La Liga

BARCELONA’S dressing room is reportedly ‘broken’ after seeing skipper Lionel Messi’s pain at the 4-1 Champions League drubbing by Paris Saint-Germain.
Spanish outlet Sport reports Messi’s disappointment after the match is haunting his team-mates.

Lionel Messi cut a forlorn figure after Barcelona were thrashed by PSGCredit: Icon Sport – Getty

Messi could barely look compatriot Mauro Icardi in the eyesCredit: Getty Images – Getty

The Argentine icon, 33, greeted compatriots Mauro Icardi, Leandro Paredes and PSG boss Mauricio Pochettino but could barely look them in the eye.
The report states even vocal Gerard Pique – who could be heard barking orders on the pitch – fell silent inside the solemn Barca changing room.
Kylian Mbappe’s stunning hat-trick at the Nou Camp has virtually eliminated the Catalan giants before a ball has even been kicked in the second leg.
Of course, Barca famously mounted ‘The Comeback’ in 2017 as a barely believable 6-1 win over the French giants overturned a four goal deficit from the last 16 first leg.

But history looks very unlikely to repeat itself with Ronald Koeman’s side struggling in LaLiga and facing the prospect of their season being effectively over this month.
Barca are third in the league – nine points behind leaders Atletico Madrid – and lost the first leg of their Copa del Rey semi-final 2-0 against Sevilla.
And the feeling of European dejection is an all too familiar one for captain Messi after last season’s humbling at the hands of Bayern Munich.
The Blaugrana were embarrassed as they suffered an 8-2 humiliation by eventual Champions League winners Bayern at the quarter-final stage.

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A dejected Messi greeted fellow Argentine Mauricio Pochettino after the gameCredit: Reuters

Messi looked heartbroken in a dressing room picture following the Bayern trouncing and the result intensified talk he would leave the club.
After publicly declaring his desire to move on with a transfer request, Messi performed a dramatic U-turn in the summer after his kids cried at the news and he realised he wasn’t prepared to go to court to force an exit.
But the six-time Ballon d’Or winner is set to become a free agent at the end of the season with his Barca contract expiring.
And SunSport revealed Manchester City – who tried to sign the player last year – would now slash their bumper package to sign the star by £170million.
City were prepared to put a £606m five-year playing deal plus commercial add-ons on the table last time out.
But SunSport understands they would now come up with a new package which would be worth a reduced £433m if they could broker a free transfer.
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BARCELONA legend Xavi has admitted his dream to manage Barcelona just as pressure begins to mount on current boss Ronald Koeman.
The Catalans were humiliated this week in the Champions League as they were thrashed 4-1 at home by Paris Saint-Germain.

Xavi has opened the door to a return to BarcelonaCredit: Getty

Time could be running out for Barca boss Ronald KoemanCredit: Getty

That was the latest blow to Barca in what has turned out to be an awful season by their standards.
Koeman only took charge last summer but instantly caused upset by offloading Luis Suarez and several other favourites, which is one of the reasons Lionel Messi tried to force a move away.
The club are also in a precarious situation financially amid the coronavirus pandemic as well as in the midst of a presidential election.
And to top off all of the above, their LaLiga title hopes are in tatters as they sit nine points behind leaders Atletico Madrid.

The PSG embarrassment heaped even more scrutiny on Dutchman Koeman as he looks set to end the campaign without any silverware.
And with the prospect of losing Messi to either Manchester City or PSG in June, Barca presidential candidate Victor Font has already made it clear he would axe Koeman and replace him with Xavi.
The 41-year-old played 767 times for Barcelona between 1998 and 2015 and won 133 caps for the Spanish national team.
Xavi lifted eight La Liga titles, three Copa del Rey crowns and four Champions League trophies during his time at the Nou Camp as a player.

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Now the icon, who currently manages Qatari side Al Sadd, has thrown the door open to a Barca return.
He said: “Right now, I’m at Al Sadd and I’m doing well here. I’m at a big club in Asia, in Qatar. It’s the best team in Qatar.
“We’ll see what happens in the future. Everyone sees me as a Barcelona coach, and I really respect Barcelona and Koeman, the current head coach.
“I don’t want to hide the truth – of course I would like to be Barcelona’s head coach. I’ve said it many times.
“But I will always respect the presiding coach and the club. I wish them the best of course.
“I’ve been a Barcelona fan as long as I can remember. There’s an upcoming presidential election, so let’s see which candidate wins…”
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LUIS SUAREZ says he has ‘years left’ and ‘no one will get rid of me’ amid suggestions he may soon retire.
The Uruguayan, 34, has been a resounding success at Atletico Madrid since his tearful exit from Barcelona at the end of last season.

Luis Suarez says he is not going anywhereCredit: Rex Features

Suarez is LaLiga’s top scorer on 16 with his side sitting top and six points clear of bitter rivals Real Madrid with a game in hand over Los Blancos.
Plenty questioned whether the former Liverpool ace could still cut it at the highest level in his mid-30s.
But the goal machine has no time for such sentiment and told ESPN he still feels good.
Suarez said: “I still feel like I’m enjoying this moment that I’m in today, in football’s elite.

“Being at Atletico, you’re in football’s elite. Some people didn’t believe that I could still be at this level. I’ve got the same enthusiasm.
“I hope that this year, next year and for however many years it is, I keep competing and giving my best, until you realise that you’ve gone as far as you can.
“But no one will get rid of me. I’ll decide when I go.”
Suarez has split opinion among fans for much of his career with his win at all costs mentality.

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He has also bitten a few too many players for some people’s liking but the Uruguayan confirmed what many already suspected – that he is not bothered by others’ criticism.
Suarez added: “I’m one of those players who has always characterised himself as being stubborn.
“When I try something two, three, four times and it doesn’t work out, I’m not one of those players who will let their head drop, who will disappear. I’ll keep trying, because I’ve been that way since I was a kid.
“I used to get criticised when I was 18 and the coaches I had, like Martin Lasarte [Suarez’s coach at Nacional in 2005-06], used to say: ‘Don’t look at the goals that the 18-year-old kid is missing, if he misses seven or eight.
“‘Focus on the fact that he’s still trying a third time, or a fourth time. That’s what will make him go far.’
“Those words stayed with me and I will be like that, I am like that.”
‘THEY BELIEVE IN ME’
Despite his huge levels of self belief, even Suarez admitted the season has exceeded his own expectations.
He said: “I didn’t expect to be in this moment that I’m in with Atletico today, but I’m enjoying it a lot.
“I’m grateful because the coaching staff and my team-mates believe in me, they trust me, and that is something that you try to repay with goals.”
Suarez could reportedly leave Atletico on a FREE this summer but wants to stay.
And he also collected his first goal bonus after reaching 15 for the Spanish table-toppers.
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REAL MADRID are accelerating the refurbishment of their famous Bernabeu home with new footage showing the immense undertaking.
A video released on the club’s YouTube channel shows the historic venue being worked on over the winter.

Real Madrid are in the middle of a huge reconstruction of Estadio Bernabeu

Club footage reveals the stadium’s current state

The roof has been completely removed with the foundations of its retractable replacement being constructed.
A vast wraparound of the Bernabeu is being created to fit in with the new roof, the first signs of which are now on display.
Attached to the underside of the new roof will be a new vantage point overlooking Madrid for the public to enjoy year round, as well as hosting VIP guests on matchdays.
Access towers around the ground to reach the top tiers were one of the first new features built in the revamp.

A chunk of the East Stand is currently missing to accommodate for work also going on underneath the stadium.
A vast system of tunnels feature in the designs, to allow supply trucks and vehicles to enter the stadium.
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The first signs of the new roof are emerging alongside 80-metre-high cranes

Seats have been removed in anticipation of a huge pitch cave being installed
The pitch is also subject to a refurbishment, with a 30-metre cave to be built below ground next summer as part of an ambitious plan.

Real want to be able to swap out the football surface for something more suited to non-sporting events, such as music concerts, via a vertical system.
During the work, Zinedine Zidane’s side have retreated to their Valdebebas training ground for matches behind closed doors.
The coronavirus pandemic has slightly sped up the construction phase with a completion target of summer 2022 being eyed.
Madrid daily Marca outline how the LaLiga giants want to grow their matchday revenue by around £130million-a-year thanks to the revamp.
However, Real will have to do without the income of one matchday ticket with the capacity reduced by a single seat when the work is completed.

New access towers and pedestrian areas also feature in the refurb

Real Madrid hope to complete the work by the summer of 2022

Those inside the ground will be able to keep an eye on the clock via a new 360-degree scoreboard.
In total, the refurbishment is expected to cost around £500m.
Plans for a hotel were stamped out earlier in the design with pedestrian areas around the stadium also being redesigned.
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