Barcelona news

Lionel Messi’s fallout with Barcelona remains one of football’s most controversial chapters. Former vice-president Jordi Mestre has now revealed that Messi was “very, very angry” with club president Joan Laporta over how his exit was handled and wanted Neymar to be brought back after his world-record sale to Paris Saint-Germain. Mestre's revelations shed further light on the internal tensions that defined a turbulent Barca era.

Barcelona’s El Clasico preparations have been hit by fresh concerns as Frenkie de Jong and Andreas Christensen both missed training on Thursday, leaving Hansi Flick anxious before Sunday’s Bernabeu showdown. While Raphinha and Ferran Torres near full recovery, Flick’s tactical headaches deepen against a Real Madrid side powered by Kylian Mbappe and Vinicius Junior.

Thibaut Courtois claimed that Real Madrid are "expecting a victory" in El Clasico as Barcelona prepare for their biggest test in a bid to retain the La Liga crown. Los Blancos have had a smooth sailing so far this campaign, but there remains a blot, a significant one. Their scars from their 5-2 thrashing at the hands of Atletico Madrid last month still sting like an open wound.

Barcelona are preparing meticulously for El Clasico against Real Madrid, with defender Pau Cubarsi revealing they are changing four key defensive elements to counter the threat of Kylian Mbappe. The 18-year-old prodigy is gearing up for a tough test against the French forward and Vinicius Junior when the injury-ravaged teams go head-to-head in Sunday's headline clash.

La Liga will take the Spanish players' union (AFE) to court, claiming player protests against the recently-cancelled Miami match were an 'illegal strike'. Union president David Aganzo denies this, citing a "lack of transparency." The fallout continues as a furious Villarreal CEO blames Florentino Perez and Real Madrid for the project's collapse, calling their opposition hypocritical.

Former Paris Saint-Germain striker Pedro Miguel Pauleta has labelled Vitinha a "phenomenon," comparing the midfielder to Barcelona's Pedri and the legendary Andres Iniesta. The praise comes after the Portuguese star scored in PSG's 7-2 Champions League demolition of Bayer Leverkusen, with Pauleta hailing his compatriot's technique and positioning.

Villarreal expressed "deep displeasure" at La Liga for the decision to cancel a controversial match against Barcelona that was set to be held in Miami in December. The Yellow Submarine pointed to the league's lack of general organization for the event and said they were blindsided by Tuesday's announcement, which came during their Champions League match.

New Rangers boss Danny Rohl revealed that he received a message from Barcelona manager Hansi Flick after taking charge at Ibrox Stadium. Following a long search for a new head coach, the Scottish giants zeroed in on the ex-Sheffield Wednesday manager. Liverpool legend Steven Gerrard was initially strongly linked with the job but the Englishman later pulled out of the race.

A former Manchester United player has accused Marcus Rashford of being 'lazy' and 'letting his team-mates at Old Trafford down', with the forward's resurgence at Barcelona dismissed. Rashford has rediscovered himself in Catalonia this season after completing a loan move from United. He had fallen out of favour under Ruben Amorim and was included in the manager's 'bomb squad' during pre-season.

Barcelona have been dealt a major setback ahead of El Clasico after the Spanish Football Federation (RFEF) dismissed their appeal against Hansi Flick’s red card. The German coach will serve a one-match ban following his dismissal against Girona, leaving assistant Marcus Sorg to take charge at the Santiago Bernabeu in a much-awaited game of the Spanish league.

Spain coach Luis de la Fuente has again hit back at Barcelona boss Hansi Flick after the German accused the national team of mismanaging Lamine Yamal’s fitness. The teenager’s groin injury has sparked a public row between club and country, with De la Fuente insisting “everyone is condemned by their actions” as tensions escalate ahead of El Clasico.

The NBA is preparing to launch a European basketball league featuring elite football clubs like Manchester City, Real Madrid, Barcelona and Bayern Munich. Talks are underway with major investors as part of an ambitious plan to expand basketball’s global reach, with the first season of ‘NBA Europe’ expected to tip off in 2027.

Javier Tebas has slammed the decision to cancel plans to host the match between Villarreal and Barcelona in Miami, branding it “narrow-minded” while accusing governing bodies and Real Madrid of sabotaging La Liga’s global ambitions. The league president insists Spanish football has “lost a historic opportunity” as backlash over the proposed fixture continues to divide opinion.