In recent years, the Second Division has changed in name and appearance as the companies willing to sponsor the competition have changed. Of these names, two have enjoyed the widest popularity among fans.
In 2008, it was renamed Liga Adelante, a commercial nickname it would keep until the 16/17 season, due to La Liga's commercial relationship with the BBVA bank. Years later, in the 23/24 season, the league was rebranded as LaLiga Hypermotion as a result of the ongoing association with EA Sports.
The longevity of the Liga Adelante made it a popular name among fans. The latter seems to be going in the same direction, but for different reasons: Segunda Division has recently become a frenetic competition, with last-minute promotions and relegations, the presence of historical teams whose fans believe they do not belong in the category but in a higher one, and more and better TV and media coverage.
LaLiga Hypermotion 24/25 has brought together historical teams such as Deportivo de La Coruña, Sporting de Gijón, Málaga, Castellón, Levante and Racing Santander. Teams that move large crowds of fans, even away from home, and boast squads of an increasingly high level.
All of this, coupled with the uncertainty that results from the parity of level between teams and the malleability of the current commercial name, has led to social media users start calling it new nicknames like Liga Hypertensión (hyper-tension) or Liga Hyperemoción (hyper-emotion). And they are becoming more and more accurate to reality.
You would have to go back more than a decade, to the 12/13 season (2.6 goals per game), to find a Segunda Division season with a higher goals-per-game average than the current one (2.51).
LaLiga Hypermotion attacking numers have experienced a significant rise in recent years. Let's take a look at two metrics:
In the last 8 editions of the Segunda División, only 15 players have averaged more than 4 shots per game (at least 500 minutes played). Of those fifteen, three players are currently taking part in the current edition of the competition: Luis Suárez (Almería), Juanto Ortuño (Eldense) and Álex Calatrava (Castellón). Only the 22/23 season had this many players on the list.
Among them all, the name of Álex Calatrava stands out. The former Atlético de Madrid player, who's making his debut in the category, is an interior or attacking midfielder who gets forward and into the box with ease. He leads the league in xA per game (0.44). His defensive contribution is also notable: excluding centre-backs and full-backs, he ranks 21st in successful tackles completed (2.78) and 18th in individual pressures made per game.
Let's go back into the data room:
Only 22 players have averaged at least 3 key passes per game in the last six season in Segunda División. 6 out of 22 are playing in the current edition of LaLiga Hypermotion: Lucas Pérez (Deportivo), Fidel (Albacete), Santi Cazorla (Oviedo), Íñigo Vicente (Rácing de Santander), Cristian Carracedo (Córdoba) and Álex Calatrava (Castellón). No previous edition has ever added more players to the list than the current one.
The Second Division is the league where old stalwarts, and former Arsenal teammates, such as Lucas Pérez and Santi Cazorla mix with experienced semi-professionals such as Carracedo and other promising youngsters who needed a step back to excel, such as Íñigo Vicente.
More of the same has happened in terms of dribbling. The two players with the highest average of completed dribbles in the category come from two similar but opposite realities: Javi Ontiveros and Brian Ocampo both saw their teams get relegated last season. The former dropped to Spain's third category with Villarreal B and the latter to the second tier with Cadiz. Their partnership will be crucial if Cadiz are to have a quiet season. Third on the list is one of the most promising players in the division and a recent call-up to the Spain Under-21 squad: Yeremay Hernández.
Another aspect that should be emphasised, even if it is a little peculiar and not necessarily obvious, is the limited number of players who are continuously drawing fouls. There are not many stoppages in LaLiga Hypermotion, something the spectator truly appreciates. Or at least the attacking players don't suffer as much. Of the top 25 players with the most fouls drawn per game (at least 3), only 2 feature in this edition of LaLiga Hypermotion.
Founded in 2017 as a consultancy, Driblab has driven innovation through data in all aspects of professional football. Thanks to a transversal model, its database collects and models statistics in all directions. From converting matches and videos into bespoke data for training academies to developing cutting-edge technology, helping clubs, federations and representative agencies in talent scouting and transfer markets. Driblab’s smart data is used by clubs all over the world, with success stories such as Dinamo Zagreb, Real Betis and Girondins Bordeaux among others. Here you can find out more about how we work and what we offer.
