17 Historical La Liga Teams and Players Records and Statistics

La Liga stands as the epitome of club football, home to some of Soccer’s biggest Derbies, including Real Madrid and Barcelona, featuring highly competitive teams and boasting remarkable achievements.

Spain’s premier league has etched itself in the rich history of Soccer, securing top awards such as 19 UEFA Champions League titles and 8 FIFA Club World Cups.

Read this article further to know some record-breaking La Liga league players, highest-paid footballers, and record statistics. 

Highlights of the Article

• Real Madrid dominates the league with 35 La Liga titles.
• Lionel Messi scored Barcelona’s 6,000th goal in La Liga.
• Real Madrid is ranked as the world’s most valuable soccer team in the world, with a market value of $5.1 billion.
• Cristiano Ronaldo holds the record for scoring the most hat-tricks, with 62 hat-tricks.
• Joseba Llorente, who scored against Espanyol in 2008 in 7.82 seconds.
• Cristiano Ronaldo ranked 1st as the highest earner in the Forbes list
• Robert Lewandowski has netted 23 goals in the La Liga 2022/2023 season across 38 matches.
• Antoine Griezmann has recorded 14 assists in the 2022/2023 season after 38 match days.
• Lionel Messi sets a record with 192 career La Liga assists.

Which Player Holds the Most Records in La Liga?

Lionel Messi is one of the greatest of all time, he has achieved numerous individual records. 

He has been awarded many times by the prestigious Ballon d’Or for the world’s best Footballer seven times, surpassing Ronaldo’s five titles.

Below are some of his notable titles and awards: 

1. Most total goals scored by any player in La Liga (474)
2. Most goals scored in a single season (50)
3. Most career league assists in La Liga (192)
4. Most assists made in a single season (21, in 2019-20)

The following section will give you more information on La Liga team records.

La Liga Team Record Statistics 

Considered one of the best sports leagues globally, La Liga’s 90-year run has given the world some of the best fixtures, including the following:

• 24,895 games
• 71,149 goals
• 63 different clubs
• 9 different champions.

Discover the achievements of the top clubs in La Liga.

1. Real Madrid has won the most La Liga titles, with 35 titles.

(The Football Lovers, Bleacher Report)

The most successful club in the league’s history, Real Madrid, won five consecutive titles in the 1960 to 1965 campaign and 16 straight matches during the 1960-1961 season.

The biggest win of Real Madrid was against their fiercest rival, Barcelona, scoring 11-1 on June 13, 1943.

2. Lionel Messi makes history with FC Barcelona’s 6,000th La Liga goal.

(ESPN)

In the 2018-2019 campaign, FC Barcelona began the season with another record added to their list of achievements in their 2,801 games since 1929.

Lionel Messi sent a free kick in the 64th minute under the jumping Alaves to push his 6,000th goal for Barcelona. The Argentinean player also hit the club’s 5,000th La Liga goal nine years ago.

3. FC Barcelona recorded 10 million Google searches in 2023.

(Footgoal, Footgoal, Bleacher Report)

FC Barcelona ranks 8th in the most Google searches worldwide for the football team and 2nd in La Liga.

With 17,600,000 Google searches, Christiano Ronaldo ranks 1st for the most searched
Football player in 2023

Barcelona FC has by far the most supporters of any club in Europe, with 57.8 million fans around Europe, dominating their fiercest rival, Real Madrid, by 31.3 million.

4. Real Madrid ranked 1st with the most fans in the world.

(Footgoal)

Football fans have grown exponentially throughout the years. In terms of fan base, Real Madrid stands out with a following of approximately 350 million supporters across the globe.

The top 3 social media following comes from Facebook (118 Million), Instagram (140 Million), and Twitter (47.7 Million)

5. Real Madrid Tops Forbes’ list as World’s Most Valuable Football Club in 2022 with a $5.1 billion valuation.

(Forbes Magazine)

As of February 2023, the Spanish soccer club Real Madrid has the highest market value of €860 million, generating most of its revenue in La Liga, earning 100 million euro.

The club, with a current value of $5.1 billion, has seen a 7% increase compared to the previous year. It has claimed the spot as the world’s most valuable soccer team.

La Liga Player Statistics

La Liga players have set numerous records and remarkable feats.

Spain’s top footballers have accumulated the highest number of Ballon d’Or awards (24), the best FIFA Men’s Player awards (19), and UEFA Men’s Player of the Year awards (12).

The list below explores the player stats of La Liga’s top players and introduces key soccer terms to learn.

6. Ronaldo’s 62 hat tricks surpassed Messi’s record.

(Goal, Sports Keeda)

No player in history, besides Brazilian legend Pele (92), has scored more hat-tricks than the Portuguese.

Currently, Cristiano Ronaldo set a record for the most hat tricks, putting him first for the most hat tricks scored on the field. But out of CR7’s 62 trebles, 28 have come without the aid of any penalties.

Before reaching 30 years old, he scored 30 hat tricks, and after that, he netted 32 more.

7. With 620 games under his belt, Andoni Zubizarreta holds the most La Liga appearances.

(FC Barcelona, Football Data Base)

Winning 126 international caps and participating in 4 FIFA World Cups and 2 UEFA European Championships, Zubizarreta set the record for the most games played in the Spanish first division in his time at Athletic Bilbao, Barça, and Valencia. 

8. Joseba Llorente holds the record for scoring 7.82 seconds, the fastest goal in La Liga history.

(SportsKeeda, Reuters)

Joseba Llorente set his name in the record books as the fastest player scored in Primera Liga when he put the ball in the net just 7 seconds into his side’s match at home to Espanyol.

Uruguayan Dario Silva held the previous record for the fastest goal in the first division, scoring just 8 seconds into Malaga’s 3-1 victory against Valladolid in December 2000.

9. Leo Messi’s 91 goals for Barcelona and Argentina surpassed Gerd Muller’s 85-goal record for Bayern Munich and Germany in 1972.

(Bleacher Report)

In 2012, Out of 69 official games, Messi scored 91 goals, with 79 goals in 60 appearances for Barcelona and 12 in 9 matches for the Argentina national team. 

The Argentine professional footballer plays an average of 1 goal every 66 minutes, which exceeds the entire team of Racing Santander by an average of 0.737 goals a game and one goal every 122 minutes.

10. In 2023, Ronaldo has an estimated earning of $136 million.

(Forbes Magazine)

Cristiano Ronaldo has ranked first as the highest-paid sportsperson in La Liga History.

CR7’s playing salary and bonuses amount to $46 million, while $90 million came from endorsements, appearances, licensing income, and other business ventures.

Lionel Messi comes second with a $130 million net worth.

La Liga Goals and Assist Statistics 

La Liga has witnessed some extraordinary goal-scoring feats throughout the 92 seasons of La Liga. 

The league has showcased exceptional talent from the all-time leading goal scorer Lionel Messi to iconic figures like Cristiano Ronaldo and Telmo Zarra. 

Below are some of the notable records in La Liga history:

11. Robert Lewandowski has scored 23 times after 38 match days in the La Liga 2022/2023 season.

(1VS1)

Throughout 2022-2023, Robert Lewandowski secured 23 goals and 7 assists. He was considered the no. 1 scorer of the season, with a conversion rate for shots to goals of 55%.

Here are the top 5 lead scorers in the La Liga 2022/2023 season.

12. Antoine Griezmann led Atlético Madrid with 15 goal contributions and 14 assists in the season 2022/2023.

(Fox Sports, Sports Yahoo)

Antoine Griezmann, a key player for Atlético, demonstrated excellent passing skills by completing 1,239 passes with 87.2% accuracy throughout the season. 

He also stood out as the top assist provider, followed by Mikel Merino and Vinicius Jr. with nine assists.

Listed are the top 5 lead passers in the La Liga 2022/2023 season:

13. Joaquin Sanchez announces retirement after 23 seasons.

(One Football)

The 41-year-old Spanish footballer has garnered 839 club appearances, with 112 goals and 102 assists throughout his career. 

Sanchez holds the record for the highest number of appearances at Real Betis, with 521 matches under his belt. 

Furthermore, he stands 7 appearances away from surpassing the all-time La Liga appearance record, currently held by Andoni Zubizarreta at 622 games. 

14. Lamine Yamal makes history as Barcelona’s youngest-ever La Liga Player at 15 years old.

(Indian Express)

15-year-old forward Lamine Yamal made history as the youngest player to ever play for Barcelona in La Liga.

He made his debut during Barcelona’s 4-0 victory over Real Betis, coming on as a substitute for Pablo Gavi during the four minutes of added time.

15. Abel Resino holds the La Liga record for the longest duration without conceding a goal, spanning 1275 minutes across 13 games in the 1990-91 season.

(Sportskeeda)

Abel Resino, affectionately known as ‘El Gato’ (The Cat), earned his nickname due to his exceptional reflexes as a goalkeeper. 

One of Abel Resino’s achievements was setting a European league record by not conceding a single goal for 1275 minutes. This feat earned him the Ricardo Zamora Trophy at the end of the season.

To this day, Abel Resino still holds the La Liga record for the longest goalkeeping run without conceding a goal. This record remains untouched and unchallenged by any other goalkeeper.

16. Messi has netted an all-time record of 474 goals in 520 La Liga matches.

(Goal, all-time stats)

Messi made a total of 778 appearances and scored 672 goals, scoring his first goal in 2005 against Albacete in  Camp Nou. 

Here is the list of the top 5 goal scorer of all time:

17. Lionel Messi holds the record for most career league assists in La Liga with 192 assists.

(Guinness World Records)

Messi’s contribution extends beyond scoring. The Argentinean player also holds the title for the most assists in a single La Liga season, with 21 assists during the 2019/20 season.

Surpassing the previous record of Xavi Hernández, a former teammate of Messi, who set 20 assists during the 2008/09 season.

Bottom Line

The league’s countless triumphs, record-breaking titles, worldwide popularity, and commercial success have solidified its position as the top football league in the world.

La Liga serves as a constant reminder that with dedication, hard work, and a relentless pursuit of excellence, amateur players have the potential to make their mark on the global stage.