Aged just 16 years, five months and two days (for comparison’s sake, Lionel Messi was 17 years, three months and 22 days), teenage Catalan phenom Claudia Pina made her league debut for FC Barcelona Femeni Sunday in the club’s 2-0 victory over Zaragoza.
Pina has been a revelation for Barcelona throughout her La Masia rise, and her exploits for Spain at the U-17 level have been remarkable, to say the least.
Is this what Europeans think of the United States’ favorite sport? Andres Iniesta starred in a recent commercial in which he donned the shoulder pads and masked helmet of an American football player in a ploy to, um, get viewers to trade stocks? Or something? Not really sure. But the ad’s portrayal of Iniesta’s new sport is an interesting glimpse into how Europeans must view American football.
This is the end of an era. Ronaldinho, the last remaining active player not named Lionel Messi or Cristiano Ronaldo to have won the Ballon d'Or, one of the most joyous and fun footballers of all time, has officially hung up his cleats.
Dinho hasn't actually played competitive football since 2015, but his retirement rules out any chance of a return. Unless, of course, he returns.
Luis Suarez scored twice and Messi and Paulinho each added a goal as Barcelona overcame a 2-0 deficit to Real Sociedad early Sunday to maintain their unbeaten run in La Liga. On the day when Manchester City saw their quest for invincibility ended by Liverpool, it looked for a bit like Barcelona might follow suit.
Could this be the end of Zinedine Zidane as Real Madrid coach? In just over two years, Zizou has won two Champions Leagues, two Club World Cups, two UEFA Super Cups, one La Liga title and one Spanish Super Cup. But a home defeat to Villarreal on Saturday could spell the end of the end of Zidane’s tenure.
You might’ve forgotten about Ousmane Dembele following his 20-game layoff due to a thigh muscle rupture, and that’s OK. Really, missing that many games accounts for roughly 20 percent of the kid's career so far.
Lionel Messi is currently leading La Liga in scoring, and a big reason for that is the dynamic between him and Barcelona left back Jordi Alba. Of Alba's eight assists so far this season, seven have been scored by Messi.
Not that Messi doesn't sometimes return the favor, having assisted Jordi Alba twice.
When these two get rolling, Barcelona simply cannot be stopped, as Celta Vigo found out Thursday in the Copa del Rey, a match that featured two Jordi Alba assists to Messi and one Messi assist to Jordi Alba.
Philippe Coutinho was in the stands, but the only two players Barcelona needed against Celta Vigo Thursday were Lionel Messi and Jordi Alba. Meet me once Barcelona go up 3-0.
Messi’s first of the day: A wicked left-footed volley (via @beINSPORTSUSA) pic.twitter.com/cbzse7Y8bV
According to the latest reports, Chinese Super League side Hebei China Fortune and FC Barcelona have finally agreed to terms on the transfer of 33-year-old Argentinian defender Javier Mascherano, bringing a close to seven-and-a-half illustrious seasons at the Camp Nou.