Spanish La Liga League Wiki
Spanish La Liga is the shortened form of Liga Nacional de Futbol Prefesional (LFP) and is often referred to simply at La Liga (the league). It consists of 20 teams, the lowest three being relegated to the Segunda Division and replaced by the three highest in that division. Thus, teams do their best to rise to the top of the Segunda Division for a chance to be promoted to La Liga. Since its founding in 1929, nine of the 59 teams that have competed in La Liga have been champions; dominating the championship over the years have been Barcelona with 21 championships and Madrid with 31.
According to the IFFHS, La Liga is ranked as best football league in the world and the second strongest one in Europe. It's also the most popular with attendance averaging just over 29,000 spectators for matches in the 2008-09 season.
Players in La Liga can claim the citizenship of the country their ancestors came from. If they do not have European ancestry, they can claim the citizenship of Spain after they have played in Spain for five years. At times it can lead to some confusion; Leo Franco, an Argentine of Italian ancestry, can also claim Spanish citizenship.
Spanish La Liga League Teams
Spanish La Liga League Table
| No | Team | P | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts |
| 1 | Real Madrid | 29 | 24 | 3 | 2 | 95 | 26 | 69 | 75 |
| 2 | FC Barcelona | 29 | 21 | 6 | 2 | 84 | 22 | 62 | 69 |
| 3 | Valencia | 29 | 13 | 8 | 8 | 45 | 36 | 9 | 47 |
| 4 | Malaga | 29 | 14 | 5 | 10 | 44 | 41 | 3 | 47 |
| 5 | Levante | 29 | 13 | 5 | 11 | 41 | 40 | 1 | 44 |
| 6 | Osasuna | 29 | 10 | 13 | 6 | 34 | 41 | -7 | 43 |
| 7 | RCD Espanyol | 29 | 11 | 7 | 11 | 37 | 39 | -2 | 40 |
| 8 | Atletico Madrid | 29 | 10 | 9 | 10 | 39 | 35 | 4 | 39 |
| 9 | Getafe | 29 | 10 | 9 | 10 | 31 | 36 | -5 | 39 |
| 10 | Athletic Bilbao | 29 | 9 | 11 | 9 | 44 | 40 | 4 | 38 |
| 11 | Rayo Vallecano | 29 | 11 | 4 | 14 | 42 | 49 | -7 | 37 |
| 12 | Sevilla FC | 28 | 9 | 9 | 10 | 30 | 31 | -1 | 36 |
| 13 | Mallorca | 29 | 9 | 9 | 11 | 31 | 37 | -6 | 36 |
| 14 | Real Sociedad | 29 | 9 | 6 | 14 | 32 | 45 | -13 | 33 |
| 15 | Real Betis | 29 | 9 | 5 | 15 | 33 | 43 | -10 | 32 |
| 16 | Villarreal CF | 29 | 7 | 10 | 12 | 30 | 42 | -12 | 31 |
| 17 | Granada | 28 | 9 | 4 | 15 | 27 | 43 | -16 | 31 |
| 18 | Racing Santander | 29 | 4 | 13 | 12 | 23 | 44 | -21 | 25 |
| 19 | Sporting Gijon | 29 | 6 | 7 | 16 | 28 | 54 | -26 | 25 |
| 20 | Zaragoza | 29 | 6 | 7 | 16 | 25 | 51 | -26 | 25 |
Spanish La Liga League News
Real aiming to end bad week on a high – ESPN
March 22, 2012
Bleacher Report Real aiming to end bad week on a high ESPN Barca have taken full advantage of Madrid’s slip-ups this week with victories over Sevilla and Granada to take their winning streak to six in La Liga . Lionel Messi became Barca’s all-time leading scorer with his eighth hat-trick of the season during .. Continue reading
Villarreal turn to Lotina as new coach – ESPN
March 19, 2012
SB Nation Villarreal turn to Lotina as new coach ESPN Phil Ball finds La Liga throwing up some unexpected events as the season gets a new twist. Read » Uli Hesse looks back at the worst fouls of the 70s and 80s, as Paolo Guerrero is in the spotlight Continue reading
Strange events in La Liga – ESPN
March 19, 2012
ESPN Strange events in La Liga ESPN Well perhaps with a rather unusual theme, at least as far as La Liga goes. It seems to have been a recurring topic throughout the week, set off by Jose Mourinho complaining once again that the Bernabeu is too ‘cold’ and that the stadium needs to get … Real Madrid’s La Liga Run Halted by Malaga’s Stoppage-Time Goal BusinessWeek Real Madrid Vs Continue reading