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LaLiga news

Real Madrid CF v RCD Espanyol de Barcelona - LaLiga EA Sports

Vini Jr trolled by La Liga rivals over Ballon d'Or ranking

Vinicius Jr’s Ballon d’Or nightmare worsened as Betis mocked the Real Madrid winger after he finished 16th in the 2025 rankings. The Brazilian had once promised to win the award “ten times if needed”, but those words were brutally echoed back at him online. Now, with Xabi Alonso limiting his role, pressure is mounting on the highly-rated attacker.

GFX Ousmane Dembele Lamine Yamal Kylian Mbappe

'Yamal more attractive & Mbappe better' than Dembele, says ex-Madrid man

Former Real Madrid footballer Alvaro Benito provided his thoughts on the 2025 Ballon d'Or ceremony, which saw Ousmane Dembele being crowned as the best player in the world, ahead of rival Lamine Yamal. While Benito admitted that the PSG forward deserved the award, he was unhappy about where Pedri finished in the rankings and was brutally critical of the journalists who vote.

SPORTEL Monaco 2024 - Global Sports Media & Technology Convention - Day Two

La Liga chief slams Premier League and asks UEFA to intervene

La Liga president Javier Tebas has accused the Premier League of inflating the players' salaries and transfer fees. According to the 63-year-old, this affects the global market and other leagues including the Spanish top flight as well as he stressed the importance of "sustainability" across Europe's leagues.

Neymar Raphinha

Neymar erupts with rage over Raphinha's final Ballon d'Or position

Neymar has taken a clear swipe at France Football while raging over Raphinha's final Ballon d'Or position. The Brazil and Barcelona winger finished fifth in the final vote, while Paris Saint-Germain's Ousmane Dembele scooped the main prize ahead of second placed Lamine Yamal. Raphinha played a key role for Barca alongside Yamal as they won three domestic titles last season.

GFX Lamine Yamal Joan Laporta

Yamal bought midnight hamburgers for hungry Barca co-stars, says Laporta

Barcelona sensation Lamine Yamal showed his lighter side after the Ballon d’Or gala by buying midnight hamburgers for team-mates and friends, while president Joan Laporta admitted he even tried pressing Ronaldinho and Andres Iniesta to reveal the winner. Yamal may have fallen short, but his Kopa Trophy joy kept spirits high as Ousmane Dembele took home the big prize instead.

Rashford Barcelona lateness gfx

Rashford risks blowing Barca chance by repeating Man Utd mistakes

When Marcus Rashford was unveiled as a new Barcelona signing in August, he kept coming back to one word: discipline. For a player who had missed training after going on a drunken night out in Belfast a year ago and been forced out of Manchester United by Ruben Amorim for his lack of application, it was an intriguing theme for him to draw upon.

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Marcus Rashford Barcelona 2025-26

‘Quit on Man Utd' - Scholes brands Rashford a 'disgrace'

Paul Scholes claims that Marcus Rashford “quit on Manchester United” and has branded the England international’s attitude a “disgrace”. A product of the Red Devils’ famed academy system spent time on loan at Aston Villa last season, having slipped out of favour under Ruben Amorim, before linking up with La Liga giants Barcelona for the 2025-26 campaign.

Real Madrid CF v RCD Mallorca - LaLiga EA Sports

Real Madrid stand firm on Vini Jr contract standoff

Real Madrid will not change their contract offer to Vinicius Junior amid a standoff between the Spanish club and the Brazilian winger. Having been dropped twice in recent weeks by new coach Xabi Alonso, the winger is facing further scrutiny this season and the club are reluctant to match his demands for a significant pay rise.

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Yamal 'motivated even more' to win Ballon d'Or, says Barca president

Lamine Yamal may have fallen short in the Ballon d’Or race against Ousmane Dembele, but Barcelona president Joan Laporta insists the setback will only fuel his hunger to claim the award in future. The teenager made history with back-to-back Kopa Trophies, while Aitana Bonmati continued her dominance by lifting a third consecutive Women’s Ballon d’Or.

FBL-ESP-LIGA-REAL MALLORCA-ATLETICO MADRID

Alvarez 'the best player we have' as Simeone defends substitution

Atletico Madrid head coach Diego Simeone defended his decision to bring off Julian Alvarez for Alexander Sorloth during their most recent La Liga fixture by claiming that the Argentine is "the best player we have." The Colchoneros' boss also reflected on the referee's decision to show a red card to Sorloth just 10 minutes after he was brought on for Alvarez.

Ousmane Dembele Lamine Yamal

Dembele beat Yamal to 2025 Ballon d'Or by 'wide margin'

France Football's editor-in-chief Vincent Garcia has confirmed that Ousmane Dembele beat Lamine Yamal to the 2025 Ballon d'Or by a "wide margin". Dembele and Yamal were the last men standing among the 30 nominees but it was the Paris Saint-Germain star who ultimately claimed the award after a historic 2024-25 season.

Paris Saint-Germain v FC Bayern München: Quarter-final - FIFA Club World Cup 2025

Bayern's star defender tells agent he wants Real Madrid move

Dayot Upamecano has reignited his dream of joining Real Madrid, telling his agent to push for a Bernabeu move when his Bayern Munich deal runs out in 2026. Faced with a repeat of the David Alaba transfer to the Spanish giants, the Bundesliga champions now face a familiar dilemma - meet his demands, sell early, or risk losing another cornerstone for free.

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Messi sends special message to Dembele after Ballon d'Or win

Lionel Messi sent a special message to ex-Barcelona team-mate Ousmane Dembele to congratulate him on winning the Ballon d'Or this year. Dembele edged out Blaugrana sensation Lamine Yamal to grab the Golden Ball. The French winger experienced the best season of his career in the 2024-25 campaign as he inspired Paris Saint-Germain to a historic treble.

Ousmane Dembele Lamine Yamal

'Moral harm' - Yamal's father slams 'strange' Dembele BdO win

Lamine Yamal’s father has branded Ousmane Dembele’s Ballon d’Or win the “greatest moral harm” in football, with the Paris Saint-Germain forward walking away with a prestigious Golden Ball in 2025. Barcelona wonderkid Yamal had to settle for a runner-up finish despite those in Catalunya being of the opinion that the 18-year-old is undoubtedly “the best player in the world”.

Ousmane Dembele Lamine Yamal

Yamal gives classy response after Dembele wins Ballon d'Or

Barcelona wonderkid Lamine Yamal was quick to congratulate Ousmane Dembele after seeing the Paris Saint-Germain star beat him to the 2025 Ballon d’Or award. The teenager finished second in the rankings but didn’t go home empty-handed as he won the Kopa Award for a second year running, and his father is confident that it will be a different story next year.

Dembele Ballon

PSG star Dembele beats Barca wonderkid Yamal to 2025 Ballon d'Or

Paris Saint-Germain forward Ousmane Dembele has beaten off competition from Lamine Yamal to win the 2025 Ballon d’Or. The France international was crowned the best male player in the world at a ceremony in Paris on Monday night after an incredible season where he won the quadruple with Luis Enrique’s side and delivered the club a first ever Champions League title.

Vinicius Junior Real Madrid 2025-26

Vini's fall from grace - suffers huge drop in Ballon d'Or rankings

Vinicius Junior’s dramatic decline in the Ballon d’Or rankings has raised eyebrows, with the Real Madrid star slipping all the way down to 16th in 2025, just a year after finishing runner-up to Rodri. The Brazilian had vowed to come back stronger following last year’s controversy, but his fall from grace has coincided with Real Madrid’s ongoing rift with UEFA and the awards ceremony.

Scott McTominay Napoli Scudetto GFX

McTominay ahead of Haaland & Bellingham in Ballon d'Or rankings

Former Manchester United midfielder Scott McTominay has finished ahead of big names such as Arsenal's Declan Rice, Manchester City goal machine Erling Haaland and Real Madrid star Jude Bellingham in the 2025 Ballon d’Or rankings. The Scotland international is ranked in 18th place after a stellar season that saw him score 12 Serie A goals and help deliver the Scudetto for Napoli.

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Laporta teases Camp Nou return closer than ever

Barcelona have spent more than two seasons away from Camp Nou due to a renovation project that has been beset by delays, but a phased re-opening of the iconic venue is getting closer to becoming reality. The Blaugrana await permission from the city council, with Joan Laporta claiming that everything else is now in place for the team's return.

FC Barcelona v Getafe CF - LaLiga EA Sports

Barcelona delay opening contract talks with key forward

Ferran Torres has managed 31 goals and assists for Barcelona since the start of last season and is considered a valuable member of Hansi Flick's squad. But the former Manchester City star's long-term future remains up in the air due to the lack of any progress or a proactive approach to extend his contract beyond its current expiry.

Real Madrid CF v RCD Espanyol de Barcelona - LaLiga EA Sports

Bellingham undergoes insane body transformation after surgery

Real Madrid superstar Jude Bellingham has undergone a dramatic body transformation after undergoing surgery to cure a troublesome shoulder problem. The England international has been asked to slim down and reduce muscle mass by the Spanish giants in a bid to become sharper, quicker and more agile in the new La Liga season with Xabi Alonso’s side.

Real Madrid Ballon d'Or

Real to boycott Ballon d'Or ceremony AGAIN after Vini Jr snub

La Liga giants Real Madrid are expected to boycott the Ballon d’Or ceremony in Paris on Monday for the second year in a row. Los Blancos famously failed to attend in 2024 after learning that star man Vinicius Jr had been pipped to the prestigious Golden Ball by Manchester City and Spain midfielder Rodri. Tensions between Real Madrid and UEFA still linger in the wake of the snub as the club feel they have been unfairly treated.

GFX Lamine Yamal Ousmane Dembele

'Yamal gets my vote!' - Former Ballon d'Or winner weighs in

With the Ballon d'Or ceremony just hours away, a former winner has given his verdict on the two frontrunners. He revealed his vote would go to Barcelona's Lamine Yamal for his "unpredictable" style, but concedes that Ousmane Dembele's Champions League triumph with Paris Saint-Germain might "tip the scales" in his favour.

RCD Mallorca v FC Barcelona - LaLiga EA Sports

Gavi set to undergo surgical procedure

After two weeks of conservative physical therapy, Barcelona have decided that Gavi will undergo a minor arthroscopic procedure to return to the pitch as soon as possible. The medical examination will be performed under the supervision of the club's medical staff. This comes after Fermin Lopez also suffered an injury in Barca's La Liga fixture against Getafe, which has now sidelined for a couple of weeks.

FC Barcelona v Getafe CF - LaLiga EA Sports

Barca confirm Fermin Lopez injury after tearful Getafe win

Fermin Lopez left the field looking visibly distraught after Barcelona's league win against Getafe. The midfielder dropped to the pitch, holding his groin and the back of his leg, before leaving the field as coach Hansi Flick hugged him. The club have now received the test results, and the 20-year-old is slated to be sidelined for around three weeks.

Frequently asked questions

Al-Hilal are the most successful Saudi Pro League side ever, having won an astonishing 19 league titles. Their first-ever league title came at the end of the 1976-77 campaign. Currently, they are also the defending champions, having gone all the way in the 2023-24 season.

Currently, there are 18 teams in the Saudi Pro League. In the first season ever, which took place in 1976-77, there were just eight teams. The number increased to 10 in the following season. Ahead of the 1981-82, Saudi Premier League and Saudi First Division merged to form one single league for the 1982 FIFA World Cup qualification process. However, from the 1984-85 season, the number teams reverted to 12.

Legendary Saudi Arabian goalkeeper Mohamed Al-Deayea holds the record for most appearances in the Saudi Pro League. Al-Deayea played for Al-Taee and Al-Hilal and managed 406 appearances inthe league.

Majed Abdullah, also known as the Arabian Pele, is the league's all-time leading topscorer with 189 goals in 194 league games, all of them coming with Al-Nassr in a 21-year span. He is Al-Nassr's record goalscorer, with 259 goals in just 266 games.

Former Syrian midfielder Jehad Al-Hussain has registered the most assists in Saudi Pro League history, setting up 50 goals for his teammates in 208 games.

Former Egyptian goalkeeper Essam El Hadary is the oldest player to ever feature in Saudi Pro League. El Hadary was 45 years and 81 days old when he featured for Al-Taawoun in April 2018.

Teenage sensation Talal Haji, who plays for Al-Ittihad, is the youngest player to ever play in Saudi Pro League. Haji achieved this feat at the age of 16 years and five days when he came on as a substitute for Romarinho in Al-Ittihad's 2-1 win over Al-Fateh in September 2023.

Cristiano Ronaldo, Riyad Mahrez, Karim Benzema, Roberto Firmino, N'Golo Kante, Sadio Mane, Yassine Bounou, Nacho, Aymeric Laporte, and Fabinho are among the most famous players to have played in the Saudi Pro League.

Steven Gerrard, Laurent Blanc, and Stefano Pioli are some of Saudi Pro League's most prominent managers in history.

The King Fahd International Stadium in Riyadh, which is home to Al-Shabab and Al-Riyadh, is the biggest stadium in Saudi Pro League. It has a capacity of 68,752.

Neymar is the most expensive player in Saudi Pro League history, costing a whopping £77.6 million when Al-Hilal bought him from Paris Saint-Germain in 2023.