THE USURPER LEAGUELa Liga 1972/73.
Without the usual suspects.
Atlético Madrid win our alternative 1972/73 La Liga on 43 points from 30 matches. Espanyol follow on 40 points. That's a 3-point lead over second place. The scores are real. The trophy, regrettably, is not.
Yes, the two biggest clubs are very good at football. We know. For this table, we've removed every match involving Real Madrid or FC Barcelona. The remaining fixtures keep their actual scores. In our full-league calculation they were 1st, rather than first.
The 1972/73 table, without Madrid or Barça
Every match against either excluded club has been removed, including its points, goals and games played.
| # | Club | P | W | D | L | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Atlético Madrid | 30 | 18 | 7 | 5 | +18 | 43 |
| 2 | Espanyol | 30 | 15 | 10 | 5 | +20 | 40 |
| 3 | CD Castellón | 30 | 12 | 9 | 9 | +7 | 33 |
| 4 | Valencia | 30 | 12 | 9 | 9 | +7 | 33 |
| 5 | Real Zaragoza | 30 | 10 | 11 | 9 | +2 | 31 |
| 6 | Real Sociedad | 30 | 12 | 7 | 11 | +2 | 31 |
| 7 | Athletic Club | 30 | 11 | 8 | 11 | +4 | 30 |
| 8 | Granada CF | 30 | 9 | 11 | 10 | 0 | 29 |
| 9 | Real Oviedo | 30 | 9 | 11 | 10 | -5 | 29 |
| 10 | Málaga | 30 | 9 | 10 | 11 | +4 | 28 |
| 11 | UD Las Palmas | 30 | 10 | 8 | 12 | -4 | 28 |
| 12 | Sporting Gijón | 30 | 10 | 6 | 14 | -3 | 26 |
| 13 | Celta Vigo | 30 | 9 | 8 | 13 | -7 | 26 |
| 14 | Real Betis | 30 | 6 | 13 | 11 | -4 | 25 |
| 15 | Deportivo La Coruña | 30 | 7 | 11 | 12 | -19 | 25 |
| 16 | Burgos CF | 30 | 9 | 5 | 16 | -22 | 23 |
What changed?
With every club present, Atlético Madrid lead our all-club calculation. Without the two excluded clubs, Atlético Madrid finish first. Nobody has been awarded invented wins or imaginary goals.
The rules. Such as they are.
66 matches involving Real Madrid or FC Barcelona were removed. Victories were worth 2 points under the rules of 1972/73. Remaining clubs keep their recorded results.
See the all-club calculation (for comparison)
| # | Club | P | W | D | L | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Atlético Madrid | 34 | 20 | 8 | 6 | +20 | 48 |
| 2 | FC Barcelona | 34 | 18 | 10 | 6 | +20 | 46 |
| 3 | Espanyol | 34 | 17 | 11 | 6 | +21 | 45 |
| 4 | Real Madrid | 34 | 17 | 9 | 8 | +16 | 43 |
| 5 | CD Castellón | 34 | 13 | 9 | 12 | +6 | 35 |
| 6 | Valencia | 34 | 12 | 10 | 12 | +4 | 34 |
| 7 | Real Zaragoza | 34 | 10 | 14 | 10 | 0 | 34 |
| 8 | Real Sociedad | 34 | 13 | 8 | 13 | -2 | 34 |
| 9 | Málaga | 34 | 11 | 11 | 12 | +4 | 33 |
| 10 | Athletic Club | 34 | 12 | 9 | 13 | +3 | 33 |
| 11 | UD Las Palmas | 34 | 11 | 9 | 14 | -6 | 31 |
| 12 | Real Oviedo | 34 | 9 | 12 | 13 | -11 | 30 |
| 13 | Sporting Gijón | 34 | 11 | 7 | 16 | -5 | 29 |
| 14 | Celta Vigo | 34 | 10 | 9 | 15 | -7 | 29 |
| 15 | Granada CF | 34 | 9 | 11 | 14 | -7 | 29 |
| 16 | Real Betis | 34 | 7 | 14 | 13 | -7 | 28 |
| 17 | Deportivo La Coruña | 34 | 7 | 13 | 14 | -22 | 27 |
| 18 | Burgos CF | 34 | 9 | 6 | 19 | -27 | 24 |
A note about the numbers
These are independent recalculations, not official LaLiga standings. Positions are ordered by points, goal difference and goals scored. Historic points deductions and the league's official head-to-head tiebreakers aren't recreated, so some rankings may differ from the official record.
Underlying match results: Jack-Tilley/es-espana (CC0 archive). Each match involving Madrid or Barça is excluded in full. Season-specific gaps and formats are noted where relevant.
Feel like arguing about the result? Good. That's rather the point.