By: Casey Rhine
Ohhhh El Clásico, where to begin. One of soccer's most heated, yet most deeply cherished rivalries.Few of you readers get to experience El Clasico, in Barcelona, while it's happening. This was my mission on December 23rd and should be your mission on May 6th if you are not lucky enough to go to the game in the Camp Nou.
Defending champions Real Madrid will renew their Champions League rivalry with 2023 winners Manchester City in a blockbuster knockout phase playoff tie after the two teams were pitted against each other in the draw held in Nyon on Friday.
Both Real and City failed to advance automatically to the last 16 as one of the top eight sides after they finished 11th and 22nd, respectively, in the new league-phase format.
Teams that finished ninth to 24th will compete in a two-legged playoff to advance to the last 16.
UCL playoff draw
It couldn't get better than this, América fans.
Club América is reportedly planning to stage a highly anticipated friendly against Real Madrid at the newly renovated Estadio Azteca in October 2025, according to ESPN. The match, scheduled to coincide with the club’s 109th anniversary on October 12, would see Mexican fans’ return to the stadium for the first time in over 18 months since winning their 15th league title in May, 2024.
He's officially back, ladies and gents.
Kylian Mbappé delivered a spectacular performance as he netted his first-ever hat-trick for Real Madrid, leading his team to a 3-0 LaLiga victory over Real Valladolid away at the José Zorrilla Stadium on Saturday.
Watch: Mbappé hat trick vs. Real Valladolid
Mbappé opened the scoring in the 30th minute after a sublime one-two with Jude Bellingham. The quick exchange saw Mbappé glide into the box and slot the ball past Valladolid’s goalkeeper with ease, giving Madrid the lead.
Fans have uncovered old tweets from Real Madrid's Dani Ceballos and Jude Bellingham that have shown their soft side for FC Barcelona prior to becoming UEFA Champions League winners with Los Blancos.
The tweets, posted long before both players became key figures at the Bernabéu, show the two players expressing strong opinions that now seem to conflict with their current affiliations.
Real Madrid cruised to a commanding 4-1 victory over UD Las Palmas at the Santiago Bernabéu, with Kylian Mbappé taking center stage as the man of the match after scoring a sensational brace. The game was anything but straightforward for Madrid, who were forced to mount a comeback after an explosive start from the visitors.
Watch: Kylian Mbappé brace against Las Palmas; sends Real Madrid to LaLiga first place
MADRID — The Miami Dolphins will play one of their nine home games of the 2025 season in Spain at Real Madrid's Santiago Bernabeu stadium, the National Football League (NFL) and the Spanish soccer giants announced on Friday.
The NFL continues to push into new markets after establishing an international toehold in Europe with regular games in London and Germany and expanding into Mexico and Brazil and they will now play a first-ever regular-season game in Spain at the iconic soccer stadium.
In a spectacular Super Cup final, Barcelona triumphed over Real Madrid with a dominant 5-2 scoreline, cementing their status as one of the best teams in the world and their recent dominance over Los Blancos.
— FC Barcelona (@FCBarcelona) January 12, 2025
Real Madrid’s 2-1 victory vs. Valencia on Friday was so chaotic that a video of Jude Bellingham emptying and tossing a water bottle at the opposing goalkeeper went unnoticed until Saturday.
Friday’s madness saw a late comeback from Real Madrid and a Vinícius Jr. red card in the 79th minute following a VAR review. The sending off came after the Brazilian forward got into a skirmish with Valencia goalkeeper Stole Dimitrievski.
Late strikes from Luka Modric and Jude Bellingham earned 10-man Real Madrid a 2-1 comeback win at relegation-threatened Valencia on Friday as the visitors moved top of the LaLiga standings.
Carlo Ancelotti's side were then reduced to 10 men in the 79th minute when Vinicius Jr was shown a straight red card for slapping Valencia goalkeeper Stole Dimitrievski.
Vinicius red card vs Valencia