Bayern Munich winger Franck Ribery won the UEFA Best Player in Europe award for 2012/13 ahead of the usual contenders Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo.
Thierry Henry was on target as Barcelona cruised to a 4-0 home win over Racing Santander on Saturday to move five points clear at the top of La Liga.
Unlucky Barcelona defender Eric Abidal will miss both the UEFA Champions League and the King's Cup finals after picking up two red cards in five days. The French full back was sent off in the second half of Barca's Champions League semi-final second leg against Chelsea last Wednesday, after the referee harshly ruled that he had tripped Nicolas Anelka.
Lionel Messi scored a stunning freekick and helped set up two more goals as Barcelona swept hosts Deportivo Coruna aside 4-0 to surge five points clear at the top of La Liga on Saturday.
Barcelona midfielder Sergio Busquets has criticised their tactical and physical frailties after a 4-0 thrashing at Paris St Germain in the last 16 left them on the brink of their earliest Champions League exit in a decade.
Lionel Messi of European champions Barcelona was named the European Club Player of the Year on Thursday for helping his side lift the UEFA Champions League trophy last season. Argentine Messi was also named forward of the year with his club mate Xavi Hernandez, who also played a key role for Barca last season, named as midfielder of the year ahead of a third Barcelona club mate Andres Iniesta.
Lionel Messi returned to training on Monday after recovering from a stomach bug that caused him to miss Barcelona's goalless draw against Malaga on Saturday.
Spain's Andres Iniesta thought he was offside when he collected the ball and scored the winning goal in the World Cup final, the midfielder said on Tuesday.
Barcelona snatched a place in the Champions League final in dramatic fashion on Wednesday when a last-gasp goal from Andres Iniesta earned a 1-1 draw with Chelsea and victory on away goals.
The Primera Liga leaders dominated the first leg of their Champions League semi-final at the Nou Camp on Tuesday but were unable to score.
Primera Liga top scorer Samuel Eto'o netted twice as Barcelona beat Sporting Gijon 3-1 at the Nou Camp on Sunday to restore their 12-point advantage at the top of the table.
Andres Iniesta came off the bench to score as Barcelona battled to a 3-1 win over struggling Real Mallorca on Saturday, while Valencia moved up to second with an impressive home victory over Atletico Madrid by the same scoreline. Barcelona are top with 44 points from 17 matches, 11 ahead of Valencia, who saw off rivals Atletico at the Mestalla thanks to two goals from David Silva and a David Villa penalty.
Thierry Henry said he will consider leaving Barcelona during the winter transfer window if coach Pep Guardiola leaves him on the bench too often.
Barcelona earned their first Primera Liga win of the season with a 6-1 rout away to promoted Sporting Gijon on Sunday.
Andres Iniesta will always be a hero to Barcelona.
A hat-trick by David Villa helped Spain to a 4-1 win over Russia in their Euro 2008 opener on Tuesday.
Spain fell victim to own patience and Russian resistance
Real Madrid stretched their lead at the top to four points after beating Racing Santander 3-1 at home while arch-rivals Barcelona were held to a 1-1 draw at Espanyol in the Catalan derby. Real skipper Raul steered his side to their seventh win in seven games at the Bernabeu when he took his tally for the season to eight goals with a classy double.
Barcelona lead the Primera Liga on goal difference, ahead of title rivals Sevilla and Real Madrid.
Barcelona have been boosted by the successful return from injury of talismanic playmaker Andres Iniesta as they prepare to host city rivals Espanyol in La Liga on Sunday.
Ronaldinho delighted Chinese fans by scoring with a trademark free kick in a 3-0 win for Barcelona over Beijing Guoan on Sunday.
Leaders Barcelona edged closer to their third consecutive league title with a 2-0 away win over struggling Real Sociedad in the Primera Liga on Saturday.
Spain substitute Andres Iniesta cracked a superb winner as they beat a toothless England 1-0 in their international friendly on Wednesday.
Memories and images of Johan Cruyff will provide an emotional backdrop to Saturday's Nou Camp 'Clasico' against Real Madrid when Barcelona pay tribute to the man who transformed the club from also-rans into one of the game's superpowers.
Relief ran through Spanish ranks after Gerard Pique's late header secured a 1-0 victory over the Czech Republic in their opening Group D match at Euro 2016 on Monday.
The suggestion that Spain need to change their playing style is already meeting resistance even though another disappointing performance at a major soccer tournament suggests that tiki-taka has run its course. In many countries, a defeat as comprehensive as the one Spain suffered against Italy in Euro 2016 on Monday, when they were outplayed and lucky to lose only 2-0, would have led to calls to knock everything down and start again. In Spain, however, where many are proud of having such a distinctive style of play, there are plenty of voices calling for the team to continue trying to pass the ball all the way into the goal.
News of all that's transpired on and off the football field
For all Vicente del Bosque's confidence that he has the right balance of experience and youth to return Spain to their familiar place on the winner's rostrum, questions remain about his best starting line-up ahead of Euro 2016.
Barcelona star Neymar was subjected to allegedly racist chants during Saturday draw at local rivals Espanyol, his teammate Andres Iniesta confirmed. Though manager Luis Enrique declined to comment on the chants, Neymar's teammates called for the individuals responsible to be punished.
News of all that's transpired on and off the football field.
Take Norma Godinho's quiz to find out just how much you know about sport.
Spain huffed and puffed, making hard work of their Euro 2016 opener before a late Gerard Pique goal blew away the CzechRepublic resistance -- yet it could not conceal further evidence that Vicente del Bosque's champions may lack a killer instinct.
Diego Costa has yet to open his account for Spain in five appearances, a perplexing state of affairs given his prolific form for Atletico Madrid last season and his blistering start at Chelsea.
Barcelona president Josep Maria Bartomeu has reassured his club's supporters that Lionel Messi's new contract has been signed, albeit by the player's father.
Real's Cristiano Ronaldo will be going in search of his third consecutive World Player of the Year award
John Terry became the second Chelsea player this year to make 100 appearances in the Champions League when he captained his side against Sporting Lisbon in their Group G match in Portugal on Tuesday.
Spain are still favourites to finish top of Group E above Sweden, Poland and Slovakia but, after struggling to break down conservative sides such as Georgia and Greece in March, they know coming first will not be a procession.
Barcelona's 2-1 loss at Ajax Amsterdam in the Champions League last week was down to a lack of intensity while Sunday's 1-0 reverse at Athletic Bilbao in La Liga exposed their relative physical frailty.
Lionel Messi had to wait 12 years and endure a goal drought of eight games against Chelsea but he finally broke his duck in Tuesday's 1-1 Champions League last 16, first leg draw.
© 2026 Rediff.com - Investor Information - Advertise with us - Disclaimer - Privacy Policy - Sitemap - Feedback - About us - Terms of use - Grievances