League Cup · Goalkeeper · #0 · Canada · 30 yrs
David Alaba bid the Santiago Bernabeu and Real Madrid goodbye last night after the team’s win over Athletic Club. The club, after all, decided against renewing his contract given his age, wages, and...
Real Madrid welcomed Athletic Bilbao at the Santiago Bernabeu Stadium earlier tonight as they hoped to secure maximum points at home in La Liga. Los Blancos made a quick start to the game and got thei...
Real Madrid are on course to see off Dani Carvajal, David Alaba and Alvaro Arbeloa in style, having made it 3-1 against Athletic Club in their final match of the 2025-26 season at the Santiago Bernabe...
Real Madrid and Athletic Club will face against each other in Matchday 38 of the 2025/2026 La Liga. Here’s how fans in the United States can watch the matchup live. Here are all of the details of where you can watch Real Madrid vs Athletic Club on US television and via legal streaming: WHO Real Madrid vs Athletic Club WHAT Spanish LaLiga WHEN 3:00pm ET / 12:00pm PT • Saturday, May 23, 2025 WHERE ESPN+ STREAM WATCH NOW Match Overview Real Madrid enters the final matchday of the La Liga season with their fate already sealed. Locked into second place behind champions Barcelona, this game is about pride and ending a second consecutive trophyless season on a positive note for the demanding Santiago Bernabéu crowd. For interim manager Alvaro Arbeloa, it marks his final game at the helm before José Mourinho‘s summer arrival, adding another layer of significance to the closing fixture. Athletic Club arrives in the capital amidst a turbulent campaign, their worst since the 2018/19 season. Sitting in 12th place, their hopes for European qualification are virtually nonexistent. This match represents a chance to salvage some pride and send off their own departing manager, Ernesto Valverde, with a statement performance. Despite a poor run of form, the Basque club will be determined to snap a long winless streak at the Bernabéu that dates back to 2005. Tactical Analysis & Match Context This fixture pits a team that underperformed against massive expectations against a side that simply failed to meet its season objectives. Real Madrid, despite securing a runner-up finish, considers the season a failure after exiting the Champions League and failing to challenge for the domestic title. In contrast, Athletic Club‘s campaign fizzled out, with a poor run of form in the final stretch dropping them into mid-table obscurity and out of the European race entirely. The tactical battle will likely be one-sided on paper. Real Madrid possesses world-class firepower and individual brilliance capable of dismantling any defense, and they will be expected to dominate possession at home. Athletic Club, weakened by injuries and low on confidence, will likely set up a defensive block and look to frustrate the hosts. The key to the match will be whether Madrid‘s attacking stars can maintain their focus and break down a potentially stubborn, but unmotivated, opposition. While the match has no bearing on the league standings for Real Madrid, the motivation is clear: deliver a commanding victory for the home supporters after a disappointing season. For Athletic Club, the stakes are about professionalism and pride. Ending a dismal season with a shock result in Madrid would provide a much-needed morale boost heading into the summer and a new managerial era under Edin Terzic. Head-to-Head Record & Historic Trends Historically, this has been a fixture dominated by Real Madrid, especially at the Santiago Bernabéu, where Athletic Club has not secured a victory since 2005. The overall trend points heavily in favor of the home side, who have consistently had the upper hand against their Basque opponents for nearly two decades in Madrid. Recent encounters reinforce this pattern of dominance. Real Madrid has won four of the last five meetings between the two clubs, including a convincing 3-0 victory in the reverse fixture earlier this season. Athletic Club‘s sole win in that span came on their home turf, but they have struggled to even find the net against Los Blancos, scoring just twice in the last five matchups. One of the most telling statistics is Real Madrid‘s defensive record in this fixture, having kept four clean sheets in the last five head-to-head games. Furthermore, goals have been surprisingly scarce, with none of the last 13 clashes between these teams producing four or more total goals. This suggests that while Madrid is heavily favored, a high-scoring blowout is not a historical certainty. Squad News & Projected Lineups Both squads are grappling with significa
With Germany preparing for the 2026 World Cup, Neuer’s dramatic return from international retirement has created another devastating twist in a story that has haunted Ter Stegen for more than a decade. For years, Manuel Neuer and Marc-Andre ter Stegen represented two generations of elite German goalkeeping, with the national team constantly caught between proven greatness and the promise of a successor waiting for his opportunity. Now, with Germany preparing for the 2026 World Cup, Neuer’s dramatic return from international retirement has created another devastating twist in a story that has haunted Ter Stegen for more than a decade. Germany head coach Julian Nagelsmann confirmed that Neuer will once again lead the squad into a major tournament after previously stepping away following Euro 2024. The decision immediately reshaped the goalkeeping hierarchy and reopened old wounds for Ter Stegen, whose international career has become one of soccer’s strangest stories despite his reputation as one of Europe’s finest goalkeepers. The DFB-Team made headlines by recalling 40-year-old Manuel Neuer for the World Cup after months of uncertainty surrounding the position. Nagelsmann ultimately trusted the Bayern Munich veteran over the newer generation of goalkeepers, even after Oliver Baumann had temporarily emerged as the country’s first-choice option. Neuer’s experience remains difficult to ignore: he owns 124 caps for Germany, won the 2014 FIFA World Cup, and continues to deliver elite performances at club level despite concerns surrounding recurring calf injuries. “Anyone who knows me, knows that I didn’t make this decision lightly,” Neuer previously wrote on Instagram after announcing his retirement. “After many intense and long discussions with my family and friends, I have decided that right now is the right time to close my chapter.” Gemeinsam für Deutschland: Unser Kader für die WM 2026! 🖤❤️💛#dfbteam #fifaworldcup2026 pic.twitter.com/zaxWgXsGGv— DFB-Team (@DFB_Team) May 21, 2026 That chapter, however, reopened after several impressive displays with Bayern Munich, including a sensational Champions League performance against Real Madrid. Neuer produced nine saves at the Santiago Bernabeu, in a display that reminded many why he remains one of the most influential goalkeepers in modern soccer history. The brutal record behind Ter Stegen’s career The deeper story, though, belongs to Marc-Andre ter Stegen. Buried beneath Neuer’s comeback is the astonishing reality that Ter Stegen has never played a single minute in either a World Cup or a European Championship for Germany across the last 14 years. For a goalkeeper widely considered among the world’s best during his peak years at Barcelona, the statistic feels almost impossible to believe. The record stretches across multiple tournaments and several heartbreaking near-misses: TournamentStatusEuro 2012Not called upWorld Cup 2014Not called upEuro 2016Neuer’s backupWorld Cup 2018Neuer’s backupEuro 2020Missed through injuryWorld Cup 2022Neuer’s backupEuro 2024Neuer’s backupWorld Cup 2026Missed through injury Despite earning 44 caps for Germany, every appearance came outside the sport’s two biggest international tournaments. Ter Stegen featured in qualifiers, friendlies, Nations League fixtures, and the Confederations Cup, but never received a major tournament appearance. Injuries and timing worked against him Many believed the door had finally opened after Neuer retired following Euro 2024. Ter Stegen appeared ready to become Germany’s undisputed No. 1 heading into the 2026 World Cup cycle. Instead, his career took another painful turn. Marc-Andre ter Stegen of FC Barcelona. After losing prominence at Barcelona following changes under Hansi Flick and increased competition for the starting role, Ter Stegen moved on loan to Girona, seeking regular minutes. Shortly afterward, he suffered a severe hamstring injury that required surgery and disrupted his entire season. The injury eventually rul
According to MARCA, Real Madrid midfieler Dani Ceballos will not get the chance to say goodbye on the Santiago Bernabeu pitch and the fans at the stadium. At least not in playing kit. The midfielder w...
Real Madrid lock horns with Athletic Club tomorrow night at the Santiago Bernabeu in their final La Liga game of the season.It will also mark the farewell for club captain Dani Carvajal, who will be l...
