THE USURPER LEAGUELa Liga 1998/99.
Without the usual suspects.
Espanyol win our alternative 1998/99 La Liga on 60 points from 34 matches. RCD Mallorca follow on 60 points. It's level on points at the top; goal difference and goals scored settle our recalculated order.
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 7th, rather than first.
The 1998/99 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 | Espanyol | 34 | 16 | 12 | 6 | +17 | 60 |
| 2 | RCD Mallorca | 34 | 18 | 6 | 10 | +17 | 60 |
| 3 | Valencia | 34 | 17 | 8 | 9 | +24 | 59 |
| 4 | Deportivo La Coruña | 34 | 15 | 12 | 7 | +13 | 57 |
| 5 | Athletic Club | 34 | 16 | 9 | 9 | +10 | 57 |
| 6 | Celta Vigo | 34 | 15 | 11 | 8 | +23 | 56 |
| 7 | Real Zaragoza | 34 | 15 | 9 | 10 | +13 | 54 |
| 8 | Real Sociedad | 34 | 13 | 12 | 9 | +9 | 51 |
| 9 | Real Valladolid | 34 | 13 | 8 | 13 | -6 | 47 |
| 10 | Real Betis | 34 | 12 | 7 | 15 | -7 | 43 |
| 11 | Racing Santander | 34 | 10 | 10 | 14 | -9 | 40 |
| 12 | Atlético Madrid | 34 | 10 | 9 | 15 | +3 | 39 |
| 13 | Real Oviedo | 34 | 9 | 12 | 13 | -15 | 39 |
| 14 | Alavés | 34 | 11 | 6 | 17 | -17 | 39 |
| 15 | CF Extremadura | 34 | 9 | 12 | 13 | -18 | 39 |
| 16 | CD Tenerife | 34 | 7 | 13 | 14 | -13 | 34 |
| 17 | Villarreal | 34 | 7 | 12 | 15 | -12 | 33 |
| 18 | UD Salamanca | 34 | 7 | 4 | 23 | -32 | 25 |
What changed?
With every club present, FC Barcelona lead our all-club calculation. Without the two excluded clubs, Espanyol finish first. Nobody has been awarded invented wins or imaginary goals.
The rules. Such as they are.
74 matches involving Real Madrid or FC Barcelona were removed. Victories were worth 3 points under the rules of 1998/99. Remaining clubs keep their recorded results.
See the all-club calculation (for comparison)
| # | Club | P | W | D | L | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | FC Barcelona | 38 | 24 | 7 | 7 | +44 | 79 |
| 2 | Real Madrid | 38 | 21 | 5 | 12 | +15 | 68 |
| 3 | RCD Mallorca | 38 | 20 | 6 | 12 | +17 | 66 |
| 4 | Valencia | 38 | 19 | 8 | 11 | +24 | 65 |
| 5 | Celta Vigo | 38 | 17 | 13 | 8 | +28 | 64 |
| 6 | Deportivo La Coruña | 38 | 17 | 12 | 9 | +12 | 63 |
| 7 | Espanyol | 38 | 16 | 13 | 9 | +11 | 61 |
| 8 | Athletic Club | 38 | 17 | 9 | 12 | +6 | 60 |
| 9 | Real Zaragoza | 38 | 16 | 9 | 13 | +11 | 57 |
| 10 | Real Sociedad | 38 | 14 | 12 | 12 | +4 | 54 |
| 11 | Real Betis | 38 | 14 | 7 | 17 | -11 | 49 |
| 12 | Real Valladolid | 38 | 13 | 9 | 16 | -9 | 48 |
| 13 | Atlético Madrid | 38 | 12 | 10 | 16 | +4 | 46 |
| 14 | Real Oviedo | 38 | 11 | 12 | 15 | -16 | 45 |
| 15 | Racing Santander | 38 | 10 | 12 | 16 | -12 | 42 |
| 16 | Alavés | 38 | 11 | 7 | 20 | -27 | 40 |
| 17 | CF Extremadura | 38 | 9 | 12 | 17 | -26 | 39 |
| 18 | Villarreal | 38 | 8 | 12 | 18 | -16 | 36 |
| 19 | CD Tenerife | 38 | 7 | 13 | 18 | -22 | 34 |
| 20 | UD Salamanca | 38 | 7 | 6 | 25 | -37 | 27 |
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.