Football Season Guide

Real Madrid have had a remarkable summer as they finally got their hands on long-term transfer target Kylian Mbappe, and it comes after they won both LaLiga and Champions League last season in convincing fashion. The arrival of Mbappe and Brazilian teenager Endrick Felipe strengthens an attack which operated without a number nine last season, and they add to the highest-scoring team in LaLiga last season. In midfield, the retirement of Toni Kroos is a blow, but succession planning has been ongoing for several years and Fede Valverde is primed to step up as the boss in the middle, with Luka Modric's experience still available as an option. The concern for Carlo Ancelotti will be at the other end of the field, where David Alaba remains sidelined by injury and Nacho has departed. Eder Militao is back, but the squad still looks thin, with 16-year-old Joan Martinez used as a solution in pre-season to cover for the lack of depth. A comfortable start to the fixture list will help Real Madrid to settle in their new superstar, but the real test will come in October as the fixtures pile up alongside a Clasico. That could test the mettle and aspirations of this team.