Cristiano Ronaldo scored a hat-trick and Real Madrid rattled in four goals before halftime in a 5-1 La Liga rout of Real Sociedad at the Bernabeu in Madrid.
Players from European champions Barcelona made up nearly half of UEFA's Team of the Year which was revealed on Friday, while Cristiano Ronaldo made the lineup for a record 10th time. Eight players from La Liga were included in the final XI, voted for by 7.2 million UEFA.com users from a 40-strong shortlist. Lionel Messi, Dani Alves, Gerard Pique, Andres Iniesta and Neymar were the Barcelona players included, while Real Madrid provided Ronaldo, Sergio Ramos and James Rodriguez.
Paris St Germain suffered their first defeat of the season when they were beaten 2-0 at Stade Rennais on Sunday to drop their first Ligue 1 points of the season.
Pep Guardiola will return to the Nou Camp in the Champions League group stage after his new club Manchester City were drawn against his former Barcelona team on Thursday. The two sides were drawn in Group C alongside Borussia Moenchengladbach and former European champions Celtic in one of the toughest of the eight sections. Spanish coach Guardiola, who won the Champions League twice with Barca, faced the Catalans when he was in charge of Bayern Munich two seasons ago and suffered a 5-3 defeat in the semi-finals.
There was the usual frenzy of last-minute deals as the English Premier League brought the curtain down on another bumper European transfer window in which Manchester City again flexed their financial muscle as the continent's top spenders.
The Real Madrid forward apologises after Real Madrid dumped out of King's Cup by Atletico Madrid.
Former France international Nicolas Anelka is joining Roda JC Kerkrade as a consultant for the Dutch top flight side, the club said on Thursday.
The French coach, who took over Real Madrid following Rafael Benitez's sacking in January is in the city to promote a Mumbai-based real estate brand Kanakia Group, known for its themed residences.
Liverpool received a relatively kind draw for the group stage of this year's Champions League
Talking about the ICC T20 World Cup in the West Indies/US this year and inclusion in 2028 Los Angeles Olympics, he said that the T20 World Cup in New York will be driven by expats.
News of all that's transpired on and off the football field
Champions Chelsea have not enjoyed the best of starts at home this season and face their biggest test yet on Saturday with the visit of free-scoring leaders Manchester City.
River Plate battled back to beat arch Argentine rivals Boca Juniors 3-1 in extra-time in an unforgettable and unique Copa Libertadores final second leg, played in Madrid after violence had seen the original game postponed.
News of all that's transpired on and off the football field
The King's Cup descended into farce on Thursday when Racing Santander's players, protesting over unpaid wages, refused to challenge for the ball after their quarter-final second leg at home to Real Sociedad kicked off.
Real Madrid and Barcelona pulled two points clear in La Liga when Cristiano Ronaldo set a club scoring record in Real's 3-0 stroll against Levante and Neymar hit four as Barca beat Rayo Vallecano 5-2 on Saturday.
This and more from the happenings in the world of football
Manchester City continue to boast of the costliest squad among all clubs in Europe's top five leagues, followed by Manchester United, according to a latest study by Switzerland-based independent research group CIES Football Observatory.
Real Madrid winger Gareth Bale is fit for Tuesday's Champions League quarter-final showdown at Atletico Madrid after sitting out Saturday's La Liga win at home to Eibar, coach Carlo Ancelotti said on Monday.
Premier League-based trio Diego Costa, Juan Mata and Santi Cazorla were among a high-profile list of absentees when Spain coach Vicente Del Bosque named his provisional 25-man squad for Euro 2016 on Tuesday. Costa injured his hamstring against Liverpool in Chelsea's penultimate game of the season. Atletico Madrid striker Fernando Torres was also absent from the squad despite his improved form towards the end of the season, as were Arsenal midfielder Cazorla and Valencia forward Paco Alcacer, Spain's top scorer in their qualifying campaign.
Here are five talking points from the weekend in La Liga:
Real Madrid coach Jose Mourinho is to get a street in Setubal named after him in honour of his sporting achievements, the town hall of his home city said on Thursday.
IMAGES from the UEFA Champions League matches played on Tuesday
The three teams with 100 percent records in this season's Champions League can secure their places in the knockout stage this week with two games to spare.
Manchester City thrashed Stoke City 4-0 at the Etihad Stadium on Saturday to leapfrog Arsenal into third place in the Premier League.
News of all that's transpired on and off the football field
Images from Saturday's action in the Premier League.
Champions Manchester City suffered a stunning 1-0 home defeat to Stoke City on Saturday as their cast of attacking talents were blunted in a lifeless display that cost them their first dropped points of the season.
Real Madrid superstar Cristiano Ronaldo has played down an injury suffered during his side's 3-0 win over Villarreal in their La Liga match on Wednesday, saying that he is in a good condition.
IMAGES from the Champions League matches played on Wednesday.
Photos from the Champions League matches played across Europe on Tuesday
'I cannot wait to play at Old Trafford in front of a full stadium and see all the fans again.'
Images from the Champions League matches played on Wednesday
Ronaldo, who won the award last year, topped the scoring charts with 15 goals in the competition as Real Madrid won a third consecutive European crown.
ManchesterCity's Premier League title challenge derailed once the club announced Pep Guardiola would take charge from next season, outgoing manager Manuel Pellegrini has said.
Real Madrid forward Cristiano Ronaldo faces a race against time to be fit for the Champions League semi-final second leg with Manchester City on May 4.
Chelsea have signed Spanish goalkeeper Kepa Arrizabalaga for a world record 80 million-euro ($92.8 million) fee from Athletic Bilbao, the Premier League club said on Wednesday.
Kaka wants Real fans to show more gratitude to Cristiano Ronaldo.
Manchester City striker Emmanuel Adebayor is waiting for Real Madrid coach Jose Mourinho to call so he can return to the club where he had a successful loan spell last season and has ruled out moving anywhere else.
Portugal captain Cristiano Ronaldo and his Real Madrid team-mate Gareth Bale have been shortlisted for this year's coveted Ballon d'Or award.
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