Barcelona
Football’s greatest comebacks, featuring Liverpool, Barcelona and Camp Nou in 1999
When players are being taught the basics of the game as youngsters, one of the key messages is to play until the final whistle. That point certainly rings true at professional level, with fans taking a dim view of teams who throw in the towel too early. One of the most thrilling aspects of football is when a team recovers from an impossible position to win a game. With that in mind, we take a look at ten of the best-ever comebacks. Manchester United vs Bayern Munich – Champions League – 1999 Recovering from one goal down is common in football, but the manner of United’s comeback in the 1999 Champions League Final was extraordinary. Bayern took an early lead through Mario Basler and looked on course to lift the prestigious trophy as the game headed into stoppage time. However, goals by Tedd...
Manchester City, Barcelona interested in £81m Serie A striker, but club don’t want to sell
Manchester City and Barcelona have been credited with an interest in Inter Milan striker Romelu Lukaku, according to Calciomercato. Lukaku left Manchester United for the Nerazzurri in 2019, and he has since impressed with 59 goals and 13 assists from just 85 appearances. His performances have caught the eye of the Cityzens and Blaugrana, who are aiming to sign an elite striker during this summer’s transfer window. However, Inter have no plans of parting ways with the Belgian, who has been instrumental to them being top of the Serie A. Sportslens view: The Cityzens currently have Gabriel Jesus and Sergio Aguero as their main strikers, but the latter’s future is uncertain beyond the summer. Aguero has fallen down the pecking order under Pep Guardiola in recent months, and he could leave...
Barcelona keen on Frankfurt standout Andre Silva
Barcelona’s transfer plans for this summer under new president Joan Laporta are already taking shape. While Romelu Lukaku and Memphis Depay remain two of their most coveted targets, Eintracht Frankfurt striker Andre Silva is also a player who Barca are keen on bringing to the Camp Nou, according to Marca. The Portuguese international is one of the most in-form strikers in the world right now. Silva has bagged 21 goals in just 24 appearances, helping Adi Hutter’s side push for a spot in the Champions League. This is undoubtedly Silva’s best season to date, having scored just 12 times for the Eagles last term. Prior to his move to Germany, he struggled to find his form with AC Milan. However, Silva’s experience in La Liga is enticing to the Catalans, having played the 2018/19 campaign for Se...
Borussia Dortmund name their price for Erling Braut Haaland
Borussia Dortmund have slapped an enormous €180 million price tag on star striker Erling Haaland, reports ESPN. Haaland made his breakthrough during the 2019/20 season. He first caught the eye with his prolific performances for RB Salzburg in the Champions League group stages. He carried this form into the second half of the season with Dortmund following his transfer in January 2020. Haaland is a man in high demand He has since established himself as one of the world’s very best strikers, scoring 49 goals in as many games for the Black and Yellows. This has attracted the attention of several of the world’s biggest clubs. However, ESPN claims that any club willing to sign the 20-year-old will need to stump up an eye-popping €180m for his services. This would be the second most expensive tr...
Manchester City and Barcelona could compete to sign £28.8m French star
Manchester City and Barcelona are closely monitoring Adrien Rabiot’s situation at Juventus ahead of a possible summer move, Calciomercato reports. The Bianconeri have experienced a poor season by their high standards, and they are currently 10 points adrift of the top of the league standings. After nine league titles in a row, their Serie A dominance appears set to end this term with leaders Inter Milan in stunning form at the moment (eight straight wins). Ahead of the summer, it is reported that manager Andrea Pirlo wants a rebuild of the midfield, and the club are prepared to part ways with Aaron Ramsey and Rabiot. The Bianconeri ideally want Manuel Locatelli and Paul Pogba to fill the void, and they are hoping to recoup part of the funds through the sale of the duo. Unlike Ramsey, Rabio...
Tottenham reportedly have made contact to sign in-demand Barcelona target
Tottenham Hotspur have reportedly made an approach to sign Schalke striker Matthew Hoppe in the summer transfer window. According to reports from Spanish publication AS, La Liga giants Barcelona and Dutch outfit Ajax are also interested in signing the 20-year-old striker. However, Spurs appear to be leading the race for his signature. The north London club have already approached Schalke and have made contact about the availability of the striker. This has been a disastrous campaign for Schalke who find themselves at the bottom of the Bundesliga League table. After making his debut in November, he has been simply brilliant for the German club. He has scored five goals in 13 league starts and looks set to finish the season as the club’s top scorer. It also gives an indication of h...
Barcelona and Real Madrid hot on the heels of Suarez and co with 10 games to go
With Atlético Madrid, Barcelona and Real Madrid all winning in match week 28, the La Liga Santander title race is well and truly on as the top three enter the final 10 games of the season. With just six points separating Atlético from Real Madrid in third (La Liga table), Sportslens takes a look at each of the title hopefuls’ run-ins, assessing where opportunities and challenges lie ahead. Atlético Madrid Luis Suárez’s 500th career league goal puts him among an exclusive list of players to reach the milestone Atlético provided an immediate response to their disappointing Champions League exit by beating relegation-threatened Deportivo Alavés 1-0 last Sunday. Talisman Luis Suárez scored the only goal of the game, whilst also reaching a career milestone of 500 league goals. The veteran strik...
Abidal reveals why Barca decided against signing man despite his Spurs exploits
Tottenham Hotspur parted ways with Argentine manager Mauricio Pochettino in November 2019 following a woeful start to the season that left the club in 14th in the Premier League table before his departure. The 49-year-old has since become the boss of French giants Paris Saint-Germain, succeeding Thomas Tuchel at the Parc des Princes in January 2021. However, he was linked with becoming Barcelona boss just after he left Spurs, but his links with Espanyol and a joke he had made while he was at Tottenham about preferring to work on a farm in Argentina than manage the Catalans did not do him any favours with the Josep Bartomeu-led board. Erstwhile Barcelona director of football Eric Abidal has revealed that Pochettino was his most preferred candidate to replace Ernesto Valverde who was sacked ...
Barcelona and Real Madrid target rejects Chelsea move
David Alaba has rejected a move to Chelsea and Paris Saint-Germain, reports Sky Germany. Alaba has been a regular at Bayern Munich for the best part of the last decade, making 421 appearances in all competitions for the Bavarians. During that time, he has won nine Bundesliga titles, six DFB Pokals, and two Champions Leagues. David Alaba has had a highly successful time at Bayern Munich However, the Austrian looks nailed on to depart the Allianz Arena this summer on a free transfer, having rejected a new contract. This has got several of Europe’s top clubs keeping an eye on the situation, hoping to bring in one of the world’s best defenders for cheap. Two clubs who were looking at the defender were Chelsea and Paris Saint-Germain. However, Sky Germany are claiming that he has said no to bot...
Luis Suarez’s best moments as he hits 500 goals
Luis Suarez has been one of football’s very best players over the past decade. As brilliant as he is controversial, the Uruguayan hit an astonishing milestone of 500 goals this weekend. Among active players, only Cristiano Ronaldo, Lionel Messi, Zlatan Ibrahimovic, and Robert Lewandowski have reached this figure. And what better way to celebrate the occasion than by looking back at the key points of his phenomenal career? Here are Luis Suarez’s best moments (so far). Making his name on the big stage Suarez celebrates against South Korea Suarez came into the tournament off the back of an an astonishing season at Ajax, scoring 49 goals in 48 appearances. So it came as no surprise that he shone at the 2010 World Cup. Playing in his first ever international tournament, he opened his account in...
Joan Laporta lands his first Barcelona signing, £31.5m star reportedly agrees contract terms
Liverpool midfielder Georginio Wijnaldum looks set to join Barcelona this summer after agreeing a pre-contract deal with the Catalan giants, The Times reports. The Netherlands international has been with the Reds for the past four-and-a-half seasons, where he has accumulated 22 goals and 16 assists from 228 appearances. He has featured in every league game for the reigning champions this term, but it appears that he will leave them on a free transfer in a few months. His current deal expires at the end of June, and it is reported that the Dutchman has finally agreed to a pre-contract to join the Blaugrana this summer. Sportslens view: Jurgen Klopp’s side have been unsuccessful in renewing Wijnaldum’s deal, and the midfielder recently said that he would be ‘devastated‘ to leave the Reds. De...
Barcelona legend comments on Lionel Messi situation
Former Bulgarian striker Hristo Stoichkov has given his opinion on Lionel Messi’s situation at Barcelona. Last summer, Messi shook the world of football by announcing his desire to leave Barcelona – the club he had been at since his youth team days. However, after a long-running feud with former president Josep Maria Bartomeu, the Argentine stayed at Camp Nou. Since then, a lot has changed at the club. Bartomeu resigned and was replaced by Joan Laporta, who has vowed to make keeping Messi his number one priority. However, it is unclear whether this will change his stance. Messi’s future at Barcelona is still unclear The six-time Ballon d’Or winner is out of contract in the summer and is supposedly being eyed up by Paris Saint-Germain and Manchester City. Barcelona legend Hristo Stoichkov h...
