Spain

Benzema nets sublime 7-minute hat trick in Real Madrid's 6-0 win

MADRID - Karim Benzema scored three goals in seven first-half minutes as Real Madrid thrashed Real Valladolid 6-0 on Sunday to cut Barcelona's lead in LaLiga to 12 points.

The hat trick moved Benzema up to 14 league goals this season and second on the list of top scorers — three behind Barça's Robert Lewandowski.

Rodrygo's opener from a smooth counter-attack after 22 minutes opened the flood gates as Benzema took charge at the Santiago Bernabéu, netting a first half hat-trick for Real Madrid for the first time in his career.

Are the stars aligning for a Messi return to Barcelona?

Before the 2022 World Cup, the idea of Lionel Messi extending his contract with French multi-champion PSG seemed a safe bet. Back from Qatar, however, that certainty has started to crumble and the leading narrative around the player's future is pointing to a sensational return to Barcelona. 

Is Messi returning to Barcelona?

Of course, there are a lot of rumors going around, but the blaugranas fans are feeling optimistic after the club's vice-president Rafa Yuste and coach Xavi spoke on Friday about how much they wish for Messi's return to the team. 

Ballon d'Or winner Alexia Putellas returns to Barça training after long-term knee injury

Ballon d'Or winner Alexia Putellas completed part of the training session with her Barcelona women's teammates on Monday as she continues to recover from a knee injury.

The Spain midfielder injured her knee in July before the women's European Championship.

"I'm glad to move on to the next phase of rehabilitation. I'm happy to be back training with the team," Putellas said on Monday. "It's a matter of patience, of continuing to work progressively with the team and getting back into shape."

Player tries to return to game seconds after being resuscitated from cardiac arrest

Dragisa Gudelj is in stable condition.

A picture of Gudelj on Instagram, with two thumbs up and a big wide smile in his hospital room, is proof of his speedy recovery after the cardiac arrest he suffered on Saturday during a game between Córdoba and Racing Ferrol in the Spanish third division. 

Dragisa Gudelj cardiac arrest

The 25-year-old defender collapsed on the pitch in the 11th minute at El Arcángel Stadium. 

We rate the incredible new adidas away kits for the 2023 Women’s World Cup

The hype for the 2023 Women’s World Cup continues to build as the tournament is only four months away. New adidas Women’s World Cup kits released on Thursday added to the excitement as the sportswear giant unveiled some works of art.

Six away Women’s World Cup kits for Germany, Spain, Japan, Sweden, Argentina and Colombia were shown off. All the tops draw inspiration from the beauty and geography of each country. The result is six truly remarkable kits.

We took it upon ourselves to rate each of the six kits.

Marcus Rashford makes a 25-yard screamer look as simple as a tap-in

The year of Marcus Rashford continued Thursday as the Manchester United forward scored the lone goal against Real Betis at Estadio Benito Villamarín, giving the Red Devils a 5-1 aggregate victory and easy passage to the Europa League quarterfinals.

Before the World Cup, Rashford had a total of eight goals in 19 appearances across all competitions. Since the tournament in Qatar, the 25-year-old has found the back of the net 18 times in 24 games. The total of 26 from 43 is already a career best and the Red Devils are still competing on three fronts.

Gavi makes history by attempting two head tackles in one game

There are all sorts of stats and accolades that illustrate how talented Gavi is — the Golden Boy award, Spain's youngest goalscorer, the youngest World Cup scorer since Pelé — but he's a phenomenon best experienced live.

The sky might be falling on Barcelona (littered with fake cash featuring the word "MAFIA"), but Gavi's willing to take on that duel. "Lost cause" is not in the 18-year-old's lexicon. 

Prosecutors sue Barcelona for allegedly buying refereeing favors

BARCELONA — Spanish prosecutors have filed a complaint against Barcelona and two of the LaLiga club's ex-presidents over alleged payments to a company owned by a senior refereeing official to influence match results, the public prosecutor's office said on Friday.

A judge has yet to decide whether to take up the case.

The club allegedly paid over $7.8 million between 2001 and 2018 to firms owned by Jose Maria Enriquez Negreira, who was vice-president of the refereeing committee of the Spanish football association in 1993-2018.

Real Madrid a la vista: Cachorro Montes dice que está listo para enfrentar a Vinícius Jr. y Karim Benzema

César Montes está listo para enfrentar uno de los desafíos más duros desde que arribó a LaLiga: Real Madrid.

Espanyol visitará a los merengues este sábado 11 de marzo, tratando de sumar puntos que lo alejen del descenso y extender la racha de tres partidos que lleva la Casa Blanca sin conocer la victoria

César Montes vs Real Madrid

Montes liderará la defensa periquita y confía que su equipo algo de daño puede hacerle al Real Madrid.

No penalty call, no review despite clear Barcelona foul in 1-0 win over Valencia

Despite playing down a man for over 30 minutes after Ronald Araújo's red card, Barcelona escaped with a 1-0 victory over Valencia at the Camp Nou on Sunday to keep second-place Real Madrid at a comfortable distance.  

Valencia, mired in 19th and desperate for every point, were left fuming at referee Javier Alberola Rojas for his decision to look the other way when Franck Kessié clearly fouled Fran Pérez in the area in the 85th minute.

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