Raphinha's goal rush, Vinicius Jr's struggles, Alvarez fury: The La Liga season so far
Club football in Europe comes to a halt this week as the season pauses for the first international break of the 2026/27 campaign. In La Liga , it is back-to-back title winners Barcelona who look red-hot favourites to make it three on the spin after an electric run of results. Atletico Madrid and Real Betis sit directly under Barca, one point behind, with Jose Mourinho 's Real Madrid a point and a…
The 2026/27 La Liga season commenced with Barcelona's dominance, as they have amassed an impressive seven consecutive victories, leading the table by five points. Raphinha has been instrumental in Barcelona's goal rush, scoring 12 goals in just seven matches, including a hat-trick in each of their last two games against Santander and Sevilla.
Atletico Madrid and Real Betis are in second and third places, respectively, while Real Madrid, under Jose Mourinho, sits one and two points behind Barcelona. However, Vinicius Jr., a key player for Real Madrid, has struggled this season, scoring just once in 10 Liga appearances, despite providing three assists. The Portuguese coach, Mourinho, has acknowledged Vinicius's struggles and stated that the player is working harder than ever.
Meanwhile, Julian Alvarez, another South American forward, is facing criticism from Atletico Madrid fans after being brought on as a substitute in the recent Madrid derby, with fans booing him despite his brief appearance. On the positive side, Racing Santander has seen a young Moroccan forward, Yassir Zabiri, make an instant impact, scoring a hat-trick and a double in their victories over Elche and Deportivo Alaves, among others.
Written by urgent.news from The National UAE's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
