5 active La Liga players with most appearances in the league

La Liga is widely regarded as one of the best top-flight football leagues in the world. In its illustrious history, many top stars from around the globe have plied their trade in the competition and left an indelible mark.

La Liga is home to two of the most successful club teams in history - Real Madrid and Barcelona. So the Spanish top-flight has always been a dream destination for many budding players.

Some of them, both from Spain and abroad, have gone on to spend a large chunk of their careers in La Liga. On that note, here's a look at the five active players with the most La Liga appearances:

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#5 Antoine Griezmann - 401

Griezmann has scored 156 goals and made 62 assists in 401 La Liga games.

His current form may not be the best, but Antoine Griezmann is a modern-day La Liga great. He burst onto the scene with Real Sociedad back in 2009, and hasn't looked back since then.

Five years and 180 appearances later, he moved to Atletico Madrid, becoming a bonafide star of the game under Diego Simeone's tutelage. Griezmann is yet to win a La Liga title, but he has played over 400 games in the competition, registering 156 goals and 62 assists.

Griezmann moved to Barcelona two years ago, but things didn't quite work out for him. The Frenchman is now back with the Rojiblancos for a second stint.

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#4 Sergio Busquets - 424

Sergio Busquets is a eight-time La Liga winner.

Sergio Busquets is one of the last remaining vestiges of the true one-club-man. Since debuting for Barcelona in 2008, he has made over 500 appearances for them, including 424 in La Liga.

There are 31 players who have made more La Liga appearances than him. But very few can boast a trophy cabinet like Busquets, who has won eight titles in the competition.

An underrated cornerstone of the Blaugrana, Busquets is arguably the best holding midfielder of his generation. At 33, he has still got a few more years of top-flight football left in him.

#3 Jesus Navas - 424

Navas is close to making 600 appearances for Sevilla in all competitions.

Jesus Navas has made over 400 La Liga appearances. He had a brief but successful stint with Manchester City in the Premier League, although it's at Sevilla where Navas has enjoyed more recognition.

Since making his debut for the club in 2003 as a promising 18-year-old, the Spaniard has accumulated a record 552 appearances for the club. That includes 424 in La Liga.

While he has never come close to winning a La Liga title, his efforts have helped Sevilla lift eight titles, most of them during his first spell at the club. That includes back-to-back Europa League triumphs in 2006 and 2007.

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#2 Raul Garcia - 528

Garcia ranks sixth in the all-time list of games played in La Liga/

Raul Garcia made his La Liga debut almost a year after Navas. But he has way more appearances than the latter in the Spanish top flight, as he has spent the entirety of his career there.

Garcia has accumulated 528 La Liga caps for three different clubs. Most of them came with Atletico Madrid, where he spent eight years and won the competition in 2014.

For the past six years, he has been with Athletic Bilbao, where he has enjoyed a highly productive spell in front of goal. He's had a brief spell with Osasuna on two different occasions, too, playing 101 games.

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#1 Joaquin - 585

The Real Betis legend is only 35 games away from making the most La Liga appearances.

Currently the oldest active outfield player in La Liga, Joaquin is an underrated legend of the competition. He's currently the most experienced of the lot, with 585 appearances in the league. Joaquin trails only Barcelona legend Andoni Zubizarreta on the competition's all-time list (620).

Barring two years with Fiorentina in Serie A, the Spaniard has spent the rest of his 21-year career in Spain, representing four sides, including his beloved Real Betis.

That's where he began his career back in 2000, helping them get promoted to La Liga the following year. He left Betis in 2006 after 180 top-flight appearances, only to return for a second term in 2015. Since then, Joaquin has made another 190 league appearances.