Real Madrid news

Angel Di Maria admits that Cristiano Ronaldo’s professionalism is “by far” greater than that of Lionel Messi, but the former Real Madrid star still considers his fellow Argentine to be the GOAT having been given “a gift from God to be the best”. World Cup winner Di Maria has also been discussing who he considers to be the finest player on the planet in 2026.

Real Madrid have officially secured the future of one of their brightest academy prospects after Enzo Alves penned his first professional contract with the club on Monday. The 16-year-old striker, who is the son of club legend Marcelo, has already made waves at Valdebebas with a prolific goalscoring record and has now committed his long-term future to the Spanish giants in a deal that includes a significant release clause to ward off interest from European rivals.

The final round of league phase fixtures in the 2025-26 Champions League is finally upon us, and it promises to be the most dramatic yet. Only table toppers Arsenal and Bayern Munich have already secured automatic qualification for the round of 16, with the former boasting a 100 percent record through their first seven games, while just four clubs have been eliminated so far: Eintracht Frankfurt, Slavia Prague, Villarreal and Kairat.

Lyon boss Paulo Fonseca is said to be 'enamoured' with striker Endrick who has made a flying to start life with the French side. The Brazilian striker made the move to the Ligue 1 giants earlier this month and has gone on to become a mainstay for OL in the opening weeks of his time in France. Indeed, Endrick has been directly involved in four goals in his opening two league outings for Lyon.

Trent Alexander-Arnold was said to have been told to 'find a new club' by interim Real Madrid boss Alvaro Arbeloa, having struggled to settle in Spain on the back of his 2025 move from Liverpool, but those reports have since been rubbished. The truth is now emerging, with the England international considered to still be an important part of Los Blancos’ plans.

Kylian Mbappe is being backed to win the 2026 Ballon d’Or, with former France international Bacary Sagna telling GOAL why the Real Madrid superstar is destined to land a prestigious Golden Ball at some stage. He is considered to be the leading contender to claim that prize in a World Cup year, as he prepares to chase down a second global title with Les Bleus.

Real Madrid legend Sergio Ramos has taken a huge step towards completing a takeover of his boyhood club. The World Cup-winning defender has not announced his retirement from playing, with a new team being sought at 39 years of age, but he does form part of a consortium that are bidding to take control of La Liga heavyweights at Sevilla, where he began his career.

Real Madrid loanee Endrick, who has enjoyed an impressive start to life in France on the back of his loan transfer during the winter window, struck a stunning hat-trick for Lyon in their 5-2 victory over Metz. The Brazil international is playing with a smile again, having endured a tough time in Spain, and has already fully endeared himself to an excited new fan base.

Kylian Mbappe dedicated his successful Panenka penalty against Villarreal to Real Madrid team-mate Brahim Diaz following his Africa Cup of Nations nightmare. The Morocco international had a brilliant AFCON but crucially missed his Panenka spot-kick in their final loss to Senegal. Nearly a week on from that heartbreak, Mbappe paid tribute to the 26-year-old at Villarreal in a 2-0 win.

Kylian Mbappe scored two and Real Madrid were solid defensively in a relatively uneventful 2-0 win over Villarreal. Los Blancos were far from brilliant, but they were effective, and grabbed two second-half goals to secure a victory that sent them top of La Liga for at least 24 hours, ahead of rivals Barcelona playing Oviedo on Sunday afternoon, with the chance to put themselves back at the summit.

Our expert offers his best Villarreal vs Real Madrid Predictions, Lineups, Odds & Tips for this top-three showdown in La Liga this afternoon (24/01/2026)

Three years on from his seismic arrival at Chelsea after one of the most dramatic transfer sagas in recent memory, Enzo Fernandez is facing an uncertain future at Stamford Bridge. Supposedly growing disillusioned with life under BlueCo, the midfielder has been linked with some of Europe's biggest clubs - and his current employers are said to be willing to do business.

How to watch the LaLiga match between Villarreal and Real Madrid, as well as kick-off time and team news.