Even if there are no LaLiga Santander matches in the month of June, there is still so much happening off the pitch in Spanish football’s top division, with transfers, contract renewals and coaching changes. Meanwhile, the LaLiga SmartBank playoffs have been taking place and producing incredible drama.
Vedat Muriqi is named the Player of the Month for May
RCD Mallorca striker Vedat Muriqi has won LaLiga Santander’s Player of the Month award for May, having played a key role in keeping the island club in Spain’s top division. His important contributions saw the Kosovo international win the prize ahead of Guido Rodríguez, Iago Aspas, Rodrygo, Rodrigo de Paul, Lucas Pérez and Alfonso Pedraza.
Antonio Rüdiger joins Real Madrid
Real Madrid have announced their first signing of the summer transfer window, that of Antonio Rüdiger. The German centre-back arrives after five years with Chelsea, where he won the Champions League, and he will strengthen Carlo Ancelotti’s options in defence.
CD Tenerife triumph in the most important Canary Islands Derby
The Canary Islands Derby between CD Tenerife and UD Las Palmas is always a big occasion in the archipelago, but this past week there was a particularly important duel as the two clubs met in the semi-finals of the LaLiga SmartBank playoffs. CD Tenerife won 1-0 and then 2-1 to progress to the playoff final in the year of the club’s centenary.
Stuani fires Girona FC into the playoff final
In the LaLiga SmartBank playoff final, CD Tenerife will meet Girona FC after the Catalan club eliminated SD Eibar in extra time. Both legs of that semi-final finished 1-0 to the away side, setting up a thrilling extra 30 minutes at Ipurua. There, Cristhian Stuani did what he does best by firing Girona FC into the final, with the first leg taking place on June 11th at 21:00 CEST in Catalonia.
Changes at Valencia CF
There are going to be several changes at Valencia CF this summer, with the club having already announced that José Bordalás will not continue as first-team coach and that a new manager will be appointed imminently. Anil Murthy is also leaving his role as president of the institution.
UD Almería start building for LaLiga Santander
After securing promotion as LaLiga SmartBank champions, UD Almería have started preparing for life in LaLiga Santander and they’re looking to keep the winning group together. As such, the Andalusian club has renewed the contracts of Srđan Babić, Rodrigo Ely and Alex Centelles.
Willian José completes permanent transfer to Real Betis
After spending last season on loan at Real Betis from Real Sociedad, Willian José has now completed a permanent transfer to the Andalusian club. The centre-forward produced nine LaLiga Santander goals and four assists in his first season wearing green and white.
A week to remember for Gareth Bale
It was a week to remember for Gareth Bale, who celebrated a fifth Champions League title with Real Madrid before bidding farewell to the club he joined in 2013. “To be a part of this club’s history and to achieve what we achieved while I was a Real Madrid player has been an incredible experience and one I will never forget,” he said. The forward then finished the week by leading Wales to a historic World Cup qualification.
Gavi becomes the Spanish national team’s youngest ever scorer
Gavi has broken yet another record, becoming the youngest player ever to score for Spain with a goal in a 2-2 draw against the Czech Republic in the Nations League. By finding the back of the net at the age of 17 years and 304 days, Gavi broke the record set in 2020 by his FC Barcelona teammate Ansu Fati, who scored for Spain aged 17 years and 311 days.
Another LaLiga Promises triumph for FC Barcelona
FC Barcelona made history this past weekend as their youth side won the 29th PAMESA National LaLiga Promises Santander tournament, held at Villarreal CF’s Pamesa Training Ground. It was the 12th time the Catalan club lifted this trophy, defeating the Valencia CF youth side 3-1 in the final of this prestigious youth competition.