La Liga

THEO ZIDANE has become the Real Madrid manager’s third son to train with the first-team.
The 18-year-old has followed in the footsteps of his brothers Luca and Enzo, all sons, of course, of Zinedine Zidane.

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Theo Zidane was put through his paces by the Real Madrid first-teamCredit: Real Madrid

Theo has been called up to first-team training during the international break, report Marca.
But it is not the teenager’s first time working with Madrid’s senior squad.
He also trained with them during an international break in 2019.
Theo has a promising future ahead of him after impressing for the youth teams.

He made his UEFA Youth League debut last season against Paris Saint-Germain.
And the midfielder hit the headlines when he scored a screamer from 30-yards for the academy team.
Zidane has four children – Enzo, Luca, Theo and Elyaz.
Luca and Enzo previously trained with the Madrid first-team.

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Theo Zidane with his father after the Champions League final win over LiverpoolCredit: AFP or licensors
But Enzo has left his father’s team to continue his career with Rayo Vallecano.
But midfielder Enzo is without a club.
Defender Elyaz, 14, is part of the Los Blanco academy set-up.

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BARCELONA star Lionel Messi has welcomed a new addition to his family – a rare apricot toy poodle at the opposite end of the size scale to his other dog.
Wife Antonela Roccuzzo showed Abu off on social media, sat on five-year-old son Mateo’s lap, as her footballer husband celebrated Argentina’s 2-1 Copa America win against Bolivia on the other side of the Atlantic.  

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Lionel Messi has a new family member in a rare apricot toy poodle named AbuCredit: Instagram / @antonelarocuzzo

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Messi’s new dog is on the opposite end of the size scale to his French mastiff HulkCredit: Instagram / @leomessi

It was not immediately clear if Messi has already met the new pet in the family or will greet it for the first time when he gets back home.
But what is clear is that whatever size Abu reaches, he’s never going to get anywhere near as big as the footballer’s French mastiff, Hulk, which was once an adorable puppy before it grew almost as big as his kids. 
Antonela gifted the 33-year-old their first dog in 2016 and two years later it showed off its size and strength as Messi was filmed teasing him with his dribbling skills in a video which went viral.
And the pretty brunette was the one to reveal their latest acquisition with the photo of Abu and Mateo.

A message alongside read: “This is Abu, the new member of the family.”
Toy poodles grow no more than 10 inches tall from the shoulder and weigh four to six pounds.
They stop growing aged around six or seven months. 
They are regarded as high-maintenance dogs which require regular grooming to keep their coat in good condition. 

By contrast Hulk, one of the oldest French dog breeds also known as a Dogue de Bordeaux, is around 25 inches high and is thought to weigh just over 100 pounds or seven stone.
Abu reportedly cost Messi and his wife around £800.
The apricot colour is rare and is believed to be the last poodle colour recorded.

Lionel Messi trains with the Barcelona squad More

ZINEDINE ZIDANE is torn between signing Erling Haaland or Kylian Mbappe next year.
The Real Madrid boss has identified the two stars as possible replacements for Karim Benzema.

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Here’s how the two players compare while at clubs in Europe’s top five divisions

Marca claim Zidane is weighing up his options before making his move in 2021.
Mbappe was reportedly set to join Madrid before the coronavirus pandemic derailed the move.
Former PSG star Jerome Rothen claimed the 21-year-old’s transfer was “almost done”.

Madrid were expected to revive their interest in him next summer – but now there’s another name in the mix.
Haaland has caught Zidane’s eye following his impressive spell with Borussia Dortmund.
The LaLiga giants are believed to be keeping a close eye on his progress in Germany.
He is believed to have a £63million release clause in his contract with the Bundesliga side.

That makes him the cheaper option as Mbappe has a market value of £231m.

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Kylian Mbappe is under contract with the French club until 2022Credit: Getty Images – Getty

Mbappe is believed to earn £375,000-per-week in Paris after signing from Monaco in 2017.
But he is reportedly prepared to pay cut seal his dream move to the Bernabeu.
Paris Saint-Germain have already lined up Cristiano Ronaldo to replace him at Parc des Princes.
Mbappe has scored 119 goals and made 61 assists during his career, averaging a goal every 111 minutes.
Haaland has averaged a goal every 80 minutes, but he’s only played 23 games in the top five divisions.

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Erling Haaland snubbed interest from Manchester United to join DortmundCredit: Getty Images – Getty

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Zinedine Zidane is on a mission to sign a replacement for Karim BenzemaCredit: AP:Associated Press
However, Madrid face fierce competition if they decide to pursue Haaland next year.
Chelsea are also said to be plotting a move for the highly-rated Norwegian striker.
And Paul Scholes has urged Manchester United to revive their interest in the 20-year-old.

PSG target Cristiano Ronaldo in sensational transfer as replacement for Real Madrid target Kylian Mbappe next summer More

BARCELONA star Lionel Messi has welcomed a new addition to his family – a rare apricot toy poodle at the opposite end of the size scale to his other dog.
Wife Antonela Roccuzzo showed Abu off on social media, sat on five-year-old son Mateo’s lap, as her footballer husband celebrated Argentina’s 2-1 Copa America win against Bolivia on the other side of the Atlantic.  

2

Lionel Messi has a new family member in a rare apricot toy poodle named AbuCredit: Instagram / @antonelarocuzzo

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Messi’s new dog is on the opposite end of the size scale to his French mastiff HulkCredit: Instagram / @leomessi

It was not immediately clear if Messi has already met the new pet in the family or will greet it for the first time when he gets back home.
But what is clear is that whatever size Abu reaches, he’s never going to get anywhere near as big as the footballer’s French mastiff, Hulk, which was once an adorable puppy before it grew almost as big as his kids. 
Antonela gifted the 33-year-old their first dog in 2016 and two years later it showed off its size and strength as Messi was filmed teasing him with his dribbling skills in a video which went viral.
And the pretty brunette was the one to reveal their latest acquisition with the photo of Abu and Mateo.

A message alongside read: “This is Abu, the new member of the family.”
Toy poodles grow no more than 10 inches tall from the shoulder and weigh four to six pounds.
They stop growing aged around six or seven months. 
They are regarded as high-maintenance dogs which require regular grooming to keep their coat in good condition. 

By contrast Hulk, one of the oldest French dog breeds also known as a Dogue de Bordeaux, is around 25 inches high and is thought to weigh just over 100 pounds or seven stone.
Abu reportedly cost Messi and his wife around £800.
The apricot colour is rare and is believed to be the last poodle colour recorded.

Lionel Messi trains with the Barcelona squad More

SPAIN sensation Ansu Fati is outperforming Barcelona legend Lionel Messi at the same age, according to the stats.
The 17-year-old wonderkid has a far superior goals-per-minute ratio than the Argentina superstar had at the same stage of his career.

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Ansu Fati is already a full Spain internationalCredit: AFP or licensors

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Barcelona’s Lionel Messi’s stats as a 17-year-old are dwarfed by team-mate FatiCredit: AFP OR LICENSORS

Fati averages a goal every 143.6 minutes compared to Messi’s 233 in 2004.
Messi had made nine appearances for the Barca first team at 17, playing the full 90 minutes just once and scoring a single goal.
However, Fati’s rise has been rapid – netting 11 times and providing an assist in 36 appearances.

Last month Fati signed a bumper new long-term contract with an incredible £367million buy-out clause.
The eye-watering figure is set to keep interested parties at bay until the deal concludes in 2024.
It marked a stellar September for the starlet as he was also named LaLiga’s player of the month after bagging three goals in three games to get Ronald Koeman’s tenure off to a flyer.
He also became the second youngest player to ever play for Spain when he came off the bench against Germany.

Fati started the shock 1-0 defeat by Ukraine on Tuesday – with the winner catching Manchester United keeper David De Gea in no man’s land.

The Guinea-Bissau-born star enjoyed a sensational record-breaking debut year as a pro with the Catalan giants in 2019-20.
The winger smashed an amazing ELEVEN records after graduating from Barcelona’s famous La Masia academy.
Fati became the club’s youngest ever goalscorer by netting against Osasuna, overtaking Messi and Bojan.
At 16 years and 298 days, he became the first player born in 2002 to play in LaLiga, before later becoming the youngest in history to bag a goal and assist in the same game.

Ansu Fati’s records

Ansu Fati smashed 11 records in his debut 2019-20 season.

Fati is the second youngest player to play for Barcelona’s first team, aged 16 years and 298 days, and the first player born in 2002 to feature in a LaLiga game.
After scoring in a 2-2 draw at Osasuna six days later, Fati overtook Lionel Messi and Bojan Krkic to become Barcelona’s youngest ever goalscorer.
In being named in the starting XI against Valencia, Fati became the youngest ever Barcelona player to start at the Camp Nou, beating Marc Muniesa’s record set in 2009.
Within seven minutes of the 5-2 win over Valencia, Fati had become the youngest player to provide a goal and assist in the same game in the history of La Liga.
Fati’s goal against Valencia made him the youngest goalscorer in the history of the Nou Camp, aged 16 years and 318 days.
That strike also made him the youngest player to ever reach two La Liga goals.
The forward became the youngest player to feature for Barca in the Champions League, debuting against Borussia Dortmund at 16 years and 321 days old.
His winning goal against Inter Milan in the Champions League group stages made him the competition’s youngest ever goalscorer, at 17 years and 40 days old.
At 17 years and 48 days, he became the youngest player to feature in El Clasico in the 21st century. 
After scoring twice against Levante in February, Fati became the youngest player to score a brace in the history of LaLiga.
*as reported by Planet Football

Fati proved he could do it on the European stage too – becoming the youngest to play for Barca in the Champions League and then the youngest goalscorer in the history of the competition.
Although Messi and Fati came into the first-team set-up at slightly different times, if you compare their first 25 LaLiga appearances the stats are remarkably similar.
Fati started 12 times, bagging nine goals and an assist at an average of 121.8 goals a minute.
Messi – who took nearly a year longer than Fati to reach the same number of appearances – also started 12 games, netting eight goals and laying on three assists at a slightly higher average of 134.6 minutes per strike.

Barcelona wonderkid Ansu Fati scores ridiculous goals in training including mid-air back-heel volley More