The disrespect and disregard shown to Bayern Munich – a club who have won as many European Cups as United, City, Chelsea, Arsenal and Spurs combined – is both flagrant and typical.
If you had told Middlesbrough fans in 2017/18 that both Martin Braithwaite and Adama Traoré would both be playing together for Barça in about four years, you would have got some very strange looks.
Football, ey? Athletic Club win the Copa Del Rey for the first time in 40 years.
Oh, by the way, this isn’t where the game is being played.
This is a sold out San Mames watching the game on TVs. Magical.
Three players who started for Spain in the Nations League final were all born in the small town of Los Palacios y Villafranca, with a population of just ~35,000.
Messi, almost in tears, describes this ovation at La Bombonera as the most beautiful moment of his sporting career.
1. Shows just how important winning with La Albiceleste is to him ❤ 🇦🇷
2. A huge shame he never got a proper send off at Camp Nou.
No goal or assist tonight, but Antoine Griezmann has been at his brilliant best on his 100th appearance for the club.
Work rate a given, but also showing what he is capable of in terms of playmaking and bringing others into play.
The last players to score four goals in a LaLiga game (since January 2016):
Cristiano Ronaldo
Luis Suárez
Luis Suárez
Leo Messi
Antoine Griezmann
Cristiano Ronaldo
Leo Messi
YEREMY PINO 💛💛💛💛
𝑻𝒉𝒆 𝑳𝒖𝒊𝒔 𝑬𝒏𝒓𝒊𝒒𝒖𝒆 𝒆𝒓𝒂
Spain says adios to Luis Enrique, the man who came in after the 2018 World Cup and has fallen after this one in 2022.
Here's a thread of his tenure 👇
Stefan Savić in 2023
🟥 Sent off vs Barça
🚫 Suspended vs Almería
✔ Played 90 minutes vs Levante
🚫 Suspended vs Real Valladolid
🟥 Sent off vs Real Madrid
🤕 Unavailable through injury vs Osasuna
✔ Played 90 mins vs Getafe
🟥 Sent off vs Celta
Three red cards in 35 days
Back-to-back Nations League final fours, semi-final of the Euros.
Beat England, Italy, Germany and Portugal during his tenure.
Probably inevitable, but a shame nonetheless.
Suerte, Lucho.
Athletic scored 4 or more goals in LaLiga three times under Marcelino (59 games).
They've already done it three times in seven games under Ernesto Valverde.
Alexander Isak and Martin Ødegaard.
Two Scandinavians who came through Real Sociedad and are now shining at the top end of the Premier League.
Head to head at St James' Park today.
The last time Barça were champions, Valencia finished 4th, Getafe 5th, Espanyol 7th.
Alavés, Eibar and Leganés finished in mid-table. Rayo and Girona were relegated.
Four years is a long time in football.
Mikel Arteta (Donostia)
Unai Emery (Hondarribia)
Julen Lopetegui (Asteasu)
Andoni Iraola (Usurbil)
20% of Premier League clubs now have a Basque head coach.
Moreover, all four come from the same province of Gipuzkoa.
Beautiful scenes at the end of the Supercopa Femenina.
Barça won 7-0 but the real winner was Virginia Torrecilla, who returned to the pitch nearly two years after being diagnosed with a brain tumour.
The Barça players with a great gesture at the end 👏
Samu Chukwueze is loving life.
Superb doblete in the Bernabéu, and when asked if it's the best moment of his career, he says:
"No, in the future I will be much better".
✅ 3-1 Real Madrid
✅ 5-0 Ceuta
✅ 1-0 Getafe
✅ 1-0 Real Sociedad
✅ 1-0 Girona
✅ 2-1 Betis
✅ 3-0 Sevilla
✅ 1-0 Villarreal
Barça win eight games in a row for the first time since 2017.
Corrupted by power. Thinks he's untouchable. A nadir for Spanish football.
The positions of Vilda and De La Fuente should also be untenable now, by the way, given their obvious support for Rubiales.
2-0 down at Old Trafford after 21 minutes of his first ever Europa League game.
At that stage avoiding relegation was the priority. Last season he was relegated with Alavés.
Comeback against United, knocking out the Old Lady, now the first to beat Mourinho in a European final.
This weekend:
20th beat 5th
Elche 3-1 Villarreal
19th drew away at 4th
Atleti 1-1 Getafe
16th won away at 6th
Betis 3-4 Celta
10th beat 2nd
Mallorca 1-0 Real Madrid
17th won away at 3rd
Real Sociedad 0-1 Real Valladolid
Only happens in the Premier League though...
Simeone reflexiona sobre el papel de Klopp en el Liverpool:
💬 "No es fácil, desgasta, te estresa, te genera vértigo a veces".
💬 "Es un hombre de fútbol y en estos ��ltimos años ha demostrado el grandísimo entrenador que es".
2023 and Franco is trending because two of the biggest clubs in the World are essentially engaging in a playground scrap.
Laporta may have diverted attention away from Caso Negreira, but nobody is winning from this.
The Premier League right now is everything people criticise other leagues for:
One-team running away with it, poor quality at the bottom, and incompetent organisation.
This is pretty spectacular.
The Benito Villamarín applauds Jesús Navas, the captain of their eternal rivals, for being part of Joaquín's testimonial.
📹
@deportesDDS
/ Antonio Pizarro
👉 Leo Messi plays his 23rd World Cup match, equalling Paolo Maldini.
Only two players have played more in the competition's history.
25 – Lothar Matthäus 🇩🇪
24 – Miroslav Klose 🇩🇪
23 – Paolo Maldini 🇮🇹 & LEO MESSI 🇦🇷
Ten points clear. An unassailable lead at the top for Real Madrid.
Carlo Ancelotti will become the first man to win all five major European league titles as a coach.
Possession ≠ qualification
Quarter-finals:
Croatia 51% vs Brazil ✅
Netherlands 52% vs Argentina ❌
Portugal 73% vs Morocco ❌
England 57% vs France ❌
Semi-finals:
Croatia 61% vs Argentina ❌
Morocco 61% vs France ❌
Soaking up pressure and transitions have been key.
The Danny Mills comments are awful for many reasons.
His ignorance is beyond doubt, his argument was obliterated within minutes.
Worse though, for me, is the contempt it shows for others who put it the effort and dedication to understand these leagues and players in depth.
Manchester United have been eliminated from European competitions by Spanish sides for SIX consecutive seasons.
2018: Sevilla (UCL) 🇪🇸
2019: Barça (UCL) 🇪🇸
2020: Sevilla (UEL) 🇪🇸
2021: Villarreal (UEL final) 🇪🇸
2022: Atlético Madrid (UCL) 🇪🇸
2023: SEVILLA (UEL) 🇪🇸
Don Andoni Iraola Sagarna.
Beats Manchester United 3-0 on their own patch.
13 points out of a possible 15 following the 6-1 defeat at City.
From the relegation zone to midtable in a month.
Carlo Ancelotti's first trophy with Real Madrid was the Copa del Rey in 2014.
He delivered La Décima in the same season.
Now he has won his tenth trophy with the club, the Copa once again.
Carletto's Décima.
Transfer deadline day starts with a weird one...
Sevilla appear to have lost their verified status. The rumours are that Chelsea fans reported them en masse because of anger about the Koundé deal collapse.
Ironically it's hard to verify this story, but if true, how petty.
🆕️ CLUB RECORD
Real Sociedad have won nine games in a row for the first time in their history.
✅ 2-1 Sevilla (A)
✅ 4-1 Cazalegas (A)
✅ 5-0 Coria (A)
✅ 2-0 Osasuna (H)
✅ 1-0 Logroñés (A)
✅ 2-0 Almería (A)
✅ 3-1 Athletic (H)
✅ 1-0 Mallorca (H)
✅ 2-0 Rayo (A)
Ansu Fati
Gavi
Nico Williams
All three of Spain's goalscorers today were born after Spain were knocked out of the 2002 World Cup.
Joaquín also played in that tournament.
Who feels old?
✅ Real Madrid
❌ Barça
❌ Atleti
❌ Sevilla
There will only be one Spanish side in the knockout stages of the
#UCL
for the first time this century.
The last time this happened was 1998/99.
❌ Barça
🤝 Real Madrid
❌ Real Sociedad
🤝 Atleti
✅ Betis
❌ Rayo
❌ Athletic
❌ Mallorca
TBC Villarreal
TBC Osasuna
Betis are the only side from the top ten to win this weekend so far.
Try and predict this league.
Thank you Levante, LaLiga's entertainers for so many years.
The Granotas are relegated after five fun seasons in the top flight.
They always took on the biggest sides head on, a proud club which will be back sooner or later.
¡Mucho ánimo!
A shame about the circumstances (injury to Fekir), but Jesús Navas and Joaquín are once again sharing a pitch together in El Derbi.
Two of the greatest players for their respective clubs. We may not see them both playing against each other ever again.
Supercopa commentator just now:
"Known as Athletic Club in Spain, but we call them Athletic Bilbao in England".
How brazen and ignorant, if it wasn't a tiresome trend it would beggar belief.
Without wanting to be too provocative or extreme, these actions were essentially the same.
Both Piqué and Chiellini had no other option, faced with the pace of the attackers.
Interestingly, Piqué was mocked while Chiellini glorified. Context eh?
Welcome to the new season of 'Nobody wants 4th'
Today:
20th beat 5th
Elche 3-1 Villarreal
19th drew away at 4th
Atleti 1-1 Getafe
16th won away at 6th
Betis 3-4 Celta
Whatever happens, what a job Alessio Lisci has done. Sixth league win for Levante under his watch, they're still scrapping for their lives.
Crucially, they all believe it is possible. Sí se puede.
Athletic Club 🤝 Real Sociedad
Mikel Oyarzabal scored a penalty against Unai Simón to win La Real the Copa del Rey in April.
Today, they have combined to put Spain through to the semis of
#EURO2020
This Spain team is full of unity.
Sergio Busquets makes his 17th World Cup appearance and equals Iker Casillas and Sergio Ramos.
No-one has played more for Spain in the tournament than these three.
Kylian Mbappé & his entourage are “keeping a close eye from a distance” on the Paul Pogba affair - if video evidence emerges of Pogba using a witch doctor to curse Mbappé, L’Équipe believe that there may be a problem between Pogba & Mbappé & Deschamps may have to make a decision.