Perez's latest comments appear designed to present a more measured approach, confirming that Madrid are pursuing a major signing while avoiding direct references to Premier League stars.
Xabi Alonso is set to be named Chelsea coach after reaching an agreement with the Premier League club, a person with knowledge of the situation told the Associated Press on Saturday. The person spoke on condition of anonymity because the appointment has not been publicly announced. Alonso talked with Chelsea in the past week and is expected to sign a four-year contract. It would be the Spaniard's first job since lasting less than eight months at Real Madrid. Alonso left Madrid by mutual consent in January after poor results and widespread media reports that he lost control of the locker room. Despite the short tenure at the Bernabeu Stadium, Alonso's reputation remained high across Europe after leading Bayer Leverkusen to a German league and cup double and breaking Bayern Munich's dominance of the Bundesliga. Chelsea has been searching for a new coach since firing Liam Rosenior last month. Rosenior was the second coach to be fired since the turn of the year following the departur
Kylian Mbappe said after not starting in Real Madrid's Spanish league soccer match against Oviedo on Thursday that coach Alvaro Arbeloa told him that he is the team's fourth-choice striker. Arbeloa appeared to be caught by surprise by Mbappe's words and said he never told him that. He said he doesn't know why Mbappe felt like that. Mbappe, who had been nursing a left hamstring injury, said he was ready to play from the start against Oviedo but Arbeloa decided not to use him. "I'm 100% fine," Mbappe said. "I didn't play because the coach told me I'm the fourth striker in the squad behind (Franco) Mastantuono, Vini (Vinicius Junior) and Gonzalo (Garcia). I accept it. I was ready to start, it was his decision. You can't be angry with the coach, you always have to respect the opinion of the coach. I'll keep working hard and wait to be the starter." Arbeloa later said he never told Mbappe he was the fourth striker in the squad. "I don't have four strikers, and I haven't told anything l
First-half goals from Marcus Rashford and Ferran Torres prove more than enough for Barcelona to win the final El Clásico of the 2025-26 season
Barcelona now have 29 La Liga titles to their name, putting them just seven behind Real Madrid's all-time record of 36 titles
The live streaming of the La Liga 25/26 match between Barcelona and Real Madrid will be available on the FanCode app and website.
With 29 wins from 34 matches and a 10-game winning streak in La Liga, Hansi Flick's side are on the brink of sealing another league title.
While Valverde later clarified on social media that no physical punches were exchanged, the situation still resulted in internal disciplinary action from the club.
The incident reportedly escalated to the point where Valverde required hospital treatment after suffering a head injury at the club's Valdebebas training facility.
Kylian Mbappe and Vinicius Junior each scored as Real Madrid ended a four-game winless streak by defeating Alaves 2-1 on Tuesday to move closer to Spanish league leader Barcelona. The victory at the Santiago Bernabeu stadium left Madrid six points behind Barcelona, which hosts sixth-placed Celta Vigo on Wednesday. It was Madrid's first game since it was eliminated by Bayern Munich in the quarterfinals of the Champions League. Madrid lost 2-1 at home and 4-3 in Germany in the second leg. The team's last two Spanish league matches had been a 1-1 home draw against Girona and a 2-1 loss at Mallorca. "We have six games left," Madrid coach Alvaro Arbeloa said. "The goal is to win all of them, regardless of what happens. Every game counts." It was slow start for Madrid on Tuesday and the crowd at the Bernabeu looked anxious as Alaves had a few scoring chances early. Part of the fans jeered as the team struggled. There were some boos after the final whistle as well after Alaves scored ...
Goals from Pavlovic, Kane, Dias and Olise made sure Bayern go through to the semi-finals, winning the tie 6-4 on aggregate.
Kylian Mbappe's late goal for Real madrid has ensured that the tie remains finely poised going into the 2nd leg.
Lamine Yamal secured Barcelona's 4-1 win over Espanyol after setting up Ferran Torres for a double and the La Liga leaders took another step toward retaining the title. Yamal passed for Ferran to score in the 10th and 25th minutes before the teenage phenom ensured the victory in the 87th with Espanyol threatening to equalize. Marcus Rashford made it four for the hosts at Camp Nou in the 89th. Barcelona capitalized on Real Madrid's 1-1 draw at home to Girona on Friday to increase its lead to nine points with seven rounds remaining. Barcelona and Madrid will try to overcome losses in the Champions League quarterfinals in their next games after Barcelona lost to Atletico Madrid 2-0 and Madrid fell to Bayern Munich 2-1 this week. While Madrid will travel to Germany on a three-game winless streak, Barcelona's attack is clicking as it heads to Spain's capital needing a big win to advance to the European semifinals. Barcelona's fans chanted "Yes we can!" after the match with its team pla
Harry Kane delivered for Bayern Munich on his return from injury, scoring a goal and helping set up another in his team's 2-1 win at Real Madrid in the first leg of the Champions League quarterfinals on Tuesday. Kylian Mbappe scored Madrid's goal after the visitors had taken a two-goal lead at the Santiago Bernabeu stadium. Kane had been listed as a gameday decision after missing the team's Bundesliga match last weekend because of an ankle injury. The result left Bayern with an edge ahead of the second leg in Germany next week as it tries to reach the Champions League semifinals for the first time since 2023-24, when it was eliminated by eventual champion Madrid. "We are still alive, clearly," Madrid coach Alvaro Arbeloa said. "We are one goal away. We have shown that we can win anywhere. We showed it with the scoring chances that we had against an opponent that we knew was going to make it difficult for us." Arsenal won 1-0 at Sporting Lisbon in the other quarterfinal on Tuesday.
Football at its very best. That was Arne Slot's memory of Liverpool's richly entertaining meeting with Paris Saint-Germain in the Champions League last season. OK, Liverpool ultimately went out, beaten at Anfield in a round-of-16 penalty shootout by the team that would go on to win the competition for the first time, but Slot loved the way his side played and still maintains it was "the best game I've managed in my career." They meet again almost 12 months on, with Liverpool - and Slot - in a very different place. Indeed, the Dutch coach appears to be fighting for his job heading into the upcoming quarterfinal doubleheader with the European champions that starts with the first leg in Paris on Wednesday. A 4-0 loss at Manchester City in the FA Cup on Saturday was Liverpool's latest poor result of a season that initially began with so much hope after the club's record summer splurge of $570 million on new players on the back of cruising to the Premier League title. With the Reds ha
Real Madrid forward Vinicius Junior praised Barcelona star Lamine Yamal for publicly condemning anti-Muslim chants in a recent match, saying players need to stick together in the fight against discrimination. Vinicius spoke Monday, less than a week after Yamal criticized the chants by Spanish fans in Spain's friendly against Egypt last Tuesday. Yamal, who is Muslim, said the chants were disrespectful and intolerable. Vinicius, a Brazil international, has been often subjected to racist taunts while playing in Europe and is vocal about the fight against racism. He said "it's always complicated" to talk about the subject but "these things happen a lot." "Hopefully we can continue with this fight," he said. "It's important that Lamine speaks about it. It could help others. We are famous, we have money, we can balance these things better, but the poor people and the Blacks who are everywhere, they surely struggle more than we do. So we have to stick together, those who have a stronger ..
Mbappe's problem began after a knock during Madrid's La Liga defeat to Celta Vigo last December
With both teams in top form and crucial points at stake, the latest Madrid derby promises to be a gripping encounter that could have major implications in the title race.
Real Madrid goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois has torn a muscle in his upper right leg, jeopardizing his availability for a Champions League clash with Bayern Munich. Courtois was substituted at halftime of Madrid's Champions League game at Manchester City on Tuesday. Madrid won 2-1 and the round-of-16 tie by 5-1 on aggregate. The club on Thursday did not say how long its top goalkeeper would be out. Andriy Lunin will take his place. Madrid hosts Atletico Madrid in a La Liga derby on Sunday before an international break, when Courtois' Belgium plays the United States in a friendly in Atlanta on March 28. Belgium also plays Mexico in another World Cup warmup in Chicago on April 1. Madrid then starts its Champions League quarterfinal against Bayern on April 7. The 33-year-old Courtois has been a key part of Madrid's most recent European successes, helping to win its 14th and 15th European Cups in 2022 and 2024.
15-time champions Real Madrid will take on FC Bayern Munich in the marquee quarter-final match of the UCL 2026