La Liga
Zinedine Zidane’s full letter to Real Madrid fans
Dear Madridistas,
For the last 20 years, ever since the first day I stepped my foot down in the city of Madrid and put on the white shirt I’ve felt your affection. I’ve always felt there was something very special between us. I’ve had the great honour of being a player and coach of the most important club of all-time, but first of all I’m a Madridista like the rest of you. That’s why I wanted to write this letter to you to say goodbye to you all and explain my decision to step down as coach.
When in March 2019 I accepted the offer to return to Real Madrid after eight months of rest it was because Florentino Perez asked me to, of course, but it was also because you fans asked me to do so every day. Whenever I ran into a Real Madrid fan on the street I felt the support and desire to see me with the team again. Because I share the values of Madridismo, this club owned by its members, its fans, by everyone. I’ve tried to transmit this values in everything I’ve done, I’ve always tried to be an example.
Spending 20 years at Real Madrid is the most beautiful thing that has happened in my life and I owe everything exclusively to Florentino Perez, who bet on me in 2001, who fought for me, to make me come to the club when certain people were against it. I say this from the bottom of my hear, I’ll always be grateful to the president for that. Always.
Now I’ve decided to leave and I wanted to explain to you well my reasons.
I’m leaving but I’m not abandoning the ship and I’m not tired of coaching.
In May 2018 I left because after two and a half years of so many victories and trophies I felt the team needed a new plan to stay at the highest level. Today things are different.
I’m leaving because I feel that the club didn’t give me the support I needed, it didn’t offer me the support the construct a project for the medium or long term.
I understand football and know the demands of a club like Real Madrid, I know that when you don’t win things you have to leave. But here they have forgotten something very important, they have forgotten everything we built each day, everything I contributed to the relationship with the players, with the 150 people who work with and around the team.
I’m a natural winner and I was here to win trophies but beyond that you have human beings, emotions and life and I got the impression that these things were not being appreciated, and people forgot that’s how you maintain the dynamic of a great club. I even felt in a certain way that I was being reproached.
I want people to respect what everyone together achieved. I would have liked my relationship with the club and the president in the last few months to have been a little different to that of other coaches. I didn’t ask for privileges, of course not, just for people to have better memories.
These days, the lifespan of a coach at a big club is around two years, not much more. To last longer human relations are essential, they are more important than money, more important than reputation, more important than anything. You have to look after them. That’s why it hurt so much when I read in the press, after one defeat, that I was going to be sacked if I didn’t win the next game. It hurt me and all my team because these messages that were intentionally leaked to the media created negative feelings with the squad, they created doubts and misunderstandings.
At least I had some marvellous lads that would stand with me until death. When things got ugly they saved me with great victories. Because they believed in me and they knew I believed in them.Of course I’m not the best coach in the world, but I’m capable of giving each one the strength and confidence they need at work, be they players, coaching staff or any employee. I know perfectly well what a team needs. In the roughly 20 years I’ve spent at Real Madrid I’ve learned that you guys, the fans, you want to win, of course. But above all you want us, the coach, the staff, the workers and of course the footballers, to give everything. And I can assure you that we gave 100% of ourselves for the club.
I also want to use this letter to send a message to the journalists. I’ve done hundreds of press conferences and unfortunately we’ve spoken very little about football and I know you love football too, this sport which unites us all. However, without wanting to criticise you or give lessons I would have liked it if your questions weren’t always directed towards controversy, I would have liked us to talk more about the ball and above all the players, who are and always will be the most important thing in this game. Let’s not forget about football, let’s look after football.
Dear Madridistas, I’ll always be one of you.
¡Hala Madrid!
Zinedine Zidane
FC Barcelona have implemented a tailored nutrition and recovery programme for teenage star Lamine Yamal to help him observe Ramadan without compromising his performance levels.
The 18-year-old winger will once again fast during the holy month, having successfully balanced his religious commitment with first-team football last season. However, with competitive fixtures scheduled during Ramadan, Barcelona’s medical staff are taking additional measures to ensure his energy levels, hydration and recovery remain optimal.
Yamal’s first match while fasting is scheduled for Sunday at 4:15 p.m. against Levante.
According to Spanish outlet AS, the approach is not unprecedented at the Catalan club. Barcelona previously developed similar plans for Muslim players, including Ousmane Dembélé, Franck Kessié and Ansu Fati.
The strategy focuses on adjusting meal timing and hydration cycles to align with fasting hours, allowing players to maintain peak fitness while respecting their faith.
Medical experts at the club have emphasised the importance of a balanced iftar meal — avoiding overly heavy or rich foods that could interfere with rest or slow post-match recovery. Hydration protocols are also being closely monitored, with Yamal encouraged to maximise fluid intake during non-fasting hours to compensate for the daytime abstinence.
Balancing Faith and Performance
Ramadan fasting can pose physical challenges for elite athletes, particularly in high-intensity sports that demand sustained concentration and explosive energy. Barcelona’s performance team is therefore closely tracking Yamal’s workload and recovery metrics throughout the month.
Last season, the teenager demonstrated he could maintain high performance standards while fasting, strengthening confidence within the club that he will manage the demands effectively again.
For Barcelona, the initiative reflects a dual commitment — respecting the player’s religious observance while safeguarding the physical condition of one of their most promising talents.
As the fixtures unfold, attention will turn to how the young winger adapts during this period, with supporters and analysts keen to see whether he can once again combine elite football with spiritual discipline.
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- Summary
- Barcelona miss chance to regain LaLiga lead
- Girona’s Fran Beltran scores late winner
- Cubarsi calls for self-reflection after consecutive defeats
Barcelona were stunned by Girona, who roared back to win 2-1 at home in a breathless Catalan derby on Monday, as last season’s champions failed to return to the LaLiga summit, leaving Real Madrid top of the table.
Barcelona struck the woodwork twice in the first half, Raphinha hitting the post before Lamine Yamal fired a penalty against the same upright in added time after Dani Olmo was fouled inside the box.
Pau Cubarsi finally put the visitors ahead in the 59th minute, rising to head home Jules Kounde’s cross from a short corner, but Girona levelled three minutes later when Thomas Lemar converted from close range after Vladyslav Vanat’s cross was confused.
Fran Beltran sealed victory in the 87th minute, steering home from Joel Roca’s pass as the Montilivi stadium erupted.
Barcelona pushed for an equaliser but could not break through, even after Roca was sent off in added time for a reckless foul on Lamine Yamal.
Barca remain on 58 points, two behind Real Madrid, and have lost successive games in all competitions for the first time since October.
“We lacked a bit of everything. We need to be self-critical. We need to improve things and get our act together,” Cubarsi told DAZN.
“After my goal, they scored very quickly to equalise. We got them back into the game too quickly. We need to improve on those goals they score right after we take the lead. Keep your head down and improve.”
BARCA DOMINATE POSSESSION
Hansi Flick welcomed back Frenkie De Jong and Raphinha from injury after their absence in last week’s 4-0 Copa del Rey semi-final first-leg loss to Atletico Madrid, and Barca duly dominated possession early in the game.
Yet their finishing deserted them. Raphinha dragged wide after surging in from the left, while Yamal was denied from point-blank range by keeper Paulo Gazzaniga following a sharp counter down the right.
Girona were content to sit deep and spring forward, repeatedly testing Barcelona’s high defensive line with the pace of Bryan Gil as the former Tottenham Hotspur winger caused persistent problems for Jules Kounde down the left channel.
Gil’s surging runs carved out Girona’s best openings before the break. He twice set up Vanat, who was denied by an exceptional Joan Garcia, and the striker then squandered a gilt-edged chance in the 35th minute, slicing an effort from close range with no defender near him.
Yamal missed from the spot in added time before the break and the contest remained wide open after the interval, finally producing goals in quick succession.
Barcelona broke through in the 59th minute when Cubarsi rose highest from a short corner. Kounde delivered from the right and the defender twisted his neck to send a towering header into the top-right corner, beyond Gazzaniga’s desperate dive.
Their lead lasted barely three minutes, with Lemar equalising as Girona seized momentum, pushing Barcelona back, with Garcia producing two outstanding one-handed saves to keep out efforts from Vanat and Roca when both seemed destined for the bottom corner.
But the keeper was powerless in the 87th minute. Claudio Echeverri drifted across the edge of the box before giving the ball back inside to Roca who squared it to substitute Beltran, who took a touch, lifted his head and slotted into the bottom-left corner to ignite a sold-out crowd.
Girona, who had been on a three-match winless run and hovering near the relegation places, climbed to 12th on 29 points, while Barcelona were left to rue missed chances and a defeat that could yet loom large in the title race.
-Reuters
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Lamine Yamal missed a penalty as Barcelona spurned the chance to return to the top of La Liga, falling to defeat in a fiery Catalan derby against Girona.
Hansi Flick’s side now trails arch rivals Real Madrid by two points in the title race after substitute Fran Beltran struck in the 86th minute at Estadio Montilivi to snatch all three points and ease relegation fears for the home side.
The visitors thought defender Jules Kounde had been fouled in the build-up to the winner, but after a brief video assistant referee (VAR) check, the goal was given.
The hosts were reduced to 10 men midway through stoppage time, with substitute Joel Roca bringing down Lamine Yamal with a lunging challenge.
Yet Barcelona were unable to force an equaliser as they succumbed to just a third league defeat against their regional rivals.
The result marks a second loss in succession for Barcelona, who suffered a 4-0 hammering by Atletico Madrid in the first leg of their Copa del Rey semi-final on Thursday.
It was a fiercely fought contest from the off as the hosts took the game to the league leaders, forcing keeper Joan Garcia into a save inside the first minute.
By contrast, Barcelona were lethargic, spurning several gilt-edged chances to take the lead. Lamine Yamal was the main culprit, twice missing from close range before crashing a penalty off the base of the upright in first-half stoppage time.
In the end, two defenders combined to break the deadlock in the 59th minute. Centre-back Pau Cubarsi looped a header into the top corner from right-back Kounde’s cross for his first league goal in Barcelona colours.
The visitors’ joy was short-lived, though, as Girona hit back two minutes later when midfielder Thomas Lemar tapped home Vladyslav Vanat’s centre for his second goal in as many games.
The hosts scored again 10 minutes later as Garcia failed to claim Viktor Tsygankov’s speculative header, though the goalkeeper was awarded a foul for a shove from Roca on the goalline.
The victory ends a three-game winless run for Girona, who move up to 12th, five points clear of the relegation zone.
Barcelona’s league winning run ends at three games, and they face a possible five-point gap at the summit come their next fixture – Real Madrid head to Osasuna on Saturday (17:30 GMT), before Barca host Levante on Sunday (15:15).
-BBC
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