Football
The Best Team in La Liga
Spanish football is dominated by El Clásico and two of the biggest football clubs in the world: Real Madrid and Barcelona. But just who is the best team in La Liga? Find out here!
Image Credits: OSCAR DEL POZO/AFP via Getty Images
La Liga is Spain’s top-flight football division or Primera División. Real Madrid is the reigning 2023/24 league champions and the best team in La Liga. The Spanish giants have won the most league and European titles. Madrid’s domestic and European double saw the club pass one hundred major trophies in Spanish, European and world club football.
The second-best club in Spain (trophies-wise and in 2024) is arch-rivals Barcelona. These two juggernauts make up El Clásico. It is politically, ideologically, and culturally charged. The Catalans are four major trophies behind despite winning more domestic competitions.
There are rarely periods in Spanish football where clubs other than Real Madrid and Barcelona compete for the league title. One or the other is always in the middle of a dynasty or sustained period of success. There are, of course, exceptions, years where several teams shared domestic honours.
Image Credits: Xavier Rondón Medina
Atlético Madrid and Athletic Club de Bilbao won several titles during a few years of success. In 1939/40 and 1940/41, Atléti won two titles in three years. Los Colchoneros won two titles in the 1950s and three in the 1970s, but throughout their storied history, they have struggled in the shadow of mighty Madrid.
Athletic Bilbao achieved a similarly low level of success. They won four titles across the late 1920s to the mid-1930s. Atléti and Bilbao are, historically, the third- and fourth-most successful football clubs in Spain. SportsBoom researched archives to determine who is the best team in La Liga.
Image Credits: Zoser
Who is the Best Team in La Liga History?
Real Madrid is the most successful club in La Liga history. They cruised to a record 36th league title in 2024. Los Blancos finished 10 points ahead of Barcelona and 14 points above surprise-package Girona. Capital city rivals Atlético Madrid finished in fourth, 19 points behind their illustrious neighbours.
This season, Madrid won an unprecedented fifteenth UEFA Champions League. They beat Borussia Dortmund at Wembley Stadium to win a sixth European Cup in the last decade. Madrid’s hunger for power and success is never satisfied. They continue to hoover up all the biggest names in football, looking for their next team of “Galacticos” to entertain the masses.
Most Successful Clubs In La Liga
| Rank | Club | La Liga Titles | Runners-up |
| 1 | Real Madrid Club de Fútbol | 36 | 25 |
| 2 | Futbol Club Barcelona | 27 | 28 |
| 3 | Club Atlético de Madrid | 11 | 10 |
| 4 | Athletic Club de Bilbao | 8 | 7 |
| 5 | Valencia Club de Fútbol | 6 | 6 |
| 6 | Real Sociedad de Fútbol | 2 | 3 |
| 7 | Real Club Deportivo de La Coruña | 1 | 5 |
| 8 | Sevilla Fútbol Club | 1 | 4 |
| 9 | Real Betis Balompié | 1 | 0 |
Last season’s “Galactico” signing was Jude Bellingham. The England midfielder had a dream debut campaign at the Santiago Bernabéu. Bellingham won La Liga Player of the Year (MVP) and the Laureus World Sports Award for Breakthrough of the Year in 2024. He scored 19 league goals, with four assists, cementing himself as the best midfielder in La Liga and the world.
Madrid has 36 championships and 25 times they have been runners-up. Barcelona has 27 La Liga titles and 28 second-place finishes. Atlético Madrid is the only other Spanish club with double-digit league titles. Los Colchoneros also have double-figure second-place finishes. Bilbao and Valencia are the only other clubs with multiple league championships. Only seven football teams outside El Clásico have won La Liga, three of them only once.
El Clásico
| Club | Wins / Draws / Loses | Domestic Trophies | European Trophies | World Trophies | Total Trophies |
| Real Madrid | 105/52/100 | 71 | 22 | 8 | 101 |
| Barcelona | 100/52/105 | 77 | 17 | 3 | 97 |
El Clásico: Real Madrid versus Barcelona
El Clásico is the most-watched, most anticipated, most-important match in world football. Real Madrid versus Barcelona is feisty, fiery, and unforgettable; there is always something on the line for them. Since Lionel Messi – the highest scorer in La Liga history – left the Catalans, Madrid has surged back in front regarding total trophies.
Madrid’s double-digit Champions League titles is a European record, more than double AC Milan (seven). Barcelona won their first European Cup 37 years after Madrid won their first in 1956. The Catalans have won four more since 1992, but Madrid has won five since Barcelona’s last title in 2015; this sets the clubs apart.
The “Blaugrana” is hot on the heels of the “Kings of Europe.” Madrid has five more wins than Barcelona over their 205 competitive matches. Although Madrid trails their great rivals’ domestic trophy haul, they have won more league, European, and world titles – this makes them the best team in La Liga.
FAQs
Mohamed Salah is the best right winger in the world. Salah is the highest-scoring right winger in 2023/24. He scored 25 goals (15 assists) in 45 matches.
Unai Simón was ranked the best goalkeeper in La Liga in 2023/24. Simón was awarded the Ricardo Zamora Trophy for best goals-to-games ratio in Spain’s top division.
Kaylan Geekie is a sports fanatic. He attended Durban High School before moving to Scotland, where he lived for 15 years. During his time in the United Kingdom, Kaylan graduated with a first-class BA Honours Degree in Sports Journalism at the University of the West of Scotland. Kaylan worked for nine years as the Match-Day Editor of SuperXV.com, reporting on Super Rugby, The Rugby Championship, the 2015 Men's Rugby World Cup and the 2017 British & Irish Lions series for the website.