Spanish football is known for its technical skill and rich history and has produced some of the most successful clubs in the world. For a very long time, and still to this day, Real Madrid and Barcelona are at the very top of the club football hierarchy. La Liga is ranked number three in Europe by UEFA, just beaten by the English Premier League and the Italian Serie A. In this ranking, we are looking at the top two divisions in Spain, La Liga and La Liga 2. Read this article to find out; Who is the best Spanish football team right now?
But Also...
What is the most successful team in Spain historically? And who is the biggest club in Spain? To find out, it is required to look at more than just the current standings. This article ranks the clubs based on an algorithm that considers several key performance indicators, such as recent performance and success, historic achievements, and the overall size of each football club currently in the La Liga or La Liga 2. Read more about our ranking here, to understand how this is calculated.
There are two clubs in Spanish club football that everyone is talking about, Real Madrid and Barcelona. But there is also the outsider in Atlético Madrid, who is always ready to bite if one of those teams fails. The debate over which Spanish football team is the best is one of the biggest discussions in world club football. When considering all factors it is possible to find out. Let us dive into the rankings to find out.
Top 10 at this moment - Best Spanish Football Team
Full data - Best Spanish Football Team in La Liga and La Liga 2 - last updated after the 2023/24 season
| Team | Ranking | Recent Success | Historic Achievements | Overall Size | Total score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Real Madrid | 1 | 51.85 | 61.90 | 14.99 | 128.74 |
| FC Barcelona | 2 | 31.89 | 43.15 | 6.69 | 81.73 |
| Atlético de Madrid | 3 | 24.02 | 14.08 | 4.99 | 43.09 |
| Athletic Bilbao | 4 | 11.89 | 16.15 | 2.42 | 30.46 |
| Real Sociedad | 5 | 12.91 | 3.13 | 3.05 | 19.09 |
| Valencia CF | 6 | 7.78 | 8.95 | 1.88 | 18.60 |
| Sevilla FC | 7 | 10.87 | 2.85 | 1.50 | 15.23 |
| Real Betis Balompié | 8 | 8.77 | 2.00 | 2.04 | 12.81 |
| Villarreal CF | 9 | 10.37 | 0.30 | 0.77 | 11.44 |
| CA Osasuna | 10 | 7.49 | 0.15 | 0.39 | 8.03 |
| Celta de Vigo | 11 | 5.99 | 0.33 | 0.45 | 6.76 |
| Getafe CF | 12 | 5.82 | 0.20 | 0.22 | 6.24 |
| RCD Mallorca | 13 | 5.42 | 0.35 | 0.31 | 6.08 |
| RCD Espanyol Barcelona | 14 | 4.59 | 1.03 | 0.22 | 5.84 |
| Granada CF | 15 | 5.48 | 0.00 | 0.29 | 5.77 |
| Girona FC | 16 | 5.00 | 0.08 | 0.62 | 5.70 |
| Deportivo Alavés | 17 | 4.95 | 0.05 | 0.34 | 5.34 |
| Rayo Vallecano | 18 | 5.02 | 0.10 | 0.18 | 5.30 |
| Real Zaragoza | 19 | 3.58 | 1.50 | 0.15 | 5.23 |
| Cádiz CF | 20 | 4.96 | 0.00 | 0.22 | 5.18 |
| Levante DU | 21 | 4.73 | 0.25 | 0.07 | 5.05 |
| Real Valladolid CF | 22 | 4.63 | 0.03 | 0.15 | 4.81 |
| Deportivo de La Coruña | 23 | 2.96 | 1.75 | 0.04 | 4.75 |
| UD Almería | 24 | 4.40 | 0.00 | 0.19 | 4.59 |
| UD Las Palmas | 25 | 4.00 | 0.05 | 0.49 | 4.54 |
| Elche CF | 26 | 4.31 | 0.00 | 0.10 | 4.41 |
| SD Eibar | 27 | 4.30 | 0.00 | 0.03 | 4.33 |
| CD Leganés | 28 | 3.93 | 0.03 | 0.04 | 4.00 |
| Sporting Gijón | 29 | 3.62 | 0.00 | 0.12 | 3.74 |
| CD Tenerife | 30 | 3.68 | 0.00 | 0.05 | 3.73 |
| Real Oviedo | 31 | 3.59 | 0.00 | 0.12 | 3.71 |
| SD Huesca | 32 | 3.65 | 0.00 | 0.02 | 3.67 |
| CD Mirandés | 33 | 3.52 | 0.00 | 0.01 | 3.53 |
| FC Cartagena | 34 | 3.32 | 0.00 | 0.02 | 3.34 |
| Albacete Balompié | 35 | 3.25 | 0.00 | 0.04 | 3.29 |
| Burgos CF | 36 | 3.23 | 0.00 | 0.04 | 3.26 |
| Málaga CF | 37 | 3.21 | 0.00 | 0.04 | 3.24 |
| Racing Santander | 38 | 3.16 | 0.00 | 0.07 | 3.23 |
| Racing Ferrol | 39 | 3.00 | 0.00 | 0.02 | 3.02 |
| CD Eldense | 40 | 2.98 | 0.00 | 0.01 | 2.99 |
| CD Castellón | 41 | 2.95 | 0.00 | 0.02 | 2.97 |
| Córdoba CF | 42 | 2.92 | 0.00 | 0.01 | 2.93 |
Club Summaries
1. Real Madrid
Founded: 1902
Division: La Liga
Stadium: Santiago Bernabéu
Recent Success
Real Madrid has won three out of the five last league titles in Spain, and they have also won one cup title and two Champions League titles in the same period. Impressive stats, that puts them comfortably on top in this category.
Historic Ahievements
Real Madrid is comfortably on top in recent success, and the same goes for historic achievements. They are a big step in front of Barcelona regarding trophies. They have an impressive number of 36 league titles and 20 cup titles. But most impressive of them all, is the record Champions League trophies with 15.
Overall Size
One of the absolute biggest clubs in world football, they are also topping the category for overall size. Being fairly comfortable on top of every category, it is fair to say that Real Madrid is a few big steps ahead of the other competitors.
2. FC Barcelona
Founded: 1899
Division: La Liga
Stadium: Olímpic Lluís Companys
Recent Success
Barcelona has seen some ups and downs in recent times and has not been as stable as they were a few years back. They are working on a promising rebuild, and are looking forward to moving into the new Camp Nou. This is maybe what it takes to get back to the absolute top. They are ranked second in this category, just ahead of Atlético Madrid.
Historic Achievements
Talking about the most historic clubs in Spain, there are only two options. Barcelona or Real Madrid. Real Madrid has a lead, but Barcelona is ranked at number two in this category, well ahead of the clubs behind.
Overall Size
Same as the other categories, Barcelona is ranked second in this category, far behind Real Madrid. In almost every other league, Barcelona would be ranked at number one in this category. This just shows how big and successful Real Madrid has been and is at the moment.
3. Atlético de Madrid
Founded: 1903
Division: La Liga
Stadium: Riyadh Air Metropolitano
Recent Success
It is not easy to compete against clubs like Real Madrid and Barcelona, but Atlético Madrid is giving it their best. In the last five seasons, they have won the La Liga once, and have been battling in the top every season. This puts them in third place in this category, just behind Barcelona, and far ahead of the clubs behind.
Historic Achievements
Atlético Madrid is ranked fourth in this category. They have won a good number of league and cup trophies, but they have never won the Champions League.
Overall Size
It is no surprise that Atlético Madrid is placed in third place in this category, behind Real Madrid and Barcelona. Atlético Madrid is a huge club, but right now they can not compete with the two biggest clubs in Spain in this category.
4. Athletic Bilbao
Founded: 1898
Division: La Liga
Stadium: San Mamés
Recent Success
Athletic Bilbao is ranked at number five in this category. The only trophy they have won in the last five seasons is the Spanish cup trophy. However, it is impressive what Athletic Bilbao is doing, being close to the top in Spanish football with almost exclusively local players.
Historic Achievements
Athletic Bilbao ranks at number three in this category, ahead of big clubs like Atlético Madrid. They have an impressive number of 24 cup trophies, and also eight league trophies. Unfortunately for Athletic Bilbao, the last league trophy came in the 1983/84 season.
Overall Size
Athletic Bilbao also ranks in the top five in this category, being placed in fifth position. It is without a doubt a big club in Spanis club football, but have a distance to go if they want to be considered one of the absolute best.
5. Real Sociedad
Founded: 1908
Division: La Liga
Stadium: Reale Arena
Recent Success
Far behind the three clubs in front of them, Real Sociedad is ranked at number four in this category. The worst placement in the league in the last five seasons is number six, which shows a club that is always delivering good results but is struggling to make the next step into the biggest scene.
Historic Achievements
Out of the top five teams in Spain, Real Sociedad is by far the club that ranks the lowest in the category for historic achievements. There are not too many trophies to look back on.
Overall Size
Even though they do not have the biggest trophy cabinet in Spain, they are ranked at number four in this category. They should have what it takes to put pressure on the teams in front of them. Time will show if they can succeed in doing so.
Honorable mentions
6. Valencia CF
The top five clubs in the total ranking are also taking up the top five spots in every category, with only one exception. Valencia is ranked at number five in the category for historic achievements. Once a giant in Spanish club football, Valencia has six league titles and eight cup trophies under its belt. This puts them ahead of Real Sociedad in that category. They are only ranked at number nine in the category for recent success, so Valencia has a big job to do if they want to go back to the strong era they experienced in the early 2000s.
Conclusion - The Best Spanish Football Team
In summary, Real Madrid is comfortably on top being ranked number one in every category. Barcelona is usually a bigger contender, but they have struggled in recent years after the Messi era. However, they are looking stronger and stronger recently, so it will be no big surprise if they once again become the best Spanish football team. When talking about Spanish club football, it is usually a discussion about Real Madrid and Barcelona. Can Atlético Madrid do anything about this in the future? Or will the gap between the two and the rest just get bigger? The time will tell, but there is no doubt that Spanish club football will be exciting to watch in the future. This ranking is last updated after the 2023/24 season and will be updated as soon as the 2024/25 season ends. Sign up for our newspaper to get notified when the new ranking arrives!
