Pique and Pedro put Barcelona on top of the La Liga on goal difference with a 3-0 win over Malaga and Atletico Madrid won 4-2 at Rayo Vallecano to stay hot on their heels. Check out the footballers who shone over the weekend.
Cristiano Ronaldo scored his 22nd La Liga goal of the season to set Real Madrid on their way to a laboured 2-0 win at home to Granada on Saturday that lifted them above Barcelona and Atletico Madrid to the top of the standings.
Real Madrid ensured top spot in La Liga at the midway point of the season when Cristiano Ronaldo struck twice in a 3-0 win at Getafe on Sunday before Lionel Messi's hat-trick helped Barcelona to a 4-0 victory at Deportivo La Coruna.
A late double from Cristiano Ronaldo put some gloss on a stuttering performance from Real Madrid as they beat Celta Vigo 3-0 to cut the gap at the top of La Liga to five points.
Here is a quick round-up of the players who starred for their teams on the action-packed soccer weekend around Europe.
Alexis Sanchez hit a hat-trick as Barcelona swept aside Elche 4-0 to return to the top of La Liga on goal difference ahead of Atletico Madrid on Sunday.
Atletico Madrid knocked Barcelona off the top of La Liga, for a day at least, as a second-half strike by Koke earned a 1-0 victory over a stubborn Malaga side on Saturday.
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Barcelona eased into the King's Cup last 16 when goals from Pedro, Cristian Tello and Neymar secured a 3-0 second-leg victory at home to third-tier Cartagena on Tuesday for a 7-1 aggregate success.
Barcelona left it late to snatch a 1-0 win at Valencia on Sunday after Atletico Madrid's 2-0 victory at home to Deportivo La Coruna was overshadowed by the death of a visiting fan hours before kickoff.
Borussia Dortmund scored two late goals to controversially knock out debutants Malaga and reach the Champions League semi-finals on Tuesday while Real Madrid thwarted a valiant Galatasaray fightback to progress.
The Champions League tie between Bayern Munich and Juventus is the outstanding pairing of the round but there are glittering jewels -- and duels -- to savour everywhere in the quarter-finals of Europe's elite soccer competition this week.
Barcelona followed up Saturday's win over Real Madrid with another victory when Alexis Sanchez set the champions on their way to a 3-0 success at Celta Vigo on Tuesday that put them four points clear at the top of La Liga.
ManchesterCity manager Manuel Pellegrini walked straight down the players' tunnel without shaking hands with counterpart Jose Mourinho after Chelsea snatched a 90th-minute winner on Sunday.
Athletic Bilbao checked promoted Villarreal's impressive early-season run when they beat the team with the distinctive canary-yellow strip 2-0 at their new San Mames stadium in La Liga on Monday.
Arsenal will end an eighth consecutive season without silverware after their Champions League exit by Bayern Munich on Wednesday, leaving manager Arsene Wenger to rue a home first-leg defeat after his side almost pulled off an improbable comeback.
Gareth Bale is likely to play against Malaga on Saturday as Real Madrid coach Carlo Ancelotti is eager to have the Wales winger in form for the Champions League tie against Juventus and the game with La Liga leaders Barcelona over the following week.
His mere presence causes hysteria and pandemonium in the Land of the Rising Sun and he has no tennis equal in a continent heaving with 4.427 billion inhabitants, yet self-effacing Kei Nishikori thinks he is simply 'one' of the best players in Japan.
Chelsea moved within touching distance of a first Premier League title in five years with a 1-0 win over Manchester United while Lionel Messi reached a landmark with his 400th career goal for La Liga leaders Barcelona.
Real Sociedad midfielder Carlos Vela was called up by Mexico for November tour friendlies on Tuesday after turning his back on his country since March 2011.
Manuel Pellegrini's record against Pep Guardiola is a sorry one but he gets another chance to finally put one over his tormentor when Manchester City host holders Bayern Munich in the Champions League on Wednesday.
Former France and Real Madrid great Zinedine Zidane believes Spain playmaker Isco could be almost as good as him one day, club coach Carlo Ancelotti said on Tuesday.
Holders Barcelona set up a King's Cup semi-final with their arch-rivals Real Madrid after a thrilling 4-2 second leg win in Malaga on Thursday.
Manchester City boosted their defensive options by signing Argentine centre back Martin Demichelis from Atletico Madrid on Sunday.
Lionel Messi netted the 400th goal of his storied career on Saturday as Barcelona trounced Granada 6-0 to maintain the pace at the top of La Liga.
Real Madrid made it two wins in two La Liga outings this season when Karim Benzema's scuffed 10th-minute strike secured an uninspiring 1-0 win at Granada on Monday.
Real Madrid's bid to land Gareth Bale from Tottenham Hotspur for a world record fee in the region of 100 million euros is out of place in the current economic climate, Barcelona coach Gerardo Martino said on Saturday.
Luis Aragones, the coach of Spain's 2008 European Championship-winning side, has died at the age of 75, the Spanish Football Federation (RFEF) announced on Saturday.
Photographic summary of the football matches played across Spain, Italy and France
North London Club Arsenal has agreed a 23 million fee to sign Real Madrid striker Gonzalo Higuain, smashing their previous transfer record.
The former Paris St Germain manager will be presented on Wednesday and will replace Jose Mourinho who left at the end of last season to join Chelsea.
Real Madrid targets, Paris St Germain coach Carlo Ancelotti and Malaga midfielder Isco, are close to joining the club, president Florentino Perez said on Monday.
Captain Thiago Alcantara scored a first-half hat-trick to inspire Spain to a 4-2 win over Italy in the European Under-21 championship final on Tuesday.
Real Madrid, Manchester City, Arsenal and AC Milan suffered painful Champions League defeats on Wednesday which complicated their chances of progressing from an increasingly intriguing group stage.
Real Madrid closed to within three points of La Liga leaders Barcelona and Atletico Madrid at the halfway stage of the season when a Pepe header secured a laboured 1-0 win at mid-table Espanyol on Sunday.
A rampant Spain beat the Netherlands 3-0 on Wednesday to set up a semi-final against Norway in the Euro Under-21 football championships.
Manchester City's new manager should be announced within the next two weeks, chairman Khaldoon Al Mubarak said on the Premier League club's website.
Barcelona coach Tito Vilanova will return to New York next week for more treatment for throat cancer, the La Liga champions said on Saturday.
Roberto Mancini has been sacked as the manager of Manchester City.
Malaga coach Manuel Pellegrini denied he has spoken with Premier League club Manchester City over the possibility of replacing Roberto Mancini whose future as the club's manager is under threat after Saturday's FA Cup final defeat.
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