'But when I arrived in Barcelona, I was told that it was no longer possible, that I could not stay and that I had to find another club, because Barca could not afford to extend my contract. That changed my plans.'
Real Madrid's teenage Brazilian duo Vinicius Junior and Rodrygo Goes sent them top of La Liga as both scored in a 2-0 win over Osasuna on Wednesday.
UEFA president Aleksander Ceferin said he expected matches to be played without fans, although there was a small chance that could change.
Monaco handed Paris St Germain their first defeat of the season in Ligue 1 when a couple of late goals earned them a 2-0 home victory on Sunday.
Twice UEFA Cup winners Sevilla failed to reach the knockout phase after a 1-0 defeat at Sampdoria eliminated the Spaniards. Sampdoria's victory sent them through from Group C along with VfB Stuttgart, who thumped Standard Liege 3-0 to progress to Friday's last 32 draw. Paris St Germain, twice winners Tottenham Hotspur, NEC Nijmegen and Olympiakos Piraeus also sealed places in the first knockout round.
Tottenham Hotspur have called off talks with Antonio Conte to become their new manager to replace the sacked Jose Mourinho
Barcelona midfielder Ivan Rakitic has agreed a new four-year contract with the Spanish champions until 2021, the club said a day after they reached the Champions League quarter-finals by thrashing Paris St Germain 6-1.
Barcelona's Neymar and Bayern Munich's Douglas Costa were chosen as over-age players for Brazil's Olympic squad on Wednesday in a selection packed with striking firepower. Gabriel Barbosa, the teenage Santos striker who scored on his Brazil debut last month, was also included as one of five forwards, along with Gremio's Luan and Gabriel Jesus, the coveted young Palmeiras striker.
Hamburg SV will play Manchester City in the UEFA Cup quarter-finals and could meet Bundesliga rivals Werder Bremen in the last four. Shakhtar Donetsk will play Olympique Marseille and Dynamo Kiev face Paris St Germain with the winners lined up to meet in the semis after the draw was made by UEFA on Friday.
Ligue 1 leaders Olympique Lyon lost 2-0 to Lille at the Stade de France on Saturday and saw their advantage at the top cut to just one point.
Lionel Messi's fifth-place finish in this year's Ballon d'Or vote was absurd, Barcelona coach Ernesto Valverde said of the Spanish champions' Argentina forward on Tuesday.
Arsenal were 2-1 winners over Paris St Germain and Valencia beat Inter Milan 2-0 on the first day of the pre-season Emirates Cup tournament on Saturday.
Girondins Bordeaux reached the French League Cup final with a 3-0 away thrashing of Paris St Germain on Wednesday.
After falling 2-0 down on the night, substitute Marcos Llorente struck twice in extra-time and Alvaro Morata added a late third to ensure a famous victory for Diego Simeone's side against a Liverpool team unbeaten in their last 25 home games in European competition.
A controversial penalty three minutes into added time gave Paris St Germain a 2-1 win over fellow Ligue 1 strugglers Racing Lens in the French League Cup final at the Stade de France on Saturday.
Mihaila late show for Romania stuns Swiss in thrilling draw
The Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) said on Tuesday it had upheld PSG's appeal against UEFA on the grounds that the body took too long to review its own decision to clear the French champions of breaking Financial Fair Play (FFP) rules.
France striker Thierry Henry has pulled out of Wednesday's friendly international against England in Paris.
Tottenham Hotspur manager Mauricio Pochettino has agreed a two-year contract extension that will keep him at White Hart Lane until 2021.
Barcelona extended their LaLiga lead to eight points thanks to second-half goals by Jordi Alba, Gavi and Raphinha that gave them a 3-0 home win against Sevilla
Paris St Germain on Tuesday issued a terse "no comment" following reports in England that the French champions had approached Jose Mourinho to become their new manager.
French champions Paris St Germain have agreed to sign Germany midfielder Julian Draxler from VfL Wolfsburg on a four-year deal subject to a medical, the Bundesliga club said on Saturday. The 23-year-old, who has 27 caps, made 34 league appearances for Wolfsburg, scoring five goals, after joining from Schalke 04 in August 2015. No financial details were disclosed but French media said the deal was worth 36 million euros ($37.66 million).
Paris St Germain will look at playing Champions League home matches in another country after the French government on Tuesday decided to end the 2019-20 domestic season, the Ligue 1 club's president Nasser Al-Khelaifi said on Tuesday.
City need three points to be sure of securing their third title in four years
Paris St Germain extended their Ligue 1 lead to 13 points with a 4-3 home victory against Girondins de Bordeaux on Sunday but the French champions were again exposed at the back and had Neymar sent off. A Marquinhos double, Edinson Cavani's 200th PSG goal and a goal by Kylian Mbappe put the capital side on 65 points from 26 games but they lost captain Thiago Silva to a muscle injury and Neymar picked up a straight red card for a late challenge in stoppage time.
Paris St Germain and Brazil forward Neymar says that not knowing when football will be played again is making him anxious. The 28-year-old is preparing for an eventual return at his home in a gated community in Brazil under the supervision of Ricardo Rosa, his long-standing physical trainer.
David and wife Victoria join 'All In Challenge' in which athletes and celebrities come up with special fan experiences to raise money for selected charities.
IMAGES from the UEFA Nations League matches played on Sunday.
Air travel by the top 20 footballers nominated for the 2019 Ballon d'Or was responsible for producing 505 tonnes of carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions this year alone, according to a climate change researcher.
France teenage sensation Mbappe joins PSG from Monaco
Manchester City completed the signing of Brazilian striker Jo from CSKA Moscow on Wednesday in what new manager Mark Hughes said he hopes would be the first of several major signings. City said the 21-year-old had signed a four-year deal and that his fee is a club record, though the amount was not disclosed.
Olympique Lyon wrapped up a record seventh consecutive Ligue 1 title with a convincing 3-1 win at AJ Auxerre.
Olympique Lyon needed a late long-range Juninho free kick to beat second division Sedan 1-0 on Wednesday and advance to the French Cup final.
Neymar completed his record-shattering transfer from Barcelona to Paris St Germain on Thursday, signing a five-year deal with the French club after they triggered his 222 million euros (200 million pounds) release clause.
Brazil forward Neymar aims to get fully fit in time for next month's World Cup following foot surgery but his future at Paris St Germain looks rather uncertain.
A sloppy Real Madrid were held 0-0 at home to Real Betis on Saturday in a further blow to their hopes of retaining the La Liga title.
Ramos acknowledged 'there were some calls' when he entered the final six months of his contract but stressed 'leaving Real Madrid was never on my mind'.
The PSG frontline is already formidable, with Messi's former Barca team mate Neymar and young France striker Kylian Mbappe seen as two of the best players on the planet.
World No 1 Novak Djokovic's had to take a medical timeout before completing a 6-1, 6-4, 6-4 dominating win over Luxembourg's Gilles Muller at Roland Garros on Thursday.
A summary of sports events and persons in the news on Saturday.
© 2026 Rediff.com - Investor Information - Advertise with us - Disclaimer - Privacy Policy - Sitemap - Feedback - About us - Terms of use - Grievances