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Icons: Lionel Messi

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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 AmĂ©rica. He also holds the record for most international goals by a South American. Messi has scored over...

Spain: Girona look the real deal

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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 Raphin...

Spain: Real Madrid are La Liga champions

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Real Madrid are La Liga champions once again.  They wrapped up the title by defeating Cadiz 3-0 at the Bernabeu before they watched Barcelona lose 4-2 at Girona. Ultimately, this has been an impressively dominant campaign for Carlo Ancelotti's men. They have lost just once all season, at local rivals Atletico Madrid in September, and are also unbeaten in their last 28 league games. Against Cadiz, Brahim Diaz starred for Real Madrid. The former Manchester City winger scored an impressive goal by firing into the top corner from just inside the box in the 51st minute. S few minutes later, Jude Bellingham doubled Real's lead by ghosting into the box and poking home from close range.  Joselu then sealed a comfortable victory in added time with a tap-in. Nacho raced through into the box and squared the ball for his teammate to finish with ease. Another excellent performance. When the match finished, they were only a few hours away from being champions officially. You can ...

Icons: Sergio Ramos

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It's time to explore another legendary footballer.  Sergio Ramos is a Spanish professional footballer renowned as one of the greatest defenders ever.  Author - Peter Grainger from GMCR Football Ramos in action for Real Madrid against local rivals. Photo credit -  Jan S0L0 | Flickr Known for his tackling prowess, aerial strength, leadership, and an impressive goalscoring record for a defender, he netted over 100 goals for Real Madrid. During his sixteen seasons at Real Madrid, he won multiple UEFA Champions League titles, as well as two UEFA European Championships and the 2010 FIFA World Cup with the Spanish national team. An overview of his club career Ramos was born in Seville and developed his skills in Sevilla’s youth academy. After two seasons with Sevilla's senior team, he made a high-profile move to Real Madrid in the summer of 2005. He became an integral part of the squad, winning 22 major honours, including five La Liga titles and four Champions League titles....

Luka Modric to leave Real Madrid at the end of the season

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Where does Modric rank among Real Madrid greats? The former Spurs midfielder has announced he will leave Real Madrid this summer following the conclusion of their Fifa Club World Cup campaign.  Author | Jack L Modric playing for Real Madrid back in 2013 Source | Paul Stephens Flickr The 39-year-old Croatia international, who won the Ballon d’Or in 2018, will make his final appearance at the Santiago BernabĂ©u when Real host Real Sociedad in their last La Liga fixture of the season on Saturday. Modric joined Real from Tottenham Hotspur in 2012 and has enjoyed a glittering 13-year spell in Spain, collecting 28 trophies including six Champions League titles and four La Liga crowns. Real Madrid begin their Club World Cup campaign on 18 June against Saudi side Al-Hilal, with group stage matches also lined up against Pachuca of Mexico and Austria’s RB Salzburg. READ MORE | News from across Spain This season, Modric has made 34 league appearances, contributing two goals and six assist...

Barcelona restore three point lead at top of La Liga

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Barcelona 4 - 1 Girona Robert Lewandowski scored twice as Barcelona re-established a three-point lead at the top of La Liga with a comfortable victory over Girona.  Author - Ajay Stadium - Estadi OlĂ­mpic LluĂ­s Companys Ladislav Krejci's own goal had given Barcelona a deserved lead in the first half against their Catalan rivals. Girona, however, threatened to pull off an upset when Arnaut Danjuma equalized early in the second half against the run of play. Nevertheless, Poland forward Lewandowski put Barcelona back in front just after the hour mark with an improvised finish. He then scored his 25th league goal of the season following some excellent midfield play from substitute Frenkie de Jong. Ferran Torres rounded off the scoring late on with a low effort into the bottom corner. This was the perfect response from Barcelona, who watched their great foes Real Madrid fight back to beat Leganes and move level on points at the summit of the Spanish top flight on Saturday. They ...

Valencia appoint West Brom boss as head coach

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Update on Christmas Day We can confirm that La Liga strugglers Valencia have appointed West Bromwich Albion boss Carlos Corberan as their new head coach. Valencia paid a release clause, believed to be between three and four million to allow him to leave Championship club Albion. Read below for an idea on how this story developed and why they were interested in the first place.  --‐--------------- Will Carlos Corberán be leaving the Midlands for Spain? Valencia, struggling in La Liga, have officially approached West Bromwich Albion head coach Carlos Corberán Author - Jack L The West Brom manager spoke with the club's YouTube account recently While discussions between the clubs are ongoing, no agreement has yet been reached. The Spanish club are reportedly ready to activate the 41-year-old's release clause at Albion, believed to be in the region of £3-4 million.  This follows Valencia’s decision to part ways with head coach RubĂ©n Baraja on Monday after a dismal run of jus...

Football icons: RaĂşl

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RaĂşl González Blanco, known to most within football as RaĂşl, is considered one of the most important players in the history of Real Madrid. He is regarded as one of the greatest Spanish players of all time and also one of the best forwards ever. Key events in his career He started his career in the academy of the AtlĂ©tico Madrid before later moving to Real Madrid's youth academy and played at its various levels. He signed professional terms in 1994. He spent 16 years of his career playing for Real Madrid and is the club's second all-time top goalscorer with 323 goals and has the most appearances in the history of the club, with 741. With Los Blancos, RaĂşl won six La Liga titles, three UEFA Champions League titles, scoring in two finals, four Supercopa de España titles, one UEFA Super Cup and two Intercontinental Cups.  Throughout his time in Madrid, he would have played with some of their greatest ever players. This includes the likes of Zidane, Roberto Carlos, David Beck...

Spain: Isco has contract cancelled

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There has been an interesting development with of La Liga's most decorated players. Sevilla have reached an agreement to terminate Isco's contract, just four months after signing the former Spain midfielder on a free transfer. He joined Sevilla on a two-year deal in August after long and successful spell with La Liga rivals Real Madrid. He signed from Malaga in 2013 and helped Real win the Champions League five times and La Liga three times. However, he has now been released after just 19 games for Sevilla, scoring once and claiming three assists. It will be certainly interesting to see where he ends up next. Could a Premier League club sign him? There will certainly be plenty of interest in signing a player with som much experience at the highest level of football. One Sevilla fan told us: "I'm always worried about these kind of transfers. When a player has been at a club like Real Madrid for so long, it can be very difficult to integrate into another side. This h...

La Liga: Sevilla 1 - 1 Barcelona

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Barcelona failed to find a win that would have taken them up to fourth place in La Liga. Sevilla took the lead after Ivan Rakitic rolled the ball into the area for Alejandro Gomez's first-time finish. Ronald Araujo's header levelled before half-time and despite Jules Kounde being sent off for throwing the ball at Jordi Alba, Barca could not breakthrough. You can watch the highlights in the video below. Xavi's side do move up one spot to seventh in La Liga. Second-placed Sevilla failed to make up ground on league leaders Real Madrid and are now five points adrift of Carlo Ancelotti's men. Already looking ahead to 2022 after a torrid 2021 Everyone associated with Barcelona will be hoping that 2022 brings better fortunes after losing superstar Lionel Messi on a free transfer, sacking manager Ronald Koeman and being knocked out of the Champions League group stage this year. Reports from around Europe seem to suggest that they have agreed a deal to sign Ferran Torres from ...

Real Madrid held by Rayo Vallecano

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Rayo Vallecano 3 - 3 Real Madrid Jude Bellingham continued his remarkable scoring streak, netting in his sixth consecutive La Liga game, but Real Madrid missed the chance to go top of the table after a gripping 3-3 draw with Rayo Vallecano. Author - Jack L You can watch the highlights of the match in the video below. The footage is from the Real Madrid YouTube account. The England midfielder brought Madrid level just before half-time, expertly heading Rodrygo's delicate chip into the far corner for his seventh goal of the season. Carlo Ancelotti’s side, missing the injured Kylian MbappĂ©, endured a shaky start at the Estadio de Vallecas. They fell behind after just five minutes when Unai Lopez nodded Jorge de Frutos’ cross past Thibaut Courtois. The hosts doubled their lead nine minutes before the break through Abdul Mumin’s towering header. Federico Valverde sparked Madrid’s fightback with a stunning long-range strike, and moments later, Bellingham levelled the scoreline. The 2...

Barcelona close gap at the top of La Liga

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Sevilla 1 - 4 Barcelona FermĂ­n LĂłpez scores and sees red as Barcelona close gap on Real Madrid Author - Jack L Stadium - Estadio RamĂłn Sánchez Pizjuán Sevilla 1 -4 Barcelona youtu.be/KuJLQ_W0joo?... [image or embed] — European Super Football ( @superfootball.bsky.social ) 10 February 2025 at 16:09 Barcelona moved within just two points of La Liga leaders Real Madrid after a superb victory over Sevilla, in a match that saw FermĂ­n LĂłpez score and then get sent off in a dramatic 15-minute spell. With the game level at half-time, LĂłpez came off the bench and made an instant impact, heading into the bottom corner with his very first touch to put Barça ahead. However, his night quickly took a turn for the worse when he was shown a straight red card for a knee-high challenge on Djibril Sow, following a VAR review. Robert Lewandowski had earlier opened the scoring in the seventh minute, reacting quickly to poke home Iñigo MartĂ­nez’s header for his 19th goal of the season. But Sevilla hit ...

La Liga news: Ronald Koeman issues statement on Barcelona future

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Barcelona manager Ronald Koeman caused more controversy after he refused to answer questions before walking out of a press conference The under-pressure Barca head coach delivered a short, pre-prepared statement before leaving. This pressure recently increased after a poor Barca performance against Granada CF. Koeman's statement in full Hello everyone. The club with me as coach is in a situation of rebuilding. The financial situation of the club is connected to the sporting activities and vice versa. This means we as a team have to rebuild the team without being able to make any big financial investments. This needs time. The young talent today could be the next big world stars in just a few years. To rebuild this team, young players will be given opportunities like Xavi and Iniesta had in their day. But we must ask for patience. Achieving a high ranking in La Liga is a great success. In the Champions League, we can't hope for miracles. The defeat by Bayern Munich last week ...

Spain: Athletic Bilbao win Copa del Rey

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Athletic Bilbao 1 - 1 Mallorca Athletic Bilbao won 4-2 on penalties Athletic Bilbao has finally ended their run of six successive Copa del Rey final defeats by earning a dramatic penalty shootout victory over Mallorca, after a 40-year wait for silverware.  The team clinched their 24th Copa del Rey title, their first since 1984. Alex Berenguer sealed the win in the shootout, with Athletic coming out on top with a 4-2 victory in Seville. This victory sparked jubilant scenes at the sold-out La Cartuja stadium, bringing a much-needed end to Athletic's recent painful run in the competition. The team had previously ost two finals in as many weeks in 2021. Mallorca, who are currently 15th in La Liga, took the lead in the 21st minute as Dani Rodriguez fired in a goal after Athletic failed to clear from a corner. More news and stories from across Spain Athletic, who are also pushing for a top-four La Liga finish under former Barcelona manager Ernesto Valverde, were denied an equalizer ...

A dramatic night in Valencia for Jude Bellingham

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Valencia 1 - 2 Real Madrid Jude Bellingham experienced a rollercoaster evening, missing a penalty but scoring a dramatic 95th-minute winner as 10-man Real Madrid snatched a thrilling victory over Valencia to reclaim the top spot in La Liga. Author - Josh T Stadium - Estadio de Mestalla It was Carlos Corberán’s first game in charge of Valencia since his appointment last week , and the former West Bromwich Albion manager looked set to enjoy a dream start as his new side edged towards a memorable win—until the late drama unfolded. At a lively Mestalla Stadium, Valencia took the lead in the first half when Hugo Duro tapped in from close range after Real Madrid goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois could only parry Javi Guerra’s powerful effort. Real Madrid had a golden opportunity to level the score in the 55th minute when Kylian MbappĂ© was fouled inside the box. However, Bellingham’s penalty struck the inside of the post and stayed out. The visitors’ night looked like it was getting worse when...

Spain: Barcelona maintain perfect start to the season

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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...

Deadline Day: Lot's going on at Tottenham

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Tottenham have announced two Deadline Day signings from Juventus. The Uruguay midfielder Bentancur joins for an initial fee of just under £16m. This fee could rise by £5m. Swedish winger Kulusevski joins on an 18-month loan for an £8.3m fee, with an option to buy for £29.2m. ✍️ We are delighted to announce the signing of Dejan Kulusevski from Juventus, subject to international clearance and a work permit. Welcome to Tottenham, Dejan! 🇸🇪 — Tottenham Hotspur (@SpursOfficial) January 31, 2022 More reaction One fan replied to Tottenham on Twitter: "Great signing, but need a Right Wing Back and a midfielder now." Another told us: "These are potentially two superb signings that can get us over the line in the race to finish 4th." This is Kulusevski's welcome video from the official Tottenham YouTube account. There's also a few players going the other way. All of this comes on the same day that a number of players have left the club. Their record signing Tan...

La Liga: Lionel Messi's best moments at Barcelona

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This article was first published in 2021, Messi now plays for Inter Miami. --- 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 JosĂ© 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....

Spain: Real Madrid held at Mallorca

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Mallorca 1 -  1 Real Madrid Kylian MbappĂ© made his La Liga debut as reigning champions Real Madrid were held to a draw by Mallorca on the opening day of the season. The French captain had already made a strong start at his new club, scoring in Wednesday's 2-0 UEFA Super Cup victory over Atalanta. However, the summer signing from Paris Saint-Germain was unable to find the net in his first domestic league appearance. Rodrygo put Carlo Ancelotti's side ahead with a superb goal, finishing off a clever backheel from VinĂ­cius JĂşnior. More news from across Spain Latest stories from Real Madrid But Mallorca responded when Vedat Muriqi headed in Dani RodrĂ­guez's cross to equalise. Madrid's defender, Ferland Mendy, was sent off in the final moments of injury time after a reckless challenge on Muriqi. MbappĂ©, PSG's all-time top scorer and a six-time Ligue 1 Golden Boot winner , had several opportunities for Madrid. He narrowly missed the target with one effort and forced g...

Spain: Real Madrid move closer to La Liga title

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Real Sociedad 0 - 1 Real Madrid Arda Guler scored on his first La Liga start, helping Real Madrid move closer to securing the title with a win against Real Sociedad.  An important day for Real Madrid. More reaction coming up on https://t.co/Mu4Cn3wz9B https://t.co/aHAGzCmT3P — European Super Football (@ESFootballNews) April 27, 2024 Real Madrid's 19-year-old Turkish midfielder scored Madrid's first goal in the match, midway through the first half, by turning in a cross. Carlo Ancelotti made several changes after last weekend's victory in El Clasico, giving opportunities to other players. Real Sociedad started strongly but couldn't convert their dominance into goals, as they failed to breach Madrid's defense. Takefusa Kubo's attempt to equalize for Real Sociedad was denied by the offside flag, immediately after Guler's goal. The second half was less eventful, with both teams struggling to create chances. However, Real Madrid did enough to secure a vict...