LaLiga's bond with Bolivia

RCD Espanyol's experience on Bolivian soil is proving a resounding success and is building on the strong ties – past and present – between Bolivia, the South American country's football scene and LaLiga.

A number of Bolivian icons of the beautiful game have graced Spanish football and delighted fans with their skills. One of the most prominent examples is Juan Manuel Peña, who played for R. Valladolid CF, Villarreal CF and RC Celta after starting his career at Club Blooming, the very team whom Espanyol faced in their first fixture within their LFP World Challenge post-season programme. Marco Etcheverry, Marco Sandy and Pedro Aicart are other players who strutted their stuff in LaLiga, plying their trade for Albacete, Valladolid and FC Barcelona respectively. Indeed, Aicart made history in Spain as part of the Azulgranas side that ended a long drought by winning the league title in the 1973/74 season.

Furthermore, this has not been a one-way street: Spain has also exported talent to Bolivia. For instance, Xabier Azkargorta has coached the Bolivian national team in addition to major clubs such as Oriente Petrolero and Bolivar, at the latter of which Miguel Angel Portugal also had a stint in charge.

The connection does not end there. LaLiga's international strategy includes actively supporting football development in a wide range of countries. One of these is Bolivia, as per an agreement signed with the Bolivian Professional Football League and the Bolivian Football Federation (FBF). As part of these efforts, earlier this year a group of Bolivian coaches came to Madrid for a week-long elite-level course led by LaLiga professionals.