Australians in La Liga: Awer Mabil joins exclusive list of Aussie players in Spain’s top-flight
The 2022-23 La Liga season kicks off on August 13 (AEST) with Real Madrid looking to defend their title.
Bitter rivals Barcelona have had a busy summer and will be confident of challenging Carlo Ancelotti’s side.
The new La Liga season will be broadcast exclusively on Optus Sport in Australia, with a Socceroos attacker trying to impress in his first season in the Spanish top flight.
Australians in La Liga this season
As the new season begins, Awer Mabil is the only Australian player signed by a La Liga club.
The 26-year-old joined Cadiz in the off-season after sealing a permanent exit from Danish club Midtjylland.
Mabil, a regular for Australia national team, is joining a Cadiz side that avoided relegation by a single point last season.
The 2022/23 season marks Cadiz’s third straight season in the Spanish top flight and they hope Mabil can do his part to continue that streak.
Colleague Maty Ryan was Australia’s only representative in La Liga last season but left Real Sociedad due to a lack of playing time in the off-season.
Mabil could be joined by yet another Australian in La Liga this season, with Ajdin Hrustic recently linked with interest from Real Betis.
Australians who have played in La Liga
Mabil will become only the fifth Australian to play in La Liga when he joins the field for Cadiz.
Andy Bernal became the first Australian to play in Spain’s top flight when he appeared for Sporting Gijon in 1985, having also been scouted by Real Madrid.
Aurelio Vidmar was next as he donned a Tenerife shirt in the 1996/97 season.
Five years later, John Aloisi, who first played for Osasuna and later for Deportivo Alaves, finished third. In all, the legendary Socceroo and current Western United coach has made 154 La Liga appearances, scoring 39 goals.
In 2015, Maty Ryan became the fourth Australian to play in La Liga when he beat Valencia. After a difficult period at the club, the goalkeeper played in Belgium and England before returning to Spain with Real Sociedad in 2021.
- Andy Bernal (1985-88)
- Aurelio Vidmar (1996–97)
- John Aloisi (2001–06)
- Mathew Ryan (2015–17, 2021–22)
- Aver Mabil (2022-23)
Osasuna’s history is filled with heroes. Some come from far away but remain in our hearts forever. One of them is John Aloisi, who looks back on his career in this interview. 😍🇦🇺#Osasuna #LaLiga #Australia pic.twitter.com/2UefRhPvCu
— CA OSASUNA (@CAOSasuna) May 24, 2019
How to watch La Liga in Australia
La Liga will be broadcast exclusively on Optus Sport this season after they took over the rights from previous owner beIN Sports.
Optus Sport currently shows the Premier League alongside other competitions, with La Liga games for the 2022-23 season being streamed exclusively through their service.
La Liga matches can be viewed on Optus Sport in the following ways:
- Bring
- apple tv
- Android TV
- Compatible Smart TVs
- LG Smart TVs
- Apple Airplay
- Chromecast
- Amazon FireTV
- Xbox
- Compatible Samsung Smart TVs
- writing desk
- tablet
- mobile phone, mobile phone
- Laptop
The world’s best football in one place. EPL & La Liga only at Optus Sport.