updated: Thu May 03 2012 06:00:00
A Spanish newspaper claims Real Madrid's manager will leave the club in June and fans react.
A Karim Benzema brace helped Real Madrid to a 3-0 win over Sevilla on Sunday to edge Jose Mourinho's side one step closer to a first La Liga title in four seasons.
Barcelona captain Carles Puyol says Tito Vilanova is "the ideal man" to replace Pep Guardiola as Barcelona coach.
You know how folks have a list of people in history who they'd most want to share a table with at a dinner party? I've got a few of those lists, but one that I really do hope to enjoy someday is this: Dinner with Ray Hudson and Dick Vitale. They're two of the most passionate announcers I know for the sports I love -- soccer and college basketball -- and they both happen to live in Florida, Hudson in the Fort Lauderdale area and Vitale in Sarasota.
Barcelona notched up the pressure on La Liga leaders Real Madrid with a 4-0 home win over Getafe as Alexis Sanchez scored twice on the day that the Spanish club's defender Eric Abidal had a liver transplant.
Real Madrid saw their lead in Spain's La Liga cut to just four points after being held to a 0-0 draw by Valencia Sunday.
Lionel Messi scored his 60th goal of the season on Saturday as Barcelona came from behind to beat 10-man Zaragoza 4-1 to close the gap on La Liga leaders Real Madrid to three points.
Real Madrid have had their lead over Barcelona at the top of Spain's La Liga cut from 10 points to eight, after a stunning last-gasp Santi Carzola free-kick earned Malaga a 1-1 draw at the Bernabeu on Sunday.
News and notes from around La Liga:
Real Madrid continued their ruthless charge towards the La Liga title with a 5-0 rout of Espanyol Sunday to maintain their 10-point lead at the top.
Lionel Messi scored four times as Barcelona routed Valencia to keep alive their slim chances of overhauling Real Madrid at the top of Spain's La Liga.
Real Madrid extended their lead at the top of La Liga to seven points on Saturday after they won against Real Zaragoza and rivals Barcelona only drew away to Villarreal.
updated: Sat Jan 28 2012 18:22:00
Nigerian footballer Dickson Etuhu gives his verdict on the performances so far at the African Cup of Nations.
Barcelona's La Liga title hopes suffered a setback after being held to a 1-1 draw at Espanyol in Sunday's Catalan derby.
Real Madrid piled the pressure on Barcelona by moving six points clear at the top of Spain's La Liga with a 5-1 thrashing of Granada on Saturday.
updated: Wed Dec 21 2011 18:28:00
Author Colin King joins CNN's Becky Anderson to discuss the issue of racism in international soccer.
Goals from Angel di Maria, Cristiano Ronaldo and Marcelo ensured Real Madrid maintain their lead at the top of La Liga on Saturday as they coasted to a 3-0 win at Sporting Gijon.
Early season Spanish La Liga pace-setters Levante slumped to a third successive loss as Sunday's 3-2 defeat at Atletico Madrid leaves them eight points behind leaders Real Madrid in fourth place in the table.
Real Madrid's hopes of winning a first Spanish title since 2008 survived a stern test on Saturday, as Jose Mourinho marked his 50th La Liga match as coach with a tense 3-2 victory at third-placed Valencia.
Spanish underdogs Levante kept up their remarkable early-season form by beating Real Sociedad 3-2, their seventh successive victory, to stay top of La Liga.
Xavi Hernandez scored the only goal of the game with a thunderous free kick as Barcelona beat nine-man Granada Tuesday to return to the top of La Liga.
This weekend's reporting duties took me to Pride Park, where Derby County hosted Southampton for a top-of-the-table second division match. Sat beneath a black and white photograph of Brian Clough in the manager's office in 1968, his two-year-old son Nigel perched on the desk, I read the program notes of the 45-year-old Nigel, now in charge of Derby himself. "Too much is made of pressure and expectation in football these days," wrote Clough, who bounced into the press room grinning after a high-tempo 1-1 draw. "There is too much focus on issues and characters that don't really matter ... it's about players and fans; one group performing to entertain the other."
Why doesn't José Antonio Reyes get a call-up for the Spanish national team?
Spanish giants Barcelona and Real Madrid were both held in La Liga as they battled to unconvincing draws.
Every time they say goodbye, La Liga dies a little. Now Juan Mata has signed for Chelsea from Valencia, just as Sergio Aguero signed for Manchester City from Atlético Madrid. For fans of City and Chelsea, the transfers are fantastically exciting, two great additions to two teams aspiring to win the Premier League. For the Spanish league, they are frightening. Despite the injection of around 75 million euros, the transfers are confirmation of a worrisome trend.
The first round of Spanish league season this weekend has been called off due to a strike by players from the top two divisions.
Football officials and players will hold last minute talks Friday to avert a strike that could see the start of the Spanish football season postponed for the first time in 27 years. Representatives of the Spanish Football League (LFP) and the Spanish Footballers' Association (AFE) will make a final attempt to avoid a shut out, called due to the growing issue of unpaid wages.
English champions Manchester United agreed a deal to sign highly-rated young goalkeeper David de Gea from Atletico Madrid on Wednesday.
Team of the Season, not including "them."
Cristiano Ronaldo scored twice to break the record for goals in a La Liga season as Real Madrid routed Almeria 8-1 in the Bernabeu Saturday night.
Real Madrid forward Cristiano Ronaldo equaled the Spanish league scoring record with two more goals in Sunday's 3-1 victory at Villarreal.
Four goals from Cristiano Ronaldo laid the foundation for a thumping 6-2 win for Real Madrid over Sevilla on Saturday.
After their fractious Champions League meeting in midweek, Barcelona and Real Madrid both suffered shock defeats in La Liga on Saturday.
Giuseppe Rossi fired in his 16th La Liga goal of the season on Monday night to seal a 1-0 victory for Villarreal over struggling Real Zaragoza.
A late winner from teenage winger Iker Muniain boosted Athletico Bilbao's European hopes, sealing a 2-1 victory at Osasuna as the derby ended with both teams reduced to 10 men.
Cristiano Ronaldo scored a late penalty to give 10-man Real Madrid a 1-1 draw in the second "El Clasico" of the Spanish season on Saturday that left Barcelona on course for a third successive La Liga title.
Barcelona and Real Madrid lock horns Saturday in the first of four 'El Clasico' showdowns in 18 days which will define their respective campaigns in Spain and the Champions League.
Barcelona set up a potential Champions League semifinal clash with Spanish rivals Real Madrid after ending the European hopes of Shakhtar Donetsk with a 1-0 victory on Tuesday.
Barcelona have maintained their eight-point lead at the top of La Liga with a 3-1 victory over bottom-placed Almeria at the Nou Camp.
Argentina star Gonzalo Higuain has made a surprise return to Real Madrid's squad for Saturday's La Liga match against Sporting Gijon, but the Spanish giants fear Cristiano Ronaldo could be ruled out of their next two games.
A group of six "rebel" Spanish clubs have won their legal bid to prevent this weekend's La Liga matches being called off due to strike action.
Real Madrid could be without star striker Cristiano Ronaldo for the next three weeks due to the Portugal captain's hamstring injury.
Real Madrid kept the pressure on Spanish leaders Barcelona with a 2-1 victory in the capital derby against Atletico on Saturday.
Real Madrid reduced Barcelona's Spanish league lead to two points with a comfortable 2-0 victory at home to lowly Levante on Saturday, reaching a remarkable milestone for coach Jose Mourinho.
Barcelona restored their lead at the top of La Liga on Sunday night with a hard fought 2-1 win over Athletic Bilbao at the Nou Camp.
Real Madrid had goalkeeper Iker Casillas sent off in the second minute but battled to a 1-0 win at Espanyol Sunday to cut Barcelona's lead at the top of Spain's La Liga to five points.
La Liga leaders Barcelona needed a late goal from David Villa on Saturday to rescue a 1-1 draw away at Sporting Gijon.
Barcelona revenged their early season defeat to Hercules with a 3-0 win in their La Liga match in Alicante on Saturday night.
La Liga leaders Barcelona returned to winning ways with a 3-0 home victory over Racing Santander on Saturday, extending their advantage over second-placed rivals Real Madrid to seven points.
Spanish Cup holders Sevilla cruised into the semifinals with a 3-0 victory over La Liga rivals Villarreal on Tuesday.
Week 17 in La Liga ended and here's the news: Real Madrid and FC Barcelona almost didn't win. In the end, they did win but, hey, they almost didn't. Barcelona struggled to break down an ultra-defensive Levante side, eventually winning 2-1. Real Madrid cruised and almost got caught against a Getafe side that used the ball nicely, eventually winning 3-2. And everyone got kind of excited about it. Wow! Those were games!
Lionel Messi celebrated his second successive world player of the year award with a hat-trick as Spanish champions Barcelona crushed division two team Real Betis 5-0 in the first leg of their Copa del Rey quarterfinal on Wednesday night.
FIFA president Sepp Blatter believes Spain's La Liga is the best football league in the world, and claims that England's top division can learn from it.
David Villa continued his remarkable scoring run against Deportivo La Coruna as Spanish champions Barcelona won 4-0 on Saturday night to move five points clear in La Liga.
Barcelona battled into the quarterfinals of the Copa Del Rey on Wednesday night as veteran French defender Eric Abidal scored his first goal for the Spanish champions in a 1-1 draw at Athletic Bilbao.
And so, after the Barcelona and Real Madrid Teams of the Decade, here's La Liga's finest XI from 2000-2010. First, though, a few things worth noting about all three teams:
A planned strike by Spanish footballers has been averted after a Madrid court ruled against a petition filed by a trade union that represents the country's players.
Real Madrid kept up the pressure on La Liga rivals Barcelona on Sunday with a 1-0 win over Sevilla at the Bernabeu.
Barcelona guaranteed they will go into Spain's mid-winter break as leaders of La Liga after a thumping 5-1 win over Catalan rivals Espanyol on Saturday night.
Real Madrid coach Jose Mourinho insisted his team can still win Spain's La Liga despite their humiliating 5-0 defeat to arch-rivals Barcelona in the Camp Nou on Monday night.
Barcelona ripped apart Spanish title rivals Real Madrid to take top spot in La Liga with an emphatic 5-0 home victory in the first "Clasico" of the season on Monday night.
And so at last it's official: Barcelona versus Real Madrid, Spain's clásico, will be played at 9 p.m. on Nov. 29. That's MONDAY, Nov. 29. It will be the last game of jornada, or Match Day, 13.
Filippo Inzaghi rescued a point for AC Milan as they drew 1-1 against Catania at the San Siro, Saturday.
Tottenham's Champions League comedown continued on Tuesday when the London club drew 1-1 at home to Sunderland in the English Premier League.
Real Madrid saw off city rivals Atletico Madrid 2-0 on Sunday night to maintain their leadership of Spain's La Liga.
The top-two Bundesliga teams suffered embarrassing defeats by lower-league opposition in the German Cup on Wednesday night.
The Spanish sports daily Marca called them "Football's Oscars" and gave them more than 22 pages, mostly packed with photos of the great and the good and, let's face it, the not quite so good smiling and shaking hands. It was time to hand out the now traditional Pichichi and Zamora awards to the best goal scorer and best goalkeeper of the 2009-2010 La Liga season, won this time around by Lionel Messi and Victor Valdés, respectively.
A stunning 30-yard strike from Andrea Pirlo sealed victory for AC Milan over Parma on Saturday night.
Success has many fathers, failure is an orphan. As the bandwagon passed this summer, it felt like the whole of Spanish soccer -- the whole of Spanish society, in fact -- sought to jump on board. When Spain paraded through a celebrating Madrid, people were queuing up to demand a paternity suit to prove that they had fathered the World Cup winners. And now, as La Liga takes its traditional and frustrating break for international football a single week into the season, the arguments have been revisited. The child is mine. No, mine. Mine. Mine!
Valencia, Athletico Bilbao and Sevilla all recorded victories on the opening day of the season in Spain's La Liga.
Together they form the world's greatest team -- but now with the start of the La Liga season it's time for Spain to split into it's two bitter factions as Real Madrid and Barcelona once again fight for supremacy. With the self-proclaimed "Special One," Jose Mourinho, now at the helm for Madrid and football's deadliest striker David Villa signing for Barca, it's going to be an explosive season in La Liga. Fanzone reveals what to expect...
At the start of the La Liga season, Real Madrid new director general Jorge Valdano described it as a Hollywood blockbuster, and there was little doubt who was going to play the starring roles.
The battle for the La Liga title between Spanish giants Barcelona and Real Madrid will go down to the last day of the season, after wins from both teams on Saturday insured the Catalan's slender one-point lead over their rivals at the top of the division was maintained.
Cristiano Ronaldo scored a late headed winner as Real Madrid stayed a point behind leaders Barcelona in the Spanish title race after a dramatic 3-2 win over Osasuna on Sunday night.
Barcelona took a giant stride towards retaining their Spanish league title with a 2-0 win over arch-rivals Real Madrid in Saturday's 'El Clasico' at the Santiago Bernabeu to go three points clear at the top of La Liga.
Barcelona and Real Madrid have both played down suggestions that Saturday's "El Clasico" showdown will decide the Spanish league title.
Beleaguered Real Madrid coach Manuel Pellegrini has received a vote of confidence for the club's director-general Jorge Valdano despite their disastrous Champions League exit to Lyon on Wednesday night.
Real Madrid came from two goals down to beat Sevilla 3-2 in Spain's La Liga and claim top spot in the standings ahead of arch-rivals and reigning champions Barcelona.
Spanish club Villarreal will wait until the end of this season to appoint a permanent new manager after deciding to give reserve coach Juan Carlos Garrido the reins on a short-term basis.
Barcelona increased their lead at the top of Spain's La Liga to eight points after they strolled to a 3-0 victory over Valladolid on Saturday.
As the decade draws to a close it is time to reflect and reminisce on 10 years of glorious football drama -- and what better way to do this than by paying respect to the characters who have contributed so much to the soccer story that has captivated fans since 2000.
Cristiano Ronaldo has urged his Real Madrid teammates to carry their recent impressive form into the New Year after they cut Barcelona's lead at the top of Spain's La Liga to two points.
Champions Barcelona bounced back from a dismal week to return to the top of the Spanish league with a 6-1 crushing of Real Zaragoza on Sunday night.
Zlatan Ibrahimovic scored his fourth goal in as many La Liga outings as Spanish champions Barcelona matched their best start to season since 1997-98 with a 4-1 trouncing of Racing Santander, but the summer signing also suffered an injury blow.
Even the proudest of Spaniards had to accept defeat; even the most enthusiastic La Liga cheerleaders were forced to pack away their pompoms. The warm glow of the European Championship success still endured -- but the national team was one thing, the nation's teams quite another. The lineup for the 2008-09 Champions League semifinals brought Spain crashing back down to earth.
Real Madrid coach Manuel Pellegrini believes his squad is now "complete" and ready for the challenge of a new Primera Division campaign.
After an off-season of big-money transfers and endless speculation in Spain the focus finally turns to matters on the pitch. The first round of La Liga fixtures kick off this weekend and Fanzone details what to expect from the new campaign:
Real Madrid's incredible summer spending spree will go past $300 million this week as Cristiano Ronaldo and Karim Benzema sign on the dotted line at the Bernabeu.
It's hard to believe nearly six months have passed since Spain began its title march at the European Championship and killing off one of the biggest jinxes in the soccer world. (Know the pheeling, Phillies fans?) Even today, despite a few nasty side plots, everything feels right on Planet Football.
Real Madrid returned to the top of Spain's La Liga and maintained their unbeaten record but were made to work hard for their 2-0 victory by Real Betis in the Bernabeu on Thursday night.
Reprinted from SI Latino
Sevilla's reward for their last-gasp escape act against Shakhtar Donetsk is a UEFA Cup quarterfinal draw with Premier League Tottenham Hotspur.
For me, ski trips are vastly important. Riding chairlifts affords me the time to solve today's universal riddles:
Valencia notched up their seventh win in eight league games and moved up to third in La Liga after a 3-1 win over Atletico Madrid on Saturday.
The final CNN/World Soccer poll of the season sees Chelsea hang onto the number one ranking.
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