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      Sevilla 2 Barcelona 0: Watch Kounde’s stunning solo goal before Rakitic scores against old club in Copa del Rey semi

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      BARCELONA’S nightmare spell continued as their old midfielder Ivan Rakitic scored for Sevilla to give them a huge advantage in the first leg of the Copa del Rey semi-final.
      Jules Kounde scored a stunning solo goal to put the hosts 1-0 up before Croatian Rakitic struck to seal his former team’s fate.

      Ivan Rakitic barely celebrated scoring Sevilla’s second against his old clubCredit: Getty Images – Getty

      Jules Kounde opened the scoring with a stunning solo goalCredit: Getty Images – Getty

      French centre back Kounde opened the scoring in the 25th minute, dribbling from his own area and playing a one-two before bursting past four Barca players to confidently slot past Marc-Andre ter Stegen.
      The Barca keeper made a superb save to prevent Sergio Escudero doubling Sevilla’s lead at the end of the first half.
      But Croatia midfielder Rakitic made sure of the victory with a thumping finish into the roof of the net in the 85th minute.
      Lionel Messi could have hit back but was thwarted by Sevilla keeper Bono.

      And Ronald Koeman’s side still couldn’t find the away goal they were looking for as the Andalusians kept a clean sheet to take a big advantage into the second leg at the Camp Nou on March 3.
      The ban on supporters attending matches due to coronavirus restrictions did little to dissuade locals getting fired up for the game and the home team’s bus was greeted by pockets of chanting fans letting off flares when it arrived.
      Barca made the better start and would have taken the lead but for the first of three outstanding saves from keeper Bono to thwart Messi – the Moroccan blocking the Argentine’s shot with his flailing leg.
      Kounde fired Barca a warning shot by shooting just wide of the far post and the 22-year-old soon steamrolled through the Barca defence to score the opener, further increasing his appeal to the top European clubs circling to sign him.

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      It just had to be…Ivan Rakitic! 😱An outstanding finish against his former club doubles Sevilla’s lead and puts them in the driver’s seat in this semi-final tie 👀 pic.twitter.com/c6nZBMZyU5
      — Premier Sports 📺 (@PremierSportsTV) February 10, 2021

      It was a frustrating night for Lionel Messi who had two good chancesCredit: Getty Images – Getty

      Sevilla, fourth in LaLiga and one point behind Barca, controlled the first half but Barca enjoyed more possession after the interval and Bono kept out another strike from Messi.
      The hosts found their second goal by storming forward on the counter-attack.
      Rakitic burst beyond his former team-mates to latch on to a punt forward and hammered past Ter Stegen for a goal he barely celebrated.

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      Barcelona ‘will not play Philippe Coutinho for rest of season’ to avoid paying Liverpool £4.5m transfer instalment

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      BARCELONA will not play Philippe Coutinho for the rest of the season to avoid paying Liverpool a £4.5million transfer installment, according to reports.
      The Catalan giants have been hit hard by the financial impact of Covid-19 and are desperate for ways to reduce their outgoings.

      Barcelona will not play Philippe Coutinho for the rest of the seasonCredit: Getty Images – Getty

      They are said to be on the verge of bankruptcy after racking up debts close to £1BILLION.
      And freezing Coutinho out is one way they can save some cash, according to Spanish outlet Onze.
      Barca reportedly have to cough up the extra money if the 28-year-old plays seven more games for them this season.
      That is thanks to a clause included in the £145m deal that took him from Anfield to the Nou Camp in January 2018.

      But the LaLiga side will not let that happen and won’t use him unless they are desperate.
      Onze journalist Javi Miguel said: “One of the club’s priorities is to save [money] and he has variables for games played and Barca don’t want to pay more for him.
      “Barca have to pay £4.5m more in seven games and that will not happen.”
      Coutinho is currently out injured but is set to return to fitness in March.

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      Barcelona owe a fortune in transfer instalments

      But he will likely have to wait until next season to play first team football again.
      Barca are said to owe 19 other teams money in various transfer installments.
      The total amount they owe is reported at £112m – with nearly £26m of that being owed to Liverpool.
      Barcelona’s crippling financial crisis has been laid bare following the impact of the coronavirus.
      At the end of last season, accounts showed the club had lost a whopping £88m with Barca forced to play in an empty Nou Camp.
      Despite slashing players’ wages by 70 per cent during the pandemic, the club also disclosed debts of £443m.
      And a report in La Vanguardia claimed that figure does not include a ‘runaway’ deficit that totals around £360m taking the total to just over £800m (€900m).
      Barcelona have the highest wage bill in world football, topping £355m.

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      Isco’s Real Madrid hell hits new low as he fails to start against Getafe despite injury crisis with Zidane picking kids

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      ISCO’S Real Madrid hell has sunk to new depths after boss Zinedine Zidane overlooked the Spain midfielder in favour of using his kids.
      Los Blancos are in the midst of an injury crisis but rather than use the 28-year-old with 38 international caps – Zidane has looked to blood some exciting youngsters.

      Isco has slipped way down Zinedine Zidane’s Real Madrid pecking orderCredit: Getty Images – Getty

      The reigning LaLiga champs had looked like they would only be able to name ONE sub against Getafe on Tuesday with the likes of Sergio Ramos and Eden Hazard sidelined.
      And former Tranmere Rovers player Marvin Park, 20, made his first start for Madrid in the 2-0 win.
      While Isco had to settle for a place on the bench but the fact 19-year-old midfielder Sergio Arribas was called upon before him signals the rift between player and coach.
      The result pulled Real back into second place as they look to keep pace with Diego Simeone’s table-topping Atletico Madrid – who are five points ahead with two games in hand.

      Former Malaga star Isco was given 15 minutes at the end by Zidane who shut down talk there was anything sinister behind his lack of game time.
      After the game, the Frenchman said: “Isco couldn’t start.
      “He has only trained once with the team. That’s why I gave him 15 minutes. That’s all.”
      Isco reportedly wants to quit the club after his relationship breakdown with Zidane.

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      Isco is said to have fallen out with Real Madrid boss ZidaneCredit: Alamy Live News

      He is said to have been humiliated by assistant boss David Bettoni – filling in for Covid-hit Zidane – choosing to sub on Arribas ahead of him against Levante on January 30.
      Isco has been linked with a move to a number of the Premier League’s top six sides and was most recently rumoured to be heading to Arsenal before the Gunners opted to sign his team-mate Martin Odegaard on loan in January.
      After watching his men win back to back games for the first time in 2021, Zidane reiterated his belief that they can still reclaim their league crown.
      He added: “It will not change anything, we will do our thing. Our duty is to fight, to continue with our work, without paying attention to others.
      “It’s a good win. They are two consecutive victories, we needed it. Also with many injuries. We needed it now.
      “I don’t think there are Madridistas who think we’re going to lose the league. On the contrary, they think we can always change things and that is what we are going to try to do. 
      “With difficulties, it is clear, but we continue to do our thing. You have to keep fighting, little by little.”

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      Man Utd have NOT contracted Sergio Ramos over shock free transfer and will decide on new centre-back in ‘coming months’

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      MANCHESTER UNITED are yet to make contact with Sergio Ramos over a stunning summer swoop, reports say.
      The Old Trafford club are reportedly weighing up a move for the Real Madrid captain when his contract expires.

      Manchester United have not made contact over signing Sergio Ramos, according to reportCredit: Getty Images – Getty

      Ramos, 34, is a free agent this summer and United are rumoured to be interested along with PSG.
      But respected Italian journalist Fabrizio Romano said that no contact has yet been made over a possible deal.
      He tweeted: “Manchester United have not contacted Sergio Ramos agent as of today – they’ll decide for the real target as centre-back in the coming months.
      “PSG are interested only if Sergio will leave the club as free agent, no decision yet – situation still open with Real.”

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      Ramos has enjoyed a glittering 16 years in the Spanish capital – winning five La Liga titles and four Champions Leagues.
      But the World Cup winner’s contract situation is a mess with Spanish media reporting a standoff between club and player.
      Ramos is currently out of action after undergoing knee surgery with Real Madrid off the pace in La Liga.

      Last month it emerged United agreed not to ‘aggressively’ sign Ramos as part of a special ‘Covid’ pact between Europe’s elite clubs.
      It’s previously been reported that he favours a move to Manchester United this summer rather than staying in Madrid.
      Ole Gunnar Solskjaer would no doubt jump at the chance to bring an experienced, top-quality centre-back and leader into his side.

      And Ramos – who has made more than 650 Madrid appearances and won 18 major trophies for club and country – certainly fits the bill.
      Ramos is said to have rejected lucrative move to Asia because his family don’t want to live there.

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      Lionel Messi will be second player to stay at same club he won Ballon d’Or with after Florian Albert if he stay at Barca

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      SHOULD Lionel Messi retire at Barcelona he will become only the second Ballon d’Or winner to have stayed at the club after receiving the award.
      At the moment, Florian Albert is the sole recipient to have been a one-club man after picking up the honour.

      Lionel Messi is a six-time Ballon d’Or winnerCredit: EPA

      Hungarian legend Florian AlbertCredit: Getty Images – Getty

      He claimed his Ballon d’Or in 1967, the same year he won the Hungarian league with Ferencvaros.
      Albert spent his entire career with Ferencvaros from 1958–1974, where he scored 250 times in 350 games.
      The forward was a four-time league winner and starred for Hungry’s national team, with 31 goals in 75 caps.
      After his retirement he continued to remain involved with Ferencvaros even working in administrative positions.

      In 2007, their stadium was named after Albert but in 2013 it was demolished.
      The club built a new version on the same site but renamed it to the Groupama Arena, for sponsorship purposes.
      Albert died on October 2011, aged 70, in a Budapest hospital after complications following heart surgery carried out a few days earlier.
      His record of playing for the same club after winning the Ballon d’Or rests on Messi’s future.

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      The six-time Ballon d’Or winner handed in a transfer request with boyhood club Barca last August, citing plans to leave on a free.
      But Nou Camp chiefs argued the stipulation that allowed him to do so expired in June.
      To avoid a drawn out legal battle in court, Messi, 33, committed his future to Barca for at least this season.
      But with his contract officially expiring at the end of the season he is free to leave for nothing.
      Manchester City – where his ex-manager Pep Guardiola coaches – and PSG, with former team-mate Neymar, are the frontrunners to sign the legend.
      It would mean Messi’s 17-year love story with Barca would come to an end and see him in a once-unthinkable position playing for another team.

      Lionel Messi’s contract expires at the end of the seasonCredit: Getty Images – Getty

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      Red-hot Luis Suarez receives first Atletico Madrid bonus after smashing in more than 15 goals since Barcelona transfer

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      LUIS SUAREZ has already been paid a bonus thanks to his stunning form for Atletico Madrid.
      The goal machine has hit the ground running since his move from Barcelona last summer.

      Luis Suarez has bagged himself a bonus at Atletico MadridCredit: Splash News

      The 33-year-old is LaLiga’s top scorer with 16 goals in 17 games, and seven in his last four.
      His stunning form has fired Atletico Madrid to the top of LaLiga – five points ahead of Real Madrid with two games in hand.
      Former club Barca are eight points behind.
      And Mundo Deportivo report that the Uruguayan was paid a million Euros bonus (£880,000) for scoring 15 goals.

      Suarez is also in line for another payout if and when he makes it to 20 goals, which seems like a formality.
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      The Uruguay striker has found a new lease of life since his tearful exit from Barcelona last year.
      Suarez was reportedly told by new boss Ronald Koeman that he wasn’t part of his plans.

      He was seen driving out of the training ground for the last time in tears after six years at the club – during which he won four LaLigas and the Champions League.
      Atletico have lost just one league game this season and Suarez credits manager Diego Simeone with their record.

      Suarez is rejuvenated at Atletico Madrid after his tearful Barcelona exit last yearCredit: Barcelona FC

      He told Onda Cero: “He is one of those coaches who convinces you by his desire and positivity and by everything he knows about this.
      “I rely more on the coach’s conviction when speaking to you than on the style of play he has.
      “Simeone is a coach who reaches out to you and motivates you.
      “I would not like to be a coach, you suffer a lot and you can’t keep everyone happy.”

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      Real Madrid legend Iker Casillas’ wife hospitalised after suffering heartbreaking setback in fight against cancer

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      IKER CASILLAS’ wife has been hospitalised after suffering a setback in her fight against cancer.
      Sports journalist and model Sara Carbonero was admitted to a private hospital in the northern Spanish city of Pamplona just two days after turning 37.

      Iker Casillas has been pictured driving to hospital to visit wife Sara Carbonero

      Details of her new health scare emerged on Wednesday after she had to suspend work commitments.
      Former Real Madrid goalkeeper Iker is said to be taking it in turns with Sara’s family to visit his wife at the University Clinic of Navarra Hospital.
      She has been operated on at the hospital, which boasts of being the best private hospital in Spain on its website, after her admission last Friday.
      Local reports quoting sources close to the journalist say she is recovering and looking forward to getting back to her daily life as normal if things go to plan.

      Sara announced in May 2019 she had been operated on for ovarian cancer.
      Doctors discovered the malignant tumour shortly after the heart attack which brought her husband’s playing career to a premature end.
      She underwent surgery at Madrid’s prestigious Ruber International Clinic to remove the tumour before undergoing several months of chemotherapy.
      Sara, who has two children with Iker, is yet to make an official comment.

      Casillas and Carbonero are one of Spain’s most famous footballing love storiesCredit: Reuters

      The couple have suffered a number of health scares in recent yearsCredit: Alamy Live News
      Her last social media post, two days ago while still in hospital, was to publicise her participation in a new ad campaign for cosmetics firm L’Oreal.
      Iker marked his wife’s birthday last Wednesday with a touching photo of her by the sea alongside a message that read: “The dance goes on…we have to dance to the end.”
      He has also made no official comment as Spanish magazine Semana published photos of the 39-year-old, who made 725 appearances for Real Madrid, driving into the hospital where his wife is being looked after.
      Her mum and sister are also said to be visiting her regularly along with her close friend Isabel Jimenez.
      Sara announced she had cancer just three weeks after Casillas suffered his heart attack while he was training with Porto.
      She admitted at the time: “When we hadn’t yet recovered from one shock, life has surprised us again.
      “This time it’s my turn, that wonderful word of six letters that I dare not write.”
      Real Madrid announced in December that the club legend had joined the club foundation as assistant to the general director, saying in a statement: “Real Madrid are proud to welcome one of their great captains home.”

      The 39-year-old former Spanish international, dubbed Saint Iker for his ability to produce spectacular saves, officially announced his retirement from football last August.
      He married Sara in March 2016 three months before the birth of their second child Lucas.
      They famously kissed on air during a post-match interview after Spain won the 2010 World Cup.

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      Real Madrid legend Enrique Perez ‘Pachin’ dies aged 82 as club pay tribute to two-time European Cup winner

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      REAL MADRID legend Enrique Perez, or Pachin as he was affectionately known, has passed away at the age of 82.
      The former defender had been battling illness for a number of years and entered hospital in the Spanish capital over a month ago, according to Marca.

      Enrique Perez, or Pachin, has died at the age of 82Credit: Getty Images – Getty

      The defender (back row, third from left) won two European Cups with Real MadridCredit: Getty – Contributor

      On Wednesday, the LaLiga club confirmed his passing and paid tribute to a long career at the Bernabeu.
      Joining in 1959 from Osasuna, Pachin made his debut for Real and the Spanish national team later that season.
      At the end of his first campaign, he started in Madrid’s 7-3 European Cup final victory over Eintracht Frankfurt that saw Ferenc Puskas and Alfredo di Stefano share the goals.
      The next season, Real won the first of seven consecutive LaLiga titles that Pachin played a part in.

      The Spaniard also featured in triumphs in the 1960 Intercontinental Cup and the 1966 European Cup.
      Madrid released a statement to join in the tributes to Pachin.

      Real Madrid are deeply saddened by the passing of Enrique Perez Pachin, one of the great legends who wore our club’s jersey.

      Club captain Sergio Ramos tweeted ‘RIP’ as the 82-year-old was hailed as ‘one of the great legends’ in Los Blancos history.
      The club statement read: “Real Madrid, the club’s president and the Board of Directors are deeply saddened by the passing of Enrique Perez Pachin, one of the great legends who wore our club’s jersey between 1959 and 1968.

      “Real Madrid would like to express its condolences and its warmth and sympathy to his wife Mercedes, his daughters Cristina and Mercedes, his grandchildren Javier and Cristina and all his relatives and loved ones.
      “During his nine seasons at Real Madrid he played 218 games and won two European Cups, one Intercontinental Cup, seven Spanish Leagues and one Spanish Cup.

      Pachin (back row, left) reunited with his fellow legends of the 1960 triumph at the 2002 finalCredit: Alan MacGregor Ewing – The Sun Glasgow

      “He was also an international with the Spanish national team.
      “Pachin passed away at the age of 82. Real Madrid, the club to which he was associated with throughout his life, extends its condolences to all of madridismo.”
      Pachin left Madrid in 1968 and played for Real Betis and Toluca before embarking on a long coaching career, overseeing the likes of Valladolid, Levante and Albacete.

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