Santiago Bernabéu stadium

Although many see him as an aloof individual with a short fuse, in this instance Luis Rubiales has shown that he has a smooth touch, one that former Italian PM Mario Andreotti claimed was perennially lacking in Spanish politics.

A good Valladolid side, on the up this season and currently sitting in the European places, travel to the Bernabéu on Saturday to visit a another team in poor health.

A head coach whose days are numbered, a president who is is looking (and failing) to find a replacement...