Relentless will to improve drives City to greatness
European champions Barcelona have refrained from making an official complaint against Real Madrid coach Jose Mourinho for last week's eye poking incident and have called for an easing of tensions with their arch-rivals.
Outgoing Barcelona coach Pep Guardiola sought to make the succession of his number two Tito Vilanova as smooth as possible as he gave his last Nou Camp news conference on Thursday, ahead of the King's Cup final.
Lionel Messi scored four goals to take his La Liga tally to 50 this season as Barcelona hammered Espanyol 4-0 on Saturday in an emotional last game at the Nou Camp for outgoing coach Pep Guardiola.
Lionel Messi's injury is a painful blow for Barcelona but is also a motivation for the rest of the squad, midfielder Ivan Rakitic said before the holders host Bayer Leverkusen in Champions League Group E on Tuesday.
Chelsea survived the dismissal of captain John Terry to eliminate holders Barcelona 3-2 on aggregate and clinch a place in the Champions League final after an action-packed last-four clash on Tuesday in which Lionel Messi missed a penalty.
Chelsea survived the dismissal of captain John Terry to eliminate holders Barcelona 3-2 on aggregate and clinch a place in the Champions League final after an action-packed last-four clash on Tuesday in which Lionel Messi missed a penalty.
Real Madrid look like being crowned kings of Spain but need to overturn a 2-1 Champions League semi-final first leg deficit against Bayern Munich on Wednesday to continue dreaming of European glory.
Images from the El Clasico match between Barcelona and Real Madrid played at Camp Nou on Saturday.
Real Madrid have one hand on a first La Liga trophy in four years after Cristiano Ronaldo scored a brilliant winner in a 2-1 victory at Barcelona on Saturday that stretched their lead over their bitter rivals to seven points with four games left.
Following is a factbox detailing key numbers around Spain's El Clasico between Real Madrid and Barcelona. The arch rivals meet at Barca's Nou Camp stadium in La Liga on Saturday in a match that could decide the destination of the title. Real have a four-point lead with five games left.
Following is a selection of Spanish words and phrases which help explain the intense rivalry between Real Madrid and Barcelona played out in the El Clasicos
Lionel Messi became the first player to win 10 La Liga crowns with Barcelona and only the third player from any club to do so.
Barcelona trimmed the gap to leaders Real Madrid to three points when Lionel Messi struck twice in a 4-1 comeback win at relegation-threatened 10-man Real Zaragoza in La Liga on Saturday.
Barcelona's Lionel Messi set a Champions League scoring record when he took his tally to 14 in the competition so far this season as the holders knocked out AC Milan to reach the semi-finals on Tuesday.
Lionel Messi led Barcelona almost effortlessly past AC Milan into the Champions League semi-finals on Tuesday with a thrilling 3-1 victory at the Nou Camp as the Argentine and his team mates got into the record books along the way.
Holders Barcelona and Bayern Munich reached the Champions League semi-finals with home wins over AC Milan and Olympique Marseille respectively on Tuesday as Lionel Messi broke another record with his 13th and 14th goals of this season's competition.
Lionel Messi was so distraught at Barcelona missing out on reaching the 2012 Champions League final that he was reduced to tears
Pep Guardiola would be welcomed back to Barcelona with open arms after club president Josep Maria Bartomeu said the door is always open for the La Liga side's former player and coach to return to the Nou Camp.
Following is a factbox detailing a selection of key moments in Lionel Messi's Barcelona career.
Luis Enrique is set to leave a mixed legacy when he departs Barcelona but the coach can go out on a high by lifting a third consecutive King's Cup when his side meet Alaves in Saturday's final in Madrid.
Barcelona will appeal against the red card shown to Gerard Pique in Saturday's La Liga match against Sporting Gijon, a club spokesman said on Monday.
Seydou Keita and Xavi struck in the last 11 minutes to earn 10-man Barcelona a nervy 3-1 home win over lowly Sporting Gijon that kept their La Liga title hopes alive on Saturday.
Runaway Premier League leaders Manchester City beat champions Chelsea 1-0 at the Etihad Stadium on Sunday to extend their lead to 18 points and leave the London side further adrift from the Champions League qualification spots.
Lionel Messi scored four as Barcelona came from behind to thrash Valencia 5-1 at home, closing the gap on La Liga leaders Real Madrid back to 10 points on Sunday.
Injury-hit Barcelona will not be complaining if another 'lucky' black cat helps Lionel Messi find the net at the Nou Camp on Wednesday when they bid for a third King's Cup final appearance in four years.
Injury-hit Barcelona will not be complaining if another 'lucky' black cat helps Lionel Messi find the net at the Nou Camp on Wednesday when they bid for a third King's Cup final appearance in four years.
Not even 100 metres world record holder Usain Bolt could have caught AC Milan's Alexandre Pato when he streaked through to score against Barcelona after 24 seconds on Tuesday, Barca coach Pep Guardiola said.
The enduring image of Luis Enrique for many soccer fans is the Spain player with blood gushing from his nose after a vicious elbow from Italy defender Mauro Tassotti during the 1994 World Cup quarter-final in Boston.
Zinedine Zidane is unconcerned by suggestions that his Real Madrid side go into Saturday's 'Clasico' against runaway La Liga leaders Barcelona as big underdogs. Real sit third in the table 10 points adrift of Luis Enrique's side, who crushed them 4-0 at the Bernabeu earlier in the season to spark outrage among the Madrid club's fans They vented their frustration on president Florentino Perez and coach Rafael Benitez who was sacked weeks later and replaced by Zidane. The Frenchman, who like his opposite number Luis Enrique played in the 'Clasico' many times, is preparing for his first clash with Barcelona as Real coach and his team, who have won their last five matches in all competitions, head to the Nou Camp in confident mood.
Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger likened UEFA to a dictatorship and said Europe's governing body should show humility after he was charged with improper conduct following the Champions League defeat by Barcelona.
Lionel Messi and Cesc Fabregas each scored twice as Barcelona thrilled the Nou Camp with a crushing 4-0 win over Osasuna in their King's Cup last-16 first leg on Wednesday.
Images from the Champions League second-leg match played on Wednesday.
Pep Guardiola's formidable managerial skills will be put to the test again when his stuttering ManchesterCity side visit his former club Barcelona in a top-of-the-bill Champions League clash on Wednesday.
FC Barcelona's appeal against Luis Suarez's two-match King's Cup ban for allegedly provoking a fracas in the tunnel after last week's game against Espanyol has been rejected, the Spanish soccer federation (RFEF) said.
Images from the Champions League matches played across Europe on Tuesday.
A spot of Andres Iniesta magic and a late David Villa strike lifted profligate Barcelona to a 2-0 home win over competition newcomers Viktoria Plzen in Champions League Group H on Wednesday.
Real Madrid are attempting to revive former glories to inspire them on their mission to overturn a two-goal deficit at arch-rivals Barcelona in Tuesday's Champions League semi-final second leg.
Luis Suarez scored four goals and Lionel Messi grabbed a hat-trick as Barcelona all but wrapped up their King's Cup semi-final by crushing Valencia 7-0 in the first leg at the Nou Camp on Wednesday.
© 2026 Rediff.com - Advertise with us - Disclaimer - Privacy Policy - Sitemap - Feedback - About us - Terms of use - Grievances