La Liga Archives ⋆ Page 72 of 105 ⋆ LSU

Oct92019 by JBNo Comments

Messi reveals he feared Neymar would join Real Madrid this past summer

La Liga

Lionel Messi feared Paris Saint-Germain star Neymar would move to Real Madrid in the summer window if Barcelona failed to land his signature. The Brazil international made it clear that he wanted to leave Parc des Princes but after a period of intense speculation that stretched throughout the window, he eventually stayed with the Ligue 1 champions. (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); Barcelona and Real Madrid were heavily linked with the 27-year-old but neither was willing to match the asking price for the prolific frontman. Messi feared that Madrid, who spent lavishly to sign the likes of Eden Hazard from Chelsea, Luka Jovic from Eintracht Frankfurt and Eder Militao during the window, would swoop in to sign Neymar. "I honestly thought that in this m...

Oct52019 by JBNo Comments

How Cazorla resurrected his career at Villarreal after injury nightmare

La Liga, Trending

Villarreal player Santi Cazorla went 636 days without playing a football game. After issues arising from an Achilles injury that reached an excruciating crescendo in October 2016, the then Arsenal player was given a grim prognosis by doctors. (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); "They told me, 'If you get to walk again with your son in the garden, be satisfied," Cazorla told MARCA last year. "[They] saw that I had a tremendous infection, that I had damaged part of the calcaneus bone and it had eaten the Achilles tendon. There was eight centimetres of it missing!" After needing 10 operations and a skin graft that used tissue on the forearm that bore the name of his daughter, Cazorla would have been forgiven for retiring. But a man that rarely plays ...

Oct32019 by JBNo Comments

Lionel Messi made Argentina squad cry with Copa America speech – Di Maria

La Liga

Angel Di Maria has revealed that a speech by Lionel Messi after Argentina’s loss to Brazil at the Copa America this summer left “everyone in tears”. Argentina were beaten 2-0 by the tournament hosts in the semi-final in July, Though Lionel Scaloni’s side overcame Chile in the third place play-off, their failure to win the tournament means Messi and Di Maria have still yet to win a major title with the national side. (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); Despite the disappointment, Di Maria says Messi, who captained the team at the 2019 tournament, inspired the squad with a post-match speech. "Messi said some beautiful words when we were eliminated by Brazil," Di Maria told ESPN . "Messi told us he was proud of the team we had built. "That we had not be...

Oct32019 by JBNo Comments

Antonio Conte blasts referee for lack of ‘respect’ towards Inter players in Barcelona defeat

La Liga, Seria A

Inter managet Antonio Conte has hit out at the referees for a lack of respect in a 2-1 defeat to Barcelona in the Champions League on Wednesday night. Conte, who was warned by the referees about his conduct, particularly felt Inter Milan should have been awarded a penalty for a foul on Stefano Sensi and said respect for referees must go both ways. (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); After the match Antonio Conte spoke to Sky Sport: "It's a false result, we deserved a lot more. Praise after a game like this don't mean much unfortunately. We need to capitalize more on the chances we created. Barcelona grew in the second half. I am a little bitter." Conte was not happy with the referee after the match, saying: "I also saw some situations that were address...

Sep302019 by JBNo Comments

Jose Mourinho reveals how he couldn’t reject Real Madrid a third time

La Liga

Real Madrid finally secured the services of Jose Mourinho after the 2010 Champions League final, yet the Portuguese manager has revealed that had he returned to Milan after that final, he would have rejected Madrid for a third time. Having lifted the trophy through Diego Milito's brace, Mourinho was overcome with emotion at the prospect of leaving Inter Milan, although Real Madrid was a challenge he always wanted to take. (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); "If I had returned to Milan, I would have said no to Real Madrid for the third time in a row," Mourinho said in an interview with Mediaset Italia. MORE: I won’t kill myself if I don’t win the Champions League – Pep Guardiola McTominay sends message to Man Utd over sack of Ole Solskjaer Dortmund...

Sep302019 by JBNo Comments

Eden Hazard: I still have to prove I can be a Galactico

La Liga

Real Madrid forward Eden Hazard admits he still has to prove he can be considered a so-called 'Galactico' after a bad start to life in La Liga. Hazard joined Real Madrid from Chelsea in a deal that could reportedly cost up to €140 million but an injury suffered last month has proven to be an early disruption. (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); Zinedine Zidane stressed the need to be patient with Hazard as they wanted to avoid aggravating the injury before handing him a first start against Paris Saint-Germain in the Champions League on September 18. But the Belgium international had just a single off-target shot and one key pass as Real Madrid were swept aside with ease as PSG strolled to a 3-0 victory. He was also unspectacular in the subsequent mat...

Sep262019 by JBNo Comments

Barcelona issue update on Lionel Messi injury

La Liga

Barcelona have issued an update on the status of the injured superstar Lionel Messi, who will remain day-to-day after picking up a knock in their 2-1 win against Villarreal. Messi was taken off at half-time of that meeting with Villarreal due to a groin injury, ending his first start of the campaign, and his 400th League career La Liga start, prematurely. (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); The forward missed Barcelona's first four league games of the season with a separate calf problem, although he made his return via a 30-minute substitute appearance in a 0-0 draw with Dortmund in the Champions League. He also came off the bench in Barcelona's 2-0 loss in La Liga against Granada before suffering the injury on Tuesday. As a result Messi is a huge do...

Sep252019 by JBNo Comments

Carles Puyol rejects Barcelona sporting director role

La Liga

Former Barcelona captain Carles Puyol says he has turned down the opportunity to rejoin the club as a sporting director. Barcelona president Josep Maria Bartomeu said this month he was hopeful of convincing him to return to the Nou Camp to fill the role left vacant by Pep Segura, who left the club by mutual consent in July. (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); "After thinking about it a lot I decided not to accept the club's offer," Puyol, who spent his entire playing career at the club between 1999 and 2014, said via Twitter on Wednesday. Alisson Becker close to return from injury "It was not an easy decision, I always said I would like to return to the place I consider my home, but various personal projects I find myself immersed in at the moment wo...

Sep242019 by JBNo Comments

Why Ronaldo missed Lionel Messi being crowned Fifa Best Footballer of the Year

La Liga, Seria A

Juventus forward Cristiano Ronaldo missed Lionel Messi being crowned the Fifa Best Footballer of the Year because of an injury he suffered in training. (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); Ronaldo’s absence had sparked rumours that he boycotted the award ceremony in Milan after finding out he had lost out to Lionel Messi. According to the Telegraph, Ronaldo had been due to attend the awards with his club team-mate Matthijs de Ligt, but was forced to cancel after picking up an injury on Monday that could rule him out of today’s Serie A match against Brescia. Ronaldo last month attended the Uefa awards to watch Liverpool player Virgil van Dijk beat him to their Player of the Year title and said that he would like to go out for dinner with Messi. The dec...

Sep242019 by JBNo Comments

Van Dijk: You can’t compare me and Lionel Messi

Premier League, La Liga

Liverpool defender Virgil van Dijk insisted he cannot be compared to Lionel Messi, dismissing any claims he was disappointed not to win the Best FIFA Men's Player award. Van Dijk finished second to Barcelona superstar Messi for the award on Monday, with Portugal forward Cristiano Ronaldo third. (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); The Dutch defender's nomination came after a Champions League-winning season, as Van Dijk helped guide Liverpool past Tottenham in the final. The centre-back said there was no way he could ever be compared to Messi, who scored 51 goals in all matches in 2018-19. "The people who vote made a decision and you have to accept it," Van Dijk told reporters. (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); "That's just ...