LaLiga is likely to miss out on an extra spot in the Champions League last season and could even lose a spot, meaning they could drop from five spots to three spots.

Barcelona and Atletico Madrid were both eliminated in the quarterfinals of the Champions League, while Real Madrid barely got past Manchester City.

LaLiga teams’ poor performances in Europe have exacerbated the financial gap to the much richer Premier League. Meanwhile, clubs from the Bundesliga, Serie A and Ligue 1 have caught up.

From 2006-2022, either Barca or Madrid won nine of 16 Champions League titles, which was more than clubs from all other countries combined.

Other Spanish teams including Valencia, Sevilla, Villarreal and Malaga all enjoyed deep runs in the Champions League during the 2010s.

At its peak position in 2019, La Liga had four teams in the top seven of UEFA’s club rankings, which are based on teams’ results in the five previous seasons of any of their competitions. Real Madrid were first, Barcelona second, Atletico were fourth and Sevilla were seventh. The top English side were Manchester City in sixth, while Arsenal were ninth and Liverpool were 11th.

The Premier League jumped ahead of LaLiga in 2021 after City defeated Chelsea in the 2021 final.

Madrid making the last four was at least a welcome boost for La Liga’s ranking, along with City and Arsenal’s quarter-final exits. Spain has 15.312 points so far this season. France has 15.250, England 16.875, Germany 17.214 and Italy 18.428.

Pep Guardiola said he had no regrets following Manchester City's exit from the Champions League in the quarterfinals after their penalty shootout loss to Real Madrid. 

“It is what is – sometimes you win on penalties and sometimes not. We should have done it before – for how we played,” the manager said. “I absolutely don’t have any regrets – we did everything offensively and defensively. Football is about scoring goals and they did it a little bit better than us from the penalty spot. They are in the semi-finals and we are not. I have to say from my heart, thank you to my players.”

Daniele De Rossi will continue on as Roma's manager for next season and the "foreseeable future."

De Rossi was appointed in January to replace Jose Mourinho. Roma was ninth in Serie A at that time and they have since climbed to fifth. 

"After meeting yesterday afternoon with Daniele De Rossi, we are delighted to announce he will continue as head coach of AS Roma after this season and for the foreseeable future," club owners Dan and Ryan Friedkin said in a joint statement.

"In his short tenure as head coach, the positive impact that his leadership has brought to the entire club has told its own story.

"Daniele leads with respect and courage, while his strength and deep-rooted belief in the club are truly aligned with Roma's values, city and unparalleled fans."

Real Madrid defeated Manchester City 4-3 on penalties to become the fourth club in the semifinals of the 23-24 Champions League. Madrid joins Bayern Munich, Borussia Dortmund and Paris Saint-Germain.

Over the past 10 years, Madrid has reached the semifinals in all but two seasons.

Semifinal Ties

• Real Madrid vs. Bayern Munich (April 30 / May 8)

• Paris Saint-Germain vs. Borussia Dortmund (May 1 / May 7)

Rafa Marquez has emerged as a candidate to replace Xavi Hernandez as manager of Barcelona.

Marquez, 45, was initially only considered as a potential caretaker in the event Xavi, who announced in January he will step down in the summer after over two years in the job, did not see the season out.

Marquez is currently in charge of Barcelona's B team, who are competing for promotion into the second division of Spanish soccer.

Hansi Flick and Thomas Tuchel are also candidates, but Marquez is now also a long-term option considering Barcelona's delicate financial situation.

Paris Saint-Germain has advanced to the semifinals of the Champions League in what will likely be the final season with Kylian Mbappe on the club. PSG defeated Barcelona 6-4 on aggregate with their 4-1 comeback win at Barcelona.

"I have the dream of winning the Champions League for Paris," Mbappe told reporters at the Barcelona Olympic stadium on Tuesday. "I'm proud to be at PSG since the first day. It's not because there are good times and bad times that my pride takes a hit. The pride of playing for this club, of representing the club of the capital of my country, it's something special for me who grew up there.

"To experience an evening like this one as a Parisian, it's great. We have one more step to go before we reach the final in Wembley, so we need to stay calm."

Mbappe is expected to sign with Real Madrid this summer.

Jude Bellingham said Vinícius Júnior and other Black players need more support in dealing with the "massive problem" of racism in Spanish football.

TV images showed a fan making racist gestures toward Bellingham's Real Madrid teammate Aurélien Tchouaméni after scoring in Saturday's 1-0 LaLiga win at Real Mallorca.

"I didn't even know [about the Tchouaméni incident]," Bellingham said when asked about the problem during a news conference Tuesday. "In games when we go away in LaLiga, you almost get so used to it that I wasn't even aware of the incident. That's a massive problem.

"More has to be done, whether it's the punishment or how you react to it, or how you move proactively. It's a horrible way for a player to have to prepare for a game, knowing they'll probably get racially abused. It's disgusting, it shouldn't happen. People in power need to do more, especially with Viní.

"The blame gets shifted more onto him with his playing style, and the way he likes to express himself, and I don't think that's fair. The game would miss Viní if he decided to take a break because of this kind of thing. More needs to be done to support these kinds of players."

Bayer Leverkusen clinched their first Bundesliga title with their 5-0 win over Werder Bremen on Sunday.

Victor Boniface scored in the 25th minute on a penalty, followed by a goal from Granit Xhaka, and then three from Florian Wirtz.

Xabi Alonso's side is up 16 points with five matches left to break Bayern's 12-season streak.

Alonso was hired by Leverkusen in October 2022. Alonso's contract runs through 2026 and he's already committed to at least one more season with the club. 

Pep Guardiola admitted his Manchester City team is tired and also dealing with injuries.

After City's tie with Real Madrid in the first leg of their Champions League tie, Rodri talked about how fatigue he feels during this final stretch of the season.

"Take a look at our games and you realize," Guardiola told a news conference Friday on Rodri's comments. "It is simple. He is so important for the quality he gives us. But if you have a player that doesn't want to play, he won't play.

"I need to rest the centre halves also but in [England's] friendly games, [John Stones and Kyle Walker] got injured so they get cannot rest. We are in big, big trouble.

"I had the feeling we were tired in the last games. We will decide tomorrow what we have to do," he added.

While Real Madrid has continued to buy expensive players such as Eduardo Camavinga, Jude Bellingham and Aurelien Tchouameni, its academy remains highly productive. Ninety-seven of its graduates are currently playing professionally in Europe.

Achraf Hakimi, Marcos Llorente and Pablo Barrios are among the notable academy players succeeding elsewhere. 

Martin Odegaard was a high profile youth signing who never cracked Real Madrid's senior team, but has subsequently become a star with Arsenal.