History of La Liga

La Liga (Campeonato Nacional de Liga de Primera División) is the name of the Spanish football league and has existed since 1929. The first division is called Primera División (which is commonly referred to La Liga) and the second is called Segunda División. Since 1997 are 20 clubs participating in the top league of La Liga. 

History

The first football league in Spain was The Catalan football championship (Campionat de Catalunya), established in 1901. After the creation of the La Liga, The Catalan football championship co-existed with the national league for some years until it was cancelled in 1940.

La Liga, the first national football league in Spain was founded in 1929 (the first season started in February that year and ended in June). At this time, it consisted of one division, Primera División, and contained ten clubs. The numbers of clubs would later expand at several occasions. In 1987, it reached 20 clubs and that have remained except a short period (1995-1997) with 22 clubs.

League system

The first and second division was founded together in 1929. In 1977, Segunda División B was founded to replace Tercera División as the third tier. Tercera División has since that been the fourth tier. An overview of the current national league system is presented in the table below.

Table 1. Spanish football tiers

Club	Tier
Primera División (La Liga)	1
Segunda División	2
Segunda División B	3
Tercera División	4

Below the forth tier the national football is played with regional divisions.

Qualification for European Cups

Nowadays, the top four teams in La Liga are qualified for the Chanpions League and the team that is placed fifth will get the chance to play in Eropa League (one place also goes to the winner of the Copa del Rey).

Relegations

Nowadays, the three teams placed at the bottom of the table (places 18-20) of Primera División are relegated to Segunda División.

Stats

Teams with most titles

Statistics of all Spanish clubs that have won the top division in Spain once or more, concerning the period 1929-2019.

Table 2. Clubs and La Liga titles

Club	Titles
Real Madrid	33
Barcelona	26
Atlético Madrid	10
Athletic Bilbao	8
Valencia	6
Real Sociedad	2
Real Betis	1
Sevilla	1
Deportivo La Coruña	1

Real Madrid and Barcelona has dominated Spanish club football from early on. Between the first season in 1929 to season 2016-2019 they have together won 60 of the 89 possible trophies.

Teams with most La Liga participation

Statistics of the Spanish clubs that have participated over 50 times in the Primera División during the period 1929-2019. 

Table 3. Clubs and league participation

Club	Participation
Real Madrid	88
Barcelona	88
Athletic Bilbao	88
Valencia	84
Espanyol	84
Atlético Madrid	82
Sevilla	75
Real Sociedad	72
Zaragoza	58
Real Betis	53
Celta Vigo	53

Between the first season and season 2019-2020, in total 62 clubs have participated in top division of the Spanish league.

Audience

Capacity of La Liga stadiums

The table shows the capacity of the clubs participating in La Liga. Camp Nou, where Barcelona play since 1957, has the highest capacity with almost 100,000 seats. The average capacity in the league is 36,104.

Table 4. The stadium capacities in the La Liga season 2019-2020

Team	Stadium	Capacity
Alavés	Mendizorrotza	19,840
Athletic Bilbao	San Mamés	53,289
Atlético Madrid	Wanda Metropolitano	67,703
Barcelona	Camp Nou	99,354
Celta Vigo	Balaídos	29,000
Eibar	Ipurua	8,050
Espanyol	RCDE Stadium	40,500
Getafe	Coliseum Alfonso Pérez	17,393
Granada	Nuevo Los Cármenes	19,336
Leganés	Butarque	12,450
Levante	Ciutat de València	26,354
Mallorca	Son Moix	24,262
Osasuna	El Sadar	18,570
Real Betis	Benito Villamarín	60,720
Real Madrid	Santiago Bernabéu	81,044
Real Sociedad	Anoeta	25,000
Sevilla	Ramón Sánchez Pizjuán	42,714
Valencia	Mestalla	55,000
Valladolid	José Zorrilla	26,512
Villarreal	Estadio de la Cerámica	23,500

Former La Liga clubs and stadiums: Girona, Montilivi (13,500); Huesca, El Alcoraz (7,638); Rayo Vallecano, Vallecas (14,708).

Players

Top goalscorers

The league's all-time leading goalscorer is Lionel Messi who has (in May 2020) made 438 goals in Barcelona. Messi is also the only player to score 50 times during one season (it should be noticed that the numbers of games per season has shifted over times; as a comparison Telmo Zarra scored 38 times in the 1950-51 season when each team only played 30 games).

On the second place among goalscorers is Cristiano Ronaldo who did 311 goals in Real Madrid on 292 appearances (a goal ratio record in the league).

Other notable goalscorers in the league are Hugo Sonches (234 goals for Real Madrid 1981-1994), Raúl (228 goals for Real Madrid 1994-2010), and Alfredo Distefano (227 goals for Real Madrid 1953-1966).

Players with most appearances

The player with most appearances is the former national team goalkeeper Andoni Zubizarreta. He played most of his matches in FC Barcelona and in total he did 622 La Liga appearances. Next to him is the Real Madrid player Raúl with 550 matches.

La Liga Winners and Runners-Up
Year	Winners	Runners-Up
2018/19	Barcelona	Atletico Madrid
2017/18	Barcelona	Atletico Madrid
2016/17	Real Madrid	Barcelona
2015/16	Barcelona	Real Madrid
2014/15	Barcelona	Real Madrid
2013/14	Atletico Madrid	Barcelona
2012/13	Barcelona	Real Madrid
2011/12	Real Madrid	Barcelona
2010/11	Barcelona	Real Madrid
2009/10	Barcelona	Real Madrid
2008/09	Barcelona	Real Madrid
2007/08	Real Madrid	Villarreal
2006/07	Real Madrid	Barcelona
2005/06	Barcelona	Real Madrid
2004/05	Barcelona	Real Madrid
2003/04	Valencia	Barcelona
2002/03	Real Madrid	Real Sociedad
2001/02	Valencia	Deportivo La Coruna
2000/01	Real Madrid	Deportivo La Coruna
1999/00	Deportivo La Coruna	Barcelona
1998/99	Barcelona	Real Madrid
1997/98	Barcelona	Athletic Bilbao
1996/97	Real Madrid	Barcelona
1995/96	Atletico Madrid	Valencia
1994/95	Real Madrid	Deportivo La Coruna
1993/94	Barcelona	Deportivo La Coruna
1992/93	Barcelona	Real Madrid
1991/92	Barcelona	Real Madrid
1990/91	Barcelona	Atletico Madrid
1989/90	Real Madrid	Valencia
1988/89	Real Madrid	Barcelona
1987/88	Real Madrid	Real Sociedad
1986/87	Real Madrid	Barcelona
1985/86	Real Madrid	Barcelona
1984/85	Barcelona	Atletico Madrid
1983/84	Athletic Bilbao	Real Madrid
1982/83	Athletic Bilbao	Real Madrid
1981/82	Real Sociedad	Barcelona
1980/81	Real Sociedad	Real Madrid
1979/80	Real Madrid	Real Sociedad
1978/79	Real Madrid	Sporting Gijon
1977/78	Real Madrid	Barcelona
1976/77	Atletico Madrid	Barcelona
1975/76	Real Madrid	Barcelona
1974/75	Real Madrid	Zaragoza
1973/74	Barcelona	Atletico Madrid
1972/73	Atletico Madrid	Barcelona
1971/72	Real Madrid	Valencia
1970/71	Valencia	Barcelona
1969/70	Atletico Madrid	Athletic Bilbao
1968/69	Real Madrid	Las Palmas
1967/68	Real Madrid	Barcelona
1966/67	Real Madrid	Barcelona
1965/66	Atletico Madrid	Real Madrid
1964/65	Real Madrid	Atletico Madrid
1963/64	Real Madrid	Barcelona
1962/63	Real Madrid	Atletico Madrid
1961/62	Real Madrid	Barcelona
1960/61	Real Madrid	Atletico Madrid
1959/60	Barcelona	Real Madrid
1958/59	Barcelona	Real Madrid
1957/58	Real Madrid	Atletico Madrid
1956/57	Real Madrid	Sevilla
1955/56	Athletic Bilbao	Barcelona
1954/55	Real Madrid	Barcelona
1953/54	Real Madrid	Barcelona
1952/53	Barcelona	Valencia
1951/52	Barcelona	Athletic Bilbao
1950/51	Atletico Madrid	Sevilla
1949/50	Atletico Madrid	Deportivo La Coruna
1948/49	Barcelona	Valencia
1947/48	Barcelona	Valencia
1946/47	Valencia	Athletic Bilbao
1945/46	Sevilla	Barcelona
1944/45	Barcelona	Real Madrid
1943/44	Valencia	Atletico Aviacion
1942/43	Athletic Bilbao	Sevilla
1941/42	Valencia	Real Madrid
1940/41	Atletico Aviacion	Athletic Bilbao
1939/40	Atletico Aviacion	Sevilla
1938/39	Spanish Civil War
1937/38	Spanish Civil War
1936/37	Spanish Civil War
1935/36	Athletic Bilbao	Real Madrid
1934/35	Real Betis	Real Madrid
1933/34	Athletic Bilbao	Real Madrid
1932/33	Real Madrid	Athletic Bilbao
1931/32	Real Madrid	Athletic Bilbao
1930/31	Athletic Bilbao	Racing Santander
1929/30	Athletic Bilbao	Barcelona
1929	Barcelona	Real Madrid

from:-- https://www.liveabout.com and

https://www.footballhistory.org