(Football news) The past week was another busy one for Spanish clubs, with Matchday 2 of LALIGA EA SPORTS taking place over the weekend and with many more transfers being completed. The main headlines from these past seven days are detailed below.
Real Madrid and Valencia CF maintain their 100 percent records
After two LALIGA EA SPORTS matchdays, only two teams have taken six points from the six available, highlighting the well-known competitiveness of the division. Those clubs are Valencia CF, who won 2-1 at Sevilla FC and then 1-0 at home to UD Las Palmas, and Real Madrid, who followed up their 2-0 win at Athletic Club with a 3-1 victory when visiting UD Almería in Matchday 2. Rayo Vallecano, who play their second fixture on Monday night, also have the chance to keep up a 100 percent record.
Bellingham takes an early lead in the Pichichi race
By scoring twice in Real Madrid’s 3-1 victory at UD Almería, Jude Bellingham continued his bright start to his LALIGA EA SPORTS career. The summer signing now has three goals in two matches and is the early leader in the race to win the Pichichi Trophy, the prize for the competition’s top scorer.
Barça begin life in the Estadi Olímpic with a win
FC Barcelona will play their home games in 2023/24 at the Estadi Olímpic, the site of the 1992 Olympic Games, while a major redevelopment project is carried out at the Spotify Camp Nou. Their first home game of the season took place there on Sunday evening and Barça took the three points, winning 2-0 against Cádiz CF thanks to goals from Pedri and Ferran Torres.
Gerard Moreno is now Villarreal CF’s record goalscorer
By finding the back of the net to fire Villarreal CF to a 1-0 win against RCD Mallorca on Friday, Gerard Moreno has become the all-time record goalscorer for El Submarino Amarillo. The Spaniard now has 107 goals in 243 matches for Villarreal CF, overtaking the record previously held by Adriano García.
Kepa Arrizabalaga returns to LALIGA EA SPORTS
Kepa Arrizabalaga completed a transfer to Real Madrid this past week, signing to provide cover for the long-term-injured Thibaut Courtois. The Spain international goalkeeper just had a good season with Chelsea and brings experience to the position. For Kepa, it’s a return to a competition he knows well, as he made 53 LALIGA EA SPORTS appearances for Athletic Club between 2016 and 2018.
A busy week of transfers for Rayo Vallecano
Rayo Vallecano completed three signings in the past seven days. Two of these deals were reached with Levante UD, as goalkeeper Dani Cárdenas and winger Jorge de Frutos were signed from the Valencian club following impressive campaigns at LALIGA HYPERMOTION level last term. The other transfer was to bring back Sergio Camello, who’d already impressed in Vallecas by scoring seven goals while on loan from Atlético de Madrid last season.
UD Almería bring in further reinforcements
There’s no doubt that UD Almería have had a productive transfer window, signings various talents to bolster their squad. This past week, the Andalusian club added two more new faces, bringing in goalkeeper Luís Maximiano and striker Ibrahima Koné. Both are aged 24 and entering the primes of their careers.
Real Sociedad win the race to sign Zakharyan
Arsen Zakharyan is now officially a Real Sociedad player, with the Basque club having won the race to sign the coveted midfielder. The 20-year-old Russian is one of the best young talents in world football and has penned a six-year contract at the Reale Arena.
Griezmann hits the milestone of 500 LALIGA matches
Sunday was a special night for Antoine Griezmann as he participated in his 500th LALIGA match. The Frenchman has played 461 times in LALIGA EA SPORTS and 39 more games at LALIGA HYPERMOTION level, becoming just the second non-Spaniard, after Lionel Messi, to hit this milestone of 500 outings.
Spain win the Women’s World Cup
There were celebrations in Spain on Sunday, as La Roja won the 2023 Women’s World Cup in Australia and New Zealand. The achievement was celebrated across Spain, especially as 21 of the 23 players in the squad play for Spanish clubs. Athletic Club, Atlético de Madrid, FC Barcelona, Levante UD, Real Madrid and Valencia CF all had representatives in the tournament-winning squad.
