What has been going on in LALIGA this past week? Here are 10 of the top stories, from the latest transfers to Spain’s gold medal in Olympic football.

Spain wins Olympic football gold 

After winning Euro 2024 earlier in the summer with a squad packed with LALIGA EA SPORTS talents, Spain have also won the men’s football gold medal at Paris 2024. The Olympic team defeated hosts France 5-3 in the final, with Rayo Vallecano’s Sergio Camello scoring two extra time goals. 18 of the 22 players called up for the Olympics play their club football in LALIGA EA SPORTS.

Fermín López is the second-top scorer at the Olympics

One of the other stars of the gold medal match was Fermín López. The FC Barcelona player scored two more goals against France, taking his total to six in the tournament. That means he finished as the second-top scorer of the competition, adding further glory to a summer which also saw him crowned European champion as part of Spain’s Euro 2024 squad.

FC Barcelona name Marc-Andre ter Stegen as their new captain

FC Barcelona announced this week that Sergi Roberto is leaving the club, which means that the new first-team captain is Marc-André ter Stegen. The German goalkeeper has been at the club for 10 years and now assumes the most important role in the squad. 

FC Barcelona win the race to sign Dani Olmo 

FC Barcelona have completed their first signing of the summer, with Dani Olmo making a return to the club whose academy he came through as a youngster. After leaving for Dinamo Zagreb and RB Leipzig, he has gone on to become one of the best playmakers in Europe and was crucial in Spain’s victory at Euro 2024 this summer. 

Bryan Zaragoza is back in LALIGA EA SPORTS

Bryan Zaragoza has returned to Spain, joining CA Osasuna on loan from Bayern Munich. The former Granada CF academy graduate had an incredible start to last season, which earned him a January transfer to Bayern Munich, and now he’ll spend 2024/25 on loan in Pamplona to continue his development.  

Oriol Romeu returns to Girona FC

After spending last season at FC Barcelona, Oriol Romeu has now returned on loan to Girona FC, the club he marshalled the midfield for in 2022/23. The former Southampton captain will bring valuable experience to the Estadi Montilivi as the Catalan club embark on their first Champions League adventure. 

Ricardo Rodríguez brings experience to Real Betis

Switzerland international Ricardo Rodríguez has joined Real Betis, arriving from Italian side Torino. The 31-year-old right-back brings bags of experience, especially internationally as he has represented his national team 120 times.

RCD Espanyol add firepower in attack

Newly promoted RCD Espanyol have signed another forward, in Irvin Cardona. For the 27-year-old, this is also a promotion as he played in France’s Ligue 2 last season, where he scored 10 goals with Saint-Étienne. Now he is ready to battle with RCD Espanyol and help the Catalan side in their mission to avoid relegation. 

Ilaix Moriba joins RC Celta

Midfielder Ilaix Moriba has signed with the fourth different Spanish club of his young career. The 21-year-old came through at FC Barcelona, before moving to RB Leipzig. He then enjoyed loan spells at Valencia CF and Getafe CF and will now play in Spain once again, this time for RC Celta. 

The countdown to LALIGA EA SPORTS continues

The kick off of the new LALIGA EA SPORTS season is now less than a week away, as the new campaign will begin on Thursday August 15th. Athletic Club vs Getafe CF and Real Betis vs Girona FC are the two fixtures taking place on Thursday night, to launch another thrilling season of Spanish football.