The History behind La Liga

Spanish La Liga is amongst the most popular football leagues in European leagues due to its competitive nature. Campeonato Nacional de Liga de Primera División, also known as Primera Division or La Liga.

It is administered by Nacional de Futbol professional. The League was introduced in 1929 and since then 62 teams have been part of the league.

Jose Maria Acha, the director of Arenas De Getxo, came up with the idea of conducting a national league in Spain in April 1928. Real Federacion Espanola De Futbol shortlisted 10 teams for the Primera Division in 1929.

Real Madrid, Barcelona, Athletic Bilbao, Real Sociedad, Real Union, Atletico Madrid, Espanyol, Europa, and Racing Santander were the 10 teams to qualify for La Liga. Barcelona FC, Real Madrid FC and Athletic Bilbao haven’t witnessed relegation.

La Liga History

1. Athletic Bilbao’s Dominance

In its initial years, Athletic Bilbao won La Liga in 1930, 1931, 1934, and 1936. The team had big names like Jose Iraragorri and Guillermo Gorostiza. The club has won La Liga 8 times so far.

2. Domination of Atletico Madrid, Barcelona, & Valencia

During the 1930 and 1940 seasons, Barcelona and Valencia were stronger as compared to other teams that had lost some of their players due to war casualties. Valencia won La Liga in 1942, 1944, and 1947.

During the late 1940s, Barcelona started to dominate, winning La Liga in 1948 and 1949 as they had players like Josep Samitier, who scored 133 goals for Barcelona, Josep Escola, Mariano Gonzalvo, Cesar Rodriguez, etc.

3. Emergence of Real Madrid, Barcelona, & Atletico Madrid as Heavyweights

Atletico Madrid won La Liga titles in 1950 and 1951, while Barcelona won it in 1959 and 1960. Real Madrid were champions in 1954, 1955, 1957, and 1958 when Ferenc Puskas, Francisco Gento, Raymond Kopa, and Alfredo Di Stefano were the core of the Real Madrid outfit.

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4. Real Madrid’s Dominance Continues with Atletico Madrid Emerging as a Challenger

Los Blancos won five back-to-back La Liga titles from 1961 to 1965, including three doubles from 1960 to 1980. Atletico Madrid won La Liga in 1960, 1970, 1973, and 1977 and finished second in 1961, 1963, and 1965.

Valencia won its fourth La Liga in 1971, while Barcelona won its ninth La Liga, with Johan Cruyff playing a vital role for the Catalans.

5. Basque Clubs Emerge Stronger

Real Sociedad won La Liga in 1981 and 1982, with players like Luis Arconada, Robert Lopez Ufarte, and Txiki Begiristain playing leading roles for the team, while Athletic Bilbao won La Liga in 1983 and 1984 and Copa Del Ray in 1984. Andoni Zubizarreta, Andoni Goikoetxea, Santi Urkiaga, Manuel Sarabia, etc., starred for the team.

6. Barcelona’s Dominance Reached a New Level

The Catalans won their 10th La Liga in 1985 and first under Terry Venables. Johan Cruyff became the manager of Barcelona in 1988 and compiled a team consisting of Michael Laudrup, Romaria, Hristo Stoickov, Ronald Koeman, Pep Guardiola, etc.

Cruyff changed the concept of the game and brought a new possession-based game to the sport. Under his guidance, Barcelona won La Liga in 1991 and 1994, while the Catalans won the European Cup in 1994.

Cruyff helped Barcelona win 11 trophies in 8 years as manager, a record that was broken by Pep Guardiola.

Under former Ajax FC manager Louis Van Gaal, Barcelona won La Liga in 1998 and 1999, including a double in 1998. Under his guidance, Luis Figo, Rivaldo and Luis Enrique became household names. During the 1990s, Barcelona won 6 La Liga titles.

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7. Barcelona, Real Madrid, & Valencia Re-establish Themselves Alongside Deportiva La Coruna

Since the beginning of the 21st century, Barcelona won 10 La Liga trophies alongside two trebles and four doubles. Deportivo La Coruna emerged as the new challenger, finishing third between 1999-2000 and also in 2004.

In 2000, Deportivo La Coruna won the La Liga under Javier Irureta. Valencia won La Liga in 2002 and 2004 under Rafael Benitez and also finished as finalists in the Champions League in 2001 and 2002.

Real Madrid consisted of big stars like Ronaldo, Raul, Ruud Van Nistelrooy, Zinedine Zidane, and Gonzalo Higuain, while Barcelona had star players like Ronaldinho and Samuel Eto.

8. Barcelona, Real Madrid, & Atletico Madrid Dominance Continues in the 2000s

Real Madrid recorded 96 points during the 2009-10 La Liga season, while Barcelona recorded 96 points during the 2010-11 La Liga season. The likes of Cristiano Ronaldo, Angel Di Maria, Mesut Ozil, Karim Benzema, etc., shine under Jose Mourinho at Real Madrid.

In 2012-13, under Tito Vilanova, Barcelona won the La Liga trophy and registered 100 points. Under Diego Simeone, Atletico Madrid won La Liga in 2013-14.

During the 2015-16 season, Barcelona won a treble, with Lionel Messi, Luis Suarez, and Neymar playing a leading role for the Catalans. In 2016-17 under Zinedine Zidane, Real Madrid won La Liga, while Barcelona won the 2017-18 La Liga season.

9. Barcelona & Real Madrid Dominating La Liga

Barcelona has so far won 27 La Liga trophies, while Real Madrid has won 36 times. Lionel Messi has scored the highest – 474 goals in the history of La Liga, while Cristiano Ronaldo is the second highest with 311 goals.