Lionel Messi is on course for a record-equalling third consecutive Ballon d'Or, soccer's highest individual award, after the Argentine forward was among the three shortlisted nominees named on Monday.
World and European champions Spain dominated the shortlist for the Player of the Year award announced on Tuesday with seven players among the 23 nominees.
Barcelona's fading hopes of capturing a fourth consecutive La Liga crown suffered a major setback when they lost 3-2 at Osasuna on Saturday to leave Real Madrid seven points clear at the top with a game in hand.
For the eight Spain internationals in Barcelona's probable starting 11 for Saturday's Champions League final, victory over Manchester United at Wembley would put a gilt edge on an already spectacularly successful year.
Argentina's Lionel Messi won the World Player of the Year for the second time in a row on Monday and Jose Mourinho walked off with the coach's award, leaving Spain's World Cup winners disappointed.
Lionel Messi won the inaugural UEFA Best Player in Europe award on Thursday, finishing ahead of Barcelona teammate Xavi and Real Madrid's Cristiano Ronaldo.
Barcelona set up a King's Cup final against Athletic Bilbao when Cesc Fabregas scored one goal and created another for Xavi in a 2-0 win over 10-man Valencia in their semi-final second leg on Wednesday.
Argentina and Barcelona forward Lionel Messi, still only 24, won the World Player of the Year award for the third time in a row on Monday.
Lionel Messi mesmerised Manchester United into submission on Saturday as his dazzling Barcelona team claimed an emphatic 3-1 win in the Champions League final to bag their third European crown in six seasons.
Barcelona, fielding a side full of youngsters from the club's academy, routed Catalan neighbours Hospitalet to complete a 10-0 aggregate win over the third-tier side to reach the last 16 of Spain's King's Cup on Thursday.
Lionel Messi scored two wonder goals as European champions Barcelona thrashed Brazil's Santos 4-0 to win their second Club World Cup in two years on Sunday.
Jose Mourinho attributed a large part of Barcelona's 3-1 'Clasico' victory at the Bernabeu on Saturday to luck and dismissed the idea that it would damage his side's morale in the La Liga title race.
In a video, released on Thursday, Neymar thanked his famous former Argentine teammate and the Catalonian club for the wonder years.
A hat-trick by Lionel Messi inspired Barcelona to an 8-0 rout of Osasuna in La Liga on Saturday as the champions responded with a devastating performance after a poor week by their high standards.
Barcelona playmaker Xavi has dismissed the idea that Real Madrid's battling performance with 10 men in La Liga on Saturday would give them a confidence boost for Wednesday's King's Cup final.
"C'est fini". With those few words in French a tearful Iker Casillas brought to an end his farewell statement on Sunday to the Real Madrid fans he has served as first-team goalkeeper and captain for 16 seasons.
Lionel Messi conjured a magical headed goal to set a depleted Barcelona on their way to a 3-0 win at Real Mallorca in La Liga on Saturday that stretched their lead over Real Madrid at the top to eight points.
Indian men's hockey team witnessed a disappointing start to its final preparatory campaign ahead of the Rio Olympics after it went down 1-4 to Spain in the first of the two practice games in Madrid. For eight-time champions India, the loss against Spain couldn't have come at the right time as they give final touches to their preparation before flying directly to Rio from here in search of an Olympic medal that eluded the country for 36 years. India's last of the eight Olympic gold medals came way back in 1980.
Barcelona midfielder Andres Iniesta could miss Saturday's La Liga game at home to Valencia after tests on Thursday confirmed he suffered a bruised pelvis in Wednesday's 3-1 Champions League win at Paris St Germain.
Barcelona believes Manchester United is a better side without Real Madrid star winger Cristiano Ronaldo. Meanwhile, Manchester United boss Sir Alex Ferguson is ready to welcome back Ronaldo to Old Trafford.
After New Zealand and Spain played out a 2-2 draw earlier in the day, World No. 20, the lowest ranked side in the competition, France needed an outright win to qualify for the cross-overs and they came out with intent to achieve the goal.
There is unlikely to be a tweet out of the Spain players at the World Cup after coach Vicente del Bosque banned them from using social networking sites such as Twitter and Facebook during the tournament.
Lionel Messi celebrated a second successive World Player of the Year award with a hat-trick as Barcelona thrashed second division Real Betis 5-0 in a King's Cup quarter-final first leg on Wednesday.
Barcelona's Xavi, Lionel Messi and Andres Iniesta are on the shortlist for the first FIFA Ballon D'Or award for the best player in the world to be presented on Monday at a ceremony that gets bigger by the year.
Leaders Barcelona scored five goals away at their city rivals Espanyol for the first time as they made light of a potentially tricky city derby on Saturday.
David Villa struck twice to lead Barcelona to a 5-0 rout of Real Madrid on Monday with a scintillating performance which put the champions two points clear of their arch-rivals at the top of the Spanish La Liga.
Barcelona striker David Villa has said that he will do everything he can to persuade Arsenal captain Cesc Fabregas to join him at the Nou Camp.
Spain owe a large debt of gratitude to their World Cup final opponents Netherlands because of the strong Dutch influence at Barcelona down the years, according to midfielder Sergio Busquets.
Andres Iniesta and Carles Puyol scored to help Barcelona to a 2-1 comeback victory at home to Valencia on Saturday, but it was Real Madrid who moved to the top of La Liga with a 4-1 win in Malaga.
News of all that's transpired on and off the football field
News of all that's transpired on and off the football field.
Barcelona took another step towards retaining their La Liga title when goals from Bojan Krkic, Pedro and Yaya Toure fired them to a 3-0 home win over Deportivo Coruna on Wednesday.
The list of candidates to win the 2009 Ballon d'Or award was reduced to 10 men on Sunday, with Barcelona and Argentina forward Lionel Messi the overwhelming favourite.
Carles Puyol's match-winning header against Germany in Wednesday's World Cup semi-final was the fruit of a move worked out on the training ground at Barcelona, the defender said on Thursday.
A headed goal by defender Carles Puyol carried Spain to their first World Cup final on Wednesday when they beat Germany 1-0 in the semi-finals.
Spain needed a 73rd minute goal from defender Carles Puyol to edge past Germany 1-0 on Wednesday and set up a World Cup final against Netherlands.
A goal by striker David Villa earned Spain a 1-0 win over neighbours Portugal and a World Cup quarter-final place after an entertaining match on Tuesday in which the Portuguese also created several chances.
Barcelona captain Carles Puyol will leave the club at the end of the season following a persistent battle with a knee injury.
De Jong is proud to join the likes of compatriots Ronald Koeman, Frank de Boer and Patrick Kluivert in heading to the Nou Camp, having dreamed of wearing Barca colours.
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