The La Liga Santander is one of the biggest domestic leagues in Europe. Home to the Spanish Division’s topflight, it features twenty teams, including the likes of Barcelona, Sevilla, Atletico, and Real Madrid. With such great club sides contesting for the title each season, there are always lots of twists and turns. The league also has some of the best players on the continent and several Balon D’or winners, including the likes of Lionel Messi and Luka Modric. According to the UEFA coefficient rankings for the past decade, the Spanish topflight has led the way among European domestic leagues in most seasons, coming first seven times between 2013 and 2019.
This competitive nature has spurred La Liga into third place on the most-watched domestic football leagues in the world, ranking behind only the Bundesliga and the English Premier League. La Liga recorded an average attendance of about 27,000 across each league game last season, demonstrating the love for football in Spain. The league is also watched in several countries across Europe, America, and Africa via Cable Tv subscriptions in terms of broadcasting. La Liga is also the sixth wealthiest sports franchise globally and features prominently at betting sites in India.
The 2020/21 La Liga season was always going to be a tough one, thanks to the surrounding circumstances. It was the first time in the league’s history where clubs will play all games without fans in attendance. Lots of transfer activities also took place with Barcelona’s Luis Suarez moving to Atletico Madrid after a dramatic summer that brought cuts to player wages.
I consider the title favorites are Barcelona, Real Madrid, and Atletico, with the three clubs having won seventy La Liga titles between them. The most successful team in La Liga is Real Madrid with thirty-six wins, Barcelona is second with twenty-six, while Atletico has triumphed ten times.
Kate Richardson, sports betting expert
The Title Race
Going into the 2020/21 season, all of these factors were once again going to be tested, with each team trying to pull their weight across the thirty-eight games. The league got off to a rough start, with teams struggling to find their feet amidst the pandemic and rigorous testing requirements. However, players soon got back to their best as weeks went by. As the league draws to a close, there has been lots of competition between the top three sides, slugging it out up until the very end. As of game week thirty-five, the title race was very much open and could have gone to either of the three top-placed teams, namely Atletico Madrid, Real Madrid, and Barcelona. However, a couple of bad results ruled Barca out of the race, and now, in game week thirty-seven, it is all down to the wire.
Atletico Madrid leads the way with 83 points after 37 games, with Real Madrid on 81 points. As it stands, both teams know they require a win to emerge champions and will do their best to be victorious. However, the odds are in Atletico’s favor, thanks to that two-point margin. They also have a superior goal difference to Real and could be crowned champions if they avoid defeat in their final game of the season. For Real Madrid, it is all or nothing in this title race, and they will need to up their game to retain their crown from last season.
Title deciding match week 38 sees Real play host to in-form Villareal, who are in the Europa League Final, while Atletico faces off against Valladolid away. To spice things up, both games kick off at the same putting Diego Simeone and Zinedine Zidane under pressure to deliver for their respective fan bases. Whichever way it swings, fans will undoubtedly have enjoyed this season’s twists and turns. As always, the matches will be available for punting on betting sites in India.
Player Performances
Player performances throughout the season have been admirable. Though the ongoing battle at the top of the league table isn’t replicated on the scoring charts, several names have impressed. We look at some of the memorable individual tallies in 2021’s La Liga Santander.
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Lionel Messi
The league’s highest goalscorer of all time continues to dominate the scoring charts with thirty goals to his name. While his goalscoring abilities were unable to help secure the title for Barca, Messi looks to win his eighth Pichichi award, cementing his place as the most successful Pichichi award holder. The Pichichi award is given to the highest goalscorer in each La Liga Santander season. This will be the Argentine’s fifth consecutive win, breaking Alfred Di Stefano’s record.
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Gerard Moreno
The 29-year-old Spanish striker is having one of the best seasons of his career. With 23 league goals, he ranks second on the highest goalscorer charts. He also has six goals in the Europa League, helping Villareal reach the final where they take on Manchester United. In total, Moreno has thirty goals in all competitions, his highest tally in a single season.
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Karim Benzema
Since Cristiano Ronaldo’s departure from the Bernabeu, the goalscoring mantle has rested on one man’s shoulders, and he’s consistently delivered. Benzema has 22 goals in the league this season, most of which have been timely and helped Madrid stay on course to defend their La Liga Crown. The thirty-three-year-old Frenchman has 28 goals altogether.
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Luis Suarez
Suarez’s performances for Atletico this season have been nothing short of exceptional, leading many Barca fans to question the decision to let him go. The Uruguayan has 20 goals in La Liga and has settled well at Atletico. Should Atletico win the league, many will undoubtedly highlight his transfer as one of the primary factors.
Some of the other notable player performances include Iago Aspas’ chart-topping 12 assists for Celta Vigo, Marco Llorente’s, and Toni Kroos with 11 and 10 assists respectively. Whatever happens on the final day, you can stay tuned for our live updates and reviews of betting sites in India for your betting pleasure.