Inspiring

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.

What a year for Netherlands and FC Barcelona winger Lieke Martens. After signing for Barcelona from Sweden’s Rosengard in July, the 25-year-old went on to win the UEFA Women’s Championship on home soil while being named the Player of the Tournament, and her performances for club and country saw her named The Best FIFA Women’s Player of 2017.

That is Feyenoord and Utrecht trying their best in the Eredivisie. Lest you think this was just a Sunday League kickabout, Robin van Persie appeared in this game.

Pep Guardiola watched that video and this is what happened:

Yes, upon seeing that, Guardiola's face melted. Then, he gathered the face sludge in his hand and mashed it back onto his skull in a close-enough approximation of his original face. Then he skittered off somewhere.

Real Betis defeated its city rival Sevilla 5-3 in La Liga on Saturday at Estadio Ramon Sanchez Pizjuan, a fantastic victory for the mid-table club over a team fighting for a Champions League place. When Real Betis players returned from the crosstown trip, they were greeted by hundreds of fans packing the streets to welcome home their heroes after triumph in the Seville Derby. 

The scenes were a beautiful reminder of the link between club and fan. The two groups were in total sync with their celebrations.