Barcelona have been linked with just about every half-decent striker in Europe this transfer window: Nolito, Mario Mandzukic, Carlos Bacca, Mario Gomez, Kevin Gameiro and Luciano Vietto have all been run through the rumor mill. They've also looked to the other side of the pond, being linked with Andre-Pierre Gignac, Gabriel Jesus and Luan Vieira.
Tattoos used to be cool. Then Mark Clattenburg went and got some. The English referee oversaw both the 2016 Champions League final and the Euro 2016 final, and he now has the tattoos to prove it.
Please tell me these are henna tattoos. They're not? Goodness.
As far as debuts go, this is about as bad as it can get. We’re sure Jeremy Menez would’ve rather been sent off or scored an own goal in his Bordeaux bow, but he’s lost an ear.
The 29-year-old transferred from AC Milan to Bordeaux, in his native France, and made his debut for the club against Lorient. Lorient midfielder Didier Ndong promptly asserted himself as the Mike Tyson to Menez’s Evander Holyfield, stepping on his head and tearing his ear off.
This is not a pretty sight.
This is a public service announcement: do not attempt to hug Lionel Messi. It will go poorly for you.
Especially don't attempt to hug Lionel Messi by jumping a barrier and landing at the entrance to the stadium tunnel.
KEEP WALKING
Lionel Messi pic.twitter.com/lfnOk696N3— Doentes Por Futebol (@DoentesPFutebol) August 3, 2016
The transfer saga involving Paul Pogba and Manchester United has become unbearable. It’s been going on for so long that Adidas has had time to spin it into a marketing campaign. It's been going on for so long that Pogba's agent, Mino Raiola, is now the Ballon d'Or favorite.
It’s not often that you see a player absolutely embarrass the Barcelona defense. When that player is wearing a Leicester City jersey doubly so. Ahmed Musa arrived in Leicester on July 8th for a club record £16.6 million.
While experts have been dissecting where the Nigerian winger/forward fits in the Leicester City setup, Musa has let his ridiculously quick feet do the talking.
Musa scored two goals in Leicester’s 4-2 loss to Barcelona, and it was his first strike for the club that really got people talking.
The first half of the Leicester City vs. Barcelona ICC match was a trial by fire for Leicester. For a side looking to make an impression in their first Champions League campaign this season, the ICC has been a wonderful exercise in witnessing the excellence of the competition. It’s only preseason, but Barcelona showed the kind of quality that Europe’s top club competition offers.
Luis Suarez and Lionel Messi were particularly disrespectful to the English champions — Suarez registering a goal and an assist while Messi contributed two assists in the first half.
It’s the question that has plagued Real Madrid manager Zinedine Zidane throughout his time in charge of the club: What’s the deal with James Rodriguez? Does the French coach even rate the Colombian playmaker?
Following a season in which James only appeared in 26 La Liga games for the club, his lowest total since arriving in 2014, would James be shown the door this summer? The player has continued to excel for Colombia on international duty, where he's the focal point of the attack, but he's taken a back seat in Zidane's preferred 4-3-3 formation at Real.
Arsenal fans like to share their opinion on things...a lot. Now, before we go any further, we must say that there's a fair bit of whinging and moaning from fans of every club, however, Arsenal seem to take it to a new level.
Like a character from a Leo Tolstoy novel, Alex Song is off to the Republic of Tatarstan — a former Barcelona nobleman whose links with high society have been severed.
Alex Song’s career has taken in the sights of beautiful Barcelona, Spain and both West and East London with Arsenal and West Ham United, but the 28-year-old is about to embark on his greatest adventure yet.
The former Cameroon midfielder has accounted for €23 million worth of transfer fees throughout his career, but his latest move will cost Russian club Rubin Kazan nothing.