With the tournament now over, the important business of signings will again command our attention Transfer window interactive: all the latest moves If you wanted a good judge of a Spanish defensive midfielder, then Xabi Alonso’s opinion would be sought first. After winning the Bundesliga last year, the head coach wants to ready Bayer Leverkusen for the Champions League. He earmarked García early on as the man he needed in front of the defence to improve a team that went through the league season unbeaten. The 27-year-old missed out on the Spain squad for their victorious European Championshi ..read more

33-year-old played for six minutes in final season He won multiple trophies with Barcelona and Bayern Thiago Alcântara has said he is “grateful” for a career that saw him grace the midfields of Barcelona, Bayern Munich and Liverpool, after announcing his retirement from the game. The 33-year-old left Liverpool when his contract expired last month after an injury-plagued spell at Anfield that prompted his decision to retire. He made 98 appearances for Jürgen Klopp’s side, winning the FA Cup and League Cup in 2022, but played only six Premier League minutes last season because of a persistent ..read more

Defender is recovering from ACL injury 23-year-old won title with PSV last season United States defender Sergiño Dest has made his move to PSV Eindhoven permanent after a year on loan from Barcelona, the Dutch club said on Saturday. The 23-year-old made 25 Eredivisie appearances in 2023-24 and scored twice as PSV won their first Dutch league title in six years, but suffered an ACL tear in April that ended his season. The injury required surgery and ruled Dest out of the US squad for this summer’s Copa América ..read more

It’s The Sids … featuring the revelation that was Girona, a big year in Bilbao and the Beatles besting the Stones In the end the calendar was cruel, serving up a metaphor for the season, for football and for life. Like something out of a sitcom, someone had double booked a celebration and a funeral. Same time, same place: mid-May, a Saturday evening at Los Carmenes. Newly confirmed league champions Real Madrid had come to play Granada, who had just watched on television in the hotel as the relegation they long knew was coming finally got sealed, players sitting in tears en route to the ground ..read more

Ex-Barça star’s company allegedly received illegal payments Agreement for €40m bonus according to court documents A Spanish judge has placed former Barcelona player Gerard Piqué under official investigation for his alleged involvement in illegal payments in the relocation of Spain’s Super Cup to Saudi Arabia. Judge Delia Rodrigo concluded there were indications of wrongdoing in the deal between Piqué’s company Kosmos and the Spanish soccer federation (RFEF), according to a court document ..read more

Barcelona have officially announced that former Germany and Bayern Munich coach Hansi Flick is their new manager, replacing the recently sacked Xavi Hernández. Flick has signed a two-year contract with the club. The 59-year-old previously spent two seasons as Bayern Munich head coach, during which time the club won the Champions League and back-to-back German Bundesliga titles. Barcelona confirm Hansi Flick as head coach on two-year contract ..read more

Xavi sacked by club after making previous U-turn to stay Former Germany manager Hansi Flick expected to replace him Xavi has warned his successor as Barcelona manager to be prepared to “suffer” in the job. The former Spain midfielder was informed last week he was to be sacked, having previously performed a U-turn saying he wanted to stay on after announcing his intention to leave this year. The former Germany and Bayern Munich manager Hansi Flick is expected to replace him ..read more

Frosinone relegated from Serie A after late Empoli goal Galatasary and Club Brugge win titles in Turkey and Belgium Barcelona ended the season with a 2-1 victory at Sevilla in La Liga on Sunday, making Xavi Hernández’s farewell bittersweet after a trophyless season in which they finished 10 points behind Real Madrid. The final game for Xavi, who was sacked on Friday, leaves Barça second after a disappointing campaign in which they lost the Spanish Super Cup final to Real Madrid and were knocked out of the Champions League by Paris Saint-Germain in the last eight ..read more

Gallant Matildas defender fails in bid to win third WCL title Barcelona defeat Lyon 2-0 in Women’s Champions League final Ellie Carpenter’s dreams of winning a third Women’s Champions League title - but this time while actually on the pitch - has been scuppered by Barcelona, who beat her Lyon side 2-0 in the final in Bilbao. The Australian international fullback Carpenter had been an unused sub in the 2019-20 final, and tore the ACL in her left knee after just 12 minutes when the French giants Lyon beat Barcelona in 2022 ..read more

Knives finally came out for coach who signed new deal in September, resigned in January and made U-turn in April Parco on Passeig de Gràcia does the best sushi in Catalonia, or at least the most famous. If the Vatican has white smoke, FC Barcelona had a delivery boy in a white helmet getting off his motorbike and pressing the buzzer at Joan Laporta’s penthouse flat near the top end of Diagonal. It was just before 11pm on 24 April and he held in his hand an embossed brown paper bag containing the takeaway which in that instant became a symbol of celebration and agreement, the scene excitedly br ..read more