Spanish Clubs

When Spain and Portugal meet today in a friendly at Estádio José Alvalade in Lisbon, Portugal, it’ll mark the first meeting between the Iberian rivals since that legendary 3-3 draw during the group stage of the 2018 World Cup.

The match will also be a direct contest between Portugal captain Cristiano Ronaldo and Spain captain Sergio Ramos, who spent nine years together at Real Madrid while winning two league titles and four Champions League crowns. 

Bayern Munich’s Thomas Müller has long been associated with the label he assigned himself on the pitch, that of the Raumdeuter, which is roughly translated as an “interpreter of space.” 

A perfectly balanced contest between Barcelona and Sevilla at the Camp Nou on Sunday ended in a 1-1 draw with Luuk de Jong’s early strike being promptly cancelled out by Philippe Coutinho’s first goal for the club since May of 2019.

The meeting between second (Barça) and fourth (Sevilla) in last season’s table figured to be the sternest test of Ronaldo Koeman’s early reign despite the fact that Julen Lopetegui wasn’t on Sevilla’s bench after being sent off in Thursday’s 1-0 victory over Levante.

For Real Madrid supporters, the new season had been worryingly labored, bordering on wasteful. It began with a 0-0 draw against Real Sociedad, continued with a narrow win over 10-man Real Betis that required a late Sergio Ramos penalty and reached a crescendo at mid-week after Vinícius Júnior’s scuffed effort was the only difference in a home victory over Valladolid.  

There is no better evaluation of a player’s talent than how he juggles the ball in an empty stadium upon his unveiling at a new club — we’ve already proven this to be infallible. So, was Sergiño Dest juggling upon his Barcelona introduction really as bad as the internet wants you to think? Is the American teenager a fraud?

VIGO, Spain — Barcelona defender Sergi Roberto praised his captain Lionel Messi for a sensational display in his side's 3-0 win away to Celta Vigo in LaLiga on Thursday, as the Argentinean further demonstrated he has put his troubles with the club behind him.

After Ansu Fati had opened the scoring, Messi helped double Barca's advantage early in the second half with an unstoppable run down the right hand side of the area and a shot that bounced off Celta's Lucas Olaza and into the net for an own goal.

New Barcelona signing Sergino Dest said he "followed his heart" by turning down a move to European Champions Bayern Munich in favour of the Catalan side.

Dest became the first United States international to join Barca on Thursday, signing from Ajax Amsterdam on a long-term contract at the Camp Nou.

Barcelona have completed the signing of United States full back Sergiño Dest from Ajax for $24.70 million plus five more in variables, the LaLiga side said on Thursday.

Barca's statement added that Dest, 19, had agreed to sign a five-year contract with a release clause of $470 million. Dest, who broke into Ajax's first team from their academy last season and has played three times for the U.S., will be officially presented on Friday.