| Season | 2020–21 |
|---|---|
| Dates | 12 September 2020 – 23 May 2021 |
| Champions | Atlético Madrid 11th title |
| Relegated | Huesca Valladolid Eibar |
| Champions League | Atlético Madrid Real Madrid Barcelona Sevilla Villarreal (asEuropa League winners) |
| Europa League | Real Sociedad Real Betis |
| Matches | 380 |
| Goals | 953 (2.51 per match) |
| Best Player | Jan Oblak |
| Top goalscorer | Lionel Messi (30 goals) |
| Best goalkeeper | Jan Oblak (0.66 goals/match) |
| Biggest home win | Atlético Madrid 6–1Granada (27 September 2020) Atlético Madrid 5–0 Eibar (18 April 2021) |
| Biggest away win | Real Sociedad 1–6 Barcelona (21 March 2021) |
| Highest scoring | Atlético Madrid 6–1 Granada (27 September 2020) Barcelona 5–2 Real Betis (7 November 2020) Levante 4–3 Real Betis (29 December 2020) Huesca 3–4Celta Vigo (7 March 2021) Real Sociedad 1–6 Barcelona (21 March 2021) Celta Vigo 3–4 Sevilla (12 April 2021) Barcelona 5–2Getafe (22 April 2021) |
| Longest winning run | Atlético Madrid (8 matches) |
| Longest unbeaten run | Barcelona (19 matches) |
| Longest winless run | Eibar Elche (16 matches) |
| Longest losing run | Eibar (5 matches) |
2021–22 → | |
The2020–21 La Liga season, also known asLa 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.[1] The fixtures were announced on 31 August 2020.[2][3]
Real Madrid were the defending champions, after winning a record 34th title in the previous season.Huesca,Cádiz andElche joined as the promoted clubs from the2019–20 Segunda División. They replacedEspanyol,Mallorca andLeganés, who were relegated to the2020–21 Segunda División.
Exceptionally, this season the fivesubstitutions were maintained in a maximum of three rounds per team, adopted in May 2020 due to theimpact of the COVID-19 pandemic.[4]
Atlético Madrid won their eleventh La Liga title on the last day of the season, after a 2–1 comeback win againstValladolid, who were relegated with the defeat. It was their first title since2013–14.Barcelona and Real Madrid were the only other teams to have won the title since Atlético Madrid last did so.[5]
A total of twenty teams contested the league, including seventeen sides from the2019–20 season and three promoted from the2019–20 Segunda División. This included the two top teams from the Segunda División, and the winners of thepromotion play-offs.
The first team to be relegated fromLa Liga wereEspanyol, after a 0–1 loss tocity rivalsBarcelona on 8 July 2020, ending their 26-year stay in the top tier.[6] The second team to be relegated wereMallorca, following a 1–2 home defeat againstGranada on 16 July 2020, suffering an immediate return to the second division.[7] The third and final team to be relegated wereLeganés, after drawing 2–2 againstReal Madrid on 19 July 2020 in their final game of the season. This endedLega's four-year stint in the first tier.[8]
On 12 July 2020,Cádiz became the first side to mathematically be promoted, assured of a return to the top flight after a fourteen-year absence followingOviedo's 4–2 win againstZaragoza.[9] The second team to earn promotion wereHuesca, following their 3–0 win againstNumancia on 17 July 2020. This marked an immediate return to the first division after a season away.[10] The final team to achieve promotion wereElche on 23 August 2020, following a 1–0 aggregate victory overGirona in the final of the promotion play-offs, sealing a return to La Liga after a five-year absence.[11]
| Team | Outgoing manager | Manner of departure | Date of vacancy | Position in table | Incoming manager | Date of appointment |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Villarreal | Sacked | 20 July 2020 | Pre-season | 23 July 2020 | ||
| Alavés | End of contract | 5 August 2020 | ||||
| Real Betis | End of interim spell | 9 July 2020 | ||||
| Valencia | 27 July 2020 | |||||
| Barcelona | Sacked | 17 August 2020 | 19 August 2020 | |||
| Elche | Resigned | 25 August 2020 | 26 August 2020 | |||
| Celta Vigo | Sacked | 9 November 2020 | 17th | 12 November 2020 | ||
| Athletic Bilbao | 3 January 2021 | 9th | 4 January 2021 | |||
| Huesca | 12 January 2021 | 20th | 12 January 2021 | |||
| Alavés | 16th | |||||
| Elche | Resigned | 12 February 2021 | 19th | 14 February 2021 | ||
| Alavés | Sacked | 5 April 2021 | 20th | 5 April 2021 | ||
| Valencia | 2 May 2021 | 14th | 3 May 2021 |
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification or relegation |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Atlético Madrid(C) | 38 | 26 | 8 | 4 | 67 | 25 | +42 | 86 | Qualification for theChampions League group stage |
| 2 | Real Madrid | 38 | 25 | 9 | 4 | 67 | 28 | +39 | 84 | |
| 3 | Barcelona | 38 | 24 | 7 | 7 | 85 | 38 | +47 | 79 | |
| 4 | Sevilla | 38 | 24 | 5 | 9 | 53 | 33 | +20 | 77 | |
| 5 | Real Sociedad | 38 | 17 | 11 | 10 | 59 | 38 | +21 | 62 | Qualification for theEuropa League group stage[b] |
| 6 | Real Betis | 38 | 17 | 10 | 11 | 50 | 50 | 0 | 61 | |
| 7 | Villarreal | 38 | 15 | 13 | 10 | 60 | 44 | +16 | 58 | Qualification for theChampions League group stage[c] |
| 8 | Celta Vigo | 38 | 14 | 11 | 13 | 55 | 57 | −2 | 53 | |
| 9 | Granada | 38 | 13 | 7 | 18 | 47 | 65 | −18 | 46[d] | |
| 10 | Athletic Bilbao | 38 | 11 | 13 | 14 | 46 | 42 | +4 | 46[d] | |
| 11 | Osasuna | 38 | 11 | 11 | 16 | 37 | 48 | −11 | 44[e] | |
| 12 | Cádiz | 38 | 11 | 11 | 16 | 36 | 58 | −22 | 44[e] | |
| 13 | Valencia | 38 | 10 | 13 | 15 | 50 | 53 | −3 | 43 | |
| 14 | Levante | 38 | 9 | 14 | 15 | 46 | 57 | −11 | 41 | |
| 15 | Getafe | 38 | 9 | 11 | 18 | 28 | 43 | −15 | 38 | |
| 16 | Alavés | 38 | 9 | 11 | 18 | 36 | 57 | −21 | 38 | |
| 17 | Elche | 38 | 8 | 12 | 18 | 34 | 55 | −21 | 36 | |
| 18 | Huesca(R) | 38 | 7 | 13 | 18 | 34 | 53 | −19 | 34 | Relegation toSegunda División |
| 19 | Valladolid(R) | 38 | 5 | 16 | 17 | 34 | 57 | −23 | 31 | |
| 20 | Eibar(R) | 38 | 6 | 12 | 20 | 29 | 52 | −23 | 30 |
| Home \ Away | ALA | ATH | ATM | BAR | CAD | CEL | EIB | ELC | GET | GRA | HUE | LEV | OSA | BET | RMA | RSO | SEV | VAL | VLL | VIL |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alavés | — | 1–0 | 1–2 | 1–1 | 1–1 | 1–3 | 2–1 | 0–2 | 0–0 | 4–2 | 1–0 | 2–2 | 0–1 | 0–1 | 1–4 | 0–0 | 1–2 | 2–2 | 1–0 | 2–1 |
| Athletic Bilbao | 0–0 | — | 2–1 | 2–3 | 0–1 | 0–2 | 1–1 | 1–0 | 5–1 | 2–1 | 2–0 | 2–0 | 2–2 | 4–0 | 0–1 | 0–1 | 2–1 | 1–1 | 2–2 | 1–1 |
| Atlético Madrid | 1–0 | 2–1 | — | 1–0 | 4–0 | 2–2 | 5–0 | 3–1 | 1–0 | 6–1 | 2–0 | 0–2 | 2–1 | 2–0 | 1–1 | 2–1 | 2–0 | 3–1 | 2–0 | 0–0 |
| Barcelona | 5–1 | 2–1 | 0–0 | — | 1–1 | 1–2 | 1–1 | 3–0 | 5–2 | 1–2 | 4–1 | 1–0 | 4–0 | 5–2 | 1–3 | 2–1 | 1–1 | 2–2 | 1–0 | 4–0 |
| Cádiz | 3–1 | 0–4 | 2–4 | 2–1 | — | 0–0 | 1–0 | 1–3 | 0–2 | 1–1 | 2–1 | 2–2 | 0–2 | 0–1 | 0–3 | 0–1 | 1–3 | 2–1 | 0–0 | 0–0 |
| Celta Vigo | 2–0 | 0–0 | 0–2 | 0–3 | 4–0 | — | 1–1 | 3–1 | 1–0 | 3–1 | 2–1 | 2–0 | 2–1 | 2–3 | 1–3 | 1–4 | 3–4 | 2–1 | 1–1 | 0–4 |
| Eibar | 3–0 | 1–2 | 1–2 | 0–1 | 0–2 | 0–0 | — | 0–1 | 0–0 | 2–0 | 1–1 | 0–1 | 0–0 | 1–1 | 1–3 | 0–1 | 0–2 | 0–0 | 1–1 | 1–3 |
| Elche | 0–2 | 2–0 | 0–1 | 0–2 | 1–1 | 1–1 | 1–0 | — | 1–3 | 0–1 | 0–0 | 1–0 | 2–2 | 1–1 | 1–1 | 0–3 | 2–1 | 2–1 | 1–1 | 2–2 |
| Getafe | 0–0 | 1–1 | 0–0 | 1–0 | 0–1 | 1–1 | 0–1 | 1–1 | — | 0–1 | 1–0 | 2–1 | 1–0 | 3–0 | 0–0 | 0–1 | 0–1 | 3–0 | 0–1 | 1–3 |
| Granada | 2–1 | 2–0 | 1–2 | 0–4 | 0–1 | 0–0 | 4–1 | 2–1 | 0–0 | — | 3–3 | 1–1 | 2–0 | 2–0 | 1–4 | 1–0 | 1–0 | 2–1 | 1–3 | 0–3 |
| Huesca | 1–0 | 1–0 | 0–0 | 0–1 | 0–2 | 3–4 | 1–1 | 3–1 | 0–2 | 3–2 | — | 1–1 | 0–0 | 0–2 | 1–2 | 1–0 | 0–1 | 0–0 | 2–2 | 0–0 |
| Levante | 1–1 | 1–1 | 1–1 | 3–3 | 2–2 | 1–1 | 2–1 | 1–1 | 3–0 | 2–2 | 0–2 | — | 0–1 | 4–3 | 0–2 | 2–1 | 0–1 | 1–0 | 2–2 | 1–5 |
| Osasuna | 1–1 | 1–0 | 1–3 | 0–2 | 3–2 | 2–0 | 2–1 | 2–0 | 0–0 | 3–1 | 1–1 | 1–3 | — | 0–2 | 0–0 | 0–1 | 0–2 | 3–1 | 0–0 | 1–3 |
| Real Betis | 3–2 | 0–0 | 1–1 | 2–3 | 1–0 | 2–1 | 0–2 | 3–1 | 1–0 | 2–1 | 1–0 | 2–0 | 1–0 | — | 2–3 | 0–3 | 1–1 | 2–2 | 2–0 | 1–1 |
| Real Madrid | 1–2 | 3–1 | 2–0 | 2–1 | 0–1 | 2–0 | 2–0 | 2–1 | 2–0 | 2–0 | 4–1 | 1–2 | 2–0 | 0–0 | — | 1–1 | 2–2 | 2–0 | 1–0 | 2–1 |
| Real Sociedad | 4–0 | 1–1 | 0–2 | 1–6 | 4–1 | 2–1 | 1–1 | 2–0 | 3–0 | 2–0 | 4–1 | 1–0 | 1–1 | 2–2 | 0–0 | — | 1–2 | 0–1 | 4–1 | 1–1 |
| Sevilla | 1–0 | 0–1 | 1–0 | 0–2 | 3–0 | 4–2 | 0–1 | 2–0 | 3–0 | 2–1 | 1–0 | 1–0 | 1–0 | 1–0 | 0–1 | 3–2 | — | 1–0 | 1–1 | 2–0 |
| Valencia | 1–1 | 2–2 | 0–1 | 2–3 | 1–1 | 2–0 | 4–1 | 1–0 | 2–2 | 2–1 | 1–1 | 4–2 | 1–1 | 0–2 | 4–1 | 2–2 | 0–1 | — | 3–0 | 2–1 |
| Valladolid | 0–2 | 2–1 | 1–2 | 0–3 | 1–1 | 1–1 | 1–2 | 2–2 | 2–1 | 1–2 | 1–3 | 1–1 | 3–2 | 1–1 | 0–1 | 1–1 | 1–1 | 0–1 | — | 0–2 |
| Villarreal | 3–1 | 1–1 | 0–2 | 1–2 | 2–1 | 2–4 | 2–1 | 0–0 | 1–0 | 2–2 | 1–1 | 2–1 | 1–2 | 1–2 | 1–1 | 1–1 | 4–0 | 2–1 | 2–0 | — |
| Rank | Player | Club | Goals[57] |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Barcelona | 30 | |
| 2 | Real Madrid | 23 | |
| Villarreal | |||
| 4 | Atlético Madrid | 21 | |
| 5 | Sevilla | 18 | |
| 6 | Real Sociedad | 17 | |
| 7 | Celta Vigo | 14 | |
| 8 | Barcelona | 13 | |
| Huesca | |||
| Levante |
| Rank | Player | Club | Assists[58] |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Celta Vigo | 13 | |
| 2 | Atlético Madrid | 11 | |
| 3 | Atlético Madrid | 10 | |
| Real Madrid | |||
| 5 | Real Madrid | 9 | |
| Levante | |||
| Barcelona | |||
| Celta Vigo | |||
| 9 | Atlético Madrid | 8 | |
| Real Sociedad | |||
| Valencia |
TheZamora Trophy was awarded by newspaperMarca 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.[59]
| Rank | Player | Club | Goals against | Matches | Average |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Atlético Madrid | 25 | 38 | 0.66 | |
| 2 | Real Madrid | 28 | 38 | 0.74 | |
| 3 | Sevilla | 28 | 33 | 0.85 | |
| 4 | Real Sociedad | 38 | 38 | 1.00 | |
| 5 | Barcelona | 32 | 31 | 1.03 |
| Player | For | Against | Result | Date | Round |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Valencia | Real Madrid | 4–1 (H) | 8 November 2020 | 9 | |
| Sevilla | Real Sociedad | 3–2 (H) | 9 January 2021 | 18 | |
| Sevilla | Cádiz | 3–0 (H) | 23 January 2021 | 20 | |
| Huesca | Valladolid | 3–1 (A) | 29 January 2021 | 21 | |
| Real Sociedad | Alavés | 4–0 (H) | 21 February 2021 | 24 | |
| Villarreal | Granada | 3–0 (A) | 3 April 2021 | 29 | |
| Eibar | Alavés | 3–0 (H) | 1 May 2021 | 34 | |
| Villarreal | Sevilla | 4–0 (H) | 16 May 2021 | 37 |
| Month | Player of the Month | Reference | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Player | Club | ||
| September | Barcelona | [63] | |
| October | Real Sociedad | [64] | |
| November | Atlético Madrid | [65] | |
| December | Celta Vigo | [66] | |
| January | Sevilla | [67] | |
| February | Barcelona | [68] | |
| March | Real Madrid | [69] | |
| April | Sevilla | [70] | |
| May | Atlético Madrid | [71] | |
| Award | Winner | Club | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Player of the Season | Atlético Madrid | [72] |