LaLiga stars to lock horns in EURO 2016 semi-finals

The magic of LaLiga knows no bounds. This was illustrated once again in the latest round of EURO 2016 action in France, where a compelling set of quarter-finals ended up with nine players based in the Spanish top flight making it through to the semis. But that is not all: many of them played leading roles in their countries' progress to the penultimate hurdle, which Portugal, Wales, Germany and France are all now hoping to overcome in order to reach the final on 10 July.

Cristiano Ronaldo's attacking perseverance and Pepe's solidity marshalling the backline were influential for Portugal against Poland, in a game that Andre Gomes was forced to miss through injury. The Portuguese will now face one of the tournament's revelations, Gareth Bale's Wales. This means a mouth-watering encounter between Bale – a talismanic figure for the Dragons – and his friend and Real Madrid teammate Ronaldo, who captains his country.

The other side of the draw has thrown up another heavyweight clash. Toni Kroos – a metronomic presence for both Madrid and his country – plus Valencia CF defensive linchpin Shkodran Mustafi and FC Barcelona goalkeeper Marc-Andre ter Stegen are among the ranks for Germany, who are up against none other than hosts France for a place in the title match. Adil Rami and the European Championship's top scorer, Antoine Griezmann, will be out to end the world champions' run.

Whatever happens in the two semi-finals, LaLiga is guaranteed to have a stellar role in the final. This provides further proof that the Spanish competition boasts the biggest stars in the football world and has cemented its status as the best league on the planet.