Barcelona suffered a shock 1-0 LaLiga defeat at Real Sociedad on Sunday that ended their seven-match winning streak in all competitions.
For months, the 2024 Ballon d'Or seemed to have a clear front-runner, with everyone anticipating the coronation of Vinícius Júnior as the new king of football.
IMAGES from football matches played across Europe on Wednesday.
The quarter-final draw was the last in the current format with UEFA adopting an all-new format from the 2024-25 season onwards.
Photos from soccer matches played across top European Leagues on Saturday.
Roundup of the matches being held across major football leagues in Europe on Sunday
Manchester City squandered a three-goal lead to draw 3-3 with Feyenoord in the Champions League on Tuesday.
IMAGES from the UEFA Champions League last 16 matches played on Tuesday
All the action from football matches played in Europe on Wednesday
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
On Thursday, Vinicius called on UEFA, Europe's soccer governing body, to punish Atletico for alleged racist chanting ahead of their team's Champions League match against Inter Milan on Wednesday.
Real Madrid manager Carlo Ancelotti said on Saturday he is happy with how new signing Kylian Mbappe is settling into life with the Spanish soccer giants and he has no concerns about his team's slow start to the LaLiga season.
Real Madrid forward Vinicius Jr scored a hat-trick to help the LaLiga champions snap a two-game winless run in all competitions.
Real Madrid have avoided defeat in their last 41 LaLiga games, the second best streak by a team in the competition's history.
Second-half strikes by Federico Valverde, Brahim Diaz and Endrick gave feeble Real Madrid an unconvincing 3-0 win over lowly Real Valladolid.
Bayer Leverkusen beat Freiburg 3-2 to edge closer to a first ever Bundesliga title.
Real Sociedad will join Atletico Madrid, Real Madrid, and LaLiga champions Barcelona in Europe's elite club competition next season.
Croatian forward Ante Budimir scored twice to help Osasuna earn a shock 4-2 home win over leaders Barcelona.
Inter Milan escaped Etihad Stadium with a surprise 0-0 draw against Manchester City in the Champions League on Wednesday.
IMAGES from the UEFA Champions League matches played on Wednesday
Germany expects 2.7 million people to attend matches in stadiums across the country and some 12 million in its fan zones for outdoor viewing, including on a long stretch of turf laid out in front of Berlin's Brandenburg Gate.
Liverpool's Slot not nervous ahead of Anfield debut
Argentina have called up Mallorca's Spanish defender Pablo Maffeo for the first time ahead of this month's World Cup qualifiers against Uruguay and Brazil in the squad announced by its FA on Friday.
France and Spain will step up security ahead of the Champions League quarter-finals in Madrid and Paris on Tuesday and Wednesday nights, top officials said, as Islamic State threats cast a shadow over Europe's top club soccer tournament.
'I expect a brave Napoli that plays from the back and presses high, that doesn't speculate, has a lot of individual talent, it's a big game and it's a great team, current champions of Italy.'
Real Madrid fought back from two goals down as Vinicius Jr grabbed a hat-trick in a thrilling 5-2 win over visitors Borussia Dortmund in the Champions League.
Atletico said they are collaborating with authorities to identify the abusers who would be banned by the club. The Prosecutor's Office of Madrid is also investigating the case.
Chelsea outplay Villa in FA Cup
Vinicius Jr came off the bench to score once and set up another goal to steer champions Real Madrid to a 4-1 fightback victory over Espanyol.
Antoine Griezmann and Samuel Lino scored in each half to give Atletico Madrid a 2-0 win over Lazio on Wednesday that secured them top spot in Champions League Group E, the first time since 2016 that they had reached the knockouts as group winners.
Alvaro Morata scored a brace to help Atletico Madrid deliver a statement performance as they outclassed city rivals Real Madrid.
Goalkeeper Ivan Provedel scored in the dying moments of the Champions League Group E match against Atletico Madrid, heading home the equaliser, to earn Lazio a 1-1 draw at Stadio Olimpico, in Rome, on Tuesday.
Kylian Mbappe scored twice in the second half to help his side to a 4-1 comeback win at 10-man Barcelona
Arsenal took the race to the final day last season and are strongly tipped to end Manchester City's dominance this time.
Barcelona will begin their Spanish league title defence away to Getafe on Aug. 13 while Real Madrid visit Athletic Bilbao the same weekend.
A stoppage time header by fullback Lucas Vazquez earned 10-man Real Madrid a 1-0 victory at lowly Alaves.
Barca had been trying to sign the 21-year-old right back for $6.5 million in a deal
Barcelona clinched a 1-0 away win at Atletico Madrid, while AS Roma held AC Milan to a 2-2 draw.
Bayern said the 30-year-old striker was signed until 2027 after protracted talks between the two clubs.
A striker was the need of the hour for Wolves, who have scored only three goals in six league games -- the least among all 20 teams.
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