Tag: Real Madrid

BARCELONA: Defending champions Barcelona secured their 29th La Liga title after beating arch-rivals Real Madrid 2-0 in the Clasico at Camp Nou on Sunday.

Marcus Rashford and Ferran Torres struck in the first half to help Hansi Flick’s side clinch La Liga in consecutive years, while consigning Madrid to a trophyless season.

Barcelona moved an unassailable 14 points clear of second-place Los Blancos with three matches remaining.

This was only the second time the outcome of La Liga has been decided directly by the result of a Clasico, with record 36-time champions Real Madrid winning their first title in 1932 after a draw with Barcelona.

Flick’s team were disappointed to be knocked out in the Champions League quarter-finals by Atletico Madrid in April, but were still determined to celebrate in style.

“This title is more special for winning it at home against Madrid, now we have to enjoy it with the fans,” Barca midfielder Frenkie de Jong told Movistar.

“We have been the best team in Spain, of course, we (also) want to win the Champions League, that’s the objective. Next year we will have another opportunity.”

Real Madrid arrived at the match embroiled in chaos, after midfielder Fede Valverde was ruled out with a head injury following a training ground scuffle with team-mate Aurelien Tchouameni, who started.

Barca coach Flick received bad news before the game, with his father passing away, but took his place on the touchline regardless, to oversee his side’s comfortable triumph.

The German opted for the energetic Rashford, on loan from Manchester United, on the right wing in place of the injured teenage star Lamine Yamal.

The Catalans, who only needed to avoid defeat, came out with their eyes firmly locked on the prize, racing into a two-goal lead inside 18 minutes.

Rashford opened the scoring with a superb free-kick, whipping the ball into the top left corner from a position 20 yards out, right of centre.

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Torres doubled the hosts’ advantage at a jubilant Camp Nou, the 62,000-strong crowd enjoying the first Clasico back there since the stadium was reopened.

Dani Olmo produced a clever backheel to allow Torres to burst into the box and ram past Thibaut Courtois.

Gonzalo Garcia, playing in place of injured Madrid superstar Kylian Mbappe, prodded narrowly wide after racing in behind Barca’s high defensive line.

Urged on by coach Alvaro Arbeloa on the touchline, unlikely to be at the helm next season, Real Madrid battled to stem the bleeding.

Rashford could have added a third before the break but fired wide, with Fermin Lopez unmarked and well placed to finish.

Torres should have struck early in the second half, but Courtois saved from the Spain international as he ran through.

Jude Bellingham put the ball in Barcelona’s net, but the goal was ruled out for offside, while Joan Garcia thwarted Vinicius Junior as Madrid threatened.

Barcelona fans batted inflatable beach balls around to taunt the Brazilian over his unfulfilled Ballon d’Or ambitions, and lapped up the party atmosphere.

Courtois was saved from substitutes Raphinha, back after injury, and Robert Lewandowski as Madrid saw out the remainder of the match without taking further damage.

Flick’s side remain on course to match the record of 100 points in a league season and can win all their home matches if they defeat Real Betis in the one remaining.

Meanwhile, Madrid finish a second consecutive season without a major trophy, staring down the barrel of a summer reshuffle, including former coach Jose Mourinho being linked with a potential return.

What is clear is that, for now, president Florentino Perez cannot seem to find the solution to end Flick’s Barca’s domestic domination.

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Real Madrid coach Alvaro Arbeloa said Aurelien Tchouameni will be in his team’s squad to face Barcelona on Sunday in La Liga, despite his confrontation with team-mate Fede Valverde.

The Uruguay captain was treated in hospital for a head injury and will miss up to a fortnight while he recovers, after the two players argued at the end of training on Thursday.

Real Madrid fined France international Tchouameni and Valverde on Friday and said both midfielders had apologised to each other and the club, fans, staff and team-mates.

If Real Madrid fail to beat Barcelona, the Catalans will be crowned Spanish champions for a second consecutive season.

“Tomorrow Tchouameni will be in the squad,” Arbeloa told reporters, when asked about the Frenchman’s availability for the Clasico at Camp Nou.

Arbeloa, who replaced Xabi Alonso in January of a troubled season for Madrid, said he had accepted both players’ apologies for the incident.

“I’m very proud of the club’s decisiveness, speed, and transparency, and that the players have acknowledged their mistake, expressed their regret, accepted the consequences of what they have done, and asked for forgiveness,” said Arbeloa.

“For me, that’s enough. What I’m not going to do is burn them at the stake in public, because they don’t deserve that… because of what they’ve shown me over these four months and over these years.

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“They’ve shown they understand what it means to be a Real Madrid player, their commitment, their effort, their love for the shirt, and I’m not going to forget that.”

Arbeloa said what was more troubling to him was that somebody would leak the details of the row to the media.

“That things are leaked that happened in the dressing room, to me is a betrayal of Real Madrid and the club badge,” said the coach.

Arbeloa was at Liverpool in 2007 when Welsh striker Craig Bellamy hit team-mate John Arne Riise with a golf club. A few days later, Bellamy celebrated scoring against Barcelona at Camp Nou in the Champions League with a golf swing celebration.

“I had a team-mate who smacked another one with a golf club,” remembered Arbeloa.

“For me, the thing that hurts me the most is that what happens in the Real Madrid dressing room should stay in the Real Madrid dressing room.

“Situations that don’t represent Real Madrid, or any club, situations that shouldn’t happen between teammates, have always happened, everywhere, but I’m not justifying it.”

Arbeloa added that it was “not easy” for the players to be at Real Madrid and on the verge of not winning a major trophy for two consecutive seasons.

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Real Madrid announced on Friday that they had fined Aurelien Tchouameni and Federico Valverde 500,000 euros ($588,000) each after a training ground clash that left the latter needing hospital treatment.

The club did not impose any sporting sanctions on the two players, saying in a statement that the fine “thereby concludes the internal procedures” launched against them.

Valverde will miss Sunday’s Clasico against Barcelona as a result of the head injury he suffered during the altercation. The club said he would be out for up to two weeks.

Tchouameni took part in training on Friday and could feature at Camp Nou this weekend.

Real Madrid said both players “expressed their complete remorse for what happened and apologised to each other” while taking part in a club investigation.

“They extended their apologies to the club, their teammates, the coaching staff, and the fans, and both have made themselves available to Real Madrid to accept whatever sanction the club deems appropriate,” read a club statement.

Uruguay international Valverde was accompanied to the hospital facility near the club’s Valdebebas training complex by Madrid coach Alvaro Arbeloa, according to Spanish reports, which stated that the player required stitches to treat a facial wound.

Uruguay midfielder Valverde sought to downplay the severity of the altercation with the France midfielder.

“The strain of the competition and frustration caused the situation to escalate,” Valverde wrote on social media, expressing regret at the media coverage of the incident.

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“I accidentally hit a table during the argument, causing a small cut on my forehead that required a routine visit to the hospital,” he said.

“At no point did my team-mate hit me, and I didn’t hit him either.”

Tchouameni admitted that what had happened was far from acceptable.

“Regardless of who is right and who is wrong, we should always look for a peaceful resolution to any dispute,” said the Frenchman.

“There’s no point going on about who did what or who said what, and I accept the fine,” he said. “Now we have to move forward and play this Clasico and make sure the club does as well as is still possible.”

According to reports, the two players clashed on Wednesday during training, and their argument continued on Thursday, both during and after the session.

Spanish media reported Valverde refused to shake Tchouameni’s hand and later fouled him in Thursday’s training session, with the pair scrapping afterwards in the dressing room when the injury occurred.

Tensions are running high at Real Madrid with the club on the verge of a second consecutive season without a major trophy.

Los Blancos trail Barca by 11 points at the top of La Liga, with Hansi Flick’s side able to clinch back-to-back league titles on Sunday if they do not lose.

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Real Madrid injured striker Kylian Mbappe has sparked anger among a section of the club’s supporters after a holiday in Sardinia, triggering a fresh media storm ahead of Sunday’s Clasico against Barcelona.

For many Madrid fans, the striker’s Italian getaway – during rest days granted by Real Madrid to injured players, including Mbappe, Thibaut Courtois and Arda Guler – was the final straw.

United behind a shared image showing Mbappe with a “Fuera (out)” stamp over his face – originally posted by a satirical account and reposted in the comments section of Real Madrid’s official posts – some fans are openly calling for the French superstar to leave.

An online petition has also been circulating on social networks, urging Madrid fans to “make their voices heard”. “If you believe change is necessary, do not remain silent: sign this petition and defend what you believe is best for the future of the club,” it reads.

Fuel was added to the fire by widely shared photos of Mbappe alongside actress Ester Exposito, posted on social media as Real Madrid were preparing for a crucial La Liga match against Espanyol last weekend in an effort to delay Barcelona’s title celebrations.

Real Madrid won that match 2–0, and coach Alvaro Arbeloa later insisted that “each player does what they consider appropriate in their free time” and that it was “none of my business”. However, several of his comments were perceived as indirect criticism of his leading scorer.

“We didn’t build Real Madrid with players who play in tuxedos, but with players who finish matches with shirts full of sweat and mud, through effort and sacrifice,” he said.

Madrid is “a club where, fortunately, no player has ever been, is, or ever will be bigger than Real Madrid,” added Arbeloa.

Contacted by AFP, Mbappe’s entourage said “part of the criticism is based on an over-interpretation of elements linked to a recovery period that is strictly supervised by the club”, and bears no relation to “the reality of the commitment and daily work Kylian puts in for the team”.

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The France captain, accustomed to sometimes excessive scrutiny, addressed his mindset earlier this season on The Bridge, a podcast hosted by his Real Madrid and France teammate Aurelien Tchouameni.

“I’ve reached a point where you’re going to get criticised whatever you do, so you might as well do what you want – at least then you stay true to yourself,” Mbappe said.

With 41 goals in 41 matches in all competitions this season, Mbappe remains by far Real Madrid’s leading scorer. He has nonetheless come under heavy criticism since returning from injury in mid-March, with some observers accusing him of an overly individualistic approach.

According to Spanish media, Mbappe – frustrated by a second season at Madrid without a major trophy – is becoming increasingly isolated in the dressing room, despite having established himself as a leader earlier in the campaign.

Some fans and pundits have pointed to post-match comments from fellow stars Vinicius Junior and Jude Bellingham after Sunday’s win as signs of a growing rift with the France captain.

“We fought and we played together. When we play like that, we are better and stronger,” Vinicius told Real Madrid TV, while Bellingham urged his teammates on Instagram to stay “together” and fully committed “until the very last whistle” of the season.

Friendly exchanges between Vinicius and Bellingham on social media – the pair won the Champions League together before Mbappe’s arrival – have further fuelled speculation of a new clash of egos within the Madrid squad.

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Real Madrid defender Dani Carvajal is set to miss the El Clasico against arch-rivals Barcelona on May 10 after suffering a toe injury, the Spanish club said on Saturday.

The veteran right-back is set to miss the next two weeks, according to Spanish media and could return for the club’s final game of the season against Athletic Bilbao.

Real Madrid, second, are 11 points behind league leaders Barcelona, who could clinch La Liga this weekend with a win at Osasuna, if Los Blancos drop points at Espanyol on Sunday.

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Dani Carvajal will be out for the Clasico clash at Barcelona next Sunday, which may be his last match as a Real Madrid player.

The defender, who has won six Champions League titles and four La Liga titles with Madrid, is out of contract at the end of the season.

The 34-year-old had hoped to form part of Spain’s World Cup 2026 squad this summer, but after an injury-hit season, his chances were already slim before his latest setback.

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Real Madrid striker Kylian Mbappe is a doubt for the El Clasico on May 10, against arch-rivals Barcelona, after his club confirmed Monday he has sustained a thigh injury.

“He has been diagnosed with an injury to the semitendinosus muscle in his left leg,” said Los Blancos in a statement, after the France captain went off hurt during Madrid’s 1-1 draw against Real Betis in La Liga last Friday.

Madrid, second in the Spanish top flight by 11 points from leaders Barcelona, face Espanyol on Sunday before taking on the Catalan giants the following weekend.

Real Madrid initially indicated Mbappe had suffered a muscular overload, but further tests showed their top goalscorer was injured.

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If Madrid drop points against Espanyol without him and Barcelona defeat Osasuna on Saturday, Hansi Flick’s side will be crowned champions for a second successive season.

Kylian Mbappe has been troubled by injury this season, generating concern in France with the World Cup in the United States, Canada and Mexico starting on June 11.

The 27-year-old, a world champion in 2018, was dogged by a knee issue which lasted for two months, the longest absence of his career, and admitted it caused him “frustration, anger and anxiety”.

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Real Madrid striker Kylian Mbappe suffered a “muscle overload” in his left hamstring during the team’s 1-1 draw at Real Betis in La Liga, a club source told AFP on Friday.

Mbappe asked to be substituted in the final 10 minutes of the game, which left his side eight points behind league leaders Barcelona.

The France captain’s problem does not appear to be serious, pending further tests, easing any potential concerns ahead of the FIFA World Cup 2026 this summer.

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“I have no idea (how Mbappe is), he had some discomfort, and we will see how it develops in the coming days,” said coach Alvaro Arbeloa when asked by reporters about the forward, Madrid’s top goalscorer, after the game.

On Wednesday, Barcelona’s teenage winger Lamine Yamal suffered a hamstring injury, which ruled him out until the end of the season, although he is expected to be fit to play at the FIFA World Cup 2026 for Spain.

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Kylian Mbappe and Vinicius Junior scored as Real Madrid beat Alaves 2-1 on Tuesday to cling on to their slim hopes of catching Barcelona in La Liga.

Mbappe struck his league-leading 24th goal, but first since early February, with a deflected shot on the half hour at the Santiago Bernabeu.

Vinicius lashed in a second from distance early in the second half, which proved crucial as Alaves pulled a goal back in stoppage time through Toni Martinez.

The victory ended a two-match winless run in La Liga for Madrid and moved them back to within six points of leaders Barcelona, who host Celta Vigo on Wednesday.

“We have six matches coming up, the next one in three days. The aim is to win those matches, that’s the goal we’ve set ourselves as a team,” said Madrid coach Alvaro Arbeloa, whose position is under increasing scrutiny.

“I don’t care much about what’s at stake for me personally. What matters to me is what’s at stake for Real Madrid.”

Real Madrid are staring down the barrel of a second consecutive season without a major trophy following last week’s Champions League quarter-final exit at the hands of Bayern Munich.

Mbappe scored in both legs of that 6-4 aggregate defeat, but a barren patch in La Liga, in part because of a knee injury, coincided with arch-rivals Barcelona streaking clear at the top.

Madrid faced early pressure from relegation-threatened Alaves, who were unbeaten in four matches.

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Angel Perez broke in behind the home defence before strangely opting to pass instead of shooting, with just Andriy Lunin blocking his path to goal. Martinez then tested the Real keeper after finding a pocket of space.

Mbappe put Madrid ahead when his effort from just outside the box clipped a defender and wrong-footed Antonio Sivera.

The France captain then had an attempt beaten away by Sivera, and Eder Militao clipped the crossbar, injuring himself in the process and having to go off before the break.

Martinez nearly levelled for Alaves when he poked a cross against the post, with his follow-up strike clawed out by Lunin.

Vinicius hammered in from 25 yards to give Madrid breathing space, and Brahim Diaz was denied by a brilliant headed clearance off the goalline.

Alaves continued to toil away as Victor Parada’s diving header hit the upright. Martinez netted a consolation with an inventive flick in stoppage time before loud jeers greeted the final whistle in Madrid.

Elsewhere, Real Betis came from behind to triumph 3-2 at Girona as Rodrigo Riquelme bagged the winner 10 minutes from time.

Gorka Guruzeta’s first-half goal lifted Athletic Bilbao to a 1-0 home win over Osasuna, while Mallorca and Valencia drew 1-1.

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Late strikes from Luis Diaz and Michael Olise sealed a dramatic 4–3 win for Bayern Munich over Real Madrid on Wednesday, clinching a 6–4 aggregate victory and setting up a Champions League semi-final with holders Paris Saint-Germain (PSG).

The tie was level at the break in the second leg after a scintillating opening half, with record 15-time European champions Real going ahead three times on the night.

Bayern won 2-1 last week in the Spanish capital, but Arda Guler pounced on a loose Manuel Neuer pass to put the visitors ahead after just 34 seconds at the Allianz Arena. He scored again from a free-kick after Aleksandar Pavlovic equalised.

Harry Kane put Bayern back ahead in the tie only for Kylian Mbappe to restore parity overall when he put Madrid 3-2 up before half-time.

Eduardo Camavinga was sent off for a second yellow card with four minutes left, and Bayern pushed forward, Diaz blasting into the corner from outside the box after a crucial deflection.

With Real pressing for an equaliser, Olise curled in a magnificent shot to rubberstamp Bayern’s ticket to the last four and keep alive their quest for a seventh European crown. They will head to Luis Enrique’s PSG at the end of the month.

Tempers boiled over after the final whistle, with Guler picking up a straight red for confronting the referee.

The defeat for Real Madrid effectively ended their season as they look set to finish without a major trophy for the second year running. Barcelona hold a nine-point lead in La Liga and Real suffered a shock last-16 exit in the Copa del Rey.

For the first time in Real’s long history in the Champions League, their starting XI did not contain a single Spanish player. Jude Bellingham, who impressed off the bench in the first leg, was one of four changes to the line-up made by Arbeloa.

Neuer, widely lauded after a vintage performance in Madrid, gifted Real an opener. The Bayern goalkeeper miscued a pass directly to Guler, who floated a first-touch shot into the unguarded goal in the first minute.

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Bayern Munich looked stunned but struck back almost immediately when Pavlovic headed in a Kimmich corner after Real goalkeeper Andriy Lunin failed to read the flight of the ball.

The match had barely time to settle before Real were ahead once more thanks to a Guler goal, with Neuer again not at his best.

The Turkey international whipped a free-kick into the top corner which Neuer got a hand to but was unable to keep out.

The match continued to swing back and forth before the break, as Kane struck first before Mbappe responded by getting himself on the scoresheet.

Kane slotted clinically into the bottom corner in the 38th minute to again haul Bayern level on the night, and ahead in the tie, before Mbappe ran onto a Vinicius Junior pass and slotted home to level the tie 4-4 on aggregate.

With Real regularly cutting into Bayern’s high line, coach Vincent Kompany responded by introducing the pace of Alphonso Davies at the interval.

Both sides traded chances in the second half, with Olise particularly dangerous, forcing a fingertip save from Lunin with 20 minutes left.

Camavinga came on midway through the half but picked up two yellow cards in quick succession to leave his team a man down in the closing stages.

It proved a turning point as Bayern Munich struck three minutes later when Diaz’s effort took a touch off Eder Militao and flashed beyond Lunin.

Olise made certain of Bayern’s progress deep into stoppage time as the German giants took down Real in a knockout clash for the first time since 2012.

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Former Real Madrid player and Spain’s 1982 World Cup coach Jose Emilio Santamaria has died at the age of 96, Los Blancos said on Wednesday.

Centre-back Santamaria, who joined Real Madrid in 1957 from Uruguayan side Nacional, played in one of the most decorated eras in the club’s history.

“Real Madrid wishes to express its condolences and affection to his wife Nora, his children Nelson, Nora, Beatriz, José, Silvia, and Javier, his grandchildren, great-grandchildren, and all his family, teammates, and loved ones,” said Real Madrid in a statement.

He won 4 European Cups, 1 Intercontinental Cup, 6 La Liga titles, and 1 Spanish Cup with Real Madrid, across 337 matches.

He was part of that legendary team that won the first European Cups in history consecutively, initiating the universal legend of Real Madrid.

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“Alongside Di Stefano, Puskas, Gento and Kopa, that team began to build the legend of Real Madrid,” said Los Blancos chief Florentino Perez.

He played 25 times for Uruguay before becoming a naturalised Spaniard and playing at the 1962 World Cup for Spain, whom he went on to coach.

As a coach, Santamaria began his career the year after retiring as a player, in Real Madrid’s youth academy.

He managed the Spanish Olympic team at the 1968 Mexico Olympics and the 1980 Moscow Olympics. In 1982, he was the Spanish national team coach at the World Cup in Spain.

From 1971, for seven seasons, he managed R. C. D. Espanyol in 252 matches, becoming the coach with the most official matches in the club’s history.

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