Fabio Cannavaro feels Lionel Messi is currently the best player on the planet, just ahead of Cristiano Ronaldo. Both the Barcelona ace and Real Madrid star have started the season in superb form, with each player netting a hat trick in the Champions League in midweek, and Cannavaro feels the Argentine has the edge on the Portugal captain - though he considers the 28-year-old's Brazilian namesak...Full Story »

Barcelona failed to get the better of their opponents in terms of possession on Saturday - for the first time in 317 competitive games. The Catalans cruised to a 4-0 victory at Rayo Vallecano (which included a hat-trick from Pedro, a Cesc Fabregas strike and a second successive penalty save in a week from goalkeeper Victor Valdes), but Gerardo Martino's side were edged out in the possession s...Full Story »

Getafe coach, Luis García Plaza, today described Real Madrid, his side's opponent on Sunday, as "perfect" on the break and said that playing that way "they can kill you, because they are great at those attacks". "Real Madrid will always counterattack whether it is with José Mourinho, Carlo Ancelotti or any other coach in the world. They are not going to lose that or even improve on ...Full Story »

Bale is almost certain to start. Ancelotti talked to the Welshman just before training on Thursday to ask him how he felt physically and mentally following his first few games for Real Madrid. There will be a party atmosphere at the Bernabéu this Sunday. The club is expecting the first full house of the season, with the fans in high spirits following the thrashing of Galatasaray and eage...Full Story »

The Real Madrid chief stressed the importance of the forward to the club, backtracked on Iker Casillas comments and shed light on Mesut Ozil's exit to Arsenal Real Madrid president Florentino Perez believes Cristiano Ronaldo is a "once a century" player. The former Manchester United forward signed a new contract to keep him tied to the Santiago Bernabeu until 2018. Perez insists Ronaldo, 28...Full Story »

It seems Cristiano Ronaldo has been spurred on by the renewal of his contract - the Portuguese's superb display against Galatasaray served to prove this point. Ronaldo scored his 21st hat-trick for Madrid and did so in Europe's most prestigious competition - the Champions League. 'Los Blancos' have begun their quest for the club's tenth European Cup and have done so with their star player in ...Full Story »

Dani Alves spoke about the moments that Barça is going through: "We are in a moment of transition, looking for our best way of playing, and clearly, it's not easy. I think we're on the right track because, despite having to make all these adjustments to the team, we´re still winning", he observed. "it's not so different from what we used to do, but we are introducing new elements to...Full Story »

Gerardo Martino admitted the fact the Barcelona fans have grown accustomed to watching total football was making them hard for the new boss to please. Martino's first Champions League match in charge ended in a resounding 4-0 win over Ajax at the Nou Camp on Wednesday, with Lionel Messi netting a hat-trick. Martino said on the club's website: "FC Barcelona recently reached footballing excell...Full Story »

Barcelona is looking to find different playing styles to surprise its opponents with, even if this might suppose a change from its usual modus aperandi. Messi is just one of the players who defends a variation of tactics on the field of play. The Argentine talked about the possible changes in Barça's playing style this season: "The more variations we have, the better. There will be days ...Full Story »

Barça's line-up for the game against Ajax did not bring any surprises. Based on how Gerardo Martino has been operating of late, everything pointed to Xavi Hernández being on the bench. And so he was. Just because that is what happened this time, however, does not mean that the midfielder's replacement will become a regular feature. You have to go back to 20th October 2010 in search ...Full Story »