History of La Liga in Timeline

La Liga, officially LaLiga EA Sports for sponsorship reasons, is the top professional football league in Spain. Organized by the Liga Nacional de Fútbol Profesional, it features 20 teams competing in a 38-matchday season. It represents the highest level of the Spanish football league system.

1929: First La Liga championship

In 1929, the first La Liga championship was played as part of the 95 La Liga championships played until the 2025-26 season.

1961: Luis Suárez breaks world record transfer

In 1961, Luis Suárez became the first La Liga player to be involved in a transfer which broke the world record, moving from Barcelona to Inter Milan for £152,000.

1982: Barcelona signs Diego Maradona for record fee

In 1982, Barcelona set the record by signing Diego Maradona from Boca Juniors for £5 million.

1996: Atlético Madrid's La Liga title

Atletico Madrid last won La Liga title in 1996 until their win in 2014.

1997: Last time league clubs won both Champions League and UEFA Cup

Before the 2005-2006 season, the last time league clubs won both Champions League and UEFA Cup was in 1997.

1998: Real Betis signs Denílson for world record fee

In 1998, Real Betis set the world record when they signed Denílson from São Paulo for £21.5 million.

2001: Real Madrid win first Liga title of the century

In 2001, Real Madrid, featuring world-class players, won their first La Liga title of the century.

2003: Deportivo La Coruña's Champions League appearance

In 2003, Deportivo La Coruña had a semi-finals appearance in the Champions League, marking one of their five consecutive appearances.

2003: Real Madrid win another Liga title

In 2003, Real Madrid won another La Liga title, continuing their success in the early 2000s.

2004: Valencia wins La Liga

In 2004, Valencia won La Liga, breaking the dominance of Barcelona and Real Madrid.

2005: La Liga clubs win both Champions League and UEFA Cup

During the 2005 European season, La Liga became the first league since 1997 to have its clubs win both the Champions League (Barcelona) and UEFA Cup (Sevilla).

2005: Barcelona wins first title of the century

In 2005, Barcelona, led by Ronaldinho and Samuel Eto'o, won their first La Liga title of the new century after Real Madrid and Valencia's shared dominance.

2006: Real Madrid win back-to-back La Liga titles

In 2006, Real Madrid won back-to-back La Liga titles, demonstrating their dominance with players like Raúl, Ruud van Nistelrooy, and Gonzalo Higuaín.

2007: Real Madrid win back-to-back La Liga titles

In 2007, Real Madrid won their second consecutive La Liga title, further solidifying their success with a strong team.

2008: Creation of LFP Awards

In the 2008 season, the governing body of La Liga created the LFP Awards (now called La Liga Awards), which are awarded each season to individual players and coaches.

2009: Real Madrid achieves record points but finishes behind Barcelona

In 2009, Real Madrid achieved a record 96 points, but still finished behind Barcelona, who amassed 99 points, showcasing the competitive nature of the league.

2010: Barcelona wins third straight La Liga title

In 2010, Barcelona won their third straight La Liga title, continuing their dominance with 96 points to Real Madrid's 92.

2011: Barcelona wins third straight La Liga title

In the 2010-2011 season, Barcelona won their third straight La Liga title with 96 points to Real Madrid's 92

2012: Real Madrid ends Barcelona's winning streak

In 2012, Real Madrid, under José Mourinho and with players like Cristiano Ronaldo, ended Barcelona's La Liga winning streak, securing their 32nd title with record-breaking points and goals.

2013: Real Madrid wins Champions League, Sevilla wins Europa League

During the 2013-14 season, Real Madrid won their tenth Champions League title and Sevilla won their third Europa League.

2013: Barcelona wins La Liga title, replicating Real Madrid's record

In 2013, Barcelona, under coach Tito Vilanova, won another La Liga title, matching Real Madrid's previous record of 100 points.

2013: Neymar joins Barcelona

In 2013, Neymar joined Barcelona from Santos in an expensive and complicated transfer arrangement.

2013: Real Madrid buys Gareth Bale for record fee

In 2013, Real Madrid bought Gareth Bale from Tottenham Hotspur for £85.3m (€103.4m or $140m at the time).

2013: Introduction of manager and player of the month awards

Since the 2013 season, La Liga has bestowed the monthly manager of the month and player of the month awards.

2014: Barcelona wins Champions League, Sevilla wins Europa League

During the 2014-15 season, Barcelona won their fifth Champions League title and Sevilla won their fourth Europa League.

2014: Atlético Madrid wins La Liga title

In 2014, Atlético Madrid, managed by Diego Simeone, won their tenth La Liga title, their first since 1996, breaking the dominance of Barcelona and Real Madrid.

2015: Real Madrid wins Champions League, Sevilla wins Europa League

During the 2015-16 season, Real Madrid won their eleventh Champions League title, and Sevilla won their fifth Europa League, becoming the first team to win the title three times in a row.

2015: Barcelona achieves a second Treble

In 2015, Barcelona, with Messi, Neymar, and Suarez, achieved a second Treble and won their sixth Liga/Copa Del Rey double.

2015: La Liga enters five teams in Champions League group stage

In 2015, La Liga became the first league to have five teams in the Champions League group stage, with Barcelona, Real Madrid, Atlético Madrid, Valencia, and Sevilla qualifying.

2015: Discontinuation of LFP Awards

In 2015, the majority of the LFP Awards were discontinued after the 2015–16 season.

2016: Barcelona wins back-to-back Liga/Copa Del Rey double

In 2016, Barcelona won a back-to-back Liga/Copa Del Rey double, a feat not achieved since the 1950s, continuing their successful run.

2017: Real Madrid wins Champions League, Atlético Madrid wins Europa League

During the 2017-18 season, Real Madrid won their thirteenth Champions League title and Atlético Madrid won their third Europa League.

2017: Neymar transfers to Paris Saint-Germain for record fee

In 2017, Neymar's transfer to Paris Saint-Germain set a new world record fee at €222m.

2017: Real Madrid wins La Liga title

In 2017, Real Madrid, under Zinedine Zidane, reclaimed the La Liga title.

January 2018: Philippe Coutinho transfers to Barcelona

In January 2018, Philippe Coutinho transferred to Barcelona for €142m after Barcelona invested money received from Neymar's transfer in a replacement, Ousmane Dembélé.

2018: Barcelona wins La Liga title and eighth double

In 2018, Barcelona won the La Liga title again, securing their eighth double and marking seven La Liga titles in ten years.

2019: Barcelona wins 26th La Liga title

In 2019, Barcelona secured their 26th La Liga title, achieving eight titles in eleven years, highlighting their sustained success.

2020: Atlético Madrid wins La Liga title

In 2020, Atlético Madrid won La Liga, with Real Madrid as runners-up.

2020: Limit on non-EU players in La Liga

In La Liga in 2020, each club was allowed five non-EU players but could only name three in each matchday squad.

August 2021: La Liga clubs approve deal to sell 10% to CVC Capital Partners

In August 2021, La Liga clubs approved a €2.7 billion deal to sell 10% of the league to CVC Capital Partners.

2022: Real Madrid wins La Liga title

In 2022, Real Madrid won the La Liga title with four games to spare.

2023: Adjusted amounts

In 2023 the amounts were adjusted as the first La Liga player to be involved in a transfer which broke the world record was Luis Suárez in 1961, who moved from Barcelona to Inter Milan for £4.3 million. Johan Cruyff was the first player to join a club in La Liga for a record fee of £14.1 million, when he moved from Ajax to Barcelona. In 1982, Barcelona again set the record by signing Diego Maradona from Boca Juniors for £22 million. Real Betis set the world record in 1998 when they signed Denílson from São Paulo for £47.8 million.

2023: La Liga rebrands with new logo and sponsor

In 2023, La Liga rebranded itself with a new logo and sponsor, EA (Electronic Arts), which replaced Santander. LaLiga EA Sports and LaLiga Hypermotion became the names of the divisions.

December 2024: La Liga obtains court order to block piracy sites

In December 2024, La Liga secured a court order to block access to IP addresses of piracy sites using Cloudflare within Spain to combat piracy.

2024: Teams contesting in La Liga

In 2024, 20 teams contested in the league, including the top 17 from the 2024–25 season and three promoted from the 2024–25 Segunda División: Levante, Elche, and Real Oviedo.

February 2025: Implementation of court order causes access issues in Spain

In February 2025, the implementation of La Liga's court order caused access issues to unrelated websites and services, affecting teams like Valencia and Girona, and Movistar Plus+.