LALIGA – Page 47 – Football Flame

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Barcelona interim president admits selling Messi would have been helpful

Lionel Messi of FC Barcelona during the La Liga Santander match between FC Barcelona v Osasuna at the Camp Nou on November 29, 2020 in Barcelona Spain.Interim Barcelona president Carles Tusquets said Thursday he would have sold Argentine star Lionel Messi in the summer.Messi made an attempt to leave Barcelona this summer before backing down. He can talk to other clubs in January and leave for free when his contract expires in June, with Manchester City expected to make a renewed attempt to lure the 33-year-old away from Camp Nou."From an economic point of view, I would have sold Messi this summer. Economically, that would have been desirable," Tusquets told Catalan radio Rac1. "La Liga imposes salary caps and that would have helped us," Tusquets said when asked what a potential transfer wo...
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Lionel Messi fined 600 euros for tribute to Maradona

Lionel Messi of FC Barcelona celebrates 4-0 during the La Liga Santander match between FC Barcelona v Osasuna at the Camp Nou on November 29, 2020 in Barcelona Spain.Lionel Messi was fined 600 euros ($720) for taking his jersey off to pay tribute to Diego Maradona, the Spanish soccer federation said on Wednesday.The federation's competitions committee fined the Argentine player for his actions after scoring in Barcelona's 4-0 win over Osasuna in the Spanish league on Sunday.After a strike from outside the box, Messi took off Barcelona’s blue-and-burgundy to reveal the red-and-black of Maradona’s jersey from his stint at Newell’s Old Boys. Messi then blew a kiss with both hands to the sky as he looked upward.After the game, Messi posted a photo of his tribute alongside an older image of Mar...
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Another huge blow for Barcelona as Pique suffers knee ligament injury

Gerard Pique of FC Barcelona during the La Liga Santander match between Atletico Madrid v FC Barcelona at the Estadio Wanda Metropolitano on November 21, 2020 in Madrid Spain.On Saturday, Barcelona suffered a dismal loss to Atletico Madrid which left them 10th in the table, with only 11 points from eight games. It was their worst start to a La Liga campaign in 25 years, but things could get even worse. Barely 24 hours after the defeat, Barcelona confirmed that Gerard Pique has suffered medial and cruciate knee ligament injuries, which would suggest a period of months on the sidelines for the veteran defender. "Evidence shows that Pique has a grade three sprain of the medial lateral ligament and a partial injury to the anterior cruciate ligament in his right knee. Evolution will d...
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Stalemate at La Ceramica as Villarreal draw with Real Madrid

Nacho Fernandez of Real Madrid and Samuel Chukwueze of Villarreal CF during the La Liga match between Villarreal CF and Real Madrid played at La Cerámica Stadium on November 21, 2020 in Villarreal, Spain.Real Madrid earned an away point at Villarreal on Saturday afternoon at La Ceramica, drawing 1-1.Zinedine Zidane‘s Los Blancos sat fourth in the league table before kick-off while their hosts were in second, two points ahead, albeit with a game extra played.The Yellow Submarine hired Unai Emery in the close-season and recruited well in the transfer market, and alongside league leaders Real Sociedad look to be strong outfits this season.To make things more difficult for Madrid, they came into the clash with a slew of injuries and illnesses in the camp.They managed, however, to get things of...
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The reasons behind Isco’s decision to leave Real Madrid

Isco controls the ball during a training session at Valdebebas training ground on November 19, 2020 in Madrid, Spain.Isco has asked to leave Real Madrid due to the little prominence afforded to him in recent times by coach Zinedine Zidane. The midfielder is looking to leave in January if it’s possibly to find a deal that suits both parties.Madrid are open to the move given that they’re trying to reduce their wage bill and free up funds for a move for Kylian Mbappe next summer, while Isco needs game-time should he wish to be in contention for the Spain squad for Euro 2020.Isco is said to receive between €6m and €7m net per-season, and this relief, coupled with a transfer fee, would benefit the coffers at the Santiago Bernabeu significantly. There is, however, myriad reasons for the deal acc...
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Lionel Messi and Antoine Griezmann ‘spat’ latest episode in ongoing Barcelona soap opera

Lionel Messi of Argentina gestures during a match between Peru and Argentina as part of South American Qualifiers for World Cup FIFA Qatar 2022 at Estadio Nacional de Lima on November 17, 2020 in Lima, Peru.Lionel Messi made a bumpy touchdown in Barcelona on his return from international assignments. Customs officials met his private jet at El Prat airport and routine checks on paperwork caused an hour’s delay.Then came the football-related interrogations. Reporters were waiting. What did Messi make of some peppery remarks, published while the Barcelona captain was away with Argentina, from a member of Barca striker’s Antoine Griezmann’s entourage? Eric Olhats, Griezmann’s former mentor and ex-agent, had called Messi an “emperor” who rules his club “with a reign of terror”, and had been a ...
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Real Madrid blow as Ramos misses three games with hamstring injury

Sergio Ramos of Spain looks on during the UEFA Nations League group stage match between Spain and Germany at Estadio de La Cartuja on November 17, 2020 in Seville, Spain.Sergio Ramos is likely to miss three games after Real Madrid confirmed on Thursday the defender has sustained a hamstring injury.Ramos came off towards the end of the first half of Spain's 6-0 victory over Germany in the Nations League on Tuesday.He is expected to be out for 10 days, which would mean Madrid being without their captain for their Champions League group game away at Inter Milan, as well as La Liga matches against Villarreal on Saturday and Alaves.It represents a significant blow for Madrid, who could also be without Raphael Varane away at Villarreal this weekend.The club have confirmed Varane is struggling wi...
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Barca’s Busquets out of trip to Atletico

Sergio Busquets of Spain Looks on during the UEFA Nations League group stage match between Switzerland and Spain at St. Jakob-Park on November 14, 2020 in Basel, Switzerland.Barcelona midfielder Sergio Busquets has been ruled out of Saturday’s La Liga clash away to Atletico Madrid due to a knee injury sustained on international duty with Spain.Barca confirmed on Wednesday that Busquets had strained knee ligaments in last Saturday’s 1-1 draw with Switzerland but did not state how long he would be out for.Spanish media reports said Busquets would be sidelined for around two weeks, also missing the Champions League trip to Dynamo Kyiv and their home league game against Osasuna.The Catalans are already without teenage sensation Ansu Fati for the trip to Atletico, who are third in the standings...
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Barcelona’s Ansu Fati finally leaves hospital after knee surgery

Ansu Fati during the match between FC Barcelona and Real Betis Balompie, corresponding to the week 9 of the Liga Santander, played at the Camp Nou Stadium, on 07th November 2020, in Barcelona, Spain.Barcelona teenager Ansu Fati finally left hospital on Friday evening after undergoing surgery on a meniscus tear five days ago.The operation was subsequently declared a success with Barca confirming he will miss the next four months of action.It was initially reported Ansu would be sent home the same day but he then spent another night in hospital as a precaution.The youngster’s father Bori Fati was stopped by reporters in the week and offered a brief update: “Ansu is very well, I want to thank all the people who have shown support to us.”There had been no further updates on Ansu until today wh...
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Real Madrid fear on Modric infection after Croatia exposure

Luka Modric of Real Madrid gestures as he leaves the pitch after the La Liga Santander match between Valencia CF and Real Madrid at Estadio Mestalla on November 08, 2020 in Valencia, Spain.Real Madrid fear their midfielder Luka Modric has been exposed to Covid-19 after a positive test for his Croatia teammate Domagoj Vida.The Besiktas defender was told at half-time that he had tested positive previously and immediately had to enter self-isolation, but not only had he shared a dressing room with Modric, but the two had posted a picture on social media, as per Marca.Los Blancos have already had Eden Hazard and Eder Millitao recently test positive for the virus, while Casemiro also had a positive PCR.The Croatian midfield maestro is into the final 12 months of his contract at the Spanish gian...
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Suarez Makes Shocking Revelation Ahead Of Barcelona Clash

Luis Suarez of Uruguay grabs the ball after scoring the second goal of his team during a match between Ecuador and Uruguay as part of South American Qualifiers for Qatar 2022 at Rodrigo Paz Delgado Stadium on October 13, 2020 in Quito, Ecuador.Atletico Madrid striker Luis Suarez addressed a few interesting things ahead of his first match against FC Barcelona.After the international break, Atletico will face Barcelona for the first time this season. The clashes between the two Spanish clubs have always been intense.However, the fact that Suarez will play against his former club for the first time adds drama to the rivalry.In an exclusive interview with AS, Suarez was asked to reveal his thoughts ahead of the highly-anticipated match, including “would he celebrate” if he scored a goal agains...
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Lionel Messi future ‘depends on new Barcelona president’

Leo Messi during the match between FC Barcelona and Real Betis Balompie, corresponding to the week 9 of the Liga Santander, played at the Camp Nou Stadium, on 07th November 2020, in Barcelona, Spain.Lionel Messi's future at Barcelona will reportedly hinge on who the Blaugrana appoint as their new president.The Argentine's frosty relationship with former president Josep Maria Bartomeu was well-documented, with Messi handing in a transfer request over the summer before staying put amid a dispute over his release clause.Bartomeu has since resigned from his post along with the entire board of directors, but the 57-year-old's departure may not be enough to keep Messi on the books in Catalonia.According to Marca, the six-time Ballon d'Or winner does not want to make any decisions about his futur...
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Messi scores twice to lead Barca to Betis win

Barcelona's Argentine forward Lionel Messi celebrates his second goal during the Spanish League football match between Barcelona and Real Betis at the Camp Nou stadium in Barcelona on November 7, 2020.Lionel Messi came on at half-time and scored twice for Barcelona, including his first goal from open play this season, in a 5-2 win over Real Betis.Messi had been rested by Ronald Koeman but was thrown on with the game in the balance after Antoine Griezmann missed a penalty in the Argentine's absence, before Antonio Sanabria cancelled out Ousmane Dembele's opener.But within four minutes of his introduction, Messi set up Griezmann an open goal with a superb dummy and then scored twice himself, the first a penalty that saw Betis' Aissa Mandi sent off for a handball on the line.In between, Loren...
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Real Madrid stars test positive for Covid-19

Zinedine Zidane head Coach and Eden Hazard of Real Madrid speaking during the UEFA Champions League Group B stage match between Real Madrid and FC Internazionale at Estadio Alfredo Di Stefano on November 03, 2020 in Madrid, Spain.Real Madrid players Eden Hazard and Casemiro have tested positive for coronavirus.A statement from the Spanish club read: "Real Madrid C.F. informs that our players, Casemiro and Eden Hazard, have tested positive in the COVID-19 tests undertaken yesterday, Friday, in the morning."All of the other first-team players and coaching staff, as well as the club employees who work directly with the squad tested negative in yesterday's tests."Meanwhile, all of them, apart from Casemiro and Hazard, once again tested negative in the antigen tests taken this morning."The news...
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La Liga president Javier Tebas will not be removed despite calls for resignation

Javier Tebas, president of Liga Nacional de Fútbol Profesional (La Liga), attends at Festival dello Sport at Teatro Strehler in Milan, Italy, on October 11 2020.The High  Council for Sports (CSD) in Spain has rejected a joint request from Deportivo A Coruna and Numancia to suspend La Liga president Javier Tebas from his position.Fernando Vidal, president of Deportivo, sent a letter to Irene Lozano, president of the Higher Sports Council, in August, asking her again to act after all the irregularities and infractions of the league chief, as per a report previously in Marca.They had requested that Tebas be suspended from his position as a precautionary measure with a disciplinary file opened against the situation but that has now been rejected, as per Marca.Depor had questioned the role...
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Barcelona boss Koeman defends Messi amid criticism over lack of form

Ronald Koeman, Head Coach of Barcelona reacts during the La Liga Santader match between Deportivo Alavés and FC Barcelona at Estadio de Mendizorroza on October 31, 2020 in Vitoria-Gasteiz, Spain.Barcelona coach Ronald Koeman came out fighting for Lionel Messi on Friday amid a barrage of questions about the forward's form at the start of the season.Messi, 33, has played every minute of Barca's nine games in all competitions since Koeman was appointed but has yet to score a goal from open play. He has scored four penalties."I have said many times now, Messi still has a lot of quality and he's important for our attack," Koeman told a news conference when asked if the Argentina international was in decline."I know he's [only] scored penalties but we're used to him making the difference and he'...
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Real Madrid player tests positive for COVID-19

Eder Militao of Real Madrid in action during the La Liga Santander match between Real Madrid and SD Huesca at Estadio Alfredo Di Stefano on October 31, 2020 in Madrid, Spain.Real Madrid defender Eder Militao tested positive Monday for the novel coronavirus.  "Real Madrid C.F. would like to inform that our player, Eder Militao, has tested positive in the COVID-19 tests carried out yesterday, Sunday morning," the club said in a statement.All of the other players, technical staff and employees of the Spanish club tested negative for the virus.Real Madrid will take on Italian club Inter Milan in a UEFA Champions League match Tuesday, but Militao will be ineligible to participate.Militao joined Real Madrid from Portugal's Porto in 2019.He also won the 2019 Copa America title with the ...
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David Silva scores to lead Sociedad to top of Spanish league

David Silva of Real Sociedad in action during the La Liga Santader match between RC Celta and Real Sociedad at Abanca-Balaídos on November 1, 2020 in Vigo, Spain.David Silva scored his first goal for Real Sociedad to help them go back to the top of La Liga after a 4-1 win over Celta Vigo.Silva headed La Real in front at Balaidos for his first goal since he left Manchester City in the summer, and his first in La Liga since he departed Valencia 11 years ago. Mikel Oyarzabal made it two with his fifth of the season, a tally that also makes him the league's top scorer so far. Willian Jose then hit the net twice in the second half, either side of Iago Aspas converting a penalty, which gave Celta brief hope of a comeback. Celta's Jose Fontan was sent off for a second yellow card late on, to...
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Barca draw with 10-man Alaves after Neto howler

Antoine Griezmann of FC Barcelona duels for the ball with Manuel Garcia of Deportivo Alaves during the La Liga Santader match between Deportivo Alavés and FC Barcelona at Estadio de Mendizorroza on October 31, 2020 in Vitoria-Gasteiz, Spain.Barcelona goalkeeper Neto made an embarrassing gaffe as his side were held to a 1-1 draw away to Alaves on Saturday, despite playing the final half an hour with an extra man.Barca fell behind in the 31st minute after a moment of madness from Brazilian keeper Neto, who clumsily allowed a back pass from Gerard Pique to trickle through his legs towards goal, and Luis Rioja nipped in to nudge the ball into the empty net.Alaves midfielder Jota was sent off in the 62nd minute for a second booking and Antoine Griezmann levelled moments later but while the Cata...
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Joao Felix takes centre stage as Atletico down Osasuna

Joao Felix of Atletico de Madrid celebrates after scoring his team's first goal during the La Liga Santander match between C.A. Osasuna and Atletico de Madrid at Estadio El Sadar on October 31, 2020 in Pamplona, Spain.Atletico Madrid forward Joao Felix scored two goals and was in the thick of the action as his side beat Osasuna 3-1 away on Saturday for a third consecutive La Liga victory.The Portugal striker missed an open goal in the early stages of the game before giving his side the lead at the end of the first half from the penalty spot but then squandered a spot-kick at the start of the second period, hitting the post.The 126-million-euro (113 million pounds) player soon made amends by getting Atleti’s second, blasting into the top corner to complete a sensational counterattack and sc...
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