Jude Bellingham has suffered a serious injury scare during England’s countdown to the 2026 World Cup. The Real Madrid midfielder was left clutching at his hamstring during a La Liga clash with Rayo Vallecano. He was clearly in some pain, after crumpling to the turf, and has handed untimely fitness concerns to Blancos boss Alvaro Arbeloa and Three Lions manager Thomas Tuchel.
Real Madrid boss Alvaro Arbeloa has established which of the Real Madrid superstars at his disposal are untouchable and will always be selected in the biggest of Los Blancos’ games. The Spaniard took charge of the club following the dismissal of Xabi Alonso earlier this month and has sought to put his stamp on a fractious squad filled with global names.
Endrick has addressed speculation over his long-term future after the striker opened up on his “almost perfect” start to life at Lyon following his loan move from Real Madrid. The Brazil international has well and truly hit the ground running in Ligue 1, scoring four goals in just three games, leading to talk his temporary spell in France could even be extended.
Enzo Fernandez is reportedly among a group of Chelsea players who feel their recent performances should prompt fresh talks about a new contract. The Argentine has been linked with interest from Real Madrid and Paris Saint-Germain but he still has more than six years on his current deal. Blues boss Liam Rosenior is keen to retain the midfielder but whether he stays at the club next season remains to be seen.
Real Madrid will be reunited with Jose Mourinho’s Benfica in the Champions League knockout play-off round, while title holders Paris Saint-Germain must overcome domestic rivals Monaco in order to reach the last-16 and Newcastle face a tough test against Qarabag. A number of European heavyweights are paying the price for failing to secure a top-eight finish in the league phase.
Real Madrid chiefs have privately admitted that their long-term transfer strategy has failed following a disastrous night in Lisbon. Reports from Spain suggest the club accepts their renewal plan to replace legends like Toni Kroos and Luka Modric has flopped, with the board now preparing for a massive summer overhaul to fix the broken midfield engine.
Jose Mourinho oversaw “the miracle of Da Luz”, as Benfica prevailed in dramatic fashion against Real Madrid to keep their Champions League dreams alive, with it being revealed how the ‘Special One’ made that possible. The Portuguese stunned his former employers from the Bernabeu as another impressive entry was added to his distinguished coaching CV.
Unai Emery has responded to speculation suggesting that he is a leading contender to succeed Xabi Alonso as manager of Real Madrid. The Blancos are currently working under the tutelage of interim head coach Alvaro Arbeloa. Various names have been added to the mix at the Bernabeu, with Aston Villa boss Emery said to be climbing that list.
Kylian Mbappe has accused his Real Madrid team-mates of lacking “desire”, with the Blancos looking anything but a “team of champions” when suffering a costly European defeat at Benfica. An “embarrassing” goal was conceded there, to the home side’s keeper, and the Liga giants will now have to navigate their way through the Champions League knockout play-offs.
So there we have it! After a mammoth 144 games that included plenty of goals and drama, the curtain has been drawn on the league phase of the 2025-26 Champions League. Arsenal finished top of the table with a perfect record, while Manchester City secured automatic qualification to the round of 16 by the skin of their teeth. But three historic European giants have been eliminated already, in the form of Napoli, Marseille and Ajax.
Kylian Mbappe has seen a Premier League move speculated on for some time, and fellow Frenchman Bacary Sagna has told GOAL why Arsenal could be the perfect landing spot if ties are ever severed with Real Madrid. Mbappe is living his professional dream in Spain for now, but a day might come in which he fancies packing his bags for the English top-flight.
Pep Guardiola has announced that he will be sending a thank you message to former Clasico rival Jose Mourinho. Two highly-decorated coaches once found themselves operating on opposing sides of the fierce divide that separates Barcelona and Real Madrid. They are now at Manchester City and Benfica respectively, with Champions League progress being enjoyed in 2025-26.
The Champions League league phase drew to a predictably chaotic conclusion on Wednesday, with all of the matchday eight fixtures kicking-off at the same time. The net result was numerous positional changes over the course of 90-plus minutes of madness, though the highlight was undoubtedly Anatoliy Trubin scoring a last-second header to keep Benfica in the competition.
Jose Mourinho admits he was initially unaware that Benfica required a fourth goal against Real Madrid in order to reach the Champions League play-offs, before seeing goalkeeper Anatoliy Trubin score in the 98th minute. Mourinho has also revealed that he apologised to Blancos boss Alvaro Arbeloa for his wild celebrations that accompanied a dramatic header.
Fans have been left in disbelief after Anatoliy Trubin scored a sensational 98th-minute header to keep Benfica in the Champions League. The goalkeeper was sent up for a last-gasp free-kick against nine-man Real Madrid by head coach Jose Mourinho and, amazingly, powered a stunning header beyond Thibaut Courtois and into the bottom corner.
Benfica goalkeeper Anatoliy Trubin scored a remarkable 98th-minute goal to send Jose Mourinho's side into the Champions League playoffs after beating Real Madrid 4-2. The Portuguese giants were heading out of the competition on goal difference but the keeper's last-gasp effort sparked wild celebrations at Estadio da Luz on Wednesday. The result also meant nine-man Los Blancos face a two-legged playoff in February.
An improbable Anatoliy Trubin header in second-half stoppage time capped off a remarkable 4-2 win for Benfica over a listless Real Madrid on Wednesday. Los Blancos had no answers for the Portuguese side and were thoroughly beaten on the road, meaning Alvaro Arbeloa's side will now face a play-off to secure a place in the Champions League last-16.
Real Madrid president Florentino Perez reportedly held crunch personal talks with Jude Bellingham and four other stars to demand an immediate change in attitude following the dismissal of Xabi Alonso. The intervention from the Bernabeu chief is credited with sparking the club's recent revival under Alvaro Arbeloa, with key figures now accepting roles they previously complained about to save their season.
Jose Mourinho has bluntly dismissed questions regarding the 'Negreira case' and Barcelona’s alleged payments to referees, insisting he has no interest in dwelling on the past. The Benfica head coach was speaking ahead of a crucial Champions League showdown against his former club Real Madrid in Lisbon, where he also took the opportunity to pay an emotional tribute to former defender Alvaro Arbeloa and discuss the threat posed by the Spanish giants.
New Real Madrid manager Alvaro Arbeloa has publicly admitted he had to tell the Jude Bellingham to "stop running" in training. The former Los Blancos defender, who took over the first-team job recently, expressed his astonishment at Bellingham's boundless stamina - but has urged his star midfielder to conserve his energy.
The eagerly anticipated Champions League clash between Benfica and Real Madrid has been intensified by the pre-match comments of Jose Mourinho, who confirmed he has not offered any specific advice to his former player and current Los Blancos boss, Alvaro Arbeloa. The match at the Estadio da Luz is critical for both sides, with Benfica needing a win to keep their knockout stage hopes alive.
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
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