Former Arsenal midfielder Thomas Partey, who now plays in Spain for Villarreal, has been charged with two new counts of rape. The 32-year-old, who severed ties with the Gunners in the summer of 2025 when reaching the end of his contract and becoming a free agent, faces trial in November after denying allegations of raping two women and sexually assaulting a third.
U.S. Men's National Team full back Alex Freeman made his Villarreal debut on Monday in a 4-1 win over Espanyol, entering the match as a substitute for his first appearance in Europe. The now-former Orlando City star joined Villarreal during the January transfer window after a breakout 2025 with the national team.
Atletico Madrid, Aston Villa, Monaco and Villarreal are among the clubs interested in signing Real Salt Lake star Zavier Gozo, sources tell GOAL. The winger, who has represented the U.S. up to the U-23 level, could be on the move in the summer for a transfer fee somewhere close to a club-record fee.
Villarreal have completed the signing of U.S. international Alex Freeman on a deal that lasts through 2032. The 21-year-old arrives from Orlando City after a breakout season, as the Yellow Submarine add a full back viewed as ready to compete immediately in LaLiga. The Yellow Submarine are currently fourth in the Spanish top flight.
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.
U.S. men’s national team fullback Alex Freeman is reportedly set to sign with Villarreal, with the Spanish side prepared to pay up to $7 million to Orlando City. The move would cap a breakout 2025 in which Freeman’s form saw him rise from MLS prospect to USMNT regular and emerging World Cup hopeful, while also drawing sustained European interest.
Bayern Munich's unbeaten record in this season's Bundesliga is gone! The Bavarians were upset at the Allianz Arena by Augsburg, although the German champions are still eight points clear of Borussia Dortmund at the top of the table, meaning it's unlikely to adversely affect their chances of retaining their title. However, things are getting very interesting in England, where we thought Arsenal were almost home and hosed only to suffer a wobble that has made things very interesting, given Manchester City and Aston Villa are both closing in on the Gunners.
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.
Former Barcelona manager Quique Setien has revealed that the Catalan giants took nearly four years to finally settle his unpaid wages following his dismissal in 2020. The 67-year-old opened up on the staggering delay while also dropping a bombshell regarding a separate, ongoing legal battle with another La Liga club that has left him waiting for a settlement for almost three years.
Tottenham manager Thomas Frank faces a dilemma over unwanted loan ace as the January transfer window approaches. Spurs signed Israel international Manor Solomon in 2023, who played at the north London club only for a season before heading out on loan to Leeds United last season. He was once again sent out on a second loan spell at Villarreal on deadline day of the last summer transfer window.
Barcelona sensation Lamine Yamal delivered a second-half goal after surviving a horror challenge from Renato Veiga as the defending champions comfortably beat Villarreal 2-0 to restore their four-point lead over Real Madrid at the top of La Liga. Raphinha had handed the visitors the lead from the penalty spot before Yamal scored the clincher.
Unhappy Hansi Flick spoke out after losing key Barcelona star Pedri to injury ahead of their crucial La Liga clash with Villarreal on Sunday. The Spain international has had fitness issues since suffering a left hamstring injury in El Clasico against Real Madrid on October 26. He had earlier remained sidelined for five matches across all competitions last month and had missed the November international break.
Wilfried Zaha is returning to the Ivory Coast fold after a prolonged spell away, with the 33-year-old earning a surprise recall for the upcoming Africa Cup of Nations. The Charlotte FC winger had been absent from the national team squad for two years, having initially slipped out of contention following disagreements with former coach Patrice Beaumelle. As a consequence, Zaha missed Les Éléphants' triumphant campaign on home soil in 2023.
Borussia Dortmund skipper Nico Schlotterbeck is confident of his team reaching the Champions League last-16 after they thrashed Spanish side Villarreal in the continental competition on Tuesday. The German side ran out 4-0 winners on home soil to keep them fourth in the European table, boosting their hopes of avoiding a knockout play-off tie.
La Liga president Javier Tebas has hit out at Real Madrid for hosting an NFL game at the Santiago Bernabeu, accusing the club of hypocrisy after leading the protest against Barcelona’s proposed league fixture against Villarreal in Miami. Tebas said Madrid fought the idea 'as a crusade of integrity," yet welcomed the NFL to their iconic stadium.
La Liga will take the Spanish players' union (AFE) to court, claiming player protests against the recently-cancelled Miami match were an 'illegal strike'. Union president David Aganzo denies this, citing a "lack of transparency." The fallout continues as a furious Villarreal CEO blames Florentino Perez and Real Madrid for the project's collapse, calling their opposition hypocritical.
Villarreal expressed "deep displeasure" at La Liga for the decision to cancel a controversial match against Barcelona that was set to be held in Miami in December. The Yellow Submarine pointed to the league's lack of general organization for the event and said they were blindsided by Tuesday's announcement, which came during their Champions League match.
A Manchester City fan tragically died just hours before the club's Champions League match against Villarreal in eastern Spain. Guy Bradshaw, 35, a devoted father from Wythenshawe, was in Benidorm with friends to watch his beloved team play. He was found in bed by a friend in the early hours of Tuesday morning.