When highly regarded Masia product Riqui Puig recently left Barcelona for the LA Galaxy in search of a leading role, the preposterous idea of the 23-year-old Spaniard elevating Javier Hernández's game to the point where Tata Martino had to include him in Mexico's World Cup squad might've crossed our minds.
Robert Lewandowski scored his second consecutive brace as Barcelona breezed past Real Valladolid with a comfortable 4-0 LaLiga victory on Sunday.
It was Barça's second win from three games in the new season and moved them up to second in the table with seven points, two behind leaders Real Betis and provisionally one ahead of Real Madrid, who face Espanyol later on Sunday.
Los Angeles FC signed forward Cristian Tello from Spain on Friday, just two days after forward Brian Rodriguez was transferred to Club America in Mexico.
Tello, 31, most recently played for Spain's Real Betis, while also winning a LaLiga title with Barcelona in 2012-13. His LAFC deal through the end of this season also includes options for 2023 and 2024.
Real Madrid striker Karim Benzema was named UEFA Player of the Year and Carlo Ancelotti took the coaching honors after they led the club to a record-extending 14th Champions League title last season.
Benzema was in red-hot form, scoring 15 times in the competition and lifting the trophy for a fifth time in his career after the Spanish side beat Liverpool in the final.
Ancelotti became the first coach to win Europe's most prestigious club trophy four times. He first won the title with AC Milan in 2003 and 2007 before claiming it with Real in 2014.
This here is Week 3 of our keeping track of Americans abroad in these power rankings that aren't really power rankings, and I declare this edition a collector's issue. That's right, fire up the printer, make sure you've got the necessary ink levels and print this whole webpage out for posterity.
This was the week the USMNT made a strong claim to be retroactively awarded the 2021 FIFA Club World Cup after beating Chelsea 3-0 at Elland Road.
After watching its midfield get played off the park against Brighton and Brentford in successive weeks, Manchester United acted decisively by luring five-time Champions League winner Casemiro from Real Madrid for a transfer fee that could potentially rise to $82.4 million.
Barcelona got its first win of the season with a hard-fought 4-1 victory over Real Sociedad at the Anoeta on Sunday night in a match that largely swung in the visitor's favor following the introduction of Ansu Fati in the 64th minute.
With Sergio Busquets suspended following his red card in Barça's opening draw with Rayo Vallecano, Xavi handed a start to Frenkie de Jong in midfield and introduced Álex Balde and Ferran Torres on the left-hand side.
Luka Modrić played a massive role in Real Madrid’s 4-1 victory vs. Celta Vigo in LaLiga scoring a rocket of a goal from distance and picking up an assist. The Croatian maestro was at his very best on Saturday even without his usual midfield companions Toni Kroos and Casemiro.
With Toni Kroos missing the game due to illness and Casemiro on his way to join Manchester United the Real Madrid midfield consisted of Modrić, Eduardo Camavinga and Aurélien Tchouaméni.
Like a severed pig's head flying through the air and landing near the corner flag, a Netflix documentary surrounding Luis Figo's infamous transfer from Barcelona to Real Madrid is dramatically arriving Thursday, Aug. 25.
Titled "El Caso Figo" ("The Figo Affair"), the documentary promises in-depth testimonies from Figo, Pep Guardiola, former Barça president Joan Gaspart and — the man making a supremely dramatic entrance in the final 10 seconds of the trailer — Florentino Pérez himself.
Real Betis se alista para enfrentar al Mallorca de Javier Aguirre este sábado 20 de agosto, por la Jornada 2 de LaLiga 2022-23, y todo parece indicar que Andrés Guardado otra vez no estará disponible para los verdiblancos.
No porque esté lesionado, no porque esté sancionado, sino que porque aún el Betis ha sido incapaz de registrar su nombre en las oficinas de la competencia.