Spain

Here it is: your complete guide to the 2017 summer soccer schedule. 

For most sports, the offseason is a time of respite. Once the Super Bowl ends in February, NFL teams don’t suit up for another game, scrimmage or otherwise, for six months. Soccer, fortunately, doesn’t abide by such silly rules.

The European soccer season technically ends after the Champions League final around late May or early June, but preseason exhibitions pick up in early July. Then there are also international matches (friendlies and cups) to also fill the void. 

German third division club Fortuna Koln have jumped into the fray regarding where international superstar Cristiano Ronaldo will play next season. Ronaldo is reportedly unhappy at Real Madrid, and is said to be looking elsewhere. Fortuna Koln have offered their services as a landing spot. They cannot pay Cristiano in money, however, so they have offered to pay him in beer.

Accusations of Cristiano Ronaldo failing to pay $16.5 million in taxes have reportedly led to the Portuguese star telling Real Madrid club president Florentino Perez that he is prepared to leave the club.

It’s that time of year again, when football’s biggest stars trapeze around different Spainish isles, drop anchor off the coast of Ibiza and sleep on the streets of Tenerife. One of these days, The18 staff is going to invest in some large dolphin floaties and report live from the Mediterranean Sea while sipping on Skittles vodka, but today is not that day.

With Real Madrid having won its third Champions League title in four years, pundits and fans alike continue to make the case that La Liga has overtaken the other major European leagues as the most elite division in the world. 


There’s been quite an interesting turn of events in the Spanish capital of Madrid: less than 72 hours after winning their 12th Champions League title, Real Madrid are fighting a public relations battle after some very negative comments from long-time club servant and central defender Pepe. 

Antoine Griezmann has said his chances of moving to Manchester United are six out of 10. Well, at the 1:04 minute mark in the video below, Griezmann hangs up a call from "Jose".     

Découvrez comment j'ai changé la vie de Julien Boquet avec @HuaweiMobileFr. #UneHistoireDeFlou pic.twitter.com/rkx8XmMe78

Lionel Messi turned in a Midas-like performance in Saturday’s Copa del Rey final — everything he touched turned into gold. He opened the scoring for Barca in the 30th minute with an unstoppable effort from 18 yards out, he was heavily involved with a “hockey assist” in Neymar’s goal and then he settled the match before halftime with a sublime feed for Paco Alcacer and Barcelona’s third.  

Outside of these pivotal moments, Messi was unplayable. He registered 101 touches in the game, including four key passes, four shots and a staggering nine successful dribbles. 

The premeditated pomp and choreographed farewell that John Terry bid Chelsea supporters at Stamford Bridge on Sunday stood in stark contrast to Luis Enrique’s final match at the Camp Nou. While the feel-good factor in the southwest of London as compared to the tension-riddled atmosphere at the Camp Nou could go someway towards explaining these divergent going away parties, the real variation was really only in the respective men of honor.