Real Madrid stood as champions. Barcelona, Atletico Madrid, and Sevilla took home league titles in their own right in other competitions. Betis and Real Sociedad earned Europa League spots, Villarreal secured a place in the Conference League, while Granada, Levante, and Alavés faced relegation to the second tier. A fresh La Liga season has concluded, bringing with it several shocks at the summit and a few twists near the bottom of the table.
The reality on the field was echoed off it as well. A quick look at the clubs’ revenue projections reveals a near mirror of the final standings, with a table of club budgets hinting at how the season would unfold. In many cases, the top nine bore a striking resemblance to the on-pitch order, underscoring the link between financial clout and competitive position.
One important caveat must be noted. Barcelona posted the highest gross revenue, around 765 million euros, while Real Madrid finished as champions with an estimated 695 million euros in revenue. The gap in the numbers is partly due to optimistic deals added to Barcelona’s projections, including potential player transfers and the sale of other assets such as Barça Studios. These numbers reveal the impact of strategic planning and market activity on the league’s financial landscape, even if they do not rewrite what happened on the pitch.
In short, the top-tier mismatch in revenue did not obscure a clear truth about La Liga this season: the club with the most money often sat higher in the table. Atletico Madrid landed in third with an estimated revenue around 400 million euros (data not yet officially confirmed), while Sevilla occupied fourth with about 226 million. The same quartet of teams that qualified for the Champions League by league performance in the previous season largely held their ground in the current campaign.
Granada, Cadiz, and Mallorca secured their status while Granada’s late bid nearly slipped away on the final day due to a crucial missed penalty by Jorge Molina.
Beyond these drama-filled outcomes, three other clubs secured European football for the next season and kept their places in the continent’s top competitions: Betis with around 144 million euros, Real Sociedad at 136 million (a figure revised downward later), and Villarreal with 139 million. Athletic Bilbao finished eighth, close to the trio in terms of revenue, each hovering around a similar bracket on the table.
As the season progressed, the financial gap widened beyond the top eight. Following Athletic Bilbao’s 55 points, Valencia clocked 48 points and is estimated to have revenue around 104 million euros. Their financials are roughly 30 to 40 million euros below the top clubs’ earnings. Espanyol, which managed to secure a profitable income of about 80 million, faced a tougher end to the season. Osasuna and Celta Vigo fell behind in the budget hierarchy of the top 11 teams after a choppy finish, sitting on 70 and 72 million respectively.
From this vantage point, the league table reveals that the real balance of power is sensitive to small differences in points. The gap between 12th and 18th places was only four points, illustrating how slender margins can shape outcomes. The seven teams in this middle pack moved within a budget band spanning Getafe at 62 million to Elche at 51 million, a spread of just 11 million euros. The season’s final chapters proved that tiny shifts in form or fortune can tilt the economic structure as much as the sporting one.
Relegation battle and stability in promotions
In a surprising turn, three clubs promoted in the previous season—Espanyol, Mallorca, and Rayo Vallecano—had managed to maintain their top-flight status. This consecutive feat, not seen since the 2017/18 season, underscored the ongoing challenge of converting promotion into mid-table security. Of the three, Mallorca found itself facing real trouble only on the final day, saved by victory over Osasuna and by Granada’s misstep. The season thus delivered a rare stability for newly promoted teams, even in a year marked by financial churn.
The economic reshaping of the league was most evident in the late-season shifts. When the curtain fell, notable shifts occurred among the perceived powerhouses. Barcelona’s off-pitch dynamics and Real Madrid’s on-field supremacy demonstrated that money and performance remain tightly coupled in this league. Without Barca’s name in the equation, Levante and Alavés stood out for their comparatively modest budgets, with salary caps around 34 million euros for the Valencian club and 42 million for the Basque side. Both clubs spent beyond these figures, yet pandemic-induced financial strains constrained their growth relative to peers with more favorable operational conditions.
Of course, money alone does not decide a season. The mix of scouting victories, coaching changes, player development, and a bit of luck all play critical roles. Yet the underlying pattern remains clear: financial muscle tends to align with football success, a dynamic that La Liga has again demonstrated. The league’s economics continue to shape outcomes, reinforcing the idea that in football, money is a potent influence—one that keeps showing up season after season. This basic truth, observed once more, resonates with fans and analysts alike, reminding everyone that the strongest players in this sport are not always the ones on the pitch, but the ones controlling the purse strings and the strategic choices behind the scenes.