Hilary Swank

Hilary Swank,

Hilary Ann Swank,(born July 30, 1974) is an American actress. Her film career began with a small part in Buffy the Vampire Slayer (1992) and then a major part in The Next Karate Kid (1994), where she played Julie Pierce, the first female protégé of sensei Mr. Miyagi. She has become known for her two Academy Award-winning performances: first as Brandon Teena, a transgender man (FTM) in the movie Boys Don't Cry (1999), and a struggling waitress-turned-boxer, Maggie Fitzgerald, in Million Dollar Baby (2004).

Early life

Swank was born in Lincoln, Nebraska, the daughter of Judy Kay (née Clough), a secretary and former dancer, and Stephen Michael Swank, who was an officer in the Air National Guard and later a traveling salesman. She has a brother, Daniel. Swank's surname is of German origin. Her maternal grandmother was of Spanish and Shoshone Native American ancestry, and many of Swank's family members hail from Ringgold County, Iowa. Swank came from humble beginnings, particularly as a child growing up in a trailer park near Lake Samish in Bellingham, Washington, to which she moved at age six, after having lived in Spokane, Washington. Swank has described her younger self as an "outsider" who felt that she belonged "only when [reading] a book or [seeing] a movie, and could get involved with a character," and was thus inspired to become an actress.

When Swank was nine years old, she made her first appearance on stage, starring in The Jungle Book. She became involved in school and community theater programs, including those of the Bellingham Theatre Guild, and attended Sehome High School in Bellingham until she was sixteen. Swank also competed in the Junior Olympics and the Washington state championships in swimming; she ranked fifth in the state in all-around gymnastics. Swank's parents separated when she was thirteen, and her mother, supportive of her daughter's desire to act, moved to Los Angeles, where they lived out of their car until Swank's mother saved enough money to rent an apartment. Swank has described her mother as the inspiration for her acting career and her life.In California, Swank enrolled in South Pasadena High School (although she later dropped out of school) and started acting professionally. She helped pay the rent with the money she earned appearing in television programs such as Evening Shade and Growing Pains.

Career

Swank's first leading film role was in The Next Karate Kid (1994), which utilized her gymnastics background and paired her with Pat Morita. It was the fourth movie in the Karate Kid series. In September 1997, Swank was cast as single mother Carly Reynolds on Beverly Hills, 90210. She was initially promised it would be a two-year role, but saw her character written out after 16 episodes in January 1998. Swank later stated that she was devastated at being cut from the show, thinking, "If I'm not good enough for 90210, I'm not good enough for anything."

The firing freed her to audition for the role of Brandon Teena in Boys Don't Cry. Swank reduced her body fat to seven percent in preparation for the role. Many critics hailed hers as the best female performance of 1999, and Swank's work ultimately won her the Golden Globe and Oscar for Best Actress. Swank had earned only $75 per day for her work on Boys Don't Cry, culminating in a total of $3,000. Her earnings were so low, that she had not even earned enough to qualify for health insurance.

Swank subsequently again won the Best Actress Oscar, and another Golden Globe, for playing a boxer in Clint Eastwood's 2004 film Million Dollar Baby, a role for which she underwent training in the ring and gained 19 pounds of muscle. Swank's success meant that she had joined the ranks of Vivien Leigh, Helen Hayes, Sally Field, and Luise Rainer as the only actresses to have been nominated for Academy Awards twice and win both times. After winning her second Oscar, she said, "I don't know what I did in this life to deserve this. I'm just a girl from a trailer park who had a dream."

Swank at the 2008 Academy Awards

In early 2006, Swank signed a three-year contract as spokesperson for Guerlain (a women's fragrance). She received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame on January 8, 2007. Hers was the 2,325th star presented.

In 2007, Swank starred in and executive produced Freedom Writers, a drama about a real-life teacher, Erin Gruwell, who inspired a California high school class. Many reviews of Swank's performance were positive, with one critic noting that she "brings credibility" to the role, and another stating that her performance reaches a "singular lack of artifice, stripping herself back to the bare essentials". Swank next starred in The Reaping, a horror film released on April 5, 2007, in which she played a debunker of religious phenomena. Swank convinced the producers to move the film's setting from New England to the Deep South, and the movie was being filmed in Baton Rouge, Louisiana when Hurricane Katrina struck. The same year, she also appeared in the romantic comedy P.S. I Love You alongside Gerard Butler.

Swank portrayed Amelia Earhart in the biopic Amelia, a film she also co-executive produced. Filming occurred in the summer of 2008 in a number of international locations. Swank is also attached to star in the Hollywood remake of Intimate Strangers. In addition, it was reported that Swank would play a lead role in, and produce, a film adaptation of the John Marks novel Fangland.

Personal life

Swank has said that she is "an actor, not a celebrity" and has described herself as a "homebody." Swank considers herself a spiritual person, though not a member of an organized religion. She has said that she is "athletically inclined" and that she "love sports."

Swank developed potential health problems, including elevated mercury levels in her body, through certain preparations for her roles, including weight gain and loss for Boys Don't Cry and The Black Dahlia. She has stated that she would "do what [she] need to make [the role] believable and to make it work" and that her "battle scars are a reminder that you're alive and human and that you bleed." In 2007, Swank noted that she "feel like in the last couple of years, I’ve really come into my own and a lot of that has come from figuring out who I really am and what I want in life."

Swank married actor Chad Lowe on September 28, 1997. The two met in 1992, on the set of Quiet Days in Hollywood, a direct-to-video film. Swank infamously forgot to thank Lowe during her acceptance speech after winning her first Oscar in 2000, and she spent nearly every public appearance afterward making up for it. Upon winning her second Oscar in 2005, Lowe was the first person she thanked. However, in January 2006, the couple separated. In subsequent interviews, Swank expressed hope that they could reconcile, but they announced in May 2006 that they were divorcing. In December 2006, Swank confirmed that she was dating John Campisi, her agent.

Filmography

Year Film Role Notes

1991 Evening Shade Aimee #1 (1991–1992) TV series

Harry and the Hendersons Guest star TV series

Growing Pains Sasha Serotsky (1991–1992) TV series

1992 Camp Wilder Danielle TV series

Buffy the Vampire Slayer Kimberly Hannah

1994 The Next Karate Kid Julie Pierce

Cries Unheard: The Donna Yaklich Story Patty TV movie

1996 Sometimes They Come Back... Again Michelle Porter

Terror in the Family Deena Martin TV movie

Kounterfeit Colleen

1997 Quiet Days in Hollywood Lolita

The Sleepwalker Killing Lauren Schall Lifetime TV movie

Leaving L.A. Tiffany Roebuck TV series

Dying to Belong Lisa Connors TV movie

Beverly Hills, 90210 Carly Reynolds (1997–1998) TV series

1998 Heartwood Sylvia Orsini

1999 Boys Don't Cry Brandon Teena Academy Award for Best Actress

Boston Society of Film Critics Award for Best Actress

Central Ohio Film Critics Association Award for Best Actress

Chicago Film Critics Association Award for Best Actress

Chicago International Film Festival, Silver Hugo Award for Best Actress

Chlotrudis Award for Best Actress

Dallas-Fort Worth Film Critics Association Award for Best Actress

Florida Film Critics Circle Award for Best Actress

Gijón International Film Festival Award for Best Actress

Golden Globe Award for Best Actress – Motion Picture Drama

Independent Spirit Award for Best Lead Female

Las Vegas Film Critics Society Award for Best Actress

Los Angeles Film Critics Association Award for Best Actress

National Board of Review Award for Breakthrough Performance

New York Film Critics Circle Award for Best Actress

Santa Fe Film Critics Circle Award for Best Actress

Satellite Award for Best Actor – Motion Picture Drama

Southeastern Film Critics Association Award for Best Actress

Toronto Film Critics Association Award for Best Actress

Nominated — BAFTA Award for Best Actress in a Leading Role

Nominated — Empire Award for Best Actress

Nominated — MTV Movie Award for Best Kiss

Nominated — MTV Movie Award for Best Female Performance

Nominated — Online Film Critics Society Award for Best Actress

Nominated — Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Leading Role

2000 The Gift Valerie Barksdale Nominated — Saturn Award for Best Supporting Actress

Scary Movie Girl in car

The Audition Short subject

2001 The Affair of the Necklace Jeanne St. Rémy de Valois

2002 The Space Between Short subject

Insomnia Detective Ellie Burr Nominated — Empire Award for Best Actress

2003 11:14 Buzzy Also executive producer

The Core Major Rebecca Childs

2004 Million Dollar Baby Maggie Fitzgerald Academy Award for Best Actress

Boston Society of Film Critics Award for Best Actress

Central Ohio Film Critics Association For Best Actress

Dallas-Fort Worth Film Critics Association Award for Best Actress

Florida Film Critics Circle Award for Best Actress

Golden Globe Award for Best Actress – Motion Picture Drama

Kansas City Film Critics Circle Award for Best Actress

National Society of Film Critics Award for Best Actress

Phoenix Film Critics Society Award for Best Actress

Satellite Award for Best Actor – Motion Picture Drama

Sant Jordi Awards for Best Actress

Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Leading Role

Nominated — Empire Award for Best Actress

Nominated — MTV Movie Award for Best Female Performance

Nominated — Online Film Critics Society Award for Best Actress

Nominated — Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture

Red Dust Sarah Barcant

Iron Jawed Angels Alice Paul TV movie

Nominated — Golden Globe Award for Best Actress – Miniseries or Television Film

Nominated — Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Miniseries or Television Movie

2006 The Black Dahlia Madeleine Linscott

2007 Freedom Writers Erin Gruwell Also executive producer

The Reaping Professor Katherine Winter

P. S. I Love You Holly Kennedy Irish Film & Television Audience Award for Best International Actress

2008 Birds of America Laura

2009 Amelia Amelia Earhart Hollywood film festival Best Actress

2010 The Resident Dr. Juliet Dermer in post-production

Conviction Betty Anne Waters completed

2011 Falling Out of Fashion in development

Fangland Evangeline Harker in development

(source:wikipedia)

Hollie Steel

Hollie Steel (born 1 July 1998) is a schoolgirl and performer from Huncoat, Lancashire, England. In 2009 at the age of ten she was one of ten finalists on the third series of the ITV reality show Britain's Got Talent.
Her first audition drew mostly positive comments from all of the show's judges. In her second appearance during the semi-finals Steel forgot the words of her song, broke down in tears and could not finish the song, but one of the programme's judges intervened and she was allowed to perform a second time.Steel advanced to the finals and finished in sixth place. She then toured the United Kingdom, making live performances with the series' other finalists in the summer of 2009.
In September 2009, Steel signed with a record label and began recording her debut album, which is due for release in May 2010.

Early life

Steel has been singing since the age of six when she showed interest in her brother Joshua's performances. She also attends the KLF Dance Academy in Burnley with him. Prior to Britain's Got Talent she performed in productions of Annie and Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat.
Steel's parents, Nina and Jason, who work as National Health Service audiologists, said that she was entered in Britain's Got Talent so she would not feel left out as they felt her older brother, Joshua, was more likely to progress.
Steel had serious pneumonia when she was four years old; fluid filled one of her lungs and surgeons considered removing the lung. She was instead hospitalised for three months at Royal Manchester Children's Hospital and underwent several operations to drain her lungs.


Singing career

2009: Britain's Got Talent
Steel first auditioned for Britain's Got Talent in April 2009. In her first televised appearance, she began her number ballet dancing to "I Could Have Danced All Night" from the musical My Fair Lady, then, as judge Simon Cowell started to reach for the red rejection buzzer, she began singing the song with an unexpectedly powerful voice. She received a standing ovation from the audience and the approval of all four judges. Piers Morgan told Steel, "We have seen a lot of children on our show over the past three series and I have never heard any of them sing as well as you do". Kelly Brook was in tears and called her performance, "beautiful and lovely". Media reports at the time claimed that Steel had referred to Cowell as a bully for critical comments he made after her first appearance on the show; however, a blog at a Lancashire newspaper's web site that was attributed to Steel and her mother denied that she had ever made such a comment.
Commentators and mainstream media outlets speculated that she might defeat Susan Boyle, who had made an impression worldwide in the first show of the series. Over thirteen million viewers watched Steel's performance and, within one day of a video of her performance being posted on YouTube, over a million viewers had seen her worldwide. She was interviewed on US television via satellite link during NBC's Today show.
During her second appearance in Britain's Got Talent in May, Steel forgot her words and broke down mid-performance. After tearfully appealing for a second chance but being denied by the producers, Simon Cowell intervened saying, "I don't care how we do it but we will find the time somewhere to let you audition again", and she was allowed to perform a second time.Her second attempt at "Edelweiss" went well and she was praised by the judges for being accomplished and brave in the trying circumstances. Piers Morgan described it as "one of the gutsiest things I've ever seen in my life", and Steel was chosen by all three judges to progress to the final in preference to Greg Pritchard.The incident caused numerous commentators to debate whether children of this age should be allowed to compete in a TV show in which contestants are under such high pressure.
In the final, she performed the song Wishing You Were Somehow Here Again from Phantom of the Opera.Her performance was trouble-free and well-received, and the viewer voting resulted in her finishing in sixth place, receiving 3.9% of the reported 4 million votes.

Since Britain's Got Talent
During June and July 2009, Steel appeared in Britain's Got Talent – The Live Tour 2009 with most of the other finalists from the third series. She was home tutored between rehearsals and the start of the tour. The rehearsals were held at the Apollo Theatre in Hammersmith. The tour opened at Birmingham, England on 12 June 2009, and finished on 5 July 2009 at Bournemouth. During the live stage shows, Steel performed solo and also in combination with other artists such as 2 Grand, with whom she performed "Edelweiss" in Newcastle.
The Daily Mirror on 28 July 2009 reported that veteran performer and singer Rolf Harris wished to record a song with Steel that he composed. However, the project with Harris fell through and so Steel took on her own Christmas project.
In September 2009, Steel signed with record label VVR2, owned by Dave D'Mello, with whom she began recording her debut single "Where Are You, Christmas?" from the American film How the Grinch Stole Christmas. The single was released on 14 December 2009. The single, however, did not not make it into the top 40 in the UK Singles Chart due to having very little air time.
Steel's debut album, Hollie, is due to be released on 19 May 2010. The album will be released on Steel's own label, BB5 Records Limited, named after the Accrington postcode, and will include the Pendle’s Arden Youth Choir on some of the classical pieces.It will be distributed into shops and download stores by Universal. Steel's second single will be Edelweiss from The Sound of Music, to be released on 29 March 2010.[citation needed] Steel recorded at the sound studio in the ACE Centre in Nelson, Lancashire.
Source:wikipedia

La Liga, BBVA

The Primera División (First Division) of the Liga de Fútbol Profesional (Professional Football League), commonly known as La Liga (The League) or, in terms of sponsorship, Liga BBVA (BBVA League) since 2008, is the top professional association football league in Spain. It is contested by 20 teams, with the three lowest placed teams relegated to the Segunda División and replaced by the top three teams in that division. A total of 58 teams have competed in La Liga, nine of which have been crowned champions. Since the 1950s, Real Madrid and Barcelona have dominated the championship. The former have won the title 31 times while the latter have won it on 19 occasions. However, during the 1930s and 1940s and in the last two decades, La Liga has seen other champions including Atlético Madrid, Athletic Bilbao, Valencia, Real Sociedad, Deportivo, Sevilla and Real Betis.
La Liga is one of the most popular professional sports leagues in the world, with an average attendance of 29,029 for league matches in the 2007–08 season. This is the eighth highest of any domestic professional sports league in the world and the third highest of any professional association football league, behind the Premier League. La Liga is currently ranked the second strongest league in Europe according to UEFA's league coefficient, based on recent European performances.

Competition format

The competition format follows the usual double round-robin format. During the course of a season, which lasts from September to June, each club plays every other club twice, once at home and once away, for a total of 38 games. Teams receive three points for a win, one point for a draw, and no points for a loss. Teams are ranked by total points, with the highest-ranked club at the end of the season crowned champion. If points are equal between two or more clubs, head-to-head results usually determine their placement. The first tiebreaker used when two teams are even on points is the goal difference resulting from the two matches between the clubs in question. When more than two teams are tied, the points accumulated from the games between those teams are used to rank them, then goal difference if needed. If head-to-head results are not sufficient to separate teams, goal difference over the entire season, then total goals scored in the season may be used.
A system of promotion and relegation exists between the Primera División and the Segunda División. The three lowest placed teams in La Liga are relegated to the Segunda División, and the top three teams from the Segunda División are promoted to La Liga.




Qualification for European competitions
The top four teams in La Liga qualify for the UEFA Champions League, with the first, second, and third placed teams directly entering the group stage and the fourth placed team entering the third qualifying round. The fifth and sixth placed teams qualify for the first round of the UEFA Europa League.




History

Foundation
In April 1927 Jose Maria Acha, a director at Arenas Club de Getxo, first proposed the idea of a national league in Spain. After much debate about the size of the league and who would take part, the Real Federación Española de Fútbol eventually agreed on the ten teams who would form the first Primera División in 1929. Barcelona, Real Madrid, Athletic Bilbao, Real Sociedad, Arenas Club de Getxo and Real Unión were all selected as previous winners of the Copa del Rey. Atlético Madrid, Espanyol and Europa qualified as Copa del Rey runners-up and Racing Santander qualified through a knockout competition. Only three of the founding clubs, Real Madrid, Barcelona and Athletic Bilbao, have never been relegated from the Primera División.



The 1930s
Although Barcelona won the very first Liga in 1929 and Real Madrid won their first titles in 1932 and 1933, it was Athletic Bilbao that set the early pace winning Primera División in 1930, 1931, 1934 and 1936. They were also runners-up in 1932 and 1933. In 1935, Real Betis, then known as Betis Balompié, won their only title to date. Primera División was suspended during the Spanish Civil War.
In 1937, the teams in the Republican area of Spain, with the notable exception of the two Madrid clubs, competed in the Mediterranean League and FC Barcelona emerged as champions. Seventy years later, on September 28 2007, Barcelona requested RFEF to recognise that title as a Liga title. This action was taken after RFEF recognised Levante FC's Copa de la España Libre win as equivalent to Copa del Rey trophy.



The 1940s
When the Primera División resumed after the Spanish Civil War it was Atlético Aviación (nowadays Atlético Madrid), Valencia and Sevilla that initially emerged as the strongest clubs. Atlético Aviación were only awarded a place during the 1939–40 season as a replacement for Real Oviedo, whose ground had been damaged during the war. The club subsequently won their first Liga title and retained it in 1941. While other clubs lost players to exile, execution and as casualties of the war, the Atlético Aviación team was reinforced by a merger. The young pre-war squad of Valencia had also remained intact and in the post-war years matured into champions, gaining three Liga titles in 1942, 1944 and 1947. They were also runners-up in 1948 and 1949. Sevilla also enjoyed a brief golden era, finishing as runners-up in 1940 and 1942 before winning their only title to date in 1946. By the latter part of the decade Barcelona began to emerge as a force when they were crowned champions in 1945, 1948 and 1949.


Di Stéfano, Puskás, Kubala and Suárez
Although Atlético Madrid, previously known as Atlético Aviación, were champions in 1950 and 1951 under catenaccio mastermind Helenio Herrera, the 1950s saw the beginning of the Barcelona/Real Madrid dominance. During the 1930s, 1940s and 1950s there were strict limits imposed on foreign players. In most cases clubs could only have three foreign players in their squads, meaning that at least eight local players had to play in every game. During the 1950s, however, these rules were circumnavigated by Real Madrid and Barcelona who naturalized Alfredo di Stéfano, Ferenc Puskás and Ladislao Kubala. Inspired by Kubala, Barça won the title in 1952 and 1953. Di Stéfano, Puskás and Francisco Gento formed the nucleus of the Real Madrid team that dominated the second half of the 1950s. Madrid won the first division for the first time as Real Madrid in 1954 and retained its title in 1955. They were winners again in 1957 and 1958, with only Athletic Bilbao interrupting their sequence. During this period, Real Madrid also won an unprecedented five consecutive European Cups. Barcelona with a team coached by Helenio Herrera and featuring Luis Suárez gained the title in 1959 and 1960.



The Madrid Years
Between 1961 and 1980, Real Madrid dominated the Primera División being crowned champion 14 times. This included a five-in-a-row sequence from 1961 to 1965 and two three-in-a-row sequences (1967–1969 and 1978–1980). During this era only Atlético Madrid offered Real Madrid any serious challenge, adding four more titles to their tally in 1966, 1970, 1973 and 1977. Of the other clubs, only Valencia in 1971 and the Johan Cruyff-inspired Barcelona of 1974 managed to break the dominance of Real Madrid.



The 1980s
The Madrid winning sequence was ended more significantly in 1981 when Real Sociedad won their first ever title after barca had won in 2008 . They retained it in 1982 and their two in a row was followed by another by their fellow Basques, Athletic Bilbao who won back-to-back titles in 1983 and 1984. Terry Venables led Barcelona to a solitary title in 1985 before Real Madrid won again another five in a row sequence (1986–1990) with a team, guided by Leo Beenhakker, and including Hugo Sánchez and the legendary La Quinta del Buitre - Emilio Butragueño, Manolo Sanchís, Martín Vázquez, Míchel and Miguel Pardeza.



The 1990s
Johan Cruijff returned to Barcelona as manager in 1988, JEWEL OF CUMNOCK and assembled the legendary Dream Team. Cruijff introduced players like Josep Guardiola, José Mari Bakero, Txiki Beguiristain, Goikoetxea, Ronald Koeman, Michael Laudrup, Romário and Hristo Stoichkov. This team won Primera División four times between 1991 and 1994 and won the European Cup in 1992. Laudrup then moved to arch-rivals Real Madrid after a fall-out with Cruijff, and helped them end Barcelona's run in 1995. Atlético Madrid won their ninth Primera División title in 1996 before Real Madrid added another Liga trophy to their cabinet in 1997. After the success of Cruijff, another Dutchman - Ajax manager Louis van Gaal - arrived at the Camp Nou, and with the talents of Luís Figo, Luis Enrique and Rivaldo, Barcelona again won the title in 1998 and 1999. Meanwhile, Real Madrid also experienced success on the continental stage, winning the UEFA Champions League in 1998.



The 2000s
As Primera División entered a new century, the Big Two found themselves facing new challengers. Between 1993 and 2004, Deportivo La Coruña finished in the top three on ten occasions, a better record than either Real Madrid or Barcelona, and in 2000, under Javier Irureta, they became the ninth team to be crowned champions. Real Madrid won two more Liga titles in 2001 and 2003 and also the UEFA Champions League in 2000 and 2002, and won their third league title in 2007 after a three year drought. They were challenged by a re-emerging Valencia in both competitions. Under the management of Héctor Cúper, Valencia finished as Champions League runners-up in 2000 and 2001. His successor, Rafael Benítez, built on this and led the club to a Liga title in 2002 and the winning a double with a league title and the UEFA Cup in 2004. The 2004–05 season saw a resurgent Barcelona, inspired by the brilliant Ronaldinho, win their first title of the new century, in addition to the Liga-Champions League double in 2005–06. Real Madrid won La Liga in 2006–07 and 2007–08 season, and Barcelona again in 2009, as part of their treble winning season.





La Liga clubs in Europe

In addition to their success in Primera División, Real Madrid, Barcelona and Valencia are three of the most successful teams in European competition history. All three clubs are the only Spanish clubs to have won 5 or more international trophies. All three clubs are also in the top ten most successful clubs in European football in terms of total European trophies. In 2005–06, Barcelona won the UEFA Champions League and Sevilla won the UEFA Cup. The Primera División became the first league to do the European "double" since 1997.
The Primera División is currently second in the UEFA rankings of European leagues based on their performances in European competitions over a five-year period, behind the English Premier League in first and ahead of Italy's Serie A in third.


Clubs in 2009–10 season

Club Position in
2008–09 First season after
most recent promotion Region Stadium Capacity
Barcelona 1 Never relegated Catalonia Camp Nou 98,772
Real Madrid 2 Never relegated Madrid Santiago Bernabéu 80,400
Sevilla 3 2001–02 Andalucía Ramón Sánchez Pizjuán 45,500
Atlético Madrid 4 2002–03 Madrid Vicente Calderón 54,851
Villarreal 5 2000–01 Valencia El Madrigal 23,000
Valencia 6 1987–88 Valencia Mestalla 55,000
Deportivo La Coruña 7 1991–92 Galicia Riazor 34,600
Málaga 8 2008–09 Andalucía La Rosaleda 29,000
Mallorca 9 1997–98 Balearic Islands ONO Estadi 23,142
Espanyol 10 1994–95 Catalonia Cornellà-El Prat 40,500
Almería 11 2007–08 Andalucía Mediterráneo 22,000
Racing Santander 12 2002–03 Cantabria El Sardinero 22,271
Athletic Bilbao 13 Never relegated Basque Country San Mamés 39,750
Sporting Gijón 14 2008–09 Asturias El Molinón 25,585
Osasuna 15 2000–01 Navarra Reyno de Navarra 19,500
Real Valladolid 16 2007–08 Castile and León José Zorrilla 26,512
Getafe 17 2004–05 Madrid Alfonso Pérez 16,300
Xerez 1st
in Segunda 2009–10 Andalusia Chapín 20,300
Real Zaragoza 2nd
in Segunda 2009–10 Aragon La Romareda 34,596
Tenerife 3rd
in Segunda 2009–10 Canary Islands H. Rodríguez López 24,000


Champions

Year by year
Year Winner Runner Up Third Place

1929 FC Barcelona Madrid CF Athletic Bilbao
1929–30 Athletic Bilbao FC Barcelona Arenas Club de Getxo
1930–31 Athletic Bilbao Racing de Santander Real Sociedad
1931–32 Madrid CF Athletic Bilbao FC Barcelona
1932–33 Madrid CF Athletic Bilbao CE Espanyol
1933–34 Athletic Bilbao Madrid CF Racing de Santander
1934–35 Betis Balompié Madrid CF Oviedo CF
1935–36 Athletic Bilbao Madrid CF Oviedo CF
1936–39 League suspended due to the Spanish Civil War
1939–40 Atlético Aviación Sevilla FC Athletic Bilbao
1940–41 Atlético Aviación Athletic Bilbao Valencia CF
1941–42 Valencia CF Real Madrid Atlético Aviación
1942–43 Athletic Bilbao Sevilla FC FC Barcelona
1943–44 Valencia CF Atlético Aviación Sevilla FC
1944–45 FC Barcelona Real Madrid Atlético Aviación
1945–46 Sevilla FC FC Barcelona Athletic Bilbao
1946–47 Valencia CF Athletic Bilbao Atlético Aviación
1947–48 FC Barcelona Valencia CF Atlético Madrid
1948–49 FC Barcelona Valencia CF Real Madrid
1949–50 Atlético Madrid Deportivo de La Coruña Valencia CF
1950–51 Atlético Madrid Sevilla FC Valencia CF
1951–52 FC Barcelona Athletic Bilbao Real Madrid
1952–53 FC Barcelona Valencia CF Real Madrid
1953–54 Real Madrid FC Barcelona Valencia CF
1954–55 Real Madrid FC Barcelona Athletic Bilbao
1955–56 Athletic Bilbao FC Barcelona Real Madrid
1956–57 Real Madrid Sevilla FC FC Barcelona
1957–58 Real Madrid Atlético Madrid FC Barcelona
1958–59 FC Barcelona Real Madrid Athletic Bilbao
1959–60 FC Barcelona Real Madrid Athletic Bilbao
1960–61 Real Madrid Atlético Madrid FC Barcelona
1961–62 Real Madrid FC Barcelona Atlético Madrid
1962–63 Real Madrid Atlético Madrid Real Oviedo
1963–64 Real Madrid FC Barcelona Real Betis
1964–65 Real Madrid Atlético Madrid Real Zaragoza
1965–66 Atlético Madrid Real Madrid FC Barcelona
1966–67 Real Madrid FC Barcelona RCD Espanyol
1967–68 Real Madrid FC Barcelona UD Las Palmas
1968–69 Real Madrid UD Las Palmas FC Barcelona
1969–70 Atlético Madrid Athletic Bilbao Sevilla FC
1970–71 Valencia CF FC Barcelona Atlético Madrid
1971–72 Real Madrid Valencia CF FC Barcelona
1972–73 Atlético Madrid FC Barcelona RCD Espanyol
1973–74 FC Barcelona Atlético Madrid Real Zaragoza
1974–75 Real Madrid Real Zaragoza FC Barcelona
1975–76 Real Madrid FC Barcelona Atlético Madrid
1976–77 Atlético Madrid FC Barcelona Athletic Bilbao
1977–78 Real Madrid FC Barcelona Athletic Bilbao
1978–79 Real Madrid Sporting de Gijón Atlético Madrid
1979–80 Real Madrid Real Sociedad Sporting de Gijón
1980–81 Real Sociedad Real Madrid Atlético Madrid
1981–82 Real Sociedad FC Barcelona Real Madrid
1982–83 Athletic Bilbao Real Madrid Atlético Madrid
1983–84 Athletic Bilbao Real Madrid FC Barcelona
1984–85 FC Barcelona Atlético Madrid Athletic Bilbao
1985–86 Real Madrid FC Barcelona Athletic Bilbao
1986–87 Real Madrid FC Barcelona RCD Espanyol
1987–88 Real Madrid Real Sociedad Atlético Madrid
1988–89 Real Madrid FC Barcelona Valencia CF
1989–90 Real Madrid Valencia CF FC Barcelona
1990–91 FC Barcelona Atlético Madrid Real Madrid
1991–92 FC Barcelona Real Madrid Atlético Madrid
1992–93 FC Barcelona Real Madrid Deportivo de La Coruña
1993–94 FC Barcelona Deportivo de La Coruña Real Zaragoza
1994–95 Real Madrid Deportivo de La Coruña Real Betis
1995–96 Atlético Madrid Valencia CF FC Barcelona
1996–97 Real Madrid FC Barcelona Deportivo de La Coruña
1997–98 FC Barcelona Athletic Bilbao Real Sociedad
1998–99 FC Barcelona Real Madrid Real Mallorca
1999–2000 Deportivo de La Coruña FC Barcelona Valencia CF
2000–01 Real Madrid Deportivo de La Coruña Real Mallorca
2001–02 Valencia CF Deportivo de La Coruña Real Madrid
2002–03 Real Madrid Real Sociedad Deportivo de La Coruña
2003–04 Valencia CF FC Barcelona Deportivo de La Coruña
2004–05 FC Barcelona Real Madrid Villarreal CF
2005–06 FC Barcelona Real Madrid Valencia CF
2006–07 Real Madrid FC Barcelona Sevilla FC
2007–08 Real Madrid Villarreal CF FC Barcelona
2008–09 FC Barcelona Real Madrid Sevilla FC
2009–10 FC Barcelona Real Madrid C.F. Valencia CF


Performance by club
Club Winners Runners-up Winning Years
Real Madrid CF
31
18
1931–32, 1932–33, 1953–54, 1954–55, 1956–57, 1957–58, 1960–61, 1961–62, 1962–63, 1963–64,
1964–65, 1966–67, 1967–68, 1968–69, 1971–72, 1974–75, 1975–76, 1977–78, 1978–79, 1979–80,
1985–86, 1986–87, 1987–88, 1988–89, 1989–90, 1994–95, 1996–97, 2000–01, 2002–03, 2006–07,
2007–08
FC Barcelona
19
22
1928–29, 1944–45, 1947–48, 1948–49, 1951–52, 1952–53, 1958–59, 1959–60, 1973–74, 1984–85,
1990–91, 1991–92, 1992–93, 1993–94, 1997–98, 1998–99, 2004–05, 2005–06, 2008–09
Atlético Madrid
9
8
1939–40, 1940–41, 1949–50, 1950–51, 1965–66, 1969–70, 1972–73, 1976–77, 1995–96
Athletic Bilbao
8
7
1929–30, 1930–31, 1933–34, 1935–36, 1942–43, 1955–56, 1982–83, 1983–84
Valencia CF
6
6
1941–42, 1943–44, 1946–47, 1970–71, 2001–02, 2003–04
Real Sociedad
2
3
1980–81, 1981–82
Deportivo de La Coruña
1
5
1999–2000
Sevilla FC
1
4
1945–46
Real Betis
1
–
1934–35

Note on name changes

During the Second Spanish Republic clubs such as Real Madrid and Real Betis dropped the Real from their name and Real Sociedad became Donostia CF. In 1941, a decree issued by Franco banned the use of non-Spanish language names. FC Barcelona and Sevilla FC became CF Barcelona and Sevilla CF, Athletic Aviación changed the spelling of its prefix to Atlético, and Sporting de Gijón and Racing de Santander became Real Gijón and Real Santander. Some of these changes have been undone.


Players

Eligibility of non-EU players
In La Liga, players can claim citizenship from the nation their ancestors came from. If a player does not have European ancestry, he can claim Spanish citizenship after playing in Spain for 5 years.Sometimes, this can lead to a triple-citizenship situation e.g. Leo Franco, who is Argentine-born, of Italian heritage and can claim a Spanish passport, having played in La Liga for over 5 years.[dubious – discuss]
In addition, players from the ACP countries—countries in Africa, the Caribbean, and the Pacific that are signatories to the Cotonou Agreement—are not counted against non-EU quotas, due to the Kolpak ruling.


Individual awards
Many individual awards are conceded relating to La Liga, although not sanctioned by the LFP nor the RFEF they are widely regarded as official.
The most notable of these are three awarded by Spain's biggest sports paper, Marca, namely the Pichichi Trophy, awarded to the top scorer of the season, the Ricardo Zamora Trophy for the goalkeeper with the least "goals-to-games" ratio, and the Trofeo Alfredo di Stéfano, for the player judged to be the best overall player in the division. The most recent winners (for the 2008–09 season) were:
Pichichi - Diego Forlán (Atlético Madrid)
Ricardo Zamora - Víctor Valdés (Barcelona)
Zarra Trophy - David Villa (Valencia CF)
Trofeo Alfredo di Stéfano - Lionel Messi (Barcelona)


All-time top scorers
All-time top scorers in La Liga
Rank Player Goals Par
1 Telmo Zarra 252 0,91
2 Hugo Sánchez 234 0,67
3 Raúl 228 0,42
4 Alfredo di Stéfano 227 0,69
5 César Rodríguez 226 0,64
6 Quini 219 0,49
7 Pahiño 210 0,76
8 Edmundo Suárez 195 0,84
9 Santillana 186 0,40
10 Juan Arza 182 0,52
11 Guillermo Gorostiza 181 0,70
12 Samuel Eto'o 162 0,58
13 Luis Aragonés 160 0,44
14 Ferenc Puskás 156 0,86
15 Julio Salinas 151 0,36
16 Adrián Escudero 150 0,52
17 Dani 147 0,48
18 Silvestre Igoa 141 0,49
19 Manuel Badenes 139 0,69
20 David Villa 135 0,67
In bold Currently playing in La Liga

European Footballers of the Year
The following were all elected winners of the Golden Ball while playing in La Liga:
Alfredo di Stéfano - 1957, 1959 (Real Madrid)
Raymond Kopa - 1958 (Real Madrid)
Luis Suárez - 1960 (FC Barcelona)
Johan Cruijff - 1973, 1974 (FC Barcelona)
Hristo Stoichkov - 1994 (FC Barcelona)
Rivaldo - 1999 (FC Barcelona)
Luís Figo - 2000 (FC Barcelona) transfer to (Real Madrid)
Ronaldo - 2002 (Real Madrid)
Zinedine Zidane - 2001, 2003 (Real Madrid)
Ronaldinho - 2005 (FC Barcelona)
Cannavaro - 2006 (Juventus) transfer to (Real Madrid)
Lionel Messi - 2009 (FC Barcelona)
Source:wikipedia