The 2020–21 La Liga season, also known as La Liga Santander due to sponsorship reasons, was the 90th since its establishment. The season began on 12 September 2020 and concluded on 23 May 2021. The fixtures were announced on 31 August 2020.
Real Madrid
Real Madrid Club de Fútbol (), commonly referred to as Real Madrid, is a Spanish professional Football club (association football), football club based in Madrid. The club competes in La Liga, th ...
were the defending champions, after winning a record 34th title in the previous season.
Huesca
Huesca (; ) is a city in north-eastern Spain, within the Autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community of Aragon. It was the capital of the Kingdom of Aragon between 1096 and 1118. It is also the capital of the Spanish Huesca (province), ...
,
Cádiz
Cádiz ( , , ) is a city in Spain and the capital of the Province of Cádiz in the Autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community of Andalusia. It is located in the southwest of the Iberian Peninsula off the Atlantic Ocean separated fr ...
and
Elche
Elche (, ; , , , ; officially: ''/'' ) is a city and Municipalities of Spain, municipality of Spain, belonging to the province of Alicante, in the Valencian Community. According to 2024's data, Elche has a population of 234,800 inhabitants, joined as the promoted clubs from the
2019–20 Segunda División
The 2019–20 Segunda División season, also known as LaLiga SmartBank for sponsorship reasons, was the 89th since its establishment.
On 12 March 2020 after most of teams had played 31 games, the league was suspended for at least two weeks due t ...
. They replaced
Espanyol,
Mallorca
Mallorca, or Majorca, is the largest of the Balearic Islands, which are part of Spain, and the List of islands in the Mediterranean#By area, seventh largest island in the Mediterranean Sea.
The capital of the island, Palma, Majorca, Palma, i ...
and
Leganés
Leganés () is a city in the Community of Madrid, Spain. Considered part of the Madrid metropolitan area, it is located about 11 km southwest of the centre of Madrid. , it has a population of 188,425, making it the region's fifth most popu ...
, who were relegated to the
2020–21 Segunda División.
Exceptionally, this season the five
substitutions were maintained in a maximum of three rounds per team, adopted in May 2020 due to the
impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Atlético Madrid
Club Atlético de Madrid, S.A.D. (; meaning "Athletic Club of Madrid"), commonly referred to as Atlético Madrid or simply Atlético, is a Spanish professional football club based in Madrid that plays in La Liga. The club play their home game ...
won their eleventh La Liga title on the last day of the season, after a 2–1 comeback win against
Valladolid
Valladolid ( ; ) is a Municipalities of Spain, municipality in Spain and the primary seat of government and ''de facto'' capital of the Autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community of Castile and León. It is also the capital of the pr ...
, who were relegated with the defeat. It was their first title since
2013–14.
Barcelona
Barcelona ( ; ; ) is a city on the northeastern coast of Spain. It is the capital and largest city of the autonomous community of Catalonia, as well as the second-most populous municipality of Spain. With a population of 1.6 million within c ...
and Real Madrid were the only other teams to have won the title since Atlético Madrid last did so.
Teams
Promotion and relegation (pre-season)
A total of twenty teams contested the league, including seventeen sides from the
2019–20 season and three promoted from the
2019–20 Segunda División
The 2019–20 Segunda División season, also known as LaLiga SmartBank for sponsorship reasons, was the 89th since its establishment.
On 12 March 2020 after most of teams had played 31 games, the league was suspended for at least two weeks due t ...
. This included the two top teams from the Segunda División, and the winners of the
promotion play-offs
Promotion may refer to:
Marketing
* Promotion (marketing), one of the four marketing mix elements, comprising any type of marketing communication used to inform or persuade target audiences of the relative merits of a product, service, brand or i ...
.
;Teams relegated to Segunda División
The first team to be relegated from
La Liga
The Campeonato Nacional de Liga de Primera División, commonly known as the Primera División or La Liga, and officially known as LaLiga EA Sports for sponsorship reasons, is a professional association football league in Spain and the highest ...
were
Espanyol, after a 0–1 loss to
city rivals Barcelona
Barcelona ( ; ; ) is a city on the northeastern coast of Spain. It is the capital and largest city of the autonomous community of Catalonia, as well as the second-most populous municipality of Spain. With a population of 1.6 million within c ...
on 8 July 2020, ending their 26-year stay in the top tier. The second team to be relegated were
Mallorca
Mallorca, or Majorca, is the largest of the Balearic Islands, which are part of Spain, and the List of islands in the Mediterranean#By area, seventh largest island in the Mediterranean Sea.
The capital of the island, Palma, Majorca, Palma, i ...
, following a 1–2 home defeat against
Granada
Granada ( ; ) is the capital city of the province of Granada, in the autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community of Andalusia, Spain. Granada is located at the foot of the Sierra Nevada (Spain), Sierra Nevada mountains, at the confluence ...
on 16 July 2020, suffering an immediate return to the second division. The third and final team to be relegated were
Leganés
Leganés () is a city in the Community of Madrid, Spain. Considered part of the Madrid metropolitan area, it is located about 11 km southwest of the centre of Madrid. , it has a population of 188,425, making it the region's fifth most popu ...
, after drawing 2–2 against
Real Madrid
Real Madrid Club de Fútbol (), commonly referred to as Real Madrid, is a Spanish professional Football club (association football), football club based in Madrid. The club competes in La Liga, th ...
on 19 July 2020 in their final game of the season. This ended ''Legas four-year stint in the first tier.
;Teams promoted from Segunda División
On 12 July 2020,
Cádiz
Cádiz ( , , ) is a city in Spain and the capital of the Province of Cádiz in the Autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community of Andalusia. It is located in the southwest of the Iberian Peninsula off the Atlantic Ocean separated fr ...
became the first side to mathematically be promoted, assured of a return to the top flight after a fourteen-year absence following
Oviedo
Oviedo () or Uviéu (Asturian language, Asturian: ) is the capital city of the Principality of Asturias in northern Spain and the administrative and commercial centre of the region. It is also the name of the municipality that contains th ...
's 4–2 win against
Zaragoza
Zaragoza (), traditionally known in English as Saragossa ( ), is the capital city of the province of Zaragoza and of the autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community of Aragon, Spain. It lies by the Ebro river and its tributaries, the ...
. The second team to earn promotion were
Huesca
Huesca (; ) is a city in north-eastern Spain, within the Autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community of Aragon. It was the capital of the Kingdom of Aragon between 1096 and 1118. It is also the capital of the Spanish Huesca (province), ...
, following their 3–0 win against
Numancia on 17 July 2020. This marked an immediate return to the first division after a season away. The final team to achieve promotion were
Elche
Elche (, ; , , , ; officially: ''/'' ) is a city and Municipalities of Spain, municipality of Spain, belonging to the province of Alicante, in the Valencian Community. According to 2024's data, Elche has a population of 234,800 inhabitants, on 23 August 2020, following a 1–0 aggregate victory over
Girona
Girona (; ) is the capital city of the Province of Girona in the autonomous community of Catalonia, Spain, at the confluence of the Ter, Onyar, Galligants, and Güell rivers. The city had an official population of 106,476 in 2024, but the p ...
in the final of the promotion play-offs, sealing a return to La Liga after a five-year absence.
Stadiums and locations
Personnel and sponsorship
:1.
On the back of shirt.
:2.
On the sleeves.
:3.
On the shorts.
Managerial changes
League table
Results
Season statistics
Scoring
*First goal of the season:
Yangel Herrera for Granada against Athletic Bilbao (12 September 2020)
*Last goal of the season:
Papu Gómez for Sevilla against Alavés (23 May 2021)
Top goalscorers
Top assists
Zamora Trophy
The
Zamora Trophy was awarded by newspaper ''
Marca'' to the goalkeeper with the lowest goals-to-games ratio. A goalkeeper had to have played at least 28 games of 60 or more minutes to be eligible for the trophy.
Hat-tricks
Discipline
Stats from:
Player
* Most yellow cards: 15
**
Stefan Savić (Atlético Madrid)
* Most red cards: 2
**
Pape Diop (Eibar)
**
Djené (Getafe)
**
Raúl García (Athletic Bilbao)
**
Clément Lenglet (Barcelona)
**
Aïssa Mandi (Real Betis)
Team
* Most yellow cards: 114
**
Getafe
Getafe () is a municipalities in Spain, municipality and a city in Spain belonging to the Community of Madrid. , it has a population of 180,747, the region's sixth most populated municipality.
Getafe is located 13 km south of Madrid's city c ...
* Most red cards: 8
**
Alavés
**
Real Betis
Real Betis Balompié, known as Real Betis () is a Spanish professional association football, football club based in Seville, Andalusia, Spain. It plays in La Liga, the Spanish football league system, top flight of Spanish football. It plays home ...
* Fewest yellow cards: 57
**
Real Madrid
Real Madrid Club de Fútbol (), commonly referred to as Real Madrid, is a Spanish professional Football club (association football), football club based in Madrid. The club competes in La Liga, th ...
* Fewest red cards: 0
**
Atlético Madrid
Club Atlético de Madrid, S.A.D. (; meaning "Athletic Club of Madrid"), commonly referred to as Atlético Madrid or simply Atlético, is a Spanish professional football club based in Madrid that plays in La Liga. The club play their home game ...
Awards
Monthly
Annual
Notes and references
{{DEFAULTSORT:La Liga, 2020-21
2020-21
Spain
Spain, or the Kingdom of Spain, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe with territories in North Africa. Featuring the Punta de Tarifa, southernmost point of continental Europe, it is the largest country in Southern Eur ...
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