Spain

MADRID — Real Madrid claimed a record-extending 36th LaLiga title on Saturday after Girona's 4-2 thrashing of local rivals Barcelona left Carlo Ancelotti's side with an unassailable lead in the standings.

With four games left, Real Madrid moved to 87 points on top of the standings after their second-string players earned a 3-0 win over relegation threatened Cadiz earlier on Saturday, 13 ahead of Girona in second and 14 clear of third-placed Barcelona.

Carlo Ancelotti has created some controversy following his statements in Real Madrid’s press conference on Friday, with the Italian manager giving no answer as to which goalkeeper he would plan on playing in a hypothetical Champions League final: Lunin or Courtois.

This weekend will see the return of starting Madrid goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois after missing all what has been played in the 2023-24 season due to an ACL and meniscus injury. He will start in their home LaLiga bout against Cadiz this Saturday.

We could see Johnny play in the Champions League next season. And not with Real Betis.

USMNT's Johnny Cardoso has been in incredible club form since signing for LaLiga’s Real Betis last winter, making himself an undisputed starter for the Spanish club since his arrival in January and quickly becoming a fan-favorite in Sevilla.

Antonio Rüdiger shut down Erling Haaland and is now aiming to shut down Kylian Mbappé.

Rüdiger has been in incredible form with Real Madrid this season (taking the reigns of the central defense following the injuries of teammates Eder Militão and David Alaba), leading the team to a very likely LaLiga title as well as to a spot in the UEFA Champions League semifinals through the deciding kick in a penalty shoot-out.

Rumors of LaLiga coming to USA have been circulating for years, but on Wednesday LaLiga president Javier Tebas suggested the idea could become reality.

Speaking with Spanish news outlet Expansion, Tebas said the league WILL play official regular season games abroad with a focus on the United States.

“LaLiga will play official matches abroad,” Tebas said. “I think it could be in the 2025-26 season. The official match in the U.S. will strengthen our position in the North American market which is second for LaLiga after Spain.”

LaLiga coming to USA

The Bernardo Silva penalty vs Real Madrid during Manchester City’s shootout defeat in Wednesday's Champions League quarterfinal was one of the most discussed points of the game.

After a brilliant game that ended 1-1 (4-4 on aggregate) it went to a penalty shootout. Silva stepped up to take City’s second penalty and stunned fans when he shot it right up the middle into the grateful hands of Madrid goalkeeper Andriy Lunin.

Silva received hefty criticism online for his penalty. 

What if we told you, it wasn’t a bad kick but instead a genius bit of goalkeeping?

BARCELONA — Barcelona manager Xavi Hernandez berated the referee and said his performance cost Barcelona a chance to fight for a place in the Champions League semi-finals after they lost 4-1 to Paris Saint-Germain and were knocked out of the competition on Tuesday.

Ousmane Dembele cemented himself as one of Barcelona’s biggest villains on Tuesday during Paris Saint-Germain’s 4-1 victory (winning 6-4 on aggregate) to send the Catalan side out of the Champions League.

The Frenchman and former Barcelona player scored one of PSG’s four goals, drew a penalty and won man of the match to send his previous club packing. He was undoubtedly the most booed and hated player inside the Estadi Olimpic in Barcelona.

Ousmane Dembélé: “Barcelona is a great club. I love it!”.

April 15 (Reuters) - Mallorca are working with the police to investigate an alleged racist gesture made during a 1-0 home defeat by Real Madrid on Saturday, the LaLiga club said.

Videos on social media appeared to show a fan at the Son Moix Stadium making a racist gesture towards Real midfielder Aurelien Tchouaméni, who scored the only goal of the match.