What has been going on in LaLiga this past week? Here are 10 of the top stories, from an anniversary to a dream debut.

The September international break is now in the past and LaLiga Santander is back underway, with several dramatic matches held over Saturday and Sunday. Here’s all you need to know from a busy week in Spanish football.

Real Madrid return to the Bernabéu

After 560 days away, Real Madrid made their return to the Santiago Bernabéu on Sunday night to finally play in front of their fans once again. There was a party atmosphere at the redeveloped stadium as Los Blancos defeated RC Celta 5-2, with Karim Benzema leading the way by scoring a hat-trick. The Frenchman is now LaLiga Santander’s top scorer with five goals.

A dream debut for Camavinga

New Real Madrid signing Eduardo Camavinga came on during his side’s victory over RC Celta and the young Frenchman enjoyed a dream debut, scoring just seven minutes after his introduction. It was the perfect start to life in Spain for the highly rated 18-year-old.

Atlético de Madrid’s 99th minute winner

There was late drama in Espanyol vs Atlético de Madrid, a clash between the reigning LaLiga SmartBank and LaLiga Santander champions. Atleti fought back after falling behind to win 2-1 and the winning goal arrived in the 99th minute courtesy of a neat run and finish from Thomas Lemar.

Valencia’s strong start continues

José Bordalás has Valencia running like a well-oiled machine. Los Che have started the season excellently, picking up 10 points from their first four matches and thrashing Osasuna 4-1 on the road this weekend. Up next for Valencia is a blockbuster clash with Real Madrid next Sunday night. That should be a thriller.

Oyarzabal is on fire

Mikel Oyarzabal already has four goals to his name to start 2021/22, scoring two thirds of Real Sociedad’s goals so far. His most recent trick was to net the brace that earned La Real a 2-0 victory away at Cádiz, meaning the Basque side have nine points already.

Real Sociedad’s 112nd birthday

It wasn’t only a happy week for Real Sociedad on the pitch. Off it, they celebrated their 112nd anniversary, marking the club’s founding back on 7th September 1909. Former players and fans alike shared posts on social media to celebrate the occasion – it’s been a particularly great year for the club, having won the rescheduled 2020 Copa del Rey final over arch rivals Athletic Club.  

Griezmann vows to win over the Atleti fans

Having returned to Atlético de Madrid after leaving two summers ago, Antoine Griezmann knows he’ll need to win over the fans once more and he has promised to do all he can to rebuild the bond they had. Ahead of his re-debut in the win over Espanyol on Sunday, Griezmann even cut his hair after a request from some Atleti fans on social media to do so, opting for a fresh look for this fresh start.

International goals for LaLiga stars

Several LaLiga Santander players finished the September international break with goals to their name, firing their countries towards a potential spot at the 2022 World Cup. Antoine Griezmann netted both goals in France’s 2-0 victory over Finland, while Memphis Depay produced a hat-trick in a 6-1 triumph for the Netherlands over Turkey and new Sevilla signing Thomas Delaney scored in Denmark’s 5-0 win over Israel.  

Atlético’s title-winning documentary

The 2020/21 LaLiga Santander season was packed full of drama, with the title race coming down to the final minutes of the final day. Atleti famously held on to win their 11th Spanish championship and now they’ve released a documentary in partnership with Amazon Prime Video, titled ‘Otra forma de entender la vida’, offering a behind-the-scenes look at how they won the title.

Preparing for a big week of Champions League football

The Champions League returns this week with five Spanish teams participating in the group stage. Not only that, but four fixtures will be held on Spanish soil this week as Sevilla host RB Salzburg, Barcelona welcome Bayern Munich to the Camp Nou, Atleti face Porto in the capital and Villarreal take on Atalanta on Spain’s east coast. Real Madrid kick off their campaign too, away at Inter.