As recently as January 2016, Real Madrid were a club in crises. Having been defeated 4-0 by Barcelona in late November, kicked out of the Copa del Rey in the round of 32 after fielding an ineligible player and dropping points to both Villarreal and Valencia in the space of a few weeks, manager Rafa Benitez was given his marching orders on January 3rd.
La Liga's season has officially started, which means Lionel Messi is back to obliterating everything and everyone with Barcelona.
Barcelona's first victims of the season were Real Betis. Barcelona were nice enough to give Betis a little hope before Messi did this to make it 2-1.
Like father, like son. Enzo Alan Zidane Fernandez, known commonly as Enzo, registered a fantastic assist in a friendly match between Real Mardid and Stade de Reims.
Enzo’s nonchalant style, his effortless ability to stroll beyond would-be tacklers and his penchant for Cruyff turns, step overs and beautiful passing makes him a carbon copy of his father.
Except for the head of hair that is.
Well, that’s that then. Barcelona have eliminated Arsenal in the 2016-17 UEFA Champions League round of 16, taken it to Paris Saint-Germain in the quarters and will finally receive their first stern test in the semi-finals.
Try as Arsenal might in their all-too familiar opening day loss to Liverpool, the Gunners were simply unable to overcome Barcelona, the Catalan giants throttling Sevilla 5-0 on aggregate in the Supercopa Espana.
The Barcelona squad put on their own mini Olympic games over preseason, trying out the different sports of the Rio Games. The one that came most naturally to them was a repurposed form of tennis, the one played with the head.
It’s not an official Olympic sport (yet) but watching the skill Lionel Messi and Luis Suarez possess means its only a matter of time.
Can you imagine an Argentina vs. Uruguay gold medal match featuring Messi and Suarez? Let's get a petition going.
These guys are out of control.
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Barcelona midfielder Arda Turan drew the ire of Blaugrana supporters by liking and retweeting photos celebrating Real Madrid’s 11 European Cup wins. The Turkish international then clarified that his “account was hacked for a brief period”, resulting in this outpouring of love for all things Los Blancos.
Two days ago my account was hacked for a brief period. During that period 1 RT was made and 2 photos were "liked" without my knowledge.
This is 100 percent, absolutely, undeniably intentional from Lionel Messi. Even if it had been a mis-hit, this would’ve been a world-class goal from Barcelona. As it stands, this bicycle assist from Messi to Luis Suarez is one of the most absurd team goals you’ll ever witness.
Andres Iniesta’s pass over the U.C. Sampdoria defense is perfectly timed — it finds Messi streaming through totally unmarked. But it’s what happens next that’s simply unreal. You can’t create team goals like this in EA Sports’ FIFA, only the real version of Barca can pull off magic like this.
Cristiano Ronaldo returned to Real Madrid training on Wednesday with his fitness still a major concern for Real supporters. Ronaldo injured his knee during Portugal’s Euro 2016 final victory over France, and there’s still no firm timetable for his return.
The injury that forced Cristiano Ronaldo to withdraw from the Euro 2016 final may cause him to miss Real Madrids opening La Liga match against Real Sociedad. With the game coming on the 21st of August, Ronaldo is a major doubt for Los Blancos.
Ronaldo has been given an extended break following his exertions in France, but the forward would’ve been unable to train with Real even if he’d wanted to. Ronaldo sprained his left knee in the final against France, and there’s no confirmed date for his return.
Barcelona have been linked with just about every half-decent striker in Europe this transfer window: Nolito, Mario Mandzukic, Carlos Bacca, Mario Gomez, Kevin Gameiro and Luciano Vietto have all been run through the rumor mill. They've also looked to the other side of the pond, being linked with Andre-Pierre Gignac, Gabriel Jesus and Luan Vieira.