European champions Spain will travel to next month's World Cup with plenty of Barcelona swagger but no-one from Real Madrid after manager Luis de la Fuente named a 26-man squad on Monday built around eight players from the Catalan club.
Barca's capped a dominant La Liga campaign with a 2-0 win over Real Madrid to claim their 29th La Liga crown at the Camp Nou in Barcelona on Sunday.
Inspired by Lamine Yamal, Spain strolled to a 4-0 win over Saudi Arabia in Group H on Sunday, where Mikel Oyarzabal restored his reputation with two goals and Luis de la Fuente's side found their groove after an underwhelming World Cup opener.
Raphinha hat-trick fires Barcelona past Sevilla at top
Goals from Dani Olmo, Raphinha, and an acrobatic Lamine Yamal strike powered the Catalans to 52 points, one ahead of Real Madrid.
Lamine Yamal exploded into view at 16 and became an integral part of Spain's record fourth European Championship triumph in 2024.
Barcelona recovered from an early setback to secure a 3-1 victory over Deportivo Alaves in LaLiga on Saturday.
Dani Olmo came off the bench in the second half to give Barcelona the spark they needed on his debut, against Rayo Vallecano.
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.
Atletico Madrid reached their first Champions League semi-final in nine years, narrowly defeating Barcelona 3-2 on aggregate despite a 2-1 home defeat.
Barcelona outclassed Mallorca 3-0 at home on Saturday to increase their lead at the top of the LaLiga standings.
Barcelona stay on course to defend their Copa del Rey title with a 2-1 win over Albacete.
Barcelona striker Robert Lewandowski has suffered a torn thigh muscle, the club said on Tuesday, with the Poland captain facing a spell on the sidelines that could rule him out of next week's LaLiga clash against Real Madrid.
Barcelona returned to the top of the LaLiga table with a comfortable 4-0 home victory over 10-man Real Sociedad on Sunday.
Lamine Yamal's hat-trick led Barcelona to a 4-1 victory over Villarreal in LaLiga, extending their lead over Real Madrid.
The official 26-man squads for FIFA World Cup 2026.
Images from the Euro 2024 quarter-final between Spain and Germany, at Stuttgart Arena, Germany, on Friday.
Barcelona defeated Atletico Madrid, extending their lead in La Liga after Real Madrid's loss to Mallorca. Key goals from Lewandowski and Rashford secured Barcelona's victory, while Muriqi's late goal sealed Mallorca's win against Real.
Rashford, one of Europe's top talents before falling out of favour at United and spending the latter part of last season on loan at Aston Villa, joins a stellar attacking cast featuring Robert Lewandowski, Raphinha, Dani Olmo and Ferran Torres.
Ronaldo had won his first Ballon d'Or in 2008 while he was playing for Manchester United and still holds the record of the last Premier League player to claim the top prize. Messi won his first in 2009 and was nominated for 16 years.
LaLiga leaders Barcelona beat Espanyol 3-1 in the Catalan derby on Sunday thanks to a first-half double from Dani Olmo and a goal from Raphinha.
Barcelona will go to the international break on top of the standings on a perfect 12 points from four games, five ahead second-placed Villarreal and seven clear of bitter rivals Real Madrid
Adrien Rabiot scored two goals as AC Milan came from behind to earn a 3-1 victory at Como on Thursday.
Stuttgart stumble to 1-1 against Union, miss out on top three
Harry Kane scored his 36th goal of the season but Bayern Munich let a second-half lead slip to draw 2-2 with Hamburg SV.
Images from the the Champions League semi-final second leg between Inter Milan and Barcelona at San Siro, Milan, Italy, on Tuesday.
Late goals from Dani Olmo and Robert Lewandowski earned LaLiga leaders Barcelona a hard-fought 2-0 victory over Espanyol.
Images from the Euro 2024 semi-final between Spain and France, at Munich Football Arena, Germany, on Tuesday.
Spain secured their place at the 2026 World Cup after a nervy 2-2 draw with Turkey in Seville on Tuesday.
Undefeated since late December, Barca are the only team in Europe's top-five league who have yet to lose in 2025.
Mario Lemina's early diving header handed Galatasaray a 1-0 victory over Liverpool in their Champions League last-16 first leg on Tuesday.
Spain face Ronald Koeman's Netherlands away on Thursday before returning home for the second-leg on March 23.
Ter Stegen back as Barcelona captain after signing LaLiga medical authorisation
IMAGES from UEFA Champions League matches played on Wednesday
Images from the Euro 2024 final between Spain and England at Berlin Olympiastadion, Germany, on Sunday.
Barcelona manager Hansi Flick has no complaints over his squad and fully trusts the club, the German said on the eve of Saturday's LaLiga opening clash at Valencia.
IMAGES from the FIFA World Cup Group E match played between Spain and Costa Rica on Wednesday.
Striker Robert Lewandowski scored a first-half penalty to give Barcelona a hard-fought 1-0 home win over Rayo Vallecano.
Images from the Euro 2024 Round of 16 match between Spain and Georgia, at Cologne Stadium, Cologne, Germany, on Sunday.
But just over half an hour into the game at the Al Thumama Stadium, the Costa Ricans had already been blown away and were 3-0 down after goals from Dani Olmo, Marco Asensio and a Ferran Torres penalty.
