2010–11 La Liga

La Liga
Season2010–11
Dates28 August 2010 – 21 May 2011
ChampionsBarcelona
21st title
RelegatedDeportivo La Coruña
Hércules
Almería
Champions LeagueBarcelona
Real Madrid
Valencia
Villarreal
Europa LeagueSevilla
Athletic Bilbao
Atlético Madrid
Matches played380
Goals scored1,042 (2.74 per match)
Top goalscorerCristiano Ronaldo
(40 goals)
Biggest home winReal Madrid 7–0 Málaga
(3 March 2011)
Real Madrid 8–1 Almería
(21 May 2011)
Biggest away winAlmería 0–8 Barcelona
(20 November 2010)
Highest scoringValencia 3–6 Real Madrid
(23 April 2011)
Real Madrid 8–1 Almería
(21 May 2011)
Longest winning run16 matches
Barcelona
Longest unbeaten run31 matches
Barcelona
Longest winless run11 matches
Sporting Gijón
Longest losing run7 matches
Almería
Highest attendance98,000
Barcelona 5–0 Real Madrid
(29 November 2010)
Lowest attendance5,000
Almería 0–0 Villarreal
(11 May 2011)
Almería 3–1 Mallorca
(15 May 2011)
Average attendance29,099

The 2010–11 La Liga (known as the Liga BBVA for sponsorship reasons) was the 80th season of La Liga since its establishment. The campaign began on 28 August 2010, and concluded on 21 May 2011. A total of 20 teams contested the league, 17 of which already partook in the 2009–10 season, and three of which were promoted from the Segunda División. In addition, a new match ball – the Nike Total 90 Tracer – served as the official ball for all matches.

Defending champions Barcelona secured a third consecutive and overall 21st La Liga title following a 1–1 draw with Levante on 11 May 2011. The result gave Barcelona a six-point lead with two matches remaining which, combined with their superior head-to-head record against Real Madrid, ensured that they would finish top of the table. Barcelona led the table since defeating Real Madrid 5–0 on 23 November 2010. From that point onwards, they lost only one match en route to winning the title. Barcelona's Lionel Messi won La Liga's Award for Best Player for a third straight year.

The season was again dominated by Barcelona and Real Madrid, with second-place Madrid 21 points ahead of third-place Valencia. Having also faced off in the Champions League semi-finals and the Copa del Rey final, the top two rivals met four times over seventeen days, for a total of five meetings this season.