Five things not to miss in 2025 in LaLiga

2024 has come and gone, with so many unforgettable moments taking place over the past year, in LALIGA EA SPORTS and in LALIGA HYPERMOTION.

Now, though, it’s time to focus in on 2025, which promises to be just as exciting.

LALIGA EA SPORTS is almost at the halfway point and there is a thrilling title race, while the battle at the top of LALIGA HYPERMOTION is just as tight and fascinating.

There is so much to look forward to, and here we outline five things not to miss.

A FIERCE BATTLE FOR THE TITLE 

Atlético de Madrid, Real Madrid, FC Barcelona and even Athletic Club are all battling for the LALIGA EA SPORTS title, with all four teams playing at a high level and very much in the mix.

FC Barcelona were the team who came out the gates the strongest, but they have since been overtaken by both Atlético de Madrid and Real Madrid.

In the final matchday of 2024, we witnessed a spectacular match at the Estadi Olímpic in Montjuïc as FC Barcelona and Atlético de Madrid went head to head in a thrilling game which ended with Los Rojiblancos winning thanks to a 96th-minute Alexander Sørloth goal.

That means Diego Simeone’s charges are the current league leaders, but there’s a long way to go in this title race and it’ll be fun to see how it plays out.

ATHLETIC CLUB COULD RETURN TO UCL AFTER 10 YEARS

At Athletic Club, there is optimism and some are dreaming of competing for the LALIGA EA SPORTS title.

While that remains to be seen, it does seem likely that the Basque club can make it back to the Champions League, 10 seasons after their last experience in the top continental competition.

Athletic Club have been playing at a high level for a couple of years now and, after winning the Copa del Rey last term, they’re aiming even higher.

The team has grown and grown since the cup win and they’ve started this season well.

Not only are they picking up points in the league, but they’re also performing well in the Europa League, which also has a Champions League ticket as the prize for the winner.

That ticket will be fought over in the final, which this season is taking place in Los Leones’ own stadium of San Mamés.

LALIGA HYPERMOTION HEATING UP AS CLUBS SEEK PROMOTION 

In Spanish football’s second division, there is also a tight battle at the top end of the standings.

The top three, UD Almería, CD Mirandés and Real Racing Club, are currently separated by just one point.

In fact, the gap from first all the way down to 12th is just 10 points.

So, there are many clubs in with a chance of securing promotion to LALIGA EA SPORTS this season.

The battle to obtain one of the promotion berths will be intense, especially as several historic Spanish clubs are involved and desperate to return to the top flight after many years away.

MBAPPE, ALVARES AND YAMAL SEEK THEIR FIRST LALIGA TITLE

Three of the competition’s biggest stars are looking to add their first LALIGA EA SPORTS title to their trophy cabinets this season.

Two of them arrived in the summer as the star signings of the division, and both Mbappé and Álvarez would love to clinch the league title in their first Spanish season.

As for Lamine Yamal, the youngster made his debut in the 2022/23 season, when FC Barcelona won their last championship, however he only appeared in one game and is now keen to lead his club to the title as one of their stars.

So far this season, these three players have shown off their quality and they’ve participated in some decisive moments for their teams.

Now, they’re hoping to finish the campaign in first position to add a prestigious title to their list of honours.

Between them, these players have won international tournaments like the World Cup, Copa America and European Championships, or leagues such as the Premier League and Ligue 1.

Now, their eyes are trained on the LALIGA EA SPORTS trophy.

AN EXCITING 2025 AT SPAIN'S ACADEMIES

The youth academies of LALIGA EA SPORTS clubs are respected around the world and they bring through so many players year after year.

Teams such as Athletic Club have first-team squads packed with academy graduates, while others like FC Barcelona, Real Sociedad, Sevilla FC, Valencia CF and RC Celta are also known for giving youth a chance.

Making the jump to the FC Barcelona first team in recent times have been players such as Marc Bernal, Marc Casadó and Gerard Martín, while Real Sociedad have placed their confidence in Jon Aramburu, Pablo Marín, Jon Pacheco and Jon Ander Olasagasti, among others.

Athletic Club are always finding new gems, and this season Mikel Jauregizar is establishing himself in the first team, while Adama Boiro is also starting to appear in Ernesto Valverde’s line-ups.

Other teams such as Sevilla FC are also making a firm commitment to homegrown players, such as Juanlu, José Ángel Carmona, Kike Salas, Isaac Romero and Manu Bueno, who earned Sevilla FC a victory in Jesús Navas’ final match at their stadium. At RC Celta, they have given Claudio Giráldez the keys and he is getting the best out of several academy graduates, including Hugo Álvarez, Hugo Sotelo, Pablo Durán and Alfon.

Another young player to emerge this season has been Raúl Asencio at Real Madrid, the centre-back who has come in and played well. In 2025, it’ll be fascinating to keep an eye on the growth of all these players and to see who the next stars are to graduate from the LALIGA EA SPORTS academies.