LaLiga Santander/LaLiga SmartBank: 29% of clubs (12/42) under foreign ownership in 2020-21

12 of the 42 clubs taking part in Spanish first and second divisions in 2020-21 - 20 clubs in LaLiga Santander and 22 in LaLiga SmartBank - are owned by a foreign owner, i.e. nearly 29%, according to the infographic compiled by News Tank Football on 26/11/2020 (see below). This foreign influence is more significant in the second division (8 clubs, 36%) than in the top flight (4 clubs, 20%).

The last club to be bought by capital located outside of Spain was Elche CF (promoted to LaLiga Santander), acquired by Argentinian businessman Christian Bragarnik in December 2019.

Foreign owners of Spanish clubs come mainly from three geographical areas:
• Latin America (four clubs): Argentina (Elche CF), Brazil (Real Valladolid CF), Mexico (Real Oviedo) and Venezuela (Albacete Balompié).
• The Persian Gulf (three clubs): Saudi Arabia (UD Almería), United Arab Emirates (Girona FC) and Qatar (Malaga CF).
• Asia (outside the Persian Gulf, three clubs): China (RCD Espanyol and Granada CF) and Singapore (Valencia CF).

• The infographic below shows the clubs by default in alphabetical order, but it is…