Tag: Real Madrid

Real Madrid kicked off their La Liga campaign on a high as they handed Atheltic Bilbao a solid 2-0 defeat, in their opening game on Saturday.

Real Madrid started off the game strongly, as they gained an early advantage with a goal in the 28th minute thanks to Rodrygo, assisted by Dani Carvajal. A mere eight minutes later, Jude Bellingham scored his first goal for the club in his La Liga debut giving them a formidable lead of 2-0.

Notably, the 19-year-old English midfielder Bellingham joined Real Madrid this summer from Borussia Dortmund at a base transfer fee of €103 million.

A clean sheet for Andriy Lunin, who was standing in for the injured goal-keeper Thibaut Courtois kept Athletic Bilbao in their tracks as they failed to score, and Real Madrid’s 2-0 advantage remained intact until the final whistle.

In another La Liga fixture, Raíllo Arenas’s 70th-minute equalizer lifted Real Mallorca to hold Las Palmas for a 1-1 stalemate.

Las Palmas gained an early advantage after Jonathan Viera scored a goal off a penalty in the 29^th minute after Copete was given a yellow card.

Both teams made desperate efforts to fire in the tie-breaker but ultimately settled for a draw.

In another La Liga fixture, Real Sociedad were pulled back for a stalemate by Girona, courtesy of Artem Dovbyk’s second-half header.

Real Sociedad got off to a flying start, thanks to an early goal by Takefusa Kubo in the fifth minute.

Sociedad were flying high on their lead and appeared to be in a position to win their La Liga clash. However, Artem Dovbyk pulled them back with a brilliant header in the 72nd minute.

Sociedad made several attempts to gain a late advantage, but all in vain as the game ended in a 1-1 draw.

It is worth mentioning here that defending champions Barcelona will kick off their campaign against Getafe on Sunday.

READ: Rayo Vallecano crush Almeria in La Liga opener as Valencia prevail

Real Madrid begin life after Karim Benzema looking to wrest back the Spanish title from Barcelona as the La Liga season kicks off this weekend, seemingly content to play the waiting game for Kylian Mbappe.

Karim Benzema, the reigning Ballon d’Or, swapped the Santiago Bernabeu for Saudi Arabia in June after 14 seasons in Madrid, where he is second on the club’s all-time goalscoring list with 354 — trailing only Cristiano Ronaldo.

In a bid to bridge the 10-point gap that separated them from Barcelona last season, Madrid splashed out 103 million euros ($112 million) on England international Jude Bellingham and swooped for Turkish prodigy Arda Guler.

But Mbappe, who has scored 212 goals in 260 games for Paris Saint-Germain, is the player they have long targeted.

After missing out on the France captain last year as he agreed a new deal to stay in Paris, Madrid again appear the likely destination for Mbappe, who is locked in a contract dispute with PSG.

Mbappe is training with PSG’s reserves and has been told he must sign a new contract if he wants to remain with the French champions this term.

PSG are thought to suspect that Kylian Mbappe has already struck a deal to join the Spanish giants for free in June 2024, but Madrid coach Carlo Ancelotti has been reluctant to broach the subject publicly.

Mbappe “is a player who is not at Madrid,” Ancelotti said last month. “To talk about players who are not here, it doesn’t seem right to me.”

While Madrid weigh up a late bid for the exiled Mbappe before this transfer window shuts, Vinicius Junior is set to become the focal point of the attack after inheriting the number seven shirt worn by Ronaldo, Raul and Emilio Butragueno.

Ancelotti plans to experiment with a system that exploits the attacking potential of Bellingham and Guler, with veteran striker also Joselu making a surprise return to his former club.

The 33-year-old journeyman, who played twice for Madrid in 2011, finished as the top-scoring Spaniard with 16 goals for Espanyol in the last La Liga season.

“For me, the squad has improved,” said Ancelotti. “We have lost a player who has been fundamental for years in Karim… a club legend. But we have a very young group that we are convinced will give us a lot of satisfaction.”

Barcelona coach Xavi Hernandez has questioned whether he has enough depth for the upcoming season after a relatively quiet summer. That concern is even greater with the club unable as yet to register their new arrivals.

A year ago, the Catalan club’s board sold off various assets to raise enough money to comply with spending restrictions imposed on the club, but that didn’t stop them luring a raft of new signings including Robert Lewandowski.

Twelve months on, Barcelona have continued their recent policy of hiring experienced players at zero transfer cost, albeit fewer, bringing in Manchester City’s treble-winning captain Ilkay Gundogan.

They toyed with the idea of re-signing Lionel Messi, but the club’s perilous financial situation effectively ruled out a reunion and the Argentine instead moved to Inter Miami.

Centre-back Inigo Martinez has arrived from Athletic Bilbao, with Oriol Romeu returning to his boyhood club as what Barcelona hope will be a low-price replacement for Sergio Busquets.

The loss of the influential Busquets, who joined Messi and Jordi Alba in Miami this summer, is one of Xavi’s greatest worries.

“A player who has been so important for us, on and off the pitch… we have to find a very important player to replace Busquets,” Xavi said in May.

“We have to find this piece, if we want to compete well.”

French winger Ousmane Dembele is also poised to leave Barcelona after receiving an offer from PSG.

Atletico Madrid finished third last La Liga season, just a point behind their city rivals after a vastly improved second half, and hope a reinforced defence can strengthen their title prospects.

Cesar Azpilicueta signed from Chelsea, with Turkey’s Caglar Soyuncu arriving from Leicester and left-back Javi Galan moving from Celta Vigo.

Joao Felix, the club’s record signing in 2019, is not viewed as part of coach Diego Simeone’s plans following his return from an unsuccessful loan at Chelsea, and is expected to be offloaded.

Real Sociedad, who qualified for the Champions League, have brought in Portugal forward Andre Silva on loan following the retirement of Spain great David Silva after a serious knee injury suffered during pre-season.

Villarreal, fifth last term, are set for a rebuild after losing Nicolas Jackson and Pau Torres to the Premier League, and Samuel Chukwueze to AC Milan.

Granada are back in the top flight after securing promotion at the first attempt along with play-off winners Alaves, with Las Palmas returning after a five-year absence.

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Experienced midfielder Luka Modric will stay with Real Madrid for another season after signing a contract extension with the Spanish club.

Modric, 37, remains an important player for Real Madrid and chose to stay at the club despite heavy interest from Saudi Arabia, trying to rope him in when his previous contract expired last month.

The Croatian great followed the footsteps of Toni Kroos, Dani Ceballos and Nacho Fernandez in extending his stay at the club this summer.

“Real Madrid C. F. and Luka Modrić have agreed to extend the player’s contract, which sees him contracted to the club until 30 June 2024,” the club said in an official statement.

“Luka Modrić joined Real Madrid in 2012. During his eleven seasons in our jersey he’s made 488 appearances and won 23 trophies: 5 Champions League, 5 Club World Cups, 4 European Super Cups, 3 LaLiga titles, 2 Copa del Rey and 4 Spanish Super Cups.

“Modrić has won the ultimate individual awards during his career as a Real Madrid player, including the 2018 Ballon d’Or, the 2018 FIFA The Best Player of the Year Award, the 2017/18 UEFA Player of the Year Award, the 2017 Club World Cup Golden Ball, and this season he was part of the FIFA/FIFPro World XI for the sixth time in his career.

“He also won the Golden Ball at the World Cup in Russia and the Bronze Ball at the World Cup in Qatar.”

Since joining Real Madrid in 2012 from Tottenham Hotspur, Luka Modric has won five Champions League and three LaLiga titles.

Luka Modric finished second in the Nations League with Croatia and has yet to say whether he would retire from international football, as had been speculated, or whether he will play until the 2024 European Championship next summer.

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The Spanish and Brazilian football federations presented their plan on Tuesday for a friendly match at the Santiago Bernabeu in March 2024 to combat racism, after global outrage at the abuse of Real Madrid’s Vinicius Jr. 

The Brazil winger, 22, suffered racial abuse by Valencia supporters in May, provoking worldwide outrage after he squared off with fans in one stand.

Spanish federation president Luis Rubiales and his Brazilian counterpart Ednaldo Rodrigues revealed their plans for the game at Madrid’s stadium, alongside Spain internationals Ansu Fati and Rodrigo Moreno.

“I want to announce that the match against racism between Spain and Brazil will be at the Santiago Bernabeu,” Rubiales told a news conference.

“It’s the ideal stage for an encounter between two of the best teams in the world.”

Rubiales also said the match taking place in March depended on Spain qualifying directly for Euro 2024, as those dates would be potentially needed for play-offs if not.

“(The game is) a way of saying ‘enough’,” said Rodrigues.

“It protects joy in our football, (and shows) this intolerance and attitude are unacceptable.”

Vinicius Jr issued a strongly-worded statement after he was abused, saying: “Today, in Brazil, Spain is known as a country of racists.”

Leeds forward Rodrigo, born in Brazil, was happy about the arrangements for the match, given the slogan “The Same Skin”.

“I think it’s a great initiative on the part of both federations,” said Rodrigo.

“It’s very important to use the power of football to denounce and fight against discrimination.”

Earlier in June legislators in the Brazilian state of Rio de Janeiro approved a law on Tuesday to curtail football matches affected by racist abuse, after a wave of disgust over the treatment of Vinicius, a native of the state.

Supporters found guilty of abusing Vinicius Jr were issued stadium bans and fines by Spanish authorities last week.

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ISTANBUL: Manchester City’s manager Pep Guardiola issued a warning to Real Madrid after his side scripted history by winning their maiden UEFA Champions League title on Sunday.

Manchester City edged defeated Inter Milan 1-0 in a hard-fought final, held at the Ataturk Stadium in Istanbul on June 10.

Rodri was the hero for Manchester City as he netted one in the 68th minute to separate the two sides who were indulged in a sea-saw battle.

While Manchester City held onto their lead and became the first-ever European champions, Inter Milan lost several golden opportunities to bring the score back to even.

Speaking to the media after a blockbuster season, Pep Guardiola issued a warning to the leading Champions League winner Real Madrid.

“Be careful Real Madrid, we’re 13 UCLs away but we’re coming for you. We are on our way! If you sleep a little bit, we will catch you,” said Guardiola.

Notably, Real Madrid are a record 14-time winners of the treble. Thus, Pep Guardiola’s side will have to make plenty of hard yards to catch up with the Los Blancos’ tally of titles.

Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City also came face to face with the defending champions Real Madrid in the semi-final of the Champions League.

The first leg of the highly-anticipated semi-final saw the two sides settling for a 1-1 stalemate after Kevin de Bruyne’s 67th-minute strike levelled Vinicius Jr‘s first-half goal.

However, Manchester City were at their absolute best in the second leg as they blew away the defending champions Real Madrid by 4-0 to set up a final clash with Inter Milan.

The 1-0 victory over Inter Milan at the Ataturk Stadium was a fitting conclusion to their incredible season. Pep Guardiola’s team was outstanding all season and was duly named champions.

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MADRID: Real Madrid legend Karim Benzema netted a penalty in his farewell La Liga game at the Santiago Bernabeu but was unable to inspire his side to victory as they were held to a 1-1 draw by Athletic Club on Sunday.

Elsewhere Real Valladolid were relegated after a nil-nil draw with Getafe, while five other sides near the bottom were able to breathe a sigh of relief on the final matchday of the season.

Champions Barcelona end the La Liga 2022-23 with a 2-1 defeat at Celta Vigo, with Gabri Veiga’s brace ensuring that his side remains in the top flight next season.

Karim Benzema, who would leave Real Madrid after spending 14 years at the club, struck from the spot to level the game, before being substituted to great applause.

The draw ensured that Real Madrid would finish ahead of city rivals Atletico Madrid in second place as Diego Simeone’s side was held to a 2-2 draw at Villarreal on the final day.

Apart from Valladolid, Espanyol and Elche were also demoted from the top-tier Spanish League, occupying the last two spots on the table.

Almeria, on the other hand, survived the La Liga elimination on a thin margin, with Adri Embarba’s netting a penalty three minutes before time to earn his side a 3-3 draw against Espanyol.

Almeria finished 17th on the table with 41 points, only one point above the relegated Valladolid.

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MADRID: Real Madrid striker Karim Benzema has agreed a deal to leave the club, the Spanish giants said on Sunday.

The 35-year-old forward has been heavily linked this week with a lucrative move to Saudi Arabia.

“Real Madrid and our captain Karim Benzema have agreed to put an end to his brilliant and unforgettable era as a player at our club,” said Los Blancos in a statement.

“Madrid want to show their gratitude and all their love to someone who is one of our greatest legends.”

The announcement comes after Madrid coach Carlo Ancelotti had said Saturday there was “no doubt” about Benzema’s future being at Madrid, noting the forward had one more year left on his contract.

And Benzema himself had said “not everything you read on the internet is reality” after reports emerged in the week about his potential departure to Saudi Arabia, where his former Real Madrid teammate Cristiano Ronaldo is playing for Al Nassr.

The French forward joined Madrid in 2009 from Ligue 1 side Lyon.

Benzema established himself as a key player alongside Ronaldo and Gareth Bale in the vaunted “BBC” attacking trident, before developing into the team’s leader when the Portuguese striker left in 2018.

Benzema has lifted five Champions Leagues, four La Liga titles and three Copas del Rey with Real Madrid and is the current holder of the Ballon d’Or for the world’s best player.

He is Real Madrid’s second top scorer of all-time, with 353 goals for Madrid, behind only Ronaldo on 450.

Benzema’s final appearance for the club could be later today when Madrid host Athletic Bilbao in La Liga at the Santiago Bernabeu.

Madrid confirmed Saturday that Eden Hazard, Marco Asensio and Mariano Diaz are all leaving this summer too, leaving plenty of space for new acquisitions in attack.

Ancelotti avoided talking on Saturday about Madrid’s alleged interest in England and Tottenham striker Harry Kane.

“I’m not going to talk about the future of the squad that is in place,” said Ancelotti.

“Kane is a great player, he is a Tottenham player, we have to respect the player and Tottenham.”

– Rise to glory –

Benzema battled with Gonzalo Higuain for a regular starting spot in his early days at Madrid, and was once derided by then-coach Jose Mourinho for being a “cat” instead of the “hunting dog” he wanted.

While playing alongside Ronaldo, Benzema took the role of supplier and worked hard to provide for his team-mate.

The forward greatly increased his goal output after Ronaldo left, playing centrally, and scored 44 in 46 games last season, a performance that earned him the 2022 Ballon d’Or.

Benzema’s most recent conquest was the Copa del Rey in May, with Real Madrid beating Osasuna to lift the Spanish cup for the first time since 2014.

Benzema may cherish last season’s Champions League triumph the most of all his successes because he played a crucial role in winning it.

The forward scored a stunning hat-trick to help Madrid come from behind against Paris Saint-Germain in the last 16 and progress.

Benzema netted another treble at Stamford Bridge in the quarter-finals against Chelsea and scored the extra-time goal in the second leg which sent his team into the semi-finals.

The forward also scored three goals over two games against Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City to help Madrid reach the final, which they won against Liverpool in Paris — his first Champions League triumph as the team’s figurehead.

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SEVILLE: Rodrygo scored twice to earn Real Madrid a 2-1 win at Sevilla on Saturday in a La Liga match that was missing Karim Benzema, Vinicius Junior and Marco Asensio due to injuries.

Vinícius, who faced racial abuse last weekend at Valencia, did not travel with the team due to what coach Carlo Ancelotti described as a knee injury that also kept him from playing midweek against Rayo Vallecano.

His absence from the field comes amid an international outcry against racism that has reached his native Brazil.

With the win, second-placed Real moved to 77 points on the La Liga table, four ahead of city rivals and third-placed Atletico, who faces Real Sociedad on Sunday.

Barcelona have already won the championship with two games still left to be played.

Rafa Mir gave Sevilla an early lead within three minutes finishing off an initial shot by Bryan Gil that had hit a Madrid defender and fell to the striker in the area.

Rodrygo levelled in the 29th with a free kick that he fired around the side of the defensive barrier and caught goalkeeper Yassine Bounou off guard.

Érik Lamela almost put Sevilla back in front when he hit the post in the 36th.

Rodrygo scored his second in the 69th after Brazil forward received a ball from Toni Kroos on a counterattack and used a slick change of foot to guide past defender Gonzalo Montiel before beating Bounou.

Sevilla’s Marcos Ocuña was sent off for a direct red card in the 84th after his studs-first tackle on Dani Ceballos.

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MADRID: Rodrygo thrashed a late winner to help Real Madrid edge Rayo Vallecano 2-1 in La Liga on Wedesday and go ahead of city-rivals Atletico Madrid, who were later held 3-3 at Espanyol. 

Players and fans at Santiago Bernabeu showed their supports for Vinicus Junior, who was racially abused at Valencia during Madrid’s 2-1 defeat against the home side on Sunday.

Rodrygo bowed his head and lifted his fist into the air in a salute to team-mate Vincius after scoring Madrid’s second goal in the 89th minute.

Karim Benzema scored the opener for Real after the half-hour mark before Raul de Tomas equalised for the visitors six minutes from full-time.

Five minutes later, Rodrygo restored the lead for home side with a low shot from just outside the box beating Rayo goalkeeper.

The game was marked by overwhelming compassion and sympathy for the Brazilian winger Vincius as all Real’s players took the pitch donning shirts carrying Vinicius’ No. 20 while the captains of both teams wore armbands with anti-racism messages.

Vinicius was not part of Real Madrid’s lineup for yesterday’s game but witnessed the proceedings sitting next to club president Florentino Perez.

He joined his teammates on the pitch for a standing ovation after all the players posed next to an official LaLiga banner “Racists, out of football.”

It is pertinet to mention here that Barcelona have already won the La Liga championship with two games to spare.

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MADRID: Spanish police arrested seven people Tuesday over two incidents of racial abuse targeting Real Madrid’s Brazilian star Vinicius Junior, including one this weekend that sparked an international outcry.

Spain’s football league, La Liga, has been engulfed in a racism scandal after the 22-year-old forward was subjected to racist taunts during Sunday’s 1-0 defeat at Valencia and later sent off.

The player has been taunted by opposition fans since he joined Real in 2018 but the latest incident has kicked up a storm over whether Spain is doing enough to stamp out racism in football.

Early on Tuesday, police confirmed arresting three youths in Valencia for “insults and gestures with racist overtones” towards the player that amounted to “an alleged hate crime” during Sunday’s match.

The game was held up for several minutes and the referee wrote in his post-match report that shouts of “monkey” had been directed at Vinicius.

Police said the investigation remained open to identify further suspects.

In a statement, Valencia confirmed three fans had been arrested, reiterating its “strongest condemnation against racism and violence” and saying the club was acting against those involved “by banning them for life from our stadium”.

Also Tuesday, Madrid police arrested another four men suspected of hanging an effigy wearing a Real Madrid shirt with Vinicius’ number on it from a bridge in January.

The dummy was hung by the neck from a highway bridge near Real Madrid’s training ground on January 26 ahead of their match against Atletico Madrid.

Above it was a banner in Atletico’s red and white reading: “Madrid hates Real”.

Government spokeswoman Isabel Rodriquez welcomed the arrests, saying they showed Spanish authorities had “zero tolerance” for racism in sports.

“We must clearly say we are anti-racists, Spain fights these behaviours, condemns them and does everything to eliminate them,” she added.

The Brazilian government has formally protested to the Spanish ambassador and will lodge an official complaint with authorities in Madrid.

Brazil “deeply regrets that no effective measures have yet been taken to prevent the recurrence of these racist acts,” it said in a statement.

Real Madrid coach Carlo Ancelotti said Sunday’s incident showed FIFA’s racism protocol in football was “obsolete”.

Referee Ricardo de Burgos Bengoetxea activated the racism protocol after Vinicius squared off with fans, singling out one supporter whom he accused of abuse.

But Ancelotti said the protocol should have been “applied when the team bus reached the stadium, because the insults started there”.

“It’s a moment to take drastic measures. Institutions have chances, above all now, to take radical measures on this important subject,” he added.

Vinicius was sent off later in Sunday’s game for hitting Valencia’s Hugo Duro after the referee watched VAR footage of a brawl between the two teams.

Spain’s refereeing committee on Tuesday sidelined official Ignacio Iglesias Villanueva for his upcoming matches after his involvement in awarding Vinicius a red card against Valencia.

During the match, Iglesias Villanueva was in charge of VAR but the video he showed the referee did not include footage of Duro grabbing the Brazilian around the neck before the incident — which would also have been a red card offence.

Vinicius Junior was dismissed and will likely miss the next two or three matches, meaning he may not play again for Madrid this season.

Spanish media said Iglesias Villanueva had been sacked but the Spanish football federation would not confirm that when questioned by AFP.

There is growing anger in Brazil over the incident, with the lights on the Christ the Redeemer statue in Rio de Janeiro turned off for one hour in solidarity with the player.

“Black and imposing,” Vinicius Junior tweeted of the darkened statue, saying he was moved and thanking followers for their support.

“But I want, above all, to inspire and bring more light to our fight,” he added.