Sam Sharpe

RCD Mallorca 1-1 Real Madrid (Rodrygo Goes). A first league point. Here is my reaction to the stalemate. More to come: Player ratings, post game press conferences and the ManagingMadrid podcast.

Sam and Hridyam talk about confirmed departures, possible departures and squad planning.

Las Palmas 1-1 Real Madrid (Vinícius Júnior). An impressive win. Here is my reaction to the match. More on the way: Player ratings, post game quotes and the infamous podcast.

Sam and Hridyam discuss everything about Castilla.

Real Madrid 2-0 Real Betis (Mbappé x2). A strong win at home. Here is my reaction to the victory. More to come: Player ratings, post game quotes and the podcast.

An overview of Castilla’s horrendous summer.

He may not be starting many games for Real Madrid at the moment, but Luka Modrić is still going strong from the whistle for Croatia. The midfield maestro captained the Croats in their UEFA Nations League qualifier against Portugal. The home side were captained by none other than Cristiano Ronaldo, and it was he who would leave the happier man - after scoring the winning goal in a 2-1 win for Portugal. Luka had an average game, being unable to make his mark on proceedings.

On this episode of the Castilla Corner podcast, Hridyam Arora and Sam Sharpe discuss:

Days after a mundane outing for Luka Modrić and Croatia in a 2-1 defeat to Portugal, they were back in action at home to Poland. Luka captained his nation and managed to turn things around, gaining a man of the match award and scoring the winning goal in a 1-0 win - all a day before his 39th (!) birthday. It was clear he had a spring in his step within minutes after he produced a lovely ball into the box which was just intercepted to stop Croatia taking the lead. He then almost scored himself, with his effort flying wide of the post. His actual goal came through a moment of class, as our man found the top corner from a free-kick. Robert Lewandowski tried his best to change things, but the crossbar denied what would have been an equaliser. Full time, 1-0 - and a decent indicator that Luka can still be the difference after starting a game. Did you catch the match?

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