Villarreal's struggles in the Spanish league continued with a 2-1 loss at Athletic Bilbao, with striker Gerard Moreno not finishing the game because of an injury.
Spanish soccer clubs have no option but to face up to reducing players' salaries next season due to the financial impact of the coronavirus pandemic, La Liga president Javier Tebas said. The Spanish season has been on hold since March and although matches are due to re-start in June without spectators, the league still estimates clubs will lose a combined 300 million euros ($326.07 million) in lost revenue due to the disruption.
Real Madrid and Barcelona will meet in the opening La Liga "Clasico" of the season on the weekend of October 6-7 at Barca's Nou Camp stadium, according to the draw held at the Spanish soccer federation (RFEF) headquarters in Madrid on Tuesday.
Lionel Messi and his Barcelona team mates have been back at the club's training ground conducting individual sessions since last week, following La Liga's four-phase protocol for returning to activity since it was halted in March due to the pandemic.
The Ballon d'Or, which is awarded annually since 1956, is one of the most prestigious individual honours in football.
Real Madrid signed Mbappe as a free agent in a five-year deal after the Frenchman's contract expired at Paris Saint Germain (PSG).
Spanish giants Barcelona and Real Madrid grabbed last-gasp 2-1 victories after a rash of red cards and crowd trouble in the La Liga.
Real Madrid had courted Mbappe in the past but failed to land the player, who signed a contract extension with PSG in May 2022 when the Spanish club had a bid rejected.
Barca, chasing a third consecutive Spanish title, are on 76 points after 35 games while Real Madrid are top with 77 and can restore their four-point advantage when they host Alaves on Friday.
Barcelona will begin their Spanish league title defence away to Getafe on Aug. 13 while Real Madrid visit Athletic Bilbao the same weekend.
Real Madrid's appeal against a yellow card shown to forward Cristiano Ronaldo in Wednesday's 2-0 La Liga win at Rayo Vallecano has been granted by the Spanish soccer federation (RFEF), the club said on Friday.
Rayo Vallecano beat Albacete 1-0 on Wednesday as Spanish football returned in bizarre circumstances from its COVID-19 hiatus with the second half of a match that first kicked off six months ago but was suspended due to offensive chanting. The second division encounter, played without fans in attendance, was the first Spanish football match to take place since March after all soccer was halted due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Victory in their first match on the league's resumption after the COVID-19 stoppage took basement team Espanyol to 23 points from 28 games, three points off the safety zone.
Atletico Madrid failed to build on Wednesday's notable Champions League success against Juventus when they were beaten 3-1 at a resurgent Valencia in La Liga on Saturday.
Fernando Llorente netted a dramatic late winner for Athletic Bilbao to eliminate Sporting and Atletico Madrid comfortably held on to a first-leg lead to oust La Liga rivals Valencia on Thursday and set up an all-Spanish Europa League final.
Four men were arrested in Madrid, police said, three of whom were members of "a radical group of fans of a Madrid club", who were previously flagged during matches as "high risk" to help curb violence during games.
Barcelona thrashed Real Betis 5-1 on Wednesday to book their spot in the Copa del Rey quarter-finals.
Nine Catalan separatist leaders were jailed for between nine and 13 years on Monday for their roles in an illegal referendum and subsequent failed independence bid, sparking protests and clashes across the region. Barcelona is the capital of Catalonia.
The Primera Liga title will be decided by "El Clasico" between leaders Barcelona and second-placed Real Madrid at the Bernabeu in just under two weeks, according to Real midfielder Lassana Diarra.
Spanish media paid tribute to Barcelona captain Andres Iniesta after he starred in his side's 5-0 thrashing of Sevilla in the King's Cup final on Saturday.
Barcelona head into Saturday's 'Clasico' against Real Madrid with a whopping 11-point gap over their bitter rivals in the Liga title race -- and they also have the advantage in financial terms, albeit by smaller margins.
Barcelona's Robert Lewandowski scored a quick-fire second-half double to set the leaders on course for a thrashing of Real Madrid.
Dramatic finale as Valencia denied by 10-man Levante
Here are five talking points from the weekend's La Liga action:
The Spanish football federation (RFEF) has dropped investigations into alleged match fixing by promoted La Liga club Hercules after being denied access to evidence from a separate judicial probe.
Royal Emirates Group will buy La Liga club Getafe for about 90 million euros ($129.6 million), the Dubai firm said on Wednesday following earlier reports it was eyeing a Spanish soccer team.
Luis Aragones, the coach of Spain's 2008 European Championship-winning side, has died at the age of 75, the Spanish Football Federation (RFEF) announced on Saturday.
Real Madrid star Vinicius racially attacked for 10th time this season.
Real were smarting from a surprise 1-1 draw at struggling Elche in their last match and were missing captain Sergio Ramos, who was out with a stomach bug.
Rodrygo struck twice and Vinicius Jr dazzled as Real Madrid beat Osasuna 2-1 on Saturday to win their 20th Copa del Rey title and first since 2014.
When Lionel Messi pulled on the captain's armband in the 63rd minute of Barcelona's 3-1 win over Rayo Vallecano in March, it was the first time since his 2004 debut he had led the Spanish champions in a La Liga game.
News of all that's transpired on and off the football field.
Spanish rivals Villarreal and Valencia had to settle for a goalless draw in the first leg of their UEFA Cup semi-final.
Barcelona dropped points for the third time in four league games as they were held 0-0 by local rivals Espanyol in a heated Catalan derby. Atletico Madrid moved two points clear of Barca at the top of the table, having played a game more, thanks to substitute Thomas Partey's late winner to edge past Levante 1-0. Real Madrid now trail Atletico by five points ahead of their trip to Valencia on Sunday.
Stuttering Villarreal closed to within a point of the Champions League qualification places when a second-half Cedric Bakambu double secured a 2-1 comeback win at home to Rayo Vallecano in La Liga on Sunday.
Real Madrid forward Cristiano Ronaldo ended his early-season drought in emphatic style when he hit five goals in a 6-0 romp at Espanyol on Saturday to become the club's record scorer in La Liga.
Barcelona have asked Spain's Court for Sport (TAD) to open disciplinary proceedings against La Liga chief Javier Tebas after he criticised the team's reaction to an empty bottle being thrown in from the stands during a goal celebration.
AC Milan will have to be perfect defensively when they host Premier League side Liverpool in their Champions League opener at San Siro, manager Paulo Fonseca said on Monday.
News of all that's transpired on and off the football field
Barcelona left it late to snatch a 1-0 win at Valencia on Sunday after Atletico Madrid's 2-0 victory at home to Deportivo La Coruna was overshadowed by the death of a visiting fan hours before kickoff.
