Barcelona blew the La Liga title race wide open when Lionel Messi scored a hat-trick in a 4-3 comeback win for the champions at 10-man Real Madrid in an action-packed 'Clasico' on Sunday.
Barcelona fell to a first home defeat in any competition for more than two years
Inter Milan got a crucial 1-0 win at Juventus on Sunday
Real Madrid superstar Cristiano Ronaldo will reportedly reward the club's physiotherapy team by buying each of them a brand new car of their choice following his Ballon d'Or win.
Messi agreed no-fee Barca exit clause in case of Catalan independence
Talismanic Indian football team captain Sunil Chhetri, on Tuesday, rated Lionel Messi as the greatest player of all time but did not include Argentina among his favourite four teams to lift the World Cup in Russia.
As the curtains fall on another year, Rediff.com brings you all the action from the sports field that defined 2019.
Goals from the prolific duo of Luis Suarez and Neymar earned Barcelona a tight 2-1 win at Las Palmas on Saturday to propel them nine points clear at the top of La Liga.
Spain's glorious third successive triumph in a major tournament and individual goal scoring brilliance from Argentine Lionel Messi will be remembered as soccer's golden hallmarks of 2012.
The 54-year-old has a whopping $1.7 billion in the bank, thanks to his long time endorsement relationships with Beverage company Gatorade, clothing brand Hanes, American Sportswear giant Nike and playing card manufacturer Upper Deck.
Be it the jam-packed stadiums at the UEFA Champions League, the intense trans-Tasman rivalry in cricket, there are certain events that enthralls fans. Brendon McCullum blasting into history with the fastest Test hundred in his farewell Test; but that wasn't enough as Australia completed a 2-0 clean sweep of the Kiwis. Rohit Sharma, yet again showing why is considered to be a special talent in limited-overs cricket as India thrashed host Bangladesh in the Asia Cup opener. In Champions League football, Lionel Messi's Barcelona proving too hot for old-rivals Arsenal. Be ready to be amazed as Rediff.com encapsulates all the sporting action from the past week in this super photo feature.
Lionel Messi is back in the Argentina squad for next month's World Cup qualifiers against Brazil and Colombia after missing the last three due to injury in which his team have dropped seven points. Messi was named on Friday in coach Edgardo Bauza's 26-man squad and will captain Argentina away to arch-rivals Brazil in Belo Horizonte on Nov. 10 and at home against Colombia in San Juan five days later. Argentina have slipped down the South American group standings to fifth after a shock 1-0 home defeat by Paraguay and 2-2 draws with Peru and Venezuela, all without Messi.
Valencia coach Cesare Prandelli has conceded there is no point trying stop Lionel Messi as he prepares to face the in-form Barcelona talisman when his side host the La Liga champions on Saturday.
Gerd Mueller netted 68 goals in 62 internationals, including the winner in the 1974 World Cup final, and is third in the all-time list of most goals in the global showpiece tournament with 14, behind Brazilian Ronaldo (15) and German Miroslav Klose (16).
IMAGES from the football matches played across Europe on Sunday.
The Messi Experience Park, which is being launched by the five times world player of the year in collaboration with Chinese broadcaster Phoenix Group and Spanish media company Mediapro, is set to open in 2019 in the Chinese capital.
'They were better than us, they went all out to win the game from the start and we really struggled with their pressure especially at the start of both halves'
Bracelona's main attractions are Lionel Messi and Neymar. But their gorgeous girlfriends Antonella Roccuzzo and Bruna Marquezine give men ample of reasons to watch Barcelona matches closely!