 and
1994 and won the
UEFA Champions League European Cup in
1992.
Real Madrid, with Michael Laudrup in the team, ended their run in
1995 and added another title in
1997. In between
Atletico Madrid won their ninth ''La Liga'' title. Inspired by
Luis Figo,
Luis Enrique and
Rivaldo,
FC Barcelona again won the title in
1998 and
1999. Meanwhile
Real Madrid also won the
UEFA Champions League, winning in
1998 and
2000.
Recent Events
As ''La Liga'' entered a new century, the big two found themselves facing new challengers. Between
1993 and
2004,
Deportivo La Coruña finished in the top three on ten occasions, a better record then either
Real Madrid or
FC Barcelona, and in
2000, under
Javier Irureta, they became the ninth team to be crowned champions.
Real Madrid won two more ''La Liga'' titles in
2001 and
2003 and the
UEFA Champions League again in
2000 and
2002. They were challenged by a re-emerging
Valencia CF in both competitions. Under the management of
Hector Cuper,
Valencia CF finished as runners-up in the
UEFA Champions League in
2000 and
2001. His successor,
Rafael BenÃtez, built on this and led the club to a ''La Liga'' title in
2002 and a ''La Liga''/
UEFA Cup double in
2004. The 2004/05 season saw a resurgent
FC Barcelona, inspired by
Ronaldinho and
Samuel Eto'o, win their first title of the new century.
Champions
Year By Year
{|
|valign="top" width=33%|
{| class="wikitable"
|-
!width=5%|Year
!width=28%|Team
|-
| 1929 ||
FC Barcelona
|-
| 1930 ||
Athletic Bilbao
|-
| 1931 ||
Athletic Bilbao
|-
| 1932 ||
Real Madrid Madrid CF
|-
| 1933 ||
Real Madrid Madrid CF
|-
| 1934 ||
Athletic Bilbao
|-
| 1935 ||
Real Betis Betis Balompie
|-
| 1936 ||
Athletic Bilbao
|-
| 1937 || ''civil war''
|-
| 1938 || ''civil war''
|-
| 1939 || ''civil war''
|-
| 1940 ||
Atlético de Madrid Atletico Aviación
|-
| 1941 ||
Atlético de Madrid Atlético Aviación
|-
| 1942 ||
Valencia CF
|-
| 1943 ||
Athletic Bilbao Atletico Bilbao
|-
| 1944 ||
Valencia CF
|-
| 1945 ||
FC Barcelona CF Barcelona
|-
| 1946 ||
Sevilla FC Sevilla CF
|-
| 1947 ||
Valencia CF
|-
| 1948 ||
FC Barcelona CF Barcelona
|-
| 1949 ||
FC Barcelona CF Barcelona
|-
| 1950 ||
Atlético de Madrid
|-
| 1951 ||
Atlético de Madrid
|-
| 1952 ||
FC Barcelona CF Barcelona
|-
| 1953 ||
FC Barcelona CF Barcelona
|-
| 1954 ||
Real Madrid
|}
|valign="top" width=33%|
{| class="wikitable"
!width=5%|Year
!width=28%|Team
|-
| 1955 ||
Real Madrid
|-
| 1956 ||
Atletico Bilbao
|-
| 1957 ||
Real Madrid
|-
| 1958 ||
Real Madrid
|-
| 1959 ||
FC Barcelona CF Barcelona
|-
| 1960 ||
FC Barcelona CF Barcelona
|-
| 1961 ||
Real Madrid
|-
| 1962 ||
Real Madrid
|-
| 1963 ||
Real Madrid
|-
| 1964 ||
Real Madrid
|-
| 1965 ||
Real Madrid
|-
| 1966 ||
Atlético de Madrid
|-
| 1967 ||
Real Madrid
|-
| 1968 ||
Real Madrid
|-
| 1969 ||
Real Madrid
|-
| 1970 ||
Atlético de Madrid
|-
| 1971 ||
Valencia CF
|-
| 1972 ||
Real Madrid
|-
| 1973 ||
Atlético de Madrid
|-
| 1974 ||
FC Barcelona
|-
| 1975 ||
Real Madrid
|-
| 1976 ||
Real Madrid
|-
| 1977 ||
Atlético de Madrid
|-
| 1978 ||
Real Madrid
|-
| 1979 ||
Real Madrid
|-
| 1980 ||
Real Madrid
|}
|valign="top" width=33%|
{| class="wikitable"
!width=5%|Year
!width=28%|Team
|-
| 1981 ||
Real Sociedad
|-
| 1982 ||
Real Sociedad
|-
| 1983 ||
Athletic Bilbao
|-
| 1984 ||
Athletic Bilbao
|-
| 1985 ||
FC Barcelona
|-
| 1986 ||
Real Madrid
|-
| 1987 ||
Real Madrid
|-
| 1988 ||
Real Madrid
|-
| 1989 ||
Real Madrid
|-
| 1990 ||
Real Madrid
|-
| 1991 ||
FC Barcelona
|-
| 1992 ||
FC Barcelona
|-
| 1993 ||
FC Barcelona
|-
| 1994 ||
FC Barcelona
|-
| 1995 ||
Real Madrid
|-
| 1996 ||
Atlético de Madrid
|-
| 1997 ||
Real Madrid
|-
| 1998 ||
FC Barcelona
|-
| 1999 ||
FC Barcelona
|-
| 2000 ||
Deportivo de La Coruña
|-
| 2001 ||
Real Madrid
|-
| 2002 ||
Valencia CF
|-
| 2003 ||
Real Madrid
|-
| 2004 ||
Valencia CF
|-
|
Spanish First Division season 2004/2005 2005 ||
FC Barcelona
|-
|
Spanish First Division season 2005/2006 2006 ||
|}
|}
Performance by club
:::
* '''
Real Madrid/
Real Madrid Madrid CF''': '''29'''
**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
:::
*'''
FC Barcelona/
FC Barcelona CF Barcelona''': '''17'''
**1928-29, 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
:::
*'''
Atletico Madrid/
Atletico Madrid Atletico Aviacion''': '''9'''
**1939-40, 1940-41, 1949-50, 1950-51, 1965-66, 1969-70, 1972-73, 1976-77, 1995-96
:::
* '''
Athletic Bilbao/
Athletic Bilbao Atletico Bilbao''': '''8'''
** 1929-30, 1930-31, 1933-34, 1935-36, 1942-43, 1955-56, 1982-83, 1983-84:
:::
*'''
Valencia CF''': '''6'''
**1941-42, 1943-44, 1946-47, 1970-71, 2001-02, 2003-04
:::
*'''
Real Sociedad''': ''' 2'''
**1980-81, 1981-82
:::
*'''
Sevilla FC Sevilla CF''':'''1'''
**1945-46
:::
*'''
Real Betis Betis Balompie''':'''1'''
**1934-35
:::
*'''
Deportivo de La Coruña''':''1''
**1999-2000
Note on name changes
During the
Spanish Second Republic clubs such as
Real Madrid and
Real Betis dropped the ''Real'' from their name. In the
1941 Language politics in Francoist Spain a decree issued by Franco banned the use of non-
Spanish language names.
FC Barcelona and
Sevilla FC became ''CF Barcelona'' and ''Sevilla CF'' and both
Athletic Bilbao and
Atlético Madrid Athletic Aviacion changed the spelling of their prefix to ''Atlético''.
{{Template:La Liga seasons}}
{{Template:Primera División de España}}
{{Template:Football in Spain}}
Internal Link
*
List of football clubs in Spain
*''{{cl|Spanish football clubs}}''
*
Sports league attendances
External links
*{{es icon}} [http://www.lfp.es/ Official La Liga Site]
*{{es icon}} [http://www.rfef.es/ Official RFEF Site]
*{{es icon}} [http://futbol.sportec.es/main.asp?des=rfef/main.html RFEF site]
*{{es icon}} [http://www.marca.es/ Marca]
*{{es icon}} [http://www.as.com/ As]
*{{es icon}} [http://www.elmundodeportivo.es/ El Mundo Deportivo]
*{{es icon}} [http://www.sport.es/ Sport]
*{{en icon}} [http://www.soccer-spain.com/ Soccer Spain]
*{{en icon}} [http://www.resultsfromfootball.com/primeradivision-seasons.html Primera Division]
Category:La Liga
Category:National football (soccer) premier leagues
Category:Football in Spain
Category:Spanish football competitions
ar: الدوري الإسباني
cs:La_Liga
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es:Liga española de fútbol
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it:Campionato di calcio spagnolo
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ja:リーガ・エスパニョーラ
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Category: Spanish football competitions
*** Shopping-Tip: La Liga
