By: Casey Rhine
Ohhhh El Clásico, where to begin. One of soccer's most heated, yet most deeply cherished rivalries.Few of you readers get to experience El Clasico, in Barcelona, while it's happening. This was my mission on December 23rd and should be your mission on May 6th if you are not lucky enough to go to the game in the Camp Nou.
PARIS, Oct 28 (Reuters) - Spain and Manchester City midfielder Rodri is the 2024 Ballon d'Or winner for the best player in the world, beating Brazil's Vinicius Jr and England's Jude Bellingham, both of Real Madrid, to the prestigious prize.
Barcelona's Spain midfielder Aitana Bonmati won the women's award for a second time.
Barcelona took Real Madrid behind the woodshed on Saturday with an unbelievable 4-0 result at the Santiago Bernabéu. The biggest talking point was Kylian Mbappé’s wretched showing in his first El Clásico.
The Mbappé vs Barcelona performance was truly hard to believe. The Frenchman is one of the most talented players on the planet right now but looked like a lost youth soccer player on Saturday. Real Madrid’s new star man was caught offside EIGHT TIMES against Barcelona.
MADRID — Real Madrid manager Carlo Ancelotti said on Friday that he does not fear LaLiga leaders Barcelona but has the utmost respect for Hansi Flick's side, who they host on Saturday.
Barca lead the standings three points ahead of their rivals. While Ancelotti praised Barca's recent form, he highlighted the fact that Real are the defending champions and will not be intimidated.
"Fortunately, at the moment nobody keeps me awake at night," Ancelotti told a press conference on Friday.
BARCELONA — Barcelona captain Raphinha scored a hat-trick to lead them to a commanding 4-1 home victory over Bayern Munich in the Champions League on Wednesday, ending a near decade-long winless run against the German powerhouse.
After six consecutive losses in which they were outscored 22 goals to four by Bayern, including a humiliating 8-2 defeat in the Champions League quarter-finals four years ago, Barcelona got their revenge with a great attacking performance led by their Brazilian captain.
Barcelona vs Bayern highlights
Barcelona shared new Camp Nou renderings this week as the future home ground of the Spanish giants begins to take shape. The club have been playing in the Barcelona Olympic Stadium since 2023 while renovations take place.
The new renderings come with good and bad news as the recent images are incredible, however a return date isn’t known. Originally the plan was for Barcelona to play in a partially completed Camp Nou on November 29 for the club’s 125th anniversary.
Barcelona vice-president Elena Fort said that those plans have been scrapped.
BARCELONA — Former Barcelona and Spain midfielder Andres Iniesta announced his retirement on Tuesday after a glittering trophy-laden career spanning 24 years.
Iniesta, 40, was at the heart of the Spain and Barcelona midfield during a period of sustained success for both teams in the late 2000s and early 2010s.
"Please allow me to be a little emotional today," a tearful Iniesta, who most recently played for Emirates Club in the United Arab Emirates, told a press conference.
The UEFA Champions League has confirmed the fixtures for the new "league phase" format for the 2024/25 season. The draw marks a significant change from the traditional group stage format, with a shift towards a league phase that includes 36 teams, an increase from the previous 32.
Spoiler: Paris Saint-Germain are not liking the new format.
Pot 1 fixtures:
A Liga MX All-Star and former FC Barcelona player has announced the opening of his OnlyFans account. But not exactly for the content that you’re thinking of, folks.
Liga MX player Jonathan dos Santos opens OnlyFans account
Jonathan dos Santos, current Club América midfielder and back-to-back Liga MX champion, announced on Instagram that he will begin uploading videos directly on OnlyFans — a site that offers content creators the opportunity to release exclusive content to followers and subscribers that are willing to purchase a monthly subscription.
BILBAO — Second-half goals from Aitana Bonmati and Alexia Putellas earned Barcelona a 2-0 win over Olympique Lyonnais in the Women's Champions League final on Saturday, their second straight victory in the competition.
Barca, who beat Vfl Wolfsburg 3-2 in last year's final, came into the game seeking to go one better than their 2019 and 2022 finals against French powerhouse Lyon, which they lost 4-1 and 3-1 respectively.