La Liga

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

REAL MADRID legend Sergio Ramos has snubbed a move to the Saudi Pro League in favour of an emotional return to Sevilla.The Spaniard left Paris Saint-Germain as a free agent in June following a two-year stint at the Parc des Princes.
Ramos is set to join SevillaCredit: Getty
The defender kicked off his professional playing career with Sevilla in 2004Credit: EPA
He was heavily linked with a move to David Beckham’s Inter Miami throughout the summer transfer window, but a deal failed to materialise.
Besiktas also sent a proposal to him, but the two parties failed to agree personal terms.
And now Ramos is set to make an emotional return to his boyhood club.
According to transfer guru Fabrizio Romano, the 37-year-old has penned a one-year deal with Sevilla.
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The report also claims he rejected approaches from Saudi Arabia in favour of a return to Spain.
Al-Ittihad allegedly offered him £17.1million-a-year to join them, but the defender instead opted for a £855,000-a-year deal with Sevilla.

Ramos joined the Sevilla academy at the age of 10 in 1996 and made his first team debut eight years later.
He made 49 appearances during his first spell at the club before joining Real Madrid in 2005 for £23million – which was a record fee for a defender at the time.
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In 671 appearances for Los Blancos he scored 101 goals, won four Champions League titles and five La Liga titles.
After 16 years in Madrid, he left the Santiago Bernabeu in 2021 to join PSG in a free transfer.
Ramos was limited to just 13 appearances during his first season in France due to a series of injury issues, but he returned to full fitness last season. More