“Vera, Parra, Teruel, Artigas, Diego, Casas, González, Grau, Celma, Pujol, Segarra and Egea. Pujol is my father, who was a forward and was on trial at Espanyol,” says Xavier Pujol with a smile, after reciting from memory the starting eleven from a photo from the 1950-51 season that hangs on one of the walls of the ground floor of his house, in a small town in the interior of the Garraf. That space was prepared to be a wine cellar, but Xavier, one of the most recognized white-and-blue collectors most recognized, decided to turn it into a museum dedicated to the club of his loves.

The painful defeat against Elche called into question the continuity of Manolo González at the helm of Espanyol. The Galician coach himself acknowledged in a press conference that it had been a "dreadful" match, the "worst" since he has been at the blue-and-white club. With one man down for 85 minutes, the bottom team of the League won with authority at Cornellà-El Prat (1-3) in the prelude to a 21-day international break, favorable for making a coaching change.

The first half at Butarque did not serve as a warning to Espanyol, who last night lost heavily once again (1-3). This time as the home team, against the bottom side of the League and with an extra player from practically the beginning of the match. The passivity and inability against an Elche side that had not yet won in the League sparked whistles at Cornellà-El Prat and leaves Manolo González very shaken, who, despite having seven points, faces a long international break after two defeats that hurt a lot, especially due to the worrying image of his team.

Espanyol lamented their disastrous start in Leganés. In a nine-point week and after a great triumph at El Sadar, 45 calamitous minutes led to their defeat (2-1) against a Rayo Vallecano side playing in exile. If four days ago in Pamplona the rivals' mistakes paved the way, yesterday their own errors made life very difficult for them, right from the start.

Historically, El Sadar has been a cursed field for Espanyol: in Pamplona they began to mourn the 2020 relegation and two decades ago they lost their qualification for the Champions League. But in recent months that has changed: the previous season they sealed their survival with a great triumph, and this afternoon, less than four months later, they won their first away game of the season there (0-2).

At Osasuna's field, Espanyol has celebrated safety and has mourned relegations, but in the white-and-blue popular imagination, the Sadar stadium is deeply linked to the name of a very high-profile referee: Eduardo Iturralde González. It has been more than 20 years since the episode that gave rise to his black legend among the periquito fan base; despite the passage of time, there is no Espanyol fan who does not remember him when their team competes in Pamplona. And this Saturday (16:15, Movistar+ LaLiga and DAZN), six days after the refereeing controversy against Sevilla, the Catalan side returns to visit the Navarrese capital to face Osasuna.

Since March 17, 2024, the day Manolo González debuted on the blue-and-white bench, Espanyol has changed its president and owner, its sporting director –Garagarza, on leave, keeps the position, but his duties are performed by Monchi– and, even, its division. One of the few things that has not changed is, precisely, the coach. A Manolo who yesterday managed his 100th match in charge of the first team.

Espanyol has ended the first transfer window of the Monchi era with two operations closed on the last day of the market: the departure of Rubén Sánchez to Elche and the incorporation of Andoni Gorosabel on loan. A right-back who was not in Manolo's plans leaves, and another arrives, from Athletic Club and with a lot of experience in the First Division, to compete with Omar El Hilali for a place in the starting eleven.

Espanyol's first away trip ended in disappointment because Mikel Oyarzabal decided it so. The Real Sociedad attacker, honored for being a world champion, made the white-and-blues pay dearly for their mistakes (2-1). Two assists from the Eibar footballer sealed the fate of the Periquitos, who were too erratic yesterday at Anoeta. Roberto Fernández's great goal was of no use to the Catalans, punished by Barrene and Óskarsson. Despite a good start to the league, the Periquitos only have three points out of nine.

Andorra is a small country with two very different footballing realities. On the one hand, Gerard Piqué's FC Andorra, professionalized and integrated into the Spanish league system. On the other, a much more modest and unknown football that competes under the Principality's flag. With a budget ten times lower than that of the ex-Blaugrana's team, Inter Club d'Escaldes is just 90 minutes away from qualifying for the Conference League. If this Thursday (7:00 PM) they overcome Kosovo's Drita – they drew 2-2 in Pristina – in the second leg of the last qualifying round, they will make history: they will be the first Andorran club to compete in the final stage of a European competition.

When he came out of the dressing room tunnel towards the bench, more than thirty photographers focused on José Mourinho. He was the man of the day: 13 years later he was returning to manage Real Madrid in an official match. The blame lies with 20 months without titles and a dressing room turned into a henhouse. Many fewer flashes photographed Manolo González, the main supporter of Àlex Calatrava, the young Barcelonian who seven years ago worked early mornings at Primark while playing for Parets in Primera Catalana and who yesterday almost spoiled the Portuguese coach's return to the League. The young Carlos Espí prevented it in the 90th minute with a saving goal for the Madridistas, who are starting this second spell with the Setúbal coach on the bench on the right foot (1-2).One of the tasks that Florentino has entrusted to the new coach is to fit Vinícius and Mbappé on the pitch, who at Madrid seem like oil and water. In Cornellà, on the Portuguese's debut, both were starters. Bellingham too, who arrived four days ago from vacation and who was one of the big surprises in the starting eleven. The Englishman immediately justified the coach's decision: before the 10th minute he connected with a header to make it 1-0 after a great free-kick from Arda Güler.Driven by the energy of the British midfielder and Valverde, Mourinho's new Madrid began its new era like a bullet. If it weren't for Clemens Riedel, who cleared a ball off the line, and Dmitrovic, with another saving foot, Espanyol would have reached minute 21, magical at Cornellà-El Prat, with the match decided. It was a mirage. A distant shot from Riedel and a deflected header from Roberto lifted the parakeets off the canvas, who are rebels at heart and who needed very little to believe in a comeback.In the longest possession of the home team, Javi Hernández accelerated an action inside the box and, just as last week he served the 2-0 to Roberto, last night he assisted Cala for the equalizer. The Barcelonian, who just last week debuted in the First Division, shot with soul to debut in the League and score a goal against Courtois, the best goalkeeper in the world. Dreams sometimes come true. The day all the international press was focused on famous people like Mbappé, Vinícius, and Mourinho, Cala managed to shine with his own light, demonstrating that, in life, dreams can often come true.

At La21 nobody has a bad word about Roger Hinojo (Cabrianes, 2005). Everyone who has met him since he arrived, 12 years ago, says he is an "extraordinarily normal" guy who lives far from the clichés surrounding footballers. He left home at 16 and has gone through all the ranks of the youth academy until his debut at the RCDE Stadium last Sunday at the age of 20. He had a great game. He is the man of the week in white-and-blue terms because days later he agreed to wear the number 21, which honors Jarque's memory and gives its name to the sports city of the club of his life. And this Saturday, as a left-back, he will mark Yan Diomande, the most expensive signing in the history of a Madrid team that is premiering a coach: José Mourinho.What did you hear on Sunday?

It hasn't even been four months since Levante last visited the RCDE Stadium. That night, cold for April, very few would have imagined that in 2026 both teams would meet again in the First Division. Espanyol, who hadn't won for 16 matchdays, was on the path to the abyss, and Levante, who didn't take the three points because they hit the crossbar in the final play, were halfway to the Second Division.

Nené, Milosevic, Domoraud, Juanfran Torres, Coutinho, Ben Sahar, Lucas Vázquez, Asensio, Osvaldo, Kumbulla or Carlos Romero. The list of loaned players who have left their mark on Espanyol is very long. Also, the list of players on loan who have passed through the Catalan team with more pain than glory. This is the case of Finnan, Arlauskis, Alfa Semedo, Lecomte, or, more recently, Ramon Ramos, Ünüvar or Cheddira. Also, that of Samuel Eto'o, loaned by Real Madrid in January 1999; he was 17 years old and only played 33 minutes in white and blue in the Copa del Rey and a little while in the Copa Catalunya.

Last week, work began to replace the turf at the Narcís Sala, which from November will be able to host Primera Federació matches. Sant Andreu's promotion to a higher category obliges them to install natural grass at their stadium, a rule that has caused a lot of controversy recently. "We players like it. If it's in good condition, natural surface is much better than artificial. It's almost like another sport. The ball runs differently and you hit and control it better," says Robert Simón, who has played a large part of his career on natural grass: "It's an aspect to consider when you evaluate offers from clubs. It can sway the decision".

With less than two weeks to go before the start of the League, Espanyol still has a lot of work to do in the transfer market. Manolo González's squad is incomplete and everything suggests that the Galician coach will start competing officially with a team under construction. Although Monchi warned that he wanted to carry out an aggressive plan, a small revolution with the arrival of many new faces, the fact is that at the beginning of August the white-and-blue team has only signed three footballers.

From the 2022 World Cup is common to see on social media that Argentine players share photos and videos of their roasted with the national team. Fans follow them wherever they are: in Qatar, at the Ezeiza fields – where the internationals train in Argentina – or in the United States. "It has become a ritual. They usually do it 48 hours before matches. The players, the technical staff, and the rest of thestaff technician. The grid is always handled by Diego Iacovone," says Bruno González, an Argentine journalist.

With only 11 million inhabitants, Belgium made history in the summer of 2018 by reaching the semifinals of the World Cup in Russia. Despite the defeat against France, its inhabitants received the footballers as if they were true heroes, with a great celebration in Brussels' Grand-Place. One of the most acclaimed was Robert Martínez from Balaguer, their coach. He took office in August 2016, intending to leave after two years. But with the success in the World Cup, which catapulted the country to number 1 in the FIFA rankings, he reconsidered. Aware that the golden generation of players (Courtois, Hazard, Lukaku, De Bruyne, and company) had an expiration date, he became determined to build a legacy that went beyond titles, to prepare Belgian football to sustain its miracle in the future.

In the summer of 2019, Osona coaches Miguel Muñoz and Samuel Mora took over the reins of Parets, who had just been promoted from Second to First Catalan Division. Around Saint John's Day, they had already secured their entire squad; they only needed a left-footed player who could play as a winger or attacking midfielder. “Of all the names we had, the one we liked the most was Àlex Calatrava, who had been left without a team after finishing his youth career at UE Sant Andreu,” says Samu.

This year's is the World Cup of blurred borders and that of the diasporas. Almost 25% of the 1,248 players who compete in it defend the jersey of a national team different from their country of birth. The most paradigmatic case is Curaçao, which only has one player originally from the Caribbean island. The rest are from the Netherlands, the territory of which Curaçao depends on, which is not an independent state. In the World Cup there are up to 67 Dutch footballers, a figure that only France, which has 98, surpasses.