Spain has always been one of the major contributors to the soccer game when it comes to history and popularity.
Spain has some of the best soccer clubs in the world, one of the top soccer leagues in the world, some of the best players in the world, and some excellent world wide records throughout the history of soccer.
Yet, there are many people that do not know about the true influence that Spain has on soccer. If you are one of these people, then the following 6 facts might give you an idea about soccer in Spain.
1- Soccer is Spain’s national sport.
I wanted to start with this fact just so that I get the chance to emphasize how wildly popular soccer is in Spain.
Most, if not all, of the cities in Spain have their own professional soccer team that competes to reserve a spot in La Liga, which is Spain’s biggest domestic soccer league.
While the word “National Sport” might not be of a huge significance, there is no denial that soccer is the most popular sport in Spain.
There is a reason why soccer is the national sport in Spain according to many Spanish people. Spain is one of the early adopters of soccer in its modern form and it has one of the oldest known soccer competitions around the world.
2- Soccer is a major part of Spain’s Economy
According to this article back from December 2018, professional soccer in Spain was worth more than 15.5 Billion Euros. That’s more than the budget of some entire countries.
The same article states that soccer in Spain contributed around 185,000 jobs to the economy, which means that hundreds of thousands of people in Spain rely on soccer for a living.
Soccer also boosts tourism in Spain as it usually hosts some of the biggest soccer games in the world. One well known game is called El Clasico.
El Clasico is a name given to a soccer match between the rival clubs Barcelona and Real Madrid, which are 2 of the biggest soccer clubs in the history of the game.
You can learn more about the special soccer games in this article.
Many people from all over the world visit Spain for a chance to attend some of the best soccer matches in person, and that helps the economy of Spain grow.
3- Spain has 2 of the most valuable sports clubs in the world.
FC Barcelona and Real Madrid CF both ranked among the top 5 most valuable sports teams in the world during 2021 according to statistica.
According to the graph, Barcelona ranked 4th with a valuation of 4.76 Billion dollars while Real Madrid ranked second with a valuation of 4.75 Billion dollars.
Keep in mind that these rankings span across all sports and not just soccer.
When it comes to soccer, Barcelona and Real Madrid ranked the top 2 most valuable clubs in soccer in 2021 according to the above source. And both of these clubs are located in Spain.
4- Spanish clubs have the highest number of champions league titles
The champions league is arguably the biggest soccer club competition around the world. Every year, 32 of the top European soccer clubs compete against each other to win the title.
And guess what, the Spanish teams have dominated this competition for a long period of time. Spain has more champions league titles than any other European country.
As of 2021, Spanish clubs have a combined total of 18 Champions League titles. Real Madrid alone has 13 titles while Barcelona has 5.
England comes second with a total of 14 Champions League titles distributed across a number of English clubs (Liverpool, Manchester United, Chelsea, and others).
5- Spanish clubs have the highest number of Europa League titles.
Europa League is another major club competition in Europe. Usually, the top clubs that fail to qualify for the champions league play against each other in the Europa League.
The Spanish clubs also dominate the Europa League competition. Between the years 2010 and 2021, Spanish clubs have won 8 Europa League titles out of 12.
Spanish clubs combined have won the most number of Europa League titles with a total of 13 titles as of 2021.
If you are interested in learning more about the different types of professional soccer competitions around the world, you can check this article.
6- The Spanish national team were unbeaten for 35 matches straight.
I want to end this article with a fact about the Spanish national team.
Between the years 2007 and 2009, The Spanish national team managed to remain unbeaten for 35 matches straight. By doing so, they equalized the world record that was held by Brazil.
At that time, Spain had some of the best soccer players in the history of the game. Spain had the likes of Xavi Hernandez, Andres Iniesta, Sergio Ramos, Carles Puyol, Iker Casillas, and a number of other world class soccer players.
Some soccer experts claim that the 2008 Spanish soccer team was the best soccer team in the history of the game.
Can you guess who broke the unbeaten record of the Spanish team in 2009? It was the United States of America.
Although soccer in the United States isn’t as competitive as soccer in many other countries around the world, the USA team still managed to beat Spain and break their historical “unbeaten streak”.
CONCLUSION
Soccer contributes a lot to the Spanish culture and to the economy of Spain, and in return, Spain contributes a lot to the history of soccer both domestically and globally.
Spain has always been an integral part in the biggest soccer competitions around the world.
Spain has some of the best teams in the world, the most competitive soccer competitions in the world, and so much more.