Inside Spain is a weekly installment presented by Football España, providing insight into the top stories emerging from the rich and intense climates of La Liga and beyond.
La Liga has already had its Christmas ‘break’, ten lavish days between the World Cup final and return to action, but returned to action on Thursday night.
The star of the show was, interestingly, Joao Félix. Despite CEO Miguel Ángel Gil Marín admitting the Portuguese wants to leave the club, Félix made his first La Liga start since mid-September. Atlético Madrid manager Diego Simeone told reporters there was a way he could be important to Atlético from now on, amid relentless speculation about his fate. After scoring the opener and receiving the man of the match award in their 2-0 win over Elche, it’s worth wondering if the door to a happily ever after has been opened a bit.
Meanwhile, across town, Toni Kroos’s ears were burning as he strangely found himself denigrated as one of the World Cup disappointments. Despite the fact that he retired from international service after the 2018 edition. This was his response on his Twitter.
Kroos has mentioned retiring at the end of the season, but Real Madrid are intent on persuading him to continue after an impressive start to the season. Manager Carlo Ancelotti has stated that he will retire when he leaves Real Madrid. His contract expires in 2024, but reports in Madrid say they have already found his successor, Davide Ancelotti.
On the Costa Brava, near Barcelona, accountants calculate how far their budget will go next summer. It seems clear that Barcelona will try to compete with the likes of Chelsea for Borussia Dortmund star Youssoufa Moukoko, but they will do so using a particular strategy that worked for Ousmane Dembele last season.
more stories about Atletico Madrid
more stories about Atletico Madrid
