In 2010 Spain won their first FIFA world cup. They defeated the Netherlands 1-0. The First Division of Spain's Liga de Futbol Professional is most commonly known as La Liga. It has 20 teams currently and throughout its existence 59 teams have competed.
Of the 59 teams that have been part of La Liga, only 9 have been crowned champions. Since the 1950's Barcelona and Real Madrid have dominated the league.
Real Madrid is the most successful in the League with 31 championships. They also were named by FIFA as the greatest futbol club of the 20th century. One of the top ten highest paid athletes in the world, Cristiano Ronaldo (below) plays for Real Madrid. Other big names are Iker Casillas, Sergio Ramos and Xabi Alonso.
