Brazil forward Neymar will be sidelined for several months as he requires surgery after suffering a ruptured anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) and meniscus in his left knee.
Zlatan Ibrahimovic was again the chief tormentor as French champions Paris St Germain won 3-0 at Bastia to stay eight points clear at top of the Ligue 1 on Saturday.
All the latest football news from around Europe.
Edinson Cavani silenced his critics when he scored four goals in Paris St Germain's 6-0 victory at Caen in Ligue 1 on Friday.
News of all that's transpired on and off the football field
Barcelona are still trying to lure Paris St Germain centre back Thiago Silva to the Nou Camp but will look elsewhere if they fail to snare the Brazil international, coach Tito Vilanova said on Tuesday.
Messi had asked to be withdrawn in the reverse fixture at Benfica last week due to the calf problem but PSG boss Christophe Galtier expects him to return for the weekend clash against third-placed Olympique de Marseille.
Now, with Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo venturing into smaller leagues as they near the end of their brilliant careers, 2024 may finally be the year for the next in line in football royalty.
Arsenal will face manager Arsene Wenger's former club Monaco with defending champions Real Madrid pitted against German club Schalke.
'I have much more freedom here (than at PSG). The coach knows that there is a number nine like Olivier who occupies the defences. I can wander around, go into space, ask for balls.'
Paris St Germain continued their irrepressible march towards a fourth consecutive Ligue 1 title with a 5-1 home win against Olympique Lyonnais to move 17 points clear at the top.
"What's important for me is to give the best of myself for my club, and we're looking forward for Leo (Messi) to return to continue scoring and winning matches."
News of all that's transpired on and off the football field
This is the first time a player other than Lionel Messi or Cristiano Ronaldo has topped the list in eight years.
With names of players, both, big and upcoming, and their possible moves, this is the day made by the gods of football.
News of all that's transpired on and off the football field on Friday
The Brazilian had to be substituted in the second half of his side's 2-1 Premier League win at Tottenham Hotspur on Saturday after clashing with the hand of opposition defender Jan Vertonghen.
Holders Barcelona will face fellow Spaniards Atletico Madrid, runners-up two seasons ago, in the Champions League quarter-finals following the draw in Nyon on Friday.
Holders FC Barcelona have been placed in Group E, along with Bayer Leverkusen, AS Roma, Dinamo Zagreb.
With Mbappe on the left flank of France's attack, he will cross paths with right-back Hakimi, the player he took under his wing when the Moroccan joined PSG from Inter Milan in 2021.
Spanish and French media reported on Tuesday that Real Madrid had made a 160-million-euro ($187.81-million) bid for the 22-year-old World Cup winner, who scored 42 goals in all competitions for PSG last season and has reportedly said he wants to move to Spain.
Messi announced to take his talents to South Beach after his contract with PSG expires at the end of this month.
By winning the World Cup on Sunday, the Argentine football team asserted its ability, but Martinez also proved that the Argentines can be bad sportsmen.
Neymar joined the group later than the rest of the players due to a flight issue from France,
The Portuguese can expect a hostile reception in Valencia, who had to suffer 15 of his goals for Real Madrid and are returning to the Champions League for the first time in three years.
Not only the senior team but the young Blue Colts also emerged victorious in the SAFF Men's U-19 champions after hammering Pakistan in the final and clinching a vigorous 3-0 victory.
Barcelona wasted a golden opportunity to extend their lead at the top of LaLiga as they were shocked 1-0 at lowly Almeria on Sunday thanks to a first-half strike by El Bilal Toure.
Mancini slams Saudi players who opted to leave Asian Cup squad
Lens falter in title race after draw at Nice, Marseille hit six
Photos from matches played in the French Ligue 1 and Serie A matches played on Saturday
Bayern Munich put upstarts RB Leipzig firmly in their place by sweeping to an emphatic 3-0 home win, with all the goals coming in the first half, in a disappointingly one-sided top-of-the-table Bundesliga clash on Wednesday.
Italian goalkeeper Gianluigi Buffon has retired from football, the 45-year-old announced on Wednesday, after 28 years in which he reached exceptional milestones for club and country.
News of all that's transpired on and off the football field
The structure of the nine-team WTC remains intact with each side playing three home and as many away series over a two-year period culminating in the final of a one-off Test.
Wayne Rooney said he would pick Paris St Germain boss Mauricio Pochettino over Ajax Amsterdam manager Erik ten Hag to take over his former club Manchester United.
A summary of the results of the football matches played across Europe on Sunday
'If there is a possibility, I would like to contribute again because it's the club that I love and I would love for it to continue doing well, to continue growing and to continue being one of the best in the world.'
A new chapter in the celebrated rivalry between Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi will unfurl on Thursday when they meet in an exhibition match as the Portugal forward gears up for his first game in Saudi Arabia since joining Al Nassr.
'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.'
