SPANISH KEEPER KEPA TO SIGN FOR CHELSEA FC | KOVACIC ON LOAN

CHELSEA FC & Belgium International goalkeeper Courtois has a shut transfer deal with REAL MADRID weeks back. However, Chelsea would not make the transfer official until the English Club has shut a quality substitute to take the place of Courtois to defend their goal.

With the transfer window shutting the 9th of August & Courtois pressuring the London Club to be let go, Chelsea has moved fast, very fast, & set target on Spanish International & Athletic Club Bilbao goalkeeper KEPA Arrizabalaga. The young Spanish promise has a 80M€ contract release clause that Chelsea FC is willing to pay. Remember Kepa was on the Real Madrid agenda as a firm-shut signing target early this year but did not eventually go through.

The news right now is that KEPA seems to have agreed to make the move over to London & is currently in Madrid talking with his representatives to shut the deal. Right now everything indicates that Kepa will be the new Chelsea FC goalkeeper for 80M€ making him the highest goalkeeper transfer record in Football. This obviously will give Courtois the green light for the official announcement by Chelsea FC of his move to REAL MADRID.

Staying with Real Madrid, it seems Croatian midfielder KOVACIC will also be heading to Chelsea FC on-loan. The player has expressed that he wishes to leave Madrid because he needs to play more, have a stable & continuos participation, instead of sitting on the bench. Real Madrid does not wish to sell but understands the players desire & has offered the option of playing a year in London. Everything here at this moment indicates that the player will take up this option, although nothing is official from the concerning Clubs. Stay tuned here. 

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MANCHESTER CITY TIES DEFENDER LAPORTE

Spanish Coach Pep Guardiola, currently in his last months at Bayern Munich is making his future moves. Thinking ahead before he takes over the Coaching position at Manchester City the news is that he has tied up Athletic Club Bilbao defender Laporte.

The 21 year old Central Defender has a 50 M€ contract release clause & apparently Manchester City has announced they will pay it to get the player over for next season. Laporte will thus signs a contract for the next 5 seasons.

Excellent signing if correct, as Laporte is considered one of the brightest talents in European Football. Guardiola certainly thinks so & has assured no other competitor has the defender except Manchester City.

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ATHLETIC CLUB BILBAO WINS SPANISH SUPER CUP 2015

Spanish Football Club Athletic Club Bilbao won the Spanish SuperCup after drawing 1 - 1 with FC Barcelona tonight, while finishing the home & away tie with a 5 - 1 aggregate result. The last main title Bilbao won was way back in 1984 & tonight the Club & the Basque Region city are celebrating.

FC Barcelona attempted from the beginning to turn things around looking for early goals & thus try to score 4 goals to equal the tie. The 1º st half was virtually a one way street with Barça attacking & Athletic Club defending. The visitors did well stopping advances, staying coordinated limiting spaces & keeping on top of dangerous Barça players like Suarez, Pedro & Messi. It needed the vision of Ratikic to find Suarez who chessed down onto Messi for the Argentine to open the scoreline in the 44th min & keep the Barça hopes alive. 

The 2º half looked as if Barça would continue were they left off but a red card to Gerard Pique in the 57th min (complaining to the linesman) left FC Barcelona with 10 men. This gave Bilbao an advantage with more space upfront to exploit.

Surprisingly Barça reacted aggressively to the situation & played better creating chances, however a terrible defensive mistake in the 74th min "gave" the ball to Bilbao striker Aduriz who equalized with a second attempt that blew the wind out of the Barça sails. The endeavour of scoring 4 goals in 15 mins was too much for Barça. Frustrations grew & things got rugged with Bilbao substitute Kike Sola receiving a red card for a hard tackle on Mascherano. On the replay it should have been only a yellow.

FC Barcelona paid dearly for the first leg away 4 - 0 defeat at Bilbao, while the latter worked hard & well tonight to keep things tight & under control. 

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FC BARCELONA WINS 1 - 3 AT BILBAO IN THE SPANISH CUP-COPA DEL REY FINAL

FC Barcelona wins its second title this season after winning 1 - 3 Athletic Club Bilbao in the final of the Spanish Cup - Copa del Rey. Convincing performance with most of the "damage" done by Barça in the 1º half.

Packed "Camp Nou" with 95.000 crowd witnessing an inform FC Barcelona firing on all pistons & going into next weekends Champions League Final in Berlin against Juventus FC as favourites. There they will attempt to put the "cherry" on this season's cake with a possible third title.

While Barça collectively played almost flawlessly, the difference was again Lionel Messi who solely takes his Club onto another level that no other Club can reach at this stage. The Argentine is in a "state of grace" & the opener in the 20th min came from his play, his genius & his unique skills, zig zagging 4-5 players & blowing the "roof off the stadium". Heartbreaking for the Bilbao defence which had no answers. 

Said this, I am somewhat personally disillusioned with Athletic Club Bilbao tonight, a Club I expected more from in this Final. Little "real" Football to show overall & even less creative as they attempted to exploit their few resources; counter-attacks & aerial power upfront. Totally neutralized by their opponents with far more talent, which in itself could excuse somewhat the Bilbao overall performance.

Lionel Messi again scored, this time in the second half - 73rd min - from a Alves pass that shut the Spanish Kings Cup Final.

Neymar was a double protagonist tonight: firstly for scoring the 2º goal for Barça in the 36th min, & secondly for infuriating the Bilbao players in the latter part of the second half with "showcasing" when everything was won for Barça. The Brazilian attempted a self "balloon" pass - perhaps unnecessary - that was seen as "arrogant" & "unsportsman" by Bilbao. Heated moments that will go down as another "Neymar incident" that unfortunately are becoming habitual & blemishing the image of the player. Said this, perhaps it's just another moment of tonight's play where it does not need any investigation nor further analysis.

Athletic Club Bilbao got their consolation goal in the 80th min through young Iñaki Williams who headed home. Not taking away any merit for Bilbao, but Barça at this stage had their collective minds in next week's Champions League Final & perhaps sinned of dropping their concentration.

Conclusion, exhibition from Barça & from Messi & the 27th Spanish Cup title for FC Barcelona in its History. Now onto Berlin & Juventus FC to attempt & continue making History.

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EUROPA LEAGUE RESULTS | SPANISH FOOTBALL TEAMS

UEFA Europa League Football 2º leg return matches tonight with three Spanish Soccer Clubs in action. Here are the final results, goalscorers & the teams that go through to the next stage.

Villarreal travelled to Salzburg for their 2º leg match with a goal advantage from the 1º leg game result of 2 - 1 at Villarreal. Tonght the Spanish Club managed to win 1 - 3 eliminating Salzburg from the competition & moves into the next stage of the competition with an overall 5 - 2 aggregate. The goals fell in the following order:

• Djuricin 17th min , 1 - 0
• Vietto 32nd min, 1 - 1
• Vietto 75th min, 1 - 2
• Giovanni 78th min , 1 - 3

Vietto put in a magnificent match for Villarreal with two goals.

Sevilla FC won 1 - 0 at home in the 1º st leg game & travelled to Germany to face Borussia Monchengladbach for the 2º leg return match. Tonights final score went 2 - 3 in favour of Sevilla FC which eliminate the German Club with a 4 - 2 overall aggregate. Great performance by the Spaniards who controlled their "advantage" & the good efforts from the Germans to attempt a turnaround. The goals came in the following order:

• Stranzl (own goal) 9th min, 0 - 1
• Xhaka 19th min, 1 - 1
• Vitolo 26th min , 1 - 2
• Hazard 29th min, 2 - 2
• Vitolo 78th min, 2 - 3

Athletic Club Bilbao hosted Italian Club Torino tonight for their 2º leg return match after the 1º leg ended in 2-2. The final result tonight went to the Italians 2 - 3 eliminating Bilbao 4 - 5 on overall aggregate. 

A passionate & epic game that gave everything, including plenty of goals & tense emotions. The Italians went ahead first via a penalty, but Bilbao pulled from grit & managed to pull back, however Torino was always one step (or goal) ahead. Under heavy rain, Bilbao fizzed out through tiredness towards the end & Torino controlled the situation. Said this Bilbao never gave up & put in an admirable performance. Torino was simply the best team tonight. The goals fell in this order:

• Quagliarella (penalty) 17th min , 0 - 1
• Iraola 44th min, 1 - 1
• Maxi Lopez 47th  min, 1 - 2
• De Marcos 61st min, 2 - 2
• Darmian 67th min, 2 - 3

Two of the three Spanish Clubs go through onto the next stage of the Europa League & will be in tomorrows draw.

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EUROPA LEAGUE GAMES RESULTS | SPANISH FOOTBALL TEAMS

Three Spanish Soccer Clubs had 1º leg UEFA Europa League match duties tonight as the competition enters the 2º leg game elimination system. Here are all the final results of the Spanish Football representatives, along with all the goal scorers.

Italian Club Torino hosted Athletic Club Bilbao in an entertaining game of Football with the Spanish Team finishing with a 2 - 2 result. Excellent outcome for Bilbao seeing that the Italians dominated mostly throughout the 90 mins. However, Athletic Club worked well their counter-attacks, scored when the chances arrived & defended well. Bilbao take two valuable away goals back to "San Mames" for the 2º leg return match. The goals came in the following order:

• Williams 8th min , 0 - 1
• Maxi Lopez 18th min, 1 - 1
• Maxi Lopez 43rd min, 2 -1
• Gurpegi 75th min , 2 - 2

Sevilla FC hosted German Club Borussia Mochengladbach in their 1º leg match which ended favourably for the Spanish Football Club winning 1 - 0. End to end stuff with both teams creating numerous goal occasions. But it was in the 70th min which brought the Sevilla FC opening goal thanks to Iborra. This goal lifted the home side which created more scoring opportunities while at the same time defending well to keep the Germans under control. 

Good result for Villarreal winning 2 - 1 Salzburg. Entertaining game between two teams that look after the ball & like to attack. The game could have gone either way but Villarreal goalie Asenjo kept the result favourable for his team. Salzburg managed a valuable away goal through Spanish player Soriano in the 48th min. The two goals for Villarreal came through Uche in the 33rd min & Cheryshev in the 53rd min. The tie is still open with Villarreal having a slight advantage.

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REAL MADRID TARGETS LAPORTE OF AT BILBAO?

According to todays front cover of Spanish Sports daily "Marca", Real Madrid wants to sign Aymeric Laporte, 20 year old French-Basque Central Defender of Athletic Club Bilbao. According to the news article Bilbao acknowlges  the interest from Real Madrid but does not want to enter into negotiations. Laporte is not for sale & the Bilbao President Urrutia response is "go to" the contract release clause of the player which is 42M€.

Real Madrid is awaiting the decision of its current midfielder Asier Illaramndi, on whether he accepts a said offer from Athletic Club Bilbao. If he finally does, Real Madrid would want to negotiate a "package deal". At this point of time it is all speculation. 

Stay tuned!

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UEFA CHAMPIONS LEAGUE WEDNESDAY GAMES RESULTS

UEFA Champions League Group match action continued tonight with the last two Spanish Football representatives on show. Here are the final results with all the goalscorers.

FC Barcelona hosted Paris St Germain for their Group F match. Plenty in play, the top spot of the Group, pride & "revenge" for Barça who lost the Paris encounter. The final result was 3 - 1 to FC Barcelona in an entertaining game of Football that saw Barça give the final knock-out blow with the third goal in the 76th min, while PSG fizzed out after not converting some great goal opportunities earlier on that could have sway things their way.

The goals fell in this order:

• Ibrahimovic 15th min, 0 - 1
• Messi 19th min, 1 - 1
• Neymar 41st min, 2 - 1
• Luis Suarez 76th min, 3 - 1

Some excellent executed goals tonight, especially Neymar. Plus special mention to Barça defender Bartra who played as right back & put in a "blinder".

Confidence boosting win for FC Barcelona as the "machine" begins firing on all cylinders.  

Athletic Club Bilbao hosted Bate Borisov in their Group H match. The Spanish Club had the objective of a victory tonight in order to secure the 3rd spot & stay in Europe via the "Europa League" competition. Successful night with a final 2 - 0 victory with goals from San Jose in the 47th min & Susaeta in the 88th min.

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UEFA CHAMPIONS LEAGUE FINAL RESULTS | TUESDAY GROUP GAMES

UEFA Champions League matches tonight with two Spanish Football representatives with Group obligations. Positive outcomes with the following final results & all the goal scorers.

FC Barcelona travelled to Cyprus to play Apoel in their Group F clash. The final score a comfortable 0 - 4 win to FC Barcelona in a match that had two red cards: Rafinha for Barça in the 69th min & Guiherme for Apoel in the 84th min. However, these red cards had null effect on the game which was dominated throughout by Barça.

The highlights was that Neymar was given a rest for Pedro & Busquets rested for Mascherano. Luis Suarez scored his first goal, the opener for Barça beautifully executed in the 27th min & lastly the HAT-TRICK of Lionel Messi with goals in the 38th, 57th & 87th min.  These goals took Messi past Raul Gonzalez (Real Madrid) on 72 goals to a new mark of 74 goals, a current new all-time Champions League goalscoring record mark.  

Athletic Club Bilbao travelled to the Ukraine to face Shakhtar in their Group H match. The Spanish team won 0 - 1 & gave their best version too late in the competition as they were eliminated before the kick-off. The winning goal came in the 68th min through San Jose. Great effort by Bilbao to pull off their first Champions League win,  & now puts them up in their next  Group match against Bate to get a ticket for the Europa League competition. 

The rest of Champions League games tomorrow night with Real Madrid & Atletico de Madrid in action.

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UEFA CHAMPIONS LEAGUE GROUP RESULTS | SPANISH FOOTBALL TEAMS

UEFA Champions League Group matches tonight with participation of FC Barcelona at home & Athletic Club Bilbao away. Here are the final results of tonights games with all the goalscorers.

FC Barcelona team photo, Champions League vs Ajax

FC Barcelona hosted Ajax Amsterdam in their Group F match & won 3 - 1. The result could have been higher for Barça but they failed to convert their numerous opportunities, especially in the 1º st half. The Spaniards dominated totally proceedings with Messi on fire, along with Neymar & Iniesta who were combining well & quickly. 

The first goal came from a series of one touch passes between the mentioned players which ended with Neymar scoring in the 7th min. The dominance continued & Lionel Messi got the second goal in the 24th min. 

With things under control in the 2º half Barça Coach Luis Enrique began thinking in next Saturdays big Liga game against Real Madrid. He substituted Neymar, Messi & Iniesta in a short space of time & this took out some intensity from the Barça game. So much so, that Ajax managed more ball dominance & scored in the 89th min through El Ghazi. Some nerves settled into the Barcelona line-up with another close call appearing through a Ajax opportunity. However, young Barça substitute & forward Sandro sealed the victory with his 92nd min goal. 

Special mention for Javier Mascherano who was playing in the position of Busquets, who was out with injury. Fantastic tonight was the equilibrium point of his team with sacrificing work & effort. 

Spanish Club Athletic Club Bilbao travelled to Portugal to face Porto in their Group H clash. Bad result for Bilbao which lost 2 - 1 to Porto, a loss that virtual makes qualifying out off this Group almost impossible. Bilbao are going through a very difficult period with their Football both in Liga & European competitions.

Porto offered most of the initiative tonight as they too wanted the 3 points to secure their presence in Champions for the next phase. Bilbao valiantly defended well until Hector Herrera scored the opener for Porto in the 44th min. This was a moral blow for Bilbao.

However, continuing with the Bilbao tradition & history of never giving up the Spaniards pulled from pride & manage spirit lifting equalizer from Guillermo in the 58th min. But their hopes received another harsh blow when Quaresma put Porto back ahead in the 75th min. Bilbao could not manage to get back from this goal as the earlier physical efforts had wore out the visitors legs & their moral. 

Tomorrow more Champions League matches scheduled with Real Madrid & Atletico de Madrid on show in their respective Groups.

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SPANISH FOOTBALL TEAMS WEDNESDAY FINAL RESULTS | UEFA CHAMPIONS LEAGUE

The two last remaining Spanish Football Clubs with UEFA Champions League duties played tonight with the following final results & goalscorers.

FC Barcelona hosted Apoel Nicosia in their Group F opener. The final result was a 1 - 0 victory to Barça & more importantly, the three points. Barça Coach Luis Enrique changed his team around & started with:

Ter Stegen; Alves, Pique, Bartra, Adriano; Sergi Roberto, Xavi, Samper; Messi, Neymar & Munir.

FC Barcelona kept to their style of possession Football while Apoel held back to defend & wait for counter-attacking opportunities. No surprises throughout the match with Barça attacking & creating chances almost getting to the monotonous stages. Apoel created some chances in the second half but failed to convert.

The only - & winning - goal came in the 28th min when Gerard Pique headed home a fixed play free kick. 

Celebrations at Bilbao as Athletic Club returns to Champions League after a 16 year wait. Bilbao hosted Shakhtar Donetsk in their Group H match & played out a 0 - 0 final result.

The Athletic Club Bilbao starting line-up was:

Iraizoz; De Marcos, Gurpegi, Laporte, Balenziaga; Iturraspe, Mikel Rico, Beñat; Muniain, Ibai Gomez & Aduriz.

From the Bilbao point of view, 24 crosses into the goal area & no ball converted into goal, apart from this, with only 3 true goal chance-attempts all in the second half. This sums up the Bilbao night. Shakhtar on the other hand defended very well & won in the ball possession area- 54% - having their own very clear goal opportunities as well but failing to convert. Bilbao suffered to hold them out.

Seen it all after 90 mins, perhaps deserved result & draw.

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ATHLETIC CLUB BILBAO TO FACE NAPOLI IN CHAMPIONS LEAGUE PRELIMINARY QUALIFIER

Spanish Football Club Athletic Club Bilbao has been matched with Italian Club Napoli for the upcoming Champions League preliminary qualifier. The winner of this home & away game will go directly into the Champions League competition while the loser goes into the Europa League competition.

The dates are the following:

• 20th of August - Napoli vs At Club Bilbao
• 27th of August - At Club Bilbao - Napoli

Complicated endeavour & games for both sides.  

Other match ups:

Maribor (SLO) - Celtic (SCO)

Salzburgo (AUT) - Malmoe (SWE)

Aalborg (DEN) - Apoel (CYP)

Steaua Bucarest (RUM) - Ludogorets (BUL)

Slovan Bratislava (SVK) - Bate Borisov (BLR)

Besiktas (TUR) - Arsenal (ENG)

Standard Lieja (BEL) - Zenit (RUS)

Copenhague (DEN) - Bayer Leverkusen (GER)

Lille (FRA) - Oporto (POR)

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MANCHESTER UNITED ABOUT TO TIE ANDER HERRERA

Looks as if this time around Manchester United are serious. The English Premier League Club left last season hanging Athletic Club Bilbao midfielder Ander Herrara until the last minute. News is that Manchester United has not forgotten the young Spanish talent & will deposit within hours the 36M€ contract release clause that liberates the player to become a new "Red" for next season. Manchester United has accelerated the operation because as of the 1st of July the contract release figure rises to 40M€. 

For Manchester United this is an exciting addition to their team. The Spanish player is on the verge of entering the Spanish National Football Team after years of rising up successfully the International junior levels & acquiring the needed experience at Club level. For Bilbao this is a huge loss for them as they have to decide who can substitute this key player. Bilbao has the added "problem" that they only contract "Basque" players thus limiting their search & options. The Basque Club has the opportunity to play Champions League next season & they need a competitive squad if they are to have any chances of success.

Herrara joins another Spanish International Juan Mata as Manchester United continue their renovation plans under new Coach Van Gaal who looks for youth & obviously promising talents. 

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SPANISH FOOTBALL | LIGA | ROUND 10 MONDAY NIGHT GAME RESULT

Spanish Football with its Round 10 of Liga ended tonight with Madrid Club Getafe hosting Athletic Club Bilbao. The end & final result after 90 intense minutes was a 0 - 1 victory to the visitors which further consolidates their upper table position. 

The opener came via Bilbao player Laporta in the 8th min which "blocked" thereafter the home team which later worked to get back into an effective playing groove. Gradually Getafe gained the initiative & was awarded with a 43rd min penalty. However Getafe forward Diego Castro - usually a sure bet under these circumstances - missed in the 44th min the equalizing opportunity. 

Getafe spent the rest of the second half attempting to regain their lost "golden moment" . Although Getafe created many chances Bilbao managed competently to foil them while the home side lacked the final execution finesse to take a point at least.  Bilbao will be singing victory on the way back home.


There is mid-week Spanish Football starting tomorrow - Round 11. Tweet

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MANCHESTER UNITED MAKES OFFER TO ATHLETIC BILBAO FOR ANDER HERRERA

English Club Manchester United needs to fill the midfield with a class player. The Club has made offers for Cesc Fabregas ( FC Barcelona ) , Ozil ( Real Madrid CF ) & others around Europe (eg Fellaini ). The transfer window shuts the 2nd of September & time is running out.

Latest news locally is that Manchester United has made a 30M€ offer to Spanish Football Club Athletic Club Bilbao for young midfielder Ander Herrera. The Spanish Club has made reference to the players contract release clause valued at 36M€ + VAT.

According to local Spanish Sports press Manchester United is seriously considering paying the release clause in order to secure the services of the talented Spanish Football player. The start of the new season has not been strong as the English Club would have liked & sees that the squad has deficiencies in the midfield. Herrera left a "sweet taste" at Old Trafford with his excellent performance when Bilbao played United in Europa League two years back.

The only possible obstacle is the player who desires to stay & continue at Bilbao.

Stay tuned!

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ATLETICO DE MADRID | HAPPY 110 YEARS BIRTHDAY

On a day like today, the 26th of April, 110 years ago the Spanish Football Club Atletico de Madrid began its long Sporting life till today. Original from Basque students living in Madrid  - thus the similarity & closeness to Athletic Club Bilbao - in 1904 they were joined by dissidents of Real Madrid to set the foundations of the Madrid Club.

So today its HAPPY BIRTHDAY, 110 years old.

Since then the Club currently has  61.000 paying members & 715 groups ( peñas ) spread around Spain & the World.

The Clubs Honours list is:


Regional
Campeonato Regional Centro
Winners (4): 1920–21, 1924–25, 1927–28, 1939–40

Domestic Competitions
La Liga
Winners (9): 1939–40, 1940–41, 1949–50, 1950–51, 1965–66, 1969–70, 1972–73, 1976–77, 1995–96
Runners-up (8): 1943–44, 1957–58, 1960–61, 1962–63, 1964–65, 1973–74, 1984–85, 1990–91

Copa del Rey
Winners (9): 1959–60, 1960–61, 1964–65, 1971–72, 1975–76, 1984–85, 1990–91, 1991–92, 1995–96
Runners-up (9): 1921, 1926, 1956, 1963–64, 1974–75, 1986–87, 1998–99, 1999-00, 2009–10

Supercopa de España
Winners (1): 1985
Runners-up (3): 1991, 1992, 1996

Copa de Campeones de España (Predecessor to the Supercopa de España)
Winners (1): 1940[63]
Copa Eva Duarte (Predecessor to the Supercopa de España)
Winners (2): 1940, 1951[64]
Runners-up (1): 1950
Copa Presidente FEF
Winners (1): 1947

Segunda División
Winners (1): 2001–02
Runners-up (2): 1932–33, 1933–34

European
UEFA Champions League
Runners-up (1): 1973–74
UEFA Europa League
Winners (2): 2009–10, 2011–12
UEFA Cup Winners' Cup
Winners (1): 1961–62
Runners-up (2): 1962–63, 1985–86
UEFA Super Cup
Winners (2): 2010, 2012
UEFA Intertoto Cup
Winners (1): 2007
Runners-up (1): 2004

World
Intercontinental Cup
Winners (1): 1974


The icing on the cake will be if Atletico de Madrid can defeat tomorrow in Liga arch city rival Real Madrid, a team they have´nt been able to beat in the last 14 years.

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