If you go to the Canary Islands for a winter break, don't be surprised to find the locals with a healthy appetite for watching football. The islands currently have several successful teams, one that competes in the top Spanish League and others that play more locally.

Lanzarote's home team, known locally as the Rojillos, play in a group of teams in the Spanish second division with matches against teams from Gran Canaria and mainland Spain. Gran Canaria has two football teams, Vecindario and Las Palmas who both play in different groups of the Spanish second division.

One of the biggest games of the decade for the Canaries took place on 10th January when Spanish Champions and league leaders Barcelona travelled to Tenerife to play CD Tenerife. As expected, the home team did not get an easy ride and came out losing 5-0 after Barcelona punished them with three first half goals. The home team made matters worse for themselves by scoring an own goal five minutes before the end of the game and Barcelona's start player Lionel Messi scored a hat-trick. The Tenerife team also lost their previous game at Racing Santander and their position in Spain's top football league could now be under threat as they get closer to the relegation zone.

CD Tenerife's next home games welcomed Valencia on 24th January, Real Zaragoza on Sunday 31st January and Mallorca on Sunday 14th February. The team has a large stadium and tickets for home games are normally available, unless a team like Barcelona are in town of course.