2020–21 La Liga

The 2020–21 La Liga season, also known as La Liga Santander due to sponsorship reasons, was the 90th since its establishment. The season began on 12 September 2020 and concluded on 23 May 2021. The fixtures were announced on 31 August 2020.

Real Madrid were the defending champions, after winning a record 34th title in the previous season. Huesca, Cádiz and Elche joined as the promoted clubs from the 2019–20 Segunda División. They replaced Espanyol, Mallorca and Leganés, who were relegated to the 2020–21 Segunda División.

Exceptionally, this season the five substitutions were maintained in a maximum of three rounds per team, adopted in May 2020 due to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Atlético Madrid clinched their eleventh La Liga title on the final matchday of the season, after a 2–1 comeback win against Valladolid. It was their first title since 2013–14. Barcelona and Real Madrid were the only other teams to have won the title since Atlético Madrid last did so.

Promotion and relegation (pre-season)
A total of twenty teams contested the league, including seventeen sides from the 2019–20 season and three promoted from the 2019–20 Segunda División. This included the two top teams from the Segunda División, and the winners of the promotion play-offs.


 * Teams relegated to Segunda División

The first team to be relegated from La Liga were Espanyol, after a 0–1 loss to city rivals Barcelona on 8 July 2020, ending their 26-year stay in the top tier. The second team to be relegated were Mallorca, following a 1–2 home defeat against Granada on 16 July 2020, suffering an immediate return to the second division. The third and final team to be relegated were Leganés, after drawing 2–2 against Real Madrid on 19 July 2020 in their final game of the season. This ended Lega's four-year stint in the first tier.


 * Teams promoted from Segunda División

On 12 July 2020, Cádiz became the first side to mathematically be promoted, assured of a return to the top flight after a fourteen-year absence following Oviedo's 4–2 win against Zaragoza. The second team to earn promotion were Huesca, following their 3–0 win against Numancia on 17 July 2020. This marked an immediate return to the first division after a season away. The final team to achieve promotion were Elche on 23 August 2020, following a 1–0 aggregate victory over Girona in the final of the promotion play-offs, sealing a return to La Liga after a five-year absence.

Personnel and sponsorship

 * 1. On the back of shirt.
 * 2. On the sleeves.
 * 3. On the shorts.

Scoring

 * First goal of the season: 🇻🇪 Yangel Herrera for Granada against Athletic Bilbao (12 September 2020)
 * Last goal of the season: 🇦🇷 Alejandro Gómez for Sevilla against Alavés (23 May 2021)

Zamora Trophy
The Zamora Trophy was awarded by newspaper Marca to the goalkeeper with the lowest goals-to-games ratio. A goalkeeper had to have played at least 28 games of 60 or more minutes to be eligible for the trophy.

Discipline
Stats from:

Player

 * Most yellow cards: 15
 * 🇲🇪 Stefan Savić (Atlético Madrid)
 * Most red cards: 2
 * 🇸🇳 Pape Diop (Eibar)
 * Djené (Getafe)
 * 🇪🇸 Raúl García (Athletic Bilbao)
 * 🇫🇷 Clément Lenglet (Barcelona)
 * Aïssa Mandi (Real Betis)

Team

 * Most yellow cards: 114
 * Getafe
 * Most red cards: 8
 * Alavés
 * Real Betis
 * Fewest yellow cards: 57
 * Real Madrid
 * Fewest red cards: 0
 * Atlético Madrid