Ethan Mbappé, the younger brother of the famous forward Real Madrid soccer player, Kylian Mbappé, is making his own career outside his brother’s shadow. The midfielder plays for Lille FC.

The brothers Mbappé played together for Paris Saint-Germain in 2024. Their contracts ended in the summer of 2024, and each brother went their separate way.

Kylian went to play as a forward with Real Madrid and is known for his speed and his skills on the field.

Ethan went to play as a midfielder for Lille. In the 2025-2026 season, Ethan has played four games, scoring two goals.

Ethan scored his first goal of the season against Toulouse Football Club, and his second goal was against PSG.

This last goal with PSG was special because it was the team where Ethan first debuted, back in 2023, at the age of 16.

“My dream of facing my brother in the Champions League is distant, but it has not disappeared,” Ethan said on social media.

His time with Lille was cut short during the 2024-2025 season due to injuries, but Ethan has since recovered and is now ready for more.

At only 18 years old, Ethan has a bright future ahead, and can one day fulfill his dream to play against his brother.

Real Madrid is no stranger to big games. The Spanish giants have dominated European and Spanish soccer, winning the Champions League 15 times and securing 36 La Liga titles. Arguably the biggest club in the world, the club begins another season looking to add to its already packed trophy cabinet.

But Xabi Alonso‘s side face a unique challenge this campaign. That’s because they will have travel nearly 8,000 miles round trip to face a club they’ve never played before.

And this is not for the Club World Cup or a preseason friendly – it’s for a league phase game of this year’s edition of the Champions League.

During Thursday’s draw in Monaco, Real Madrid were paired with 2024 Kazakhstan Premier League winners Kairat Almaty. The Kazakh club secured a historic qualification just 48 hours prior after winning a play-off against Celtic.

Kairat became the easternmost club to qualify for the Champions League. Almaty – the largest city in Kazakhstan by population – is closer to Beijing, New Delhi and Kabul than it is to Madrid, creating a unique matchup that has not been seen in the competition before.

But Kairat’s journey to the Champions League started in the early days of summer. While Madrid were playing in the Club World Cup in the United States, Kairat faced Olimpija Ljubljana in the first round of the Champions League qualifying rounds. Rafael Urazbakhtin‘s side had to win two more rounds against KuPS and Slovan Bratislava before facing Scottish champions Celtic in a two-legged play-off.

Nothing separated the two sides in two games, ending goalless twice after regulation. As the clock passed midnight in Almaty, Kairat won a penalty shootout 3-2 and secured a historic spot in the Champions League.

The likes of Kylian Mbappé, Vinicius Jr. and Jude Bellingham will likely have to make the 12-hour flight from the Spanish capital to eastern Kazakhstan for a league phase match. Madrid is also set to play an official match in the Central Asian country for the first time in their 123-year history.

Kairat will host Club Brugge, Olympiacos and Pafos during its campaign. On the road, Urazbakhtin’s men will travel to European giants Inter Milan and Arsenal. They will also face FC Copenhagen in Denmark and 21-time Portuguese champions Sporting CP, the latter being about 4,304 miles from Almaty.

Kylian Mbappé has accused Paris Saint-Germain of moral harassment in a legal filing, the Paris prosecutor’s office confirmed on Tuesday.

The Real Madrid star is at odds with his former club, arguing PSG owes him €55 million ($61 million) in unpaid wages.

Mbappé is also unhappy with the way he was treated by the Ligue 1 club when he was sidelined before the 2023-24 season, following his decision not to extend his club contract.

The prosecutor’s office said Mbappé is “denouncing the ‘lofting’ he claimed to have been subjected to at Paris Saint-Germain.”

The word lofting is used in France to describe a practice that involves isolating or leaving a player out of the main squad for sporting, administrative or disciplinary reasons.

Mbappé joined Real Madrid last summer on a free transfer after scoring a club-record 256 goals in seven years at PSG, who won the Champions League without him this year.

Mbappé’s relationship with PSG ended amid deep tension, with some fans booing him in his last home game at Parc des Princes.

PSG felt let down by Mbappé after offering him the most lucrative contract in club history when he signed in 2022, but Mbappé was reportedly frustrated because he felt that promises to sign key players had not been kept. When he signed in 2022, he was paraded in front of fans holding up a jersey with 2025 on it.

Mbappé was reportedly annoyed because the contract was only until 2024, with a player’s option for an extra season.

Mbappé stunned PSG in June 2023 by informing the club he would not take the option for an extra year. With his contract effectively entering its final year, PSG found itself in a position where it needed to sell Mbappé’s contract to avoid losing him for free when the contract expired.

After telling the club he would not extend his contract, Mbappé was left out of the squad for a preseason tour to Japan and South Korea and was forced to train away from the first team. PSG said they would rather move him than let him leave for free in 2024, but he rejected a €300m ($351.4 million) move to Saudi Pro League side Al Hilal.

PSG left Mbappé out of the opening league game of that season, but he soon returned to the lineup following talks with the club.

Mbappé’s legal team stated in April that it would take action against PSG for harassment due to the way he was treated at the time.

French star forward Kylian Mbappé will miss France’s upcoming Euro 2024 match against the Netherlands on Friday after sustaining a broken nose in their opening game against Austria.

The French Football Federation (FFF) confirmed that Mbappé avoided surgery, which would have sidelined him for the remainder of the tournament. Instead, he will wear a custom-made mask upon his return to the pitch.

Despite his initial hopes of playing, further medical assessments have determined that Mbappé needs to sit out the next game. France coach Didier Deschamps acknowledged the severity of the injury and indicated that while Mbappé showed some improvement, they would monitor his condition daily.

“There will be more tests tomorrow to see how things are developing. Obviously, it was a big collision,” Deschamps said. “The medical staff have done what they needed to reduce it as much as possible. This morning, he was a bit better, so we will see that, and we will follow it closely each day.”

France aims to be cautious with Mbappé’s recovery, given his crucial role in the team’s aspirations for the tournament. Depending on his progress, they hope he can return for the match against Poland on June 25.

France began their Euro 2024 campaign with a 1-0 victory over Austria, setting a positive tone as they aim to add another significant title following their 2018 World Cup triumph. After the match, Mbappé, who was hospitalized in Düsseldorf, Germany, humorously sought suggestions for a mask on social media.

FFF President Philippe Diallo expressed optimism regarding Mbappé’s return, emphasizing the positive outlook from the medical team and the avoidance of surgery. “There won’t be an operation in the short term. Concerning his return, it is premature today to give a timetable; we’re going to wait for the latest information from the doctor this morning,” Diallo said.

Kevin Danso, the Austrian defender involved in the collision with Mbappé, said on social media: “To French supporters: I am sorry that Kylian Mbappe was injured from our duel.”

What a 48 hours in Madrid.

Two days after winning their 15th Champions League with a win over Borussia Dortmund and finishing first in La Liga, the years-long saga with Kylian Mbappe ended. Los Blancos officially welcomed the French star by announcing his arrival across social media. The 25-year-old Frenchman moves to Madrid after seven years with Paris Saint-Germain.

In 2022, Mbappe almost left for Spain for the first time, but PSG convinced him to stay. According to Fabrizio Romano, he signed a two-year contract extension with a player option in the 2024-2025 season. At the beginning of this past season, the striker told PSG representatives he would not extend his contract and leave the club as a free agent next summer.

Furious, the club benched him to begin the year, but he worked his way back into the squad. After the Paris season ended in the middle of May, Mbappe and Madrid ironed out the details of his contract, making his departure official on Monday. He signed a five-year deal earning just over $16 million per season and a $163 million signing bonus spread over the deal’s life.

Mbappe looks to be the missing piece in a Madrid team teeming with young talent. Four of their ten outfield players in the Champions League final are 25 years old or younger, including the striker partnership of Vinicius Junior and Rodrygo, who will move to the wings next season with Mbappe joining them.

Meanwhile, PSG is left to pick up the pieces. At the end of the 2023 season, the club had one of the best-attacking trios the world has ever seen, with Neymar, Leo Messi and Mbappe. All three are gone one year later, and little money is being recouped for their departures. The club finished first in Ligue 1 and was knocked out in the Champions League Semi-finals by Dortmund.

Throughout his career soccer star Vinicius Junior has faced extreme levels of racism during his time with Real Madrid in LaLiga in Spain. Most recently, he was brought to tears in a press conference following the continued racist attitudes and comments toward the Brazilian national team player. He said that he has “less will to play” as the racism against him continues.

“I have less and less will to play. With each complaint made I feel worse, but I have to appear here and show my face,” Vinicius said. “I’m sorry. I just want to play football. I just want to play. I just want to do whatever I can for my club and for my family.”

Despite the racist slurs and chants that come from opposing fans across Spain’s top league, the star maintains that he is committed to Real Madrid and playing in LaLiga. Since he joined the team in 2018, Vinicius has been at the center of racism throughout Spanish soccer, while at the same time being one of the most important players for his team. Arrests have been made by Spanish police following some of the incidents, but the racist hate towards the Brazilian has continued his entire career.

“I am sure that Spain is not a racist country, but there are many racists and many of them are in the stadiums. We have to change because many of them don’t know what racism is. At 23 years old, I have to teach many Spaniards what racism is,” Vinicius said during the press conference. “Playing football is important, but the fight against racism is very important. Let people of color have a normal life. If this were the case, I would go to my club’s games focused only on playing. The only thing I want is to continue playing and for everyone to have a normal life.”

Last year, the star was a key piece in helping anti-racism legislation pass in Brazil in order to minimize racist comments and attacks during sporting events. Most recently, to curb the racism throughout the sport, Brazil and Spain played an international friendly in Real Madrid’s stadium as a sign of solidarity with Vinicius and other black players in soccer.

“I have never thought about leaving LaLiga because otherwise I would give the racists what they want,” he said. “I am going to continue in the best club in the world, scoring many goals so that they continue to see me. Racists are a minority. As I am a daring player, who plays for Madrid and we win many titles, it is very complicated. I’m going to continue because the president supports me, the club supports me and I’m going to continue to win many things.”

The Spanish government does have a committee to examine the racist and other hateful messages that persist throughout the country’s soccer stadiums, but little has changed since then. Despite efforts from governing bodies as well as other LaLiga team’s, racist attitudes continue to carry on through many fans and media.

“I left Brazil very young and haven’t been able to learn many things. I’m studying. I’m 23 and I’m still studying,” he said. “Why can’t they, the reporters here, who are older than me, study and see what’s really going on? I’m getting sadder and sadder, I feel less and less like playing. But I’m going to keep fighting.”

Vinicius is contracted with Real Madrid until 2027, but he remains persistent that he would like to continue playing in Spain. Despite the racist slurs and chants heard in nearly every stadium he arrives in, Vinicius continues to be one of the top stars in both LaLiga and the Brazilian national team.

French phenom Kylian Mbappé, 25, had a night to remember in the Champions League last Tuesday, scoring two goals against Real Sociedad to help Paris-Saint-Germain advance to the quarterfinals of Europe’s most glorified competition in soccer.

One of those goals broke the net.

Mbappé broke down the left wing with pace on a counterattack which left only one defender to try to stop him. After some quick feet, Mbappé was able to create an opening for a shot, which he lashed across the goalkeeper and found the bottom corner in the 15th minute of the match.

Such was the power of his strike that it actually broke the netting. There have been flukey situations in soccer where the netting on a goal has been ripped before, but the amount of raw power it takes to rip a net with a ball from that distance is something rarely observed in modern European soccer. The referees were forced to pause the game while the net was repaired.

His second goal came from another break down the left side where he caught up to an over-the-top through ball and sneakily whipped the ball to the near post after opening up his body to appear as if he would curl it toward the far post. He wrong-footed goalkeeper Alejandro Remiro and effectively ended the tie 11 minutes into the second half.

After a 2-0 victory in the first leg and a 2-0 lead in the second, Mikel Merino’s goal for Sociedad late in the second half was a mere consolation as PSG advanced 4-1 on aggregate.

“We’re really happy,” Mbappé noted in a post-match press conference. “That was the objective, we wanted to qualify, but we also wanted to win. We had a game plan that was clear, and we managed to score early. We didn’t come under too much pressure, just a little at the end.”

“[Scoring goals] is what I do,” he added. “It’s what I like to do, what I can do. My job is to help the team score goals, to help offensively, defensively, and today, I did a nice job.”

Mbappé, who is reportedly leaving the club to join Real Madrid in Spain at the end of the season, now sits at the top of the charts for goals scored in the Champions League this season with six, tied with Harry Kane who also bagged a brace last Tuesday for Bayern Munich.

“He’ll score 50 goals and get 25 assists with whatever coach in whichever team. Unfortunately, in the immediate future, he won’t be here, and we have to start trying out other teammates,” PSG manager Luis Enrique noted after the game.

Erling Haaland, the leading goal scorer for Manchester City, sits a goal behind at five but will have more opportunities to catch up in the quarterfinal round. According to former Manchester United and England defender gone game analyst Rio Ferdinand though, there’s no one he’d rather build a team around in the game today than Mbappé.

“I’d pay every day to watch him train let alone play in a match because he creates things on his own. I can give him the ball at left-back and he might score. I can give him the ball anywhere on the pitch and he could create something,” Ferdinand said.

“But Mbappé’s just got that something different that would make me sit up at night and go: ‘Thank you, God.’”

Lionel Messi has agreed to a contract extension with the Paris Saint-Germain Football Club and will stay with the team for at least one more season. Before winning the World Cup with Argentina, the international star was rumored to be signing with Inter Miami but never agreed to a deal with the MLS squad.

Messi’s agreement with PSG comes after a dramatic World Cup victory for Argentina over France, in which he led the team in goals and assists. At age 35, the forward demonstrated that he is still capable of playing at the highest level of soccer, a possible motivation for his decision to stay in a European club.

In November, reported rumors heavily implied that Messi would join Inter Miami in MLS at the conclusion of PSG’s 2022-23 season. Owned by David Beckham, who ended his own career in America, the team was reportedly prepared to make the Argentinian the highest-paid player in MLS history.

In 2021, Messi signed with PSG after spending his entire professional career with FC Barcelona. The seven-time Ballon d’Or winner initially struggled in France but has since regained some semblance of his previous form. As a member of the Argentinian team, he led his country to wins in the 2021 Copa America and 2022 World Cup. He will now join fellow stars Kylian Mbappe, the French prodigy who fell just short of defeating him in the World Cup, and Neymar in Ligue 1 until at least 2024.

The two sides have not yet come to a firm agreement, something that Messi will have plenty of time to negotiate after World Cup celebrations conclude. In the meantime, PSG will resume league play on Dec. 28 against Strasbourg Alsace. In February, the team will compete in the Champions League Round of 16 against Bayern Munich in the hopes of avenging a loss to eventual champions Real Madrid in this year’s knockout phase.

While he competes for Portugal at the World Cup, Cristiano Ronaldo’s status at Manchester United will remain in tumultuous stasis following an explosive interview earlier this week. Speaking with Piers Morgan, Ronaldo criticized manager Erik ten Hag and the club and justified his refusal to cooperate several times earlier this year.

“I don’t know what’s going on but since Sir Alex Ferguson left I saw no evolution in the club, the progress was zero,” Ronaldo said.

Ronaldo described his club’s lack of progress in recent years as a “betrayal” and heavily criticized his senior officials and manager ten Hag, especially.

“The coach didn’t have respect for me. So this is why the relationship, it’s in that way,” Ronaldo said.

Back in March, it was revealed that Ronaldo did not have an injury before the Manchester Derby and simply refused to play in the event. His appearances have been increasingly sparse in the months since, and over the summer, he and the club agree that options were explored to move him, though the two sides disagree on who initiated those discussions.

Before stints at Juventus and Real Madrid, Ronaldo kickstarted his career for Manchester United in the Premier League, quickly becoming one of the best soccer players in the world. His return to the team in 2021 was supposed to be a triumphant reunion but has instead soured the relationship, despite his 18 goals in the 2021-22 season.

While Ronaldo’s release from the team has been rumored, such a shocking development for the international icon seems somewhat less likely than a transfer to another team. Over the summer, however, very few teams stepped forward to demonstrate interest in taking on the superstar’s massive contract.

For now, Ronaldo will represent his home nation in Qatar in the World Cup, leaving behind a wake of drama at his usual place of work. It is unclear how recent developments will influence his return to the team after the break. Manchester United is currently fifth in the Premier League with an 8-4-2 record. Ronaldo has started four times.

Spanish soccer club Leganes was just acquired by an investment group led by former Houston Astros GM Jeff Luhnow. The purchase comes just two years after Luhnow and then-Astros manager AJ Hinch were suspended, then subsequently fired, in the sign-stealing scandal.

Luhnow and his investment group Blue Crow Sports purchased the team from Victoria Pavon and Felipe Moreno for an undisclosed amount. Blue Crow is a group that contains investors from the United States, Mexico, El Salvador and Canada. The group recently purchased the Mexican club Cancun FC.

Leganes is a club based out of Southern Madrid in the Spanish League’s Second Division. They finished 12th in Spain’s Second Division this past season. The club was acquired in 2008 by Pavon and Moreno when it was in the third division and in debt. Since then, Leganes has reached the first division, La Liga, in 2016 and spent four seasons there before being relegated after the conclusion of the 2020 season. The club most notably beat Real Madrid on the way to the Copa Del Rey semifinals in 2018.

Luhnow says his plan as team president is to build the youth and women’s teams and push the club further forward technology-wise. “All sports have used technology to create advantages, and that is what we want to do. We have a group of people with experience including the Premier League and the MLS who know how to use technology, and Leganes can take advantage of that. Soccer is a bit behind other sports … but that is going to change in the coming years,” Luhnow said.

Luhnow noted that his purchase of Leganes was due to the belief that Spanish soccer has the greatest growth potential in Europe, especially due to the strict cost-control measures Spanish soccer employs and a recent investment deal with a private equity firm. “We will do all we can to improve this club,” Luhnow said.

The Stade de France in central Paris was the site of chaos before the UEFA Champions League final on Saturday evening. The match which featured English club Liverpool FC and Spanish club Real Madrid had to be delayed by over half an hour as security struggled to contain the crowd and control the fans climbing over fences and barricades. Police were called in and tear gas, as well as pepper spray, were deployed onto the crowd. Leadership groups involved with Liverpool fans’ have complained about the poor organization and heavy policing that led to many children and elderly people being sprayed with tear gas.

UEFA is citing many different causes for the disorganization that occurred with the fan movement. The lack of signage on the streets as well as the lack of volunteers and ushers helping supporters navigate their way into the stadium has been given as one of the main reasons for the chaos. This may be due to the short notice and limited time the city had to prepare for the final. Originally, the Russian city of St. Petersburg was set to host the match. But due to the ongoing Russian-Ukrainian war, the city was stripped of its hosting privileges. Paris was named host in February giving the city less than ample time to prepare for the influx of fans.

Ticketing has also been offered as another problem area. French interior Géral Darwinian claimed there was “massive fraud at an industrial level,” saying that “70% of the tickets were fake tickets coming into the Stade de France.” There were also claims of malfunctioning scanners at the event. Deputy mayor of the 12th arrondissement in Paris, Richard Bouigue, released a statement to Liverpool supporters saying, “the time for official denial is over, the time for apologies must be imposed. I deplore the dysfunctions in the organization of the game and the lack of maintenance of order that led to this real fiasco.”

The problems with the UEFA Champions League Final have raised concerns about Paris’s ability to host the Olympics in 2024. UEFA is launching an investigation and is commissioning a report of all “entities involved” at the Stade de France as it is a key Paris 2024 venue. As of now, Liverpool fans are still expressing displeasure about their treatment and their team’s ultimate 1-0 defeat at the hands of Real Madrid.

Romeo Beckham, son of England legend David Beckham, made his highly anticipated professional soccer debut on Sunday with Fort Lauderdale CF, the reserve team of Inter Miami, which is co-owned by his father. Beckham played 79 minutes in the 2-2 tie against South Georgia Tormenta FC.

Romeo played right wing, which is the same position that his father played over the years with Manchester United, Real Madrid, the LA Galaxy, and, of course, with the England national team.

The Fort Lauderdale squad also features Harvey Neville, son of Inter Miami’s head coach Phil Neville.

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On Sunday, Lionel Messi made his widely anticipated debut with Paris St-Germain, subbing into the match for Neymar rocking number 30 on his back at the 66th minute. PSG defeated Reims 2-0, both goals scored by Kilian Mbappe, who is rumored to soon sign with Real Madrid.

Messi’s debut was the most-watched French match ever in Spain, averaging over two million viewers. The game was broadcast in Spain on Telecinco, a free-to-air television channel operated by Mediaset España. The match was also streamed live on the Twitch channel of a Spanish streamer and esports commentator named Ibai Llanos, drawing an average broadcast of over 300,000 people.

Former Barca defender Gerard Pique bought the rights to the French league after Messi signed with PSG. His company, Kosmos, has reportedly planned to sublicense the rights for the rest of the season, as Telecinco and Llanos only secured the rights to Messi’s debut.

Cristiano Ronaldo came off the bench for Juventus‘ 2-2 draw against Udinese in their Series A opener on Sunday. This decision comes amid speculation regarding Ronaldo’s future with the club.

Ronaldo came on as a substitute for Alvaro Morata at the 60th-minute mark. Morata was given a yellow card for excessive celebration after he thought he’d scored the match-winner only for VAR to rule it void for offside.

Juventus vice president Pavel Nedved told DAZN before the match that Ronaldo’s start on the bench was a mutual decision. “It was a shared decision with the player,” Nedved told Sky Sport Italia. “We are at the beginning of the season, and our conditioning is not at the highest level, not just Cristiano but the entire squad.” Nedved then added: “Cristiano remains at Juventus.”

“Ronaldo is fine,” Juventus manager Massimiliano Allegri told Sky Sport Italia. “I spoke with him and, thinking about the match and everyone’s condition, I told him: ‘Come start on the bench because we’re going to need you in the second half.’ He made himself available and did well.”

Allegri dismissed reports on Saturday claiming Ronaldo could leave Turin this summer, claiming the former Real Madrid player had told him he was going to stay.

“He’s told me that he’s staying at Juventus so we can close this issue,” Allegri said in his pre-match press conference on Saturday. “Ronaldo has always trained well and has always been available. I’ve read the rumors in the newspapers, but he has never expressed his desire to leave Juventus.”

Former Real Madrid president Florentino Perez reportedly called Cristiano Ronaldo an “imbecile” and Jose Mourinho “abnormal” in 2012 according to recently leaked audio.

During that time period, both soccer superstars were members of Real Madrid. Ronaldo is Madrid’s all-time leading scorer (recording 450 goals before leaving the club in 2018) and Mourinho managed a Real team to a La Liga title. This new excerpt was preceded by leaked audio from 2006 that saw Perez chastising previous star players of the club. The 2006 audio had been revealed just 24 hours earlier.

“This chap is an imbecile, he is ill … Do you think this chap is normal? He is not normal, otherwise he wouldn’t do the things he does. The last foolish thing he did, everyone around the world saw it,” Perez said in the 2012 audio clip.

Perez also said in the same audio of both Ronaldo and Mourinho: “These are guys with huge egos, both of them spoiled.”

Madrid released a statement defending Perez, saying the audio was a retaliatory measure taken against the former president because of his support for the failed European Super League. The club said it is considering taking legal action against those who released the audio.

For the first time since 2012, Chelsea will hoist the trophy as winners of the Champions League.

The team defeated Manchester City by a score of 1-0 on Saturday, marking their third victory over Man City this year. The team was led by a new coach, Thomas Tuchel, who took over the position of manager in January, beginning his tenure with a 14-game winning streak. Tuchel had previously been the manager of Paris Saint-Germain, where he finished runner-up in the 2019-2020 Champions League.

The decisive goal in the match was scored by Kai Havertz in the 42nd minute, his first ever goal in the Champions League. Chelsea signed Havertz from Bayer Leverkusen last summer for £88 million. On the flip side, the most dominant offense in the premier league, Man City, was befuddled by Chelsea’s defensive strategies, getting only one shot on goal the entire match. City manager Pep Guardiola chose a more attack-heavy starting 11, benching some of his defensive midfielders at the beginning of the match.

Also of note in the match was the presence of Christian Pulisic on Chelsea, who entered the game in the second half as a sub. Pulisic became only the the second male U.S. international, after Borussia Dortmund forward Jovan Kirovski in 1997, to be on a team that won the Champions League. This marks Chelsea’s second ever Champions League trophy, which required defeated both perennial contender Real Madrid in the semifinals as well as defending Premier League champions Manchester City in the title match.

Marcelo may be unable to play in Real Madrid’s upcoming Champions League match, but not for a reason one may expect.

The star defender was selected to be a poll worker in Spain’s upcoming election, which is taking place on May 4. Spaniards will be voting on representatives in the Madrid Assembly. By Spanish law, any registered voter in Spain is eligible to be chosen to work the polls. Marcelo, a native of Brazil, has been a Spanish citizen since 2011, placing him in the pool of possible constituents. When asked about the situation, Marcelo commented that he was “very upset by his electoral luck.”

Real Madrid is set to face off against Chelsea in the second leg of their Champions League semifinal bout on May 5. The first game ended in a 1-1 draw, making this matchup crucial for both teams, particularly for Real Madrid, who could break a potential tiebreaker by scoring more goals on the road than Chelsea has. However, the team is planning on traveling to London the day before the game, which coincides with the election. In addition, due to new COVID-19 protocols in place for the Champions League, Marcelo may be unable to make the trip the day of the match, putting his status in jeopardy.

Real Madrid is the most successful club in Champions League history, with 13 titles, most recently in 2018. However, it will be difficult to capture one this season if they are without one of their core pieces on the defensive side.

The Super League is officially dead.

On April 18, the European Super League was announced with 12 founding football teams. The 12 teams were top teams from across three different football leagues in Europe. As of Wednesday, the project is no longer happening. The Super League consisted of founding members Arsenal, Chelsea, Liverpool, Manchester United, Manchester City, Tottenham, Atlético, Inter Milan, AC Milan, Juventus, FC Barcelona and Real Madrid.

The European Super League announcement was met with intense fan backlash and legislative pressure. The UEFA held a press conference condemning the European Super League and threatened to ban players from the participating teams from playing in this year’s European Championship and next year’s World Cup.

Two days after its initial creation, six founding clubs withdrew from the proposed league. Arsenal, Chelsea, Liverpool, Manchester United, Manchester City and Tottenham withdrew from the project due to pressure. It was a death blow to the proposed project.

Following the departures of the English clubs, the European Super League announced that it was suspending the project. “Given the current circumstances, we shall reconsider the most appropriate steps to reshape the project, always giving in mind our goals of offering the fans the best experience possible while enhancing solidarity payments for the entire football community,” the statement read.

On Wednesday, four more clubs withdrew from the project. Atlético, Inter Milan, AC Milan and Juventus.

Atlético released a statement announcing its official departure from the project. “Atlético de Madrid’s Board of Directors, which met on Wednesday morning, has decided to formally communicate to the Super League and the rest of the founding clubs its decision not to finally formalize its adhesion to the project,” the statement read.

Inter Milan released an official statement confirming their departure. “FC Internazionale Milano confirms that the Club is no longer part of the Super League project,” the statement said.

AC Milan then released a statement announcing its withdrawal from the project. The Italian club said, “The voice and concerns of supporters throughout the world about the Super League project have been strong and clear, and our Club must remain sensitive and attentive to the opinion of those who love this sport”.

Juventus was the next club that left. “While Juventus remains convinced of the soundness of the project’s sport, commercial and legal premises, it believes that at present there are limited chances that the project be completed in the form originally conceived,” the club said. “Juventus remains committed to pursuing the creation of long-term value for the Company and the entire football industry.”

As of now, only FC Barcelona and Real Madrid have not officially left the league.

The European Super League faced backlash shortly after the announcement of its formation on Monday. Football governing bodies and figures condemned the emerging competition.

Twelve clubs are currently members of the competition. The participating clubs are Arsenal, Chelsea, Liverpool, Manchester City, Manchester United, Tottenham Hotspur, Inter Milan, Juventus, A.C. Milan, Atletico Madrid, FC Barcelona and Real Madrid. The chairman of the competition is Real Madrid’s president Florentino Perez and the vice-chairmen are Liverpool director John W. Henry, Arsenal owner Stan Kroenke, Juventus chairman Andrea Agnelli and Manchester United co chairman Joel Glazer. 

German and French clubs that include FC Bayern Munchen, Paris Saint Germain and Borussia Dortmund all announced that they will not participate in the The Super League. 

Manchester United legend Gary Neville condemned the competition. “The proposal will get kicked out because the fans will hate it, the governments will hate it, FIFA will hate, UEFA will hate it, the Premier League have come out already and say they hate it, you’ll hate it, I’ll hate it. And they are so disconnected from reality to think they could put this forward at any time, let alone now,” Neville said. “Honesty, I’d say I’ve got no words for them but I’ve had a lot of words.”

Neville claimed that the clubs who signed up for the Super League competition “should be deducted points” as a consequence. Neville also mentioned his former club Manchester United should be one of the clubs who should be deducted points for joining. 

UEFA president Aleksandr Ceferin stated, “I cannot stress more strongly UEFA and the footballing world are united against the disgraceful, self-serving, proposals we have seen, fueled purely by greed. These are so-called big clubs, it is clear that the big clubs of today were not always big clubs. Juventus were in Serie B, Man United before Sir Alex Ferguson was I don’t know where.”

Ceferin added that the participating clubs will face sanctions and players could be banned from playing the European Championship and World Cup. 

Tottenham Hotspur star Son Heung Min suffered racist abuse on social media after the Manchester United game. 

Son Heung Min scored his side’s only goal in the 3-1 defeat against Manchester United. He was also involved in a controversial moment during the game when he was perceived to be fouled by Manchester United player Scott McTominay in the build up to Edinson Cavani’s goal. The VAR then canceled Cavani’s goal. 

Son Heung Min was subjected to racist messages on Twitter and Instagram. As a result, Tottenham released a statement on the matter.

The statement read, “Another matchday and more abhorrent racial abuse suffered by one of our players”. 

Additionally, the club vowed to take action. “This has again been reported to the platforms and we shall now undertake a full review alongside the Premier League to determine the most effective action moving forward,” read Tottenham’s statement.

This is not the first time a Tottenham football player suffered racist abuse on social media. In fact, defender Davinson Sanchez recently received racist messages on social media after Tottenham’s 2-2 draw against Newcastle United. 

Liverpool trio Sadio Mane, Trent Alexander Arnold and Naby Keita all received racist messages following Liverpool’s Champions League loss against Real Madrid last week.

In the meantime, Arsenal legend Thierry Henry announced he would quit social media. Henry told CNN Sport that social media is “not a safe place”.  

Both Twitter and Facebook condemned the racist abuse on their platforms. A Facebook spokesperson claimed, “We do not want it on Instagram and we have removed a number of comments and accounts that broke our rules.” 

Facebook vowed to take action and claimed, “We share the goal of tackling online abuse and holding people who share it accountable. We do this by taking action on content and accounts that break our rules and cooperating with law enforcement when we receive a valid legal request.”