Along with the
English Premiership, the Spanish league is considered to be the best domestic club competition in the world. Known officially as La Liga de Futbol Profesional, this league is also referred to as the Primera Division. It is one of Europe's oldest unchanged, professional leagues, and has 20 teams competing in it. The league has always been very strong, and always had a number of stars and top players playing in it. Current international footballing legends like Zinedine Zidane,
Romario, Diego Maradona,
Ronaldo,
Luis Figo,
Ronaldinho,
Raul and
Thierry Henry have all played in La Liga's top teams.
European Powerhouses
Spanish teams have always performed well in Europe, and Real Madrid have won more European Cups/Champions Leagues than any other team, but the dominance has been especially prevalent in the last decade. Teams from La Liga have won 4 of the last 10 Champions League titles, with Spanish teams reaching the final 6 times in the last decade, including an all-Spanish
Real Madrid vs
Valencia final in 2000. In the UEFA Cup, Spanish teams have won 3 of the last 4 trophies, and the 2007 final was an all-Spanish affair with
Sevilla FC playing
Espanyol. 2006 saw Spain complete the double, with
FC Barcelona winning the Champions League, and Sevilla winning the UEFA Cup.