THE USURPER LEAGUELa Liga 2008/09.
Without the usual suspects.
Sevilla FC win our alternative 2008/09 La Liga on 67 points from 34 matches. Atlético Madrid follow on 63 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 3rd, rather than first.
The 2008/09 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 | Sevilla FC | 34 | 20 | 7 | 7 | +23 | 67 |
| 2 | Atlético Madrid | 34 | 19 | 6 | 9 | +28 | 63 |
| 3 | Villarreal | 34 | 17 | 10 | 7 | +8 | 61 |
| 4 | Valencia | 34 | 17 | 7 | 10 | +16 | 58 |
| 5 | Málaga | 34 | 15 | 10 | 9 | +7 | 55 |
| 6 | Deportivo La Coruña | 34 | 15 | 9 | 10 | +6 | 54 |
| 7 | Racing Santander | 34 | 12 | 9 | 13 | +5 | 45 |
| 8 | RCD Mallorca | 34 | 12 | 9 | 13 | -5 | 45 |
| 9 | UD Almería | 34 | 13 | 6 | 15 | -6 | 45 |
| 10 | Athletic Club | 34 | 12 | 8 | 14 | -8 | 44 |
| 11 | Espanyol | 34 | 11 | 10 | 13 | -1 | 43 |
| 12 | Sporting Gijón | 34 | 14 | 1 | 19 | -15 | 43 |
| 13 | Real Betis | 34 | 10 | 11 | 13 | 0 | 41 |
| 14 | Real Valladolid | 34 | 11 | 7 | 16 | -4 | 40 |
| 15 | Getafe | 34 | 9 | 11 | 14 | -6 | 38 |
| 16 | Osasuna | 34 | 8 | 13 | 13 | -5 | 37 |
| 17 | Recreativo Huelva | 34 | 8 | 9 | 17 | -17 | 33 |
| 18 | CD Numancia | 34 | 9 | 5 | 20 | -26 | 32 |
What changed?
With every club present, FC Barcelona lead our all-club calculation. Without the two excluded clubs, Sevilla FC 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 2008/09. Remaining clubs keep their recorded results.
See the all-club calculation (for comparison)
| # | Club | P | W | D | L | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | FC Barcelona | 38 | 27 | 6 | 5 | +70 | 87 |
| 2 | Real Madrid | 38 | 25 | 3 | 10 | +31 | 78 |
| 3 | Sevilla FC | 38 | 21 | 7 | 10 | +15 | 70 |
| 4 | Atlético Madrid | 38 | 20 | 7 | 11 | +23 | 67 |
| 5 | Villarreal | 38 | 18 | 11 | 9 | +7 | 65 |
| 6 | Valencia | 38 | 18 | 8 | 12 | +14 | 62 |
| 7 | Deportivo La Coruña | 38 | 16 | 10 | 12 | +1 | 58 |
| 8 | Málaga | 38 | 15 | 10 | 13 | -4 | 55 |
| 9 | RCD Mallorca | 38 | 14 | 9 | 15 | -7 | 51 |
| 10 | Espanyol | 38 | 12 | 11 | 15 | -3 | 47 |
| 11 | Racing Santander | 38 | 12 | 10 | 16 | +1 | 46 |
| 12 | UD Almería | 38 | 13 | 7 | 18 | -16 | 46 |
| 13 | Athletic Club | 38 | 12 | 8 | 18 | -15 | 44 |
| 14 | Osasuna | 38 | 10 | 13 | 15 | -6 | 43 |
| 15 | Real Valladolid | 38 | 12 | 7 | 19 | -12 | 43 |
| 16 | Sporting Gijón | 38 | 14 | 1 | 23 | -32 | 43 |
| 17 | Getafe | 38 | 10 | 12 | 16 | -6 | 42 |
| 18 | Real Betis | 38 | 10 | 12 | 16 | -7 | 42 |
| 19 | CD Numancia | 38 | 10 | 5 | 23 | -31 | 35 |
| 20 | Recreativo Huelva | 38 | 8 | 9 | 21 | -23 | 33 |
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.