How many Liga titles have Real Madrid won?

Real Madrid stand on the cusp of another Liga title – with the tantalizing prospect of being crowned champions on the turf of their city rivals and current holders Atlético – and at this stage of the 2021-22 campaign it will take little short of an act of divine intervention to prevent Carlo Ancelotti from landing the title in his first season back in the Bernabéu dug-out. Other than Sevilla, no other side has really launched a challenge to Madrid’s dominance this season, reigning champions Atleti regularly shooting themselves in the foot and Barcelona failing to recover from one of their worst-ever starts to a Liga season – even if the recent renaissance under Xavi lent some interest to proceedings after Madrid suffered a Clásico thrashing in Camp Nou.

Madrid, Barça and Atleti operate closed Liga shop

If (and when) Madrid lift the Liga trophy it will be a minor milestone: the 35th triumph for Los Blancos in the domestic competition. That would take Ancelotti’s side nine clear of Barça, who with 26 victories are second on the all-time list of champions. Only Atlético have also reached double figures, with 11 titles, lending some credence to the idea that the Spanish top flight is dominated by a “big three” conglomerate of the Madrid sides and the Catalan giants.

In fact, only two other clubs have won LaLiga so far in the 21st century: Valencia (2001-02 and 2003-04) and Deportivo, during the Galician side’s “Super Depor” heyday in 1999-2000.

LaLiga only has nine champions in its 90-year history

In total, only nine teams have ever won LaLiga since its foundation in 1929, and of those three (Depor, Sevilla and Betis) have done so only once. There was a brief period of Basque hegemony in the early 1980s, when Athletic and Real Sociedad shared four titles between 1980 and 1984, but since the turn of the century it has largely been a procession for Madrid and Barça, with the occasional intervention.

While Madrid have historically been the biggest fish in LaLiga, Los Blancos cannot claim to be the most successful side in domestic club competition in Europe’s big five leagues. That honor belongs to Juventus, who have won Serie A 36 times. Traditional Bundesliga heavyweights Bayern have lifted the title on 30 occasions while in England Manchester United still – albeit by the skin of their teeth – cling to their perch at the summit with 20 titles to Liverpool’s 19.

Number of domestic title winners across Europe’s top five leagues