Ranking top five La Liga matches of all time

Renowned for its technical quality and global following, La Liga is one of the most popular football leagues in the world. Whether it's the aura of European giants like Real Madrid and Barcelona, or the defensive strength of clubs like Atlético Madrid and Athletic Bilbao, La Liga offers it all. The technical brilliance on the pitch combined with the passion of the fans stirs the hearts of football purists. Like that of the other leagues across the globe, La Liga has seen record-breaking scorelines to title-deciding clashes with bare margins. 

In this article, we’ll explore the top five La Liga matches - from the early 1930s to a recent El Clásico - where team spirit played a defining role.

Ranking top five La Liga matches of all time

1) Real Madrid 10-2 Rayo Vallecano - 2015 - Santiago Bernabéu

One of the heaviest demolition jobs done by the Santiago Bernabéu outfit, the game between Real Madrid and Rayo Vallecano remains one of the most remarkable scorelines in history. Danilo had started the game on a brighter note for Los Banos with a goal in the third minute, but it was Rayo Vallecano’s Amaya and Jozabed’s strikes in the span of 3 minutes, that put Real Madrid on the backfoot. Unshaken by the scoreline, Gareth Bale, Cristiano Ronaldo and Karim Benzema took the matter into their own hands as they demolished the opposition. Bale had four goals to his name whereas Benzema scored three goals. Ronaldo contributed to the side with a brace.

2) Athletic Club 12-1 Barcelona - 1931 - San Mamés

An encounter in the history books that, even if the club wants to erase, cannot be erased. The game between Athletic Club and Barcelona before World War II saw 13 goals scored. However, these goals were not scored by the two sides. It was Athletic Club, that scored 12 goals against their opposition at San Mames.

The Basque club was sensational on the pitch. Agustin Sauto Bata scored six goals whereas Garizurieta, Iraragorri, Gorostiza, and La Fuente added to the tally. The humiliation of historic protests saw Athletic Club scoring six past the opposition in the first half.  The game came in the golden period of the Basque club.

3) Barcelona 3-2 Real Madrid - 2017 - Camp Nou

One of the modern-day El Clásico that decided the La Liga title race in the most dramatic fashion. Barcelona staged a comeback in a closely fought contest without compromising the quality and resilience in the pressure situation. Casemiro scored just before the half-an-hour mark in the league game but only for Lionel Messi to score the all-important equalizer five minutes, later. While the game hung in the balance, Ivan Rakitić scored the goal in the 73rd minute. 

Real Madrid kept going with the aim of finding the equalizer. The efforts yielded results in the 85th minute when Rodriguez equalized for Los Banos. However, the game was not over. The Argentinian scored the goal in injury time to take home all three points, also sending the crowd in Camp Nou into delirium.

4)  Barcelona 1-1 Atlético Madrid- 2014 - Camp Nou

While there have been games where the wins have decided the fate of the title race, it was a draw between the fierce rivals in the league that decided the most dramatic climax in the history of La Liga. The game between the Rojiblancos and Barcelona was a title decider where Atlético Madrid needed a draw to seal the draw and break the El Clásico dominance. 

Barcelona needed a victory to maintain their title hopes whereas Atlético Madrid were disciplined and the threat created fascinating title hopes for the side. The Chilean, Alexis Sánchez, opened the scoring for the team in the 33rd minute, improving the hopes of Barcelona. However, Diego Godín stepped up in the second half to score the goal. The 49th-minute strike helped the side to equalize, which was enough to frustrate the opposition to take home the important point as well as all three points.

5) Barcelona 5-0 Real Madrid - 2010 - Camp Nou

While El Clásico is known for close fights and taking the opposition by the scruff of their necks in an intense game, Barcelona surprised their opposition with a demolition job. Pep Guardiola’s team did not give a breather to the opposition as their tiki-taka philosophy took the opposition out of the game. 

Xavi opened the scoring for the Catalans before Pedro added one more before the clock ticked the 19th-minute mark. However, Real Madrid grew into the game with the game reaching closer to half-time. Barcelona did not stop attacking in the second half as David Villa scored a brace in four minutes before the hour mark to help his club extend the lead to four. Jeffrén Suárez scored the final goal of the game to cap it off.