Has the quality of La Liga dropped? Why Spanish football is enduring a transitional phase

Lionel Messi
(Image credit: Getty)

When historians look back at when Spanish football peaked, they'll probably stab a pin between 2009 and 2011. Vicente Del Bosque led the nation to its first World Cup victory in South Africa in 2010, sandwiched between Pep Guardiola's two Barcelona Champions League titles. Really, it was just the start of a golden decade.

In 2012, Spain retained the Euros as Atletico Madrid beat Athletic Bilbao in the Europa League final, while Guardiola and Jose Mourinho (then at Real Madrid) locked horns in the heat of La Liga. Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo struck 133 goals in all competitions between them in 2011/12; as the decade wore on, the pair loomed large over the continent - but they weren't the only ones.

Thank you for reading 5 articles this month* Join now for unlimited access

Enjoy your first month for just £1 / $1 / €1

*Read 5 free articles per month without a subscription

Join now for unlimited access

Try first month for just £1 / $1 / €1

Mark White
Content Editor

Mark White is the Digital Content Editor at FourFourTwo. During his time on the brand, Mark has written three cover features on Mikel Arteta, Martin Odegaard and the Invincibles, and has written pieces on subjects ranging from Sir Bobby Robson’s time at Barcelona to the career of Robinho. An encyclopedia of football trivia and collector of shirts, he first joined the team back in 2020 as a staff writer.