Chelsea have completed the signing of England international defender Gary Cahill from Premier League rivals Bolton Wanderers for a fee of $10.7m.
France coach Laurent Blanc declared at his Tuesday news conference that he plans to field two different sides for this week¹s friendly matches against USA (Friday) and Belgium (Tuesday). "It will be a young team against USA and a stronger one against Belgium," he said.
Cristiano Ronaldo scored a superb hat-trick as Real Madrid thrashed Osasuna 7-1 to increase their lead at the top of the Spanish La Liga to three points following Barcelona's surprise 2-2 draw at Athletic Bilbao.
Lionel Messi scored twice as Barcelona beat Racing Santander 3-0 in the Nou Camp Saturday night to stay top of Spain's La Liga.
Barcelona went top of La Liga with an unimpressive 1-0 win at bottom side Sporting Gijon Sunday.
Spanish giants Barcelona and Real Madrid were both held in La Liga as they battled to unconvincing draws.
Sometimes soccer can seem a very simple sport. The great Dutch coach Rinus Michels, the father of the Total Football school of the late sixties and early seventies and the man who took that style of soccer to Barcelona, believed that his side should always play one more defender than the other team had attackers. If the opponent played three up, Michels liked four back; if two up, then three back. To an extent, that has been the theoretical orthodoxy ever since.
Editor's note: This is Part 4 of a four-part imaginary tournament between 16 of the all-time greatest club teams in soccer history. Parts 1, 2 and 3 can be found here.
Barcelona striker Lionel Messi has hailed the performance of his teammates after the Spanish giants beat Manchester United 3-1 at Wembley on Saturday to lift their third Champions League trophy in six seasons.
On the eve of the Champions League final, here's how Barcelona and Manchester United's projected starting lineups stack up against each other:
Barcelona's team we know; Manchester United's is a matter of speculation, a fact that, in itself, is indicative of two things. First, that Barcelona is the favorite, with such a defined and familiar style of play that, even in this age of rotation, it is possible, as with the greats of the past, to rattle through a first eleven.
There are many things that set this Barcelona team apart from its predecessors. But one which hasn't often been highlighted -- and which is truly striking -- is that this is a more settled side than any other Champions League finalist in recent years. Not just by a little: by a lot.
The tradition of French players at Barcelona is not a strong one. Ludovic Giuly (2006) and Thierry Henry (2009) may have won the Champions League with the club, but more often the story is one of high hopes and failed expectations: Richard Dutruel, Philippe Christanval, Christophe Dugarry and Emmanuel Petit.
Barcelona need just one point to win Spain's La Liga for the third straight year after a 2-0 win over neighbors Espanyol Sunday night.
Barcelona reached the Champions League final after drawing 1-1 with Real Madrid in the Nou Camp Tuesday to go through 3-1 on aggregate.
Eric Abidal is in the Barcelona squad for their Champions League semifinal second leg against Real Madrid Tuesday, just under seven weeks after having surgery to remove a liver tumor.
Ask anybody who's done it, and they'll tell you that sustaining success is much harder than achieving it in the first place. The great Hungarian coach Bela Guttmann refused ever to spend longer than three years at a club because he felt that after that he could no longer motivate players. It may be that in the modern world of soccer in which money begets money, success is easier to sustain than previously, at least on a domestic level. On a European scale what that means is a cluster of perhaps eight or so super powers constantly battling for the Champions League, which is surely the main reason no side has successfully defended the title since the AC Milan of Arrigo Sacchi in 1990.
Barcelona's French international defender Eric Abidal is recovering at home after undergoing emergency surgery on a liver tumor, the Spanish champions have confirmed.
Barcelona's French international defender Eric Abidal will undergo emergency surgery Thursday for a liver tumor, the Spanish champions have announced.
The unpleasant memories of France's World Cup fiasco were called to mind in recent weeks when two Ligue 1 players went on strike to force moves from their clubs. The first was Stephane Sessegnon, who had fallen out with Antoine Kombouare, his coach at Paris Saint-Germain, and missed training for three weeks as he agitated for a move to Sunderland. It was only after he returned to the fold that PSG agreed a deal with the Premier League side.
Barcelona battled into the quarterfinals of the Copa Del Rey on Wednesday night as veteran French defender Eric Abidal scored his first goal for the Spanish champions in a 1-1 draw at Athletic Bilbao.
Four members of the French national soccer team were punished by a disciplinary commission Tuesday following an inquiry into the team's much-criticized performance and behavior at this year's World Cup.
Mexico dealt a body blow to the World Cup chances of former champions France with 2-0 win over Les Bleus in their Group A clash in Polakwane on Thursday.
Barcelona coach Pep Guardiola is spoilt for striking choice as his side attempt to overcome a two-goal Champions League semifinal deficit against Inter Milan, but faces a defensive poser with captain Carles Puyol suspended.
Lionel Messi produced a performance of stunning brilliance, scoring all four goals as holders Barcelona beat Arsenal 4-1 to reach the semifinals of the Champions League 6-3 on aggregate on Tuesday.
Teenager Bojan Krkic scored twice as Barcelona overcame the pre-match loss of key striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic to defeat Athletic Bilbao 4-1 on Saturday night and move three points clear in Spain.
Barcelona suffered their first league defeat of the season as they went down 2-1 at Atletico Madrid on Sunday night.
Barcelona's recent defensive problems have increased further with the news that French international Eric Abidal faces up to two months out of action because of an injury to his left leg.
Lionel Messi scored an extra-time winner as Barcelona came from behind to beat Estudiantes 2-1 in the Club World Cup final on Saturday to confirm the Spanish and European champions as the top team on the planet.
CNN's Tracey Holmes joined a packed crowd in Abu Dhabi for the FIFA Club World Cup semi-final match.
Barcelona and Inter Milan both secured their place in the knock-out stage of the Champions League after achieving the Group F wins they needed on Wednesday night.
Barcelona and Real Madrid made it two wins from two in Spain as star signings Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Cristiano Ronaldo both scored for a second successive match for their new clubs.
Barcelona duo Thierry Henry and Andres Iniesta continued their respective bids to be fit for the Champions League final as they returned to training on Monday, although not at the same level as their team-mates.
Manchester United midfielder Darren Fletcher's worst fears were realised on Monday when UEFA refused to back down over his ban from the Champions League final against Barcelona.
Barcelona were stunned by an injury-time equalizer in the Camp Nou on Sunday which means they must wait another week to clinch the Spanish Primera Liga title.
Chelsea will learn in the "course of the next week" what action will be taken against the Premier League club and individual players after their fiery Champions League exit to Barcelona on Wednesday.
Tom Henning Ovrebo is a name now etched in the minds of European football fans -- mostly for the wrong reasons.
A stunning last-gasp strike from Andres Iniesta put 10-man Barcelona in the Champions League final on the away goals rule, giving the Catalan giants a 1-1 draw at Chelsea on a night of high drama at Stamford Bridge.
World champions Italy eliminated 10-man France from the European Championships on Tuesday with a 2-0 victory in Zurich that sent them into a quarterfinal clash against Spain.
Barcelona once again failed to capitalize on the latest Real Madrid slip-up, with a 0-0 draw against Getafe on Sunday keeping them seven points behind the Primera Liga leaders.
Samuel Eto'o continued his comeback with two goals as Barcelona moved to within four points of Spanish league leaders Real Madrid with a 4-0 rout of Murcia on Saturday.
Thierry Henry has pleaded for patience as he continues to adapt to life in Spain with Barcelona.
Argentina striker Hernan Crespo will remain on loan at Inter Milan next season after parent club Chelsea agreed to honor a deal, the Italian champions said on Wednesday.
Ronaldo scored two goals in the last four minutes to earn Real Madrid a 2-2 draw against Dynamo Kyiv in their final Champions League Group E match on Wednesday.
Lyon captain Claudio Cacapa will return from a lengthy lay-off when the five-times French champions take on Steaua Bucharest in the Champions League on Wednesday.
France coach Raymond Domenech will pair David Trezeguet with Thierry Henry in attack for Friday's World Cup Group G decider against Togo.
Olympique Lyon defender Eric Abidal is ready to go against the wishes of his club and play for France on Wednesday if coach Raymond Domenech selects him.
Villarreal playmaker Juan Roman Riquelme will travel to Argentina for specialist treatment on a thigh injury that has kept him out of the last two league games, the Primera Liga side said on Monday.
Olympique Lyon's France defender Eric Abidal will be out of action for 12 weeks because of a fractured left foot, the French champions said on Friday.
France striker Nicolas Anelka will start Wednesday's friendly against Costa Rica after his surprise call-up to the team.
PSV Eindhoven sneaked through to the Champions League semi-finals with a 4-2 penalty shootout victory over French champions Lyon.
Lyon's march towards a fourth consecutive French league title continued unchecked with a 2-0 home win over Nantes.
Real Madrid midfielder Santiago Solari will be out of action for around three weeks after injuring his knee during Tuesday night's 1-0 victory over Osasuna.
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