Lionel Messi missed Barcelona’s 2-0 victory over Malaga at the weekend because of the birth of his third child, Ciro. Ciro joins Thiago, age 5, and Mateo, age 2, as nearly 30% of the Messi children needed to field an entire XI of Messi children.
Discerning viewers may have noticed Sergio Ramos disappeared for a bit near the end of Real Madrid's 2-1 win over Eibar Saturday. Madrid had used all their subs, so Ramos was not replaced when he came off. He simply vanished.
Madrid manager Zinedine Zidane offered some clarification after the game: Ramos pooped his pants a little bit and had to disappear to the dressing room to make sure he didn't finish the job out on the field.
“He s*** himself a bit!”
Lionel Messi pulled out of the Barcelona squad Saturday (it didn't matter, Luis Suarez and Philippe Coutinho scored and Barcelona beat Malaga 2-0) in order to be present at the birth of his third child. He and his wife Antonella shared Instagram posts indicating everything had gone well.
Tiago and Mateo have a new baby brother named Ciro.
This is starting to look familiar. Just like last season, when Cristiano Ronaldo started the season slow before exploding late in the season, the Portuguese forward is rounding into form yet again, only this time he’s started even earlier. Ronaldo scored a brace for Real Madrid vs Eibar on Saturday, extending a superb run in the last two months as Los Blancos earned a 2-1 victory.
With only nine matches remaining in the 2017-18 Primera Division Femenina, Sunday’s meeting between Atletico Madrid and Barcelona will likely decide the title. The two sides have rarely been troubled by the rest of the division, and they’ve distanced themselves at the top of the table, where Atletico hold a one-point advantage over Barca.
Footballers aren't like regular humans. They live different lives, and operate in completely different planes of existence. To wit: in my capacity as a professional soccer jokester, I have never had to take to social media to deny wiping a booger on the shirt of a professional colleague. Not even at the company Christmas party.
Dani Alves, however . . .
One year ago, Barcelona came into the second leg of the Champions League round of 16 down 4-0 on aggregate to PSG. They left with a 6-5 aggregate scoreline after one of the silliest soccer games this professional soccer writer has ever seen. Sergi Roberto's goal broke PSG hearts and shuffled Barca into the quarterfinals to be beaten by eventual runners-up Juventus.
The real heroes here, though, are the referees. I seriously forgot how terrible both penalties Barcelona "won" were. Neither of those are fouls in a just universe.
Cristiano Ronaldo Jr. is already looking like a better player than dear old dad. This impressive bicycle kick is proof.
Ronaldo’s son was messing around on the Bernabeu pitch with Marcelo’s son when Real Madrid midfielder Lucas Vazquez lobbed a ball into the box for the two boys. Ronaldo Jr. measured his leap and flung his boot around at the ball for a perfectly executed bicycle kick goal.
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