La Liga

Mestalla, Valencia – Having played nine matches Valencia are still unbeaten, winning six and drawing three – with two of those draws coming against Real Madrid and Atletico Madrid. Perhaps more impressively is that, in doing so, they have scored twenty-five goals with Simone Zaza scoring eight of them, leading to the former Juventus and […]

Valencia have gone somewhat under the La Liga radar this season. After finishing a lowly twelfth last season, they now sit in second, one of only three teams still unbeaten in La Liga and one point above current champions, Real Madrid. Having been regarded as one of the biggest clubs in Spain historically, Valencia have […]

Orlando City and the footballing world were dealt some bad news this week when their one of their star players, Kaka, told the team he would not be renewing his contact at the end of the season. Then came the news that the Ballon D’or winner revealed he now feels only pain at the end […]

Metropolitano, Madrid – “It was a good dinner for everyone because there was a great show” proclaimed Ernesto Valverde as he sat in the post-match press conference. “I said that we were going to adapt and we did adapt. I have a positive feeling from the game”. Barcelona and their opponents, Atletico Madrid, showed that […]

After another international break, albeit one that actually mattered as places for next summer’s World Cup were secured, European domestic football returns this weekend and there’s set to be plenty of eyes on La Liga. Spain’s top-tier has some huge games this weekend but there’s still plenty going on off the field, as the country […]

With the political uprising in Catalonia continuing to escalate and cause controversy, Spanish football has been embroiled in a row and the remaining fixtures in La Liga have become uncertain. The league’s president, Javier Tebas, described the situation underwhelmingly as “something to be analysed”, when in truth, the issue has the potential to be a […]

Now, before anyone comments “but, but, Diego Simeone wasn’t a legendary player”, “but, but, Diego Simeone spent half of his career in Italy” – I know. However, we here at Legends of La Liga (by ‘we’ I mean me) thought it would be remiss not to include managers as well as players who have made […]

Spain’s triumph at Euro 2012 was significant in more ways than one. It was the third major European trophy in a row, after victory at Euro 2008, then a first World Cup in 2010. The trio of trophies signified an era of Spanish domination, playing irresistible, scintillating football, and widely considered one of the finest […]

Camp Nou, Barcelona – It was 14:49 on Sunday afternoon – just 26 minutes before the scheduled kick-off time – when FC Barcelona released the following statement “FC Barcelona condemns the events which have taken place in many parts of Catalonia today in order to prevent its citizens exercising their democratic right to free expression. […]

Spanish football has not disappointed so far this season as there’s already been plenty of talking points from the opening six matches; including Barcelona’s 100% start, Real Madrid’s shaky performances and the struggles of Malaga. Those story-lines will continue this weekend as we head into the latest batch of matches from Spain’s top-flight, as we […]

A romantic footballer whose beauty surpasses his universally recognised decoration is one who will, arguably more than any other player, show why the ‘beautiful game’ is adored around the world. Barcelona’s fans have witnessed some of the most otherworldly attacking players of all time inside the sacred walls of the Camp Nou; the green, inviolable […]

Our first goalkeeper to be inducted into the Legends of La Liga, Iker Casillas is known as one of the best goalkeepers of all time, and certainly one of the most entertaining. Winning near enough every major trophy there is to win at the top level, and every individual accolade possible, Casillas was, and still […]

Mendizorozza, Vitoria – Real Madrid were unable to better the goalscoring record set by Pele’s Santos in the sixties and score in 74 consecutive matches on Wednesday evening. Real Betis came to the Bernabeu and prevented Real Madrid from scoring for the first time since April 2016 when they drew with Manchester City in the […]

Simão Sabrosa, known mononymously as Simão, is a lesser-remembered, though unbelievably talented, wide forward that at times dazzled La Liga full-backs with his daring and direct wing play. Unfortunately, because of Louis van Gaal, his talents were somewhat restrained during his formative years and football fans were rarely treated to his true ability. A product […]

Following his recall to the Spanish national team at the age of 35, our next nominee for ‘Legends of La Liga’ is the evergreen David Villa. True to his nickname ‘El Guaje’ (The Kid), Villa has preserved the energy from his younger years and the lethal finishing that made him such a clinical striker in […]

Metropolitano, Madrid – The Atletico Madrid players strolled out of the main building at the Ciudad Deportiva Atletico de Madrid, wash bags in hand, and formed an orderly queue in the beating Madrid sun. They boarded the team bus – Griezmann was last on, the cool kid of the gang, and went straight to his […]

Gareth Bale put in another solid performance in Real Madrid’s 3-0 victory over APOEL in the Champions League, as the winger continues his return to form from injury last season. Playing a key role in all three goals, it was the kind of performance that would’ve given Bale a confidence boost after a slow start […]

One-club men are all too few and far between in football these days. The likes of Ryan Giggs, Paul Scholes, Paolo Maldini, and more recently, Francesco Totti, have all retired having enjoyed silverware-laden careers across many years. There are very few experienced players that are still playing in Europe’s elite leagues with the club that […]

Despite the belief that La Liga is dominated by the power-three at the top of the table, the battle for European football and a top-half finish is one of the fiercest and most competitive anywhere on the continent. Since the 2011-12 La Liga season, a total of nine Spanish sides have competed in the Champions […]

Barcelona and Real Sociedad are the two at the top whilst Real Madrid drop points at home again. Riazor, La Coruna – The Real Sociedad team bus returned from La Coruna back to San Sebastian on Sunday evening – the pintxos bars were still open and brimming with life in Spain’s gastronomic capital. The relatively […]