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Tag: El Clasico

  • Messi names Sergio Ramos as fiercest rival in El Clásico 

    Messi names Sergio Ramos as fiercest rival in El Clásico 

    Lionel Messi recently reflected on his intense rivalry with Sergio Ramos during their time facing off in El Clásico matches in Spain.

    Messi, who played for Barcelona, often clashed with Ramos, the stalwart defender of Real Madrid, in heated encounters.

    Despite their fierce competition on the pitch, their dynamic shifted unexpectedly when they became teammates at Paris Saint-Germain in 2021.

    In an interview on his nephew’s YouTube show, Messi recalled their battles, saying, “We fought a lot with Sergio Ramos.

    In the Clásicos, we always had intense confrontations before becoming teammates.” Ramos, in turn, has praised Messi as “the best player football has ever produced.”

    Meanwhile, Ramos’ recent departure from Sevilla was confirmed by the Spanish club on Tuesday.

    The veteran defender, 38, returned to his childhood club last summer after a stint with PSG, where he scored seven goals in 37 appearances.

    https://www.youtube.com/shorts/vEXprvNp81U

    Despite turning down an extension with Sevilla, Ramos emphasised that he has no intention of retiring and remains eager to continue playing for at least another one or two years.

    Ramos, a decorated player with Spain, including a World Cup and two European titles, is now rumoured to be considering a move to Major League Soccer (MLS), where he could potentially face off against Messi once again.

    Messi, now captain of Argentina, joined Inter Miami in the MLS in July 2023 following the expiration of his contract with PSG.

    “I haven’t taken a decision yet,” Ramos said. “I have not signed anything with any club. Fortunately, I have interesting options. I’ve earned the right to decide my future and that of my family.”

    Ramos recently travelled to Dallas to support Dallas Mavericks superstar Luka Doncic during the NBA finals, leading to speculation that he could join an MLS club after leaving Sevilla.

    “I am a great fan of the NBA and I have a good rapport with Luka Doncic from our time at Real Madrid,” Ramos said. “But I didn’t go to Dallas because of anything relating to my future.

    The USA has always attracted me because of the quality of life but that has nothing to do with taking a big decision.”

  • Lewandowski and Cancelo suffer ban ahead of El Clasico over accumulated yellow cards

    Lewandowski and Cancelo suffer ban ahead of El Clasico over accumulated yellow cards

    La Liga has confirmed that Robert Lewandowski and Joao Cancelo will each serve only a one-match ban for accumulating yellow cards, allowing them to participate in the upcoming match against Real Madrid later this month.

    Both players received controversial yellow cards in their previous fixture against Las Palmas, bringing their total bookings for the season to five and triggering an automatic one-game suspension.

    There were allegations that Lewandowski and Cancelo intentionally received these cards to avoid suspension for the crucial match against Real Madrid following their upcoming game against Cadiz.

    According to La Liga’s disciplinary rules, any player found guilty of such actions would face a doubled suspension.

    However, after reviewing the evidence, league officials determined that there was insufficient proof to penalize either player for misconduct.

    Consequently, both Lewandowski and Cancelo have been handed one-match bans.

    Although they will miss the match against Cadiz, Lewandowski and Cancelo will be eligible to play against Real Madrid on April 21.

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8o9jJSStvo4
  • What to expect from Bellingham in first El Clasico

    What to expect from Bellingham in first El Clasico

    Jude Bellingham’s remarkable start at Real Madrid has elevated him to the status of the star attraction for the upcoming El Clasico.

    With 11 goals in 12 games for Los Blancos, the English midfielder has made an impact that exceeded all expectations.

    Now, he has the opportunity to shine on one of the grandest stages in football, with an estimated global audience of 700 million viewers tuning in for the LaLiga showdown.

    As Real Madrid gears up for the highly-anticipated match against their arch-rivals Barcelona, we delve into the growing expectations surrounding Bellingham.

    Legendary Approval

    Iker Casillas, a legend who knows what it means to represent Real Madrid, recently discussed Bellingham’s accomplishments and the pressures that come with them. Casillas expressed his delight in Bellingham’s ability and quality since arriving at the club, acknowledging the challenge of adapting to a new league and country. Casillas also emphasized that fans have grown accustomed to Bellingham’s high-level performances and will now expect him to deliver consistently, a challenge he believes Bellingham is up to.

    Teammate Praise

    Carlo Ancelotti has structured his team around Bellingham to address Real Madrid’s shortage of strikers. This significant vote of confidence in a 20-year-old has paid off, with the Birmingham academy graduate excelling at the tip of Madrid’s midfield diamond. Bellingham has formed a particularly effective partnership with Vinicius Junior, who has praised his new teammate extensively. Vinicius referred to Bellingham as incredible and someone born to play for Real Madrid, expressing hope for a long-lasting connection between them.

    Personal Determination

    Unlike some young players who might opt for an intermediary career step before joining Real Madrid, Bellingham had no reservations. He has spoken about his unwavering desire to move to the Bernabeu, emphasizing that money was not a deciding factor in his decision. Bellingham plays for the love of the game and was drawn to the club by the unique feeling it offered. He made his intentions clear to the club and chose Real Madrid as the greatest.

    Temperament Matters

    Carlo Ancelotti has stressed the significance of personality when playing for a club of Real Madrid’s stature. He pointed out that good players with the right temperament handle pressure better. Personality, even more than pure skill, determines how heavily the Real Madrid shirt weighs on a player.

    A standout performance against Barcelona will further solidify Bellingham’s reputation as one of Europe’s premier talents.

  • Vinicius Junior suffers another abuse from Barcelona fans as they chants ‘Vinicius Die’

    Vinicius Junior suffers another abuse from Barcelona fans as they chants ‘Vinicius Die’

    The latest group of fans to verbally abuse Vinicius Junior are the supporters of Barcelona. This season, opposing teams’ fans have frequently singled out the Real Madrid attacker, with some fan bases going further than others.

    Even though the El Clasico is frequently a contentious contest, some Blaugrana fans escalated the situation with their chants. During their most recent El Clasico match, Barcelona supporters also yelled obscenities at the Brazilian, per reports.

    Vinicius, die’ was a chant heard from the crowd during the game.

    Vini’s performance during the game

    The Brazilian played a part in Real Madrid’s only goal of the game as his attempted cross was deflected into the back of the net by Ronaldo Araujo.

    Vini was also involved in a few arguments with the referee over fouls during the game, something that has become a common occurrence this season. The Los Blancos star has accused La Liga’s referees of giving him yellow cards for fouls while letting fouls against him go unpunished.

    Real Valladolid fans abuse Vini Real Madrid’s Vinicius Junior has found himself at the centre of more racial abuse in La Liga. The Brazilian attacker has endured a difficult season in La Liga when it comes to racist fans, and that continued against Real Valladolid.

    Madrid took on Valladolid as La Liga action returned after the World Cup break and secured a 2-0 win thanks to a Karim Benzema brace, Sports Brief reported. Vinícius calls for harsh punishments Vinícius Júnior wants harsh punishments for football racists.

    The Real Madrid forward believes that those found guilty of racist abuse should learn a lesson the hard way. Vini Jr called for those individuals to be given lifetime bans from football games, Sports Brief reported.

  • La Liga: Barca and Real play out uneventful El Clasico draw

    Barcelona and Real Madrid played out a goalless and largely uneventful El Clasico at the Nou Camp.

    Gareth Bale’s disallowed goal was the closest either side came to scoring, but Real left-back Ferland Mendy was judged to be offside in the build-up.

    The result sees defending champions Barca stay top of La Liga with Real second on goal difference.

    Read:La Liga: Messi gives set-piece masterclass as Barca outclass Celta

    Both clubs are now five points clear of Sevilla who lost to Villarreal on Sunday.

    The 179th La Liga meeting between these sides was originally scheduled for 26 October but was postponed because of fears of civil unrest in Catalonia.

    Both teams shared the same hotel in the lead-up to Wednesday’s game and travelled to the ground together, two hours before kick-off amid security concerns.

    Read:La Liga more important than Champions League Messi

    But while several thousand Catalan independence protesters gathered outside the stadium, there was little suggestion that their presence was going to place the fixture in doubt.

    There was however an interruption to the game early in the second half, with yellow balls raining down on the field to briefly delay proceedings.

    Source: bbc.com

  • Barcelona v Real Madrid postponed because of fears over civil unrest

    This month’s El Clasico between Barcelona and Real Madrid has been postponed because of fears of civil unrest.

    The match was scheduled for 26 October but there have been days of protest in Barcelona after nine Catalan separatist leaders were jailed on Monday.

    Both Barcelona and Real Madrid disagreed with calls to switch the game to Madrid.

    Read: Solskjaer responds as Pogba is pictured with Real Madrid boss Zidane in Dubai

    The clubs have proposed Wednesday, 18 December as a new date.

    Manager Ernesto Valverde had said Barcelona were against switching the game to Madrid as they visit Slavia Prague in the Champions League on 23 October, three days before El Clasico had been scheduled.

    And on Friday the club issued a statement saying their “desire” was to play the match as originally scheduled because they had the “utmost confidence” in the fans who they say “always express themselves in exemplary fashion” at the ground.

    Real Madrid boss Zinedine Zidane was asked about the postponement in a news conference on Friday and said “we will be ready to play on the date told by the right person”.

    “We will adapt to what we are asked,” he added

    Read: Liverpool faces possible expulsion from the English League Cup

    La Liga made the postponement request because of “exceptional circumstances beyond our control” as more protests are expected in Barcelona on the day of the match.

    Protests have continued into a fifth day in Spain’s Catalonia region with protesters clashing with riot police.

    Hundreds of thousands of people waving pro-independence flags and chanting “freedom for political prisoners” took part in marches across Catalonia on Friday.

    At least 96 people have been hurt across the region.

    Catalonia is a semi-autonomous region in north-east Spain and in a referendum on 1 October 2017, declared illegal by Spain’s Constitutional Court, about 90% of Catalan votes cast backed independence. Turnout was 43%.

    The nine separatist leaders were convicted of sedition over their role in the referendum and handed jail sentences of between nine and 13 years by Spain’s Supreme Court.

     

    Source: bbc.com