The origins of La Liga date back to 1927 when Jose Maria Acha offered the idea of having a Spanish national league. Two years later Real Federación Española de Fútbol finally agreed upon ten teams who would constitute the league. The previous winners of Copa del Rey, a nationwide championship, were all selected which included Barcelona, Real Madrid, Athletic Bilbao, Real Sociedad, Arenas Club de Getxo, and Real Unión. Two of the final three teams, Atlético Madrid, Espanyol, and Europa, were selected as Copa del Rey runners-up and Racing Santander was chosen through a knockout competition. However, soon after its commencement, La Liga was interrupted due to the Spanish Civil War.
Following the war, Atlético Aviación (currently Atlético Madrid), Valencia, and Sevilla surfaced as the dominant forces. Part of the reason for these teams dominance stemmed from the consequences of the war which included absent players due to injury or exile. Though, towards the latter half of the century Barcelona began to once again excel in the league.
La Liga then took a turn upon the alteration of an existing rule. Prior to this time a regulation had been in effect limiting the amount of international players to three per roster in most cases. However, during this period of the 1950’s the restriction was altered which fueled Real Madrid and Barcelona who nationalized top players. Later, between 1961 and 1980 the league was led by Real Madrid who only faced a single true competitor being Atlético Madrid.
The 1990’s rolled around and Barcelona came back to its true form proving its dominance within the league under the management of Johan Cruyff. During his time at the club he fielded a group of remarkable players later dubbed the “Dream Team.” The Club racked up six league titles during this time as well as winning the Euro Cup in 1992.
As the league progressed toward the new millennium Deportivo La Coruña and Valencia emerged or experienced resurgence within La Liga. However, in recent years the league has been dominated by the two powerhouses of FC Barcelona and Real Madrid who far exceed the other organizations due to immense revenues and expenditures. Currently, La Liga is experiencing a crisis as a result of economic downturns as well as clubs overall structural and financial decisions which leads us to the inspiration for the formation of this blog and all of its Messi topics.
**Picture: Telmo Zarra was the most decorated scorer in La Liga history with 252 goals in 278 games primarily under Athletic Bilbao from 1940 to 1945.**
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