THE USURPER LEAGUELa Liga 2002/03.
Without the usual suspects.
Real Sociedad win our alternative 2002/03 La Liga on 69 points from 34 matches. Deportivo La Coruña follow on 65 points. That's a 4-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 2nd, rather than first.
The 2002/03 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 | Real Sociedad | 34 | 20 | 9 | 5 | +24 | 69 |
| 2 | Deportivo La Coruña | 34 | 20 | 5 | 9 | +18 | 65 |
| 3 | Valencia | 34 | 16 | 9 | 9 | +25 | 57 |
| 4 | Celta Vigo | 34 | 16 | 9 | 9 | +10 | 57 |
| 5 | Athletic Club | 34 | 15 | 8 | 11 | +6 | 53 |
| 6 | Real Betis | 34 | 13 | 11 | 10 | +7 | 50 |
| 7 | Sevilla FC | 34 | 12 | 10 | 12 | +1 | 46 |
| 8 | RCD Mallorca | 34 | 12 | 10 | 12 | -4 | 46 |
| 9 | Málaga | 34 | 11 | 12 | 11 | +1 | 45 |
| 10 | Espanyol | 34 | 10 | 12 | 12 | 0 | 42 |
| 11 | Atlético Madrid | 34 | 11 | 9 | 14 | -4 | 42 |
| 12 | Osasuna | 34 | 11 | 9 | 14 | -6 | 42 |
| 13 | Real Valladolid | 34 | 11 | 8 | 15 | -2 | 41 |
| 14 | Villarreal | 34 | 10 | 11 | 13 | -9 | 41 |
| 15 | Racing Santander | 34 | 12 | 4 | 18 | -4 | 40 |
| 16 | Recreativo Huelva | 34 | 8 | 11 | 15 | -19 | 35 |
| 17 | Alavés | 34 | 8 | 10 | 16 | -18 | 34 |
| 18 | Rayo Vallecano | 34 | 6 | 11 | 17 | -26 | 29 |
What changed?
With every club present, Real Madrid lead our all-club calculation. Without the two excluded clubs, Real Sociedad 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 2002/03. Remaining clubs keep their recorded results.
See the all-club calculation (for comparison)
| # | Club | P | W | D | L | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Real Madrid | 38 | 22 | 12 | 4 | +44 | 78 |
| 2 | Real Sociedad | 38 | 22 | 10 | 6 | +26 | 76 |
| 3 | Deportivo La Coruña | 38 | 22 | 6 | 10 | +20 | 72 |
| 4 | Celta Vigo | 38 | 17 | 10 | 11 | +9 | 61 |
| 5 | Valencia | 38 | 17 | 9 | 12 | +21 | 60 |
| 6 | FC Barcelona | 38 | 15 | 11 | 12 | +16 | 56 |
| 7 | Athletic Club | 38 | 15 | 10 | 13 | +2 | 55 |
| 8 | Real Betis | 38 | 14 | 12 | 12 | +3 | 54 |
| 9 | RCD Mallorca | 38 | 14 | 10 | 14 | -7 | 52 |
| 10 | Sevilla FC | 38 | 13 | 11 | 14 | -1 | 50 |
| 11 | Atlético Madrid | 38 | 12 | 11 | 15 | -5 | 47 |
| 12 | Osasuna | 38 | 12 | 11 | 15 | -8 | 47 |
| 13 | Real Valladolid | 38 | 12 | 10 | 16 | -3 | 46 |
| 14 | Málaga | 38 | 11 | 13 | 14 | -5 | 46 |
| 15 | Villarreal | 38 | 11 | 12 | 15 | -9 | 45 |
| 16 | Racing Santander | 38 | 13 | 5 | 20 | -10 | 44 |
| 17 | Espanyol | 38 | 10 | 13 | 15 | -6 | 43 |
| 18 | Recreativo Huelva | 38 | 8 | 12 | 18 | -26 | 36 |
| 19 | Alavés | 38 | 8 | 11 | 19 | -30 | 35 |
| 20 | Rayo Vallecano | 38 | 7 | 11 | 20 | -31 | 32 |
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.