Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp was spotted in Barcelona this week.
Sport says Klopp was in Barcelona on Monday.
The German coach took advantage of the international break to travel here for personal reasons and he dined with a small group of people.
Coincidentally Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich’s yacht was also in the harbour but it seems it was a flying visit.
Barcelona midfielder Gavi is in line to make history with Spain tonight.
Gavi is in Luis Enrique’s squad for tonight’s Nations League semifinal against Italy at the San Siro stadium in Milan.
At 17 years and 62 days, Gavi can become Spain’s youngest debutant. He would surpass Angel Zubieta (17 years and 284 days) as the youngest debutant in the history of the Spanish team.
Zubieta, born in Galdácano on July 17, 1918, made his debut for Athletic Bilbao on October 27, 1935. As a rojiblanco he played only that season, but in it he played 27 games to help the team win its fourth LaLiga.
It was in the spring of that historic year, 1936, when he put on the shirt of the Spanish team for the first time. At the Letna stadium in Prague, on April 24 he made his debut under the guidance of Amadeo García in a friendly against Czechoslovakia (1-0). Nine days later he added his second cap in Bern against Switzerland (0-2).
Later that year, he signed for San Lorenzo in Argentina in order to escape the Spanish civil war. He would spend 13 seasons with the Argentine giants.
Title-holders FC Barcelona Women kicked off the 2021/2922 UEFA Women’s Champions League with a dominant 4-1 win over Arsenal Women on Tuesday.
In the Group C match, Nigerian Asisat Oshoala haunted her old club with a goal and an assist I n their opening group fixture.
Arsenal lost for the first time since February as the formidable and prolific LaLiga champions made a fine start to the new 16-team group stage.
It was a match which pitted two of Europe’s most in-form teams against each other.
It was one-way traffic from the outset at the Johan Cruyff Stadium, with the quartet of Putellas, Caroline Graham Hansen, Oshoala and Caldentey causing all sorts of problems.
The hosts were creative going forward and launched wave after wave of attacks while dominating possession.
They immediately hunted in packs to recover the ball on the occasions it was lost.
Arsenal goalkeeper Manuela Zinsberger was called into action early to push wide Hansen’s effort and Oshoala fired a low diagonal shot narrowly beyond the far post.
Marta Torrejon was next to test Zinsberger, but the Gunners managed to hold out until just past the 30-minute mark.
This was when Zinsberger got down to push out Oshoala’s low shot at her near post, only for Caldentey to react quickest to collect the loose ball and slot in from close range.
Oshoala lashed into the side netting before the dominant FC Barcelona did manage to double their lead just before the interval.
This was after Oshoala drove down the right flank and into the penalty box before cutting back for UEFA Women’s Player of the Year Putellas to guide home.
Things only got worse for Arsenal immediately after half-time, with Oshoala easily racing away from Jennifer Beattie and picking up a fine through ball before coolly finishing for FC Barcelona’s third.
Vivianne Miedema’s scuffed effort was easily held by returning FC Barcelona goalkeeper Sandra Panos before Arsenal manager Jonas Eidevall made a triple change.
He replaced his front three as Tobin Heath, Nikita Parris and Caitlin Foord were all introduced at once.
Zinsberger saved from the dangerous Hansen with her legs and the confident Caldentey narrowly missed picking out the top corner from distance.
But Arsenal began to enjoy more success after the changes, with U.S legend Heath shooting wide and Parris seeing an effort cleared off the line by Mapi Leon.
This was after FC Barcelona substitute Martens had hit the side netting with a great chance just minutes after coming on.
Arsenal did reduce the deficit and provided a glimmer of hope of a late comeback when Heath’s excellent free-kick from the right bounced in off Norwegian midfielder Frida Maanum.
However, Martens would not be denied as she went close again before then finding the back of the net.
She was sent clear in behind England defender Leah Williamson before nonchalantly lifting the ball over a committed Zinsberger.
FC Barcelona Women pressed hard to add even more gloss to a one-sided scoreline and Zinsberger made a superb point-blank stop to deny Irene Paredes.
Bruna Vilamala then headed narrowly wide.
Jordan Nobbs conceded a stoppage-time penalty kick with a reckless sliding challenge on Putellas, who could not make it five as Zinsberger made a fine save.
Barcelona coach Ronald Koeman is losing support of the dressing room.
AS says Koeman’s criticism of the players in public, along with some aspects in training, have left the players unimpressed.
Barca players are baffled by Koeman’s refusal to prepare for opposition teams in terms of playing style and tactics.
However, it is the coach’s public criticism which has frustrated players most.
Koeman hammering Nico Gonzalez after defeat at Atletico Madrid has not gone down well. Indeed, the senior leadership group have already had one player speak to Nico after the coach’s comments in order to assure him.
Koeman said last week that winning the Champions League would be “a miracle” for Barcelona and was not so optimistic about their chances in LaLiga also. Comments which have left his squad unimpressed.
Vissel Kobe star Andres Iniesta admits he’d like to return to Barcelona.
The former Barca captain says he’s open to the prospect.
“Yes, it is something I hope to do,” he said. “I would like it to happen because more than anything it is the club I spent so many years at.
“You don’t know what will happen in the future, you don’t know in what way I could return or who will be the people in charge at a certain moment.
“So, there are many factors which make it hard to see what will really happen, but if you ask me if I would like to, the answer is yes.”
Atletico Madrid striker Luis Suarez admits he’ll find it “weird” facing Barcelona without Lionel Messi.
Suarez faces his old club this weekend.
He said, “Weird to face Barca without Messi?
“Yes, at the moment, yes. Last year it was strange for me to go back to Camp Nou and have him there, because of what we talked about. Now it will be strange not to see him in the FC Barcelona shirt.
“But things happen for a reason and today he is in Paris and I am at Atlético, and a year ago we were together in Barcelona.”
Atletico Madrid striker Luis Suarez has taken aim at former club Barcelona ahead of their weekend LaLiga clash.
The Uruguayan striker signed for Los Rojiblancos ahead of the 2020/21 campaign and led Diego Simeone’s side all the way to the LaLiga Santander title for the first time since 2013/14.
“Yes [I believe in karma],” Suarez told TVE1.
“Karma, destiny, that they despise you, because I have not forgotten that last year in pre-season [Barcelona] sent me to train on my own to make me angry, and I was a professional [despite that], as the coach said.
“I was a professional and I would train every day without pouting because that is what I have to do, because I am like that and fate will have its own end.”
Suarez went on to stress that he has been a leader at every club where he has featured in Europe and made clear that his Golden Boots are more valuable than any individual award were people are asked to vote on.
“I like it, I like to assume that responsibility,” added Suarez.
“[I am a player] who has fought a lot to be in the football elite because I have earned it the tough way, statistically.
“For me it’s not about an individual award that they want to give me by voting.
“I’ve always said it: I won two Golden Boots in the era of Cristiano [Ronaldo] and Leo [Messi] and I have to be proud because I beat them in terms of numbers, not because people voted for me, and that has a lot of value.
“I assumed responsibility at Barcelona when Leo was not there. We played against [Real] Madrid and I scored three goals without Leo.
“At Liverpool there were similar occasions when [Steven] Gerrard, who was the benchmark, a legend for us, was not there.
“At Ajax I was captain aged 21 or 22 years old. I have had to experience situations which I value very much.
“I have to be proud, and I came to a club like Atletico with many people believing that I was already, in quotation marks, on the descent.
“It was a demonstration of ambition, not to get bored with winning, of wanting this club to continue growing and, well, last year we’ve had was something unique.
“I am assuming the responsibility of the Suarez zone, as the coach said, but [also] enjoying that responsibility because it is nice to live with that pressure.”
Colombian singer, Isabel Mebarak Ripoll, popularly known as Shakira, has said that she was attacked by wild boars while out with her eight-year-old son, Milan.
The 44-year-old made this known in a post via her Instagram story on Wednesday.
According to her, she fought off two wild boars while trying to enjoy a day out at the park with Milan.
She further noted that the beasts took her bag but she managed to wrangle it back adding that the contents of her bag were all damaged.
“Look how two wild boars attacked me in the park have left my bag.
“They took my bag, shattered everything inside it, and going away with it into the forest with my phone.
“Luckily at the end, they left me the bag because I confronted them,” she said.
Boars have become a widespread nuisance in cities, as urban environments have increasingly expanded. The animals have increasingly become a presence in European cities.
In another high-profile boar incident, a wild pig stole a laptop from a man sunbathing nude in Berlin. The nudist successfully pursued the boar and her two piglets and recovered his laptop, though not before having his picture snapped. This May, hungry boars cornered a Roman woman and stole her groceries.
Ronald Koeman says Lionel Messi was like “a tyrant” during training at Barcelona.
The Argentina star raised the bar at the Camp Nou club as he developed into one of the greatest to ever play the game before departing to join Paris Saint-Germain this year.
Barca coach Koeman has lifted the lid on the six-time Ballon d’Or winner’s conduct during practices with the team, revealing he would get very angry if he did not win games during the sessions.
“Lionel Messi has obscured everything. He was so good and he won,” he told Voetbal International.
“Of course he had good players around him, but he made the difference. Everyone seems better than they are because of him. This is not a criticism, but an observation.
“I knew how good he is, but it’s still nice to see it up close every day. Everything you would like to teach a football player, in recognising situations, in taking the ball under pressure, in ball speed, in finishing; with Messi everything is a 10. Not normal, not normal!
“When we did a finishing practice during training, there were sometimes players who started to hit easy balls, a bit of fooling around. But with Messi everything was: boom, boom, boom, boom. Never frills, everything functional. And always wanted to win everything.
“We always play a rondo before training. If the ball goes around 20 times, then the players in the middle must have an extra turn. If that happens three times in a row, the players will form two lines and the two who were in the middle then walk through and get taps on their heads and such.
“I asked Messi if it had happened to him once. ‘Yes, once,’ he said. In all those years. With him, the older players never lost an exercise against the young. It happened once and Messi was seriously angry about that for a week. Really, a tyrant.”
Barcelona coach Ronald Koeman has hit out at president Joan Laporta.
Koeman was left upset by Laporta demanding a certain approach to team selection regarding La Masia talent.
Speaking with NOS, Koeman said: “My relationship with Laporta has improved.
“But last week something happened that I consider bad. He suggested that the coach does not have all the powers. He has talked too much. This can be done in private.
“I like it when a president gets involved and also asks questions. Only that it shouldn’t be in the press, that was the problem”