Which La Liga Fans Are Most Negative? Athletic Bilbao, Real Madrid & Barcelona Ranked
Athletic Bilbao
Athletic Bilbao supporters have emerged as the most foul-mouthed and negative La Liga fandom in a new analysis of more than 270,000 online fan comments, while Real Betis and Celta Vigo have claimed the top spots in the positive and polite categories.
The study by Wettbasis examined comments posted on the Reddit communities of La Liga clubs to assess the language and sentiment used by supporters.
Researchers searched for profanities in both English and Spanish and also subjected the comments to sentiment analysis, classifying them as positive, negative or neutral.
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The research covered comments posted between August 2025 and September 2026, providing an unusual snapshot of how supporters of clubs in Spain’s top flight communicate online.
The results are particularly striking for some of the competition’s biggest clubs, with Real Madrid, Barcelona and Atlético Madrid all appearing among the five most negative fandoms.
Athletic Bilbao top the foul-mouthed ranking
Athletic Bilbao recorded the highest proportion of comments containing swear words in the analysis.
According to the Wettbasis study, 17.17% of comments from the Athletic Bilbao community contained profanity.
That placed the Basque club ahead of Atlético Madrid, whose supporters recorded a profanity rate of 15.17%.
Real Madrid followed in third place with 12.40%, while Barcelona were fourth at 11.99%. Rayo Vallecano completed the top five with 11.10%.
Athletic Club, as the team is officially known, is one of the historic names in Spanish football. The official La Liga club profile lists the club as having been founded in 1898, with San Mamés serving as its home ground.
The ranking, however, should not be interpreted as suggesting that Athletic Bilbao supporters are generally abusive or disrespectful. It specifically reflects language detected in the Reddit comments analysed by the researchers.
The five highest percentages were:
- Athletic Bilbao – 17.17%
- Atlético Madrid – 15.17%
- Real Madrid – 12.40%
- Barcelona – 11.99%
- Rayo Vallecano – 11.10%
Real Madrid supporters rank second for negativity
Real Madrid’s position is arguably one of the most eye-catching findings.
The Spanish giants recorded the second-highest proportion of negative comments, with 53.60% of the comments analysed carrying a negative tone.
Only Athletic Bilbao ranked higher, with 54.56% of comments classified as negative.
Barcelona followed with 52.11%, Atlético Madrid registered 51.62%, while Rayo Vallecano completed the top five with 38.02%.
The result is notable given Real Madrid’s status as the most successful club in La Liga history. The official La Liga honours list credits Real Madrid with 36 league titles, ahead of Barcelona and Atlético Madrid.
Such expectations can contribute to intense online discussion. At a club where winning trophies is routinely considered the standard, a poor performance, disappointing transfer or unexpected defeat can generate considerable criticism among supporters.
That does not necessarily mean Real Madrid fans are unhappy with their club overall. Rather, the research captures the tone of comments posted in an online community during the period examined.
The distinction is important when interpreting sentiment studies involving football supporters.
Barcelona and Atlético Madrid also feature prominently
Barcelona were third in the negative ranking, with 52.11% of comments carrying a negative tone.
The Catalan club also registered 11.99% of comments containing swear words, placing it fourth in the foul-mouthed ranking.
Barcelona’s traditional rivalry with Real Madrid ensures that discussions surrounding the club can attract intense debate, particularly when performances and results are involved.
The La Liga clubs list confirms Barcelona, Real Madrid, Atlético Madrid, Athletic Club and the other teams included in the analysis as part of the 2026/27 competition.
Atlético Madrid were fourth in the negative ranking, with 51.62% of comments classified as negative. The Madrid club also finished second for profanity, with 15.17% of comments containing swear words.
Rayo Vallecano rounded out the top five negative fandoms with 38.02%.
Real Betis emerge as La Liga’s most positive fandom
The picture changes considerably when the analysis turns to positive sentiment.
Real Betis were ranked as the most positive La Liga fandom, with 36.82% of comments carrying a positive tone.
Celta Vigo followed with 34.76%, while Espanyol recorded 33.15%.
Valencia were fourth at 33.06%, narrowly ahead of Deportivo La Coruña, who registered 32.61%.
Real Betis also performed well in the politeness ranking, finishing fifth after only 8.66% of comments contained swear words.
The club’s position at the top of the positive ranking offers an interesting contrast to some of the bigger clubs that dominated the negativity table.
The top five most positive fandoms were:
- Real Betis – 36.82%
- Celta Vigo – 34.76%
- Espanyol – 33.15%
- Valencia – 33.06%
- Deportivo La Coruña – 32.61%
The official La Liga profile for Real Betis lists the club as having been founded in 1907 and identifies the Estadio La Cartuja as its current home venue.
Celta Vigo fans ranked the most polite
Celta Vigo produced arguably the clearest result in the study.
Only 2.44% of comments from the Celta Vigo fandom contained swear words, making the club’s online community the most polite among those analysed.
Valencia finished second with 6.94%, followed by Espanyol at 8.29%.
Deportivo La Coruña registered 8.64%, while Real Betis completed the top five with 8.66%.
The difference between Celta Vigo and the remaining clubs is significant. While several fandoms recorded profanity rates above eight per cent, Celta Vigo’s figure remained below three per cent.
The top five most polite fandoms were:
- Celta Vigo – 2.44%
- Valencia – 6.94%
- Espanyol – 8.29%
- Deportivo La Coruña – 8.64%
- Real Betis – 8.66%
Celta’s strong showing was not limited to politeness. The club also ranked second in the positive sentiment category, with 34.76% of comments classified as positive.
That combination makes Celta Vigo one of the standout fandoms in the entire analysis.
What the figures reveal about online football culture
Football has always generated strong emotions, but social media and online communities have changed how supporters express those feelings.
A disappointing result can trigger thousands of reactions almost immediately. A referee’s decision can produce lengthy debates, while a transfer rumour can generate speculation before a player has even completed a move.
Reddit adds another dimension because supporters can engage in long-form conversations rather than simply posting short reactions.
The Wettbasis analysis attempted to measure that online mood by examining a very large sample of comments rather than relying on a handful of posts.
Its spokesperson said the study found Athletic Bilbao to be both the most foul-mouthed and most negative fandom, while Real Betis were the most positive and Celta Vigo the most polite.
Those findings offer a useful starting point for discussing supporter behaviour, but they should still be treated as a snapshot rather than an absolute description of a club’s fanbase.
Why the rankings should be interpreted carefully
One important limitation is the source of the comments.
The analysis focused on Reddit communities dedicated to individual clubs. Reddit users are only one section of a club’s overall supporters, meaning the findings cannot automatically be applied to everyone who follows Athletic Bilbao, Real Madrid, Barcelona or any other team.
There is also the challenge of interpreting football language.
Supporters frequently use sarcasm, jokes, exaggeration and rivalry-based language. A comment that contains a swear word may not necessarily represent genuine anger or hostility.
Similarly, sentiment-analysis systems can struggle with humour and sarcasm, particularly when football supporters use language in ways that differ from ordinary conversation.
The numbers therefore provide insight into online fan discussions, rather than a definitive ranking of the character or behaviour of supporters.
A fascinating snapshot as the new La Liga season begins
The findings arrive as the 2026/27 La Liga season gets underway, giving supporters another opportunity to debate performances, transfers, managers and title ambitions.
Real Madrid, Barcelona and Atlético Madrid will continue to attract enormous attention because of their history and expectations, while clubs such as Athletic Bilbao, Real Betis, Celta Vigo, Valencia and Espanyol have their own deeply passionate communities.
The study demonstrates that passion can manifest itself in very different ways online.
Athletic Bilbao topped the profanity and negativity rankings, while Real Madrid and Barcelona also featured heavily in the negative category. On the other hand, Real Betis led the positive ranking and Celta Vigo stood out for both positivity and politeness.
Ultimately, the findings say as much about the modern digital football environment as they do about the clubs themselves.
Supporters celebrate together, argue together and vent their frustrations together, often within minutes of a final whistle.
And with the full Wettbasis interactive analysis allowing readers to explore the results across different clubs and languages, the debate over which La Liga fandom is the most passionate — and which is the most restrained — is likely to continue long after the opening weeks of the season.
