La Liga Thread

[Vesper 31,180]

Just now, whats happening said:

champions league

we have to get there first

I can easily see us stuck back in the fucking Confrence League again

1. we finish 7th in the EPL

2. we blow the Conference League Final final v Betis

[ahmedou 213]

[ahmedou 213]

[YorkshireBlue 3,349]

Bit of class 

[ahmedou 213]

 

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Endrick Furious After Losing Real Madrid’s No. 9 Shirt to Gonzalo García

https://www.beinsports.com/en-us/soccer/la-liga/articles/endrick-furious-after-losing-real-madrid-s-no-9-shirt-to-gonzalo-garcía-2025-08-06

🤣

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Kylian Mbappe and Vinicius Junior’s Real Madrid fortunes could hardly be more contrasting

https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/6630757/2025/09/16/kylian-mbappe-vinicius-junior-real-madrid-contrast

If you wanted to see the contrasting fortunes of Kylian Mbappe and Vinicius Junior at Real Madrid, you only had to watch the team’s 2-1 win against Real Sociedad.

Mbappe’s fine solo goal and excellent assist showed the 26-year-old France captain is now Madrid’s undisputed on-pitch leader. Vinicius Jr’s subdued display and early substitution were further evidence of the 25-year-old Brazil winger’s lack of form.

Less than 12 months ago, it was an entirely different story.

Vinicius Jr’s stunning hat-trick in last October’s 5-2 Champions League win against Borussia Dortmund underlined why he was then many people’s favourite to win the 2024 Ballon d’Or.

Four days later, Mbappe’s record eight offsides in Madrid’s 4-0 defeat to Barcelona symbolised his struggles while settling in at the Bernabeu following fitness issues and personal problems.

That Clasico defeat was an early sign of the issues Carlo Ancelotti’s side would experience throughout last season. Vinicius Jr thrived the previous year in Ancelotti’s counter-attacking set-up, scoring the winning goal in the 2024 Champions League final and playing a crucial role in his side lifting the La Liga trophy. But his disappointment at missing out to Manchester City’s Rodri for the Ballon d’Or — which led to Madrid boycotting the ceremony — was followed by a serious dip in his on-pitch performances.

 

Things have not gone to plan for Vinicius Jr since his hat-trick against Dortmund (Denis Doyle/Getty Images)

Vinicius Jr scored just three goals in 16 La Liga games from January to May 2025, and only once in six Champions League knockout games as they were knocked out in the quarter-finals by Arsenal.

He was not the only Madrid player whose form dipped as the season progressed towards a dismal end. But knowledgeable sources — speaking on the condition of anonymity to protect relationships, like all those consulted for this story — say he knew his campaign was not up to the required standard.

At the same time, Mbappe’s contribution and confidence grew as the season progressed. At a January news conference, the summer arrival from Paris Saint-Germain said he had been cautious about imposing himself on and off the pitch in his first months at Madrid, but had since made a “mental” change, as “I knew I had to do more”.

Mbappe finished the season with eight goals in their last five La Liga games, including a hat-trick in a 4-3 defeat to Barca, a result which ended any realistic chances of Madrid defending their league title. His total of 44 goals was a record for any debut Madrid season, while 31 efforts in La Liga gave him the Golden Shoe award for the top scorer in Europe’s top five leagues.

When Alonso replaced Ancelotti as coach in May, the former Madrid, Liverpool and Spain midfielder set about introducing a proactive tactical approach to dominate possession and territory. This means Madrid’s forwards are required to do more off-the-ball work and have fewer opportunities for sprinting into space on the counter.

Alonso knew fitting both superstar strikers into such a system was a major challenge. Staff sources say the initial plan had both players as centre-forwards, but with Vinicius Jr moving out towards the left more.

Madrid were unable to trial that idea during the Club World Cup due to a viral infection suffered by Mbappe. Vinicius Jr started all six of their games in the United States but again performed well below his best.

Alonso planned to bench Vinicius Jr for the last of those, the semi-final against PSG, before Trent Alexander-Arnold picked up an injury. A 4-3-3 shape with Mbappe on the left wing and Vinicius Jr in his less favoured position on the right was then ruthlessly exploited and punished as Luis Enrique’s Champions League holders won 4-0.

What You Should Read Next

Why is Vinicius Jr out of favour at Real Madrid?

From Ballon d'Or disappointment to contract complications, there's been a lot going on behind the scenes

During the early stages of this season, Alonso’s doubts over Vinicius Jr’s role in the team have continued.

The Brazilian was benched for the second game at Real Oviedo, with Rodrygo starting on the left wing instead. Vinicius Jr had not been informed and was surprised by the decision — although he came on as a substitute and channeled his disappointment into a goal and an assist for Mbappe in the 63rd minute.

Alonso replied sternly when asked if he understood Vinicius Jr being upset at being left out of the starting line-up: “In football, decisions are made thinking of the collective, and everyone has to understand that”. Sources on both sides have told The Athletic the start between coach and player has not been ideal.

Against Real Mallorca at home the following weekend, Vinicius Jr returned to the starting XI and scored the winner in a 2-1 victory. Sources say the coaching staff have confidence the Brazilian can return to his best form, but Alonso has been clear his selection decisions are made on merit, not reputation.

Mbappe has started all four games at centre-forward, looking sharp and confident while scoring four goals, making him La Liga’s top scorer. He is now a much more commanding presence around the team, taking penalties and sometimes free-kicks while relishing his status as the team’s most important player.

 

Mbappe is La Liga’s top scorer with four goals (Antonio Villalba/Real Madrid via Getty Images)

“Kylian is fundamental, he’s in great shape, both his football and his personality,” Alonso said last Friday. “He takes that (leadership) role every day, although these responsibilities must be shared so we keep developing as a team.”

Mbappe’s goal against Real Sociedad came when he lethally capitalised on a mistake by their back line to race clear and slot home. After Dean Huijsen’s controversial red card, he showed further leadership by creating the chance for Arda Guler to put them 2-0 ahead with an excellent dribble and unselfish pass.

“Today’s goal was my type of goal, but the assist was more important as it was a key moment in the game,” Mbappe told Real Madrid TV afterwards. “I feel really good, the season has started well, for the team and me.”

Meanwhile, Vinicius Jr had one off-target shot and caused few problems for La Real before being replaced on 67 minutes. He has now completed only one of 10 games under Alonso. For some who know him, it feels uncomfortably like when Zinedine Zidane was Madrid coach and Zidane clearly did not trust the (then much younger) Vinicius Jr.

Mbappe’s superstar status was further seen this summer when he took the No 10 shirt, even though club policy dictates longer-serving players should get first dibs. The club had the final say and Mbappe was given the same number he wears with France, despite interest from Arda Guler, who had been at Madrid for longer.

 

The No 10 shirt is further proof of Mbappe’s status at Madrid (Diego Souto/Getty Images)

Compare that to how fans have sometimes whistled Vinicius Jr at the Bernabeu in recent months. Talks over renewing his current contract — which ends in 2027 — remain deadlocked. His camp have used the ‘signing bonus’ secured by Mbappe on arrival from PSG as an argument for a bumper pay-rise for their client, something the club hierarchy have yet to accept.

The forwards have egos, but there is no suggestion of friction, and each has often spoken positively about their team-mate in public. Even so, everyone agrees they are not connecting well on the pitch, and there are no clear examples of both excelling in the same big game.

Nobody at the Bernabeu is questioning Alonso’s management of the situation, or of the team generally, but it remains to be seen how happy Vinicius Jr will be if he continues to play second fiddle to Mbappe.

[Fernando 6,743]

Seems like they cancel the overseas match Barcelona vs Villarreal in Miami. 

Looks like clubs and players where against this. 

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Lamine Yamal's groin condition could be 'incurable', with 18-year-old Barcelona superstar nursing ongoing pain - but one iconic player's success story with identical injury offers hope

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/article-15248351/Lamine-Yamal-groin-Barcelona-injury-Lionel-Messi-Pubalgia.html

[Vytis33 1,408]

Damn that was a quick tenure

 

 

[nyikolajevics 2,851]

4 minutes ago, Vytis33 said:

Damn that was a quick tenure

 

 

28 games, 2W 3D 1L.

Is this some new trend what we witness in 2026? Maresca, Amorim, now Alonso.. Leaving their clubs middle of the season, not really sacked, not really resigned but shady "mutual consent" after not so bad results.

[Special Juan 28,868]

Its not just the results with Alonso though, he has fell out with a few of the players, and as we know when that happens it's game over

I said to my son after last night he would be gone in the coming week and now he's gone

 

[gdlk 298]

We should have waited 1 more week and went for him... But seems hes not yes-man too, which doesnt suit our club.

[Vesper 31,180]

4 hours ago, gdlk said:

We should have waited 1 more week and went for him... But seems hes not yes-man too, which doesnt suit our club.

ex post facto reasoning

there was no way to know Xabi was going to be sacked today

[Special Juan 28,868]

The video circulating with Mbappe refusing to give Barca a guard of honor against what Alonso was asking says everything, these players such as Mbappe, Vini etc are way more powerful and hold more pull than any manager Madrid could have. Player power not just at Madrid but a lot of clubs now are more prominent and the moment players feel a tinge of resistance to what they want or what they think is right it's game over.

[OneMoSalah 9,122]

4 hours ago, Special Juan said:

The video circulating with Mbappe refusing to give Barca a guard of honor against what Alonso was asking says everything, these players such as Mbappe, Vini etc are way more powerful and hold more pull than any manager Madrid could have. Player power not just at Madrid but a lot of clubs now are more prominent and the moment players feel a tinge of resistance to what they want or what they think is right it's game over.

Yep. 

Doesn’t help that Vinicius had reportedly put contract talks on hold because he wasn’t a fan of Alonso. That goes all the way back to the Club World Cup in the summer apparently and then there was the outburst at him after being subbed in El Classico (publicly apologised to everyone the next day except Alonso). Thats been the big one.

Throw in the fact he was a lot more demanding as a coach for the guys on the pitch as well as in terms of behaviours off the pitch, was never going to end well. Players like Mbappe, Viniciuis, Bellingham are all far too big for their boots but that is what Real Madrid does to players, they build them up, give them all this power and then ultimately anyone who pisses them off, they are sent packing. I mean look at Bellingham, had a good first season but struggled since yet to perform to a good standard consistently. Yet the only questions ever asked where about his role in the team as opposed to his actual performances.

Look at the other side of the coin at Barcelona. They all bought into Hansi Flick & his philosophy. That Barcelona squad isn’t anywhere near as good. Yet they are a team.

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Jurgen Klopp turns down Real Madrid - is finding a new manager going to be harder than they expected?

Klopp doesn't want the Real Madrid job, but who else could they turn to after sacking Alonso?

https://thedailybriefing.io/p/jurgen-klopp-turns-down-real-madrid

Jurgen Klopp is reportedly not interested in the Real Madrid job despite emerging as one of their top candidates to replace Xabi Alonso.

Alonso was sacked yesterday by Real Madrid after an unconvincing start to life with Los Blancos, culminating in the 3-2 defeat to bitter rivals Barcelona in the final of the Supercopa de Espana.

Klopp has been out of the management game since stepping down as Liverpool boss at the end of the 2023/24 season, instead moving into an executive role with the Red Bull group.

The German tactician did a great job at Anfield and could surely be ideal for Madrid, but it seems he really meant it when he said he might well be retiring from management for good.

Where do Real Madrid find their next Carlo Ancelotti?

Alonso looked like a great fit for Real, perhaps giving them their own answer to what Pep Guardiola was for Barcelona over a decade ago now - one of their former players returning to take the club into a new era with an ambitious and distinctive playing style.

It didn’t work out, however, and it highlights once again that Real and Barca are two very different clubs.

Madrid are not guided by one overarching philosophy like Barcelona are since the Johan Cruyff era - the manager at the Bernabeu simply needs to manage the club’s superstar egos and deliver trophies.

Unfortunately, finding a new manager is not something as simple and straightforward that can be resolved with a gift voucher for Amazon, especially in the modern era where someone like Carlo Ancelotti is a dying breed.

The legendary Italian tactician did great work with Madrid in two spells, and perhaps he’ll be one they could look at again once his time with the Brazilian national team comes to an end after the 2026 World Cup in the summer.

However, he can’t go on forever and there just isn’t an obvious young Ancelotti out there who could bring something similar to Los Blancos right now.

Klopp might be the closest thing, but he’s not available, and even if he were, it still seems slightly like a move away from the the kind of figurehead that Ancelotti was. This is still someone whose philosophy the players would need to adjust to; someone who’d insist on Galacticos like Kylian Mbappe and Vinicius Junior contributing to the team’s pressing game.

Do Real Madrid need to move into the modern era?

It’s too late for Alonso now, but is it time for Real Madrid to accept that the game is changing, and start to change with it?

Head coaches are much more the norm now than managers, and there’s more emphasis than ever on the team and its structure over any individuals.

The days of just putting together the world’s best players and hoping for the best are surely over, as we’re seeing even at other clubs who spend big money on their signings.

Manchester City and Paris Saint-Germain have the resources to rival Real Madrid, but over time they’ve moved away from simply signing the biggest names. It’s telling that PSG finally won the Champions League after the era of having Kylian Mbappe, Lionel Messi and Neymar up front.

Florentino Perez has a big decision to make, but will he be bold enough to neglect the Madrid way of old and help the club adapt to the football of the future?

 

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Why La Liga teams will play in retro shirts this weekend

https://www.bbc.com/sport/articles/c98gx75eyl1o

 

Thirty-eight of the 42 teams in Spain's top two divisions will play in retro shirts this weekend to celebrate each club's cultural identity.

The kits will be inspired by iconic looks from the past and pay homage to each club's history and fan traditions.

Only Barcelona, Rayo Vallecano, Getafe and Real Madrid will not take part in the day.

Spanish publication Marca reported, external that Barcelona, Rayo Vallecano, and Getafe will not wear a special jersey because of various logistical reasons but are still involved in the campaign.

Real Madrid are not participating in the initiative at all.

Referees will wear a special kit while the graphics used in television broadcasts will be a throwback to decades past.

There will also be a vintage style of match ball used throughout the weekend's matches.

The kits were unveiled on 19 March at Madrid Fashion Week as part of a collaboration between football and fashion.

La Liga is the first of Europe's five major football leagues to introduce a co-ordinated retro shirt campaign, but other sports such as Australia's National Rugby League and the Australian Football League have held retro rounds.

 

Image source,@sharonlopez Image caption,

The kit that Atletico Madrid, which was founded in 1903, will wear this weekend

Why is La Liga doing this?

La Liga director Jaime Blanco says the occasion is a unique way of tapping into the history and traditions of its clubs.

"It allows us to bring the past into the present while continuing to build experiences and strengthen the legacy that emotionally connects with supporters," he said.

"Presenting this collection during Spain's leading fashion week is the perfect platform to project that identity beyond the field and position soccer at the heart of the cultural and creative conversation," he added.

 

Image source,@sharonlopez 

The retro kit of Girona, which is part of the The City Football Group that also includes Premier League side Manchester City's parent company

 source,@sharonloez Why is football obsessed with nostalgia?

This is not the first time this season that club history has been celebrated by football teams.

Italian club Juventus recently revealed their fourth kit during their 2-0 home defeat to Como, a joint collaboration with Adidas and Studio Sgura that is inspired by a 1996-97 season jersey.

Back in March, Liverpool released a retro jersey collection, which include shirts inspired from as far back as the 1960s as well as their 2005 home shirt, beloved because of its association with the famous Champions League victory in Istanbul.

Arsenal's famous 1991-1992 'banana' kit was reinterpreted for their 2019-20 away kit.

Nike have recently relaunched their T90 collection, and Adidas' 2026 World Cup away jerseys have the Adidas original Trefoil badge on the chest after 36 years, a re-interpretation of the classic '90s look.

The general rise of retro football shirts has been reported to now be a near £40m business empire by the Classic Football Shirts company.

Jordan Clarke, the founder of Footballerfits, an Instagram platform that explores the link between behind football and fashion culture, says it is not just football fans that are obsessed with nostalgia.

"I think nostalgia is something in society not just in football. A lot of people look back fondly at times during their lives, when they were maybe younger, and there was less worry in the world. They look back and dream of returning to those times.

"Football is just a microcosm of how society feels in the world that we are living in nowadays."

There has been some criticism of the Premier League amid claims it has become dull because of time-wasting tactics, VAR intervention, fatigue of players and an emphasis on systems rather than individuals.

"The game has got a bit robotic. It's become a lot different to what we have grown up on, so there is less self-expression within the game, less personality on the pitch, with managers wanting to control every aspect of the game," Clarke said.

"I think that players really seek their self-expression through outside things, like fashion, music, other sports or just culture as a whole.

"For me that rise has come from players seeking alternative routes to express themselves when they can't play like Neymar these days, or they can't do the things that the players they grew up watching were doing."

Footballers at Fashion Week

 

Image source,Getty Images Image caption,

Footballers can often be seen front row at fashion weeks

Footballers have also become a regular staple in fashion weeks.

"I think players are just growing their personal brands more and more, connecting with young fans and young audiences through showing who they are as people first rather than just players," Clarke said.

He believes that footballers seek an identity separate from their profession.

"When you are doing something 9-5 every day, from your academy days, there is a point when players do take interest in things outside of the game, and they want to show that off, and want to be talented in other areas and not be limited by other people telling them they can't do things," he said.

There is also a marketing and promotion element to showcasing hobbies, with commercial opportunities up for grabs with brands.

"You have clubs like Arsenal and Paris St-Germain, who are growing their fan base by appealing to culture, people who aren't football-obsessed, and are more interested in the music and fashion element.

"By tying those together, it makes the club look cooler and therefore brings in more fans. Culture in football is very important for both the club, and the player."

This article is the latest from BBC Sport's Ask Me Anything team.

[Vesper 31,180]

Bellingham, what a cunt