For months, the 2024 Ballon d'Or seemed to have a clear front-runner, with everyone anticipating the coronation of Vinícius Júnior as the new king of football.
Barcelona coach Luis Enrique is head strong but it appears as though he may be fighting a losing battle with the four times World Player of the Year.
Lionel Messi's father Jorge has sought to play down comments his son made this week which suggested the four-time World Player of the Year could consider leaving Barcelona.
A round-up of Tuesday's action in the UEFA Champions League.
Real Madrid thrashed arch-rivals and league leaders Barcelona 4-0 to reach the Copa del Rey final
UEFA has thrown out protests made by Real Madrid and Barcelona against each other following their ill-tempered Champions League semi-final first leg last week.
The referee said in his match report he showed the card because Messi "delayed his return to his half of the pitch after the goal was scored with the intention of wasting time".
Barcelona will lodge a second appeal against the dismissal of coach Tito Vilanova in Sunday's 2-1 win at Osasuna after the Spanish soccer federation (RFEF) rejected an initial effort and suspended the coach for two games on Wednesday.
Barcelona forward Ansu Fati will be sidelined for four months after undergoing knee surgery, the La Liga club said on Monday.
Messi, who won the Spanish La Liga title with Barcelona last season as well as the European golden boot having scored 54 goals in 58 games in all competitions, last won the award in 2015.
Barcelona will not be complacent in the second leg of their Champions League round of 16 tie against Arsenal despite leading 2-0 from the first game in London.
First Look: FC Barcelona defender Gerrard Pique and his pop star girlfriend Shakira are expecting their first baby.
A round-up of Wednesday's action in the UEFA Champions League
Round-up of football matches played around Europe on Saturday.
Barcelona forward Luis Suarez was included in the starting lineup for Saturday's La Liga 'Clasico' against Real Madrid, a day after his four-month ban for biting an opponent expired.
Google CEO Sundar Pichai hailed Lionel Messi as the 'best ever'
A Spanish court said on Friday it has exchanged a 21-month prison sentence handed to Soccer player Lionel Messi for tax fraud last July for a quarter-of-a-million-euro fine.
As Barca prepare for a trip to Madrid to play Rayo Vallecano on Saturday, they are still reeling from Tuesday's 3-2 Champions League reverse at Paris St Germain, when their defence was badly exposed by the Ligue 1 title holders.
FC Tokyo have taken advantage of Barcelona's punishment for breaching rules on the transfer of young players by swooping to bring home a 13-year-old player dubbed the 'Japanese Messi'.
'Barca is a great club that has to win the Champions League, that's why I came here.'
Barcelona will meet Manchester United in the Champions League quarter-finals following the draw on Friday while Manchester City face Tottenham Hotspur in an all-Premier League clash.
IMAGES from the Champions League quarter-final played between Barcelona and Bayern Munich in Lisbon on Friday.
Rediff.com brings these and other big news from the sporting world, encapsulated in this photo feature...
Earlier, Messi's World Cup-winning team mate Emiliano Martinez won the Lev Yashin award for the world's best goalkeeper.
The Barca chief also said that the financial situation that he had inherited from former club president Josep Maria Bartomeu was "far, far worse" than anticipated.
Barcelona coach Luis Enrique defended his team's integrity on Friday after a week in which his players were criticised by the highest powers in Spanish soccer following last week's dramatic 3-2 win at Valencia.
Indian Super League team Delhi Dynamos FC has been invited to be a part of the World Soccer Congress in Shanghai, China. Delhi Dynamos FC President Prashant Agarwal has been invited to be a guest speaker for the forum in the presence of representatives from FC Barcelona, FC Inter Milan, La Liga, Liga Portugal, Manchester United, French Football Federation and Italian Football Federation. "I feel absolutely elated to have been invited to speak at the World Soccer Congress. Indian football is an expanding and a progressive industry, the world is watching us and we at Delhi Dynamos FC believe in rising to the occasion," Agarwal said in a release. Agarwal is the sole Indian club representative on the list of the invitees, the release added. He is scheduled to speak on the growing football industry in India and on successfully running Delhi Dynamos FC during season 2 of the Indian Super League.
Leverkusen's Schick scores hat-trick in comeback win over Heidenheim.
Real Madrid trimmed Barcelona's lead at the top of La Liga to one point when they recovered from conceding an early goal to secure a stirring 3-1 comeback win in the 'Clasico' on Saturday.
Ivan Toney, once Brentford's lynchpin in attack, has moved to Al-Ahli for 40 million pounds ($52.50 million).
Frenchman Lenglet's first league start since his 36 million-euro move from Sevilla turned sour when he was shown a straight red card in the 35th minute at the Nou Camp following a coming together with Pons, after referee Jesus Gil Manzano consulted the video assistant referee (VAR).
Barcelona would not be allowed to play in La Liga if Catalonia broke away from Spain, the country's football league chief Javier Tebas said as tensions mounted in the region over the possibility of an independence referendum next month.
FC Barcelona defender Gerard Pique and girlfriend Shakira posted intimate pictures from their vacation in Hawaii.
Goals from Memphis Depay, Luuk de Jong and the returning Ansu Fati helped Barcelona claim a much-needed 3-0 home victory over Levante in LaLiga on Sunday.
Barcelona have agreed to sign Udinese's Chilean forward Alexis Sanchez for 26 million euros ($36.9 million) plus a possible 11.5 million euros in variables as the Spanish and European champions made their first addition to their squad for next season.
News of all that's transpired on and off the football field
Liverpool's Brazil midfielder Philippe Coutinho is on the verge of signing for La Liga leaders Barcelona in a club-record deal, according to Spanish media reports.
Bayern come from behind to beat gutsy Mainz 2-1 and widen gap.
Barcelona star forward Lionel Messi and Read Madrid star Cristiano Ronaldo have been named in the 40-man shortlist for the UEFA's Team of the Year.
Barcelona captain Lionel Messi sat out Friday's training session as he has a small thigh strain, the Spanish champions said. Barca returned to full training on Monday for the first time in three months ahead of the Spanish season re-starting on June 11 after being halted since March due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
