Atletico Madrid went top of the Primera Division for the first time since 1996 after recording a resounding 4-0 victory against Real Sociedad at the Vicente Calderon. In a fitting way for the club to pay tribute to club legend Luis Aragones, who passed away a day earlier, David Villa opened the scoring late in the first half and then dedicated his goal to the late coach, with whom he won Euro 2...Full Story »

Rayo Vallecano striker Jonathan Viera feels his team must beat Levante on Saturday if they are to stay in the fight to avoid relegation. Paco Jemez's side are five points from safety but last weekend slipped three points behind Real Valladolid, who occupy the final relegation spot. "We knew that many of our rivals would win last week and the reality is that now we have to go to Levante with ou...Full Story »

Atletico Madrid overcame a difficult first half to sweep to a 3-0 victory over Valencia and go level on points and goal difference with Barcelona at the top of the Primera Division.Diego Costa struck the opening goal on 59 minutes, and then Raul Garcia doubled the lead just moments after coming onto the pitch.Costa missed a penalty and then scored his second attempt from the spot to round off a ...Full Story »

Atletico Madrid kept the pressure on Primera Division leaders Barcelona by comfortably beating Athletic Bilbao 2-0 thanks to first-half goals from Diego Costa and David Villa. It was Diego Simeone's side sixth consecutive win at the Vicente Calderon and it means they remain just one point behind the champions. Athletic, meanwhile, went into the game just one point off the fourth Champions Leag...Full Story »

Diego Costa and David Villa both scored penalties to give Atletico Madrid a hard-fought 2-1 victory at Granada, which means Diego Simeone's side stay one point behind league leaders Barcelona. Costa converted from the spot seven minutes before half-time after Diego Mainz had clattered into the back of Villa. The former Barcelona striker also won the second penalty and this time took the spot-k...Full Story »

David Villa announced his return to form in emphatic style by hitting a hat-trick as Atletico Madrid thrashed Real Betis 5-0 at the Vicente Calderon. Eighteen-year-old Oliver Torres also had a night to remember, marking his first competitive start for Atletico by opening the scoring in the first minute, as well as impressing with his passing range and ability to read the game. Diego Costa also...Full Story »

BARCELONA, Oct 6 (Reuters) - Atletico Madrid forward David Villa has pulled out of the Spain squad for the 2014 World Cup qualifiers at home to Belarus and Georgia after suffering a bout of arthritis in his left ankle, the club said on Sunday. "By mutual agreement with Juan Cota, orthopaedic surgeon of the national team and Celta Vigo, the Asturian will not be a part of the team," Atletico said...Full Story »

Atletico Madrid made it four wins in a row and temporarily rose to the top of the Primera Division after making light work of Almeria 4-2. David Villa got the goalscoring underway by netting with a quarter of an hour gone, before Diego Costa's penalty doubled the hosts' advantage. Rodri halved the deficit before half-time, but Atleti were far superior in the second period, with Tiago Mendes an...Full Story »

Taking stock of Barcelona's summer transfer dealings, Andoni Zubizarreta touted Neymar's arrival as a huge bargain. "The figure of €100 million had been bandied about by some people and we paid €57 million – that's an amazing deal", he stated. Zubi was also asked about the move that saw David Villa leave for Atlético de Madrid for a fee of just €5.1 million over t...Full Story »

There were always signs that this might happen. Barcelona will resume training on Monday and its pre-season will begin shortly afterwards, with no sign of a natural centre forward unless it can pick up a bargain in the final days of the transfer window – something which seems unlikely. The target man has been a dying breed in Catalonia in recent years – specifically, since Guardio...Full Story »