Blog

Lionel Messi of FC Barcelona waves to the crowd prior to the Joan Gamper trophy friendly match at Nou Camp on August 04, 2019 in Barcelona, Spain. Barcelona skipper Lionel Messi has called off negotiations over renewing his contract with the club and is ready to leave the Catalans when his current deal expires in 2021, according to a report by Spanish radio station Cadena Ser on Friday. The report said Messi and his father Jorge had begun discussing renewing his last deal with the club, which was signed in 2017, but that he no longer wishes to stay at the Camp Nou. The report added that Messi is angry about leaked media reports that appeared to make him seem responsible for events at the club, such as the January sacking of coach Ernesto Valverde, and that he is frustrated about the...

Karim Benzema of Real Madrid assists teammate Casemiro for their side's first goal during the Liga match between RCD Espanyol and Real Madrid CF at RCDE Stadium on June 28, 2020 in Barcelona, Spain. A moment of magic from Karim Benzema gave Real Madrid a 1-0 win over Espanyol that moved them two points clear of Barcelona at the top of LaLiga. Zinedine Zidane’s side came into this match having watched Barca drop points in a 2-2 draw away to Celta Vigo on Saturday and made the most of the opportunity, taking a firm grip of the Spanish title race. The breakthrough at the RCDE Stadium came on the stroke of halftime, with Benzema back-heeling a pass through the legs of an opposition defender to set up Casemiro for a close range finish into an empty net. That proved to be the decisive ...

Head coach Abelardo Fernandez of RCD Espanyol looks on prior to the start the La Liga match between CA Osasuna and RCD Espanyol at El Sadar Stadium on March 08, 2020 in Pamplona, Spain. Espanyol have sacked coach Abelardo Fernandez, the third manager they have dispensed with this season, as they fight to extend their 26-year stay in La Liga. Fernandez was appointed in December after David Gallego and Pablo Machin were each dismissed, but despite a positive start since play resumed following a three-month break due to the coronavirus pandemic, Thursday's 1-0 defeat at Real Betis proved the last straw. "Espanyol announce that Abelardo Fernandez has been relieved of his duties as first team coach," the Barcelona club said in a statement. "This decision has been taken due to the team...

Sergio Ramos of Real Madrid celebrates after scoring the 2-0 during the La Liga match between Real Madrid and RCD Mallorca played at Alfredo Di Stefano Stadium on June 24, 2020 in Madrid, Spain. Real Madrid eased to a 2-0 home victory over Real Mallorca thanks to goals in each half from Vinicius Jr. and Sergio Ramos to stay in charge of the La Liga title race ahead of Barcelona. Brazilian youngster Vinicius opened the scoring with a cool finish in the 19th minute after missing an earlier chance and he hit the crossbar later in the first half. Captain Ramos doubled Madrid's lead with a superb free kick, curling the ball over the wall and into the top corner to score his eighth goal of the league season and his 10th in all competitions. Real's fourth win in a row since the season r...

Barcelona's Croatian midfielder Ivan Rakitic (back R) scores a goal during the Spanish league football match between FC Barcelona and Athletic Club Bilbao at the Camp Nou stadium in Barcelona on June 23, 2020. Barcelona returned to the top of La Liga after substitute Ivan Rakitic scored for the first time in 15 months to earn a slender 1-0 success over Athletic Bilbao. Midfielder Rakitic made the decisive contribution with just 19 minutes remaining at the Nou Camp, racing on to Lionel Messi's neat pass to emphatically rifle the ball beyond Bilbao goalkeeper Unai Simon. The Croatia international's previous goal, which came back in March 2019, had secured Barca a 1-0 win away to Real Madrid. His latest scoring contribution was enough to move the reigning Spanish champions three poi...