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The big boys in La Liga have always been big spenders but the big spending has always been judiciously mixed with home-grown Spanish talent that have been brought in either from the cantera (Youth Team) setup or bought from other La Liga clubs.
This great mix has seen clubs from Spain rule the roost in European competitions as the league has the record winners for both of UEFA's club competitions: Sevilla is the record winners of the UEFA Cup/Europa League with 5 titles while Real Madrid is the greatest club in Champions League history with 12 title wins.
In a funny quirk of fate similar to that of the English Premier League, a number of Spanish clubs broke their own transfer records this season as well.
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Here is a look at 5 of La Liga's top clubs, their record transfers and how they have fared:
#5 Luis Muriel (Sevilla): €21.5m
Previous Record: Franco Vasquez (from Palermo) €16.8m
The 27-year-old Colombian striker joined Los Nervionense from Italian side Sampdoria and was brought in as an alternative for French striker Wissam Ben Yedder.
The breadbox striker who is built like the typical South American striker; short, stocky with a low centre of gravity and the ability to dribble and wriggle his way from defenders.
He spent a good number of years in the Italian Serie A with Udinese and Sampdoria before making the move to Andalucia. He formed a good partnership with former Zebrette captain Antonio Di Natale while he was at Udine.
He hasn't exactly set La Liga alight since he arrived in Spain as while his movement, trickery, and graft have been impressive, he has been let down repeatedly by his finishing despite being given a myriad of chances by new manager Vincenzo Montella.
He has managed just 7 goals and 1 assist in his 26 La Liga matches so far and should do better next season.
#4 Rodrigo Moreno (Valencia CF): €30m
Previous Record: Álvaro Negredo (from Manchester City) €28m
The Brazilian-born Spanish international has certainly taken his time to become the player that Los Che thought they were getting when he was signed permanently in 2015 from Portuguese giants SL Benfica.
A left-footed striker who has played before as a winger on either flank during his career, the 27-year-old joined Valencia during the darkest days of the club's recent history as the financial crisis in Spain, mismanagement and other off-field issues affected the growth of the side known as Spain's third biggest club.
A second cousin to the Barcelona-trained pair of Thiago and Rafinha Alcantara, Rodrigo is a pacy forward who is brilliant at poaching and gets his fair share of assists as well
His tally of 37 goals and 20 assists in 137 appearances for Los Murciélagos (The Bats) doesn't look like much but he has been much improved this season.
Under the guidance of manager Marcelino Toral, the Spanish international is having the season of his life as in 32 La Liga matches this season, he has hit 16 goals and made 4 assists.
#3 Diego Costa (Atletico Madrid): €66m
Previous Record: Ramadel Falcao (from FC Porto) €40m
The enfant-terrible and much-loved problem child of Atletico manager Diego Simeone, the 29-year-old Brazilian-born Spanish international is in his second spell at the Madrid club and his second coming to the club saw him break the club's transfer record as he rejoined from Chelsea this season.
A tempestuous force of nature whose grizzly-bear demeanour, the Spanish international's razor-sharp finishing, aggression and abilities were sorely missed when he left to join the Blues in 2014 after propelling Los Colchoneros (The Mattressers) to the La Liga title, the team's first in nearly 2 decades.
His tally of 72 goals and 27 assists in the 152 games he has appeared in for Simeone's team tell the story of a committed warrior who is willing to give his all to ensure that the team gets the glory.
Ever since his return to the club in January, he has hit 9 goals in 18 appearances in all competitions with 3 of those goals and 2 of those assists coming in his 12 La Liga appearances so far.
#2 Philippe Coutinho (FC Barcelona): €162.19m
Previous Record: Ousmane Dembélé (from Borussia Dortmund) €154.76m
The signing of the Brazilian midfielder from Liverpool finally happened in January after a summer filled with speculation.
Following the world record transfer of Neymar to PSG in the summer, the pride of the Catalan giants was stung and they sought to respond by spending the €222m gotten from PSG on both Coutinho and young French winger, Dembele.
The former Anfield favourite who had an earlier stint in La Liga at Barca's Catalan rivals Espanyol was ostensibly brought into the club as the long-term replacement for the ageing Andres Iniesta and to provide much-needed creativity either from midfield or the left side of the attack.
His trickery, close control, dribbling and incisive passing not to mention his long-range shooting and set-piece ability means the creative burden has been lifted somewhat off the shoulders of Argentine superstar Lionel Messi.
In his 13 La Liga appearances this season, he has scored thrice and made 2 assists and is set to play a bigger role for the Blaugrana next season.
#1 Gareth Bale (Real Madrid): €103.82m
Previous Record: Cristiano Ronaldo (from Manchester United) €96.63m
The Welsh winger became the all-time most expensive player in 2013 when he joined Los Merengues from Tottenham Hotspurs after a stellar run with the North London side.
The flying winger was at the time of his arrival in Spain, one of the most heralded talents in the Premier League as his pace, dribbling, creative abilities, and goalscoring saw him win the PFA Player of the Year award in his last season in English football.
He was brought into the club by supremo Florentino Pérez as to play on the other side of the previous record signing Cristiano in order to create the world's most fearsome attack and in continuation of his "Los Galacticos" policy.
The 28-year-old winger's time at the Santiago Bernabeu has been trophy-laden as the Whites have enjoyed one of their most successful title-winning runs in the club's history with 10 trophies in his 5-season stay at the club.
It has however been marred by his injury troubles as this has now made him peripheral in the team's affairs and it is thought that manager Zinedine Zidane will sanction his sale this summer.
He has not done so badly this season as in his 22 appearances this season in the league, he has hit 11 goals and made 2 assists.
