La Liga

JUDE BELLINGHAM was hailed as a “fantastic example” after he went above and beyond for one Real Madrid fan. The 20-year-old superstar left Borussia Dortmund this summer to join Real Madrid for £115m.
Jude Bellingham has been praised for being so attentive to supporters
The superstar is a favourite among the Real Madrid fanbaseCredit: Getty
And Bellingham has not looked back since after firing in 11 goals in 12 games for his new club.
But where he has really impressed those at the club is his mature personality and his willingness to learn Spanish. 
And Bellingham made sure he left the training ground having done some good, by interacting with the Madrid supporters crowding his vehicle.
The England star stopped to sign shirts from the passenger seat of his mother’s car, and spent time ensuring that he spelt one fan’s name correctly.
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In the heart-warming clip, Bellingham struggles with the Spanish alphabet, as the female supporter begins spelling it out letter by letter.
Footie fans were quick to react to the Read Madrid man’s actions with one saying: “Class.”
Another wrote: “What a fantastic example of a young man.”
And another said: “Respect Jude. He has a lot of respect.”
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A third fan added: “Not only is he a great footballer, he also has the patience of a saint.”
A fourth declared: “The patience Jude has really shows the type of bloke he is.”
As has been historically documented, there is a necessity to find both your feet and tongue in La Liga.
Foreign players are expected to learn the language and culture at the Bernabeu.
Just ask Gareth Bale, Steve McManaman and Eden Hazard – who all faced gruelling criticisms for their perceived lack of effort.
Bale – who did learn Spanish over his nine years in Spain – was routinely demonised by fans about his linguistic abilities.
But Bellingham is not expected to face such scrutiny, after his defiant and effortless start to life at Real Madrid has made him a hero among fans.
With Spanish media outlet Diario AS’ front page hailing him, “The New Boss of the Bernabeu”. More

SPANISH STAR Jonathan Viera’s partner has been suffering with a tumour, it has been revealed.The Las Palmas captain has been the subject of much speculation in Spain in recent weeks.
Jonathan Viera skippers Las Palmas in LaLigaCredit: 2023 Quality Sport Images
Viera, 34, shared this snap to InstagramCredit: Instagram @jonathanvieraramos21
He was left out of their starting XI for matches against Celta Vigo and Villarreal, before being omitted entirely against Rayo Vallecano.
Viera, 34, had hinted that there “wasn’t long left” for him in football.
While Las Palmas club president Miguel Angel Ramirez claimed that Viera had earned the right to retire whenever he pleased.
According to AS, his partner claimed on social media that a tumour had been detected on her uterus.
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The tumour was subsequently removed “right on time”.
Viera then posted a picture of himself with his partner, captioning it: “Always like this with a smile, That was always our best weapon.
“I love you.”
Footballers Kirian Rodriguez, Vitolo Machin, Alvaro Jimenez, Raul Navas, Oscar Pinchi and Oscar Clemente all commented with supportive messages.
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Viera joined Las Palmas in 2015 from Club Brugge, initially staying for three years before moving to Beijing Gouan.
He stayed in China for three years, later returning to Las Palmas in 2021.
The attacking midfielder has made 265 appearances in total for the Gran Canaria club, scoring 77 goals and laying on 50 assists. More

GARY LINEKER was shocked when he joined Barcelona and found out the team would drink wine pre-match.The former England striker played for the Catalan giants from 1986 to 1989.
Gary Lineker was allowed to drink wine just hours before a big game at BarcelonaCredit: Getty
And when Lineker arrived from Everton, he was left stunned by the Spanish drinking culture.
The 62-year-old revealed that players would sit on tables of four and finish a bottle of wine the night before and again in the afternoon with lunch prior to going out at the Nou Camp.
He told the Rest is Football podcast: “I remember we went down, me and Mark Hughes, and we sat at the table, saying: ‘There’s wine on the table, that’s a bit weird’.
“It was the same routine every match. There was a salad put on the table, one of the players would mix that salad with olive oil, vinegar and salt.
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“Then we would get our pre-match meal and you’d finish off the bottle between the four of you.
“Hughes and myself just thought ‘imagine this at home’.
“But the reasoning for it is that you’d have a glass-and-a-half each, then you’d have a two or three hour siesta because in those days the earliest you’d play would be five o’clock or later.
“We just could not believe it. It can’t still be a thing now, I don’t imagine it is.”
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Alan Shearer then joked: “I’d imagine half of my Newcastle team having a glass of wine with a pre-match meal – there’s no way they are staying at one glass.
“Honestly, half the time they would have been p***ed.”
Micah Richards also chimed in to say he did similar during his spell with Fiorentina.
He was with the Italian side from 2014 to 2015 and revealed that the whole team would go for a glass of wine in the afternoon following a training session, with the players’ Wags even allowed to join them.
And the night before a match he was also allowed to have a sip of booze.
Richards said: “The lifestyle is completely different to what we are used to and it opened up my eyes.
“People all ask me: ‘Why are you always so happy?’ Now I know how to enjoy life to the max.”
The ex-Manchester City defender, 35, said: “I don’t tell lies, if I was on the bench I was having a bottle to myself.”
Gary Lineker played for Barcelona for three seasonsCredit: Getty
Micah Richards spent one season at FiorentinaCredit: Getty More

BARCELONA wonderkid Marc Guiu made his dream come true after scoring just 33 seconds into his debut for the club.The 17-year-old made his family proud as they watched on from the stands.

Marc Guiu’s mother burst into tears after his goalCredit: X @postunited
His father applauded proudly as he beamed from ear to ear
Guiu described his debut goal as ‘unimaginable’Credit: EPA
The striker scored just 33 seconds after coming on against Athletic BilbaoCredit: Getty
His mother burst into tears of joy while his dad triumphantly applauded – both in shock at what they had witnessed.
Guiu was brought on in the 79th minute with Barcelona in search of a winner against Athletic Bilbao.
Moments later, a slick passing move put Guiu through on goal and he showed brilliant composure to find the back of the net.
The goalkeeper rushed out to close down the space available to the youngster, who could have squared to Ferran Torres for a tap-in.
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But he saw his chance to fulfill a dream of scoring on his debut, and with his first touches of the match he brought the ball under control before firing past the keeper.
Barca stars Robert Lewandowski and Frenkie de Jong also cheered on from the stands – both had huge smiles on their faces after watching Guiu’s winner in the narrow 1-0 victory.
Guiu’s strike means he is the youngest player to score for Barcelona on his debut in LaLiga this century.
He described his debut as “unimaginable” and was still in shock at what he achieved when interviewed after the match.
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INCREDIBLE!! 🤩It’s a fairytale start to life in LaLiga for 17-year-old Marc Guiu who scores 30 seconds into his Barcelona debut! 🔥He was born in 2006… 👀 pic.twitter.com/1YmZHKTfbT— ITV Football (@itvfootball) October 22, 2023

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Guiu told Esports 3: “I can’t believe it. I’m out of breath, enjoying the moment.
“This is unimaginable. I’ve been working all my life to take advantage of opportunities and it’s come to me.
“Joao Felix controlled the ball, I saw that there was space behind the defence, he gave it to me and I beat Unai Simon.
“It’s an honour to have scored a goal against a goalkeeper of his calibre.” More

MOST football fans and players dream of one day representing Real Madrid. And for Juanfran Moreno even just donning the shirt once was enough to feel like he’d seen his dreams become a reality.
Juanfran Moreno has retired at the age of 35, but is happy to have lived his dream of playing for Real MadridCredit: Getty
Juanfran has recalled playing alongside Cristiano RonaldoCredit: AFP – Getty
The 35-year-old full-back has called an end to his career after spells with Real Betis, Alanyaspor and Getafe.
But it’s his singular La Liga appearance for the Real Madrid first team that he treasures so highly when looking back on his time on the pitch.
The Spaniard played 138 times for Real’s B team, Real Madrid Castilla, before earning a spot alongside Europe’s best players at the Santiago Bernabeu.
Speaking to Marca, Juanfran recalled the “dream” of being called up to train with the first team.
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He said: “I saw that it was an opportunity to enjoy the players that Real Madrid had, Raúl, Guti, Cristiano [Ronaldo], [Karim] Benzema… It was a dream.
“I took it as the opportunity of my life, it was incredible and I stayed training with them until the end of the season.”
But training with players of that quality was a reality check for Juanfran who immediately knew he was out of his depth.
“It makes you dizzy. You know you’re not at that level. For me it was unforgettable, it was like a title.” He explained.
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Juanfran made 138 appearances for Real Madrid CastillaCredit: Getty
The Madrid born defender made his debut for Los Blancos during a 3-2 win over Osasuna in 2010.
And gracing the same pitch as Cristiano Ronaldo was something he won’t forget in a hurry.
The retired pro recalled Ronaldo’s stunning 89th minute winner, he said: “I went in because we needed an offensive change and it was won with a magic jump of Cristiano. I still have a photo there with [Sergio] Ramos and Cristiano. It was unforgettable.”
Juanfran ultimately left Real Madrid in 2013 in favour of regular first team football at Betis.
Some 47 appearances later and he earned himself a move to Watford, but things didn’t work out as he would have hoped.
Despite spending three years with The Hornets, he never played a single game for them.
Instead he was sent back to Spain on loan for three consecutive seasons at Deportivo de La Coruña before making a permanent switch in 2017.
Juanfran was loaned out to Deportivo three seasons in a rowCredit: Getty – Contributor More