The Blaugrana boss was at a loss to explain the Argentine’s slide down the rankings, while also providing an update on Luis Suarez’s availability Barcelona head coach Ernesto Valverde has described Lionel Messi’s fifth-place finish in the Ballon d’Or vote as “absurd”. Messi is a five-time winner of the prize and shared the previous 10 with long-time rival Cristiano Ronaldo but saw Real Madrid’s Luka Modric top the 2018 poll on Monday. It is the first time Messi has finished outside the top three since 2006, with Ronaldo, Antoine Griezmann and Kylian Mbappe all finishing ahead of him. Article continues below Editors' Picks Sarri vindicated for dropping Kepa as Chelsea & Pedro…

Manchester United moved into the top four thanks to goals from Paul Pogba and Anthony Martial in a 3-0 win over Fulham. The pair struck in nine devastating first-half minutes which killed Fulham’s bright start. And Pogba’s 65th-minute penalty sealed a 10th win in 11 games for interim boss Ole Gunnar Solskjaer. The result sees United leapfrog Chelsea, who travel to Manchester City on Sunday, while Claudio Ranieri’s men remain seven points from safety. An eye-watering 11 points off the Champions League spots when Jose Mourinho was sacked, caretaker manager Solskjaer’s stunning start to life at the helm has seen them claw back that gap in style. Solskjaer’s side could be…

The Marseille-born defender has suggested he could plump for the country of his birth over that in which he has spent much of his life Atletico Madrid defender Lucas Hernandez has hinted at a forthcoming decision on his international future after claiming France coach Didier Deschamps “knows what I’m thinking”. The highly rated 21-year-old is eligible for both Spain and France, with both nations said to be eager for Lucas to declare for them. Although he – like younger brother and Real Madrid left-back Theo Hernandez – was born in Marseille, Lucas has spent much of his life in Spain, initially joining the youth ranks of Rayo Majadahonda in 2005 before…

The Brazilian is not responsible for the Merengue’s crisis, but the failure of the ex-coach to handle the wonderkid contributed to his dismissal He was supposed to be Real Madrid’s next great striker and, just possibly, the successor to Cristiano Ronaldo at the Bernabeu.  Instead Vinicius Junior ended up being a millstone around Julen Lopetegui’s neck throughout the former Spain coach’s short tenure at the club. Indeed, the Brazilian and the failure to get the best out of him indirectly contributed to the decision to remove Lopetegui from his post after less than three months of his debut season.  “Vinicius is one more member of this squad, he is very…

Click:wind torch manufacturers Diving in football has been a hot topic for a number of years with players willing to bend the rules in order to gain their team any advantage. Simulation is part of the modern game now and what was once blamed on the Premier League’s foreign imports has manifested itself among a number of English players and occurs on a regular basis. This season, 18 players have been booked for a form of simulation, with Tottenham midfielder Heung-Min Son the latest to literally fall foul of the law. Son became the fourth Spurs player to be booked this term when he went down in the box following a challenge…

Karim Benzema’s late leveller means Los Blancos have not been beaten in 40 matches in all competitions and the two teams now meet again on Sunday COMMENT The spirit of this team is truly remarkable. Real Madrid looked like suffering their first defeat since early April when they went 3-1 down at Sevilla on Thursday, but somehow they found a way back – even when the game itself did not really matter much. Madrid break Barca’s record with 40th game unbeaten Madrid had won the first leg 3-0 at the Santiago Bernabeu last week and coach Zinedine Zidane rested players – Cristiano Ronaldo and Luka Modric among them – for…

Ernesto Valverde’s side host Los Che in the first leg and, with a place in the final at stake, they will aim to surge into the lead Barcelona will hope to put one foot into the final of the Copa del Rey when they face Valencia in the first leg of the semi-final on Thursday. The Catalan side are the defending champions and reached this stage of the competition by beating Murcia, Celta Vigo and Espanyol. Valencia, meanwhile, overcame Zaragoza, Las Palmas and Alaves en route to the semi-final as they look to challenge for a title they haven’t won since 2008. Article continues below Editors' Picks Sarri vindicated for…

In-form Wolves host Newcastle this evening with the Magpies needing a win to move away from the Premier League relegation zone. Rafael Benitez’ side are only out of the bottom three on goal difference and will know their trip to Molineux won’t be easy. Nuno Espirito Santo and co have won their last three top-flight games and earned a fine victory at Everton last weekend. Wolves also claimed a win in the reverse fixture at St James’ Park in December with Matt Doherty’s 90th-minute goal securing the points. Tonight’s fixture is live on talkSPORT and here’s how you can tune in. Wolves vs Newcastle: How to listen Full commentary of…

The Barcelona star picked up a booking in Wednesday’s 2-1 win at Atletico Madrid and another card on Tuesday would see him suspended for the final Lionel Messi needs to be on his best behaviour for Barcelona on Tuesday night as a yellow card against Atletico Madrid would see him ruled out of a hypothetical Copa del Rey final. What’s happened to Thomas Muller? The Argentine forward netted with a stunning strike in Barca’s 2-1 semi-final first-leg win at the Estadio Vicente Calderon last Wednesday but he was also booked late in that match for a foul on Filipe Luis. Editors' Picks Sarri vindicated for dropping Kepa as Chelsea &…

Bristol City, almost out of nowhere, are now contenders in the Championship title race. With Leeds United, West Bromwich Albion, and Norwich all stalling in recent weeks and members of the top eight all cutting each other up, the Robins have flown up the table. Now sitting in fifth place, five points off second place and automatic promotion to the Premier League, life is looking good under Lee Johnson. It’s not going too well for Ipswich Town though with a derby defeat to Norwich exacerbating their woes at the foot of the table, while they’re also propping up the form table with just one win in eight. But how does…