Real Madrid close in the gap on Barcelona with a 3-0 win over Girona
Real Madrid delivered a commanding performance to secure a 3-0 victory over Girona, narrowing the gap on league leaders Barcelona. With a clinical display of attacking football, Los Blancos keep their title ambitions alive
Real Madrid secured a vital victory at Montilivi, defeating Girona 3-0 to keep pace in the La Liga title race. Jude Bellingham opened the scoring in the 36th minute, continuing his fine form with goals in five consecutive league games.
First Half
Girona started strongly but created few clear chances. Van de Beek’s early effort went over the bar, while Real Madrid began imposing themselves midway through the first half. Brahim Díaz came close in the 34th minute, forcing a sharp save from Gazzaniga. Moments later, Bellingham capitalized on a loose clearance to break the deadlock.
Madrid intensified their attack after halftime, with Tchouaméni’s header and Güler’s strike testing Girona’s defense. Arda Güler doubled the lead in the 55th minute, calmly slotting home from Bellingham’s precise pass. Kylian Mbappé sealed the victory in the 62nd minute, finishing brilliantly from Luka Modrić's pinpoint through ball.
Despite Gazzaniga’s heroics, Real’s relentless pressure was too much for the hosts. This commanding win keeps Madrid in the title race and highlights their offensive depth and clinical edge as they continue their strong league campaign.
The club will be excitedly heading into next week's Champions League match.
Watch: Luka Modric's goodbye at the Bernabeu; Toni Kroos and Ancelotti give big hugs
Watch the moments from Luka Modric's farewell match at the Santiago Bernabeu against Real Sociedad on Saturday. Modric, Madrid's most successful footballer, will leave the club at the end of the season.
Who is leading the 2024-25 European Golden Boot race?
Kylian Mbappe is leading the race for the 2024-25 European Golden Boot. However, players like Viktor Gyökeres, Mohamed Salah and a few others are also in race.
The European leagues are up and running and we have already witnessed some great encounters between the top European teams. The hunt to win the European Golden Boot is also taking shape for the 2024-25 season.
Some big names from the Top five European leagues are already in full swing and they are scoring loads of goals to clinch the coveted annual award for the highest goalscorer in Europe. However, some young and talented players have enlisted themselves in the charts as well; even from outside of the top five European leagues.
Sportzpoint brings you all the details about the leading goalscorers in the top five European leagues, details of the UEFA League ranking, and the leading goalscorers competing for the 2024-25 European Golden Boot.
The European Golden Boot Race
Bayern forward Harry Kane won the 2023-24 Golden Boot. (Image Credit | SuperSport))
The Golden Boot is awarded by European Sports Media (ESM) which is a unified association of Football Magazine publications such as Marca, Kicker, La Gazzetta dello Sport, Frankfurter AZ, etc. They took over since 1996-97 season and started a new ranking system based on the position of the league for the respective players.
The UEFA coefficient ranking is considered a measure for weighting points, with the principle being to acknowledge players who score in leagues of higher quality according to rankings, which makes it tougher to find the back of the net.
The number of goals scored in the top five leagues of Europe are counted with a multiplier of two, while those from leagues ranked six to 21 receive a 1.5 multiplier, and goals from all other leagues are counted as one.
This is how the points system works.
⚽️🏆 Players with the Most European Golden Boot Wins:
🇦🇷 Lionel Messi: 6 🇵🇹 Cristiano Ronaldo: 4 🇺🇾 Luis Suarez: 2 🇫🇷 Thierry Henry: 2 🇵🇱 Robert Lewandowski: 2
The Ultimate European Golden Boot Race (Among the top 10 European Leagues according to UEFA coefficient rankings)
Considering the players from the top 10 European leagues in this list, this is what the current race of chasing the 2024-25 European Golden Boot looks like:
Luka Modric to Depart Real Madrid After Club World Cup, Leaving Legacy as Club Legend
Over his 13 seasons at Real Madrid, Luka Modric won an unparalleled 28 titles, including 6 European Cups, 6 Club World Cups, 5 European Super Cups, 4 LaLiga titles, 2 Copas del Rey, and 5 Spanish Super Cups.
Real Madrid CF announced that their captain, Luka Modric, will conclude his illustrious tenure with the club following the Club World Cup, set to begin on June 18 in the United States. The Croatian midfielder, widely regarded as one of the greatest players in the club’s history, will bid farewell after an extraordinary 13-year journey.
Since joining Real Madrid in 2012, Modric has been a cornerstone of one of the most triumphant eras in the club’s storied history.
Over his 13 seasons, he amassed an unparalleled 28 titles, including 6 European Cups, 6 Club World Cups, 5 European Super Cups, 4 LaLiga titles, 2 Copas del Rey, and 5 Spanish Super Cups.
His trophy cabinet makes him the player with the most titles in Real Madrid’s 123-year history, a record shared by only five players in football history who have won six European Cups.
Modric’s individual accolades are equally remarkable. In 2018, he claimed the Ballon d’Or, FIFA The Best Men’s Player, and UEFA Men’s Player of the Year awards.
He has been named to the FIFA FIFPro World XI six times and was recognised as the Champions League Best Midfielder twice. On the pitch for Real Madrid, Modric made 590 appearances, scoring 43 goals, and earned a Golden Ball and Silver Ball at the Club World Cup.
Internationally, Modric is Croatia’s record holder for appearances with 186 caps. His leadership guided Croatia to a runner-up finish at the 2018 World Cup, where he won the Golden Ball, and a third-place finish in 2022, earning the Bronze Ball.
Real Madrid president Florentino Pérez praised Modric’s impact, stating, “Luka Modric will forever remain in the hearts of all madridistas as a unique and exemplary footballer who has always embodied the values of Real Madrid. His football has captured the imagination of Madridismo and fans all over the world. His legacy will live on forever.”
Real Madrid have won 106 El-Clasico matches, while Barcelona have won 103 times, excluding the exhibition games where Barcelona has dominated the Los Blancos.
El Clasico refers to a match between two of Spain's biggest teams, FC Barcelona and Real Madrid. The rivalry goes beyond the football field as Madrid, the capital of Spain and Barcelona, the capital of Catalonia's autonomous community, have shared their fair share of political tension over the years.
Initially, the term was only used for the matches in the domestic Spanish championship, La Liga. Over the years, however, it's been globally recognised for every single meeting, such as in the UEFA Champions League or even domestic cup competitions like the Copa del Rey and Supercopa de España.
With both teams boasting big budgets and reputations that appeal to world-class performers across the planet, their respective ranks have been loaded with match-winners over the years.
Here we have for you a breakdown of the games the two giants have played!
Competition
Matches
RMA Wins
BAR Wins
Draws
RMA Goals
BAR Goals
La Liga
189
79
75
35
304
305
Copa de la Coronación
1
0
1
0
1
3
Copa del Rey
39
13
18
8
72
74
Copa de la Liga
6
0
2
4
8
13
Supercopa de España
18
10
6
2
40
29
UEFA Champions League
8
3
2
3
13
10
All competitions
258
106
103
51
440
431
Exhibition games
43
6
25
12
56
106
Most Appearances in El-Clasico
Sergio Busquets has played the most number of El-Clasico matches.
Former Barcelona captain Sergio Busquets has played 48 El-Clasico games, the most in the rivalry's history. Lionel Messi and Sergio Raoms follow him in the list with 45 El-Clasico games.
Apps
Player
Club
48
Sergio Busquets
Barcelona
45
Lionel Messi
Barcelona
Sergio Ramos
Real Madrid
43
Karim Benzema
Real Madrid
42
Paco Gento
Real Madrid
Manuel Sanchís
Real Madrid
Xavi
Barcelona
40
Gerard Piqué
Barcelona
Most goals in El-Clasico
Former FC Barcelona forward Lionel Messi has scored the most goals in El-Clasico. Since making his first Clasico appearance in 2005, the Argentine legend has played a joint-record 45 matches against Madrid, scoring 26 goals. This includes two hat-tricks in 2007 and 2014.
Former Real Madrid forwards Alfredo Di Stefano and Cristiano Ronaldo share the second spot with 18 goals each.
Since making his FC Barcelona debut just at the age of 15 in 2023, Lamine Yamal has broken multiple records. Here is every record of Lamine Yamal so far in his career.
Lamine Yamal came through Barcelona’s famous La Masia academy and made his first-team debut for FC Barcelona in 2023 at just 15 years old. He quickly became an important player and won the Kopa Trophy the next year.
Lamine Yamal, a product of FC Barcelona's La Masia Academy. Image | FC Barcelona
He also rose fast with the Spainish National Team, playing for youth teams before making his senior debut in 2023. At 16, he became the youngest player to play and score for Spain.
He took part in Euro 2024, helping Spain win the tournament and earning the Young Player of the Tournament award.
Since making his professional debut in 2023 at just 15 years 15 years, 9 months, and 16 days old, the fleet-footed forward has quickly become a key part of Barcelona's attack. He has scored 22 goals in 98 appearances for the club.
2. Youngest Starter in La Liga for Barcelona
Lamine Yamal became the youngest player to start a La Liga match for Barcelona on August 20, 2023, at the age of 16 years and 38 days. He surpassed the previous record of Fabrice Olinga, who started his first La Liga game for Malaga in 2012.
3. Youngest Player to Record an Assist for Barcelona
Lamine Yamal became the youngest player to record an assist for Barcelona in La Liga during the 2023-24 season. At 16 years and 45 days old, he achieved this record against.
4. Youngest Goal scorer for Barcelona
Lamine Yamal became the youngest goal scorer in La Liga history at just 16 years and 87 days old, netting his first goal against Granada and breaking the previous record held by Fabrice Olinga.
5. Youngest Goal scorer in La Liga History
Lamine Yamal became the youngest goal scorer in La Liga after scoring against Granada in Barcelona's 2-2 draw.
6. Youngest Player to Score a Brace in La Liga
On 11 February, in the game versus Granada, the Barcelona wonder-kid set the new record as the youngest scorer of a brace in La Liga. He did it at the age of 16 years 213 days.
7. Youngest Player to Feature in El Clasico
Lamine Yamal is the youngest player ever to appear in a Clasico in the 23-24 season at the age of 16 years and 107 days.
Lamine Yamal made history by becoming the youngest goal scorer in El Clasico at just 17 years and 105 days old, on October 26, 2024, netting the third goal against Real Madrid at the Santiago Bernabeu, surpassing Ansu Fati's record.
9. Youngest Player with 10+ Goal Contributions in La Liga
Lamine Yamal became the youngest player in La Liga history to score 10+ goals in La Liga at the age of 16 years and 213 days.
10. Youngest Player to Reach 50 Official Games for Barcelona
Lamine Yamal is the youngest player in FC Barcelona's history to reach 50 official games. He achieved this milestone on May 19, 2024, at the age of 16 years, 10 months, and 6 days.
11. Youngest Player to Reach 100 Appearances for Barcelona
Lamine Yamal made his 100th appearance on April 30, 2025, in a UEFA Champions League semifinal against Inter Milan, at 17 years old.
12. Most Dribbles Completed in a Single La Liga Match
In a single La Liga match, Lamine Yamal has completed the most successful dribbles this season, reaching 11 against Alaves, surpassing Lionel Messi's record of 10 dribbles in 2007. No other player has completed more than 7 successful dribbles in a single La Liga match the current season.
Champions League Records
Lamine Yamal showcasing his skills. Image | SABC Sport
1. Second-youngest player to feature in the UEFA Champions League
Lamine Yamal became the second youngest player to feature in the Champions League against Antwerp at 16 years and 68 days, only behind Youssoufa Moukoko at 16 years and 18 days.
2. Youngest player named in a Champions League starting lineup
Lamine Yamal holds the record for the youngest player to be named in a Champions League starting lineup. He was 16 years and 83 days old when he started the game against Porto on October 4, 2023.
3. Youngest player to play in the Champions League knockout phase
Lamine Yamal became the youngest-ever player to appear in the knockout stage when he started the round of 16 first leg against Napoli, aged 16 years 223 days.
4. Youngest player to score a goal in a Champions League semi-final match
Playing his 100th game at just 17 years and 291 days old, Yamal became the youngest player to score in a Champions League semifinal against Inter Milan, overtaking the record set by Kylian Mbappe, who was 18 when he achieved the feat in 2017.
Lamine Yamal playing for the Spanish National Team. Image | The Independent
1. Youngest Player to Debut for Spain
Lamine Yamal became the youngest player to play for Spain on September 8, 2023, against Georgia at 16 years and 57 days in the 2024 Euro Cup Qualifier, breaking Gavi’s record at 17 years, 62 days.
2. Youngest Goal scorer for Spain
Lamine Yamal became the youngest goal scorer for Spain at 16 years and 57 days. He netted a goal in his debut match against Georgia in the 2024 Euro Cup Qualifier breaking Gavi's record.
3. Youngest Goal Scorer in a UEFA Euro Qualifying Match
Became the youngest goal scorer in his debut match against Georgia, to score in a Euro Qualifier. He broke Gareth Bale's previous record at 17 years and 83 days.
Lamine Yamal celebrating his goal against France in the UEFA Euro 2024. Image | Goal.com
Lamine Yamal was a key player in Spain’s Euro 2024 win. He scored 1 goal against France and provided 4 assists, showing great skill and confidence for his age.
His performances helped Spain win their fourth European title, and he was named the Young Player of the Tournament for his standout play.
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