Error message

  • Deprecated function: Return type of Aws\HandlerList::count() should either be compatible with Countable::count(): int, or the #[\ReturnTypeWillChange] attribute should be used to temporarily suppress the notice in include() (line 32 of /var/www/html/vendor/aws/aws-sdk-php/src/HandlerList.php).
  • Deprecated function: Return type of Aws\Api\AbstractModel::offsetExists($offset) should either be compatible with ArrayAccess::offsetExists(mixed $offset): bool, or the #[\ReturnTypeWillChange] attribute should be used to temporarily suppress the notice in include() (line 7 of /var/www/html/vendor/aws/aws-sdk-php/src/Api/AbstractModel.php).
  • Deprecated function: Return type of Aws\Api\AbstractModel::offsetGet($offset) should either be compatible with ArrayAccess::offsetGet(mixed $offset): mixed, or the #[\ReturnTypeWillChange] attribute should be used to temporarily suppress the notice in include() (line 7 of /var/www/html/vendor/aws/aws-sdk-php/src/Api/AbstractModel.php).
  • Deprecated function: Return type of Aws\Api\AbstractModel::offsetSet($offset, $value) should either be compatible with ArrayAccess::offsetSet(mixed $offset, mixed $value): void, or the #[\ReturnTypeWillChange] attribute should be used to temporarily suppress the notice in include() (line 7 of /var/www/html/vendor/aws/aws-sdk-php/src/Api/AbstractModel.php).
  • Deprecated function: Return type of Aws\Api\AbstractModel::offsetUnset($offset) should either be compatible with ArrayAccess::offsetUnset(mixed $offset): void, or the #[\ReturnTypeWillChange] attribute should be used to temporarily suppress the notice in include() (line 7 of /var/www/html/vendor/aws/aws-sdk-php/src/Api/AbstractModel.php).
  • Deprecated function: Return type of Aws\Endpoint\Partition::offsetExists($offset) should either be compatible with ArrayAccess::offsetExists(mixed $offset): bool, or the #[\ReturnTypeWillChange] attribute should be used to temporarily suppress the notice in include() (line 13 of /var/www/html/vendor/aws/aws-sdk-php/src/Endpoint/Partition.php).
  • Deprecated function: Return type of & Aws\Endpoint\Partition::offsetGet($offset) should either be compatible with ArrayAccess::offsetGet(mixed $offset): mixed, or the #[\ReturnTypeWillChange] attribute should be used to temporarily suppress the notice in include() (line 13 of /var/www/html/vendor/aws/aws-sdk-php/src/Endpoint/Partition.php).
  • Deprecated function: Return type of Aws\Endpoint\Partition::offsetSet($offset, $value) should either be compatible with ArrayAccess::offsetSet(mixed $offset, mixed $value): void, or the #[\ReturnTypeWillChange] attribute should be used to temporarily suppress the notice in include() (line 13 of /var/www/html/vendor/aws/aws-sdk-php/src/Endpoint/Partition.php).
  • Deprecated function: Return type of Aws\Endpoint\Partition::offsetUnset($offset) should either be compatible with ArrayAccess::offsetUnset(mixed $offset): void, or the #[\ReturnTypeWillChange] attribute should be used to temporarily suppress the notice in include() (line 13 of /var/www/html/vendor/aws/aws-sdk-php/src/Endpoint/Partition.php).
  • Deprecated function: Aws\Credentials\Credentials implements the Serializable interface, which is deprecated. Implement __serialize() and __unserialize() instead (or in addition, if support for old PHP versions is necessary) in include() (line 8 of /var/www/html/vendor/aws/aws-sdk-php/src/Credentials/Credentials.php).
  • Deprecated function: Return type of Aws\Command::offsetExists($offset) should either be compatible with ArrayAccess::offsetExists(mixed $offset): bool, or the #[\ReturnTypeWillChange] attribute should be used to temporarily suppress the notice in include() (line 7 of /var/www/html/vendor/aws/aws-sdk-php/src/Command.php).
  • Deprecated function: Return type of & Aws\Command::offsetGet($offset) should either be compatible with ArrayAccess::offsetGet(mixed $offset): mixed, or the #[\ReturnTypeWillChange] attribute should be used to temporarily suppress the notice in include() (line 7 of /var/www/html/vendor/aws/aws-sdk-php/src/Command.php).
  • Deprecated function: Return type of Aws\Command::offsetSet($offset, $value) should either be compatible with ArrayAccess::offsetSet(mixed $offset, mixed $value): void, or the #[\ReturnTypeWillChange] attribute should be used to temporarily suppress the notice in include() (line 7 of /var/www/html/vendor/aws/aws-sdk-php/src/Command.php).
  • Deprecated function: Return type of Aws\Command::offsetUnset($offset) should either be compatible with ArrayAccess::offsetUnset(mixed $offset): void, or the #[\ReturnTypeWillChange] attribute should be used to temporarily suppress the notice in include() (line 7 of /var/www/html/vendor/aws/aws-sdk-php/src/Command.php).
  • Deprecated function: Return type of Aws\Command::count() should either be compatible with Countable::count(): int, or the #[\ReturnTypeWillChange] attribute should be used to temporarily suppress the notice in include() (line 7 of /var/www/html/vendor/aws/aws-sdk-php/src/Command.php).
  • Deprecated function: Return type of Aws\Command::getIterator() should either be compatible with IteratorAggregate::getIterator(): Traversable, or the #[\ReturnTypeWillChange] attribute should be used to temporarily suppress the notice in include() (line 7 of /var/www/html/vendor/aws/aws-sdk-php/src/Command.php).
  • Deprecated function: Return type of Aws\Result::offsetExists($offset) should either be compatible with ArrayAccess::offsetExists(mixed $offset): bool, or the #[\ReturnTypeWillChange] attribute should be used to temporarily suppress the notice in include() (line 9 of /var/www/html/vendor/aws/aws-sdk-php/src/Result.php).
  • Deprecated function: Return type of & Aws\Result::offsetGet($offset) should either be compatible with ArrayAccess::offsetGet(mixed $offset): mixed, or the #[\ReturnTypeWillChange] attribute should be used to temporarily suppress the notice in include() (line 9 of /var/www/html/vendor/aws/aws-sdk-php/src/Result.php).
  • Deprecated function: Return type of Aws\Result::offsetSet($offset, $value) should either be compatible with ArrayAccess::offsetSet(mixed $offset, mixed $value): void, or the #[\ReturnTypeWillChange] attribute should be used to temporarily suppress the notice in include() (line 9 of /var/www/html/vendor/aws/aws-sdk-php/src/Result.php).
  • Deprecated function: Return type of Aws\Result::offsetUnset($offset) should either be compatible with ArrayAccess::offsetUnset(mixed $offset): void, or the #[\ReturnTypeWillChange] attribute should be used to temporarily suppress the notice in include() (line 9 of /var/www/html/vendor/aws/aws-sdk-php/src/Result.php).
  • Deprecated function: Return type of Aws\Result::getIterator() should either be compatible with IteratorAggregate::getIterator(): Traversable, or the #[\ReturnTypeWillChange] attribute should be used to temporarily suppress the notice in include() (line 9 of /var/www/html/vendor/aws/aws-sdk-php/src/Result.php).
  • Deprecated function: Return type of Aws\Result::count() should either be compatible with Countable::count(): int, or the #[\ReturnTypeWillChange] attribute should be used to temporarily suppress the notice in include() (line 9 of /var/www/html/vendor/aws/aws-sdk-php/src/Result.php).
  • Warning: Undefined array key "nid" in views_handler_field_term_node_tid->pre_render() (line 98 of /var/www/html/docroot/sites/all/modules/views/modules/taxonomy/views_handler_field_term_node_tid.inc).
  • Warning: Undefined array key "nid" in views_handler_field_term_node_tid->pre_render() (line 98 of /var/www/html/docroot/sites/all/modules/views/modules/taxonomy/views_handler_field_term_node_tid.inc).
×

Learning

Your Definitive La Liga Guide: What You Need To Know For 15/16

By Rob Nicoletti October 27, 2015
Featured Image
In this La Liga guide, we take you through what you need to know: some history, the teams, the format, the players, and how to watch.
Photo: @ESPNFC | Twitter

Welcome to The18’s La Liga guide, the highest level on the Spanish football pyramid and arguably the best league in European and world football. Despite what you may have heard, it’s not just Real Madrid and Barcelona; there are 18 other clubs that compete with the two giants for the Spanish title. This guide will tell you everything you need to know about La Liga’s history, top players, and current season. Vamos!

History

La Liga Guide: opens with the legend Alfredo di Stefano.

Real Madrid legend Alredo di Stefano. Photo: @SoloGambeta | Twitter


We kick off this La Liga guide with where it all began: in 1929 with ten teams. Play was suspended from 1937-1939 while Spain was embroiled in a civil war that saw Francisco Franco come into power as a dictator. Of the original ten teams that founded La Liga, three have never been relegated from the top division: Barcelona, Real Madrid, and Athletic Bilbao. No team has won the title more than Real Madrid with their 32 championships; Barcelona are second with 23.

Season

La Liga guide, every team competes for the Copa del Rey trophy, pictured here.

The Copa Del Rey trophy. Photo: @BarcaMania16 | Twitter


The La Liga season runs from August to May with each club playing 38 matches. Just as the race for the title is hotly contested, so too is the battle for the league’s top scorer, who earns the Pichichi Trophy. Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi have each been top scorer three times. The record for most Pichichi trophies is six – by Athletic Bilbao’s Telmo Zarra in the 1940s and ‘50s.

All of Spain’s clubs also compete for the Copa Del Rey title throughout the season. This is the top knockout tournament in the country. Barcelona have won it 27 times, more than any other team.

There are two key dates in each La Liga calendar that each fan will circle when the fixtures come out. El Clasico. Real Madrid vs. Barcelona. Often, these battles determine the league champion. The 2015-16 season will see the two heavyweights meet on November 21st in Madrid and April 2nd or 3rd in Barcelona, depending the dates of other matches.

Format

Each club plays 38 matches, facing every other team twice: once at home and once on the road. At the end of the season, the three clubs at the bottom of the table are relegated to the Segunda Division, the second tier of Spanish football. They are replaced by the top two teams in the Segunda Division, plus its promotion playoff winner. The top four teams in La Liga qualify for the next UEFA Champions League, Europe’s top club competition. Teams finishing 5-7 participate in the Europa League, for a total of seven spots in Europe.

Clubs

The following clubs will be competing in the 2015-16 La Liga season:

Athletic Bilbao

Have never been relegated

Atletico Madrid

Real’s littler, angrier brother won in 2013

Barcelona

Trying to win back-to-back titles

Celta de Vigo

Deportivo La Coruna

Eibar

Espanyol

The other teams from Barcelona

Getafe

Granada

Las Palmas

Levante

Malaga

Rayo Vallecano

Also located in Madrid

Real Betis

Real Madrid

Seeking first title since 2011-12

Real Sociedad

Sevilla

Winners of the last two Europa Leagues

Sporting Gijon

Valencia

Villarreal

Players

La Liga guide: Antoine Griezmann looks on.

Atletico Madrid's Antoinne Griezman. Photo: @HarnersSports | Twitter


La Liga is home to the world’s two best footballers: Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo. They are each worth the price of admission, or the monthly cable bill (see below), each week. At just 28, Messi is already the top scorer in La Liga history. Ronaldo, who is 30, is currently 4th on that list. Needless to say, there’s no shortage of goals when these two are on the pitch.

But there’s more stars than just Messi and Ronaldo. Barcelona also boasts Neymar, with his silky smooth dribbling and acrobatic goals, and Luis Suarez, who when he isn’t scoring goals, he’s probably biting his opponents. Real Madrid’s roster is a “who’s who” of international stars, including the Welshman Gareth Bale, the world’s most expensive footballer. Madrid purchased him from Tottenham Hotspur for nearly $140 million!

How to Watch

La Liga Guide: the Camp Nou.

Barcelona's home stadium, the Camp Nou. Photo: 


And what would a La Liga guide be if we didn’t tell you how to watch? Fans of La Liga in the United States only need to fork over a little more dough to their cable company each month to watch their favorite stars each weekend on beIN Sports. In the UK, broadcasting rights are owned by Sky Sports.

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