RACING 0-3 REAL MADRID | JOSE MOURINHO PRESS CONFERENCE | ENGLISH DUB

JOSE MOURINHO PRESS CONFERENCE | RACING 0-3 REAL MADRID

 

REAL MADRID APOLOGISES TO CHINA OVER MBAPPÉ'S MAO ZEDONG COMMENTS

Real Madrid apologised to the Chinese people on Wednesday after star striker Kylian Mbappé sparked a furious backlash over comments referring to the founding leader of Communist China as a dictator. The club's apology came a day after Mbappé and Spain's La Liga football championship expressed regret over the remarks. 

Kylian Mbappé has been shut out of Chinese social media Weibo after he joked about Mao Zedong. © Jade Gao, AFP

Real Madrid apologised to China on Wednesday for Kylian Mbappé's comments poking fun at Mao Zedong, after the star striker's remarks sparked a social media storm and saw Spanish football yanked off state TV.

Mocking former leader Mao – blamed by historians for millions of deaths – is taboo in China, and Mbappé's remarks saw him become the latest foreign sports figure to anger Beijing.

Mbappé's China faux pas: When the sports world collides with the complexities of geopolitics

 In a clip of a video interview with French show "The Bridge" – since taken down – Mbappé talked about being amused by an internet meme of his face photoshopped onto "some guy, think he's a Chinese dictator", an apparent reference to Mao.

Real Madrid "wishes to express its apologies to the Chinese people for any offence caused by the recent remarks of our player Kylian Mbappé", the club said in a statement.

"The club joins in the public apology issued by Kylian Mbappé, in which the player himself expressed his regret for his words and reiterated his respect for the Chinese people," the 15-time European champions said.

The statement came a day after Mbappé issued his own apology, in French, Chinese and English, saying: "My comment was ill-judged and I now understand that it hurt many people in China and in Chinese communities around the world."

Foreign ministry spokesman Guo Jiakun told a regular briefing on Wednesday: "We take seriously the apology the individual concerned has made."

La Liga, which saw the broadcast of its matches suspended in China, said Tuesday it "deeply regrets the offence that Kylian Mbappé's recent comments have caused among Chinese fans".

Earlier, the state-run Global Times said in an editorial that it was "not difficult to see that the club's longstanding tolerance of such behavior has contributed to Mbappé's latest offensive remarks".

Chinese beverage giant Dongpeng, which during this year's World Cup ran adverts with AI-generated images of Mbappé, said Tuesday it had scrapped its partnership with the player, as did dairy firms Mengniu and Milkground.

CMG, which oversees public broadcaster CCTV, said it had decided to suspend broadcasts of La Liga, the world's second-richest football league after England's Premier League.

Mbappé, 27, continued to face a torrent of criticism from Chinese web users on Wednesday, some of it racist.

"His remarks were hurtful toward China and the Chinese people, so they cannot be translated," wrote one user on social media platform Weibo.

Mbappé's original joke about Mao was not reposted – or had been scrubbed – from China's tightly controlled social media.

Chinese social media app Xiaohongshu had meanwhile frozen Mbappé's account, where he has over a million followers.

The same was done on the Weibo app, with a notice stating that "the user has been banned from following due to violating laws or the Weibo Community Convention".

Some Chinese media reports said global brands like Dior and Hublot had removed their Mbappé-related content on Weibo.

An AFP search on Dior and Hublot's Weibo page with Mbappé's Chinese name produced no results.

'Respect history'

Offline too the Mbappé brand appeared to be under threat.

People walk past a bus featuring French football star Kylian Mbappe © Jade GAO / AFP

When AFP visited the Adidas flagship store in Beijing's Sanlitun shopping district, Real Madrid shirts were available for sale, but none bearing the striker's name.

Chinese state media have previously praised Mbappe as a "footballing sensation" and "talent".

His face is plastered on billboards, on soft drinks and across social media.

Mbappé is sometimes affectionately referred to as "Guigui", meaning "turtle" in Chinese, for his resemblance to a character from the "Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles" movie.

Other major overseas sports leagues have previously angered China.

China suspended sponsorship deals with the NBA while the state broadcaster pulled NBA games off Chinese television for a year in October 2019.

This followed Houston Rockets executive Daryl Morey tweeting "Fight for freedom, stand with Hong Kong", referring to protests Beijing called separatist and seditious.

"Respecting the history, culture, social customs and national sentiments of others is a fundamental principle for cross-border interaction, a standard of conduct widely upheld by the international community," the official People's Daily newspaper said in an opinion piece.

- FRANCE 24 with AFP

REAL MADRID SUPERSTAR OUTPERFORMED ENTIRE BARCELONA MIDFIELD IN ONE KEY STATISTIC DURING EL CLASICO

Photo by David Ramos/Getty Images

Real Madrid went to the Spotify Camp Nou and played their best game of the season, securing a 2-1 victory and taking all three points from Barcelona.

Jose Mourinho got the starting XI spot on, with the tactics working beautifully to nullify the Catalans from playing their natural game.

Midfielder Jude Bellingham delivered an outstanding physical performance against Barcelona on Sunday, winning more individual duels than the Catalans’ entire midfield combined.

The England international won an impressive 13 duels, compared to just nine collectively managed by Barcelona’s midfielders.

Bellingham dominates the midfield battle

Bellingham’s tally was the second-highest number of duels won by any player in a single La Liga match this season.

The statistic underlines his influence in a fiercely contested encounter, where Madrid’s ability to compete physically proved an important part of their performance.

Jude Bellingham outperformed the entire Barcelona midfield. (Photo by David Ramos/Getty Images)

While Bellingham is widely recognised for his attacking movement and technical ability, his contribution without the ball deserves equal attention.

Winning 13 duels against Barcelona reflects his willingness to engage in challenges and come out on top more often than not.

Such intensity is particularly valuable for Jose Mourinho in matches where controlling space and limiting the opponent’s passing combinations are essential.

The comparison with Barcelona’s midfield is especially striking given the Catalans’ reputation for dominating central areas through possession and intelligent movement.

Bellingham gives Madrid another dimension

Real Madrid’s midfield used their physical prowess to overwhelm Barcelona in that area, and Bellingham had one of his best games of the season.

His ability to combine defensive aggression with attacking involvement makes him a difficult opponent to contain.

Against Barcelona, Bellingham was not just stupendous off the ball, but he also produced an excellent piece of skill that set up Madrid’s winning goal on the night.

Jude Bellingham outperformed the entire Barcelona midfield. (Photo by David Ramos/Getty Images)

While the number of duels he won cannot define his performance as a whole, winning more challenges than an entire midfield is not something that happens often.

The entire Madrid team looked completely switched on and were perfectly coached to nullify Barça, and Bellingham was spearheading it all.

With Los Blancos securing an important victory over their biggest rivals, the Englishman’s contribution deserves recognition.

Bellingham and Madrid have now closed the gap to Barça to just three points, and it remains to be seen whether they can use this momentum in the coming weeks.

- Pranav Kannan

FULL REACTION TO REAL MADRID EL CLASICO WIN OVER BARCELONA | MAN UNITED LISE AGAIN | ESPN FC

 

GETAFE CF 1-1 RAYO VELLECANO | HIGHLIGHTS | LA LIGA

 

REAL MADRID 4-1 SEVILLA | ENGLISH DUB | POST-MATCH PRESS CONFERENCE

 

ATLETICO MADRID BEAT REAL MADRID IN TENSE DERBY CLASH

Madrid (AFP) – Atletico Madrid edged 10-man Real Madrid 2-1 in a La Liga derby clash on Sunday to leave Jose Mourinho's side trailing leaders Barcelona by six points.

Grimaldo celebrates his goal. 

OSCAR DEL POZO / AFP

Dean Huijsen was sent off early in the second half for Los Blancos before Alejandro Grimaldo and Jonathan David's goals earned Diego Simeone's Atletico victory, with Antonio Rudiger pulling one back late on.

Atletico rose to second, five points behind Barca and one ahead of Real Madrid, who chalked up a second defeat of the campaign.

The game hinged on Huijsen's red card early in the second period, for pulling down Giuliano Simeone in the box which led to a penalty, tucked away by Grimaldo to set Atletico on their way.

Real Madrid were unhappy about challenges from Cristian Romero and Lee Kang-in in the first half which Mourinho said should have been red cards.

"They were two clear red cards... the difficulty we had after (Huijsen's red) with 11 (players) against 10, well imagine 50 minutes with 11 against nine," Mourinho grumbled.

"There are no miracles in football," he continued. "11 against nine, well we can imagine how that would have finished."

Atletico midfielder Koke said the victory proved his side are capable of winning trophies.

"We can compete against every team if we give 100 percent," explained Koke.

"(Real) Madrid are one of the best in the world and today we showed that."

Mourinho started with Aurelien Tchouameni in midfield over Bernardo Silva, opting for defensive clout over creativity.

There was more tension than footballing quality in the first half, with neither side capable of creating any clear chances.

The main talking point was an incident between Jude Bellingham and Atletico defender Romero.

The England international threw himself into a tackle and Romero trod on his leg, with Bellingham booked initially, but after a VAR review the referee removed the card and issued it to the Atletico man.

Madrid were also unhappy with a heavy tackle by Lee on Federico Valverde, which went unpunished just before half-time.

It was a scrappy battle, intense but lacking excitement comparative to the star power on the pitch, especially in Madrid's front line, with Vinicius Junior, Kylian Mbappe and Bellingham kept quiet.

Pivotal moment

The game burst into life early in the second half when Huijsen pulled back Giuliano Simeone's arm as the forward ran through on goal and Atletico were awarded a penalty.

Huijsen was dismissed after a VAR review and Grimaldo beat Madrid goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois from the penalty spot.

Mourinho reacted immediately by replacing the underwhelming Vinicius and Arda Guler and sending on club record signing Yan Diomande and Rudiger.

It was Atletico who struck next, though, with Canada international David tucking away Giuliano Simeone's raking low cross on 59 minutes for his third goal in three matches.

The hosts came close to getting a third but Courtois made an excellent save to deny Julian Alvarez and Ibrahima Konate reacted brilliantly to head Grimaldo's effort from the rebound off the line.

Atletico goalkeeper Jan Oblak saved from Diomande and Bellingham rowed with Giuliano Simeone as Madrid's frustrations showed, impotent to change the course of the game.

Madrid pulled a goal back in the final stages with Rudiger heading Bernardo Silva's cross past Oblak. However, it was too little too late for Mourinho's side.

"It wasn't a clean sheet, which is a shame, we had quite a good game but we left them a chance," said Oblak.

"It was important to win, but La Liga is very long."

- AFP

REAL MADRID 4-1 REAL VALLECANO | ENGLISH-DUB | POST-MATCH ANALYSIS

 

VINICIUS JR AGREEMENT CONFIRMES AS DECISION BETWEEN ARSENAL, REAL MADRID MADE

Vinicius Junior has reached an agreement, with Arsenal and Real Madrid learning who the Brazil superstar will play for next season, according to a report.

On the back of lifting their first Premier League title in over two decades, Arsenal sought to attack the transfer market to help launch a dynasty.

Bruno Guimarães is arriving to the tune of £75m and the Brazilian has passed a medical. Personal terms are already sealed.

However, The Gunners aimed to sign an even higher profile Brazil international in the form of Real Madrid winger, Vinicius Junior.

The 26-year-old is in the final year of his contract at the Bernabeu and Real Madrid have no intention of losing such a highly valuable asset to free agency next summer.

As such, only two outcomes appeared to be in play – Vinicius re-signs at Real or joins Arsenal.

Mikel Arteta’s side made a huge play for Vinicius, with the Spaniard personally contacting the winger to discuss his role at the Emirates.

Arsenal also made it crystal clear they were fully prepared to demolish their wage structure and make Vinicius Junior by far their highest paid player ever.

However, the player’s preference always remained re-signing with Real Madrid. And on Wednesday, a crunch round of talks between he, his agents and the LaLiga giant took place.

While no agreement was struck at that time, Ben Jacobs and Fabrizio Romano were among many more trusted sources to stress Vinicius was now likely to remain a Madridista.

Ben Jacobs wrote on X: ‘Understand Real Madrid are confident this evening that Vinicius Jr will extend after productive talks.’

Fabrizio Romano took to the same platform when stating: ‘Real Madrid are increasingly confident to receive final green light from Vinicius Jr on new contract.

‘New proposal being discussed but Madrid optimistic and Vini Jr’s camp also positive after today’s meeting. José Mourinho also got involved.’

He subsequently added: José Mourinho, personally involved in Vinicius Jr new contract discussions as he’s been pushing for the Brazilian to stay.

‘Real Madrid are confident, José told the club he wants Vini to stay and also told Vini about plans for him to continue.’

Vinicius Junior agrees new contract at Real Madrid

And on Thursday morning, Spanish reporter, Ramon Alvarez de Mon, claimed an agreement has now been struck that will see Vinicius sign a contract extension at the Bernabeu, thus ending Arsenal’s hopes.

The reporter, who boasts over 300,000 followers on X: wrote: ‘Vinicius and Real Madrid reach an agreement for his contract renewal, which is expected to be signed soon.’

Missing out on Vinicius Junior will be a painful blow to Arsenal who have already tried and failed to sign another major name for the left side this summer – Morgan Rogers.

The Gunners could now reignite interest in PSG’s Bradley Barcola, though there could be more heartache for the Gunners.

Barcola is Liverpool’s top target and according to Jacobs, the Frenchman will prioritise signing for Liverpool over Arsenal if both clubs strike a deal with PSG…

- Steve Pearson

LA LIGA PRESIDENT BRANDS INFANTINO'S FIFA DEFENCE 'PATHETIC '

President Donald Trump (left) and Fifa President Gianni Infantino watch confetti fall at the conclusion of the World Cup final between Spain and Argentina in East Rutherford, July 19, 2026

GIANNI INFANTINO’S extraordinary Instagram post accusing Fifa’s critics of spreading “hate” has been dismissed as “pathetic” by La Liga president Javier Tebas.

The Fifa president’s 15-page message came before confirmation on Monday that Democrats in the US Congress were investigating him amid what they described as “mounting evidence of potential corruption and a possible quid pro quo between Fifa and the Trump administration.”

Infantino’s social media post had advised those “spending their time and energy hating us” to “meditate, pray, or watch a football match,” drawing a scathing response from Tebas.

“Gianni Infantino has written a pathetic message on his Instagram account and on the accounts of @FIFAcom,” Tebas wrote on his own X account.

“No-one disputes that football is emotion and unity. But transparency, good governance, and accountability are never hate; they are an obligation.

“Strong institutions do not discredit those who ask questions; they answer the questions. And a reflection Gianni: when a leader dedicates an entire message to disqualifying those who exercise legitimate scrutiny, it’s inevitable to wonder… why precisely now?

“Is there something that explains such a defensive tone? Is something happening that we don’t know about?”

The US house judiciary committee has called Infantino before it to examine what it describes as “Fifa’s sustained campaign to secure special favours from President Trump – including the dismissal of high-profile corruption cases involving hundreds of millions of dollars tied to Fifa – while American consumers were gouged by exorbitant World Cup ticket prices.”

The letter cited the introduction of the “hilariously fake” Fifa Peace Prize which was awarded to President Trump last December, the renting of office space at Trump Tower as examples of acts designed “to induce President Trump and his administration to make decisions in Fifa’s favour.”

The letter requests documents and information be sent to the Committee by 10pm BST on August 9.

Fifa has been contacted for comment.

- Morning Star

PLAYERS GOING TO THE WORLD CUP PER LEAGUE

 

VILLARREAL VS. SEVILLA | LA LIGA HIGHLIGHTS

 

JOAO CANCELO BECOMES FIRST FOOTBALLER EVER TO ACHIEVE INCREDIBLE FEAT AFTER BARCELONA'S LA LIGA TITLE SUCCESS

Joao Cancelo has written his name into the history books following Barcelona’s clinical 2-0 victory over Real Madrid to secure the La Liga title. While the Blaugrana celebrated domestic dominance at the Camp Nou, the Portuguese defender reached a milestone that has eluded the greatest icons of the game.

A historic Clasico triumph

The Blaugrana secured the Spanish top-flight crown after a win against their bitter rivals in Sunday night's El Clasico at the Camp Nou. In doing so, they have achieved a historic first by winning La Liga as a result of a direct match against Los Blancos. Barcelona only needed to avoid defeat against Alvaro Arbeloa's side, as they led Real by 11 points going into the 35th game of the campaign.

Hansi Flick’s men delivered the goods in style, recording their 11th successive league victory on a night of double celebration. A stunning free-kick from Marcus Rashford - the first such goal in a Clasico since Lionel Messi in 2012 - was followed by a Ferran Torres strike to confirm Barca's 29th league crown and leave their rivals in turmoil.

Getty Images Sport 

Cancelo stands alone in the history books

For ex-Manchester City defender Cancelo, who won six major honours under Pep Guardiola, he has now finally won the league title that evaded him during his previous loan spell at Barca in the 2023-24 season. Brought back on loan from Saudi side Al Hilal in January, Cancelo, who appeared as a starter in last night's match, has been key in the club's stunning form in 2026, chipping in with one goal and three assists from 13 La Liga matches.

Deployed on both sides of defence, the 31-year-old has now become the first footballer to win league titles in four of Europe's 'Top Five' divisions. Having won the Primeira Liga with Benfica in 2014, the Serie A title with Juventus was the Portugal international's first 'Top Five' league championship. He then scooped three Premier League crowns while at the Etihad Stadium, before lifting the Bundesliga title while on loan at Bayern Munich. Now, with a La Liga medal secured, only France's Ligue 1 remains for him to complete the set.

Outperforming the legends

A host of legendary players have won league championships in three of the 'Top Five' leagues, but none could reach the fourth. David Beckham had the opportunity to become the first person to achieve the incredible feat; he was successful in England, Spain and France, but failed to win the Serie A title across two loan spells at AC Milan. Similarly, Cristiano Ronaldo triumphed in England, Spain and Italy, but never added a fourth major league to his haul.

Zlatan Ibrahimovic also came up trumps in Spain, Italy and France, and had the chance to create history when he joined Manchester United in 2016. However, he finished sixth in his only full season in the Premier League, though he did win the Europa League, League Cup and Community Shield. Other notable players to win titles in three major countries include Thierry Henry, Kingsley Coman, Dani Alves, Arturo Vidal, Maxwell, Sami Khedira and Claude Makelele.

Getty Images Sport 

What lies ahead for the history-maker?

Despite his loan deal from Al Hilal proving incredibly successful, questions remain regarding Cancelo's long-term future. It remains to be seen what the future holds for Cancelo come the summer, and whether Barcelona press ahead with another loan deal, look to turn his temporary stay into a permanent switch or if he returns to the Middle East.

There is, of course, the tantalising prospect of completing the "Top Five" set. With titles in England, Spain, Italy, and Germany secured, only France's Ligue 1 remains. Should Cancelo decide to leave the Camp Nou this summer, a move to a French powerhouse could provide the platform for the ultimate clean sweep of Europe's major championships.

- Donny Afroni

LAMINE YAMAL IS ABSENT FROM BARCELONA'S SQUAD LIST FOR THE CLASICO AGAINST REAL MADRID

Barcelona team (Photo/Archive)

Madrid, Spain – Barcelona’s coaching staff has announced the squad list in preparation for facing Real Madrid this Sunday evening, in the 35th round of the Spanish League.

Barcelona will host their rivals Real Madrid at the Camp Nou, in a highly anticipated match that could play a decisive role in the race for the La Liga title this season.

The Catalan team’s roster witnessed the continued absence of Lamine Yamal, due to the injury he recently suffered, thus continuing his absence from the Blaugrana matches.

Barcelona’s squad list is as follows:

Goalkeepers: Juan Garcia, Wojciech Szczesny, Eder Aller.

Defense: Joao Cancelo, Alejandro Balde, Ronald Araujo, Pau Coparsi, Gerard Martin, Jules Koundé, Eric Garcia, Xavi Espart.

Midfielders: Xavi, Pedri, Firmin Lopez, Marc Casado, Dani Olmo, Frenkie de Jong, Marc Bernal.

Attackers: Ferran Torres, Robert Lewandowski, Rafinha, Marcus Rashford, Rooney Bardji.

- Ahmed Khairy

BARCELONA FORWARD SAYS EL CLASICO ''THE LEAST OF PRESSURE' FOR PLAYERS

Photo by Angel Martinez/Getty Images

With the La Liga title race reaching its decisive stage, all eyes are now on the upcoming El Clasico between Barcelona and Real Madrid at Camp Nou.

The pressure surrounding the fixture could hardly be bigger, as Barcelona know that avoiding defeat would place them in complete control of the title race, while Real Madrid simply cannot afford to drop points if they want to keep their hopes alive.

Ahead of the massive encounter, Barcelona forward Ferran Torres spoke to AS about the emotions, pressure, and excitement that come with playing in one of football’s biggest matches.

Despite the importance of the occasion, the Spaniard admitted that players often feel less pressure during games like El Clasico because these are the matches they dream of playing throughout their careers.

“This kind of match is the one every player dreams of playing. It’s actually the opposite. That’s when there’s the least pressure. 

“It’s fun. That’s when you most want to play, when you’re most motivated,” he said.

A decent record vs Real Madrid

Ferran already has significant experience against Madrid since joining Barcelona. 

Ferran Torres is not too worried about El Clasico. (Photo by Fran Santiago/Getty Images)

The Spanish forward has faced Los Blancos 14 times for the Catalan side and has regularly managed to hurt their defence, registering three goals and four assists in those matches.

One of his most memorable moments came during last season’s Copa del Rey final when he scored after getting past both Antonio Rudiger and Thibaut Courtois in a decisive attacking move.

Looking back at that goal, Ferran explained that footballers barely have time to process what is happening in moments like that because instinct takes over completely.

“When the game ended, I barely even remembered the play because you don’t have time to process it. 

“During the play, it was all about seeing the opening, and you don’t think about who’s in front of you or behind you – you just focus on scoring. 

“When you see the ball go in… honestly, it’s an incredible feeling,” he concluded.

- Swapnil

HIGHLIGHTS | ESPANYOL 0-2 REAL MADRID