The 2021–22 La Liga, also known as La Liga Santander for sponsorship reasons, marked the 91st edition of Spain’s premier football competition. It commenced on August 13, 2021, and concluded on May 22, 2022. The schedule was announced on June 30, 2021.
In a decision on June 24, 2021, the Spanish Council of Ministers approved full-capacity stadium attendance, modifying the ‘new normality’ decree amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
Atlético Madrid entered as defending champions, having clinched their eleventh title in the previous season. Promoted from the 2020–21 Segunda División were Espanyol, Mallorca, and Rayo Vallecano, replacing Huesca, Valladolid, and Eibar, who were relegated.
Real Madrid secured their record-extending 35th title with four games remaining, following a 4–0 win over Espanyol on April 30.
Notably, this season marked the absence of Lionel Messi, the league’s all-time top scorer, and Sergio Ramos, a longtime figure at Real Madrid, both having departed for Paris Saint-Germain in the summer. This was the first La Liga campaign since 2003–04 without their presence.
Champions:
Top Goal Scorer:
Player Of the Season:
Best Goalkeeper:
La Liga 2021–22 Point Table | Standings
Position Team Played Win Draw Loss GF GA GD Points Qualification | Relegation
1 38 26 8 4 80 31 +49 86 Qualify to UCL
2 38 21 10 7 68 38 +30 73 Qualify to UCL
3 38 21 8 9 65 43 +22 71 Qualify to UCL
4 38 18 16 4 53 30 +23 70 Qualify to UCL
5 38 19 8 11 62 40 +22 65 Qualify to Europa League
6 38 17 11 10 40 37 +3 62 Qualify to Europa League
7 38 16 11 11 63 37 +26 59 Qualify to Europa Conference League
8 38 14 13 11 43 36 +7 55
9 38 11 15 12 48 53 −5 48
10 38 12 11 15 37 51 −14 47
11 38 12 10 16 43 43 0 46
12 38 11 9 18 39 50 −11 42
13 38 11 9 18 40 52 −12 42
14 38 10 12 16 40 53 −13 42
15 38 8 15 15 33 41 −8 39
16 38 10 9 19 36 63 −27 39
17 38 8 15 15 35 51 −16 39
18 38 8 14 16 44 61 −17 38 Relegated to Segunda División
19 38 8 11 19 51 76 −25 35 Relegated to Segunda División
20 38 8 7 23 31 65 −34 31 Relegated to Segunda División
Note A: Due to Real Betis winning the 2021–22 Copa del Rey and also securing European qualification through their league position, the Europa League spot traditionally allocated to the Copa del Rey winners was redirected to the team finishing sixth in the league standings. Consequently, the Europa Conference League place originally designated for the sixth-placed team was passed down to the team finishing seventh in the league table.
Note B: Head-to-head points: Rayo Vallecano 9, Elche 7, Espanyol 1.
Note C: Head-to-head points: Getafe 8, Mallorca 5, Cádiz 2.
La Liga 2021–22 Top Goal Scorers
Rank Player Club Goals
1 27
2 18
3 17
4 17
5 16
6 16
7 14
8 13
9 12
10 12
La Liga 2021–22 Most Assist Provider List
Rank Player Club Assists
1 13
2 12
3 10
4 10
5 10
6 10
7 9
8 9
9 8
10 8
La Liga 2021–22 Team of the Season
Position Player Club
Goalkeeper
Defender
Defender
Defender
Defender
Defender
Midfielder
Midfielder
Midfielder
Midfielder
Midfielder
Forward
Forward
Forward
Forward
La Liga 2021–22 Team information and Sponsor
Team Manager Captain Kit Manufucturer
Kelme
New Balance
Νike
Nike
Macron
Adidas
Νike
Kelme
Joma
Νike
Macron
Nike
Adidas
Umbro
Kappa
Adidas
Macron
Νike
Puma
Joma
La Liga 2021–22 Teams
Promotion and relegation (pre-season)
The league comprised twenty teams in total, consisting of seventeen teams from the 2020–21 season and three promoted teams from the 2020–21 Segunda División. This included the top two teams from the Segunda División standings and the winners of the promotion play-offs.
Teams relegated to Segunda División
Eibar became the first team to be relegated from La Liga after a 1–4 defeat to Valencia on May 16, 2021, ending their seven-year tenure in the top division. Valladolid followed as the second team to be relegated, losing 1–2 at home to Atlético Madrid on May 22, 2021, concluding their three-year stint in La Liga. Huesca completed the trio of relegated teams after a goalless draw against Valencia on May 22, 2021, marking their immediate return to the second division after just one season in La Liga.
Teams promoted from Segunda División
On May 8, 2021, Espanyol became the first team to secure promotion to La Liga, guaranteeing their return to the top flight with a 0–0 draw against Zaragoza. The second team to achieve promotion was Mallorca, confirmed after Almería’s 2–3 loss to Cartagena on May 18, 2021. Both clubs swiftly returned to the first division after a season away.
Rayo Vallecano completed the trio of promoted teams by winning the playoff final 3–2 against Girona on June 20, 2021, marking their return to La Liga after a two-year absence.
Restrictions
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, clubs were not allowed to use the total capacity of their stadiums. According to the progress of the pandemic, the capacity allowed each month was decided by the Government of Spain, in agreement with the Autonomous Communities.
August (rounds 1 to 3): 40% of capacity allowed. Additionally, the Basque Country reduced it to 20%, Catalonia to 30% and the Valencian Community limited the attendance to a maximum of 15,000 spectators, always respecting the agreement.
September (rounds 4 to 7): 60% of capacity allowed. The Basque Country raised its own limit to 30%, while Catalonia did to 40%.
October (rounds 8 to 12): full capacity allowed, except for Catalonia and Basque Country, whose governments limited the attendance to 60%.
UEFA Super Cup 2025 was the 50th edition of the annual match organized by UEFA, featuring a showdown between the… Read More
FIFA Club World Cup 2025 was the 21st edition of the competition and the first under its newly expanded 32-team… Read More
Previous<<epl 2023-24 EPL Season 2024-25 marked the 33rd season since the league’s inception and the 126th season of top-flight English… Read More
La Liga season 2024–25 officially known as La Liga EA Sports for sponsorship purposes, was the 94th edition of Spain's… Read More
Serie A League 2024–25 season officially known as Serie A Enilive domestically and Serie A Made in Italy abroad due… Read More
Bundesliga 2024–25 marked the 62nd edition of Germany’s top-tier men’s football league. The season ran from 23 August 2024 to… Read More