European Super Football

Real Madrid 0 - 4 Barcelona Robert Lewandowski netted twice in just three minutes as La Liga leaders Barcelona swept aside Real Madrid in El Clasico, extending their lead over their fierce rivals to six points. Author - Mark Lee Real Madrid had been aiming to equal Barcelona’s league record of 43 consecutive unbeaten games, a milestone set between April 2017 and May 2018. However, those ambitions were shattered by a ruthless second-half performance from the visitors at the Bernabeu. After a goalless first half, Lewandowski broke the deadlock in the 54th minute, coolly slotting home from a precise through ball by Marc Casado. The Polish striker doubled Barcelona’s advantage moments later, heading Alejandro Balde’s pinpoint cross into the right corner. Lewandowski came close to securing a hat-trick, hitting the woodwork on one occasion and firing over from a promising position on another. Spanish teenage sensation Lamine Yamal, at just 17, added Barcelona’s third with a brilliant st

Barcelona 4 - 1 Bayern Munich It was a disappointing night for Bayern Munich as Barcelona eased to a comfortable victory in the Champions League league stage. Author - Josh T Barcelona winger Raphinha was a hero on the night as he delivered an outstanding hat-trick. The Brazilian opened the scoring in under a minute, pouncing on a ball over the top and skilfully rounding goalkeeper Manuel Neuer. England captain Harry Kane levelled the score for Bayern in the 18th minute, volleying in Serge Gnabry’s cross at the back post. However, Barcelona continued to exploit Bayern’s high defensive line. Fermin Lopez broke through, poking the ball past Neuer to set up Robert Lewandowski for Barcelona’s second, 18 minutes later. Just before half-time, Raphinha, wearing the captain’s armband for the night, made it 3-1 with a sublime curling shot from the edge of the box. Soon after the break, he sealed his hat-trick by latching onto another long pass and drilling a shot into the far corner. A c

Lionel Messi now plays for PSG. Very few people would have anticipated him ever leaving Barcelona but here we are. Just after the announcement of his departure, News Ball UK published this article looking at Messi's best ever moments at Barcelona.        His debut At 16 years, four months, and 23 days old, Messi made his first team debut when he came on in the 75th minute during a friendly against José Mourinho's Porto in November 2003. His career has been extraordinary. Let's take a look at some of his best moments.  April 18, 2007 Messi emulates fellow Diego Maradona with this amazing goal, ghosting through half of Getafe’s side while his teammates could only watch in awe. It was at this time when people started to talk about him being one of the world's best. How good is this goal? See Messi at his best by watching the video below. Some have argued that this is his best goal.  OTD in 2007 📅 Lionel Messi did his best Diego Maradona impression v Getafe 🐐 His best eve

It's time to explore the career of another football icon Andrés Iniesta is widely considered one of the greatest midfielders of all time.  He was praised by fans and pundits alike for his balance, ball control and agility in close spaces, combined with his skill, composure, and flair on the ball. Iniesta would spend most of his career at Barcelona, where he played a major role in the club's success along with his midfield partners Xavi and Sergio Busquets. One European Super Football contributor told us: "He was one of the greatest midfielders ever. I used to love watching him and I'm not even a Barcelona fan." Iniesta interviewed as a Barcelona player back in 2011. Picture from  Miguel Moro | Flickr A closer look at his career Iniesta started his professional career through La Masia, the Barcelona youth academy, after an early migration from his birthplace, and impressed from an early age. He made his first-team debut aged 18 in 2002. He began playing regula

Let's take a closer look at Lionel Messi.  The Argentian player is widely regarded as one of the greatest players ever. How did his career develop? What were his best moments? Keep reading for the story of a football legend. Quick summary Messi has won seven Ballon d'Or awards and six European Golden Shoes. In 2020, he was named to the Ballon d'Or Dream Team. Until leaving the club in 2021, he had spent his entire professional career with Barcelona.  With the Spanish giants,  he won a club-record 35 trophies. This included ten La Liga titles, seven Copa del Rey titles and four Champions Leagues. He is known for being a prolific goalscorer and creative playmaker. Records He holds the records for most goals in La Liga, a La Liga and European league season, most hat-tricks in La Liga and the Champions League, and most assists in La Liga, a La Liga season and the Copa América. He also holds the record for most international goals by a South American. Messi has scored over 7

Girona 1 - 4 Barcelona Lamine Yamal netted twice as Barcelona continued their dominant start to the season with a commanding 4-1 victory away at Girona. The 17-year-old Spanish winger opened the scoring in the 30th minute, capitalising on a mistake by David Lopez deep in Girona's half, before expertly lifting the ball over goalkeeper Paulo Gazzaniga. Yamal added his second just seven minutes later with a composed first-time strike from the edge of the box, following a rebound from Raphinha's free-kick. Click here for more La Liga news and stories Girona, who finished third last season, thought they had been awarded a penalty after Bryan Gil's header struck Inigo Martinez's arm, but the decision was overturned after a VAR review. Dani Olmo became the first player since Cesc Fabregas in 2011 to score in his first three league games for Barcelona, finding the net with a precise finish from a tight angle in the 47th minute to make it 3-0. Seventeen minutes later, midf

Let's have a look at a time when Barcelona went to Real Madrid and scored six This was a key moment in one of the greatest campaigns in the club's history What happened then? Gonzalo Higuain had actually headed Real ahead but Thierry Henry curled an equaliser and Carles Puyol then nodded Barca in front. Lionel Messi slotted past Iker Casillas and, after Sergio Ramos replied with a glancing header, Henry clipped into an empty net and Messi rolled in another. Gerard Pique later tapped in the sixth Barcelona goal of a remarkable match. Then Barcelona coach Pep Guardiola said the following after the match:  "It is not easy to win at the Bernabeu and this is one of the happiest days of my footballing life, as we have made a lot of people happy." "We have taken a very big step towards winning the title. We wanted to kill it, to kill the league here. It's a very sweet night winning at this stadium and in front of these fans. "It is not going to hurt ahead

Barcelona and Real Madrid. Enough said. El Clásico has been around for over a hundred years. It is one of the most exciting and talked about football matches. This not only because of the passion that each games brings, but because of its history as well. Do you remember the first time? The first time the two teams ever met to play each other was in 1902. But the first League El Clásico was in 1929. It was played in Barcelona at their Les Colts stadium, but the Barcelona fans had to endure their first El Clásico loss when Real Madrid beat them 2-1. They got the last word though, winning the reverse fixture 1-0 and thus the first LaLiga title. There have been a combined total of 281 El Clásicos and Barca currently leads in wins There have been 248 competitive matches and 33 exhibition matches between Madrid and Barcelona. Of the 248 competitive matches, Real Madrid has won the most, with 100 wins to Barca’s 96 (and 52 draws). Barcelona has more wins in exhibition matches with 19 to Madr

Linares Deportivo 1 - 2 Barcelona: Copa Del Rey Barcelona survived a scare against lower league Linares as Dani Alves eventually marked his first Barca appearance in more than five years with a win.  Alves made his long-awaited second debut, having had to wait for the registration window to open following his signing a few months ago. La Liga news: Barcelona re-sign Dani Alves  The Spanish minnows took a shock half-time lead through a goal Hugo Diaz. It wasn't the best performance from Barcelona but goals from Ousmane Dembele and Ferran Jutgla spared them the shock and embarrassment of an exit in the early stages of the competition.  They started with a second-string line-up against a side 14th in the Primera Division Group 2, but boss Xavi had to make changes at the break. He brought on Dembele, Gerard Pique and Frenkie de Jong, to help turn the tie around. Reaction  This is how Xavi responded to the win. 🎙 Xavi's first reaction to the win #LinaresBarça pic.twitter

Barcelona 2 - 2 Manchester United Manchester United and Barcelona played out a thrilling first-leg draw at the Nou Camp. 🗣️ - Xavi: “I said to Ten Hag, congratulations you are doing very well. This is Manchester United.” #mufc pic.twitter.com/5fPMKOMXp7 — UtdXclusive (@UtdXclusive) February 16, 2023 Match report Barcelona. grabbed the opener when Marcos Alonso headed in at the back post from Raphinha's corner. United responded immediately through the in-form Marcus Rashford as he slipped in a finish at the near post. The Red Devils showed resilience to turn the game around as Rashford's cross was then turned into his own net by Barcelona defender Jules Kounde. Sadly for the away side, they were unable to hold on as ex-Leeds winger Raphinha's cross from wide on the right sailed all the way into the net. Click here for highlights from BT Sport  Barcelona vs Man Utd (2-2) | Rashford scores again in Camp Nou classic! | Europa League Highlights - YouTube Reaction B

Valencia 1 - 2 Barcelona A win over Valencia kicked off Barcelona's La Liga campaign under new manager Hansi Flick. Former Germany boss Flick's team had to come from behind after Hugo Duro scored from a Diego Lopez cross past Marc-Andre ter Stegen. The first half started slowly, but Duro opened the scoring in the 44th minute, sparking the match into life. Duro had a chance cleared off the line, but Robert Lewandowski then equalized from a Lamine Yamal pass. Valencia had a strong first half, but Barcelona showed their superiority in the second half, taking the lead through veteran striker Lewandowski's penalty in the 49th minute after Raphinha was fouled in the box. Yamal was a constant threat with his dribbling on the wings, causing problems for Valencia. Despite Valencia's strong counter-attacks and Barcelona's midfield errors, Flick's team ultimately proved to be of a higher class, managing the game well and neutralizing Valencia's threats to secure a

Barcelona 1 - 1 Napoli Former Manchester City player Ferran Torres scored a penalty as Barcelona rescued a draw in their Europa League last-32 first-leg tie against Napoli. Barca were making their first appearance in this competition in almost 18 years and they fell behind in the first half when Piotr Zielinski drove in. UCL: Barcelona knocked out But they awarded a penalty in the second half by VAR after Adama Traore's cross hit Juan Jesus' hand. Torres stepped up to take the penalty and sent goalkeeper Alex Meret the wrong way. This will have been of significant relief for the striker after he had missed a big chance when the game was goalless, firing over when well placed inside the box. Bon dia, Culers! ☀️ We keep working! 👊 pic.twitter.com/c9h2nm5tKI — FC Barcelona (@FCBarcelona) February 18, 2022 Torres had a good opportunity to win the game for Barcelona late on, but sent his shot over the bar. Ex-Arsenal striker Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang had a quiet game as he mad

Ronald Koeman’s spell as manager of Barvcelona came to an abrupt end after he was sacked following a 1-0 defeat at Rayo Vallecano. This exit provides something of an unhappy conclusion for the former player. Koeman won them their first European Cup in 1992 and leaves the club in further turmoil on and off the field. FC Barcelona has relieved Ronald Koeman of his duties as first team coach — FC Barcelona (@FCBarcelona) October 27, 2021 A statement on the Barcelona website reads:  “FC Barcelona has relieved Ronald Koeman of his duties as first-team coach,” an official club statement read after the 1-0 loss. The president of the club, Joan Laporta, informed him of the decision after the defeat against Rayo Vallecano.  "Ronald Koeman will say goodbye to the squad on Thursday at the Ciutat Esportiva. FC Barcelona wishes to thank him for his service to the club and wishes him all the best in his professional career.” The last match This defeat at Rayo Vallecano proved to be one too ma

Barcelona have announced reached an agreement in principle to re-sign 38-year-old defender Dani Alves. Five years after he originally left the Nou Camp for Juventus. Alves has won nine top-flight titles with Barca, Juve and Paris St-Germain. He will arrive on a free transfer for the rest of the 2021-22 season. He spent eight years at Barcelona between 2008 and 2016 winning La Liga six times and also won three Champions League titles and the Copa del Rey on four occasions.  In a statement announcing the news on their official website. Barcelona described Alves as: "The greatest right-back in Barca history"  "The Brazilian will be joining training from next week but will not be able to play until January." Dani Alves first came to the club in the summer of 2008 after five brilliant seasons in Sevilla. In the Catalan capital, he made the right back slot his own across eight seasons, making 391 official appearances and scoring 23 goals. More Barcelona news can be fo

 Let's explore Barcelona's 2023/2024 campaign In addition to La Liga, Barca also took part in the Copa del Rey, Supercopa de España, and UEFA Champions League. Throughout the season, Barcelona played their home matches at the Estadi Olímpic due to the redevelopment of the Nou Camp. This season was notable as the first without captain Sergio Busquets, who departed the club after 18 years (including 15 years in the first team since the 2007–08 season) as a free agent in the summer. It was also the first full season without Gerard Piqué, who retired before the winter World Cup, and the first since 2011–12 without left-back Jordi Alba, who mutually agreed to terminate his contract a year early. Elsewhere, Barcelona finished as runners-up in the Supercopa de España and were knocked out of the Copa del Rey in the quarter-finals by eventual winners Athletic Bilbao, losing in extra time. In the league, they were unable to defend last season's title, ending the season in second

Chelsea 0 - 2 Barcelona Barcelona won 2-1 on aggregate  Chelsea's hopes of making it to the Women's Champions League final in manager Emma Hayes' final season at the club were crushed with a defeat by Barcelona at a sold-out Stamford Bridge.  Despite leading 1-0 from the semi-final first leg, Chelsea was unable to hold onto their advantage as holders Barca turned the tide in their favour. Referee Iuliana Demetrescu made two crucial decisions that went against the Blues.  Firstly, she issued a second booking to Chelsea defender Kadeisha Buchanan within four minutes, leaving the hosts with only 10 players on the field just before the hour mark.  A history of women's football (eurosuperfootball.blogspot.com) Secondly, she awarded a penalty to Barcelona for a contentious foul on Aitana Bonmati, which Fridolina Rolfo converted. Bonmati had earlier cancelled out Chelsea's aggregate lead with a deflected strike off Buchanan, and her dramatic fall in the box under conta

  Barcelona 1 - 4 PSG (Aggregate: 4-6) Kylian Mbappe scored twice as his Paris St-Germain side thrashed Barcelona to turn around a first-leg deficit and reach the semi-finals of the Champions League. You can watch the highlights of the match in the video below . Footage from the TNT Sports YouTube account. The French side had trailed 3-2 after the first leg but they reached the last four for the first time since 2021 after what can only be considered a chaotic encounter in Spain. PSG will face Borussia Dortmund in the semi-final after they beat Atletico Madrid 5-4 on aggregate in what was another thrilling encounter. Where did it go wrong for Barca? It was actually the Catalan side who struck first when Lamine Yamal drove down the pitch, beating Nuno Mendes and clipping over for former Leeds United star Raphinha to score. The Barcelona fans and players assumed it was all going according to plan. Things were to go very wrong in the second-half. Things started to unravel when Rona

The shortlist for Ballon d'Or 2022  has been announced, and there have been some interesting developments. Let's take a look at some of the talking points. No Messi and Neymar! Lionel Messi and Neymar have not been included on the 30-man shortlist for the 2022 Ballon d'Or. The Argentina international has won the most Ballons d'Or in history with seven, but he did not make the list despite scoring 11 goals in 34 matches for Paris Saint-Germain last season. His team-mate Neymar is also not on the list. He played just 28 times for PSG last season in an injury-hit campaign. Kylian Mbappe does make the list. Recognition for the Lionesses  England's Euro 2022 success has been recognised. Millie Bright, Beth Mead and Lucy Bronze have been nominated for the women's Ballon d'Or, awarded to the best female footballer of 2022. Women's Euro 2022: England win after dramatic final (eurosuperfootball.blogspot.com) Who could win it? Real Madrid's Karim Benzema,

This player might be Brazilian, but like his friend Ronaldo, his impact across Europe was huge.  Icons: Ronaldo (eurosuperfootball.blogspot.com) Let's explore Rivaldo's fantastic career A brief introduction Rivaldo played mainly as an attacking midfielder. However, he was also used as a second striker and occasionally as a wide midfielder or a winger. He was renowned for his bending free kicks, bicycle kicks, feints, and powerful ball striking from a distance. Rivaldo also had the ability to both score and create goals. In 1999, he won the Ballon d'Or and was named FIFA World Player of the Year. With his huge success, he is one of nine players to have won the FIFA World Cup, the UEFA Champions League and the Ballon d'Or. Early career  He started his career in 1991 with Brazilian club Santa Cruz, moving on to spells at Mogi Mirim, a loan spell at Corinthians, and Palmeiras. People across the major European leagues were impressed, and it was inevitable that a move was

Barcelona 2-4 Girona Barcelona finished the weekend in fourth place in the La Liga table and are now seven points off the top thanks to a painful 4-2 loss. Throughout this match, Girona dominated and made a statement about their title credentials as they convincingly won this Catalan derby.  Highlights Check out the highlights from the match in the video below.  FC BARCELONA 2 vs 4 GIRONA | LALIGA 2023/24 MD16 (youtube.com) The opening 45 minutes were just as wild and entertaining as any neutral could hope for, with both teams playing really well with the ball and taking big risks in possession that left them extremely vulnerable at the back. The home side started as the better side and could have taken the lead within the first 10 minutes. However, one bad pass in midfield allowed Girona to counter-attack and Viktor Tsigankov gave Artem Dovbyk an easy tap-in to put the visitors in front.  The 2023 La Liga winners answered quickly after a great corner taken by Raphinha found Rober