Real Madrid and Vini Jr.'s boycott of the Ballon d'Or was a surprise, but as the event shows, it's only as important as we make it and for players who are born competitors, it definitely matters.
Vinícius Júnior's Real Madrid and Brazil teammates have backed the star forward after he lost out to Manchester City's Rodri in the race to win the 2024 men's Ballon d'Or.
Manchester City midfielder Rodri has been awarded the Ballon d'Or after a stellar season that saw him pick up silverware with both club and country.
Barcelona forward Lamine Yamal became the youngest ever winner of the Kopa Trophy at Monday's Ballon d'Or ceremony in Paris, an award which recognises the best U21 player in men's football.
Barcelona and Hansi Flick humbled their Clasico rivals, Man United finally moved on from Erik Ten Hag, and Arsenal 2-2 Liverpool delivered plenty to talk about. Gab Marcotti recaps the weekend.
Vinícius Júnior and his Real Madrid teammates will not travel to Paris for the Ballon d'Or ceremony on Monday, sources told ESPN, because they believe Manchester City midfielder Rodri will receive the award.
Kylian Mbappé is suffering in the shadow of Ronaldo and Messi, two legends who have raised expectations of what other top stars are capable of doing.
Cole Palmer remains on top form for Chelsea as Juventus and Inter share a point in an 4-4 thriller. That and more in our Weekend Review.
Atletico Madrid lost 1-0 away to Real Betis on Sunday after defender Jose Maria Gimenez scored an own goal to end their unbeaten run in LaLiga.
Vinícius Júnior has condemned racist insults aimed at Barcelona's players by fans during El Clásico as "terrible" after LaLiga said it was reporting the incident to police and hate crime prosecutors.
Marc Casadó is only 21 and has started just seven LaLiga games, but his performance in El Clásico showed a maturity beyond his first-team experience.
Real Madrid's Kylian Mbappé was caught offside a career-high eight times against Barcelona on Saturday -- matching the highest total for any player in a LaLiga game in the last 15 years.
Real Madrid coach Carlo Ancelotti was unhappy with how Barcelona's bench celebrated their fourth goal after seeing his side beaten 4-0 in Saturday's Clásico at the Santiago Bernabéu.
Kylian Mbappé set a dubious new record in El Clásico as Real Madrid were trounced by a superior Barcelona side.
| TEAM | GP | W | D | L | GD | P |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Barcelona | 11 | 10 | 0 | 1 | +27 | 30 |
| Real Madrid | 11 | 7 | 3 | 1 | +10 | 24 |
| Villarreal | 11 | 6 | 3 | 2 | +1 | 21 |
| Atlético Madrid | 11 | 5 | 5 | 1 | +9 | 20 |
| Athletic Club | 11 | 5 | 3 | 3 | +6 | 18 |
| Real Betis | 11 | 5 | 3 | 3 | +2 | 18 |
| Mallorca | 11 | 5 | 3 | 3 | +2 | 18 |
| Osasuna | 11 | 5 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 18 |
| Rayo Vallecano | 11 | 4 | 4 | 3 | +2 | 16 |
| Sevilla | 11 | 4 | 3 | 4 | -3 | 15 |
| Celta Vigo | 11 | 4 | 1 | 6 | -3 | 13 |
| Real Sociedad | 11 | 3 | 3 | 5 | -2 | 12 |
| Girona | 11 | 3 | 3 | 5 | -3 | 12 |
| Leganés | 11 | 2 | 5 | 4 | -3 | 11 |
| Getafe | 11 | 1 | 7 | 3 | -1 | 10 |
| Alavés | 11 | 3 | 1 | 7 | -6 | 10 |
| Espanyol | 11 | 3 | 1 | 7 | -9 | 10 |
| Las Palmas | 11 | 2 | 3 | 6 | -6 | 9 |
| Real Valladolid | 11 | 2 | 2 | 7 | -14 | 8 |
| Valencia | 11 | 1 | 4 | 6 | -9 | 7 |
