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Antoine Griezmann set to leave Atletico Madrid

Atletico Madrid announced Tuesday night that star striker Antoine Griezmann will leave the club this summer, and Saturday’s fixture at Levante will be his final game as a rojiblanco.Griezmann explained that he has communicated in a meeting with club CEO Miguel Angel Gil Marin and coach Diego Simeone his decision to end his Atletico career after five seasons, 133 goals and three trophies.“I wanted to tell you that I have made the decision to leave, to experience new things and new challenges,” Griezmann explained. “It’s been very hard to take this path, but I feel it’s what I need.”“These have been five incredible years. Thank you very much for everything, I’ll carry you in my heart.”Griezmann will depart after several summers of incessant rumors, some of which were played up by the 28...
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Atletico Madrid finish second with draw against Sevilla

Atletico Madrid ensured they finished runners-up in La Liga and above Real Madrid for a second year in a row after drawing 1-1 with Sevilla on Sunday in captain Diego Godin’s final home game for the club.The result further harmed Sevilla’s chances of qualifying for the Champions League though, as they stayed sixth in the standings and trail fourth-placed Valencia by two points heading into the final game of the campaign.Spain midfielder Koke put Atletico ahead on the half-hour mark with a heavily deflected shot from outside the area after starting his run towards goal from his side’s own half of the pitch.Sevilla levelled midway through the second half with an impressive strike from Pablo Sarabia, who calmly side-footed a looping cross on the volley into the bottom corner, just about keepi...
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Barcelona striker Luis Suarez undergoes surgery for knee injury

Barcelona striker Luis Suarez underwent surgery on a knee injury on Thursday and could be a doubt for their Copa del Rey final against Valencia later this month.Suarez played the full 90 minutes of Barca's shock 4-0 defeat to Liverpool on Tuesday, which ended their hopes of reaching the Champions League final.But the club announced on Thursday that Suarez needed an operation, with the cup final just over a fortnight away on May 25."Luis Suarez has an internal meniscal injury to the right knee and will be subjected today to an arthroscopy," read a club statement.Suarez is unlikely to face Getafe at home in La Liga on Sunday before Barcelona play away to Eibar the following weekend in their last league game of the season.Ernesto Valverde's side have already been crowned champions and could s...
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Barcelona beat Levante to seal La Liga title

Barcelona has been crowned Champions of Spain after thrashing Levante 1-0 at Nou Camp.Ernesto Valverde’s side needed a win to claim the title in front of their own fans after Atletico Madrid beat Valladolid 1-0 earlier in the day and they got it thanks to Lionel Messi, who came on as a second-half substitute to score the winner. The victory sees the Catalans stay nine points clear of the Rojiblancos with three rounds of the competition remaining and their superior head-to-head record in the two league meetings between the teams this term means they cannot be caught.It is a second successive La Liga title for Valverde, an eighth in 11 seasons for Barcelona and a 10th for Lionel Messi, which sees the Argentine attacker surpass nine-time winner Andres Iniesta to set yet another record at...
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Atletico beat Valencia to delay Barca title celebration

Atletico Madrid delayed Barcelona winning La Liga by a few days at least after Alvaro Morata and Antoine Griezmann each scored in a 3-2 victory over Valencia on Wednesday.Defeat at the Wanda Metropolitano would have crowned Barca kings of Spain for a 26th time in their history, with the Catalans now set to celebrate at their own Camp Nou on Saturday instead.A Barcelona win there over Levante will wrap up their fourth league triumph in five years and they could even be home and dry before kick-off, if Atletico fail to take a point at home to struggling Real Valladolid earlier in the day.Regardless, success for Ernesto Valverde's side is surely now only a matter of timing given Atletico remain nine points behind the leaders with four games left to play. Real Madrid, who visit Getafe on Thurs...
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Barcelona set to extend Arturo Vidal contract

Barcelona are ready to offer Arturo Vidal a one-year contract extension, just eight months after he joined in a surprise £27million move.The 31-year-old midfielder, who moved to the Nou Camp after a successful spell at Bayern Munich, was seen a surprise choice by the Catalan club when he put pen to paper on a three-year-deal.But he has gone on to make 45 appearances for the late liga club in his debut campaign, scoring two goals and adding five assists. And now, according to Sport, Barcelona are keen to tie him down until 2022.The Spanish newspaper claim he has become a 'wildcard' for manager Ernesto Valverde and Barcelona are keen to avoid him leaving for free in the summer of 2021.Valverde has reportedly been impressed with the way Vidal has performed against all manner of opponents, and...
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Barcelona president rules out Philippe Coutinho exit

Barcelona president Josep Maria Bartomeu insist that Philippe Coutinho will not be leaving the Camp Nou this summer despite rumoured interest from Manchester United and Chelsea. Coutinho joined Barca from Liverpool for £142million in January last year but the 26-year-old has not had the same kind of impact as he had during his time with the Reds, resulting in speculation of a move away.Bartomeu, however, has made it clear Coutinho is part of manager Ernesto Valverde's plans unless a club triggers the midfielder's release clause, rumoured to be a staggering £355million.Speaking to Spanish television station TVE, Bartomeu said: "Coutinho is an excellent player and he has the coach's confidence."He has a contract with us and he will remain at the team, unless they (another cl...
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Dembele is better than Neymar, says Barcelona President

       Barcelona president Josep Maria Bartomeu thinks the club's winger Ousmane Dembele has developed into a better player than their former star, Neymar. Neymar left Barcelona in the summer of 2017, joining Paris Saint-Germain for a world-record fee. After losing the Brazilian, the Blaugrana signed Dembele from Borussia Dortmund and following a challenging first season at the club, in 2018-19 the France international has established himself as a regular in the first team.Speaking to TVE, Bartomeu said he thinks Dembele has surpassed the former incumbent of the Barcelona No. 11 jersey and has backed last season's other major signing, Philippe Coutinho, to kick on too:"I explained that we have a project with Dembele and Coutinho with Neymar's money. Dembele's...
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Ernesto Valverde says Barca closer to title with Atletico win

Barcelona boss Ernesto Valverde has called on his team to “finish the job” in La Liga after they moved 11 points clear of Atletico Madrid on Saturday.The Blaugrana beat Atletico 2-0 at the Camp Nou after Diego Costa was sent off in the first half. “Three fundamental points, a really important result,”Valverde said.“We're closer but there's still a long way to go. You have to finish the job. It's true it was a fundamental game and these three points could mean a lot at the end of the season. We're happy because of the opponent we were facing, Atletico are an enormous team that have fought until the end with 10 men.”Costa was given a red card after he angrily confronted referee Gil Manzano shortly before the half-hour mark.Barca struggled to capitalise on their advantage ass...
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Ousmane Dembele is a big doubt for Barca-Atletico clash

Ousmane Dembele is continuing his recovery from a hamstring problem but will sit out Saturday’s clash with Atletico Madrid.According to AS, the Frenchman’s recovery is taking slightly longer than expected, and he will not be fit enough to face Diego Simeone’s side.Barca are also being cautious with Dembele because they do not want him to suffer another injury and miss more time. The club remain hopeful he will be able to play some part in next week’s Champions League quarter-final against Manchester United at Old Trafford.Dembele is due to train with the team on Monday and will hopefully be passed fit enough to be included in Valverde’s travelling squad.If he does make the list then Barca will monitor him in training on Tuesday to assess if he will be fit enough to play some part ag...
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Zidane handed first defeat since Madrid return

Real Madrid suffered their first defeat following Zinedine Zidane's return as coach as they were beaten 2-1 away to Valencia on Wednesday night.Zidane brought Luka Modric, Casemiro, Lucas Vazquez and Keylor Navas back into his side, but despite seeing a lot of the ball Madrid were second best to a rival that is now unbeaten in 17 games.Goncalo Guedes put Valencia ahead in the first half and could have had a second but for a good save from Navas.Madrid looked for a way through after the break, but failed to break down a well-drilled home side, who doubled their lead thanks to Ezequiel Garay's powerful header from a corner seven minutes from the end.Karim Benzema put come makeup on the score with a header in the 93rd minute, but there was no time left for Madrid and Valencia are looking soli...
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Atletico Madrid forward Alvaro Morata set to miss Barcelona clash

Atletico Madrid forward Alvaro Morata is almost certain to miss Saturday's top-of-the-table clash at La Liga leaders Barcelona due to a sprained ankle. Morata, who is on loan from Chelsea, suffered the injury in Tuesday's 2-0 win at home to Girona.Morata's injury creates a further selection headache for head coach Diego Simeone, who could also be without Diego Costa after he missed the win over Girona with a muscle injury, while France winger Thomas Lemar is not expected back from injury for another two weeks.
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Valverde admits Barcelona's ‘Messidependence’

Barcelona boss Ernesto Valverde refused to excuse his side’s dependence on Lionel Messi after the Argentina international came off the bench to spark a dramatic late comeback against Villarreal.Trailing 4-2 in the 90th minute, Messi fired home a free-kick before Luis Suarez equalised with the last kick of the game.Valverde had chosen to rest Messi ahead of Saturday’s visit of second-placed Atletico Madrid, which is followed by a Champions League quarter-final against Man Utd.“Of course there is ‘Messidependence’,” Valverde told a press conference.“It would exist in any team in the world, but when he is not there we also have to play and try to win“Leo is fundamental for us and marks the style, it is well known that he is the best in the world for something.”Barca will take an eight-po...
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Benzema strikes late to save Madrid blushes

Karim Benzema stopped Real Madrid's underwhelming La Liga season going from bad to worse on Sunday after firing a last-minute winner to hand the European champions a barely-deserved 3-2 winner over bottom club Huesca. Real were humbled by Ajax in the Champions League and dumped out of the Copa Del Rey by deadly rivals Barcelona, third-placed Real showed little signs of improvement in Zinedine Zidane's second game in charge but Benzema, subject to rumours he may leave Madrid in the summer for Manchester United, struck with a fine curling finish to snatch the three points at a sparsely populated Santiago Bernabeu. "We are happy with him and I am going to count on him, now there are nine games left and then we will see what happens. He is a Real Madrid player and I don't think this...
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Lionel Messi brace sends Barcelona 13 points clear

Lionel Messi continued his remarkable run of form with a second-half double as Barcelona continued their march towards the La Liga title on Saturday with a 2-0 win over Espanyol. The visitors gave their city rivals a tough game at the Camp Nou, but Messi's chipped free-kick with 19 minutes to play and a late second sent the reigning champions 13 points clear at the top ahead of second-placed Atletico Madrid's game at Alaves later on Saturday.Messi has now netted eight times in his last four games for Barca, and leads the way in the La Liga scoring charts with 31 goals, 13 ahead of teammate Luis Suarez. Ernesto Valverde's men struggled to break down Espanyol early on, with Messi, Suarez and Ivan Rakitic all wasting half-chances in the first period. Barcelona saw a penalty appeal wave...
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Odion Ighalo disclose why he rejected Barcelona loan move

Odion Ighalo says he was offered the chance to join Barcelona in the January transfer window but turned it down because he “deserves better”.The Nigeria international moved to Changchun Yatai from Watford in 2017 and then signed for Shanghai Shenhua in February.However, he could have been playing at the Camp Nou for the rest of the season but didn’t fancy playing back-up to Luis Suarez.“My agent spoke to me about a loan interest from Barcelona. The club wanted a striker with La Liga experience and someone who understands Spanish football,” he said.”It was meant to be a six-month loan and strictly as a back-up striker. It was nice to hear that Barcelona were interested and any footballer would be more than happy to take it. ”But with due respect I had just finished as the second t...
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Zidane shut down possible exit of Marco Asensio from Real Madrid

Real Madrid manager Zinedine Zidane confirmed that he is not willing to let the club sell Marco Asensio  amid reports of a possible switch to Liverpool, among others.Asensio rose to prominence at Real during the Frenchman's celebrated first reign, but struggled to impose himself under first Julen Lopetegui and then Santiago Solari, leading to rumors of a potential exit this summer. Liverpool have long been credited with interest, with one report last year claiming Jurgen Klopp was "obsessed" with Asensio.The Spaniard is fresh from playing the full 90 minutes for his national side against Norway in their 2-1 Euro 2020 qualifying win, but in the 36 games he has played across competitions this season for Los Blancos, he has gone the full distance just 11 times.Ho...
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Barcelona's Suarez ruled out for two weeks with sprained ankle injury

Barcelona striker Luis Suarez has suffered a sprained ankle and will be out for between 10 and 15 days while he recovers.The club confirmed on Monday via their official website. He was taken off in the closing stages of Sunday's 4-1 win over Real Betis.The former Liverpool man has been the team's top option at striker since his arrival in 2014. He has provided a steady stream of goals ever since and once again ranks among the Catalans' top scorers this season with 21 in all competitions.Even at the age of 32, Suarez remains an athletic marvel, and his vision and instincts in the opponent's half are top notch. He has a great understanding with Lionel Messi and functions well in Barcelona's possession-based system.His absence leaves the Catalans with a major hole to fill in the attacking thi...
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La liga: Messi bags an impressive hat-trick, Villareal earn vital win

Barcleona beat Real Betis 4-1 behind an utterly stunning hat-trick from Messi to restore its 10-point lead atop the La Liga table.Messi was fabulous the entire match, completing 51 of 57 passes, including eight of nine inside the penalty area, and created three chances outside of his three goals. He opened the scoring in the 18th minute, depositing a classic free-kick into the top-left corner. Just before halftime, Luis Suarez did wonderful one-on-two work down the middle and fed a charging Messi through the back line for the finish in front of net.In the 63rd minute, Suarez contributed to the scoreline with a stunning one-on-four breakaway that left three defenders on the ground in his wake before he slotted past Pau Lopez. To finish things off, Messi grabbed his hat-trick in the 85th min...
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Sports director Monchi returns to Sevilla

Former Roma Sports Director “Monchi” Rodriguez has returned to spain as Sevilla Sporting director.Monchi had left Sevilla two years ago to join Roma, but he left the Italian club last week after poor results.Monchi is credited with playing a large role in transforming Sevilla into a championship club thanks to his scouting system that allowed him to sign affordable talents that then became lucrative stars. Among his top discoveries are Dani Alves, Sergio Ramos, Jose Antonio Reyes and Ivan Rakitic.During his 17 years in charge of the club’s signings and transfers, Sevilla won a record five Europa League titles, plus two Copa del Rey titles, one European Super Cup and a Spanish Super Cup.He will start his second stint with Sevilla on April 1, the club says on Sunday.Current sp...
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