La Liga is back and it’s about to feel strangely… English. For the first time ever, every title contender in Spain boasts a Premier League touch. Real Madrid have Jude Bellingham and now “just Trent” Alexander-Arnold. Atletico Madrid kept hold of Conor Gallagher despite a summer exodus.
And Barcelona? They’ve gone and brought Marcus Rashford to the Camp Nou 39 years after Gary Lineker’s Catalan adventure.
But here’s the catch: Rashford, like more than 50 other players across the league, hasn’t even been registered yet thanks to La Liga’s brutal financial rules.
Barcelona still hope to sort it before Sunday’s opener against Mallorca, but this is a club juggling VIP seat sales, an unfinished stadium, and even a bizarre sponsorship negotiation with the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
Rashford wasn’t Plan A Nico Williams was but Barca couldn’t guarantee they’d register him in time. Rashford is cheaper, versatile, and able to rotate across the front line, giving Hansi Flick the depth they lacked last year.
Still, immediate priorities lie elsewhere: goalkeeper Joan Garcia was only cleared to play after Marc-Andre ter Stegen’s injury was deemed “long term” a saga that saw the captaincy stripped and returned.
Meanwhile, Madrid have spent €200m yet still look unbalanced in midfield, and Atlético have loaded up again after six years without a back-to-back champion in Spain.
One thing’s certain: this title race will be fierce, unpredictable, and probably decided by fine margins. And somewhere, come May, an Englishman will be lifting the trophy.
For Rashford, it’s a new challenge in a league where the margins are razor-thin and where he’s already shown at United that he thrives under pressure, even when the team drifts into “no man’s land”. Now, it’s Spain’s turn to see what he’s made of.
