Barcelona couldn’t bring back Lionel Messi, and lost two other stalwarts in Sergio Busquets and Jordi Alba. Real Madrid couldn’t sign Kylian Mbappé so far at least and saw veteran striker Karim Benzema leave for Saudi Arabia. The Spanish league begins this week with the title favorites facing a transition year and squad changes that might open the door for other challengers. Diego Simeone’s Atletico Madrid could be the team to take advantage after keeping most players in a squad that offered the best soccer in Spain at the end of last season. Real Sociedad is another outsider lurking after a strong fourth-place finish. Barcelona, still not fully healthy financially, saw Busquets and Alba join Messi at Inter Miami, but it brought veteran Ilkay Gundogan from Manchester City to try to boost its chances of successfully defending its first league title since Messi left a couple of years ago. Barcelona coach Xavi is also likely to keep Ousmane Dembélé after rumors of a transfer involving the France forward quietened recently. Dembélé was one of Barcelona’s main weapons in attack last season, along with Robert Lewandowski, the league’s top scorer. Madrid will be without Benzema, last year’s Ballon d’Or winner, for the first time in more than a decade. The French striker was the team’s top player the last few seasons, leading its attack after Cristiano Ronaldo’s departure. Benzema’s exit will put more responsibility on the Brazilian duo of Vinícius Júnior and Rodrygo, who last season showed some signs that they could be ready to take on greater leadership roles Spain striker Joselu came on a loan from Espanyol to try to help make up for Benzema’s absence, and Bellingham will add freshness to a midfield that will likely see the last seasons of veterans Toni Kroos and Luka Modric. Also leaving the team were Eden Hazard, Marco Asensio and Mariano Díaz. Coach Carlos Ancelotti stayed to finish his contract despite repeated calls for him to join Brazil’s national team. The Spanish league this season is debuting its partnership with videogame company EA Sports as its title sponsor, bringing new logos and audiovisual features. There will be a new graphics package, camera angles and “a much more immersive viewing experience,” the league said, “all with a nod to the EA Sports FC video game.”
