Tag: La Liga

AC Milan rescues Sergiño Dest from his Barcelona purgatory

The 21-year-old will join the Serie A champion on loan with an option to buy

Sergiño Dest has joined AC Milan on loan from Barcelona, the Italian club has announced.

The USMNT right back will join the Serie A champions on a season-long loan, with a €20 million purchase option at the end of the season that would see him sign a contract through 2027.

For Dest, a move away from Barcelona was badly needed after he was sidelined by head coach Xavi to begin the season.

When asked if Dest was an option at right back, Xavi said: “He knows what the situation is.”

With that message received loud and clear, the 21-year-old has opted to continue his career in Serie A after spending just over two seasons with Barcelona after joining from Ajax in 2020.

In Milan, Dest looks set to compete for minutes at right back with Alessandro Florenzi and Davide Calabria, though he has also shown the ability to play at left back.

[lawrence-related id=6745,6711,6691]

Real Madrid’s free-kick wall robots are terrifying, possibly sentient

They can jump when the ball is kicked, but can they also think and feel?

The future of soccer has arrived, and it’s terrifying.

Real Madrid posted a video on Twitter of its players practicing free kicks against faceless robotic mannequins who appear to have acquired sentience.

The humanoids were assembled for the ostensible purpose of replicating a wall of real human beings, programmed to jump when the ball is kicked and, perhaps, to think and feel and love as well.

Madrid’s players don’t seem intimidated by their robot counterparts, as Toni Kroos, Luka Modric, Eder Militao, and Dani Ceballos all hit perfect free kicks that clear their cyborg opponents and find the back of the net.

But Madrid would be wise to not upset the robots too much. We’ve all seen “The Terminator.”

[lawrence-related id=6658,6651,6612]

Let’s just pretend this Yunus Musah scorcher actually counted

It didn’t count on the scoreboard, but we all saw it happen

Yunus Musah scored an absolute rocket of a goal against Atlético Madrid, which was then cruelly taken away for a foul in the build-up after a VAR review.

The U.S. international thought he gave Valencia the lead midway through the first half, unleashing an absolute scorcher from long range that flew past Jan Oblak and kissed the near post on its way in.

But after the celebrations died down, the referee was called over to the monitor and spotted an infraction by Valencia’s Mouctar Diakhaby on João Félix.

No goal.

It would have been Musah’s first of the season and third career La Liga goal. After the 19-year-old scored one league goal in each of the past two seasons with Valencia, he appears poised to find the back of the net much more in 2022-23.

Watch Musah’s disallowed stunner

[lawrence-related id=6604,6498,6490]

Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang was assaulted by armed robbers in his home

At least four thieves broke into the striker’s home and forced him to open a safe that contained jewelry

Barcelona forward Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang was assaulted by armed robbers in his home in the early hours of Monday morning, according to multiple reports.

The club confirmed the incident to the Associated Press, and said that the forward and his wife were “doing well.”

According to a report from Spanish daily El País, at least four men broke into the home and threatened Aubameyang and his wife with guns, hitting Aubameyang and forcing him to open a safe that contained jewelry.

“We can confirm that the player was robbed by some assailants with weapons, threatening the occupants,” the Catalan government Interior Department press office confirmed to CNN.

The robbery at Aubameyang’s home came just two weeks after Barcelona striker Robert Lewandowski had a $70,000 watch stolen right outside of the club’s training ground.

[lawrence-related id=6612,6581,6391]

Robert Lewandowski scored an outrageous backheel goal against Valladolid

Robert Lewandowski at Barcelona is looking an awful lot like Robert Lewandowski at Bayern Munich.

Robert Lewandowski at Barcelona is looking an awful lot like Robert Lewandowski at Bayern Munich.

The prolific Polish forward scored two more goals for Barcelona on Sunday in a 4-0 win over Valladolid, his second straight brace for his new club.

It was Lewandowski’s second goal that will generate most of the headlines, though, as the striker produced an outrageous backheel when moving away from goal that flashed across the goalkeeper and into the back of the net.

After completing an offseason move from Bayern Munich, the 34-year-old now has four goals in his first three Barcelona matches.

Though it’s obviously early, that keeps Lewandowski on the blistering pace he set in his final season with Bayern, when he scored 50 goals in 46 total appearances.

Watch Lewandowski’s backheel goal vs. Valladolid

[lawrence-related id=6596,6581,6571]

Casemiro is joining Manchester United because Real Madrid has a plan

United was scrambling while Real Madrid was prepared to lose the Brazilian

Casemiro’s move to Manchester United is nearing completion after Carlo Ancelotti confirmed on Friday that the midfielder wants to leave Real Madrid.

“I talked to [Casemiro] this morning,” the Madrid head coach said. “He wants to try a new challenge, a new opportunity. I and the club understand it.

“With what he’s done at this club and the person he is, we have to respect it. There are talks right now, nothing is official, but he wants to leave.

“We wish him all the best in his next challenge.”

Losing one of, if not the best defensive midfielder in the world, would be a terrible blow for most clubs. At the very least, it would send many of them scrambling into the transfer market to find a replacement.

Not Madrid.

“Within the squad we have a replacement,” Ancelotti said. “[Aurélien] Tchouaméni has been signed for this position and at the moment he is one of the best midfielders on the market.

“There is also the option of [Toni] Kroos, who can play in this position, as he did the second year I was here. There is also [Eduardo] Camavinga.”

The midfield triumvirate of Casemiro, Kroos and Luka Modric has been exceptional for Madrid but with all three over 30, the club planned for the future by bringing in two of the top young midfielders in the world in Camavinga and Tchouaméni.

Manchester United didn’t have plan

In contrast, Manchester United has been scrambling to sign anyone and everyone possible as the transfer window enters its last two weeks.

After a disastrous start to the season, the Red Devils should, in theory, massively improve their central midfield with the addition of Casemiro.

But it will be costly.

The Brazilian will certainly help United, but his arrival is also a symptom of the club’s myopia.

Casemiro won’t hold any resale value. This is a win-now move for a team that still doesn’t appear to be in a great position to win a whole lot now.

Real Madrid, meanwhile, has been doing a lot of winning lately and even without Casemiro, that looks set to continue.

[lawrence-related id=6173,6225,6159]

Tecatito Corona to miss World Cup with injury in huge blow for Mexico

The 29-year-old was expected to start for Mexico in Qatar

Sevilla has announced that winger Jesús “Tecatito” Corona will miss 4-5 months with a broken fibula and a rupture of his ankle ligaments.

That timeframe will see the Mexico international miss the 2022 World Cup, dealing a major blow to El Tri’s prospects in Qatar.

Corona appeared in 13 of Mexico’s 14 World Cup qualifiers, starting 10 of those matches. He was projected to be a starter at the World Cup.

The 29-year-old debuted for Mexico in 2014 and has earned 67 caps to date, scoring 10 goals. He was also a part of Mexico’s roster for the 2018 World Cup.

With Corona out, Mexico head coach Gerardo “Tata” Martino could consider 18-year-old Arsenal winger Marcelo Flores, who is currently on loan with  Real Oviedo in the Spanish second division.

[lawrence-related id=6107,5910,5415]

How’s your first touch, Manuel Pellegrini?

The 68-year-old has still got it

Manuel Pellegrini has not played professional soccer since 1987, but his touch is still as clean as it ever was.

The Real Betis manager amazed spectators and his own players on Monday when he expertly took down a high clearance with a casual first touch on the sidelines.

Pellegrini has enjoyed a long coaching career that has taken him all over South America, as well as stops at Villarreal and Real Madrid in Spain, and Manchester City and West Ham in England. He has been Betis manager since 2020.

In addition to showing off his skills, the 68-year-old led Betis to a 3-0 win over Elche to kick off its La Liga campaign.

Watch Pellegrini’s amazing first touch

[lawrence-related id=6112,6102]

Barcelona keeps mashing the buttons and hoping it will all work out

This is a truly breathtaking combination of myopia and mismanagement

Barcelona’s summer of conscience-free transfer activity continues to descend into farce.

With four days to go until the club kicks off its La Liga season, Barcelona is facing the rather significant problem of still being unable to register any of its new signings.

Robert Lewandowski. Raphinha. Jules Koundé. Andreas Christensen. Franck Kessie. None of them will be able to play if the club doesn’t generate more income. Neither will Ousmane Dembele or Sergi Roberto, who renewed their contracts over the summer.

WATCH: La Liga is live on ESPN+!  Get ESPN+

Barcelona, which as a reminder is more than €1 billion in debt, has funded these signings by pulling on its so-called “levers” – essentially mortgaging the club’s future in exchange for an immediate injection of cash.

On Tuesday, Sport reported that Barcelona activated the fourth lever, selling 24.5 percent of Barca Studios to the GDA Luma investment fund for €100 million.

Will that be enough to register the club’s players? Incredibly, after the first three levers raised over a half billion euros, it seems not!

COPE says that Barcelona is still €60 million shy of its goal, even after longtime defender Gerard Piqué took another pay cut.

As the clock continues to tick, the Blaugrana are growing increasingly desperate.

The De Jong gambit

Barcelona has been trying to sell star midfielder Frenkie de Jong all summer in a bid to raise more cash.

With a sale still elusive, Barcelona appears to have found its most daring gambit yet: suing itself.

The Athletic reported this week that the club’s current board is prepared to take its previous board and the player to court, alleging that De Jong’s current deal was illegally constructed in its deferment of payments to later in the contract’s lifespan.

It’s all pretty routine stuff: One of the world’s most storied clubs selling off future revenue in a fire sale to fund a host of exorbitant and unnecessary player signings, all while threatening to sue current players and forcing others to take a pay cut.

And, as if to thumb its nose at the entire concept of rules, Barcelona is reportedly nearing another big-money signing in the form of Man City star Bernardo Silva.

La Liga kicks off on Saturday. Will there be a fifth lever? Will Barcelona sue its own player? Will it convert all its holdings into crypto? Will all the club’s major signings be forced to watch as the academy talent that probably should’ve been used this season anyway plays instead?

In this saga, it’s all on the table. Stay tuned!

[lawrence-related id=5813,5775,5737]

Barcelona continues ‘pulling the levers’ with €55m Jules Koundé signing

For a club in overwhelming debt, Barcelona sure can splash out the cash

Barcelona has announced an agreement with Sevilla over the transfer of France defender Jules Koundé.

All that remains for Koundé to officially join the Blaugrana is a medical and his contract being signed.

The 23-year-old had been heavily linked with a move to Chelsea, but Barcelona has managed to steal in at the last instant and seal a deal for one of Europe’s most highly rated young defenders.

Koundé’s arrival, reportedly for around €55 million, continues a busy summer for Barcelona, which has also signed Pablo Torre, Franck Kessie, Andreas Christensen, Raphinha and Robert Lewandowski.

But hold on. Isn’t Barcelona supposed to be, you know, massively in debt? Well, the answer is yes! So how can they pull these many signings off?

Barcelona pulling the ‘levers’

Bayern Munich head coach Julian Nagelsmann perhaps put it best this month after Barca had signed Lewandowski from his club.

“It is the only club in the world that have no money, but then buy all the players they want,” Nagelsmann said. “I don’t know how they do it. It’s a bit strange, a bit crazy.”

There is, however, a pretty simple explanation as to how Barcelona, which has over €1 billion in debts, can pay out so many high transfer fees.

Last month Barcelona’s members, who collectively own the club, voted to allow president Joan Laporta to activate what have become known as economic “levers,” essentially mortgaging the club’s future in exchange for a short-term injection of cash.

This summer, Barcelona has sold 25 percent of the club’s domestic TV rights for the next 25 years to American investment firm Sixth Street. Those sales have so far raised €582 million, enough to comfortably cover the club’s summer spending.

The club also has plans to sell 49.9% of its merchandising operation in the near future.

It is a clear risk for Barcelona but one the club felt was worth it after a season without any trophies. That will put even more pressure on the new signings, as well as the players still there, to deliver in 2022-23.

[lawrence-related id=5359,5316,5312]