Love of LaLiga runs deep in Italy

There are several names that Italian audiences invariably associate with LaLiga. One of them is undoubtedly Fabio Capello. Sorry, Don Fabio Capello. One of the most successful Italian coaches ever, he has won trophies throughout his career, and is currently occupying a hotseat of a completely different kind for FOX Sports Italia.

However, the Italian interest in LaLiga is long-standing and deep-rooted, stretching beyond Capello, Carlo Ancelotti and La Decima, Fabio Cannavaro and Gianlucca Zambrotta, to the likes of Antonio Cassano, Arrigo Sacchi, Christian Vieri and so on.

In any case, Spanish football isn't all about Real Madrid and FC Barcelona, the BBC and the MSN, or even Atletico Madrid, and Italian viewers are also interested in exploring other LaLiga-related stories. On this note, we have produced no fewer than five reports looking at such alternative angles over the last two years, and there's more where those came from! We've covered the history of Rayo Vallecano (yes, we had one of the bacon sandwiches that are famous in those parts) and Athletic Club (we even laid flowers at the statue of Pichichi at San Mames). We've also been to Eibar, and to Seville to delve into the Derbi Maravilla (Wonder Derby) between Sevilla FC and Real Betis, and we've chatted with Ariedo Braida to get his insight into Barça's philosophy.

In Italy, FOX Sports is known as the home of overseas football: every week the channel screens nearly 30 games ranging from LaLiga to the Premier League, the Bundesliga, the Copa Libertadores, the FA Cup and the U21 Premier League. Among these myriad matches, the most successful in terms of ratings was El Clasico last November, which was viewed by more than a million people, with almost half a million tuning in for the full action. This figure outstrips any other game from across the globe, including the Premier League.

Two other LaLiga encounters feature among the top 10 for audiences, Barcelona v Atletico Madrid and the recent Madrid derby, in ninth and tenth place respectively. This helps explain why FOX Sports Italia has extended its relationship with Spanish football, by renewing its contract for a further three years at the beginning of the season. As a result, Italian fans will be able to enjoy Spanish football until 2018 at least – and, hopefully, for many more years beyond that.