Spain

Valencia and Barcelona are set to battle it out this evening in a top-of-the-table clash. Valencia fans are certainly acting accordingly.

FC Barcelona has confirmed that superstar Lionel Messi has signed a new contract with the club that will keep him there until the end of the 2020-2021 season. The new Messi contract includes an astronomical $835 million (700 million euro) buyout clause, which virtually ensures that the Argentine forward will remain at the club through the end of the contract.

Lionel Messi has extended his Barcelona contract through the 2020-21 season, putting an end to growing speculation that the five-time Ballon d’Or winner was looking to negotiate with other clubs come January. Messi has now committed himself to the Camp Nou until the age of 34.

According to a statement from the club, the buyout clause is set at €700 million ($835m). By the conclusion of the 2020-21 season, Messi will have spent 17 years with the first team.

Barcelona’s assured display in a 0-0 draw with Juventus on Wednesday guaranteed the Blaugrana top spot in Champions League Group D, and with Lionel Messi spending the better part of the opening hour on the bench in Turin, the usual Barca suspects came to the fore to help their side navigate this tricky tie. 

Lionel Messi and company look to be running away with La Liga. Heading into the Barcelona vs Valencia match on Sunday at the Mestalla, the Catalan club is unbeaten with 11 wins and one draw. Barcelona is sitting on 34 points, 10 ahead of both Real Madrid and Atletico Madrid, the only other two clubs to have won La Liga in the past dozen years.

Thanksgiving (if you’re in the United States) is here and while most Americans equate that with home-cooked meals, France’s Antoine Griezmann has something a little tastier for you this holiday. With Atletico Madrid needing a win to keep its Champions League hopes alive, this Griezmann goal vs Roma was more sumptuous than a well-cooked turkey and sweeter than your favorite pie fresh out of the oven. 

Griezmann struck a glorious scissor-kick goal in the 69th minute, sparking the home side to a 2-0 victory on Wednesday at the Wanda. 

Some fine finishing from Luka Modric perfectly illustrated to APOEL how not to clear a ball when defending. The Croatian scored the first goal in the Real Madrid vs. APOEL Champions League match off a silly failed clearance on Tuesday in Cyprus. Los Blancos won the match 6-0.

When you’re in your own box, you do not mess around. Your first task is to keep the ball away from the other team and get the ball away from your goal. You clear it toward the sidelines and not in the middle of the pitch. If in doubt, kick it out. 

Cristiano Ronaldo is having a no-good, very bad time in La Liga this season, and we have the stats to prove it. Never mind the one goal, this goes far deeper than that.

El Clasico may not mean much this year, with Barcelona having opened up a 10-point lead on Real Madrid atop La Liga.

Or El Clasico may mean much more than usual. If Real Madrid win and get a few bad Barcelona results they could be right back in this thing.

There was one clear winner from the Madrid derby: Barcelona. The Real Madrid vs. Atletico Madrid match ended in a 0-0 draw, leaving both clubs 10 points behind Barcelona, which itself won 3-0 over Leganes in Madrid on Saturday.