Barcelona captain Andres Iniesta returned to training Friday and could yet play a significant role in Saturday’s El Clasico against Real Madrid. The original timeline for Iniesta’s recovery, stated as six to eight weeks, made his participation an extreme doubt.
Real Madrid and FC Barcelona meet for the 173rd La Liga edition of the El Clasico on December 3, 2016. As always, the famous rivalry between the two largest clubs in Spain will have a significant bearing on who captures this season’s title: Real Madrid are currently first in the table while Barcelona are second. Here’s everything you need to know to watch the match, either live streaming online or on TV through your cable provider.
Real Madrid confirmed that Gareth Bale suffered damage to the tendons in his right ankle during Tuesday’s Champions League victory over Sporting Lisbon, but the severity of the injury was confirmed this morning via Madrid’s official Twitter account.
With England and Spain both enjoying comfortable starts to their World Cup qualifying campaigns (England sit atop Group F, Spain Group G), the two nations played out a meaningless, feel good friendly at Wembley Stadium on Tuesday. The real battle was played without the football, as both teams submitted their entries to the mannequin challenge.
Barcelona have signed a new shirt sponsorship deal with Rakuten, an electronic commerce and Internet company based in Tokyo. The deal will pay Barca almost $60 million per year for four years, with the option of a one-year extension and even more money should certain bonus criteria be met.
Barcelona’s current deal with Qatar Airways, a partnership which began back in 2011, currently nets them around $35 million per year, but the Catalan side are now set to nearly double that yearly income with Rakuten as the primary sponsor.
Having represented Spain 100 times and having appeared for Barcelona in almost 600 matches, center back Carles Puyol squared off against some of the world’s greatest players in a senior career that ran from 1999 to 2014.
The three-time UEFA Champions League winner and 2010 FIFA World Cup champion was himself on UEFA’s Team of the Year on six different occasions, so there’s probably no better judge of talent than Puyol himself.
It’s been a stunning week of goals for FC Barcelona Femení, Barcelona’s women’s team. First, Spanish international Jennifer Hermoso scored with a ridiculous sombrero flick and volley against FC Twente in the UEFA Women’s Champions League.
While that goal had all the skill and technique of a Ronaldinho masterpiece, 24-year-old Olga Garcia has outdone her with this special effort against Betis in the Spanish Primera Division.
Listening to Zinedine Zidane’s post-game press conferences after Real Madrid drop points is kind of like listening to a broken record. After Real’s 3-3 draw with Legia Warsaw in Poland, Zidane once again came out and used the same excuses to describe his team’s performance. There was a:
Cristiano Ronaldo, as we've previously covered, is one of the most looked-at humans in the world. It is our contention, though, that he is not looked at enough. With that in mind, won't you please take a moment and look at Cristiano Ronaldo?
It'll only take a moment, we promise. Unless you want to look at Cristiano Ronaldo for longer than a moment, which is fine and even encouraged.
Andres Iniesta is a consummate players’ player — his injury was felt around the planet as the loss of the Barcelona star is a loss to football as a whole. The knock he took against Valencia could’ve been a lot worse, but Iniesta is still expected to miss six to eight weeks.
At 32, serious damage to his lateral collateral ligament would’ve been devastating, and his presence was sorely missed in Barcelona’s loss to Manchester City in the Champions League.