In a debut lasting less than 23 minutes, Atlético’s new signing won and lost a penalty, hit the post and scored two goalsThere was a smattering of applause from the 60 or 70 people sitting in the shade of the stand and then someone started shouting: “Uruguayo! Uruguayo!” Luis Suárez’s number had been up a while, forced to wait a couple more minutes for his Atlético Madrid debut, but now his time had come. He stood pitchside with Thomas Partey and Marcos Llorente watching Diego Costa walk his way. Briefly they embraced and then he set off towards the sunshine, greeting João Félix as he went. It was 5.31pm on the first day of Atlético’s season and their new signing...
After 10 years away, a cameo in a goalless draw with Real Madrid saw one of Spain’s greats return in a Real Sociedad shirt Dry your eyes, mate. “We cried over his departure,” Miguel-Ángel Moyá said, but the tears didn’t last long. On the final day of last season, Martin Odegaard told his Real Sociedad teammates he was staying for another season, only for Real Madrid to decide differently, changing everything. Twenty days later, recently knocked out of the Champions League, the La Liga winners announced they were bringing him home, four and a half years after he had joined, three since he had set off on loan at Heerenveen, Vitesse and Real Sociedad, and one ahead of schedule.In San...
With no signings, no tour and no supporters, Zinedine Zidane’s side will be looking for a big improvement from Eden HazardReal Madrid beat Getafe 6-0 this week, or so it goes. The league champions’ only pre-season match was a ghost game: there was no one there to watch it, which is at least perfect preparation these days, but there were no television cameras and no report either, no lineups, no mention of it on the club’s Twitter and no glimpse of the goals – four of them scored by Karim Benzema. Sergio Ramos got a penalty, which you like to imagine was a Panenka, and Sergio Arribas hit the other. Or did he head it? Who knows? That is what...
Few signings, illness and empty stadiums have led to a flat pre-season – but there is cause for optimism with Manuel Pelligrini back, the Deyverson show and Lionel Messi still aroundNineteen days after the first division’s 20th club was finally decided, 2019-20 ending with Pere Milla scoring the “goal of my life”, a dramatic 96th-minute strike that took Elche up, the new season begins on Friday. Excitement builds and it all starts at the foot of the Sierra Nevada in Granada, home for the first time of a European team. Spain’s great revelation head to Albania next week; first they raise the curtain on La Liga by welcoming Athletic Club, who are playing their 2,877th top-flight game – more than...
There are no winners after the Argentinian superstar was bluntly honest in saying he is only staying to avoid courtNo smile, no handshake and no reconciliation. Lionel Messi is staying at Barcelona but this was no happy ending. It is over, for now, yet there is no real closure and no one truly got what they wanted, maybe not even Josep Maria Bartomeu. A survivor clinging to power, he will no longer preside over the departure of the best player in the club’s history but nor will he evade responsibility for it. His victory, if that is what this was, is hollow one. Messi made sure of that.The prospect of his leaving after 20 years at Barcelona was sad and...