Barcelona

Angeliño, RB Leipzig's 24-year-old left back, has enjoyed the strongest season of his career so far. While his attacking talent has always been a strength, he has taken things up a notch this campaign with eight goals and 11 assists in 31 games. 

The Spaniard, who had been on loan in the Bundesliga since January 2020, made his move to Leipzig permanent this month on a $23 million deal that will become official in the summer.

Barcelona stayed within two points of Real Madrid and five of Atlético following a comforting 3-0 win over relegation-threatened Elche at the Camp Nou on Wednesday. Lionel Messi was the star of the show with two goals before playing a large role in Jordi Alba’s third, and the Argentine is now LaLiga’s outright top scorer with 18 goals in 22 games. 

The first half saw nice bits of skill from Frenkie de Jong, Messi and Pedri, but Barcelona couldn’t find the opener with Francisco Trincão wasting the best opportunity of the opening 45.

BARCELONA - Barcelona coach Ronald Koeman said he was even more disappointed by his side being held to a 1-1 draw at home to Cádiz in LaLiga on Sunday than after last week's 4-1 home drubbing by Paris St Germain.

Barça led thanks to Lionel Messi's 32nd-minute penalty but they failed to kill their opponents off and Álex Fernández leveled in the 89th minute, ending a run of seven straight league wins for the Catalans.

No one scored more for Cameroon than former Barcelona and Inter Milan superstar Samuel Eto’o. The lethal striker scored 56 times in 118 appearances for the Indomitable Lions, and now his son appears ready to pick up the mantle. 

Etienne Eto’o Pineda, Samuel Eto’o’s son, scored two goals in his first start for Cameroon, leading the U-20 Indomitable Lions to a 4-1 win over Mozambique at the Africa U-20 Cup of Nations on Saturday in Mauritania. 

If this is the end of the Lionel Messi era at Barcelona, it’s a fitting one. It’s not what the six-time Ballon d’Or winner deserves, but at least it’s definitive. There’ll be no backwards glances, no what-ifs, just the resounding truth that a beautiful cycle has clearly reached its end: After losing 8-2 to Bayern Munich last season, Barça is on pace to match that level of embarrassment after getting rinsed 4-1 by PSG at the Camp Nou on Tuesday. 

I can’t think of a more terrifying proposition in football than lining up as a right back against Kylian Mbappé. Sergiño Dest found out just how quickly things can turn as the young American was subbed out after Barcelona conceded three straight goals in a 4-1 defeat to PSG on Tuesday.

Lionel Messi equaled former teammate Xavi’s Barcelona record of 505 LaLiga appearances on Saturday against Alavés. He marked the record by scoring two worldies, two more examples that he has the greatest left foot in the history of the game.

Barcelona beat Alavés 5-1, both Messi and Francisco Trincão netting twice to bring the Blaugrana into second place, ahead of Real Madrid on goal differences. Messi was the star man in the landmark match.

Sevilla FC, anyone? Julen Lopetegui’s side is the hottest commodity in Europe not named Manchester City following Wednesday’s 2-0 win over Barcelona in the first leg of their Copa del Rey semifinal matchup.  

That’s now eight straight wins in all competitions for Sevilla (four in LaLiga and four in the Copa), results that’ve pushed the side to fourth in the league (just one point behind Barça) and the cusp of the Copa final.