Rodrygo and new recruit Jude Bellingham scored first-half goals to give Real Madrid a 2-0 win at Athletic Bilbao to kick off their LaLiga season.
Real Madrid's Karim Benzema, who won the 2022 Ballon d'Or award, is also in the shortlist.
Koopmeiners leads Atalanta past Milan into Coppa semis
PSG's Champions League tie with Newcastle is like a final, says Luis Enrique
Ronaldo, who was top scorer in Serie A last season, has 12 months remaining on his contract at Juventus but has expressed no desire to leave.
Manchester City's Erling Haaland faces Borussia Dortmund and Barcelona's Robert Lewandowski meets Bayern Munich after the Champions League group-stage draw was made on Thursday.
Real Madrid beat Barcelona 2-1 in the first Clasico of the season in front of 86,422 fans at the Camp Nou on Sunday after a sensational strike from defender David Alaba and a late goal from Lucas Vazquez gave Carlo Ancelotti's side three points.
Four men were arrested in Madrid, police said, three of whom were members of "a radical group of fans of a Madrid club", who were previously flagged during matches as "high risk" to help curb violence during games.
Crashing out at the group stage again would be a huge blow to Barcelona's finances, whose perilous state led the club's board to sell a stake in their TV rights and agree to the sale of their audio-visual division.
"Football sometimes gives you (things), sometimes it takes away from you. And it's a possibility that they can score in the last second, just as much as you can score in the first minute. But I think we have a bright future ahead,"
Rayo Vallecano came from behind to beat Real Madrid 3-2 on Monday with the champions failing to reclaim top spot in the standings after two consecutive games without a win.
Roundup of the Champions League matches played on Wednesday night
A summary of the UEFA Champions League Group Stage action, on Wednesday.
IMAGES from the football matches played across Europe on Sunday.
Manager Carlo Ancelotti said striker Kylian Mbappe's decision to snub Real Madrid and stay at Paris St Germain was not a distraction ahead of Saturday's Champions League final
Manchester United's miserable season continued with a 3-2 home defeat by Galatasaray.
Images from UEFA Champions League matches played on Wednesday.
Carlo Ancelotti has become Real Madrid president Florentino Perez's latest managerial victim, just 366 days after delivering the club their much-awaited La Decima, a 10th Champions League title.
Champions League winners Real Madrid outclassed Eintracht Frankfurt 2-0 on Wednesday to clinch the UEFA Super Cup for a record-equalling fifth time and kick off their season with a trophy.
Real Madrid are confident going into the Champions League final against Liverpool and will count on their big-game experience
IMAGES from the El Clasico match played at Estadio Santiago Bernabeu in Madrid on Sunday.
Zinedine Zidane said he would be willing to become Real Madrid head coach although he is not in a hurry.
Real Madrid continued their march towards a 35th LaLiga title
Carlo Ancelotti must steer AC Milan into the Champions League to ensure he is still their coach next season, chief executive Adriano Galliani said on Tuesday.
Roberto Firmino scored twice as Liverpool boosted their hopes of Champions League football next season
Sadio Mane scored twice to help Senegal fight back and shock Brazil 4-2 in a friendly in Lisbon on Tuesday.
A tap-in by Karim Benzema and a powerful strike by substitute Marco Asensio earned European champions Real Madrid a 2-0 win over 10-man Chelsea.
Real Madrid were crowned Spanish Super Cup champions after goals from Luka Modric and Karim Benzema earned them a 2-0 win over Athletic Bilbao in Saudi Arabia on Sunday.
The top three places in the Premier League table look secure for Liverpool, Manchester City and Leicester City, but the fourth spot, currently occupied by Chelsea, remains tantalisingly within reach for several clubs including Carlo Ancelotti's Everton and Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's United.
'What a heart, what a mindset, what guts, what everything, what a REFERENCE you are! I'm at your feet!'
Napoli coach Carlo Ancelotti said his team would walk off the pitch if there was a repeat, leading to a debate as to whether teams should take the law into their own hands.
IMAGES from the soccer matches played across European leagues over the weekend.
Holders Real Madrid breezed past Chelsea into the semi-finals of the Champions League with Rodrygo's double securing a 2-0 win at Stamford Bridge.
Karim Benzema scored twice in the final few minutes to give Real Madrid a 3-1 win at Espanyol, while Barcelona breezed past Real Valladolid with a comfortable 4-0 LaLiga victory.
Bayern edge closer to Bundesliga title after win at Arminia
Bayern Munich and coach Pep Guardiola will part ways after three seasons at the end of the current campaign and Italian Champions League-winning coach Carlo Ancelotti will replace the Spaniard, club Chief Executive Karl-Heinz Rummenigge said on Sunday.
A summary of the concluding day's action in the Bundesliga, Serie A, Ligue 1 and Saudi Pro League.
Spaniard Benitez left Napoli at the end of the season and takes over from Italian Carlo Ancelotti at the Bernabeu.
Vinicius Junior's second half tap-in steered Real Madrid to a 1-0 victory over Liverpool in the Champions League final on Saturday.
Champions Real Madrid earned a 2-0 win in a feisty LaLiga encounter at Athletic Bilbao on Sunday to ensure they stayed in the hunt for the LaLiga title with leaders Barcelona.
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