Spanish Clubs

Every child dreams of becoming the next Lionel Messi, and I don’t think that should be discouraged. However, it might not be a bad bit of parenting to tell your children that it’s OK to aim for the next Maxwell, Alexander Hleb, Aleix Vidal, Thomas Vermaelen, Paulinho or Kevin-Prince Boateng as well — that’s probably the surest way of representing the Blaugrana as a professional.

These are the somewhat old, somewhat weird transfer dealings of the five-time European champions, and in a strange way, they make perfect sense.

With Lionel Messi given a rest and role as a substitute for Barcelona’s match against Leganes on Sunday, Ousmane Dembélé moved into the Argentine’s customary position on the right-hand side of Barca’s front three and spent the opening 45 minutes making the Camp Nou forget all about the man they were missing.

Dembélé opening run of the match led Leganes on a merry dance. He nutmegged one defender and then was millimeters away from dicing another. 

Luka Modric isn’t known for his goalscoring prowess. The most he’s ever registered in a LaLiga season for Real Madrid was three, back during the 2012-13 campaign. However, after scoring the opening goal in the FIFA Club World Cup final back on Dec. 22 — his first competitive goal since the banger he scored against Argentina back in June — Modric admitted that he should probably opt to go for goal more often.

“Everyone tells me I have to shoot more, although I usually prefer to pass. I should shoot more, it’s true,” he said following the 4-1 victory over Al-Ain.

Barcelona maintained its five-point lead at the top of LaLiga with a comfortable 3-0 win over Eibar at the Camp Nou on Sunday. Luis Suarez opened the scoring for the hosts after a wonderful interchange with Philippe Coutinho, and then Suarez turned provider for Barca’s second, finished by Lionel Messi — his 400th league goal for the club.

Barca’s third was Suarez’s second of the game after a quick Sergi Roberto throw-in found Eibar’s defense asleep. 

Real Madrid doesn’t like losing players for cheap. Because of the club’s massive history in world football and its financial muscle, the players Los Blancos bring in are meant to be world-class. Apart from Real's huge wage bill and transfer budget, the amazing part of player contracts at the club are the release clauses, and young players like Brahim Diaz are no exception. 

Barcelona took full advantage of Atletico Madrid and Sevilla’s 1-1 draw earlier today (as well as Real Madrid’s shock defeat to Real Sociedad) to open up a five-point gap at the top of LaLiga. Goals from Lionel Messi and Luis Suarez inside the first half — although the lead was cut by Jaime Mata shortly before the interval — proved enough for the Blaugrana.