Spain

Luis Suárez has said he was reduced to tears by Barcelona's treatment of him in his final weeks at the club before leaving for LaLiga rivals Atletico Madrid and revealed he was not allowed to take part in training matches.

"Those days were very difficult. I cried because of what I was having to go through," Suarez told the Uruguay national team's official media after scoring in Thursday's 2-1 win over Chile in a World Cup qualifier.

Manchester United and France midfielder Paul Pogba said he would love to play for Real Madrid one day but for now his focus is on helping his club side improve on their poor start to the Premier League season.

The 27-year-old World Cup winner admitted in 2019 that he wanted to leave United but no major offers came in for him and he spent most of last season sidelined with injuries.

Barcelona must press on with plans to renovate Camp Nou in order to replenish revenues lost because of the COVID-19 pandemic, vice-president Jordi Moix told Reuters, adding that the $957 million project will pay for itself.

The club announced a financing deal with Goldman Sachs on Monday to modernize their iconic but run down stadium and raise its capacity from 99,000 to 105,000. Should the plan be approved by club members next year, building work can begin by June 2021 and will take around five years to complete.

When Spain and Portugal meet today in a friendly at Estádio José Alvalade in Lisbon, Portugal, it’ll mark the first meeting between the Iberian rivals since that legendary 3-3 draw during the group stage of the 2018 World Cup.

The match will also be a direct contest between Portugal captain Cristiano Ronaldo and Spain captain Sergio Ramos, who spent nine years together at Real Madrid while winning two league titles and four Champions League crowns.