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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

French superstar Kylian Mbappe will likely be at his current club Paris Saint Germain next season, according to reports. 

Mbappe is currently linked to several elite clubs in Europe including La Liga giant Real Madrid and current Premier League champions Liverpool. Meanwhile, PSG is negotiating a contract extension with Mbappe to keep him with the club.

Real Madrid is a likely destination for the French star as many football icons including Zidane, Ronaldo Nazario and Cristiano Ronaldo once played there. Mbappe’s former PSG teammate Jese Rodriguez told El Partidazo de COPE that Mbappe “would love to go to Real Madrid”.

“His [Mbappe] idol has always been Cristiano [Ronaldo],” Rodriguez added. “He loves Madrid and I am sure he will play there one day”. 

Regarding his future, Mbappe told Telefoot that, “We are talking with the club, to find a project. I am thinking about it because if I sign and extend my contract, it is to commit myself on the long term to PSG. And I am very happy here. I have always been very happy here.”

Mbappe was unsure about his future with PSG at one point. “If I had made my mind up today, I would have said it. It is not that I want to gain time or something. It is just that I am thinking about it,” Mbappe said. “I don’t want to extend my contract and say a year later that I want to leave because I didn’t want to sign the new deal in the first place. If I extend, it is to stay.” 

Due to the COVID-19 situation, Real Madrid is facing financial difficulties and may find it difficult to sign Mbappe because of the player’s high value and wages. The price tag for the player is reportedly over 100 million. 

PSG is reportedly very close to extending Neymar Jr.’s contract and will look to extend Mbappe’s contract as well. 

During this week’s La Liga fixtures, Atletico Madrid, FC Barcelona and Real Madrid all clinched victories. 

Atlético Madrid defeated Real Sociedad, 2-0. In the first half, neither side managed to score. In the second half, Atlético Madrid’s Mario Hermoso scored his side’s first goal assisted by Yannick Ferrera Carasco. In the last 15 minutes of the game, Atlético Madrid’s Marcos Llorente scored his side’s second goal assisted by Carasco. Atlético Madrid is currently on top of La Liga. 

FC Barcelona defeated Real Valladolid, 3-0. In the first half, FC Barcelona defender Clement Lenglet scored the first goal assisted by FC Barcelona superstar Lionel Messi. Shortly after, FC Barcelona striker Martin Braithwaite scored the second goal assisted by Serginho Dest. In the second half, Messi scored a brilliant third goal for FC Barcelona assisted by emerging young star Pedri. Messi has now scored 644 goals for FC Barcelona and has surpassed soccer legend Pele’s record for scoring the most goals for a single club. FC Barcelona is currently fifth in La Liga.

Real Madrid continued their winning streak after defeating Granada, 2-0. In the second half, Real Madrid star Casemiro scored the first goal assisted by Marco Asensio. In the added time, Real Madrid striker Karim Benzema scored his side’s second goal assisted by Real Madrid outcast Isco. Real Madrid is currently second in La Liga, having the same number of points as Atletico, but the Galacticos have played two more games. 

The players are now on Christmas break and La Liga will return on Dec. 29. FC Barcelona is scheduled to face Eibar at the Camp Nou. Atletico Madrid is scheduled to face Getafe at the Estadio Wanda Metropolitano. Real Madrid is scheduled to face Elche at the Estadio Manuel Martinez Valero. 

The La Liga race is still far from over and there will likely be many twists as games return after Christmas break. 

In La Liga, FC Barcelona suffered a defeat against Cadiz while Real Madrid and Atletico Madrid both clinched victories.

Cadiz defeated FC Barcelona, 2-1. Cadiz’s Alvaro Gimenez scored an early goal after a mistake by FC Barcelona defender Mingueza. In the second half, FC Barcelona equalized after an own goal from Cadiz’s Pedro Alcala. Shortly after, a mistake from FC Barcelona defender Clement Lenglet allowed Cadiz striker Alvaro Negredo to score the winner. FC Barcelona’s terrible defending and organization was exposed in this game. 

After the game, head coach Ronald Koeman told the media, “It’s a huge step back in terms of winning La Liga. It’s disappointing but we must accept it, even though being 12 points back from a strong team like Atletico is a lot.”

FC Barcelona player Sergio Busquets also commented on the team’s disappointing display. “Individual errors have cost us a lot of points,” he said “In the last few games, mistakes have defined the match and it becomes more difficult.”

FC Barcelona is currently ninth in La Liga after dropping more points after the defeat. In contrast, the Catalan club is doing quite well in the UEFA Champions League. The club is in first place in the competition’s Group G and earned a spot in the competition’s last 16 round. 

Real Madrid clinched a winner against Sevilla. In the second half, a mistake from Sevilla goalkeeper Yassine Bounou gave the Galacticos a narrow win in the league after a disappointing defeat in the Champions League against Shakhtar Donetsk. Real Madrid head coach Zidane’s job is probably safe for now. 

Atletico Madrid continued its winning run this week as well after defeating Real Valladolid, 2-0. In the second half, Atletico’s Thomas Lemar scored the first goal followed by the second from Marcos Llorente. Atletico Madrid is currently in first place in La Liga. 

After Real Madrid’s defeat against Shakhtar Donetsk in the UEFA Champions League, all eyes are on head coach Zidane.

The soccer world claimed that Zidane has a magical effect on the Real Madrid squad after winning many trophies including the Champions League three times consecutively. Most recently, Zidane won the 2019-20 La Liga competition. 

However, this season things look different for the current Real Madrid squad. Real Madrid is at risk of not qualifying for the Champions League last 16 round and is currently fourth in La Liga after losing against Alaves, 1-2. 

Zidane’s decisions partially contribute to the club’s poor season so far. His tactics and playing style have not changed, despite his aging squad. Therefore, the results won’t be positive. 

In a press conference after Real Madrid’s defeat against Shakhtar Donetsk, Zidane claimed, “I am not going to resign, not at all. We are always going to have difficult moments, and we are on a bad run, but we need to keep going.” 

Sources claimed that Zidane’s job is under threat. Some of the candidates that could replace Zidane include former Tottenham coach Mauricio Pochettino and former Real Madrid star Raul. 

Aside from Zidane, injuries have also greatly affected the Real Madrid squad. Most recently, Belgian star Eden Hazard came off injured during the fixture against Alaves. Hazard is expected to be sidelined for a few weeks. 

Real Madrid captain Sergio Ramos and young midfielder Fede Valverde are also sidelined with injuries. After recovering from an injury, right-back Dani Carvajal picked up another one recently and will miss a few games with the squad. Madrid’s right back backup Alvaro Odriozola is expected to return soon after recovering from an injury.

Real Madrid is scheduled to face Sevilla on 12/5 at the Ramon Sanchez Pizjuan stadium, an important game that could potentially determine Zidane’s future.

Liverpool and Porto both qualified for the next round of the UEFA Champions League competition. 

Liverpool defeated Ajax, 1-0 after a goal from Curtis Jones in the second half. Meanwhile, Porto played a goalless fixture against Manchester City, which still secured its place in the last 16 of the competition.  

After Liverpool’s qualification, it will be a tight race between Atalanta and Ajax. Atalanta faced Midtjylland and the game ended with a draw. Midtjylland’s Alexander Scholz scored an early goal and in the second half, Atalanta’s Cristian Romero scored the equalizer. 

La Liga giants Real Madrid failed to qualify after suffering a defeat against Shakhtar Donetsk, 2-0. In the second half, Shakhtar Donetsk’s Dentinho scored the first goal followed by a goal from Manor Solomon in the last minutes of the game. After this surprise defeat, Real Madrid is currently at risk of not qualifying for the last 16 of the competition.

After a defeat against Real Madrid last week, Inter Milan defeated Borussia Monchengladbach, 3-2. In the first half, Milan’s Matteo Darmian scored an early goal followed by a goal from Borussia Monchengladbach’s Alassane Plea. In the second half, Inter Milan’s Romelu Lukaku scored two goals and Plea scored one. Borussia Monchengladbach also had a disallowed goal, which would have been an equalizer. 

Atletico Madrid also has to wait to secure a place in the last 16 of the competition after a draw against reigning champions Bayern Munich. In the first half, Atletico’s young star Joao Felix scored the first goal. In the dying minutes of the game, Bayern Munich was awarded a penalty, which Thomas Muller scored.

Ligue 1 club Marseille ended their losing streak in the competition after defeating Greek club Olympiacos, 2-1. In the first half, Olympiacos’ Mady Camara scored the game’s first goal. In the second half, Marseille was awarded two penalties, which Dimitri Payet scored. 

In this week’s La Liga fixtures, Deportivo Alavés humbled La Liga giants Real Madrid, while rivals Atletico Madrid and FC Barcelona both clinched victories. 

Deportivo Alavés defeated Real Madrid, 2-0 at the Estadio Alfredo Di Stefano. Alavés were awarded an early penalty in the game after the ball hit Real Madrid defender Nacho’s arm. Lucas Perez took the penalty and scored the first goal. Before the end of the first half, Alavés’ Joselu scored after a mistake by Real Madrid goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois. 

In the second half, Real Madrid’s Casemiro scored. In the last minute of the game, Real Madrid’s Isco fired a shot that hit the post. Real Madrid has not won any of their three last games in La Liga. Also, during this game, Eden Hazard was subbed off after an injury, which is bad news for the injury-stricken club. 

Meanwhile, Atletico Madrid defeated Valencia CF at the Mestalla after an own goal from Valencia’s Toni Lato in the second half. Atletico Madrid is currently second in the La Liga table.

FC Barcelona also defeated Osasuna, 4-0 at the Camp Nou. In the first half, FC Barcelona’s Martin Braithwaite scored the first goal, followed by a brilliant goal from Antoine Griezmann. In the second half, Philippe Coutinho scored the third goal, followed by a disallowed goal from Ousmane Dembele. Lionel Messi scored his side’s fourth goal and paid tribute to late Argentina soccer legend Diego Maradona by wearing Maradona’s Newell’s Old Boys shirt under his FC Barcelona jersey. 

La Liga giants Real Madrid and FC Barcelona both have not performed as well as expected this season. So far, the La Liga competition is open as teams like Atletico Madrid and Real Sociedad are also competing for the title.

However, the La Liga competition is long and anything can happen.

On Wednesday night, Bayern Munich and Manchester City both advanced to the round of 16 of the Champions League.

Manchester City defeated Olympiacos after Phil Foden scored in the first half of the game. 

Bayern Munich defeated RB Salzburg, 3-1. Bayern Munich’s Robert Lewandowski scored in the first half. In the second half, Bayern’s Kingsley Coman scored and then Marc Roca was sent off after receiving a second yellow card. Shortly after Roca’s dismissal, Bayern’s Leroy Sane scored the third goal. Afterwards, Salzburg’s Mergim Berisha scored his side’s only goal. 

Real Madrid defeated Inter Milan, 2-0. Real Madrid’s Eden Hazard scored a penalty in the early minutes of the game. Inter Milan’s Arturo Vidal was sent off before half time after an argument with the referee. In the second half, Inter Milan’s Achraf Hakimi scored an own goal to reward the opposition. 

Bayern Monchengladbach defeated Shakhtar Donetsk, 4-0. Monchengladbach’s Lars Stindl scored an early penalty, followed by goals from Nico Elvedi, Breel Embolo and Oscar Wendt. Monchengladbach is currently ahead of Real Madrid in Group B. 

The Atletico Madrid and Lokomotiv Moscow fixture ended with a draw. After Bayern’s advancement to the Round of 16, Atletico is the favorite in the group to follow Bayern. 

Porto defeated Marseille, 2-0. Minutes before the end of the first half, Porto’s Zaidu Sanusi scored the first goal of the game. In the second half, Marseille’s Leonardo Balerdi was sent off and Porto was awarded a penalty scored by Sergio Oliviera. Minutes later, Porto’s Marko Gruijic is also sent off. 

Ajax defeated Midtjylland, 3-1. In the first half, Ajax’s Ryan Gravenberch followed by a goal from Noussair Mazraoui. In the second, Ajax’s David Neres scored the third goal. Afterward, Midtjylland received a penalty which Awer Mabil scored. In the added time, Midtjylland’s Erik Sviatchenko was sent off after a challenging tackle. 

The real surprise was Atalanta defeating Liverpool, 2-0. After a goalless first half, Atalanta’s Josip Illcic scored the first goal followed by a goal from Robin Gosens. Liverpool did not play a good match and this defeat was their first in the competition.

Arsenal’s Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang hit back at Real Madrid’s Toni Kroos after Kroos criticized his goal celebration. 

During the Einfach mal Luppen podcast, Kroos discussed preplanned goal celebrations and claimed, “I find it very silly. Even worse is if there are any objects hidden in their socks. Aubameyang once celebrated and took out a mask. That’s where it ends with me. I don’t think that’s a good role model, either. What nonsense.”

Aubameyang previously celebrated his goals by wearing a superhero mask both at his current club Arsenal and former club Borussia Dortmund. During Arsenal’s game against Rennes, he scored and celebrated by wearing a Black Panther mask. 

After Kroos’ criticism, Aubameyang responded with a Twitter post saying, “By the way, does this @ToniKroos have kids? Just to remember I did it for my son few times and I will do it again,” he posted on Twitter, quoting the below tweet. I wish you have kids one day and make them happy like this junior school pupils talk and don’t forget #maskon #staysafe”

Current Arsenal and former Germany international player Mesut Ozil also weighed in on the issue and posted the Aubameyang mask celebration on Twitter, saying, “The best goal celebration.” 

Kroos responded to Aubameyang’s post on Twitter and wrote, “THIS Toni Kroos has 3 kids.” 

Many players including Aubameyang have celebrated their goals with choreographed celebrations. Barcelona’s Antoine Griezmann previously celebrated his goals with Drake’s ‘Hotline Bling’ dance and Fortnite’s Take the L celebration. 

In addition, Borussia Dortmund’s Erling Haaland celebrated several of his goals with a Zen celebration. Juventus’ Paulo Dybala does a famous ‘Dybalamask’ celebration whenever he scores. Bayern Munich’s Serge Gnabry celebrated many of his goals with a famous cooking celebration. Juventus’ Cristiano Ronaldo has a famous celebration which he spins in the air and screams “Siiii.” 

Real Madrid is currently in a difficult situation as some Real Madrid players have tested positive for COVID-19.

Castilla players sometimes train with other first-team players at the Valdebebas training ground and so there is a risk that other players may have contracted the virus. For this reason, Real Madrid players underwent a PCR test.

Reports claim that Real Madrid Castilla player Sergio Santos is one also one of the infected players who traveled with the first team to Germany last week for the Champions League fixture against Borussia Monchengladbach.

The club later announced that first team defender Eder Militao tested positive for COVID-19. The player will not participate in Real Madrid’s UEFA Champions League upcoming fixture against Serie A club Inter Milan at the Estadio Alfredo Di Stefano. Real Madrid also announced that other players and staff members in the first team tested negative for the virus.

Real Madrid is currently implementing a very strict protocol to protect players and staff from contracting COVID. Players reportedly arrive from their homes to their own rooms at the club where they change into their training clothes and they wear gloves and masks to avoid any risks. The players’ are required to use hand sanitizer before and after working out with any equipment at the gym. Also, locker rooms are sterilized on a daily basis.

This is not the first time that Real Madrid players contracted COVID. Recently, Real Madrid players Mariano and Andriy Lunin tested positive for the virus.

Real Madrid is currently not in the best position in the Champions League. They are last in their group after losing against Shakhtar Donetsk and drawing with Borussia Monchengladbach. The game against Inter Milan will be a very important one for Real Madrid to try and win some points after a weak start.

Real Madrid star Karim Benzema was caught criticizing his teammate Vinicius Junior in the tunnel during the Borussia Monchengladbach and Real Madrid game.

Benzema reportedly told teammate Ferland Mendy not to pass the ball to Vinicius Junior during the game. In context he said, “He does what he wants. Brother don’t play to him. On my mother’s life. He is playing against us.” Benzema was clearly frustrated at how Vinicius Jr. was playing during the match. 

Vinicius Junior was replaced by Eden Hazard during the second half. The fixture ended with a draw after Benzema scored a goal assisted by Casemiro and then Casemiro himself scored a goal assisted by Sergio Ramos. 

After the incident, Benzema responded with a post on Instagram, that says “And while the dogs bark, the number nine ignores it.” This post is clearly intended to respond to the released tunnel conversation. 

Real Madrid head coach Zidane responded to the incident by claiming that both Benzema and Vinicius Junior talked to each other about the matter and resolved it. Everything is now “perfect” between the two players. Zidane also claimed that incidents like that happen a lot on the pitch, especially during a heated moment, but afterward, everything is forgotten. This incident shows the team’s character. 

Clearly, Vinicius Junior who is a very young player with a lot of talent and potential, might still not be able to make the best decisions on the pitch like other experienced players in the team including Benzema. With time, the player can improve his decision-making skills on the pitch. 

This is not the first time a Real Madrid player was caught criticizing a member of the club. Recently, Isco was captured criticizing head coach Zidane. 

Real Madrid player Isco was caught criticizing Real Madrid head coach Zidane during the El Clasico fixture against FC Barcelona.

The Spanish forward was caught by the Movistar cameras complaining to teammates Marcelo and Luka Modric about his current situation at the club. He was telling them, “If [Zidane] has to take me off, he takes me off in the 50th or 60th minute, sometimes at half-time. If he has to bring me on, he brings me on in the 80th minute.” Modric and Marcelo laughed after hearing Isco’s comments about Zidane’s management. 

Despite his enormous talent and creativity in the field, Isco has not gotten the playing time he deserves this season. So far, Isco started in only two La Liga fixtures this season. In the UEFA Champions League fixture against Shakhtar Donetsk, the player did not start or even come on as a substitute. 

Real Madrid Head Coach Zidane responded to Isco’s comments about him and told the media that Isco wants to play just like all other players, but players have to be ready whenever it’s their turn to play for the team. 

The lack of playing minutes has also disrupted Isco’s Spanish National Team call up. It has been a while since the player has been called up to play for Spain and the player was excluded from the most recent squad. 

Isco’s current situation at Real Madrid is very similar to Colombian star James Rodriguez’s past situation at the club. Rodriguez was also an outcast at former club Real Madrid and lacked playing time. For this reason, Rodriguez left Real Madrid to join the Premier League club Everton this season. 

Unless he gets more playing time, it is possible that Isco might look at a move away from the club because of his current situation.

On June 11, La Liga returned to action after its season was halted amid the coronavirus pandemic. One of the titans of the league, Real Madrid, played their first game since the season was stopped against Eibar. After one goal, one of Madrid’s players took the opportunity to acknowledge what is going on in the world.

Madrid left back Marcelo scored his squad’s third goal of the match and instead of celebrating with some crazy dance or running around the stadium, the Brazilian dropped to one knee and raised a fist in the air, acknowledging the various movements around the globe since the death of George Floyd on May 25.

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Marcelo is not the first soccer player to take a stance supporting the anti-racist movements around the world, as numerous European soccer players have worn shirts that read “Black Lives Matter.” The Premier League will inscribed “Black Lives Matter” on the back of all jerseys for one week. 

This year the UEFA Champion League draw brings an interesting group of teams to the round of 16. This is the first time in the Champions League era where the round only consists of teams from the five major leagues. The teams who have qualified all come from either England, Spain, France, Italy or Germany. Usually you’ll have a team from Portugal or even the Netherlands, but not this year. This year the matchups are huge forcing some big teams to be knocked out early on. 

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Real Madrid were not able to top off their group so as a gift, now they have to play Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City. Barcelona will face Napoli, a team who many no longer underestimate. Bayern Munich will get a rematch of the 2012 final that saw Chelsea winning in penalties at Bayern’s Allianz stadium. 

Winning their 6th Champions League last year, Liverpool now have to show Europe what they are capable of under the lights against a very tough squad, Atletico Madrid. Liverpool can be expected to win this round but not by a landslide, Athletico are a team who have been lacking but who have the heart to fight through hard times. Atletico will not be afraid to play at Anfield unlike some other teams and they have a young Joao Felix who is yet to make his mark on the big stage. Everyone is betting on Liverpool, but Atletico cannot be easily overlooked.

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Thomas Tuchel will guide Paris Saint Germain into dangerous territory against his former club Dortmund where the home fans are as massive as the club itself. Last season PSG took a loss to Manchester United that shocked everyone even Manchester themselves. This year Thomas Tuchel cannot afford to lose at this stage. The round of 16 is not where a team of PSG’s caliber should be settling. This club has invested roughly one billion dollars on Kylian Mbappe and Neymar alone, most clubs don’t even spend that much on their full squad. For this reason, PSG has to pass to the quarterfinals, or else Tuchel can say goodbye to his job in Paris. With the team they have it is unwise to think Dortmund can upset them, especially knowing how young of a team the German club is. 

Jose Mourinho is getting his redemption as manager of the Tottenham Hotspurs who seek to challenge RB Leipzig. The German club have been having a magical year as leaders in the Bundesliga. Everyone seems to have their minds set on Hotspurs beating RB Leipzig however, it is not that simple. The Spurs have been very poor in the league and now they are in transition to a new manager. RB Leipzig are in first place of the Bundesliga with Timo Werner leading the pack. It is going to take Mourinho’s Champions League experience to crack the code for beating a soaring Leipzig.

With so many heavyweight clashes it is almost impossible not to be excited. The one downside to these games is that they start in February. Enjoy your domestic leagues in the meantime because sooner than you think European Champions league action is back.