Arsenal have signed Real Madrid midfielder Martin Ødegaard on loan until the end of the season, the two clubs announced on Wednesday.
Ødegaard, 22, has made only three LaLiga starts for Real and was also linked with a move to Spanish rivals Real Sociedad, where he spent last season on loan, helping the club to finish sixth and qualify for the Europa League.
✍️ It's øfficial… pic.twitter.com/4eV5gNjK3x
Something incredible happened last week: Alcoyano, a team from Spain's Segunda B (third division), eliminated Real Madrid from the Copa del Rey in extra time against all odds.
The hero of the night was José Juan, a 41-year-old goalkeeper who had a great night defending his net, stopping absolutely everything.
By slaying Real Madrid in the Copa del Rey on Wednesday, Alcoyano lived up to a past reputation which saw their name enter Spanish folklore as a byword for fighting spirit and the capacity to overcome the odds.
The third division, semi-professional side have rarely had much to shout about but their renowned capacity to endure suffering and humiliation led to the coining of the phrase "You have more spirit than Alcoyano" which is still heard in everyday conversations, even when football is not being discussed.
After 32 appearances and two entirely meaningless goals, Real Madrid has effectively called time on the Luka Jović experiment and shipped him back to Eintracht Frankfurt on loan.
There was an awesome moment after Tottenham defeated eighth-tier Marine in the FA Cup when Marine midfielder Josh Hmami exchanged Twitter messages with Spurs defender Sergio Reguilón.
The 21-year-old Accrington Stanely product called it an “unbelievable experience” before saying, “You really don’t realize how good these players are until you play them yourself.”
Reguilón responded by saying that playing at the 3,185-seat Rossett Park in Crosby was just as memorable.
When Spain's soccer federation signed a lucrative deal in 2019 to export its rebooted Super Cup to Saudi Arabia, they did not envisage matches in empty stadiums across southern Spain and tired teams negotiating record snowfall in order to get to them.
But that is what they will get when the mini-tournament begins on Wednesday after coronavirus restrictions in Spain and the gulf state forced organizers to overhaul their initial plans and re-think the competition to fit today's unprecedented times.
Real Madrid goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois joined coach Zinedine Zidane in criticizing organizers LaLiga for not postponing his side's game at Osasuna on Saturday due to a snowstorm.
The match finished 0-0, denting Real's title bid, after they were ordered by LaLiga to travel to Pamplona the day before the game due to storm warnings, but had to wait for four hours on the icy runway before taking off.
Since losing 2-0 to Shakhtar Donetsk on Dec. 1, Real Madrid has won five straight matches over a 15-day period — including Sunday’s 2-1 win over Eibar — to finish top of Champions League Group B and climb to second in LaLiga.
The quality of the previous four opponents is worth mentioning (Sevilla, Borussia Mönchengladbach, Atlético Madrid and Athletic Bilbao), as is the fact that the 35-year-old Luka Modrić has started each of those matches while playing at his 2018 Ballon d'Or level.
It took way too long, but the first women's Madrid Derby between Real and Atlético was played on Saturday. The experience and quality of Las Colchoneras proved vital as Atleti claimed a 1-0 victory in the Primera División match.