Neymar was presented as a PSG player on Friday after his €222million switch to the Parc des Princes was completed on Thursday. Neymar top UCL scorer (17/18) - 12/1 The transfer has predictably been met with anger from Barca fans, but Valverde - speaking after their friendly draw with Gimnastic de Tarragona - urged the club to move on. “Everybody is free to choose their destiny,” the Blaugrana boss said....
PSG carried a 4-0 first-leg advantage with them to Camp Nou but suffered a crushing loss that saw them concede three goals from the 88th minute onwards. Thiago Silva the worst captain ever It was a shambolic display from the Parc des Princes side, according to Japan boss Halilhodzic, and one that threatens to leave a significant scar. “This defeat will not only leave a mark on PSG this season, it is a trauma that will not heal so easy and will haunt future PSG’s generations,” he said to Goal....
The 25-year-old is heavily linked with a shock move to Paris Saint-Germain, who are reportedly ready to activate the forward’s €222 million release clause. While Bartomeu said Neymar was wanted, and contracted until 2021 at Barca, he accepted the Brazil international would decide if he wanted to leave the European giants. Barcelona 19/20 to win La Liga “Well, you know Neymar is one of our best players, and so we don’t want to lose that player,” he told The New York Times....
Speculation surrounding the forward’s future continues to grow as Spanish outlet Sport reported on Saturday that the France international has reached an agreement with the Catalan side that will see him move to Camp Nou at the end of the season. The deal is said to include financial penalties should either side back out before it goes through, as Griezmann also being linked to teams in the Premier League....
Casillas produces super save for Porto The midfielder is currently negotiating an extension at the Bernabeu, even if he has yet to fully convince Zinedine Zidane. And Goal understands that Barcelona are hoping to capitalise on uncertainty regarding his place as a starter by promising to make him the heir to Andres Iniesta in the heart of their midfield. Luis Enrique is hoping to persuade the 24-year-old to follow in his footsteps, with the Barca boss leaving Madrid during his playing days to join Barcelona as a free agent in 1996....
This victory owed more to graft than grace for Barcelona, their first two strikes untidy own-goals from Aday Benitez (a wicked deflection from a Jordi Alba shot) and goalkeeper Gorka Iraizoz (who turned an Aleix Vidal cross into his own net), before Luis Suarez added a third. Barcelona 9/1 to beat Sporting 1-0 Nevertheless, it was another extremely effective display from Valverde’s men and another clean sheet as well. Barca have conceded only twice so far in La Liga in 2017-18 and that record matches their start from 2001-02....
Barca opted to the name the new stadium, which will play host to home games for Barcelona B and Barcelona Femeni, after former club great Cruyff, who died in March last year. Barca 10/11 to win La Liga Cruyff joined Barca from Ajax in 1973 and, though he only won one La Liga title and a sole Copa del Rey as a player at Camp Nou, he returned as a manager and delivered four league titles and the Catalans’ first European Cup success....
Yes, bananas. On Sunday, Barcelona faced Villarreal in La Liga action and fans threw a banana onto the pitch. Barcelona defender Dani Alves picked up the banana and well, ate it. MORE: World Cup dark horses | Gigg wins in managerial debut | Ajax claims another Dutch title UPDATE: Neymar’s response to the incident is hilarious Racism in sports is a buzzworthy topic this weekend, with the controversey surround Los Angeles Clippers owner Donald Sterling coming to light....
France star and World Cup winner Griezmann will link up with Lionel Messi at Camp Nou on a five-year deal that includes a $900 million buyout option, it was confirmed on Friday. The 28-year-old turned down a move to Barca in June last year as he opted to extend his Atletico contract. However, Griezmann informed the Madrid side of his desire to leave the Spanish capital after five years....
The Catalans won the corresponding fixture 6-0 in 2016-17, but lost 2-1 at home to the Basque outfit, whom they then beat 3-1 in the final of the Copa del Rey in May. Barca lead at half-time - 7/10 This match is the first on the road in La Liga for coach Ernesto Valverde, who started his playing career at Alaves. Barca kicked off their league campaign on Sunday with a 2-0 win at home to Betis and here, Goal looks at everything you need to ahead of their second Primera Division game of the season…...
Barca trail Madrid by six points in the Primera Division after 13 rounds of matches and Saturday’s meeting at Camp Nou is therefore a key fixture for Luis Enrique’s side, who have drawn their last two league matches (against Malaga at home and Real Sociedad away) and also tied 1-1 at Hercules with a weakened side in the Copa on Wednesday. However, form often means little in a Clasico and here, Goal takes a look at how the Catalans are shaping up for the famous fixture…...
Xavi’s side carried a limited threat in the first half with Memphis Depay twice testing on loan La Blaugrana keeper Inaki Pena. However, the former Spanish international did look to up the tempo with a string of changes in the second period, with substitute Sergio Busquets heading just over and Frenkie De Jong cracking an effort against the post. But, despite ending the game with Ousmane Dembele, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and Luuk De Jong on the pitch, the hosts could not force a breakthrough and they now face a huge test in the away leg in Turkey next week....
The center back suffered the muscular issue while away on international duty with France this week and was forced to pull out of the squad for Friday’s World Cup qualifier against Sweden. Umtiti returned to Barcelona to undergo a series of tests to determine the extent of the injury, and the reigning Spanish champion has now announced that he faces a three-week spell on the sidelines. “First-team player Samuel Umtiti has suffered a ruptured muscle in the femoral biceps of his left leg,” a statement on the club’s official website reads....
Teams often focus on drafting running backs, but veterans play a big role — five of the league’s 10 leading rushers in 2014 were vets. This year’s free-agent class is filled with talent, and many backs will come at a bargain price. The market We’ve looked at salary tiers that exist for given positions, and the structure for running backs is quite different. At most we can produce four salary tiers, and even then the tiers are small....
The bookstore had teamed up with Penguin Random House to release 12 classic novels, including Treasure Island and Moby Dick, with people of color on the covers. The books, known as Diverse Editions, were due to go on sale on Wednesday, Publishers Weekly reported. The news sparked a wave of criticism on social media, with many saying a better way to honor Black History Month would have been to champion black authors....
Portnoy’s interview with Trump featured questions about Dr. Anthony Fauci, his usage of Twitter and his feelings about his presidential role. Katz decried the interview because Portnoy did not present Trump with difficult questions. “There were no hard questions,” Katz said of the interview. “There were no follow-ups. If you’re going to go interview the president, you have to have that ready to go. You can’t let it become a political act....
Barstool Sportsbook Ohio has entered the fray in the Buckeye State with a pre-registration offer ahead of the app’s launch. This includes a $100 pre-launch bonus, which you can get when you sign up early. Any prospective sports bettor in the Buckeye State can lock in a $100 bonus when they pre-register with Barstool Sportsbook Ohio. This includes $50 in sportsbook bonus cash, as well as $50 in mycash, which can be used to acquire Barstool Sportsbook merchandise....
Get the latest PL odds The Football Association (FA) confirmed on Thursday that Barton’s ban will be cut to 13 months as a result and will expire on June 1, 2018. However, the fine of £30,000 that was given to the 34-year-old as part of his punishment remains in place. Barton was released by Burnley in May after the ban was announced and the midfielder subsequently complained about the severity of his punishment, indicating it would force him into early retirement....
It’s nice for MLB fans, some of whom took to social media after the ballot’s release, tweeting about candidates like Marvin Miller, Luis Tiant and Dale Murphy as if it was 1980 again. But the ballot could also be a source for looming conflict, given the charge of the Modern Baseball Era Committee. The 16-member committee, which hasn’t been named publicly but will likely convene at the winter meetings in early December, has some constraints it works under....
Every season one player or another will get caught for trying to gain an edge. Maybe it's PEDs, maybe it's giving signs from second base or flashing a light from the scoreboard. Maybe it's even a pitcher putting a foreign substance on the ball to make it dance. MORE: Is that pine tar on Michael Pineda’s throwing hand? Almost 100 years ago in the 1919-20 season, MLB managers were upset that pitchers were dominating their hitters....
