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Spain’s premier football division, La Liga, has in recent years mounted a significant challenge to the EPL as Europe’s top domestic league. Catch live La Liga action online inside our dedicated members area.

Thanks to favourable fiscal regulations and the financial difficulties of many major EPL clubs, La Liga has been the league of choice for an increasing number of the world’s best footballers – including, of course, the vast majority of Spain’s own national side which triumphed at this summer’s World Cup in South Africa.

It has, of course, among its playing ranks, THE world’s best footballer, Barcelona’s23-year-old Argentine superstar Lionel Messi, as well as predecessor Cristiano Ronaldo, of Real Madrid.

Not to mention the world’s most successful club coaches, Barca’s Pep Guardiola and the self-styled “special one” Jose Mourinho, fresh from his UEFA Champions League triumph with Internazionale of Milan and newly-installed in the hotseat at Real Madrid’s Santiago Bernabeu Stadium.

The La Liga title has been the preserve of Spain’s big two clubs, Barcelona and Real Madrid for the last six seasons, with Barcelona seeking their third title in-a-row in 2010/11.

But La Liga has considerable strength in depth, as demonstrated by the success of sides such as Sevilla and, last season, Atletico Madrid in the UEFA Europa League and its predecessor UEFA Cup, as well as the consistent performances of Valencia, the last team to break the duopoly of Barca and Real under the management of one Rafael Benitez in 2004.

And you can watch all the action with us on the Live Sports Network. Live streaming of La Liga games can be found via our dedicated members area. Live Sports Network provides the chance to watch Spanish football live through your own pc. Watch live online streaming of all the games from Spain and never miss a minute. Join Live Sport Network today. (248)

A Brief History

In 1927 a man by the name of Jose Maria Acha proposed the idea of a national football league, or a premier league. Some other countries had already adopted this idea and fans and players of football in Spain followed the trend and La Liga was born. La Liga championships have been held every year since 1929, with the exception of the years 1937, 1938 and 1939 due to the country’s civil war.

Barcelona won the very first Primera Divisiontitle in 1929, with Real Madrid’s first two titles quickly following, setting a common trend. However, the 1930s were largely dominated by Athletic Bilbao from the nation’s fiercely-independent Basque region.

The competition restarted after the Civil War and continued throughout the 1940s, with first Valencia, then Barcelona dominating the roll of honour.

But from the mid-fifties to the start of the 1980s, Real Madrid took over the Spanish scene, extending their dominance to the newly-created European Cup, the first five of which they famously won. Real’s dominance was briefly disrupted by their capital city neighbours Atletico. But Real Sociedad’s two-in-a-row (1981 and 1982), followed immediately by a matching feat from Athletic Bilbao, gave the Basque region four titles in succession.

Real Madrid won the next five, however. And it wasn’t until the early 1990s that Barcelona, under the tutelage of Dutch football legend and former Barca player Johan Cruiff, challenged consistently for the La Liga crown – picking up their very first European club title in 1992, the last “European Cup” before the emergence of the Champions League.

Real are still way out on top as Spain’s most successful club, with 31 titles to Barca’s 20. But Barcelona’s recent successes are starting to eat into that gap. (213)

Several La Liga players were nominated European Footballer of the Year, including Alfredo Di Stefano, Raymond Kopa, Luis Suarez, Johan Cruiff, Hristo Stoichkov, Rivaldo, Luis Figo, Ronaldo, Ronaldinho, Fabio Cannavaro, Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi.

La Liga is a competition on the rise, and the arrival of Jose Mourinho adds to the excitement and intrigue surrounding this year’s race for the Primera Division crown. Don’t miss watching a live La Liga football game if you can help it!