Manchester United Women travel to the Spanish capital for Thursday’s Women’s Champions League knockout phase playoff clash against Atletico Madrid Women. Both teams will be desperate to claim a first leg advantage ahead of next week’s return leg, with Bayern Munich waiting in the quarter finals for the winner of this tie.

Atletico were unconvincing in the league phase, but they ultimately did enough to secure an 11th place finish. The Spanish side won two of their opening four matches before losing back to back games against Man United and Juventus. They claimed a crucial 4-0 victory against Twente but mustered just one point from their final two matches.

Kick-off: 20:00 GMT, Thursday, February 12, 2026. 
Venue: Centro Deportivo Wanda, Alcalá de Henares, Spain
TV: Disney+

New Manager Jose Herrera Seeks Turnaround

Atleti will enter the knockout rounds with a new manager after Jose Herrera was appointed head coach following the dismissal of Victor Martin, who failed to win any of his final 10 matches in regulation time. Herrera has overseen an upturn in fortunes with a 4-1 Copa de la Reina quarter final victory and a 1-0 away win over Levante at the weekend.

The Atleti boss faces a much tougher task on Thursday, especially as the hosts are yet to win a home game in the UWCL main draw this season. This is frankly concerning for a club of Atletico’s stature heading into such a crucial tie.

United Riding Nine Game Unbeaten Run

Marc Skinner’s side should carry significant momentum into Thursday’s first leg, having put together a nine game unbeaten run since losing 3-0 at home to Lyon in December. Man United have won each of their last five competitive matches, including a 2-0 win over Leicester at the weekend.

Ella Toone and Leah Galton remain unavailable due to hip and back injuries, respectively.

Predicted Lineups

Atlético Madrid (4-3-3): Gallardo; Alexia, Lloris, Lauren, Menayo; Fiamma, Boe Risa, Bartel; Sarriegi, Jensen, Medina

Manchester United (4-2-3-1): Tullis-Joyce; Riviere, Le Tissier, Janssen, Sandberg; Zigiotti Olme, Miyazawa; Malard, Park, Rolfo; Terland

Also read: Eni Aluko Responds to Laura Woods’ Damning Comments With Long Statement as Ian Wright Row Continues

Memphis Depay is one of the most popular footballers in Europe right now, and here we find out about his net worth, salary, contract, tattoos, girlfriend, and more.

Memphis Depay Net Worth and Salary

Memphis Depay has a net worth of approximately £45 million which is largely down to his football career. However, some of it could be attributed to his hobby of producing hip-hop music as well. At 32, he would only expect that amount to increase in the future.

Depay signed for FC Barcelona in the summer of 2021. While he was initially offered a contract worth €7million plus add-ons per year, Depay agreed to a 30% salary cut to help the Catalan club register him for the season. He is believed to be earning a yearly salary of £4,680,000 now at Corinthians in the Campeonato Brasileiro Série A.

Memphis Depay Club Career

Depay started out his club career at Moordrecht as a 6-year-old. After moves to the youth teams of Sparta and PSV Eindhoven, he was promoted to the latter’s first team in the 2011-12 season. After scoring 50 goals in 124 appearances for them, he caught the eye of Manchester United in 2015.

The Red Devils signed the then 21-year-old forward, but things did not work out well for him there. Even though he won the FA Cup, the League Cup and the UEFA Europa League during his time at Old Trafford, Depay largely struggled under Louis van Gaal and Jose Mourinho, managing just 7 goals in 53 games for the club. His career received a lifeline when Olympique Lyon finally gave him an escape route in 2017.

He then became the main man in Lyon’s attack and his best season came in 2020/21, where he made the Ligue 1 Team of the Year. In his three and a half years at the club, Memphis managed 63 goals in 139 appearances. His dream move then came in the summer of 2021, when he was signed by Barcelona – who had just lost Lionel Messi to PSG – as a free agent.

Memphis Depay’s football journey continued with his move to Atletico Madrid in a significant transfer announcement on January 20, 2023. He inked a two-and-a-half-year contract with the club, marking a new chapter in his career. The initial transfer fee for this move was reported to exceed €4 million, underlining Atlético’s investment in the talented Dutchman.

Depay made an immediate impact in his new team, showcasing his goal-scoring abilities. On February 12, 2023, he netted his first goal for Atlético Madrid in a crucial 1-0 victory against Celta de Vigo.

Memphis Depay International Career

Depay has been a regular for the Netherlands and has represented them at the U15, U16, U17, U19, and U21 levels before making his bow for the senior team in his debut against Turkey in October 2013. He starred for the U17 Netherlands side that won the UEFA European Championship in 2011 and scored in the final.

He has also represented the U17 team in the U17 FIFA World Cup in Mexico. Depay has a decent record for the national team so far and is one of their star players. He was particularly impressive for the senior team during the 2014 FIFA World Cup and has been a permanent fixture in the squad since then.

Depay also featured for Oranje in the 2020 UEFA Euros. He scored three times during the tournament but could not help his team progress further than the last-16 stage.

Memphis Depay Music Career and Rap Albums

Depay has another talent up his sleeves. The Dutch superstar has used the fame and wealth acquired from football towards furthering a career in Music on the sides. He started out by releasing non-Album freestyles, with his debut track ‘LA Vibes’ also featuring Netherlands teammate, Quincy Promes.

He has also combined on hit tracks with Dutch hip-hop stars Winnie as well as Broederliefde. Depay released several singles including ‘No Love’, which came after he broke off his engagement with his then-fiancee, Lori Harvey. The former Lyon superstar’s debut album dropped in 2020, which was titled ‘Heavy Stepper EP’, and did fairly well on the Dutch charts.

Memphis Depay Family, Girlfriend, and Personal Life

Memphis Depay was born in 1994 to his Ghanaian father, Dennis Depay, and Dutch mother, Cora Schensema. His father supposedly walked out on his family when he was 4, which is why Memphis prefers if people address him just by his first name.

Depay famously dated model Lori Harvey, the daughter of American TV star Steve Harvey, and the couple were even engaged up until 2018, when they announced their break-up. He is believed to have also dated actress Karrueche Tran in 2015, and most recently dated American singer Chloe Bailey (2020-21).

Memphis Depay Tattoos and Cars

The star forward has numerous tattoos on his body. One of them is a tattoo on his left arm that is a tribute to his grandfather, who passed away just before Memphis’ 15th birthday. He has a tattoo that states ‘succesvol’ on the inside of his lips, which translates to ‘successful in English and a big lion inked on his back.

Memphis also has the words ‘Dream Chaser’ tattooed on his upper torso. The Dutch international also has a Christ the Redeemer tattoo on his left torso with the date ‘18.06.14’. That goal came against Australia in the 2014 FIFA World Cup in Porto Alegre, Brazil.

Depay has a large collection of cars. Some of his prized assets include a Mercedes Maybach S650 – $350,000, Rolls Royce Wraith – $600,000+, Mercedes AMG G63 – $150,000, and an Audi RS6 – $100,000. He also owned a Mercedes G-Wagon as of 2016 and is also believed to have owned a Ferrari.

Memphis Depay Sponsorships and Endorsements

Memphis Depay was sponsored by Under Armour for a while up until a supposed split in early 2021. He has sported Adidas boots heavily and even featured in a 2014 advertisement for them. Apart from them, Memphis Depay’s endorsements and sponsorships aren’t known.

Memphis Depay Social Media

Memphis Depay is active on all three major social media accounts.

Read More:

• Who is Arsenal owner Stan Kroenke and what’s his net worth in 2021?
• Why NFTs Are Game Changers For Soccer Clubs
• Top 10 Most Expensive Transfers in Football History

Arsenal’s 4-0 destruction of Atletico Madrid gave fans plenty to celebrate, but Gabriel Martinelli stole the show with his comically bad attempt at recreating Viktor Gyokeres’ iconic mask celebration after the Swedish striker broke his eight-match goal drought with a second-half brace.

Gabriel Martinelli’s Failed Recreation Goes Viral

The photo captures the moment perfectly—Gyokeres had just scored his second goal in three minutes, and as teammates mobbed him in celebration, Martinelli decided to join in on recreating the striker’s famous “Bane mask” gesture.

While Gabriel Magalhaes covered his eyes instead of his mouth, Martinelli took it to another level of comedy gold by covering his entire face with both hands flat across his eyes.

It’s hilariously wrong. Gyokeres’ celebration involves clasping his hands together over his mouth in a distinctive mask shape. Martinelli’s version looks more like someone shielding their eyes from the sun or playing an intense game of peek-a-boo. The Brazilian winger’s attempt was so off the mark that it sent Arsenal fans into hysterics on social media.

Squad Chemistry on Full Display

What makes the moment even better is the context. Gyokeres had endured nine matches without finding the net, with pressure mounting on Arsenal’s big summer signing to justify his price tag. When he finally scored twice against elite European opposition, his teammates’ joy was genuine and uninhibited.

Martinelli’s botched celebration wasn’t taking the piss out of Gyokeres—it was pure relief and happiness that the Swede had rediscovered his shooting boots. The fact that multiple Arsenal players felt comfortable enough to mock the celebration in their own ways speaks to the dressing room atmosphere Mikel Arteta has built.

Arsenal supporters loved seeing this side of their team. Title challenges require not just talent and tactics but genuine bonds between players. When your winger is celebrating your striker’s drought-ending goals by hilariously butchering his signature move, it shows a squad that’s tight-knit and enjoying their football.

The image quickly spread across social media platforms. Here are some of the reactions to it:

For Gyokeres, seeing two teammates recreate his celebration—albeit terribly—must have felt like the ultimate acceptance into Arsenal’s squad. He responded to the love by grabbing his brace and finally silencing critics who questioned whether he could deliver in English football’s biggest matches.

Read More: 3 Things We Learned From Arsenal’s Gritty 1-0 Win Over Fulham