“We are Real's farm team, they’ve told us our whole lives. That rumor still circulates today”, says Joan Collet, former president of Espanyol and a purebred Periquito. “It’s a false myth, a self-serving narrative that comes from the Sarrià era”, comments historian Oriol Pagès. It originated in the Espanyol-Madrid matches of the 70s. “Due to migratory waves, there were many Real Madrid fans in Barcelona at the time. And the only opportunity they had to see their team was when they played at Espanyol's stadium, which was very large and usually wasn't full. Many came”, contextualizes Pagès, who still remembers the appearance of the Sarrià stands.

Víctor Muñoz has become one of the standout names of this League. The Catalan, who will not be able to face Barça this Saturday (9 PM, DAZN) due to an injury sustained this week, is excelling with Osasuna. He arrived in Pamplona from Real Madrid's reserve team for 5 million euros, before bursting onto the scene in La Liga. He had debuted for the whites in El Clásico, at Montjuïc. On May 11, 2025, he played the final minutes of the whites' 4-3 defeat against Barça, also Muñoz's former team, as he had been through the blaugrana academy. A few seconds after coming on, and with the first ball he touched, he found himself in front of Szczesny, but sent the ball high. A year later, he is one of the wingers Deco has on his transfer list, and Madrid is willing to activate a buy-back clause to prevent him from signing for the blaugrana.

"José Mourinho is the only coach who has earned Florentino's respect". The phrase is often commented on in hallway conversations in Madrid whenever there are problems with the current coach of the white club. And it is that, despite the fact that the Portuguese's record during his time at the Bernabéu was relatively scarce – one League, one Cup and one Super Cup in three seasons – he was one of the few who dared to confront the president and refuse to make the lineups they wanted from the box.

Suffering, suffering much more than expected, but Bayern achieved the objective: to eliminate Real Madrid and qualify for the Champions League semi-finals (4-3, 6-4 on aggregate). Despite having a 1-2 from the first leg at the Bernabéu, the Bavarians needed a goal in the last minute from Luis Díaz, when the whites were playing with 10 men, and a goal from Olise in stoppage time to secure passage to the penultimate round of the competition. Madrid fell with honor, but fell, and is condemned to a second season without a trophy.

Girona made it big at the Santiago Bernabéu, from where they snatched a golden point of great merit on a happy night (1-1). The result not only brings them a little closer to definitive permanence, but it practically hands the League title to Barça, who could almost seal it if they win today's derby against Espanyol.

Girona visits Real Madrid this Friday (9 PM, Movistar LaLiga) for the seventh time in its history. The most impactful of all, without a doubt, was two seasons ago, when Míchel's team arrived at the Santiago Bernabéu with morale sky-high: the whites had 58 points and Girona had 56. “If we won, we would be leaders. It was amazing”, explains Pepe Sierra, the president of the Federation of White-and-Red Supporters' Clubs. No one wanted to miss that match, which would end in a 4-0 local thrashing that didn't hurt at all. “The expectation was very high, many people traveled. In fact, we had so many commitments that I gave up my ticket so no one would be left out. What did I do? Well, I went to watch it in a bar. We had a good time anyway”, he specifies.

After losing in Mallorca (2-1) on Saturday and practically saying goodbye to the League with Barça seven points ahead with eight matchdays left in the championship, Bayern Munich deepened the wound by storming the Santiago Bernabéu (1-2) in the first leg of the Champions League quarter-finals. Luis Díaz, in the 41st minute, and Harry Kane, right at the start of the second half, were the goalscorers for the team led by Vincent Kompany, who failed to smell blood and allowed a team relying on Kylian Mbappé's inspiration, the scorer of the white goal, to leave alive.

After losing in Mallorca (2-1) on Saturday and practically saying goodbye to La Liga with Barça seven points behind with eight matchdays left in the championship, Bayern Munich deepened the wound by storming the Santiago Bernabéu (1-2) in the first leg of the Champions League quarter-finals. Luis Díaz, in the 41st minute, and Harry Kane, right at the start of the second half, were the goalscorers for the team managed by Vincent Kompany, who failed to seize the opportunity and let a team relying on the inspiration of Kylian Mbappé, scorer of the white goal, leave alive.

Real Madrid dropped three golden points in Mallorca (2-1) in another poor game from Álvaro Arbeloa's team. A goal from Muriqi in stoppage time canceled out the equalizer the whites had achieved a few minutes earlier and left Barça with a clear path, who currently have a four-point lead and can extend it tonight if they beat Atlético de Madrid at the Metropolitano.

Real Madrid projects an image of financial solidity that aligns with its results-based sporting DNA. However, if a detailed reading is made of the latest audited economic snapshot – at the midpoint of the 2025-26 financial year –, cracks are observed that call this narrative into question. Without denying its power as a global brand, on par with other football giants like Barça itself, PSG, or the Premier League titans, the institution led by Florentino Pérez has made available to its members documentation of 112 pages that raises some alarms.According to this latest update, the club presents a total liability of 1,780 million euros if the debt associated with the renovation of the Santiago Bernabéu is included, a stadium that is not yet finished and has requested three credit extensions so far. This is a significant magnitude that conditions Madrid's financial structure, although in comparison to Barça, which exceeds 2,500 million euros if ordinary gross debt and the credit operation to renovate the Camp Nou are added together, the absolute figure is lower than that of the Blaugrana.

Words are running out to describe this team. The Barça women's team has once again made history, both on and off the field. Pere Romeu's squad has gathered 60,067 people at the Camp Nou – an absolute record since returning to the stadium, for both men's and women's teams –, Alexia Putellas has reached 500 matches with the blaugrana jersey and, on the field, has once again thrashed – and crucified – Real Madrid, for the third time in a week. 6-0 at the end of 90 minutes in Barcelona and 12-2 on aggregate in the tie. Barça advances with a firm step to the semifinals for the eighth consecutive season and will face Bayern Munich.

“Alexia is Barça”. That is how Irene Paredes and Patri Guijarro – two of the captains – summarize Alexia Putellas. Almost 5,000 days after wearing the Barça jersey for the first time, the Mollet native has once again made history at the Camp Nou, where she has reached 500 games in the blaugrana shirt. This is yet another example of what a key player represents in the growth of the Catalan club. When Alexia debuted with Barça on August 24, 2012 – after playing for Espanyol and Levante to grow and establish herself in the First Division –, Barça had not yet played any Champions League matches, had just won their first league title – now they are on their way to their eleventh – and only had two Cups in their trophy cabinet – on May 16th, they could lift their twelfth.

Five points is what separates Barça from winning their seventh consecutive Liga F after beating them 0-3 at the Alfredo Di Stéfano stadium. Ona Batlle opened the scoring with a long-range shot that deflected off Rocío Gálvez and broke through the defensive wall set up by Madrid, and Alexia Putellas –with Barça's 100th goal against the white team– and an own goal sealed the match. Graham Hansen, who started after being a substitute on Wednesday, had a great game.

The gap between Barça and Real Madrid remains evident. The Blaugrana have secured their place in the Champions League quarterfinals after a resounding 6-2 victory at the Alfredo Di Stéfano Stadium, a result that brings back fond memories for the Catalan club in Madrid. Ewa Pajor – with a brace – Esmee Brugts, Irene Paredes, Vicky López, and Alexia Putellas sparked pandemonium in Madrid in a packed stadium. Linda Caicedo, with two goals, was the standout player for Real Madrid tonight, in a match played before more than 4,000 fans – some of them wearing Barça colors – who enjoyed a spectacular display of football, albeit not at the Santiago Bernabéu.

Kylian Mbappé has suffered a series of physical ailments this season, forcing him to miss important matches. After a period of absence and a gradual return, his knee injury has once again put the spotlight on Real Madrid's medical management. In fact, according to French journalist Daniel Riolo, the club's medical staff may have made an error in the initial diagnosis of the player's injury, delaying his recovery by analyzing images of his right knee when the injury was actually in his left.

Barça will open Camp Nou on Thursday, April 2nd (6:45 pm) for the Women's Champions League quarter-final. Chelsea will play at Stamford Bridge; Bayern Munich at the Allianz Arena; Arsenal at the Emirates Stadium; Manchester United at Old Trafford; Olympique Lyonnais at the Groupama Stadium; Wolfsburg at the Volkswagen Arena... and Real Madrid at the Alfredo Di Stéfano Stadium. This means that Real Madrid is the only team that will not open its main stadium for the Champions League quarter-finals. This is no surprise, as the team managed by Pau Quesada has never played at the Bernabéu since its creation in 2019, when it absorbed the modest Tacón. A year ago, midfielder Melanie Leupolz confessed on the podcast... Kicker FE:maleShe had spoken with Florentino Pérez. The German footballer explained that the Real Madrid president told the players he would open the Santiago Bernabéu stadium to the women's first team "when they win their first title."

More cards (5) than goals and assists (4). This sums up Franco Mastantuono's first season with Real Madrid. He's received all his bookings in the domestic league: four yellows and one red, the latter in the last match against Getafe, where Real Madrid lost 0-1, displaying a very poor level of play. Let us emergeNicknamed "El Mastantuono" in the locker room for his haircut resembling that of the American singer, he has yet to justify the €45 million price tag paid for him. The Argentine was even compared to Leo Messi, mainly because he plays in similar positions, is fast, good in one-on-one situations, and possesses a magical left foot. Qualities that have only been glimpsed at the Santiago Bernabéu. Those rumors from last summer, claiming PSG was in a race with Real Madrid to sign him, seem a distant memory. Despite making him a substantial financial offer, the Argentine opted to stay in Madrid. But those who appear to benefit most from the deal, aside from his former club River Plate, are the French-Qatari club, who dodged a poisoned dart. Mastantuono has not performed as expected, culminating in a red card on Monday. In the 94th minute, when referee Muñiz Ruiz blew his whistle for a foul in favor of Getafe, the Argentinian started shoutingWhat a fucking disgrace", according to the match report. Straight red card. Dissatisfied with the expulsion, he walked towards the tunnel, saying angrily."You can't talk to the referee! You can't talk to him. You son of a bitch! You son of a bitch!"," DAZN cameras caught. The regulations punish this action with a two-match suspension, meaning he will miss the matches against Celta and Elche.

Getafe, thanks to a stunning goal from Martín Satriano in the 39th minute, sent the Santiago Bernabéu into a frenzy, leaving the crowd both furious and resigned to another dismal performance from Real Madrid (0-1). The fans' faces throughout the second half were a picture of despair. Despite trailing and dominating possession, Real Madrid were a lackluster and ineffective side, unable to mount a comeback.

Barça now knows its path to the Champions League final, which this season will be held in Budapest on May 30. After narrowly missing out on last season's final in a heartbreaking tie against Inter Milan, the Catalan club will be looking to reach a European final again eleven years later. But to achieve this, they will first have to overcome Newcastle, another tough opponent. "It's a draw where we could have faced two very different teams, but both have their difficulties. Newcastle is a tough side, and it's a difficult ground where we've already struggled," said sporting director Deco from Switzerland.

May 11, 2025. The day that changed Víctor Muñoz's life (Barcelona, ​​2003). The former Barça and Real Madrid youth player was making his debut with the first team at Montjuïc in a Clásico. With the score 4-3 against them, Carlo Ancelotti brought him on in the 88th minute for the injured Vinícius. The winger had a clear chance – one-on-one with Szczęsny – to score the equalizer and become Madrid's hero, but he sent the ball wide. This sparked a wave of hateful comments on social media, with Real Madrid fans calling for his "retirement" and departure from the club, forcing Muñoz to disable comments on his Instagram. The young Barcelona native would get a few minutes against Sevilla and in the first two matches of the Club World Cup before leaving Madrid for Osasuna in mid-July.