Ahead of Argentina and Lionel Messi beginning 2021 Copa América play against Chile on June 14, adidas has launched the special edition cleats that Messi will wear throughout the tournament, dubbed “El Retorno” (“The Return”).
The name comes from Messi’s transition from the Nemeziz silo back to a boot — the X50 Speedflow — that takes it’s inspiration from the F30 cleats that he wore during Barcelona’s 2007 Copa del Rey run.
Netherlands manager Frank de Boer has drawn some criticism after refusing to allow his players to undertake medicals needed to complete transfers until after the Euros.
BARCELONA — Barcelona will not apologize for its role in creating the failed European Super League and will appeal against any punishment from UEFA, president Joan Laporta said on Friday.
Barcelona, Real Madrid and Juventus are the last ones standing of the 12 clubs that signed up to the breakaway project in April, only for it to unravel when all six English sides plus Inter Milan, AC Milan and Atletico Madrid withdrew.
On Sunday, beIN SPORTS broadcast its final LaLiga matches. Next season, ESPN will take over the U.S. TV rights to Spain’s top flight, ending a nine-year stretch where beIN SPORTS was the only way to watch Lionel Messi every week in the States. More than that, it’s the end of an era for Ray Hudson, who remains the only person who has yet to run out of words to describe Messi’s indescribable brilliance.
The 2020-21 season was a banner year for Americans abroad. USMNT players have been winning trophies all over Europe, including regulars at Barcelona, Juventus and Borussia Dortmund; in a week, we’ll see an American win the Champions League for either Chelsea or Manchester City. But Saturday was not a great day for keeping U.S. internationals in Europe’s top flights, with a number of Americans relegated to lower tiers or unable to gain promotion.
Hoy hay fiesta en la Fuente de Neptuno. El Atlético de Madrid es campeón de España por primera vez desde la temporada 2013/14 y por segunda vez en la era de Diego Simeone. Los colchoneros lograron el título tras vencer por 1-2 al Real Valladolid que, en contradicción, lloró su descenso.
La obtención de la corona fue muy a lo Atlético, llena de sufrimiento. Los colchoneros dominaron gran parte de LaLiga, sacando una gran ventaja de puntos, pero paulatinamente fueron perdiendo gasolina y casi despilfarran el campeonato ante la presión del Real Madrid y el Barcelona.
EIBAR — An acrobatic late strike from Antoine Griezmann saw Barcelona confirm their third-place finish in LaLiga on Saturday, as they crept past already relegated Eibar 1-0 in their last match of the season.
They end the campaign on 79 points, seven behind champion Atletico Madrid and five off second-placed Real Madrid.
"We didn't do the business in important games this season," matchwinner Griezmann said.
Let’s just go ahead and say it: Barcelona made the dumbest transfer of the year — maybe ever? — when it sold Luis Suárez to join rival Atlético Madid for the paltry fee of $7.7 million. Suárez, who won four league titles with Barça, left the the club in tears in September but ended the season with the the biggest, toothiest smile in Spain.
FC Barcelona Femení continued its monstrous season with a casual 8-0 victory against Athletic Club on Wednesday. This was the sixth time this season that Barcelona scored seven or more goals in a single game.
This Barcelona team is putting up statistics unheard of in the soccer sphere. After 27 league games, the Catalan side has won all 27, scored 136 goals and conceded five. Those are like video game numbers put up by an expert gamer who put the difficulty setting on amateur.
The Covid-19 pandemic had many sporting casualties in 2020. While nothing compares to the immense (and ongoing) loss of life, U.S. soccer fans were denied the opportunity to pay NFL-level prices to watch preseason friendlies between indifferent European clubs in the International Champions Cup. Similarly, the less-promoted but far-more-interesting Women’s International Champions Cup was canceled in 2020.