LaLiga

Saturday’s El Clasico was by no means a classic. However, as is always the case in a match which puts the world at a standstill for 90 minutes, there was no shortage of drama, intrigue and passion. No one spectator better embodied the competitive tension that reverberated around the Camp Nou than Gerard Pique’s partner Shakira.

With Lionel Messi and Neymar both guilty of wasting good chances for Barca, it was Luis Suarez who opened the scoring in the 53rd minute. 

Real Madrid and FC Barcelona meet for the 173rd La Liga edition of the El Clasico on Saturday, December 3. This encounter at the Camp Nou, although only December, will go along way towards deciding who wins the 2016-17 La Liga title: Real Madrid are currently first in the table while Barcelona are second, six points behind. Here’s everything you need to know to watch the match, either live streaming online or on TV through your cable provider.

All was not perfect in Cristiano Ronaldo’s world during the lead up to El Clasico in April 2012. 

He was one of the world’s two best players, in the midst of a colossal goal scoring run and on his way to his lone La Liga title with Real Madrid. But still, things were merely good — not great. The reason being because his Los Blancos squad was universally viewed as Barcelona's whipping boys. 

World Soccer magazine, established in 1960, has been handing out their Player of the Year award since 1982, establishing itself as one of the most well-respected accolades in the game. Since 2005, the winner of the World Soccer Player of the Year has subsequently been named the Ballon d’Or recipient. 

Heading into Saturday’s El Clasico on the wrong side of a six-point gap in La Liga is a less than ideal situation for Barcelona, but the mounting injuries among their defensive back line make the task at hand that much more difficult.

Real Madrid lead the Spanish league with 36 goals scored, and Barcelona’s defensive record of 14 goals conceded puts them behind the likes of Real, Atletico, Villareal and even with Real Sociedad. 

With the approach of El Clasico everything must go under the microscope. The designated referee for the match, Carlos Clos Gomez, has not been left unturned in that regard. According to some, Clos Gomez exhibits a distinctly pro-Barcelona flair, and they’ve got the statistics to prove it.

Toni Kroos has announced his intention to retire. Maybe. In six years, at the end of his Real Madrid contract.

As a winner of the World Cup and the Champions League, maybe Kroos feels like he should go out on top, should he stay on top for the next six years?

From Kicker:

At this point, we should all be familiar with the continuous vacuum of noise surrounding Cristiano Ronaldo. Detractors claim he’s not the player he once was, Ronaldo scores eight La Liga goals in four matches. Haters claim that he’s egotistical and self-obsessed, he shows just how good this has made him and what it’s earned him.  

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.