Zinedine Zidane got off to a flying start as Real Madrid coach when Gareth Bale hit a hat-trick in a 5-0 win over Deportivo La Coruna on Saturday after a Lionel Messi treble had fired Barcelona to the top of La Liga.
Tottenham Hotspur manager Andre Villas-Boas said the club could fine forward Gareth Bale for failing to attend training ahead of an expected world record "dream" move to Real Madrid. Bale, who has not been training with the squad due to injury, was granted three days off but did not report back to the club on Tuesday despite being pictured in London.
Real Madrid claimed their first Spanish Super Cup in four years and a morale-boosting success against their arch-rivals when Gonzalo Higuain and Cristiano Ronaldo struck in a 2-1 win against 10-man Barcelona on Wednesday.
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Cristiano Ronaldo struck twice as a rampant Real Madrid side, featuring the most expensive strike force ever assembled, powered to a 2-0 win over Sevilla in an all-Spanish UEFA Super Cup on Tuesday.
Real Madrid got their Champions League title defence off to a strong start on Wednesday by convincingly beating AS Roma 3-0 at home with goals from Isco, Gareth Bale and a stoppage-time strike from returning striker Mariano Diaz.
European champions Real Madrid will face former champions Liverpool, FC Basel and debutants Ludogorets of Bulgaria following the draw for the group stage of the Champions league on Thursday.
Holders Bayern Munich will face nine-time champions Real Madrid in the Champions League semi-finals while 2012 champions Chelsea will play Atletico Madrid.
The largest crowd to watch a football match in the United States - 109,318 - poured into Michigan Stadium on Saturday to see Manchester United beat Real Madrid 3-1 in a friendly.
Barcelona are convinced Brazil captain Neymar will commit his long-term future to the Nou Camp as protracted negotiations between the Spanish champions and the striker continue over an extension to his current deal, which expires in June 2018.
Images from the UEFA Champions League matches played on Wednesday night.
A round-up of Saturday's football action in La Liga, Bundesliga and Ligue 1.
While it is unfair to blame the Wales winger for all of Real's recent woes, it cannot be denied that he appears to be struggling for form and confidence.
Portugal international Goncalo Guedes fired Valencia into the lead in the 35th minute with a thumping shot from inside the area which was too powerful for Madrid goalkeeper Keylor Navas.
Atletico Madrid striker Mario Mandzukic's early goal secured a 1-0 win over Real Madrid and a 2-1 aggregate success to clinch the Spanish Super Cup and gain some revenge for last season's Champions League final defeat.
Nine-times winners Real Madrid will play Manchester United in the last 16 of the Champions League after the draw was made at UEFA's headquarters in Switzerland on Thursday.
Real Madrid's stuttering season continued as they were reduced to 10 men and then slumped to an 11th La Liga defeat of the campaign by going down 3-1 at Real Sociedad.
Real Madrid's La Liga title bid took a dent after Zinedine Zidane's leaders were held to a 2-2 draw at home to Celta Vigo on Sunday, denied all three points by a late strike from Santi Mina. Lazio mounted a superb second-half comeback at the Olympic Stadium to beat Inter Milan 2-1 and move above Antonio Conte's side into second place in Serie A on Sunday.
Barcelona closed the gap on their rivals Real Madrid, moving up to 28 points and pulling two clear of third-placed Villarreal.
Argentina's national team unveiled a revamped 31-man squad on Monday, led by Lionel Messi, for the South American qualifiers against Venezuela and Ecuador for the 2026 World Cup.
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The start of the transformation of Gareth Bale from a gangly teenager who did not play on the winning side in his first 24 Premier League matches for Tottenham Hotspur to the world's most expensive player can be pin-pointed to an exact place and time.
Spanish club Real Madrid have agreed to pay 105 million pounds in a part-exchange deal for Welsh striker Gareth Bale after claiming that a world-record agreement had been sealed with Spurs chairman Daniel Levy.
Sacked Real Madrid coach Rafa Benitez says it was "an honour and privilege" to lead the club he has always supported and has sent a "good luck" message to his successor, former France great Zinedine Zidane.
Barcelona came from an early goal down to beat Real Madrid 5-2 in the Spanish Super Cup final on Sunday
The millions of fans around the globe who will tune in to watch Sunday's 'Clasico' in Barcelona could witness the death throes of Real Madrid's La Liga title challenge in their seventh match of the season. Defeat at the Nou Camp for Jose Mourinho's side, who are chasing a second consecutive title after ending Barca's three-year run as champions, would stretch the Catalan club's lead over their bitter rivals to 11 points.
Real Madrid's quest to land Tottenham Hotspur winger Gareth Bale for a world record fee looks to be nearing its conclusion with Spanish media reporting on Thursday a deal is all but secured.
With a comfortable first-leg advantage, Zinedine Zidane rested much of his first team, making 10 changes from the line-up that struggled to a disappointing draw at Celta Vigo on Sunday to fall 16 points behind league leaders Barcelona.
Images from the weekend action in the Spanish League.
Images from the Champions League matches played across Europe on Wednesday.
Midfielder Santi Cazorla gave the home side the lead in the fourth minute of the game, which was rescheduled due to Real's participation in last month's Club World Cup, by bending a wonderful shot into the bottom corner.
Real Madrid fashioned a stunning comeback to beat Manchester City 3-2 in a classic Champions League match with a last-gasp Cristiano Ronaldo strike in their Group D opener on Tuesday.
Cristiano Ronaldo's scintillating form and the supporting role played by the likes of Gareth Bale and Karim Benzema suggest Real Madrid have every right to believe a rare treble is well within their grasp.
Real Madrid midfielder Sami Khedira has accused the La Liga club of freezing him out by dropping him from the team after talks on a contract extension broke down even though he was fit to play.
"C'est fini". With those few words in French a tearful Iker Casillas brought to an end his farewell statement on Sunday to the Real Madrid fans he has served as first-team goalkeeper and captain for 16 seasons.
Holders Real Madrid chased away some of their early-season blues when Gareth Bale scored the pick of the goals in a 5-1 rout of FC Basel in their Champions League Group B opener on Tuesday.
Cristiano Ronaldo shrugged off the boos of his own supporters to fire Real Madrid to a 3-0 win over Real Sociedad on Sunday.
"According to the report issued from the city hall in Vigo, they consider that the Balaidos stadium is not safe for spectators or for players to attend the game on Sunday," said a statement from La Liga.
Gareth Bale made up for the absence of Cristiano Ronaldo by scoring twice to inspire Real Madrid to come from two goals down and win 3-2 at Rayo Vallecano on Saturday. Real managed to edge to the top of the table despite Ronaldo missing his first league game of the season with a muscle strain although they also suffered another scare before their Champions League semi-final next week with a suspected injury to Karim Benzema. Real had found themselves two behind within 14 minutes as Adrian Embarba scored from close range in the seventh minute before Rayo's Venezuelan striker Miku pounced on more poor defending from the visitors. Bale started the revival, heading in from a 35th minute corner before Zinedine Zidane's side drew level six minutes after the break through substitute Lucas Vazquez. Welshman Bale then completed the comeback nine minutes from time, collecting a misplaced pass from a Rayo defender before powering the ball past goalkeeper Juan Carlos.
Real Madrid's Spanish record 22-match winning streak ended in a 2-1 La Liga defeat at Valencia on Sunday with Nicolas Otamendi heading in the second-half winner.
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