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.
All soccer matches scheduled to be played in the Valencian region this weekend have been postponed, the Spanish football federation (RFEF) said on Thursday due to the deadly floods which have killed at least 95 people.
Saturday's clash between Real Madrid and Valencia as well as Villarreal v Rayo Vallecano are among the games postponed.
Real Madrid vs Valencia postponed due to flooding
MADRID — Brazil and Real Madrid forward Vinicius Jr. said on Monday that he will keep on fighting racism even if his activism is what led to him not winning the Ballon d'Or, sources close to the player told Reuters.
Vinicius took to social media after finishing second in the prestigious award voting behind Spain and Manchester City midfielder Rodri.
Eu farei 10x se for preciso. Eles não estão preparados.
Vini Jr. is the people’s 2024 Ballon d’Or champ. If that makes it any better.
Monday morning struck the world with some of the biggest news of the year as reports revealed that ‘clear’ Ballon d’Or favorite, Vinicius Jr., was to not travel to Paris, France, for the prestigious award’s ceremony — meaning the star Brazilian and Real Madrid forward was imminently snubbed from taking the golden ball home.
BREAKING: Vinicius Jr will NOT travel to Paris as Real Madrid know he will NOT win the Ballon d’Or.
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.
MADRID — Four people have been arrested and questioned in Spain on suspicion of conducting an online hate campaign encouraging fans to racially abuse Real Madrid star forward Vinicius Jr, police said on Thursday.
The men were detained on Oct. 14 and 15 then released as investigations continued into social media slogans which urged fans to wear face masks so they could insult the Black Brazil international without being identified, police added.
MADRID — Real Madrid fought back from two goals down as Vinicius Jr grabbed a hat-trick in a thrilling 5-2 win over visitors Borussia Dortmund in the Champions League on Tuesday.
In a rematch of last-season's final, Dortmund lit up the game with a two-goal blitz around the half-hour mark from Donyell Malen and Jamie Gittens to silence the Bernabeu crowd.
However, the champions were livelier after the break and broke Dortmund's resistance with Antonio Rüdiger's header on the hour before Vinicius equalized with a close-range strike.
STOCKHOLM/PARIS — Allegations of rape against French footballer Kylian Mbappé are "totally false" and "a slanderous rumour", his representatives said, and his lawyer said he was beyond reproach, following media reports that Mbappé was the subject of an investigation over an incident in a Stockholm hotel on Oct. 10.
Mbappé rape rumors
Swedish prosecutors confirmed in a statement in response to the media coverage that a probe into an alleged rape at a hotel in central Stockholm had been opened, but they did not identify a suspect.
France's World Cup-winning defender Raphaël Varane announced his retirement from football at the age of 31 on Wednesday, bringing down the curtain on his successful career after suffering a serious knee injury.
Varane made 93 appearances for France from 2013-22, playing a key role in their victory at the 2018 World Cup in Russia, as well as their runners-up finish four years later in Qatar. He retired from international football in 2023.
Varane retires