La Liga

LAMINE YAMAL has made history after becoming the youngest ever goalscorer for the Spanish men’s national team. The teenage sensation has burst on to the scene this season with Barcelona – a driving factor behind Ansu Fati’s shock loan transfer to Brighton.
Lamine Yamal, right, became Spain’s youngest ever goalscorerCredit: EPA
Spain cruised to a 7-1 win over Georgia in their EURO 2024 qualifierCredit: AFP

The 16-year-old has already begun breaking records after becoming Spain’s youngest player and goalscorer during a 7-1 win over Georgia in their EURO 2024 qualifying clash.
Aged just 16 years and 57 days old, Yamal has pinched the record for youngest appearance off of Barca team-mate Gavi, who was 16 years and 62 days old.
The exciting winger entered the pitch in the 44th minute, replacing Dani Olmo.
And in the 74th minute Yamal completed the Spanish route of Georgia with an emphatically whipped strike into the far corner of the net.
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However, while the feat is undoubtedly impressive, fans were left even more stunned to see Chelsea flop Alvaro Morata bag a hat-trick.
Atletico Madrid ace Morata, 30, was handed the captain’s armband for the game and suitably responded by netting Spain’s first, fourth and fifth goals.
Taking to Twitter, one fan said: “In ten years people are going to look at this guys CV and think he was actually good.”
A second wrote: “Who let Morata score a hat-trick? 😂.”
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Chelsea flop Alvaro Morata stunned fans as he bagged a hat-trickCredit: AFP
“Like…what a player he is for his country,” remarked a third.
A fourth typed: “I never understood this guy. He’s either R9 or RL9… there’s no in-between!”
It takes his national team tally to 33 goals in 65 games.
Spain will play Cyprus in their next match on Tuesday 12 September. More

BARCELONA have opened a shop to sell tufts of grass from the pitch of the Nou Camp.The LaLiga giants are selling the grass as the pitch was dug up as part of the Nou Camp’s renovation work.
Barcelona have started selling tufts of grass from the Nou Camp pitchCredit: Twitter
Some items are going for £340Credit: Twitter
The Nou Camp is currently being renovatedCredit: FC Barcelona
The work on the iconic football stadium has been going on since the World Cup in Qatar.
As a way of lowering the costs, Barcelona have been selling parts of the pitch to fans and souvenir collectors.
The prices vary on different products with the cheapest going for between £17 and £42.
These versions are sold at the new pop-up stand, while some options on the club’s website would have set people back a massive £340.
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The most expensive item comes with the same amount of grass but it does include a frame and some details about the grounds.
Barcelona are currently dealing with financial issues with many fans suggesting that is the reason behind the shop opening.
One fan Tweeted: “A poverty franchise that has mortgaged its future so much that they have to resort to selling grass clippings to tourists…”
A second commented: “Barcelona have hit an all-time low. This is as pathetic as it gets.”
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A third said: “This is dumb, and yet I kinda love it.”
A fourth said: “How the mighty has fallen.”
A fifth declared: “Anything for a bit of cash.”
A sixth added: “Broke club selling anything at this point.”
While another joked: “Show me you’re broke without telling me.”
While the Nou Camp is being renovated Barcelona are playing their football at the Estadi Olímpic Lluís Companys.
They will play the entirety of the season at the ground in southwest Barcelona.
The stadium – which is the home of the Catalonia National football team – can seat up to 55,000 people. More

REAL MADRID legend Raul is in talks to take on his first senior management job.The iconic former Los Blancos striker, 46, became the B-team coach at the Bernabeu in 2019.
Legendary striker Raul could be set to leave Real Madrid B to take over as Villarreal managerCredit: Getty
He has ambitions eventually to take over as the first-team boss.
However, Raul appreciates he may need to leave for experience elsewhere in order to land the top job.
And now Marca report he is in talks with Villarreal over their vacant hot seat.
The Yellow Submarine sacked ex-Barcelona boss Quique Setien this week after a poor start to the season.
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Villarreal lost three of their opening four LaLiga games before the international break.
And ahead of their Europa League campaign getting underway against Rennes, Maccabi Haifa and Panathinaikos, they decided to make the change.
Now they have identified Raul as a suitable replacement for Setien.
It is understood Real Madrid have given Raul the green light to make the switch and step up to take charge of a first team for the first time.
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Villarreal have an experienced side with plenty of strong characters and veterans – something Setien struggled to cope with.
But former Spain forward Raul, who scored 323 goals for Real in 741 appearances, carries plenty of authority thanks to his exploits for club and country and appears keen for the challenge.
Raul was approached by Eintracht Frankfurt, Schalke, Espanyol and Leeds earlier this year but decided to stay put with Madrid’s ‘Castilla’ side.
He holds a strong relationship with Real Madrid head coach Carlo Ancelotti.
Both Ancelotti and Madrid are aware Raul wants the main job at some stage.
The Italian boss has been strongly linked with the Brazil job.
But he has no immediate plans to leave his role and Raul knows he cannot be guaranteed of his spot in the Bernabeu dugout just yet.
So he is willing to head elsewhere and build his experience before hopefully returning to open arms in the future.
Raul was a key member of the famous Galacticos era in the early 2000sCredit: Getty More

CRISTIANO RONALDO has told his fans they “don’t have to hate” longtime rival Lionel Messi.Widely regarded as all-time legends, the pair regularly faced each other in Spain’s LaLiga with Real Madrid and Barcelona.
Cristiano Ronaldo tells fans his rivalry with Messi is ‘gone’Credit: AFP
Messi and Ronaldo have had a longtime rivalry in the La LigaCredit: Reuters
The Portuguese superstar says his longtime rivalry with Messi is now “gone”, expressing his respect for the Argentine ace.
Ronaldo said: “I don’t see things like that, the rivalry is gone. It was good, spectators liked it.
“Those who like Cristiano Ronaldo don’t have to hate Messi and vice versa. We’ve done well, we have changed the history of football.
“We are respected all over the world, that’s the most important thing.”
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Between them, the record-breaking pair have won every piece of silverware the game has to offer.
Ronaldo who now plays for Al-Nassr is Real Madrid’s all-time record goalscorer with 451 goals in 438 appearances.
During his nine-year spell at Bernabeu, he won 16 trophies with the club including four Champions Leagues, two LaLiga titles and two Copas del Rey. 
Messi, who now plays for Inter Miami, holds Barcelona’s all-time records for goals and appearances, scoring 674 goals in 781 appearances.
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The 36-year-old won 35 trophies with the club, including 10 LaLiga titles, four Champions League trophies and the Copa del Rey seven times.
Ronaldo continued: “He’s followed his path and I have followed mine, regardless of playing outside of Europe.
“From what I’ve seen, he’s been doing well and so have I. The legacy lives on, but I don’t see the rivalry like that.
“We shared the stage many times, it was 15 years. I’m not saying we’re friends, I’ve never had dinner with him, but we’re professional colleagues and we respect each other.”
Either Ronaldo or Messi won the Ballon d’Or every year from 2008 to 2017 as the two competed for the title of the best footballer in the world.
However, five-time Ballon d’Or winner Ronaldo has been left off the shortlist for the first time in two decades, while Messi could win it for the eighth time.
Messi led his country to win the 2022 World Cup and a Copa America with Argentina.
Ronaldo has won a European Championship and a Nations League with Portugal.
The two have faced each other on the pitch 36 times – the last meeting was in January when Messi, then playing for Paris St-Germain, beat Ronaldo’s Riyadh All-Star XI 5-4 in a friendly. More

MASON Greenwood’s new boss has brushed off concerns over the “controversial” signing as he trains with his new team.The £75,000-a-week striker, 21, signed for the Spanish club just hours before the transfer window deadline closed on Friday.
Greenwood was unveiled by his new club on Tuesday nightCredit: Rex
A topless Greenwood took selfies with fans of the Spanish clubCredit: PA
Getafe have since released multiple videos of Greenwood being unveiled and training with his new teammates this week.
But the Spaniards have been slammed as “tone deaf” over the signing, which came just days after he “mutually agreed” with Manchester United to rebuild his career away from Old Trafford.
Getafe president Ruben Reyes has now claimed Greenwood’s arrival is “just the same” as the other signings made by the club.
He added: “We did what we do, sign players that are available to sign.
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“There is no need for us to handle anything. We have signed a footballer who is just the same as Diego Rico and Oscar Rodríguez, and that’s it.
“We have to do our job, and that’s what we focus on.”
Mr Reyes added: “We’re very excited with him. He was a player that we knew was out there. We worked on it, gathered information and bit by bit we saw that there could be a possibility.
“We spoke to his family, to his dad, to his people for a long time. We were able to convince him to come here, to trust in us. We’re satisfied.
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“He plays very free, as if he was on a school playground. He has a very high level. We dreamed that we could bring him here, and sometimes that gets fulfilled.”
Greenwood was seen posing for photographs with children and signing shirts as he was unveiled on Tuesday night.
He told a crowd of supporters: “I have been training for four or five months now so I am getting up to speed.
“I have been training with my team-mates and I feel quite good.
“We take one game at a time, I know the next home game is coming up soon, we are going to try and win it and do our best.”
The striker was today seen taking part in weighted exercises and using a resistance band alongside his teammates.
Getafe’s next game is at home to Osasuna on September 17.
However, it is highly unlikely that Greenwood is match fit, having not stepped onto the pitch since January last year.
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He was suspended by United following his arrest in October last year.
Charges of attempted rape, assault and coercive control were dropped by the Crown Prosecution Service in February following the withdrawal of a key witness.
Getafe president Ruben Reyes has spoken out on the signingCredit: Alamy
Getafe released more footage of Greenwood training todayCredit: Twitter
Clamouring fans reach out to high-five the striker as he emerged from a tunnel to be unveiledCredit: Instagram More

JUDE BELLINGHAM is being helped to Golden Boy glory… by Taylor Swift fans.The Real Madrid superstar is going head to head with Barcelona rival Alejandro Balde for the prestigious gong.
Taylor Swift has been on a huge world tourCredit: Getty
Jude Bellingham is battling to win European Golden BoyCredit: The Mega Agency
Swift’s army of fans are behind the England starCredit: Getty
According to Tribuna, Bellingham previously held 30 per cent of the public vote.
That is, until an old comment by Balde surfaced – helping Bellingham to shake off his competition.
The full-back is claimed to have said: “Do I like Taylor Swift? No, I don’t like her music.”
Spotting the comment, one fan wrote on Twitter: “Hey Swifties! we can’t let this Balde guy win the golden boy award Vote for Jude Bellingham here.”
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The tweet has since received nearly 7,000 retweets and 30,000 likes.
From 30 per cent of the vote, Bellingham is now claimed to have rocketed up to 89 per cent.
Should the England star win, it would not be just down to Swift’s army of fans.
The midfielder has had a sensational year, moving to Real Madrid in a £115million deal earlier this summer.
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He has gotten off to a blistering start to life in the Spanish capital, scoring five goals in his opening four games.
Most recently, he bagged a last-gasp winner against Getafe on Saturday, having shown earlier in the match that he would not be bullied by older pros.
The 20-year-old has now joined up with the England squad for matches against Ukraine and Scotland.

Swift, meanwhile, is on a record-smashing world tour.
The Eras Tour movie is projected to gross $100million (£80m) in its opening weekend.
She toured solidly from March to late-August, but will now have a break until a trio of shows in Brazil in November.
On Bellingham’s unlikely success with Swift fans, one social media user wrote: “Bellingham about to listen to all Taylor Swift Albums pre-game.”
A second tweeted: “Don’t mess with Taylor swift.”
While a third joked: “Power of the people.”
Alejandro Balde is not a Taylor Swift fanCredit: Getty
Swift, 33, toured solidly from March until last monthCredit: AFP More