It's another Super Season. And it's one of the most dramatic finales
@LaLigaEN
has ever seen. Real Madrid had blown it on the last day a year earlier... surely they wouldn't do it again?!?
💬
@PhilKitro
,
@sidlowe
&
@alexkirkland
discuss 1992/93 ⬇️
We're not saying Spain has dominated European football this century... but a LaLiga team won the Champions League or the Europa League or both in 2000, 2002, 2004, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2020, 2021 and 2022
Real Madrid winning this game without Casemiro, Kroos and Modric on the pitch feels significant. At long, long last, the beginning of a changing of the guard.
Aritz Aduriz walking into the Athletic Club dressing room last night after scoring an 89th minute overhead kick winner against Barça in his last season as a player. Hero.
This is brilliant from Jude Bellingham, by the way. Had a winning goal ruled out. Sent off afterwards. Still found time to stop and take photos with every kid who asked for one on the way out of Mestalla. Class.
The racist chanting aimed at Vinicius outside the Metropolitano tonight is disgusting, depressing and, sadly, entirely unsurprising. Atleti have had a major problem with this group (who are literal Nazis) for years and chosen not to act. Until they do so, it will keep happening.
Aspas had an offer from China in January. He could have gone and earned SEVEN MILLION EUROS a year. He didn't. He stayed. To save his club. And at the moment he is currently (almost) single-handedly keeping Celta Vigo up.
How do you explain the fact that Real Madrid were frequently outplayed by PSG, Chelsea and City, but are also absolutely, unequivocally deserving of their place in the final? Football.
Mestalla ahead of Valencia v Athletic. There’s a huge fan protest outside, but club security are saying we can’t take any photos of it. So here’s a photo of the empty stadium instead.
Barça's signings of Coutinho and Dembélé (for €120m+ and €105m+ respectively) have got to be, in terms of impact on the pitch, right up there with the worst buys of all time, right?
Money spent by promoted sides in LaLiga this summer: Rayo €6.6m. Huesca €3m. Valladolid €1m.
Money spent by promoted sides in the Premier League this summer: Fulham €110m. Wolves €70m. Cardiff €30m.
Brilliant goal from Messi!!! Who scores then takes off his shirt to reveal a Newell's shirt from the era when Maradona briefly played for them with the number 10 as a tribute.
Reporter on radio to Luis Suarez "congratulations on the hat trick" Suraez replies "thanks, which one?" (Referring to his third child being born this week!)
Goals scored by Barça in the
#UCL
group stage in the last decade:
12/13: 11
13/14: 16
14/15: 15
15/16: 15
16/17: 20
17/18: 9
18/19: 14
19/20: 9
20/21: 16
21/22: 2
Betis take in some culture on their US tour... and Joaquin is more impressed with how shiny the floor is: “Whoever cleaned this floor, now that’s an artist!”
So Real Madrid, Barcelona, Atletico Madrid AND Real Sociedad top their groups and head for the
#UCL
last 16. No other country has four confirmed teams there (two Premier League so far, three Serie A, three Bundesliga). It's almost like LALIGA is the best...
José Antonio Reyes: played for Sevilla at 16. The first Spaniard to win the Premier League. Won Real Madrid the title with his goals in 2007. Won FIVE Europa Leagues, the most of any player.
We'll remember his talent, his pace, and his smile. Descanse en paz.
Luis Enrique's daughter passed away today at the age of 9, having suffered from bone cancer for the last 5 months.
Our thoughts are with him and his family at what must be such an impossibly difficult time.
Raphael Varane, aged 25:
1️⃣ World Cup, 4️⃣ Champions Leagues, 2️⃣ LaLiga titles, 1️⃣ Copa del Rey, 3️⃣ Club World Cups, 3️⃣ Uefa SuperCups, 2️⃣ Spanish SuperCups.
That’s a LOT of trophies. And still not at peak age for a centre-back...
So disappointing how few male players have spoken out in support of Jenni Hermoso and Spain's women. And even more credit to those - Isco, Borja Iglesias, Héctor Bellerín - who have.
Spain’s World Cup. Lose your coach the day before the tournament starts. Concede 3 to Portugal. Only beat Iran 1-0. Concede 2 to Morocco. Lose to Russia on penalties. With this group of players. The more you think about it, it’s unspeakably bad.
Ten years of Diego Simeone at Atletico Madrid. Impossible to do his impact justice in a tweet, but we'll try: changed Atleti's history forever, put them in Europe's elite, gave Spain a proper big three. Two leagues, two CL finals, countless iconic moments. Gracias, Diego.
Villarreal got their best European result ever winning 3-0 at Juventus, lost to Cádiz (17th in LaLiga) and Levante (19th in LaLiga) and then went and beat BAYERN MUNICH lol
Racist chanting at Nico Williams during the 1st half of Atleti v Athletic at the Metropolitano. The game was stopped momentarily and fans warned, as per LaLiga’s anti-racism protocol. He then scored the equaliser and celebrated by pointing at his skin, looking at the crowd.
😡 “Villarreal are a disgrace. That was a disgrace to the
#UCL
.”
😬 “You could’ve played a fan next to Van Dijk, they were that bad.”
😳 “I’ve no idea how they’ve made it this far. They were pathetic!”
Jason Cundy 𝙎𝙇𝘼𝙈𝙎 Villarreal 🔥🔥
How do you go from winning the World Cup, to all 23 squad members saying they won't play for Spain again while you're in charge - just five days later - and still think you've done nothing wrong?
Lucas Vazquez. Won the penalty for Madrid's first goal, scored the second, and crossed for Bellingham's winner. No fuss. No noise. Just a really good player.
Messi tonight. Two goals: one stunning free kick, one sensational control & finish (for many players, the best goal they ever scored). Two assists: inch-perfect passes for Vidal and Suárez. AND *that* nutmeg. One of the great, awe-inspiring, gasp-inducing Messi performances.
Watching back that final Barça goal last night. Mingueza, to Messi, to Moriba, to Messi, to Alba, to Puig, to Alba, to Messi, who scores. It's mesmerising. The stuff of the very best Barça teams (not saying this lot are that but: for that move, they were).
Barça "very angry" with PSG for planning to activate Ousmane Dembélé's €50m release clause (of which Barça get just half)... A clause which Barça themselves agreed to include in his contract 🤷♂️
Rayo fans asking for "Repsect and Dignity for our Women's team". Rayo's historic women's team have been handled catastrophically by the club...they currently don't even have a physio.