Barcelona defeated Celta Vigo 1-0 in LaLiga, but the victory was overshadowed by an injury to Lamine Yamal.
Karim Benzema is returning to full fitness at just the right time for Real Madrid, who will play Atletico Madrid in the Champions League final on May 28. Coach Zinedine Zidane was relieved to see the Frenchman come back from a hamstring problem and score in Sunday's 3-2 triumph over Valencia, a result that kept Real just a point behind Barcelona with one game to go in the race for the league title. "He's not been at 100 percent for a while. We've seen that it wasn't easy for him physically," Zidane told Real's website. "(Against Valencia) he coped with it well and without any problems. We've got two games left. He's getting better every day and he's not feeling any discomfort from his last injury."
Real Madrid's talismanic striker Raul bid an emotional farewell to the La Liga club on Monday after 16 seasons and said he is eying a move to the German Bundesliga or the English Premier League.
Real Madrid winger Gareth Bale said on Wednesday he has an extra incentive to reach a third Champions League final in four years because the title game will be played in his hometown of Cardiff. "This is the reason I came to Madrid - to play in the Champions League, to win the Champions League," the 27-year-old Bale said in an interview with UEFA.com. "To have the Champions League final in my home town is an even bigger motivation," he said.
No details of the fee for Rodriguez were disclosed but media reports said it was around 80 million euros (63.2 million pounds).
Real Madrid chose a design led by German architects GMP for the remodelling of the Bernabeu, which was opened in the 1950s and holds just over 80,000 spectators, at an estimated cost of 400 million euros.
Spain's Real Madrid retained the title of the world's richest football club in the past year thanks to sponsorship and TV deals robust enough to endure a season without a major trophy, a study showed on Thursday.
Real Madrid are attempting to revive former glories to inspire them on their mission to overturn a two-goal deficit at arch-rivals Barcelona in Tuesday's Champions League semi-final second leg.
Barcelona stay on course to defend their Copa del Rey title with a 2-1 win over Albacete.
English champions Chelsea maintained their perfect start to the season but Jose Mourinho's Real Madrid were held 0-0 at Real Mallorca and German champions Bayern suffered a shock defeat to Kaiserslautern.
Barcelona playmaker Xavi has dismissed the idea that Real Madrid's battling performance with 10 men in La Liga on Saturday would give them a confidence boost for Wednesday's King's Cup final.
A spectacular goal by Jean Makoun gave Olympique Lyon a 1-0 win over Real Madrid in their Champions League last-16 first leg on Tuesday, handing the Spaniards their first away defeat in this season's competition. Lyon picked up their third successive home win over Real in the Champions League after the Cameroon midfielder drove a stunning 25-metre shot into the top corner of the net in the 47th minute.
Manuel Pellegrini's future as Real Madrid coach was called into question on Wednesday after the big-spending side's 4-0 thrashing at third-tier Alcorcon in the first leg of their King's Cup tie.
Stuttgart stumble to 1-1 against Union, miss out on top three
Cristiano Ronaldo, playing his 6th FIFA World Cup, headlines the Portugal squad that has a glittering supporting cast that includes Vitinha, Joao Neves, Bruno Fernandes and Nuno Mendes.
Striker Mariano's header was glanced onto the crossbar by Sociedad's Andoni Gorosabel while the loose ball fell to Marco Asensio, whose shot was deflected wide for a corner from which Raphael Varane header hit the top of the bar.
Real Madrid extended their lead at the top of the Primera Liga with an unconvincing 4-3 home victory over Real Mallorca at the Bernabeu on Sunday.
Madrid went into halftime with a three-goal lead after Marco Asensio scored twice in three minutes and debutant Javi Sanchez also got on the scoresheet late in the half.
James Rodriguez curled home a superb free kick to cap Real Madrid's 3-0 win over Inter Milan in a friendly in Guangzhou on Monday.
Real Madrid coach Jose Mourinho has responded to criticism of his tactics from honorary club president Alfredo Di Stefano by pointing out he is the one who makes the decisions about the way the team plays.
Real Madrid endured their toughest test at Granada on Monday since La Liga restarted but showed real determination to grind out a 2-1 win and record their ninth consecutive victory as they moved within touching distance of reclaiming the title. Early goals from Ferland Mendy and Karim Benzema were enough to restore a four-point lead over Barcelona and Real will clinch their first league title since 2017 with a win over Villarreal on Thursday or at Leganes on the final day of the season.
Images from La Liga matches played on Saturday.
The Real Madrid midfielder defended the club's Galactico policy.
Real Madrid's unbeaten start to the La Liga season came to an abrupt and surprising end as Real Mallorca claimed a stunning 1-0 victory at a rocking Son Moix on Saturday to climb out of the relegation zone.
Real Madrid coach Zinedine Zidane said there was nothing wrong with talisman Cristiano Ronaldo as the Portuguese marked his longest run without scoring at the Santiago Bernabeu with a near anonymous display in a 3-0 win over Leganes on Sunday. A Gareth Bale double and a second half strike from Alvaro Morata sealed the win that kept Real top of La Liga but Zidane faced further questions about the form of Ronaldo, who has not scored in five home games, his longest run without a goal in front of Real's fans since joining the club in 2009. Ronaldo's last goal at the Bernabeu came against Sporting Lisbon on Sept. 14. His only goal there in the league was against Osasuna on Sept. 10.
A Cristiano Ronaldo hat-trick helped Real Madrid fight back to beat classy Villarreal 4-2 on Sunday to cut Barcelona's La Liga lead to two points.
Nine-time European champion Real Madrid have ended Manchester United's run as the world's most valuable soccer team, according to an annual survey released by Forbes on Wednesday.
Napoli have agreed to buy Spain centre back Raul Albiol from Real Madrid, the Serie A club said on Sunday.
Zinedine Zidane will accept an offer from Jose Mourinho to work more closely with the Real Madrid coach, the former France great has said.
World soccer's governing body FIFA said on Monday it would take no action against Real Madrid following Manchester United's complaint that the Spanish club had sought to tempt Cristiano Ronaldo from Old Trafford. United formally complained to FIFA last week over a series of public statements made by Real apparently expressing interest in the Portuguese international.
Vice-president Adriano Galliani fired an angry broadside at Real Madrid for their attempts to lure Brazilian midfielder Kaka to Spain.
Former India captain Bhaichung Bhutia says FIFA's expanded 48-team World Cup format significantly improves India's chances of qualification while creating new opportunities for emerging football nations across Asia and beyond.
The Frenchman, who won nine trophies in two-and-a-half years, suggested it is events off the pitch, rather than on it, that made him leave.
Luka Modric's top priority is to win La Liga this season, the midfield maestro said on Wednesday after signing a new contract that will keep him at Real Madrid until 2020. The Croatia international has claimed two Champions League titles, a King's Cup, UEFA Super Cup and the Club World Cup since joining from Tottenham Hotspur in 2013 for a fee of 35 million euros ($38.36 million).
Former Colombia, Real Madrid and Corinthians midfielder Freddy Rincon is wanted for questioning about drug crimes in Panama, Interpol said on Wednesday.
Manchester United manager Louis van Gaal has hinted the club may be pursuing Real Madrid's Spain defender Sergio Ramos and could also sign a "surprise" striker.
Barcelona missed the chance to reclaim the LaLiga summit after suffering a 2-1 derby defeat to Girona, who roared back in the second half to leave Real Madrid top of the table.
Cape Verde pulled off a World Cup shock by holding Spain to a 0-0 draw in the opening game of Group H on Monday, where the European champions and one of the tournament favourites could find no way past the debutants and their keeper Vozinha.
