Forget the Mersyside derby or the Manchester Derby this weekend, the City of Madrid steals the limelight as the showpiece match of Europe as Atletico Madrid make the short trip across Spain’s capital to the Santiago Bernabéu to face the old enemy Real Madrid. Across all competitions, the pair have met a whopping 218 times and unsurprisingly, it is Los Blancos who hold a significant statistical edge over their neighbours. Real have won exactly half of all the encounters with 109 victories between the two whilst Atletico have claimed a poultry 55 by comparison and a total of 54 … [Read more...]
What Happened to Cristian Tello? The Man Expected to Carry Barcelona
When Cristian Tello broke into the Barcelona first team during the 2011/12 season it looked like the man who was part of Spain’s under-21 squad that won the 2013 European Championships would carry the Blaugrana forward line for the next decade. Everything certainly started well after scoring a brace in the 9-0 hammering of CE L'Hospitalet in the Copa Del Rey and then later scoring in his first league start against Real Sociedad in early February 2012. This begs the question, why (with so much positivity surrounding the Spaniard's early career) are we not raving about Tello’s achievements … [Read more...]
Can Valencia take a Champions League spot this season?
Having been the first Spanish team this century to offer serious resistance to the dominance of Real Madrid and Barcelona, winning La Liga twice and reaching back-to-back Champions League finals, Valencia’s decline has been gradual but palpable. The last time they finished third in La Liga was 2012, and they haven’t reached the quarter-finals of the Champions League since 2007. Consecutive 12th-placed finishes in their last two seasons were their worst league results since 1988, and only once in the last five seasons have they earned a top-four spot and qualification for the Champions … [Read more...]
La Liga Self Destructs as Barcelona Wrap up the Title
As Dani Carvajal saw red and Lionel Messi slammed in the resulting penalty to put Barce 2-0 up at the Bernabeu, you could see the whole of Spain outside of Catalonia’s shoulders slump and raise the white flag. Aleix Vidal added a third in injury-time to leave Zinedine Zidane’s men to face the baying home support as his side slipped to fourteen points behind their great rivals with the season not even at the half way stage. Catastrophe This week has been a catastrophe for Barcelona’s rivals but a triumph for the Blaugrana as the quartet of Atletico Madrid, Valencia, Real Madrid and … [Read more...]
All over for Bale at Madrid? We’ve been here before
Not for the first time in Gareth Bale’s Real Madrid career, the doom mongers have already declared the dream is over for the man from Cardiff after only three league goals this calendar year. However, those who know Bale the best will be well aware of the man’s ability to rise above adversity and once again remind the world why Real Madrid paid a healthy £85.1million for the winger in September 2013. Injuries have been a swear word in the Bale household and after numerous absentees since 2016 have called Bale’s Madrid career into question once again but this is not the first time that … [Read more...]
GVC Holdings Have Further Expanded Their Sponsorship Presence In La Liga
Gambling giant GVC Holdings has enjoyed a productive 2017 extending their sponsorship agreements with some of the biggest clubs in the Spanish top-flight. As well as a subsidiary partnership with Atletico Madrid, they are now the official gambling partner of Valencia, Sevilla, and Villareal. These additions to their already impressive partnership portfolio across the majority of top European leagues further emphasize the prominence of Bwin as one of the most closely connected gambling companies to the world's most popular sport. The timing couldn't be better either, with the business recording … [Read more...]
Newcastle reportedly could revive their interest in Spanish international attacker
As reported by Sport Witness, Newcastle United could well revive their interest in signing Alvaro Negredo this summer. Newcastle United have missed out on a number of top targets during the current transfer window and it has to be said that manager Rafael Benitez has been left frustrated with the lack of activity at St. James’ Park so far. Nonetheless, Newcastle are continually persisting in their hopes of improving the squad and bringing in a new striker looks set to be high on the priority list for Benitez. Newcastle recently missed out on Tammy Abraham to Swansea City and reports … [Read more...]
Tottenham reportedly planning a move for promising 19-year-old Spaniard
According to reports from ESPN, Tottenham Hotspur are considering a swoop for Celta Vigo youngster Pape Cheikh Diop. Considering the fact that the likes of Chelsea, Arsenal, Manchester United, Liverpool and Everton have all significantly strengthened their respective squads this summer with a host of new signings, it has to be said that Tottenham’s approach in the current transfer window has been very passive. Tottenham have not made a single signing so far and rather than incomings, the summer has been dominated with the likes of Eric Dier, Dele Alli, Harry Kane and Kyle Walker all … [Read more...]
Best La Liga Sponsorships Deals
Sponsorship deals play arguably the biggest part of any club’s financial muscle power with deals for shirts, stadia and even training wear paying big bucks. Some of the finances offered to clubs are eye watering but not every club is seeking to exploit the opportunity to maximise their coffers. Just ask Barcelona. Barcelona and Unicef In a unique break from the norm, in 2006 Barcelona secured a deal with Unicef to display the Children in danger charity’s logo on the front of their shirts. At the time, they were one only a few clubs not to display a corporate logo as their main … [Read more...]
Jese joins Las Palmas on loan for the rest of the season
Having only signed for French champions Paris Saint-Germain during the summer from Real Madrid, Jese has ended his miserable time abroad by signing with La Liga side Las Palmas until the end of the season. The 23-year-old was in high demand, with English Premier League side Middlesbrough having also agreed a deal to sign the former Spanish Under-21 forward. However, Jese was reportedly determined to return to his homeland, with Los Amarillos currently sitting in 11th place in the Spanish top flight. Having departed Champions League winner’s Real Madrid after five years at the Bernabeau for … [Read more...]