It was billed as one of the most important Clasicos in years. The outcome, it was said, could set the tone for the entire season and, by extension, the future of Lionel Messi.

The Argentinian s revelation he wanted to leave was still ringing in the ears of Barca directors two months on in October last year. While they d managed to keep hold of him, owing to Messi s reluctance to drag his club through the courts, his form on the pitch hardly suggested he was at peace.

One goal in four LaLiga matches heading into that October 24 Clasico was his slowest start to a season since 2005-06 when he was a fresh-faced teenager still trying to establish himself.

What followed at Camp Nou on that Saturday looked set to plunge Barca further into crisis, as the Catalans lost 3…

Despite the heavy speculation on the subject in the last couple of days, Juventus sporting director Fabio Paratici appears to have ruled out Cristiano Ronaldo leaving this summer.

The Portuguese superstar arrived to Turin for around €100 million in 2018, after nine extremely successful years at Real Madrid during which he helped the Spanish giants win four Champions League trophies. Since then, he has made 122 appearances across all competitions for the Old Lady, scoring 95 goals and assisting his teammates on 22 occasions, and winning the Serie A title in both seasons completed so far.

Following Juventus exit from the Champions League at the hands of FC Porto, he has been strongly linked with a return to the Santiago Bernabeu and Real boss Zinedine Zidane refused to …

Del Bosque has led his country to glory at the FIFA World Cup and UEFA European Championship since succeeding Luis Aragones in 2008.

Speaking at a press conference on Friday ahead of Spain s friendly with Equatorial Guinea, the 62-year-old revealed news of his new deal.

I can confirm that I have signed with the Spanish team until 2016, Del Bosque said.

And the former Real Madrid coach admitted that, while his side had received a warm welcome in Equatorial Guinea, he was not expecting the match to be a walk in the park.

The affection we received when we arrived was very nice, as it always is wherever we go, he continued.

Guinea have a well organised team, one which likes to play out wide. I m sure they ll make life difficult for us.

We re looking for eve…

Manchester United interim manager Ralf Rangnick explained Jesse Lingard was not allowed to leave in January partly due to Mason Greenwood s unavailability.

Greenwood was arrested on Sunday on suspicion of rape and assault following allegations made on social media.

He was then further arrested two days later on suspicion of sexual assault and threats to kill. Greenwood, who has not publicly commented on the allegations, was released on bail pending further investigation on Wednesday.

United confirmed on Sunday that the 20-year-old will not train or play for the club until further notice , with their statement stating they do not condone violence of any kind .

Lingard had been hoping to leave Old Trafford in search of regular first-team football, having …

Manchester City have released Norway midfielder Abdisalam Ibrahim from his contract at the Etihad Stadium.

An FA Youth Cup winner with City in 2008, Ibrahim made just three senior appearances for the club.

His debut came in the FA Cup four years ago against Scunthorpe United, a club he later joined on loan ahead of further temporary spells at NEC Nijmegen in the Netherlands and Norwegian outfit Stromsgodset.

The Somalia-born Ibrahim has two caps for Norway and made his first international start in Saturday s 3-0 friendly defeat to Poland in Abu Dhabi.

However, he has been deemed surplus to requirements at City by manager Manuel Pellegrini.

A message from City s official Twitter account on Wednesday read: The club can confirm that Abdisalam Ibrahim has been …

Ange Postecoglou has backed Nick Montgomery to be a hit at Easter Road as he praised Hibernian for looking to Australia for their new head coach.

Montgomery followed in Postecoglou’s footsteps by winning the A-League title as manager last season when he led Central Coast Mariners to an emphatic Grand Final success against Melbourne City.

The former Sheffield United player has now taken a similar route to ex-Celtic manager Postecoglou in moving to the cinch Premiership and will take charge of his first game when Hibs visit Kilmarnock on Saturday.

The Tottenham manager, who has won the Barclays manager of the month award for the Premier League at the first time of asking, said: “Nick has done brilliantly in Australia. He did a fantastic job at a club that it is…

Thomas Vermaelen has admitted he is thinking about leaving Arsenal after falling out of Arsene Wenger s first XI.

The Belgium international defender is club captain at the Emirates Stadium, but has slipped behind Per Mertesacker and Laurent Koscielny in Wenger’s central-defensive pecking order.

And Vermaelen, who is currently away on international duty, has indicated he may seek pastures new in the January transfer window as he looks to secure a place in his country’s squad for next year s FIFA World Cup.

I ll have to think about that when it s necessary. January is still a few months ahead, the 27-year-old said.

Of course, never playing will not be the ideal situation for me to go to the World Cup, that s for sure.

Former Ajax man Vermaele…

Jose Luis Mendilibar rejoiced it is an honour to have made the fans happy after leading Olympiacos to their historic Europa Conference League final triumph over Fiorentina.

Thrylos became the first Greek side to win a major European competition, as Ayoub El Kaabi s extra-time winner snatched a dramatic 1-0 victory at AEK Arena.

It provided a happy ending to an eventful season for Olympiacos, with Mendilibar their third different manager of the campaign having replaced Carlos Carvahal in February.

Following his Europa League success with Sevilla 12 months ago, the Spaniard became the first coach since Rafael Benitez (2003-04 UEFA Cup with Valencia; 2004-05 Champions League with Liverpool) to win major European competitions in consecutive seasons with different clu…

Former Barcelona player and B team boss Luis Enrique has been confirmed as the club s new coach on a two-year deal.

Gerardo Martino announced on Saturday he would step down from his position at Camp Nou, in mutual agreement with the club, after Barcelona failed to defend their Liga crown only winning the Supercopa de Espana in his solitary season in charge.

The Catalan giants have swiftly turned to Luis Enrique, who represented Real Madrid and Barca during an illustrious playing career before going on to coach the latter s B team between 2008 and 2011.

He was responsible for Barcelona B earning a record finish of third in the Segunda Division in 2011.

Following an unsuccessful stint at Roma, Luis Enrique then guided Celta Vigo to ninth in La Liga this season, but…

Liverpool and Manchester City have sent a joint statement to fans of both clubs in an attempt to ease tensions.

The chief executives of the Premier League pair wrote a collaborative email to fans ahead of their EFL Cup fourth round tie at the Etihad Stadium on Thursday.

Liverpool and City s rivalry has developed in recent seasons as both teams have competed for league titles and various cups.

The Premier League clash at Anfield in October saw coins thrown at City boss Pep Guardiola by home fans, while City supporters could be heard singing songs related to the Hillsborough disaster in which 97 Liverpool fans were unlawfully killed in 1989.

A meeting was held last month between officials and fan representatives of the clubs in an attempt to mend fences.