Pedro Porro has emerged as a pivotal player for Spain in the World Cup, transforming the right-back position into a strength. His exceptional performance against France in the semi-final, where he scored and was named MVP, has solidified his place, drawing parallels to Marc Cucurella's rise. Porro's defensive prowess and attacking contributions have been crucial for Spain's journey to the final against Argentina.
Khvicha Kvaratskhelia of Paris St Germain has been named the Champions League Player of the Season by UEFA after leading his team to victory. PSG defeated Arsenal in the final, with Kvaratskhelia playing a key role.
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.
Arsenal secured a 1-0 victory over Atletico Madrid, winning 2-1 on aggregate, to reach the Champions League final for the second time in their history. Bukayo Saka's goal proved decisive in a tense semi-final clash.
Real Madrid booked a Spanish Super Cup final against Barcelona after beating city rivals Atletico Madrid 2-1 on Thursday.
Atletico Madrid and Arsenal played to a 1-1 draw in their Champions League semi-final first leg, with both goals coming from penalties. Julian Alvarez equalised for Atletico after Viktor Gyokeres had given Arsenal the lead.
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.
The winners of the tie will face Real Sociedad or Athletic Bilbao in the final. Real Sociedad hold a 1-0 advantage ahead of their second leg in San Sebastian on March 4.
Barcelona came within a whisker of an improbable comeback after last month's thrashing, with 18-year-old midfielder Marc Bernal, starting in place of the injured Frenkie De Jong, scoring in each half and Raphinha converting a penalty after Pedri was fouled.
The official 26-man squads for FIFA World Cup 2026.
Virgil van Dijk scored with a stunning late header in the second minute of stoppage time to give Liverpool a 3-2 victory over Atletico Madrid in their opening group stage match of the Champions League, at Anfield, on Wednesday.
Barcelona secured a composed 2-0 LaLiga victory at Villarreal on Sunday thanks to goals from Raphinha and Lamine Yamal in a match that tilted firmly in the visitors' favour when the hosts were reduced to 10 men just before the break.
FC Barcelona hammered Newcastle United F.C. 7-2 to reach the Champions League quarter-finals, while Liverpool F.C., Bayern Munich and Atltico Madrid also advanced.
Mario Lemina's early diving header handed Galatasaray a 1-0 victory over Liverpool in their Champions League last-16 first leg on Tuesday.
Bodo/Glimt secured an upset 3-1 victory over Serie A leaders Inter Milan in the first leg of their Champions League playoff on Wednesday.
Atletico Madrid clawed back from two goals down to rescue a last-gasp 4-4 draw at Barcelona in a rip-roaring battle in the first leg of their Copa del Rey semi-final on Tuesday.
A summary of Monday's action in LaLiga and Serie A.
The machine will replace hyperbaric oxygen chambers which the team have stopped using since Sergio Busquets tested positive for COVID-19 this month.
IMAGES from football matches played across European Leagues on Saturday.
Spain manager Luis de la Fuente left Barcelona's 17-year-old defender Pau Cubarsi and midfielders Marcos Llorente and Aleix Garcia out of his 26-man squad
A summary of Saturday's action in Ligue 1, LaLiga and Bundesliga.
'It wasn't easy, but I called him last night (Sunday) and we had a difficult and tough conversation. I feel bad as he's a player who has always been at the top level and has a future with the national team.'
Barcelona top the LaLiga standings with 15 points, four ahead of Real Madrid and Villarreal. Girona are seventh on seven points.
A summary of Wednesday's Champions League Round of 16, Second Leg, matches.
All the action from La Liga and Serie A matches played on Monday
Second-half strikes by Federico Valverde, Brahim Diaz and Endrick gave feeble Real Madrid an unconvincing 3-0 win over lowly Real Valladolid.
Spain are still favourites to finish top of Group E above Sweden, Poland and Slovakia but, after struggling to break down conservative sides such as Georgia and Greece in March, they know coming first will not be a procession.
Manchester City squandered a three-goal lead to draw 3-3 with Feyenoord in the Champions League on Tuesday.
Alvaro Morata spurned Spain's best opportunity in a dominant first half display from Luis Enrique's side on a scorching evening at Seville's La Cartuja stadium in Group E when he missed the target from inside the area after a defensive slip.
'This is very special because of how much I suffered. My statistics show I've won five league titles in seven years.'
Girona reclaimed top spot in LaLiga after beating champions Barcelona 4-2
The game, postponed from the start of the season, offered Atletico the chance to peel further away from nearest challengers Real Madrid but a second draw in three games only moved them on to 55 points.
The Fernando Llorente and Carlos Tevez double act struck again on Sunday with both players scoring to give Juventus a 2-0 win at AC Milan which strengthened their grip on Serie A.
The French forward, who joined the club in 2009, netted twice in the first-half to take his Real tally to 209 goals in 446 games, moving ahead of Mexican Hugo Sanchez into sixth place on the club's all-time top scorers list.
IMAGES from the UEFA Champions League last 16 matches played on Tuesday
Barcelona made a disappointing start to their Champions League campaign by losing 2-1 to AS Monaco on Thursday.
La Liga leaders Real Madrid cruised to a 4-0 home win over relegation-threatened Celta Vigo on Sunday to restore their seven-point lead at the top of the table with a dominant display.
After falling 2-0 down on the night, substitute Marcos Llorente struck twice in extra-time and Alvaro Morata added a late third to ensure a famous victory for Diego Simeone's side against a Liverpool team unbeaten in their last 25 home games in European competition.
The European champions, who were humbled 3-0 by tiny Eibar last week, took a fortuitous lead when Valencia midfielder Daniel Wass nodded a Dani Carvajal cross into his own net in the eighth minute after former Arsenal defender Gabriel Paulista had failed to clear the danger.
