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The Group D clash between the United States and Socceroos has been hyped as next step in a heated rivalry but the nations are on similar football journeysListen to the hyperbole spewed by the loudest voices, and the World Cup clash between co-hosts the United States and Australia in Seattle is the latest contest in a heated sporting rivalry streaked with disrespect and even downright hate.Indeed, the sometimes spiteful clash between the teams in a friendly last year serves as a preview for what is now one of the marquee matches in the pool stage, and set to determine the winner of Group D.But for each country’s football – or indeed, soccer – community, to hate the other is to hate oneself. While the match will be a compelling contest, it also serves as a mirror for two unusual footballing countries, where the world’s most popular sport sits on the periphery.This match is a lesson in empathy. Socceroos midfielder Aiden O’Neill, who plays for New York City FC, understands football in both countries does not have the same status it enjoys elsewhere in the world. “[Soccer in the US] is similar to Australia, it’s starting to change here in America,” he says. “You’ve got some massive other sports, but I think it’s starting to grow in popularity.”While the AFL and NRL dominate the winter sporting discourse in Australia, with cricket the leader in summer, the dominant trio in the US are American football, basketball and baseball.Both countries share another parallel. “It’s one of the great oddities in this country,” says longtime sports writer John Shea, who now works for the San Francisco Standard. “It’s the number one participation sport among boys and girls, yet in the high school ranks, it’s not as popular as [American] football, basketball, and even baseball.”According to the National Sporting Good Association, there were more than 7 million Americans aged between 7 and 17 playing soccer in 2025. The sport is second only to basketball, which has more participants in the same bracket but skews more towards recreational play, leaving soccer as the leader among organised sport.In Australia, football had about 850,000 participants among those aged 17 and under, about 300,000 more than basketball and behind only swimming in terms of activities, according to the government’s Ausplay survey.Bernardo Ramallo, who works with non-profit Soccer Without Borders in the San Francisco Bay Area, says young US soccer players have historically faced taunts and insults from those who play other sports. “Growing up there’s been jokes saying, like, ‘soccer is weak, [American] football’s a real sport’,” he says. “I grew up in Virginia, which is in the south – which is very different to California – it was always ‘soccer is a girls’ sport’, because of the success of the 1990s and Mia Hamm.”Noelle Shaw, a soccer fan from Oakland and former junior goalkeeper, says she believes the sport does not receive the respect it deserves in the US. “Soccer is a hard sport, and I don’t think a lot of people realise that to run back and forth on that field for 90 minutes, no time-outs, no anything, that takes a different level of grit and drive.”Ramallo works on social programs for recent migrants and refugees, and sees people engaged in US soccer tend to be younger and more diverse. “Soccer has always been the first sport that many children play,” he says. “But as well, now, it’s a lot of immigrants, people that come from Bolivia, Argentina, Chile, African countries, and they come here and they bring that love, that craziness, that support, so it’s a nice mix.”Edreece Arghandiwal, co-founder of the Oakland Roots club in the second-tier USL competition, believes in the sport’s capacity for growth in the US. The club was only founded in 2018, and averages about 6,000 fans per home game. “America is a very diverse place, especially here in Oakland,” he says. “Soccer belongs here, it always has been here, it just needs the right vehicles, the right voices, the right stories to get to the minds and hearts of people and I think we’re trying to do that here at the club.”Shea worked in sports media in the aftermath of USA ‘94. He is enjoying the current World Cup, but is not sure whether it will trigger structural change. “I’ve heard about that narrative every few years for decades, and it hasn’t changed to the point where soccer has emerged as a first or second or third sport nationwide in viewing, so I’m not sure it’ll be anything like that,” he says.He compares the current World Cup buzz with the Olympics, which might draw short-term interest in gymnastics or track and field, before Americans return to the established sporting habits. “Which is blasphemy when I hear from all these other countries where soccer is absolutely number one, you get a taxi or an Uber and all they do is talk about soccer,” he says. “And I just don’t get that here. I don’t think I ever will.”The clash between the US and Australia on Friday local time is highly anticipated, given the teams’ victories in their respective World Cup openers last week. The fixture will also be a spark to reflect on the two countries’ close but complicated relationship: of the uncertainty of defence deal Aukus, the record of President Trump and the retreat by many Americans from a global to a more domestic outlook.Ramallo says the similarities will be impossible to ignore. “Beer, drinking, laughs, jokes … so I think there shouldn’t be hatred. Instead, it should be a giant party.”

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ShareSaveAdd as preferred on GoogleKwasi Gyamfi AsieduWashingtonAyoub Baghdad has only just arrived in the US to follow his home team in the World Cup. But already he's been stunned by one big thing - and it's not at all related to football - the sheer size of basically everything in the States."Everything is big, even the coke is big," Baghdad says, referring to the carbonated beverage. He has found the roads, trucks, and buildings to be much larger than anything he's used to seeing back home in Morocco.About 75% of the 2026 Fifa World Cup matches are being played in the US with Mexico and Canada sharing the remainder. With that comes more international fans in the US keen to explore American culture, landscape and all the country's oddities.It's made for viral videos on social media, with foreign football fans trying everything from Waffle House and finding a new obsession in ranch dressing to being blown away by giant supermarkets and large restaurant portions.The preoccupation with sizes, in particular, was something many international fans remarked about when interviewed by the BBC about their reflections on visiting America."A place like this could ONLY exist in America and I LOVE it," said Shaun, a vlogger from Scotland after visiting a Buc-ee's, a convenience store, restaurant, gas station, and supermarket all wrapped in one. The popular chain, mostly found in the South, has a cult-like following in the US, with fans often posing with its Beaver mascot outside many locations.For some football fans, food is one way they are exploring the country."I find that the food generally is significantly better than in England," says Ire Balogun, who is travelling from Oxford."I'm surprised even with their fast food, there's just so much more flavour. I am sure it's not good for you in many other ways … but the flavour comes through across the board, whether it's Chinese or [Hispanic] food."João Valentim and his friends, a group made up of Portuguese graduate students traveling from Madrid, have also been trying "mostly fast food, chain restaurants that we don't have in our own country."So far, they have been to chains including the Tex-Mex staple Chipotle and the famous hamburger shop Shake Shack, as well as small, independently-run restaurants."It what we are used to seeing in movies or TV shows," Lourenço Silva, from the group says. "It's a part of the experience of coming to the US."But the restaurant experience has also stunned travellers. Some have posted online about the free chips and salsa that comes at Hispanic restaurants or the free re-fills offered at nearly every eatery.For Christian Boateng, who is from Ghana but lives in England, it was the portion size."The portion we bought, we couldn't finish everything," he said. "It's not like that in England."He added that he was also intrigued at the American practice of not including sales tax in the listed price of an item, something that is commonly done in England.Balogun noted that he's noticed the mood in the US has been more muted compared with previous World Cups he's attended, even with the country hosting the largest share of matches. He was in Russia in 2018 and in Qatar for the 2022 tournament.But that is an Americanism of its own, in a country where football isn't the national pastime and competes for popular attention with several other major sports, including baseball which is currently in season, and American football, which is the most popular sport in the nation.That was perfect for England fans Jason Barnes and Harry Beckley, who accidentally found themselves in a crowd of basketball fans in New York's Times Square as the Knicks beat the San Antonio Spurs to win their first NBA title in 53 years."It's the craziest celebration I have ever seen or even been a part of," said Barnes, who was travelling from Portsmouth. "We know basketball is huge in America, obviously not so much in the UK. It was unreal… I might even start following basketball now because of it."International fans are not sticking to sites close to the host cities alone and major metropolitan areas. They are eager to branch off to the US heartland for unique 'only-in-America' experiences.For Tomás Soares, José de Araújo Vitória and the rest of their Portuguese group, those roads lead to the US south - to Georgia, Florida, and the Carolinas."We are gonna eat some more normal and more traditional American things like barbecue and maybe a seafood boil," Soares says. "That's the thing that like most of us are looking forward to."Ayoub Baghdad, the fan from Morocco, says although US prices are definitely higher compared to his last World Cup experience in Qatar, it is still worth the journey."You can make your own budget to come watch maybe one game or two games and have the experience with you for your whole life because it is not gonna happen again."With additional reporting from Madeline Gerber and Meiying Wu

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⚽️ Kick-off time: 7pm local/9pm EDT/2am BST/11am AEST⚽️ Player guide | Bracketology | Golden Boot | Mail Jonathan⚽️ Jonathan Wilson: From frustration to party time: Mexico ready for lift-offJavier Aguirre was forced into one change following the red card to Cesar Montes against South Africa. Montes is replaced in the centre of defence by Edson Alvarez. Aguirre has also switched right backs, with Israel Reyes coming in for Jorge Sanchez, and tinkered with his midfield where Alvarao Fidalgo loses out to Luis Romo.Mexico (4-1-2-3): 1 Rangel; 2 Sanchez, 4 Alvarez, 5 Vasquez, 23 Gallardo; 6 Lira; 26 Gutierrez, 7 Romo Fidalgo; 25 Alvarado, 9 Jimenez, 16 Quinones.Fans of the two countries have shared a warm relationship since the 2018 World Cup, when South Korea’s unexpected 2-0 victory over Germany in their final group game put Mexico into the last 16. Amid the celebrations in Mexico City, South Korea’s ambassador was carried shoulder-high along the street in front of the embassy as local fans chanted, “¡Coreano, hermano, ya eres mexicano!” – “Korean, brother, you are Mexican now!” The chant has been resurrected in Guadalajara, where South Korea beat Czechia 2-1 in their first group game. When a group of Korean fans visited the wrestling, the arena DJ played Gangnam Style to welcome them. Mexican social media has been flooded with videos of Guadalajarans and Koreans performing PSY’s horse dance together. Continue reading...

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At full strength, Canada can go toe-to-toe with any opponent in the Americas. After steady climbs up the Concacaf charts and a credible run to the 2024 Copa América semi-final, all hope was that a talented squad could find their stride at a home World Cup.That belief came to life on Thursday, as Jesse Marsch’s side played a dominant 6-0 win over Qatar before a crowd of 52,497 for the country’s first-ever victory at a men’s World Cup. Jonathan David’s hat-trick led the celebration of the program’s progress over the past decade, marred only by a horror leg injury suffered by midfielder Ismaël Koné in the second half.The Vancouver crowd opened with a rousing rendition of O Canada, forging the proverbial 12th-man atmosphere that Marsch ordered up entering the match. Their team wasted no time in keeping their block of possession in the Qatar half, eager to ratchet up the pressure from the very start.For the first eight minutes, save for one break, Canada kept Qatar pinned back. Only after an Akram Afif scamper and a drawn foul did the visitors find some semblance of balance. It would prove the proverbial calm before a storm settled into BC Place and rocked Julen Lopetegui’s side.In their World Cup opener, a 1-1 draw with Bosnia and Herzegovina, Canada sent in nine corners without posing much of a scoring threat. Drawing three in the opening half-hour on Thursday, one proved indirectly vital toward the breakthrough. Ali Ahmed’s service caromed around as Qatar failed to clear their lines. The ball fell to Cyle Larin, the hero in the opener, to kick off a raucous celebration.After the first-half hydration break, Canada got back to work. Alastair Johnston played a ball up the channel to Tajon Buchanan, who fashioned a shot that was eventually blocked. The ball took a curious loop right into David’s patch of pitch. The Juventus forward connected on a silky volley before the ball hit the ground, with no chance for the diving Mahmoud Abunada to stop it.Things got worse for Qatar. Minutes after David’s goal, Canada played another ball beyond the defense into Buchanan, who bolted toward the box before being taken down by a desperate Homam Ahmed. While a VAR check was necessary, its purpose was more to ensure that Buchanan hadn’t been fouled inside the box rather than any effort to spare Ahmed’s blushes. The Qatar left-back was given a straight red card for denying a goal-scoring opportunity.Canada continued to seize their opportunities. In the 38th minute, with Abunada committed to a dive at his far post, the ball found Buchanan for a potential poacher’s goal, only for Akram Afif to clear it off the line. Even as the stadium announcer indicated there would be six minutes of stoppage time, nearly everybody wearing red in the stands stayed in their seats.The loyalists were rewarded just before half-time. Buchanan played a far-post cross from the right to Larin, whose header was saved. The ball again hung in the air just long enough for David to get a vital touch and send it into goal. David and midfielder Stephen Eustáquio engaged in a chest bump, closing a 51-minute run through dreamland.Once the second half began, Canada wasted no time advancing into the attacking third, pinning Qatar and toying with them with passes around the box’s perimeter. In the 51st minute, Koné turned his back to help send a pass to his defensive line. Qatar midfielder Assim Madibo put a little extra into a tardy attempt to stop his pass. Instead, he clattered with the back of Koné’s leg, an initial yellow card that sent Eustaquio into hysterics as he notified Marsch and the Canada bench of what he’d seen – Koné’s leg dangling in an unnatural shape.The cameras caught Koné’s reaction as he assessed his lower left leg, a look of shock and disbelief. Madibo looked dismayed, hands on the sides of his head. Video review upgraded his offense to a red card and sent Qatar down to nine players. Several of Koné’s teammates were visibly beside themselves.And yet, the heart of Canada met the moment. A nation known for its neighborly nature soundtracked Koné’s stretchering to the sideline with an ovation, with the player stopping the process briefly to take in the sight of support. As he was carried past both benches toward the tunnel behind Maxime Crépeau’s net, he sat straight up and waved to the tens of thousands chanting his name.Canada did their best to resume the domination. When Nathan Saliba – the midfielder who took Koné’s place – buried a direct free kick in the 64th minute, he immediately turned to point toward the tunnel down which Koné went and fashioned a No 8 with his hands. Two minutes later, the stadium sustained a wave with seemingly perfect participation, with the corner of Qatar supporters keeping their momentum in spite of what had become a gruesome affair for the visitors.Hours after Switzerland opened the second round of Group B play with a 4-1 win over Bosnia and Herzegovina, Canada continued to pad their goal difference. Another sequence off a dead ball in the 75th found Jacob Shaffelburg, whose far-post shot would have flown wide if not for a desperate Mohamed Al Mannai throttling it into his own net.The loudest cheer of the day beyond the goal celebrations was for an 86th-minute scoreboard shot of Christine Sinclair, the sport’s all-time leading international goalscorer of any gender.Perhaps the Canadian men will have their own hero’s welcomes after their careers come to a close. While star defender Alphonso Davies – available for selection after recovering from a hamstring injury – was understandably spared from joining a game that already saw two red cards, players such as David and Koné are well on their way to famous careers for club and country alike.In the second minute of stoppage time, David was fortunate to block one of his teammate’s shots without anyone nearby, turning what could have been Saliba’s second goal into an assist and completing his hat-trick.David, already Canada’s all-time leading male goalscorer, is one of several players achieving things that haven’t been done before. In fact, all 26 players are now in the history books: the first group of Canadian men to win at a World Cup.

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The top stories and transfer rumours from Friday's newspapers...Arsenal are preparing a bid for Paris Saint-Germain winger Bradley Barcola - The IndependentArsenal have seen an opening bid for Leicester City wonderkid Jeremy Monga rejected - The TelegraphLiverpool are willing to put forward a package of £86m [€100m] for RB Leipzig forward Yan Diomande - The AthleticChelsea and Arsenal are keeping tabs on Lacroix during the summer transfer window - The SunBack Pages is a review of the sports headlines from the national newspapers, every Monday to Friday, live on Sky Sports News from 10.30pm. Missed the show? Catch up on the latest news with the Back Pages podcast.Thomas Tuchel is allowing England players to spend time with family members at the team's World Cup training base in Missouri during the tournament - The SunMalo Gusto picked up a knock to his foot during France's training session on Wednesday evening, but it's not thought to be serious - Canal+The French national staff want to see Michael Olise back in a No 10 role - Canal+

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Morocco. A country, a team mentioned so much by Scotland fans despite only playing them once.Why? Well until last Saturday, the last game we played at a World Cup was against Morocco over 10,200 days ago.If you told anyone in Saint-Etienne that night that they would have to wait 28 years to play at another World Cup, where, ironically, Morocco would be waiting for you in MD2, you wouldn't have believed it.The fact is the 3-0 defeat to the Africans at France 98 became the origin, the starting point of the odyssey back to tournament football.The game would be mentioned more that it deserved over the years, as it was our last memory of a finals until we qualified for Euro 2020 - then it remained our last World Cup game until beating Haiti this week.What do fans remember of that game. The scoreline? The fact Craig Burley was sent off? The awful bleached blonde hairstyle he was sporting?Those in the stadium, or that watched on TV, or even those not even born were more than aware of the Morocco game for being the last game Scotland played at a World Cup.World Cup 2026 fixture schedule - your day-by-day guideWorld Cup 2026 dates, venues and expanded formatNow, Scotland are standing on the brink of more history against Morocco. A win for Steve Clarke's team and Scotland will qualify out of a group at a major tournament for the first time in their history.We would continue to talk about Morocco and the World Cup - but for the right reasons this time.It sounds easy but ultimately, this game will be much harder in practice. A team that reached the World Cup semi-finals three and a half years ago in Qatar, ranked seventh in the world and boasting a team packed full of talent.Their captain has won back-to-back Champions League titles with PSG. Achraf Hakimi's epitomises the talent in their squad and Clarke is in no doubt that Scotland are up against it.He is due to take charge of his 80th Scotland game. He will need to pull out a performance to match the win over Spain at Hampden Park in Euro 2024 qualifying to get a result.That was Spain's only defeat throughout the whole of that tournament, from qualifying through to the finals.Scotland are capable. Many had written them off at Wembley in Euro 2020, but they drew 0-0 with England and could have won the game. If this squad is to make history, then it will need to find something against a dark horse for the World Cup.A draw would still leave Scotland in a strong position to qualify. Defeat and we start thinking about what is required to qualify as a third-placed team, although we have another chance against Brazil in Miami.The Tartan Army have taken over Boston. They turned Fenway Park into Hampden Park the day after beating Haiti. The support is something Clarke has been keen to highlight.The Scotland head coach also wanted to pay tribute to Donny Strathie, an avid fan who sadly passed away while in the city following his country. The supporters will take part in a minute's applause on 76 minutes in Boston Stadium.That puts football, life and the World Cup into perspective.

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Canada are on the brink of qualifying for the World Cup knockout stages after a Jonathan David treble inspired 6-0 win over woeful nine-man Qatar - in a result marred by a serious leg injury for midfielder Ismael Kone.Jesse Marsch's side were dominant from start to finish in Vancouver - leading 3-0 at half-time thanks to Jonathan David's double and Cyle Larin's opener. Qatar defender Homam El Amin was sent off for a last-man challenge on Tajon Buchanan in that half.But the most pressing concern was for Canada midfielder Kone - who was stretchered off with oxygen after a challenge that left everyone watching distressed. VAR upgraded Assim Madibo's yellow card to a red, probably after seeing everyone's reaction to the tackle.Kone's replacement Nathan Saliba then curled a free-kick to make it 4-0, and lifted his stricken' team-mate's shirt up in his celebration. Mohammad Al Mannai's comical own goal made it worse for Qatar, as David completed his hat-trick in stoppage time.The result means Canada need to avoid defeat against Switzerland in the final group game to claim top spot - which would see them play their round of 32 game in front of a home crowd.16: GOAL! Vancouver explodes with noise as Larin taps home after David's shot is spilled into his path29: GOAL! David makes it 2-0 with a stunning volley from inside the area32: RED CARD! Canada are given a penalty for El Amin's trip on Buchanan, but VAR awards a free-kick as it is outside the box. El Amin's booking is upgraded to a red.45+3: GOAL! After more Canada pressure, David pokes home a third after Larin's header is well-saved.51: Canada midfielder Kone suffers a serious injury after a foul by Modibo, needing to leave the pitch with oxygen and Canada players looking distressed. The Qatar player is sent off after VAR upgraded the yellow card.64: GOAL! Kone's replacement Saliba scores a direct free-kick and holds up Kone's shirt in his celebration.75: GOAL! Al Mannai scores a comical own goal by diverting Jacob Shaffelburg's off target shot into his own net.90+2: GOAL! David completes his hat-trick amid more woeful defending.

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Pulisic has been training individually all weekUS face Australia at 3pm ET in Seattle on FridayUS men’s national team head coach Mauricio Pochettino offered very little clarity on the injury status of playmaker Christian Pulisic on Thursday, casting further doubt on his availability before the Americans’ second World Cup group-stage match against Australia on Friday.“I think as you know he was training individually all week,” Pochettino told reporters at his pre-match press conference. “Like always, I think tonight or the day before the game we have a meeting with our medical area, we will assess the whole group, and tomorrow we will communicate if we agree on something tonight. He is evolving, he is much better from Friday, we’ll see.”Pulisic injured his calf in training last week and was pulled at half-time of the USMNT’s 4-1 victory over Paraguay after aggravating the injury. He has been following what US Soccer has deemed a “modified training program” ever since, with US players and coaches offering little else in the way of clarity.The Milan midfielder was not seen with the full group in the portions of training open to media this week at the team’s training base in Irvine, California. Pulisic was in the auxiliary gym next to the team’s training pitch on Monday and Tuesday, then emerged on to the field with trainers doing drills with a ball on Wednesday.After arriving in Seattle, Pulisic trained separately from the rest of the squad again on Thursday at the University of Washington’s soccer complex. He was briefly spotted on the training pitch during a huddle before the session began in earnest, sporting a wrap around his left calf. Pulisic then disappeared into a nearby training facility, accompanied by US performance staffers, and was not seen again during the portion of training open to media.The tenor from Pulisic’s teammates has evolved through the week.“I know he really wants to be [on the field tomorrow],” said US midfielder Weston McKennie on Thursday. “And he’s doing everything that he can and the staff is doing everything that they can as well.”Brenden Aaronson, speaking Wednesday, said similar. “We’re really hoping that Christian’s going to be back for the game, of course,” he said. “We know that he’s going to give us his all to get back into the team and be there for the game.On Tuesday, Tim Weah said, “I think [Pulisic will] be ready for the game and ready to be with the team … I’m just praying to God that he feels 100% fit.”“Christian will be ready, everyone. Let’s relax,” midfielder Tyler Adams said on Monday. “He’ll be fine.”The US could go several different routes in terms of replacing Pulisic. Pochettino could adjusting his approach further back in the starting XI, roll out an in-form Gio Reyna or deploy Aaronson. Undeniably, though, the absence of Pulisic against Australia could prove significant, given how well he played against Paraguay and how much of a central figure he is to the team.“When this type of thing happens it’s always painful,” said Pochettino. “But I think Christian is strong, with a great mentality and is doing a fantastic effort to try and be ready as soon as possible. … He is doing a massive effort to be ready.”

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Full-back moving back to Spain in £52m dealPlayer reveals he had telephone call with MourinhoMarc Cucurella has admitted that he had not expected to leave Chelsea and that his £52m signing for Real Madrid was done in a day and a half. The Spain left-back also defended himself against the backlash from Barcelona fans, insisting that although he was born and raised in Catalonia and joined the Barça academy aged 14, he could not turn down Real Madrid. “I am very happy,” the 27-year-old said – if maybe not as happy as his wife, Claudia, whose entire family are Madrid supporters.“It was all very fast,” Cucurella said from Spain’s training base in Chattanooga, Tennessee. “I got a phone call one morning. My people told me the two clubs had the terms mostly agreed and that I had to decide if I wanted to go there. I had no doubts. It is a big step for me, very important in my career. It all happened in roughly a day and a half. For me, that was the best thing, so it could be all done and I could keep my focus on the World Cup.”The full-back added: “If you had asked me a few months ago, I would probably have told you I didn’t expect to leave Chelsea. I was very happy there, my family too. But in life and football sometimes you need to change and start chapters you did not expect. It’s not easy to leave Chelsea. I lived there for four years and I think I arrived as a young kid. I dreamt of winning trophies and Chelsea gave me the chance. I’m very grateful to what they gave me. But the challenge now is bigger. I can come back to my country and play for Real Madrid which is one of the best clubs in the world. It was not an easy decision but the right one for me and my family.“When this happens it is normally a very long process, and one that does not only depend on me. A lot of things are factored in, and the best thing that could happen was Madrid coming in to sign me so convincingly. It didn’t come out anywhere [in the media] and by the time it did, it was all done. Being at a World Cup while you have other stuff going on in your head it’s not easy. So I am very happy it was all resolved very quick so I can now be 100% focused on the World Cup.”Cucurrella talked to José Mourinho, Madrid’s returning head coach. “We had a chat. I was very happy. Having a manager like Mourinho calling you and saying he can’t wait to work with you gives you a lot of confidence. It was a quick chat, to be honest: I did not want to shift my focus away from Spain duty, but what I liked a lot is that he remembered a lot of things from the game I played against him for Chelsea against Benfica in the Champions League. He insisted that he believes I can add a lot to the team and the dressing room. That just gave me more confidence.”Asked about the anger from Barcelona fans, Cucurella replied: “I have to respect everyone’s opinions. I am very thankful for everything I have experienced in my career and what I learnt in La Masia. But there’s different chapters in life and I thought this was the right step for me. When Madrid comes for you, it is very difficult to say no. I did not doubt that this was the step me and my family wanted to take.“Pressure will be high, but when you move to a club like this what you want is to fight for titles. I am ready for that. My career has not been easy. Now having the chance to play for Real Madrid is a fantastic way to top my career off. [My wife] and her family were always Madrid fans. When she met me, I guess you stop living football as you did – as a fan – and start thinking more about what’s best for you because in the end this is a business and not everything is how you imagined. She will be very happy. Who would have imagined that her partner would be a Madrid player? She has been there in tough moments and now I am happy we can enjoy this together.”