# 2011–12 La Liga

The 2011–12 La Liga season (known as the Liga BBVA for sponsorship reasons) was the 81st season of the top level Spanish association football competition. The campaign began on 27 August 2011, and concluded on 13 May 2012. Real Madrid won a record 32nd title following victory over Athletic Bilbao on 2 May 2012.
Real Madrid broke a number of league records, including most points in a single season (100), most goals scored (121), best goal difference (+89), most away wins (16), and most overall wins (32). This season also saw Lionel Messi score a record 50 league goals in 37 games. Behind Messi was Real Madrid's Cristiano Ronaldo, who scored 46 goals; the pair's combined tally of 96 goals was the most ever by two players playing in the same major European league in the same season.

## Teams

Deportivo de La Coruña, Hércules CF from Alicante and UD Almería were relegated to the 2011–12 Segunda División after finishing in the bottom three spots of the table at the end of the 2010–11 season. Deportivo were relegated to the Segunda División after 20 seasons of continuous membership in the top football league of Spain, while Almería ended a four-year tenure in La Liga and Hércules made their immediate return to the second level.
The three relegated teams were replaced by three 2010–11 Segunda División sides. Champions Betis, who terminated their second-level status after two years, runners-up Rayo Vallecano, who returned to the top flight after eight seasons at lower levels, earned direct promotion.
The third promoted team was decided in the promotion play-offs where Granada CF returned to the league for the first time in 35 years, having spent 26 of them in Segunda División B and Tercera División.

### Stadiums and locations

| Team | Club home city | Stadium | Stadium capacity |
| Athletic Bilbao | Bilbao | San Mamés | 39,750 |
| Atlético Madrid | Madrid | Vicente Calderón | 54,851 |
| Barcelona | Barcelona | Camp Nou | 99,354 |
| Betis | Seville | Benito Villamarín | 52,745 |
| Espanyol | Barcelona | Cornellà-El Prat | 40,500 |
| Getafe | Getafe | Coliseum Alfonso Pérez | 17,700 |
| Granada | Granada | Nuevo Los Cármenes | 22,524 |
| Levante | Valencia | Ciutat de València | 25,534 |
| Málaga | Málaga | La Rosaleda | 28,963 |
| Mallorca | Palma | Iberostar Stadium | 23,142 |
| Osasuna | Pamplona | El Sadar | 19,553 |
| Racing Santander | Santander | El Sardinero | 22,271 |
| Rayo Vallecano | Madrid | Campo de Vallecas | 15,489 |
| Real Madrid | Madrid | Santiago Bernabéu | 85,454 |
| Real Sociedad | San Sebastián | Anoeta | 32,076 |
| Sevilla | Seville | Ramón Sánchez Pizjuán | 45,500 |
| Sporting de Gijón | Gijón | El Molinón | 29,800 |
| Valencia | Valencia | Mestalla | 55,000 |
| Villarreal | Vila-real | El Madrigal | 25,000 |
| Zaragoza | Zaragoza | La Romareda | 34,596 |

### Personnel and sponsorship

As in the previous years, Nike provided the official ball for all matches, with a new T90 Seitiro model which was used throughout the season.
| Team | Head Coach | Captain | Kitmaker | Shirt sponsor |
| Athletic Bilbao | Marcelo Bielsa | Carlos Gurpegui | Umbro | Petronor |
| Atlético Madrid | Diego Simeone | Antonio López | Nike | Rixos Hotels, Huawei, and Kyocera |
| Barcelona | Pep Guardiola | Carles Puyol | Nike | Qatar Foundation, UNICEF and TV3 |
| Espanyol | Mauricio Pochettino | Cristian Álvarez | Li-Ning | Cancún |
| Getafe | Luis García | Javier Casquero | Joma | Burger King and Confremar |
| Granada | Abel Resino | Manuel Lucena | Legea | Caja Granada |
| Levante | Juan Ignacio Martínez | Sergio Ballesteros | Luanvi | Comunitat Valenciana |
| Málaga | Manuel Pellegrini | Jesús Gámez | Nike | UNESCO |
| Mallorca | Joaquín Caparrós | José Nunes | Macron | bet-at-home.com |
| Osasuna | José Luis Mendilibar | Francisco Puñal | Astore | CAN |
| Racing Santander | Álvaro Cervera | Pedro Munitis | Slam | Palacios |
| Rayo Vallecano | José Ramón Sandoval | Míchel | Erreà | Los Vengadores |
| Real Betis | Pepe Mel | Iriney | RBb | Cirsa |
| Real Madrid | José Mourinho | Iker Casillas | Adidas | Bwin |
| Real Sociedad | Philippe Montanier | Mikel Aranburu | Nike | Gipuzkoa Euskararekin Bat |
| Sevilla | Míchel | Andrés Palop | Li Ning | Interwetten |
| Sporting de Gijón | Javier Clemente | David Barral | Kappa | Gijón / Asturias |
| Valencia | Unai Emery | David Albelda | Joma | JinKO Solar, Herbalife and MSC Cruceros |
| Villarreal | Miguel Ángel Lotina | Marcos Senna | Xtep | Comunitat Valenciana |
| Zaragoza | Manolo Jiménez | Javier Paredes | Adidas | Proniño |
* ^ For 8 matches in round 20, 31–32, 34–38.
* ^ Only against Real Madrid match in round 33.
* ^ On the back of shirt.
* ^ Barcelona makes a donation to UNICEF in order to display the charity's logo on the club's kit.
* ^ On the left sleeve.
* ^ Club's own brand.
* ^ Málaga makes a donation to UNESCO in order to display the charity's logo on the club's kit.
* ^ On the shoulders.
* ^ Since 31 January 2012.
* ^ On the shorts.
* ^ On the left sleeve.

### Managerial changes

| Team | Outgoing manager | Manner of departure | Date of vacancy | Replaced by | Date of appointment | Position in table |
| Atlético Madrid | Quique Sánchez Flores | End of contract | 24 May 2011 | Gregorio Manzano | 8 June 2011 | 7th (2010–11) |
| Real Sociedad | Martín Lasarte | Sacked | 24 May 2011 | Philippe Montanier | 4 June 2011 | 15th (2010–11) |
| Sevilla | Gregorio Manzano | End of contract | 25 May 2011 | Marcelino | 3 June 2011 | 5th (2010–11) |
| Getafe | Míchel | End of contract | 30 May 2011 | Luis García | 4 June 2011 | 16th (2010–11) |
| Racing Santander | Marcelino | Mutual consent | 3 June 2011 | Héctor Cúper | 29 June 2011 | 12th (2010–11) |
| Levante | Luis García | Mutual consent | 3 June 2011 | Juan Ignacio Martínez | 9 June 2011 | 14th (2010–11) |
| Athletic Bilbao | Joaquín Caparrós | End of contract | 7 July 2011 | Marcelo Bielsa | 7 July 2011 | 6th (2010–11) |
| Mallorca | Michael Laudrup | Resigned | 27 September 2011 | Miguel Ángel Nadal (as caretaker) | 28 September 2011 | 11th |
| Mallorca | Miguel Ángel Nadal | End of tenure as caretaker | 3 October 2011 | Joaquín Caparrós | 3 October 2011 | 11th |
| Racing Santander | Héctor Cúper | Mutual consent | 29 November 2011 | Juanjo González | 30 November 2011 | 20th |
| Villarreal | Juan Carlos Garrido | Sacked | 22 December 2011 | José Molina | 22 December 2011 | 17th |
| Atlético Madrid | Gregorio Manzano | Sacked | 22 December 2011 | Diego Simeone | 23 December 2011 | 10th |
| Zaragoza | Javier Aguirre | Sacked | 30 December 2011 | Manolo Jiménez | 31 December 2011 | 20th |
| Granada | Fabri | Sacked | 22 January 2012 | Abel Resino | 23 January 2012 | 18th |
| Sporting de Gijón | Manolo Preciado | Sacked | 31 January 2012 | Iñaki Tejada (as caretaker) | 31 January 2012 | 19th |
| Sevilla | Marcelino | Sacked | 6 February 2012 | Míchel | 7 February 2012 | 11th |
| Sporting de Gijón | Iñaki Tejada | End of tenure as caretaker | 13 February 2012 | Javier Clemente | 13 February 2012 | 19th |
| Racing Santander | Juanjo González | Sacked | 7 March 2012 | Álvaro Cervera | 9 March 2012 | 18th |
| Villarreal | José Molina | Sacked | 18 March 2012 | Miguel Ángel Lotina | 19 March 2012 | 17th |

## League table

| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification or relegation |
| 1 | Real Madrid (C) | 38 | 32 | 4 | 2 | 121 | 32 | +89 | 100 | Qualification for the Champions League group stage |
| 2 | Barcelona | 38 | 28 | 7 | 3 | 114 | 29 | +85 | 91 | Qualification for the Champions League group stage |
| 3 | Valencia | 38 | 17 | 10 | 11 | 59 | 44 | +15 | 61 | Qualification for the Champions League group stage |
| 4 | Málaga | 38 | 17 | 7 | 14 | 54 | 53 | +1 | 58 | Qualification for the Champions League play-off round |
| 5 | Atlético Madrid | 38 | 15 | 11 | 12 | 53 | 46 | +7 | 56 | Qualification for the Europa League group stage |
| 6 | Levante | 38 | 16 | 7 | 15 | 54 | 50 | +4 | 55 | Qualification for the Europa League play-off round |
| 7 | Osasuna | 38 | 13 | 15 | 10 | 44 | 61 | −17 | 54 | |
| 8 | Mallorca | 38 | 14 | 10 | 14 | 42 | 46 | −4 | 52 | |
| 9 | Sevilla | 38 | 13 | 11 | 14 | 48 | 47 | +1 | 50 | |
| 10 | Athletic Bilbao | 38 | 12 | 13 | 13 | 49 | 52 | −3 | 49 | Qualification for the Europa League third qualifying round |
| 11 | Getafe | 38 | 12 | 11 | 15 | 40 | 51 | −11 | 47 | |
| 12 | Real Sociedad | 38 | 12 | 11 | 15 | 46 | 52 | −6 | 47 | |
| 13 | Real Betis | 38 | 13 | 8 | 17 | 47 | 56 | −9 | 47 | |
| 14 | Espanyol | 38 | 12 | 10 | 16 | 46 | 56 | −10 | 46 | |
| 15 | Rayo Vallecano | 38 | 13 | 4 | 21 | 53 | 73 | −20 | 43 | |
| 16 | Zaragoza | 38 | 12 | 7 | 19 | 36 | 61 | −25 | 43 | |
| 17 | Granada | 38 | 12 | 6 | 20 | 35 | 56 | −21 | 42 | |
| 18 | Villarreal (R) | 38 | 9 | 14 | 15 | 39 | 53 | −14 | 41 | Relegation to the Segunda División |
| 19 | Sporting Gijón (R) | 38 | 10 | 7 | 21 | 42 | 69 | −27 | 37 | Relegation to the Segunda División |
| 20 | Racing Santander (R) | 38 | 4 | 15 | 19 | 28 | 63 | −35 | 27 | Relegation to the Segunda División |
* ↑ Atlético Madrid won the 2011–12 UEFA Europa League and thus secured the title holder spot in the group stage of the 2012–13 UEFA Europa League.
* 1 2 Athletic Bilbao qualified for the third qualifying round of the 2012–13 UEFA Europa League as runners-up of the 2011–12 Copa del Rey to Barcelona, who have qualified for the 2012–13 UEFA Champions League. Consequently, Levante entered the play-off round.
* 1 2 3 GET: 8 pts; RSO: 5 pts; BET: 2 pts
* 1 2 RVA 0–0 ZAR; ZAR 1–2 RVA

## Results

| Home \ Away | ATH | ATM | FCB | BET | ESP | GET | GCF | LEV | MCF | MLL | OSA | RAC | RVA | RMA | RSO | SFC | RSG | VCF | VIL | ZAR |
| Athletic Bilbao | | 3–0 | 2–2 | 2–3 | 3–3 | 0–0 | 0–1 | 3–0 | 3–0 | 1–0 | 3–1 | 1–1 | 1–1 | 0–3 | 2–0 | 1–0 | 1–1 | 0–3 | 1–1 | 2–1 |
| Atlético Madrid | 2–1 | | 1–2 | 0–2 | 3–1 | 3–0 | 2–0 | 3–2 | 2–1 | 1–1 | 0–0 | 4–0 | 3–1 | 1–4 | 1–1 | 0–0 | 4–0 | 0–0 | 3–0 | 3–1 |
| Barcelona | 2–0 | 5–0 | | 4–2 | 4–0 | 4–0 | 5–3 | 5–0 | 4–1 | 5–0 | 8–0 | 3–0 | 4–0 | 1–2 | 2–1 | 0–0 | 3–1 | 5–1 | 5–0 | 4–0 |
| Betis | 2–1 | 2–2 | 2–2 | | 1–1 | 1–1 | 1–2 | 0–1 | 0–0 | 1–0 | 1–0 | 1–1 | 0–2 | 2–3 | 2–3 | 1–1 | 2–0 | 2–1 | 3–1 | 4–3 |
| Espanyol | 2–1 | 4–2 | 1–1 | 1–0 | | 1–0 | 3–0 | 1–2 | 1–2 | 1–0 | 1–2 | 3–1 | 5–1 | 0–4 | 2–2 | 1–1 | 0–3 | 4–0 | 0–0 | 0–2 |
| Getafe | 0–0 | 3–2 | 1–0 | 1–0 | 1–1 | | 1–0 | 1–1 | 1–3 | 1–3 | 2–2 | 1–1 | 0–1 | 0–1 | 1–0 | 5–1 | 2–0 | 3–1 | 0–0 | 0–2 |
| Granada | 2–2 | 0–0 | 0–1 | 0–1 | 2–1 | 1–0 | | 2–1 | 2–1 | 2–2 | 1–1 | 0–0 | 1–2 | 1–2 | 4–1 | 0–3 | 2–1 | 0–1 | 1–0 | 1–0 |
| Levante | 3–0 | 2–0 | 1–2 | 3–1 | 3–1 | 1–2 | 3–1 | | 3–0 | 0–0 | 0–2 | 1–1 | 3–5 | 1–0 | 3–2 | 1–0 | 4–0 | 0–2 | 1–0 | 0–0 |
| Málaga | 1–0 | 0–0 | 1–4 | 0–2 | 2–1 | 3–2 | 4–0 | 1–0 | | 3–1 | 1–1 | 3–0 | 4–2 | 0–4 | 1–1 | 2–1 | 1–0 | 1–0 | 2–1 | 5–1 |
| Mallorca | 1–1 | 2–1 | 0–2 | 1–0 | 1–0 | 1–2 | 0–0 | 1–0 | 0–1 | | 1–1 | 2–1 | 1–0 | 1–2 | 2–1 | 0–0 | 1–2 | 1–1 | 4–0 | 1–0 |
| Osasuna | 2–1 | 0–1 | 3–2 | 2–1 | 2–0 | 0–0 | 2–1 | 2–0 | 1–1 | 2–2 | | 0–2 | 0–0 | 1–5 | 1–0 | 0–0 | 2–1 | 1–1 | 2–1 | 3–0 |
| Racing Santander | 0–1 | 0–0 | 0–2 | 1–0 | 0–1 | 1–2 | 0–1 | 0–0 | 1–3 | 0–3 | 2–4 | | 1–1 | 0–0 | 0–0 | 0–3 | 1–1 | 2–2 | 1–0 | 1–0 |
| Rayo Vallecano | 2–3 | 0–1 | 0–7 | 3–0 | 0–1 | 2–0 | 1–0 | 1–2 | 2–0 | 0–1 | 6–0 | 4–2 | | 0–1 | 4–0 | 2–1 | 1–3 | 1–2 | 0–2 | 0–0 |
| Real Madrid | 4–1 | 4–1 | 1–3 | 4–1 | 5–0 | 4–2 | 5–1 | 4–2 | 1–1 | 4–1 | 7–1 | 4–0 | 6–2 | | 5–1 | 3–0 | 3–1 | 0–0 | 3–0 | 3–1 |
| Real Sociedad | 1–2 | 0–4 | 2–2 | 1–1 | 0–0 | 0–0 | 1–0 | 1–3 | 3–2 | 1–0 | 0–0 | 3–0 | 4–0 | 0–1 | | 2–0 | 5–1 | 1–0 | 1–1 | 3–0 |
| Sevilla | 1–2 | 1–1 | 0–2 | 1–2 | 0–0 | 3–0 | 1–2 | 1–1 | 2–1 | 3–1 | 2–0 | 2–2 | 5–2 | 2–6 | 1–0 | | 2–1 | 1–0 | 1–2 | 3–0 |
| Sporting Gijón | 1–1 | 1–1 | 0–1 | 2–1 | 1–2 | 2–1 | 2–0 | 3–2 | 2–1 | 2–3 | 1–1 | 0–0 | 2–1 | 0–3 | 1–2 | 1–0 | | 0–1 | 2–3 | 1–2 |
| Valencia | 1–1 | 1–0 | 2–2 | 4–0 | 2–1 | 3–1 | 1–0 | 1–1 | 2–0 | 2–2 | 4–0 | 4–3 | 4–1 | 2–3 | 0–1 | 1–2 | 4–0 | | 1–0 | 1–2 |
| Villarreal | 2–2 | 0–1 | 0–0 | 1–0 | 0–0 | 1–2 | 3–1 | 0–3 | 2–1 | 2–0 | 1–1 | 1–1 | 2–0 | 1–1 | 1–1 | 2–2 | 3–0 | 2–2 | | 2–2 |
| Zaragoza | 2–0 | 1–0 | 1–4 | 0–2 | 2–1 | 1–1 | 1–0 | 1–0 | 0–0 | 0–1 | 1–1 | 2–1 | 1–2 | 0–6 | 2–0 | 0–1 | 2–2 | 0–1 | 2–1 | |

## Awards
### La Liga Awards

La Liga's governing body, the Liga Nacional de Fútbol Profesional, honoured the competition's best players and coach with the La Liga Awards.
| Award | Recipient |
| Best Player | Lionel Messi (Barcelona) |
| Best Coach | Pep Guardiola (Barcelona) |
| Best Goalkeeper | Iker Casillas (Real Madrid) |
| Best Defender | Sergio Ramos (Real Madrid) |
| Best Midfielder(s) | Xabi Alonso (Real Madrid) Andrés Iniesta (Barcelona) |
| Best Forward | Lionel Messi (Barcelona) |

### Top goalscorers

The Pichichi Trophy is awarded by the newspaper Marca to the player who scores the most goals in a season.
| Rank | Player | Club | Goals |
| 1 | Lionel Messi | Barcelona | 50 |
| 2 | Cristiano Ronaldo | Real Madrid | 46 |
| 3 | Radamel Falcao | Atlético Madrid | 24 |
| 4 | Gonzalo Higuaín | Real Madrid | 22 |
| 5 | Karim Benzema | Real Madrid | 21 |
| 6 | Fernando Llorente | Athletic Bilbao | 17 |
| 6 | Roberto Soldado | Valencia | 17 |
| 8 | Rubén Castro | Real Betis | 16 |
| 9 | Arouna Koné | Levante | 15 |
| 9 | Michu | Rayo Vallecano | 15 |
Source: Liga BBVA

### Top assists

| Rank | Player | Club | Assists |
| 1 | Mesut Özil | Real Madrid | 17 |
| 2 | Ángel Di María | Real Madrid | 16 |
| 2 | Lionel Messi | Barcelona | 16 |
| 4 | Jesús Navas | Sevilla | 12 |
| 4 | Cristiano Ronaldo | Real Madrid | 12 |
| 6 | Dani Alves | Barcelona | 11 |
| 7 | Xabi Alonso | Real Madrid | 9 |
| 7 | Chory Castro | Mallorca | 9 |
| 7 | Andrés Iniesta | Barcelona | 9 |
* Source: LFP

### Zamora Trophy

The Ricardo Zamora Trophy is awarded by newspaper Marca to the goalkeeper with the lowest ratio of goals conceded to matches played. A goalkeeper had to play at least 28 matches of 60 or more minutes to be eligible for the trophy.
| Rank | Player | Club | Goals against | Matches | Average |
| 1 | Víctor Valdés | Barcelona | 28 | 35 | 0.80 |
| 2 | Iker Casillas | Real Madrid | 31 | 37 | 0.84 |
| 3 | Thibaut Courtois | Atlético Madrid | 41 | 36 | 1.14 |
| 4 | Dudu Aouate | Mallorca | 46 | 36 | 1.28 |
| 5 | Miguel Ángel Moyà | Getafe | 48 | 36 | 1.33 |

### Fair Play award

This award was given annually since 1999 to the team with the best fair play during the season. This ranking takes into account aspects such as cards, suspension of matches, audience behaviour and other penalties. This section not only aims to determine the best fair play, but also serves to break the tie in teams that are tied in all the other rules: points, head-to-head, goal difference and goals scored.
| Rank | Club | Matches | | | | | | | | Total Points |
| 1 | Barcelona | 38 | 79 | 2 | 1 | – | 1$^9$ | – | – | 91 |
| 1 | Málaga | 38 | 70 | 2 | 4 | – | – | 1 Mild$^{29}$ | – | 91 |
| 3 | Villarreal | 38 | 86 | 4 | 2 | – | 3$^{8,13,21}$ | – | – | 115 |
| 4 | Real Sociedad | 38 | 73 | 6 | 3 | – | 2$^{24,29}$ | 3 Milds$^{7,9,27}$ | – | 119 |
| 5 | Athletic Bilbao | 38 | 101 | 6 | 1 | – | 1$^6$ | 1 Mild$^{20}$ | – | 126 |
| 6 | Real Madrid | 38 | 91 | 3 | 2 | – | 4$^{15,25,29,29}$ | 1 Mild$^{28}$ | – | 128 |
| 7 | Levante | 38 | 120 | 5 | 0 | – | – | 1 Mild$^{35}$ | – | 135 |
| 8 | Racing Santander | 38 | 117 | 3 | 3 | – | 1$^2$ | – | – | 137 |
| 9 | Osasuna | 38 | 98 | 4 | 2 | – | 4$^{20,27,31,34}$ | 1 Serious$^{27}$ | – | 138 |
| 10 | Sporting Gijón | 38 | 117 | 5 | 0 | – | 1$^{20}$ | 2 Milds$^{15,20}$ | – | 142 |
| 11 | Rayo Vallecano | 38 | 125 | 1 | 2 | – | 1$^{11}$ | 1 Mild$^5$ | – | 143 |
| 12 | Mallorca | 38 | 118 | 2 | 4 | – | 1$^{19}$ | 1 Mild$^{30}$ | – | 144 |
| 13 | Atlético Madrid | 38 | 131 | 2 | 2 | – | – | 1 Mild$^{33}$ | – | 146 |
| 14 | Real Betis | 38 | 104 | 3 | 4 | – | 1$^{35}$ | 5 Milds$^{1,5,14,18,36}$ | – | 152 |
| 14 | Valencia | 38 | 127 | 1 | 6 | – | 1$^{28}$ | – | – | 152 |
| 16 | Getafe | 38 | 120 | 4 | 4 | – | 3$^{3,15,23}$ | – | – | 155 |
| 17 | Sevilla | 38 | 112 | 6 | 3 | – | – | 5 Milds$^{8,13,19,20,35}$ | – | 158 |
| 18 | Espanyol | 38 | 130 | 4 | 2 | – | 2$^{6,17}$ | 1 Mild$^{18}$ | – | 159 |
| 19 | Zaragoza | 38 | 126 | 5 | 3 | – | 2$^{26,32}$ | 1 Mild$^{20}$ | – | 160 |
| 20 | Granada | 38 | 107 | 4 | 5 | 18$^{37}$ | 2$^{37}$ | 1 Very Serious$^{13}$ | – | 165 |
Source: 2011–12 Fair Play Rankings Season
Sources of cards and penalties: Referee's reports, Competition Committee's Sanctions, Appeal Committee Resolutions and RFEF's Directory about Fair Play Rankings
Legend:
| Icon | Term | Points of sanction | Description |
| | Yellow Card | 1 point/yellow card | |
| | Double Yellow Card/Ejection | 2 points/double yellow card | |
| | Direct Red Card | 3 points/red card | |
| | Games of Suspension (Player) | As many as banned games | When a player is banned for play more than 3 future games. This punishment overrides the possible red card which caused this sanction |
| | Games of Suspension (Club's Personnel) | 5 points/banned game | When some person of the club (not player) is banned for x future games. This punishment overrides the possible red card which caused this sanction |
| | Audience Behaviour | Mild (5 points) Serious (6 points) Very Serious (7 points) | When the audience makes some altercations such as explosions, flares, throwing objects to the ground, racist chanting, etc. |
| | Closure of Stadium | 10 points/match with closured stadium | When serious incidents happen which are punished by the closure of the stadium |
| It also accounts cards to non-players ||||
| The number in superscript is the corresponding round to the sanction ||||
| Important note: This table is not a count of cards and sanctions resulting from the matches, this table takes into account the removal or application of some cards and sanctions by the competent bodies (Competition Committee, Appeal Committee and Spanish Sports Disciplinary Committee) ||||

### Pedro Zaballa award

Comité Técnico de Árbitros de Fútbol de Las Palmas

### Scoring

* First goal of the season: Imanol Agirretxe for Real Sociedad against Sporting de Gijón (27 August 2011)
* Last goal of the season: Rovérsio for Osasuna against Racing Santander (13 May 2012)

### Hat-tricks

| Player | For | Against | Result | Date |
| Roberto Soldado | Valencia | Racing Santander | 4–3 (H) | 27 August 2011 |
| Cristiano Ronaldo | Real Madrid | Zaragoza | 6–0 (A) | 28 August 2011 |
| Lionel Messi | Barcelona | Osasuna | 8–0 (H) | 17 September 2011 |
| Radamel Falcao | Atlético Madrid | Racing Santander | 4–0 (H) | 18 September 2011 |
| Cristiano Ronaldo | Real Madrid | Rayo Vallecano | 6–2 (H) | 24 September 2011 |
| Lionel Messi | Barcelona | Atlético Madrid | 5–0 (H) | 24 September 2011 |
| Gonzalo Higuaín | Real Madrid | Espanyol | 4–0 (A) | 2 October 2011 |
| Gonzalo Higuaín | Real Madrid | Real Betis | 4–1 (H) | 15 October 2011 |
| Cristiano Ronaldo | Real Madrid | Málaga | 4–0 (A) | 22 October 2011 |
| Lionel Messi | Barcelona | Mallorca | 5–0 (H) | 29 October 2011 |
| Cristiano Ronaldo | Real Madrid | Osasuna | 7–1 (H) | 6 November 2011 |
| Cristiano Ronaldo | Real Madrid | Sevilla | 6–2 (A) | 17 December 2011 |
| Radamel Falcao | Atlético Madrid | Real Sociedad | 4–0 (A) | 21 January 2012 |
| Lionel Messi | Barcelona | Málaga | 4–1 (A) | 22 January 2012 |
| Fernando Llorente | Athletic Bilbao | Rayo Vallecano | 3–2 (A) | 28 January 2012 |
| Cristiano Ronaldo | Real Madrid | Levante | 4–2 (H) | 12 February 2012 |
| Lionel Messi$^4$ | Barcelona | Valencia | 5–1 (H) | 19 February 2012 |
| Kalu Uche | Espanyol | Rayo Vallecano | 5–1 (H) | 11 March 2012 |
| Roberto Soldado | Valencia | Athletic Bilbao | 3–0 (A) | 18 March 2012 |
| Lionel Messi | Barcelona | Granada | 5–3 (H) | 20 March 2012 |
| Cristiano Ronaldo | Real Madrid | Atlético Madrid | 4–1 (A) | 11 April 2012 |
| Lionel Messi | Barcelona | Málaga | 4–1 (H) | 2 May 2012 |
| Lionel Messi$^4$ | Barcelona | Espanyol | 4–0 (H) | 5 May 2012 |
$^4$ Player scored four goals (H) – Home; (A) – Away

## Attendances

| # | Football club | Home games | Average attendance |
| 1 | FC Barcelona | 19 | 78,340 |
| 2 | Real Madrid | 19 | 74,258 |
| 3 | Atlético de Madrid | 19 | 40,526 |
| 4 | Valencia CF | 19 | 38,921 |
| 5 | Sevilla FC | 19 | 36,047 |
| 6 | Real Betis | 19 | 35,820 |
| 7 | Athletic Club | 19 | 33,974 |
| 8 | Málaga CF | 19 | 26,599 |
| 9 | RCD Espanyol | 19 | 23,499 |
| 10 | Real Sociedad | 19 | 23,135 |
| 11 | Real Zaragoza | 19 | 23,114 |
| 12 | Sporting de Gijón | 19 | 21,838 |
| 13 | Granada CF | 19 | 20,526 |
| 14 | Villarreal CF | 19 | 17,053 |
| 15 | CA Osasuna | 19 | 15,674 |
| 16 | RCD Mallorca | 19 | 13,526 |
| 17 | Racing de Santander | 19 | 13,387 |
| 18 | Levante UD | 19 | 12,662 |
| 19 | Rayo Vallecano | 19 | 10,900 |
| 20 | Getafe CF | 19 | 9,447 |