LaLiga 2022

LaLiga Santander is back for another exciting season!

We were invited to a very intimate lunch by Almudena Gomez, from LaLiga Global Network Philippines, at the exclusive Manduca Restaurant serving delicious Spanish wines, tapas and entrees.

All the new signings were presented, which included defending Champion Real Madrid grabbing Aurélien Tchouameni (from AS Monaco) and Antonio Rüdiger (from Chelsea); Axel Witsel (Borussia Dortmund) has inked a deal with Atlético de Madrid; Real Betis snagged Italian Luiz Felipe (Lazio); and Sevilla FC added Isco (Real Madrid). 

They will compete for glory against established stars: 2022 Ballon d’Or favorite Karim Benzema of Real Madrid, 2021 Golden Boy Pedri of Barcelona and Joao Felix of Atletico Madrid. 

LaLiga also has loads of upcoming stars, including Gavi, a first-team regular at FC Barcelona and the youngest player to ever play for the Spanish national team; Eduardo Camavinga, from Real Madrid, who is only 19 years old and already favored for the 2022 Golden Boy award; Athletic Club’s Nico Williams’ stock continues to rise; and Alexander Isak, another youngster at 22 but is already a permanent fixture for Real Sociedad.

The are also new faces on the sidelines, with Ernesto Valverde and Diego Martinez just two of the high-profile coaches joining LaLiga with Athletic Club and RCD Espanyol, respectively. Gennaro Gattuso, a World Cup winner, is now handling Valencia CF.

Three promoted teams join the top flight competition: UD Almería, Real Valladolid and Girona FC. UD Almería, the LaLiga Smartbank Champions, is back for the first time since 2015. Real Valladolid and Girona FC played in LaLiga Santander in 2021 and 2019, respectively.

There will be loads of great matches once again this season, including the Madrid Derby (Real Madrid vs Atlético de Madrid), the first of which is on September 18, which I’m desperately trying to get tickets for; the initial high profile El Clasico between FC Barcelona and Real Madrid on October 16, while there are other Seville, Barcelona and Basque derbies further into the season.

I was very fortunate to have been able to catch the CA Osasuna-Rayo Vallecano match at El Sadar, voted the 2021 World Stadium of the Year by Stadium Database, with the home team winning 2-1 after franchise player Ruben Garcia scored in the 90th minute. (This is the subject of another item soon)

Witnessing the action live at the stadium has just piqued my interest further in the league, and I’m hoping all football loving Filipinos join me in enjoying the world class action.