Barcelona

MADRID: So often over the years Barcelona and Real Madrid have fought it out between themselves for the Liga title, cruising to 95-plus points while everyone else battles to be the best of the rest. However, with 10 games to go this season, Atletico Madrid sit top of the table in what looks like a year when 85 points might be enough to secure the silverware. It is set to be the closest-run title race for some time, with just six points separating

LONDON: Barcelona advanced to the last four of the women's Champions League with a 4-2 aggregate victory over Manchester City after a 2-1 defeat in the second leg of their quarter-final at the City Academy Stadium on Wednesday. City came into the game with a 3-0 deficit after losing the away leg, played in Monza because of travel restrictions, but they began brightly and pulled back a goal when Janine Beckie prodded home in the 20th minute after Barca had failed to clear

Lionel Messi broke the club's appearance record on Sunday as the Argentine featured in his 768th game for the Catalan giants. Messi celebrated in style, working his now famous magic in Barcelona's 6-1 victory over Real Sociedad, as he superseded the landmark set by former teammate and club legend Xavi Hernandez, who appeared 767 times for the club. Barcelonaa's official Twitter account dubbed the Argentine an "otherworldly player" and called his record-breaking appearance figure a "stratospheric number." Messi's eighth assist of the season

Messi netted his league-leading 22nd and 23rd goals from inside the area in the 56th and 89th. Lionel Messi played his 768th match for Barcelona to surpass Xavi Hernández for the record number of club appearances. Messi and American defender Sergiño Dest scored two goals each as Barcelona easily beat Sociedad for its fifth consecutive league win — and ninth straight away from home. Griezmann opened the scoring in the 37th before Dest netted in the 43rd and 53rd minutes for his first

BARCELONA: Barcelona chief Joan Laporta gave Lionel Messi a hug and then pledged to do everything in his power to convince the club's all-time top scorer to stay after being officially sworn in as the club's new president on Wednesday (Mar 17). Laporta's pitch to Messi came two days after the Argentine equalled Xavi Hernandez as the club's highest appearance maker on 767 games, marking the occasion by scoring twice in a 4-1 rout of Huesca. "I'll do everything I can to make

For his 767th match, Messi was honored by Barcelona with a large image behind one of the goals showing him embracing Xavi as the players looked forward and pointed upward. The banner included the words "767 matches" and “touching the sky. Lionel Messi scored twice as he tied Xavi Hernández's record of most appearances for Barcelona on Monday, putting them within four points of the Spanish league lead after beating last-placed Huesca 4-1. For his 767th match, Messi was honored by Barcelona with

Barcelona boss Ronald Koeman says Lionel Messi can have no doubts over the "great future" the club has after they bowed out of the Champions League with a spirited performance at Paris St-Germain. Messi, 33, who has won the competition with Barcelona on four occasions, outlined his frustrations at the Nou Camp last summer and was heavily linked with a move to PSG prior to this last-16 tie. However, while the result saw Barca fail to reach the last eight of the competition

When Paris St-Germain thrashed Barcelona 4-1 at the Nou Camp last month, one fan threw his fists in the air after each of their goals. Hervin Ongenda, the first prodigy of PSG's era of Qatari ownership, had just put his little girl to bed before watching the big game. Now 25 and playing in the Romanian top flight for FC Botosani, Ongenda was once described by French paper Le Parisien as the top talent in a generation of French players featuring Kingsley Coman,

The week that began with the former president in prison will end with a new president in power as Barcelona hope Sunday's elections can be a turning point for a club seemingly locked in crisis. Joan Laporta, Victor Font and Toni Freixa were all at Camp Nou on Wednesday to see Barca stage a dramatic comeback against Sevilla, overturning a 2-0 deficit in extra-time to reach the final of the Copa del Rey. But whoever is voted in by Barcelona's 110,000 members has

MADRID: Barcelona confirmed on Thursday (Mar 4) Gerard Pique has suffered a knee injury, with the defender facing a struggle to be fit to face Paris Saint-Germain in next week's Champions League last 16, second leg. Pique has just returned from three months out due to a partial cruciate ligament injury in the same right knee. But the Spaniard's latest problem, sustained in the Copa del Rey win over Sevilla on Wednesday night, is not thought to be as serious. According to Catalan

Few people will envy the man elected to be the new president of FC Barcelona. The upcoming election -- to be held on Sunday, just days after four senior officials were arrested -- is arguably the most important in the club's history and comes at a time of crisis that appears to be deepening by the day. Historic debts, reported by Spanish newspaper El Mundo to be more than one billion dollars, forced Barcelona into a fire sale of some of the most

Barcelona overturned a two-goal first-leg deficit as they beat 10-man Sevilla 3-0 after extra time in a Copa del Rey semi-final full of drama and incident. Martin Braithwaite got the decisive goal, a diving header early on in the additional 30 minutes. Ousmane Dembele had opened the scoring for Barca, who lost the first leg 2-0. Lucas Ocampos missed a penalty for Sevilla, who then had Fernando sent off just before Gerard Pique dramatically levelled the tie at 2-2 in added time. Barca,

Catalan police say they have made four arrests after searching the offices of Spanish side Barcelona. The identity of those involved have not yet been confirmed by police, who said their investigation is continuing. The police operation was conducted on Monday after an investigation into financial issues at Barcelona. Those issues are thought to be related to the 'Barcagate' scandal in 2020 when the club denied hiring a firm to attack their own players on social media. The club's presidential elections take place

MADRID: Lionel Messi soared past Luis Suarez to become La Liga's top scorer on Wednesday (Feb 24) by adding his 17th and 18th goals of the season in a much-needed 3-0 victory for Barcelona over Elche. Barca had followed up last week's crushing Champions League loss to Paris Saint-Germain by drawing at home to Cadiz on Sunday but eased the strain with a comfortable win at the Camp Nou. Messi's double owed much to a pair of superb assists, with a supreme dribble

Martin Braithwaite has taken to Twitter in the wake of Barcelona’s defeat to Paris Saint-Germain in the Champions League last 16. The Denmark international, who played the last five minutes against the French champions, doesn’t seem to have given up hope yet despite Barca losing the first leg 4-1. Barca players have unsurprisingly been pretty quiet since the match and were given two days off by manager Ronald Koeman. Sport have reported that the dressing room was “hurt” and “full of doubts” after

BARCELONA: Barcelona's crushing 4-1 home defeat by Paris St Germain in their Champions League last-16 first leg at Camp Nou on Tuesday underlined the scale of the rebuild the club needs to get back to their former glory days, coach Ronald Koeman said. Barca were back in the knockout stage of Europe's elite club competition for the first time since an 8-2 hammering at the hands of Bayern Munich in last season's quarter-finals and started well with Lionel Messi's opener from the penalty

BARCELONA: Kylian Mbappe ripped Barcelona apart on Tuesday by scoring a stunning hat-trick in a 4-1 rout to put Paris Saint-Germain on the brink of the Champions League quarter-finals. Mbappe underlined his status as the rising superstar of world football with a ruthless display of finishing at Camp Nou that will go down as one this competition's most devastating individual performances.The 22-year-old eclipsed Barca's Lionel Messi, whose opening goal from the penalty spot had been reduced to nothing more than a footnote by

Paris Saint-Germain's Neymar is in a race to be fully fit for next week's Champions League clash against Barcelona after the Brazil star was injured in Wednesday's 1-0 French Cup win over Caen. Neymar went down after a robust challenge from Steeve Yago in the 56th minute, holding his left thigh as he left the field to be replaced by Kylian Mbappe. Moise Kean scored the only goal early in the second half before Neymar limped off the pitch raising concerns about participating

Barcelona defender Gerard Pique is facing an investigation from the Spanish football federation over comments he made in a recent interview suggesting referees favour Real Madrid because most Spanish referees are Real supporters. Barcelona defender Gerard Pique is facing an investigation from the Spanish football federation over comments he made in a recent interview suggesting referees favour Real Madrid because most Spanish referees are Real supporters. A federation spokeswoman said Barca have been informed of the investigation into Pique, which will determine whether

Barcelona scored five goals in 18 minutes to turn this Copa del Rey quarter-final – and just maybe their entire season – on its head. Antoine Griezmann scored twice and set up two, Jordi Alba scored his first brace ever for the club, and Lionel Messi pulled out a vintage performance when his team most needed it. Ronald Koeman can still win a trophy, in fact he is now just two games from doing it. And all that, having been two minutes from