Tag: Real Madrid

Ballon d’Or Rankings after Harry Kane conquers Der Klassiker
18Oct By Joe SorianoNo Comments
Rankings

Ballon d’Or Rankings after Harry Kane conquers Der Klassiker

Harry Kane scored the opener at the near post from a corner kick for Bayern Munich in the first half of Der Klassiker vs. Borussia Dortmund, but he saved his best moment for last with a David Beckham-esque long ball to the left for Luis Diaz, which eventually led to Jobe Bellingham's comedy of an error and Michael Olise's sliding winner. Bayern's 2-1 win over Dortmund came as a result of a team effort, but, once again, Kane was a star performer, drawing six fouls and even making a crunching slide tackle near his own penalty box in the waning minutes of the match. After Kane stepped up again for the Bavarian giants in their biggest home game of the Bundesliga season, let's take stock of where the England international ranks among the Ballon d'Or candidates. 5. Barcelona RW Lamine Yam...
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2025/26 LaLiga Power Rankings after Matchday 7
30Sep By Cody AcevedaNo Comments
Analysis, Rankings

2025/26 LaLiga Power Rankings after Matchday 7

LaLiga Matchday 7 saw Atlético Madrid destroy Real Madrid 5-2 in the Madrid Derby, Barcelona jump to the top of the table, and Elche stay undefeated with a 2-1 win over Celta Vigo. Let’s review these LaLiga Matchday 7 fixtures and rank teams ahead of Matchday 8.   20. Girona Girona managed to scrap out a 1-1 draw with Espanyol on Matchday 7 thanks to a five-save performance from goalkeeper Paulo Gazzaniga. The Argentine was the Blanquivermells man of the match, but the entire defense did their part, holding Espanyol to just 1.08 xG from 20 shots.  Offensively, though, Girona really struggled to convert solid opportunities. Of their seven shots in the box, they only managed to get one on target. They missed their only big chance of the game. Results like this draw are why I think Giron...
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Real Madrid Player Ratings vs. Atletico: Even Kylian Mbappe can’t save the day
27Sep By Joe SorianoNo Comments
Player Ratings

Real Madrid Player Ratings vs. Atletico: Even Kylian Mbappe can’t save the day

Despite being torn apart by Atletico Madrid for the first 45 minutes at the Wanda Metropolitano, Atleti's missed opportunities combined with Real Madrid's incredible finishing from superstars Kylian Mbappe and Arda Guler meant that Real actually held the 2-1 lead heading into half time. However, it all fell apart for Real Madrid in the second half, as they surrendered four unanswered goals to lose their first game of the 2025/26 La Liga season, falling to Atletico Madrid for the first time in years. Atleti's 5-2 win was the result of suffocating second half defense and clear superiority on set pieces, as Real Madrid manager Xabi Alonso clearly didn't do his homework on how to stop Atleti on corner kicks, knowing full well that Real have been horrible in this area for years. It was...
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2025/26 LaLiga picks, score predictions for every Matchday 7 fixture
25Sep By Cody AcevedaNo Comments
Analysis

2025/26 LaLiga picks, score predictions for every Matchday 7 fixture

LaLiga had a full set of matches during the week, but the action doesn’t ever stop in Spain. The games pick right back up this weekend, with big matchups like Atlético Madrid vs. Real Madrid, Villarreal vs. Athletic Club, and Barcelona vs. Real Sociedad. Here are my LaLiga picks and score predictions for these matches and every other Matchday 7 fixture.  Girona vs. Espanyol Estadi Municipal de Montilivi, 9:00pm CEST (3:00pm ET), Friday, September 26 Girona unexpectedly found themselves in the relegation fight last season. This year, they look on track to actually go down. The Catalan club have lost four of their six LaLiga matches so far — all of which were by two goals or more. However, they managed to scrape out a 1-1 draw with Athletic Club in Matchday 6.  Espanyol finished just t...
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Every La Liga club’s most overpaid player in the 2025/26 season
21Sep By Joe SorianoNo Comments
Analysis

Every La Liga club’s most overpaid player in the 2025/26 season

La Liga may not have the same figures thrown around or as much money involved as the Premier League, but when you look across the landscape of the Spanish top flight, you'll still find plenty of contracts and wage figures. Using data provided by FBRef.com, let's take a look at the most overpaid player on every La Liga team for the 2025/26 season. Girona Why on earth Girona signed Axel Witsel remains a mystery. I get the idea of a club worried about relegation signing veteran players, but Witsel hasn't been a starting-caliber player in ages and was a disaster for Atletico Madrid. At 4.16 million euros per season, Witsel is Girona's highest-paid player and is 36 years old. He has no real, defined position in 2025/26, and while he was once a top defensive midfielder at the Champions L...
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Every 2025/26 Champions League contender’s biggest X-Factor
20Sep By Joe SorianoNo Comments
Analysis

Every 2025/26 Champions League contender’s biggest X-Factor

The Champions League is the time for all the brightest stars to come out and write their legacies in leading their clubs to victory, as the biggest legends of the modern game like Cristiano Ronaldo, Lionel Messi, Neymar, Sergio Ramos, Luka Modric, Didier Drogba, Frank Lampard, Xavi, Andres Iniesta, Toni Kroos, and so many others have taken the opportunity to etch their names in history with remarkable Champions League campaigns. But Champions Leagues are also just as much about the X-Factors who step up in key moments or have career years to defy expectations. This is where the Alvaro Moratas, the Francesco Acerbis, and the John Stoneses of the world make their mark. Who could be the biggest X-Factors in the 2025/26 Champions League campaign? Here are eight players to watch from the ...
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2025/26 Ballon d’Or Power Rankings after Matchday 1 of the Champions League
20Sep By Joe SorianoNo Comments
Rankings

2025/26 Ballon d’Or Power Rankings after Matchday 1 of the Champions League

Even though we haven't learned who the official Ballon d'Or winner of the 2024/25 season is as Lamine Yamal and Ousmane Demebele fight for the award, all of the European leagues have played at least three games domestically and the first Matchday of the 2025/26 Champions League is already completed. So now is a good time to start the Ballon d'Or Power Rankings as an early barometer of the season to come for key individuals and breakout stars in European football this season. Since it's extremely difficult for defensive players to carry the team, go above and beyond, and capture the imagination of fans and the voters, this list is heavily skewed towards attacking players. You'll also find no players from Ligue 1 or the Premier League in this top 10. There's no bias in these leagues...
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La Liga Power Rankings: Picking the top 6 after Matchday 4
15Sep By Joe SorianoNo Comments
Rankings

La Liga Power Rankings: Picking the top 6 after Matchday 4

With four matches in the bag, let's take a look at the updated La Liga Power Rankings after Real Madrid won their fourth in a row and Atletico Madrid outlasted Villarreal in a marquee matchup. Note that power rankings are weighed heavily on form, so this is a combination of predicted the best teams in the future and honoring the teams that have truly been the best through four games in the 2025/26 season so far. 6. Real Betis One of two teams with five matches played in the La Liga season, Real Betis are only 10th in the table despite this advantage, because they've only won one game this season, which was a 1-0 victory over Deportivo Alaves. So it's been a disappointing start to the campaign for a perennial European side, and the Conference League Finalists are going to need more ...
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2026 World Cup Predictions: An early ranking of the top 5 projected Golden Boot winners
6Sep By Joe SorianoNo Comments
Analysis

2026 World Cup Predictions: An early ranking of the top 5 projected Golden Boot winners

Since the 2026 World Cup qualifying matches are ongoing and it is now less than a full calendar year before the World Cup in North America begins, it's more than fair game to start an early preview of what we can expect at next year's World Cup tournament. There are few players who make more headlines on the international stage than the superstars scoring the goals, so from regulars at the top of the scoring charts to new stars around world football, let's take a look at an early projection of the top five Golden Boot candidates at the next World Cup. 5. Brazil RW Estevao Willian Estevao Willian has been scoring wondergoals for years, even though he's still just 18 years of age, and the new Chelsea arrival has been arguably even better than advertised - and Chelsea fans were already h...
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Champions League Power Rankings: The 10 best managers for the 2025/26 season
30Aug By Joe SorianoNo Comments
Rankings

Champions League Power Rankings: The 10 best managers for the 2025/26 season

The 2025/26 Champions League draw for the league phase is set, with the matches to begin next month in mid-September, and it's anyone's guess as to how this year's tournament will ultimately play out. Obviously, the players are the one who play the game, but the spotlight has become increasingly focused on the manager, and there's no one style that makes someone successful in the Champions League. Carlo Ancelotti won two of the last four Champions League titles on chaos, Pep Guardiola won one on structure while embracing the virtues of a free-scoring No. 9 in Erling Haaland, and Luis Enrique finally brought the big one to Paris by embracing a more team-oriented playing style without Kylian Mbappe. It's not easy ranking managers at baseline, but ranking them from different leagues ...
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