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The strongest football league in the world, considered and almost proving it every year, Spain's "La Liga" was founded in 1928 and since then only nine teams - "Barcelona", "Athletic Bilbao", Madrid's "Real", Seville's "Betis", Madrid's "Atletico", "Valencia", "Sevilla", San Sebastian's "Real Sociedad" and La Coruna's "Deportivo" - have managed to win this tournament. The team that has become champions the most times in the Spanish top division ("Primera Division") is Madrid's "Real". They have succeeded a remarkable 29 times. In second place, "Barcelona" lags far behind - 16 times.
It is very difficult to win this title - as evidenced by the fact that in the last decade alone, five different teams have become champions. The dominance of this league in the world is confirmed by the fact that Spain is at the top of the UEFA coefficient rankings. It is not surprising, as from the players playing in Spain one could hardly put together a losing national team. Spaniards can almost every week watch stars like Ronaldo, Ronaldinho, Raul, Ayala, Casillas, Vicente, Puyol, Beckham, Figo, Aimar, Zidane, and others.
Although Spanish football giants - "Barcelona" and "Real" - seem to have inexhaustible financial resources in their fight for the champions title, this does not always bring them success. This is evidenced by a few facts - two "Valencia" champion titles in the last three years and the success of "Deportivo" in the 2000s.
"La Liga" is beautiful to the eye, attacking, and often fast football. Probably for this reason, in the 2003-2004 season it was the second most visited league in Europe, surpassed only by Germany. On average, about 28 thousand spectators watched every match of the Spanish championship, whether it was a fierce confrontation of leaders, a city derby, or a relegation battle.
More surprising is the fact that on average about 70 thousand spectators watched each "Real" match at home. The audience at the "Santiago Bernabeu" stadium, accommodating around 74 thousand spectators, is very colorful in almost every match - from the most powerful presidents of world countries to Asian students. A rare visitor to Madrid misses the opportunity to see the "Los Galacticos" in action, as the "Real" players are called.
In the 2004-2005 season, the favorites to become Spanish champions will undoubtedly be the "big three": "Real", "Barcelona", and "Valencia". Of course, one should not underestimate the taste of victory for the forgotten "Deportivo" and "Atletico", but if the representatives of the "big three" do not make mistakes, hardly anyone will be able to resist them. Meanwhile, on the other side of the standings, newcomers "Getafe", "Levante", and "Numancia" will try not to fall out of the top league.
