Tag: Barcelona

Lionel Messi’s return to Barcelona would be ‘the last final dance, like Michael Jordan’ – Xavi

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Xavi believes that Lionel Messi’s potential return to Barcelona in the summer would be similar to Michael Jordan’s “last dance” with the Chicago Bulls. Messi, who starred with Barcelona from 2004 to 2021, has been linked with a return to his former team as his contract with Paris Saint-Germain expires in the summer. Xavi expressed his “love” for his former Barcelona teammates while noting that the Argentine’s return could bring the same success as when Jordan returned to the Bulls two years after his first retirement from basketball. In the…

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UEFA opens a disciplinary investigation into the Barcelona case over the Negrera case

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The European Football Association (UEFA) opened a disciplinary investigation with Barcelona after accusing the La Liga club of corruption. The Catalan club earlier this month was accused of making payments to the vice-president of Spanish football’s refereeing committee, Jose Maria Enriquez Negrera. La Liga, the Spanish Football Association and rivals Real Madrid have revealed their intention to join the complaint filed against them in recent weeks. UEFA has now confirmed that ethics and disciplinary inspectors have been appointed to look into the matter. A statement issued on Thursday read: “In…

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Real Madrid’s response to Barcelona’s defeat: disappointment, and upcoming decisions

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In the 76th minute, with a 1-1 score on the scoreboard and thinking there was not much to lose, Carlo Ancelotti went for Real Madrid’s one-time La Liga goal. The Italian introduced a triple change, with Aurelien Choameni, Marco Asensio and Dani Ceballos replacing Eduardo Camavinga, Federico Valverde and Luka Modric. In other words, the most expensive midfielder (80 million euros plus 20 million euros in variables) in the club’s history, and two players whose contracts expired on June 30 and have not yet been renewed, entered the field. The…

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Barcelona couldn’t afford to risk early against Real Madrid – Xavi

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Barcelona coach Xavi said he did not want to risk Pedri in El Clasico tomorrow, for fear that the midfielder would suffer a relapse due to injury. The 20-year-old has been out since sustaining a hamstring injury during Barcelona’s Europa League defeat by Manchester United on February 16. Pedri had hoped he would feature in Sunday’s home game against Real Madrid, but the Spaniard was unable to complete Friday’s training. Xavi said the match came too early for Pedri because he had not returned to full fitness. “It was a…

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Pedri ruled out Barcelona’s La Liga match with Real Madrid due to injury

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Pedri was ruled out of Barcelona’s match against Real Madrid on Sunday due to an injury. The Spain international was unable to complete a training session earlier today and was ruled out of El Clásico at Spotify’s Camp Nou this weekend. The 20-year-old will also not be able to travel with Spain for their European qualifiers against Norway and Scotland later this month. Pedri will have another two weeks of recovery and targets the second leg of the Copa del Rey semi-final against Real Madrid on April 5 as the…

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Frenkie de Jong “One of the best midfielders in the world” – Barcelona coach Xavi

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Barcelona coach Xavi believes midfielder Frenkie de Jong is “one of the best players” in the world. De Jong, 25, played a starring role in Barcelona’s 1-0 victory over Athletic Bilbao on Sunday, continuing his strong form this season. The Netherlands international was subject to an interest transfer from Manchester United in the summer – amid Barcelona’s financial woes – but remained at the Camp Nou and continued to play a key role in Xavi. “He’s been at an extraordinary level for months,” said Xavi. He runs through the middle…

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Xavi wants to be Sir Alex Ferguson of Barcelona: ‘I would love to stay for many years’

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Xavi would love to emulate Sir Alex Ferguson and stay at Barcelona for many years – but he knows results will determine whether he’s capable of it. The former midfielder has impressed in his first full year at the Camp Nou, and are nine points clear of rivals Real Madrid at the top of La Liga. Club president Joan Laporta revealed this week that he is “already considering” extending his contract beyond the current expiry of 2024. But speaking ahead of Sunday’s game against Athletic Club, Xavi realizes he must…

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Barcelona must collect money to spend in the summer transfer window – La Liga President Javier Tebas

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La Liga president Javier Tebas has claimed that Barcelona must raise €200m (£177m) in order to spend the money during the upcoming summer transfer window. According to Tebas, Barcelona failed to meet La Liga’s financial regulations despite using a series of economic levers, which included the sale of some of its television rights, to spend in the short term. The Spanish club spent big last summer on the likes of Robert Lewandowski, Jules Conde and Rafinha, but Tebas declared that they would not be able to cash out as much…

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Carlo Ancelotti ‘satisfied’ despite Real Madrid’s loss to Barcelona: ‘They can’t defend like this at Camp Nou’

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Real Madrid coach Carlo Ancelotti was “satisfied” with his team’s performance despite losing 1-0 to Barcelona in the first leg of the Copa del Rey semi-final. An Eder Militao own goal was the difference between the two sides at the Santiago Bernabeu on Thursday, despite Real controlling the ball for most of the match. However, the hosts failed to score a shot on goal and frustrated Barcelona’s defensive efforts. “We played a good game,” Ancelotti said after the match. “We played an intense game, pressing high on the field. “The…

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Real Madrid – Barcelona: Our writers discuss Xavi’s options in choosing El Clasico

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When Barcelona take to the pitch at Real Madrid’s Santiago Bernabeu on Thursday night, they will do so without three of their most important players so far this season. Exit of the main midfielder Pedri. Ousmane Dembele was finally showing signs of being his best before sustaining a groin injury in late January. Top scorer Robert Lewandowski is not fit to play either. There was a welcome boost with the news Ansu Fati will be available despite suffering from a knee problem last week, but coach Xavi still has problems…

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