Is this really the best you can do, Florentino Perez? When Real Madrid sacked Xabi Alonso after less than five months on the job, there figured to be, at least, some sort of succession plan. If Alonso, who was so hyped, so early, was to walk away, then it only made sense that Los Blancos, power that they are, would have someone tailor-made to walk into the role.

It's that time of year for Arsenal again. When the calendar rolls into April, the world sees what their team is really made of. Unfortunately for the Gunners, a familiar pattern is appearing before our eyes. Saturday's defeat at home to Bournemouth was eerily reminiscent of other losses at this stage of previous seasons.

Liverpool's hopes of salvaging a shocking season were washed away on a miserable night on Merseyside on Tuesday evening, as an Ousmane Dembele double earned Paris Saint-Germain a 2-0 win at Anfield that saw Luis Enrique's men progress to the semi-finals of the Champions League 4-0 on aggregate. As with the first leg at the Parc des Princes, Arne Slot got his starting line-up all wrong, with the Reds boss sensationally deciding to hand Alexander Isak his first start since recovering from a broken leg earlier this month.

Barcelona ran out of steam at the crucial moment as they fell short in a stirring comeback attempt in their Champions League quarter-final second leg against Atletico Madrid. Trailing 2-0 on aggregate after the first instalment, a Lamine Yamal and Ferran Torres-inspired Barca were unable to see off their domestic rivals despite levelling the tie in a scintillating first half at the Metropolitano.

Lauren Hemp's early strike gave England yet another win over Spain on Tuesday night, the Lionesses emerging 1-0 victors in their first meeting with La Roja since last summer's European Championship final. England were winners on that occasion, on penalties, and they came out on top again here as their third victory in their last four encounters with the world champions gave them a notable advantage in a cut-throat World Cup qualifying group.

From an individual perspective, Kylian Mbappe's free transfer to Real Madrid in 2024 has been a roaring success. The insatiable French forward has hit a staggering 83 goals across his first 97 appearances for Los Blancos, including 39 across all competitions in the current campaign - a total bettered only by Bayern Munich's Harry Kane among all the players in Europe's top five leagues.

This is Legacy, GOAL’s podcast following the countdown to the 2026 World Cup. Each week, we explore the stories and the spirit behind the nations that define the world’s game. In this week's episode, we look at how Spain went from defining an era to questioning its very place in the global game. We revisit the brilliance of the golden generation, the abrupt collapse after Brazil 2014, and the struggle of the teams that followed. And we turn to the present: a new coach, new mindset, and a wave of young talent led by Lamine Yamal, the prodigy many believe could carry Spain towards redemption in 2026. This is the journey of a team trying to rediscover itself - and the uncertainty, promise and pressure that comes with chasing a second star.

Manchester United sunk to their first home defeat under Michael Carrick as the Red Devils were beaten 2-1 at home by local rivals Leeds United on a dramatic and feisty evening at Old Trafford. Noah Okafor struck twice in the first half after defensive errors from Leny Yoro and Lisandro Martinez, who was then sent off early in the second period.