La Liga: 10 things to know before the start of 2023-24 season

Madrid (Spain), July 17 (IANS) With just a few weeks to go for the start of the 2023-24 season of the Spanish La Liga, some teams have already played their first pre-season friendlies.

The teams have made their moves in the transfer market and got together their best squads for the start of the upcoming season on August 11.

As the 2023/24 La Liga season kick-off approaches, several teams have already set their first pre-season friendlies, while others have been beefing up their squads.

Here are 10 things you should know about the 2023-24 La Liga season:

Barca sign prodigious forward Vitor Roque

The Blaugrana officially announced last week that they acquired the services of Brazilian talented striker Vitor Hugo Roque Ferreira, known as Vitor Roque, from Club Athletico Paranaense. The 18-year-old prodigy has put pen to paper on a seven-year deal and will join Barça in 2024/25. Back in February, Roque was the top scorer of the 2023 South American U20 Championship, leading Brazil to the trophy.

Bellingham trains with Real teammates

Real Madrid kicked off their pre-season preparations on Monday, with summer signing Jude Bellingham training for the first time along with his new teammates. The England international completed his signing back in June when he penned a six-year contract, the La Liga said in a release on Monday.

It has to be noted that Bellingham struggled with a knee injury, which prevented him from featuring in Borussia Dortmund’s last two league games in 2022/23. However, he now appears to have recovered ahead of Real Madrid’s first pre-season friendlies in the United States.

Oblak returns to team training

Great news for Atletico de Madrid fans and Diego Simeone, as goalkeeper Jan Oblak trained normally with the rest of his teammates on Friday during the team’s traditional pre-season training camp at the Los Ángeles de San Rafael.

The Slovenian shot-stopper suffered an injury in Los Rojiblancos’ 1-0 loss away at FC Barcelona on April 26, which means that he hadn’t participated in team sessions for almost three months.

Newly-promoted sides begin training

Granada CF, UD Las Palmas and Deportivo Alaves have begun preparations ahead of the 2023-24 campaign. Los Nazaries and Los Amarillos trained on Monday for the first time after clinching the two spots for automatic promotion.

The Basque side began pre-season training on Thursday, almost a month after beating Levante UD in the La Liga play-offs and securing a La Liga spot for next season.

Jesús Vallejo returns to Granada CF

Granada CF announced on Saturday that they signed Real Madrid defender Jesus Vallejo on a year-long loan deal. Vallejo had previously spent a couple of seasons from 2019 to 2021 on the Andalusian side. He featured in 32 La Liga duels and started in nine Europa League fixtures, as Granada CF went on a historic run to the quarter-finals of the competition.

Girona sign Herrera on permanent deal

Yangel Herrera is set to stay put in La Liga, as Girona FC have landed the Manchester City midfielder on a permanent deal. The Venezuela international had previously featured on loan at SD Huesca, Granada CF and RCD Espanyol. Last season, Herrera participated in 20 La Liga games, in which he recorded two goals and a couple of assists for Girona FC.

Deportivo captain Laguardia retires retirement

Víctor Laguardia has officially announced his decision to hang up his boots through a statement published on Deportivo Alaves' official website. The Basque side’s captain featured in more than 250 league games for Deportivo Alaves, whom he joined in 2014, after spending time at Real Zaragoza, UD Las Palmas and AD Alcorcón.

"I've always tried to give my best for this badge, for these colours," Laguardia noted. "It's time to step aside. And I do it being extremely proud of what I have around me, for what I have lived in these years in Vitoria-Gasteiz and for what it means to have been able to represent this historic club during this short period of their history.”

First pre-season friendlies

Several La Liga sides disputed their first pre-season friendly games last weekend. Getafe CF beat Bradford City 3-0, with RCD Mallorca winning 3-1 against Union Gurten and Sevilla FC securing a 2-0 victory over Córdoba CF. Meanwhile, Athletic Club lost 2-0 at Mexican side Chivas while Real Betis were defeated 3-1 by Eintracht Braunschweig.

Celta visit the Pope

On Monday, Pope Francis greeted the players, coaching staff and president of RC Celta at the Vatican to honour the 100th anniversary of their foundation following the merger of Real Vigo Sporting and Real Fortuna in 1923.

"This is a unique experience,” said Carlos Mouriño, the club’s president. “It is something that if you do not see it, no matter how much you imagine it, no matter how much you feel it in the distance, it has nothing to do with reality. The experience was fantastic, the reception and the Pope's words were wonderful."

Less than a month before the start of the season

As La Liga announced a couple of weeks ago, the 2023-24 season will begin on August 11 at the Power Horse Stadium with UD Almería hosting Rayo Vallecano.

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