He didn’t play, but that doesn't mean that we don't have a recap.

Christian Pulisic vs. Real Madrid 

Christian Pulisic's first action was to ignore the artwork on the wall inside the Bernabéu. 

That’s the mindset of a champion right there. Why would he focus on the final in Istanbul when he has a big quarterfinal ahead of him? He takes things one step at a time like all winners do.

Next up was getting dressed and killing it in warmups.

I woke up today to a balmy 74ºF in Boston and suddenly felt the first trumpets of the summer. And later, the Premier League and LaLiga announced they would be around this side of the Atlantic during the sunshine season and decided to wear shorts and flip-flops to fit the mood.

Vini Jr. and Karim Benzema stole the show at Camp Nou Wednesday as the attacking duo were dominant during Real Madrid’s 4-0 victory vs. Barcelona in the Copa del Rey semifinals. Madrid won on aggregate 4-1.

Benzema scored a hat trick while Vini Jr. scored one, drew a penalty and had what could be assist of the year.

Let’s skip straight to the good part and look at that fancy assist from the Brazilian. With Los Blancos leading 3-1 on aggregate in the 80th minute, Vini Jr. and Benzema put the nail in the Camp Nou coffin with a splendid move.

La campaña debut de Santiago Giménez en el fútbol europeo ha sido de ensueño. Pese a que no comenzó de titular y al golpe anímico que significó no ir al Mundial de Catar 2022, Bebote poco a poco ha ido conquistando los corazones de los aficionados del Feyenoord, a la vez que empieza a despertar el interés de otros equipos del Viejo Continente.

El delantero mexicano lleva 16 goles (9 en la Eredivisie) y se acerca a la marca de 20 que tienen Luis García y Javier Hernández, los mexicanos más efectivos en su primera temporada en el Viejo Continente.

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.

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.