Real Madrid's Cristiano Ronaldo thinks his two-match suspension for Sunday's red card against Malaga is excessive and is confident the La Liga club's appeal will succeed.
Inter Milan boss Jose Mourinho has agreed to become Real Madrid's new manager after guiding the Italian side to a historic Treble of Serie A, Coppa Italia and Champions League wins.
Inter Milan claimed their first European Cup in 45 years when Diego Milito struck in each half to give the Italians a 2-0 win over Bayern Munich.
Spanish football giants Real Madrid have stepped up their chase for Manchester United striker Wayne Rooney by drafting in football's most successful agent, Pini Zahavi.
Inter Milan coach Jose Mourinho will either be sitting in the dugout at the San Siro or Real Madrid's Bernabeu stadium next season, the Portuguese coach said on Wednesday. 'My only options are Madrid or Inter,' he said in an interview with sports daily Marca, when asked if he would leave the Italian champions at the end of the season.
Here are five talking points from the weekend's La Liga action:
Barcelona stand between Chelsea and a second successive appearance in an all-English Champions League final. Manchester United, who beat Chelsea on penalties in last year's final in Moscow, take a 1-0 advantage to Arsenal on Tuesday in the other semi-final.
'We are on anti-terrorist alert four (with five a very high risk) and there will be extensive security so as to guarantee that the match takes place with complete normality'
Real Madrid made the most of Barcelona's slip-up to close to within one point of the La Liga leaders on Sunday with a 2-0 win over third-placed Valencia at the Bernabeu.
"The intention is to sell him, but there's no offers forthcoming," read the front page of Marca, accompanied by a picture of the 29-year-old Bale looking sullen.
Good news for Barcelona and Spain, bad news for all their rivals. Xavi says he is in the best form of his life. The diminutive playmaker put in a match-winning performance against Real Madrid on Saturday, setting up both Barcelona goals in a 2-0 victory at the Bernabeu that put the champions top and made them favourites to retain their league title.
Lionel Messi's exquisite finish set Barcelona on their way to a potentially decisive 2-0 win at Real Madrid on Saturday to lift the champions three points clear of their arch-rivals at the top of La Liga.
Five head-to-head battles to watch out for in Saturday's potentially decisive 'Clasico' at the Bernabeu, when La Liga leaders Real Madrid host title rivals and defending champions Barcelona.
A win for Real Madrid or a draw for Barcelona in Saturday's El Clasico at the Bernabeu could be the deciding act in the La Liga title race this year.
Rafael van der Vaart admitted to handling the ball in the lead up to Real Madrid's opening goal in their 3-1 victory over Sporting Gijon in La Liga on Saturday.
Big-spending Real Madrid failed to qualify for the Champions League quarter-finals for the sixth straight season when Olympique Lyon dumped the Spaniards out 2-1 on aggregate on Wednesday.
Real Madrid winger Cristiano Ronaldo, the record 80 million-pound ($130 million) signing the club hope will help restore them to former glories, was welcomed by 80,000 jubilant fans at the Bernabeu on Monday.
Rafael van der Vaart scored an injury-time winner as Real Madrid came back to beat Sevilla 3-2 and replace Barcelona at the top of La Liga on Saturday, after the champions were held 2-2 in Almeria.
Real Madrid need to sign two more players and off-load about 10 to round off their summer transfer dealings, club president Florentino Perez has said.
Barcelona forward Lionel Messi is set to sweep this year's awards for individual players, UEFA president Michel Platini predicted on Wednesday.
Real Madrid paid more than 200 million euros ($227.76 million) to assemble their forward line of Cristiano Ronaldo, Gareth Bale and Karim Benzema, but the attacking trio failed them again in Wednesday's Champions League exit to Juventus.
Images from the UEFA Champions League matches played on Tuesday.
European champions Barcelona will quickly renew acquaintances with their former striker Samuel Eto'o when they begin the defence of their trophy at Inter Milan in their opening Champions League match next month. The draw also brought together AC Milan and nine-time European champions Real Madrid in another mouthwatering Italian versus Spanish clash with Brazil forward Kaka facing his old club at his new Bernabeu home on Matchday Three.
European champions Barcelona will face Inter Milan, Dynamo Kiev of Ukraine and Russian newcomers Rubin Kazan when they open the defence of their crown following the draw for the Champions League group phase on Thursday.
Cristiano Ronaldo scored his first goal for Real Madrid netting the opener from the penalty spot in a 4-2 friendly win over Ecuador's Liga de Quito at the Bernabeu in Madrid on Tuesday. The Portuguese winger, signed from Manchester United for 80 million pounds last month, sent the goalkeeper the wrong way after being tripped as he dribbled into the area in the 48th minute.
A first-half double from Gareth Bale helped Real Madrid cement their position at the top of La Liga with a 3-0 win at home to Leganes on Sunday. Reeling from a chaotic midweek 3-3 draw at Legia Warsaw in the Champions League, Real got off to a slow start against neighbours Leganes, but Bale put them in charge in the 37th minute. The Wales international, who netted a sensational half volley against Legia, raced onto a through ball from Isco that split the visiting defence and rounded goalkeeper Jon Serantes to tuck the ball inside the near post from a tight angle.
Mementos from the soccer world that brought Syrian refugee Osama Abdul Mohsen to Spain are strewn around the flat he shares with two of his sons, including a ball signed by Real Madrid's star players and a banner for the local team, Getafe.
Third-tier Alcorcon lost 1-0 to Real Madrid at the Bernabeu on Tuesday but dumped the nine-times European champions out of the King's Cup 4-1 on aggregate. Alcorcon operate on a budget of just over one million euros ($1.50 million), some 400 times smaller than Real's.
Manchester United winger Cristiano Ronaldo completed his 80 million pound world record transfer to Real Madrid on Friday, signing a six-year deal with the Primera Liga club.
London's Wembley Stadium will be awarded the 2011 Champions League final, UEFA sources said.
Real Madrid striker Raul equalled Gerd Mueller's record of 66 goals in the three main European club competitions when he scored against AC Milan in the Champions League on Wednesday.
Real coach Julen Lopetegui has come in for fierce criticism this season, having presided over a run of five games without a win -- the team going eight hours and one minute without scoring -- before Tuesday's unconvincing 2-1 triumph over Viktoria Plzen that saw the team whistled off the pitch by their own fans.
Cristiano Ronaldo took his tally for the La Liga season to a phenomenal 13 goals in six appearances with his third treble of the campaign as Real Madrid romped to a 5-0 win at home to Athletic Bilbao on Sunday.
Cristiano Ronaldo scored twice to lead Real Madrid to a 5-0 win over La Liga new boys Xerez at the Bernabeu on Sunday.
Real will ease the pain by retaining their Champions League title, their only hope of salvaging a disappointing season.
After a decade of trying, Sunday could be the day Villarreal finally claim three Primera Liga points from Real Madrid at the Spanish champions' Santiago Bernabeu home, according to midfielder Robert Pires.
Spain will play an international friendly against England in Seville in February after the visitors refused to play at Real Madrid's Bernabeu stadium, the Spanish Football Federation (RFEF) said on Tuesday. In a statement, the RFEF said it had decided to hold the match at Sevilla's Sanchez Pizjuan stadium on February 11, without giving any further explanation.
Double strikes by Thierry Henry and Lionel Messi powered a rampant Barcelona to a 6-2 thrashing of champions Real Madrid in a spectacular Primera Liga clash at the Bernabeu on Saturday. The victory meant Barca, chasing their first title in three years, extended their lead over second-placed Real to seven points with four games left.
Real Madrid have replaced coach Bernd Schuster with former Sevilla and Tottenham Hotspur manager Juande Ramos, sporting director Predrag Mijatovic said.
