After signing a largely ceremonial “contract for life” with Barcelona back in 2017, it’s certainly not surprising to see Andrés Iniesta stroll up to the club’s training sessions whenever he damn well pleases. However, the timing of Monday’s visit is another awkward moment in what’s been a tumultuous five-day period for the LaLiga leaders.
Look who dropped by for today's workout!
Ernesto Valverde is now a dead man walking as Barcelona manager after it became public knowledge on Sunday that the club had sounded out both Xavi and Ronald Koeman to replace the Spaniard following the team’s dramatic late defeat to Atlético Madrid in the Spanish Super Cup.
Although the Super Cup is a meaningless competition that was only expanded and staged in Saudi Arabia this year for the purposes of making money, the defeat continues Valverde’s worrying history of cocking up with glory at hand — especially when compared to Real Madrid manager Zinedine Zidane.
Deyna Castellanos, perhaps the biggest international college soccer player in the history of the game, has no interest in playing in the NWSL.
The Venezuelan international who starred at Florida State for four years, will instead join Atlético Madrid. The 20-year-old inked a two-and-a-half-year contract through the 2022 season on Thursday.
If he continues like this, Martin Ødegaard will be playing for Real Madrid next season. It’s been nearly five years since he made his first and only LaLiga appearance for Los Blancos at the age of 16 years and 157 days, but now aged 21, Ødegaard is finally shining in Spain’s top division while on loan at high-flying Real Sociedad.
Barcelona cruised into the winter break with a 4-1 win over Alavés, the club’s final match of 2019 on Saturday at the Camp Nou. Lionel Messi scored a stunning strike in the 69th minute (nice) to help the Blaugrana ensure their spot atop the LaLiga table heading into 2020 (unless Real Madrid wins by more than five goals on Sunday).
With his goal Saturday, Messi finished 2019 with 50 goals in all competitions for club and country, the ninth time he’s done that this decade.
Barcelona and Real Madrid played to a scoreless El Clásico draw for the first time in 30 years with the match largely failing to live up to the extreme prematch hype.
Inter Milan is the best team in Italy through 15 Serie A matches.
And the Nerazzurri are now headed to the Europa League.
Barcelona’s B team, with Lionel Messi not even bothering to suit up, beat Inter 2-1 on Tuesday at the San Siro behind a late winner from record-setting 17-year-old Ansu Fati. The defeat consigned the Serie A leaders to the Europa League knockout stage.
With three goals in the opening 20 minutes of today’s 3-2 victory over Athletic Bilbao, Real Betis captain Joaquín became the oldest ever hat-trick scorer in LaLiga history.
Mexican internationals Andrés Guardado and Diego Lainez both got the start for Betis at the Benito Villamarín, but it was Joaquín — at the age of 38 years and 140 days — who stole the show with the first three-goal game of his glittering 21-year career.
Despite Antoine Griezmann scoring his first league goal in seven weeks with a sumptuous chip and Lionel Messi recording a record-breaking 35th hat-trick in LaLiga, all anyone wants to talk about nearly 24 hours after Barcelona’s captivating 5-2 victory over Mallorca is the Luis Suárez effort that the Uruguayan striker is labelling the best of his career.
Lionel Messi broke Cristiano Ronaldo’s record for most LaLiga hat tricks with three goals in a 5-2 win over Mallorca on Saturday at the Bernabeu, the same week Messi won his record sixth Ballon d’Or.