La Liga

Real Madrid star Vinicius Junior criticized La Liga on Saturday for its inaction toward addressing racist behavior.

"Racists continue to go to stadiums and watch the biggest club in the world up close and La Liga continues to do nothing..." he wrote on Twitter (h/t The Athletic's Jacob Whitehead).

"I will continue with my head held high and celebrating my victories and those of Madrid. In the end it's MY fault."

His comments came after he was the target of racist abuse during a 2-0 win over Real Valladolid on Friday.

La Liga issued a statement to Whitehead defending its handing of racism allegations, saying, "Hate speech has no place in LaLiga."

"We are investigating last night's match and will work with the clubs and appropriate authorities to identify and prosecute anyone guilty of hate speech," the league stated.

"As for yesterday's events, LaLiga is still investigating but has already identified racist insults from some individuals (not groups) in videos uploaded to social media, which will be the subject of an official complaint as in previous cases."

Racist abuse by fans isn't a problem isolated to Spain, but it has remained a persistent issue for years. This isn't the first time Vinicius has been victimized, either. Prior to Madrid's 2-1 win over rival Atlético Madrid in September, Atlético supporters chanted, "Vinicius is a monkey" as they entered Cívitas Metropolitano.

La Liga's approach to addressing allegations of racist abuse also came into sharp focus in April 2021, when Valencia defender Mouctar Diakhaby said he had been racially abused by Cádiz defender Juan Cala. Diakhaby's teammates walked off the pitch in solidarity, and he didn't return to the match when it restarted.

La Liga said days later it didn't find evidence that Cala used a racist slur toward Diakhaby.

In a statement, Valencia said, "The fact that no evidence has been found does not mean that it didn't happen."

"Our aim is to see a change, to see an appropriate response to such a grave incident, to see a movement to change the regulations and attitudes when facing these types of problems that may arise," the club stated. "It was an unprecedented episode in football, but we are convinced that it will serve to promote a real change in the regulations."

The Athletic's Dermot Corrigan and Adam Crafton laid out how the incident was emblematic of structural issues within La Liga and Spain.

Barcelona said in a statement released Wednesday that it is "studying the legal measures that need to be taken" after El Mundo leaked details of contract negotiations that took place between the club and superstar forward Lionel Messi in 2020, per ESPN's Sam Marsden and Moises Llorens.

The full statement read:

In relation to the information published in El Mundo under the title 'Barca Leaks, the club's secret files', Barcelona express indignation at the intentional leaking of information that is part of a legal process.

The club regrets that the media in question boasts of having 'access to a huge number of documents and emails that are part of the Barcagate investigation' when this information is yet to be shared.

In any case, the article in question makes public documents that have nothing to do with the ongoing case and their use is an affront to the reputation and confidentiality of the club. For that reason, and with the aim of protecting Barcelona's rights, the club's legal department are studying the legal measures that need to be taken.

Per El Mundo's report, Messi wanted to reduce his buyout clause to just €10,000 ($9,849), wanted guarantees the club would pay him his deferred wages, desired a three-year deal that included a €10 million signing bonus and a player option for a fourth season in 2024 and other considerations, including private boxes for both his and Luis Suarez's family at Camp Nou.

Messi reportedly would have taken a 20 percent pay cut on his €70 million annual salary but wanted to be paid back that sum with interest in the future.

He ultimately signed with Paris Saint-Germain on a free transfer in 2021. Despite agreeing to terms with new club president Joan Laporta, Barcelona's financial woes made them unable to register the agreement with La Liga.

El Mundo became privy to Messi's previous contract requests in negotiations with Barcelona after reportedly obtaining emails that police had gathered during an investigation into the club. Messi himself is not being investigated.

Per ESPN's report, "Barcagate is an ongoing legal case relating to third-party payments, breaching internal protocols and smear campaigns against club legends involving the previous president Josep Maria Bartomeu and his board of directors."

Barcelona no longer has to worry about making its summer transfers official.

Barca has officially registered signings Robert Lewandowski, Raphinha, Franck Kessié and Andreas Christensen, along with new contracts for Sergi Roberto and Ousmane Dembélé, according to ESPN's Sam Marsden and Moises Llorens.

The only player left to be registered is Jules Koundé.

Barcelona's biggest summer signing was Lewandowski, who agreed to a $46 million deal after playing the last eight seasons with Bundesliga side Bayern Munich. In total, La Blaugrana spent $154 million on Lewandowski, Raphinha and Koundé.

Earlier Friday, the club sold 24.5 percent of Barca Studios, its in-house production company, to Orpheus Media for $103 million in order to register its summer signings. It marked the fourth "financial lever" the club has used leading up to the 2022-23 season.

Barca previously sold 24.5 percent of Barca Studios to Socios.com, along with 25 percent of its domestic television rights to Sixth Street in two transactions that totaled more than $520 million.

While Barcelona raised $615 million with those three transactions, La Liga told the club it needed to sell more assets or reduce its wage bill to register its new signings, so it enacted the fourth financial lever Friday.

Despite the moves, Barca is more than $1 billion in debt, per ESPN, a big part of why it couldn't bring back club legend Lionel Messi last year.

Barcelona aims to create more salary space by renegotiating the contract of Gerard Pique, according to ESPN. The club is also looking to unload the contract of Frenkie de Jong.

Barca agreed to a deal for De Jong with Manchester United worth over $80 million in July, according to ESPN's Rob Dawson. However, the Dutchman prefers to stay with the club.

To remain with Barcelona, De Jong must reduce his salary. However, he is reportedly refusing to do so.

Barcelona is set to open the 2022-23 season tomorrow against Rayo Vallecano.

Barcelona sold 24.5 percent of its in-house production company to Orpheus Media for €100 million ($103 million) as it attempts to meet La Liga financial requirements for its seven remaining summer signings, including Robert Lewandowski.

ESPN's Sam Marsden and Moises Llorens reported Friday that the sale of a stake in Barça Studios, combined with a potential contract adjustment for center back Gerard Pique, leaves the club "hopeful the situation can now be resolved" ahead of Saturday's match against Rayo Vallecano.

Barcelona reached a €45 million ($46.3 million) agreement with Bayern Munich in mid-July to acquire Lewandowski, per David Ornstein of The Athletic.

The deal hasn't been finalized over the past month, however, and now the club is in a race against time to ensure the superstar striker is available for the season-opening fixture.

Lewandowski scored 35 goals in 34 Bundesliga appearances last season as Bayern rolled to its 10th straight domestic championship.

The 33-year-old Poland international told Polish newspaper Meczyki (via Julian Bovill for MailOnline) that a desire for a new challenge led to the Barça transfer.

"I knew my career at Bayern was continuous. I needed a new challenge," he said. "The next goals and trophies in Germany were, of course, important, but not as rewarding. I admit that I was starting to have a problem with it. I needed a strong impulse, and that could only be a transfer."

So far, there's no sign the deal could fall through because of the financial issues.

It's the same hurdle Barcelona failed to jump last summer when it was trying to re-sign club legend Lionel Messi before announcing it wasn't possible because of La Liga's "regulations on player registration."

The Blaugrana have now triggered four different financial levers this summer in an effort to satisfy Spain's top league and get its signings registered, per Marsden and Llorens.

Raphinha, Jules Koundé, Franck Kessié and Andreas Christensen join Lewandowski as the new arrivals waiting for approval, while Sergi Roberto and Ousmane Dembélé were re-signed and also must be registered to take the pitch Saturday, according to the ESPN report.

It could leave Barcelona undermanned for the opener at Camp Nou if there are any final hiccups over the next 24 hours.

Cristiano Ronaldo spent a good portion of his career starring for La Liga giants Real Madrid. And despite rumors that he might join one of that club's primary rivals, Atletico Madrid, as he reportedly seeks an exit from Manchester United this summer, Atletico president Enrique Cerezo put a halt to that conversation on Tuesday.

"I've said it many times. I don't know who invented the story about Cristiano. But I'll tell you, it's practically impossible for him to come to Atletico Madrid," he told reporters.

Cerezo told reporters last month that Atletico needed to clear around €40 million ($40.5 million) from departures in order to bring new players in this summer. The club has signed Axel Witsel on a free transfer, while right-back Nahuel Molina appears poised to be the next addition.

Ronaldo's name has popped up alongside a number of prominent European clubs thus far in the summer transfer window. Bayern Munich, despite losing superstar forward Robert Lewandowski to Barcelona, didn't bite:

ESPN's Julien Laurens reported on July 12 that PSG were given the chance to bring Ronaldo on board after his agent, Jorge Mendes, met with sporting director Luis Campos and club president Nasser Al-Khelaifi. They turned down the opportunity.

Two days later, ESPN's James Olley reported that Chelsea—in need of a central forward—took themselves out of the running for Ronaldo as well.

And now Atletico Madrid are pulling out of contention.

Throughout the entire saga, Manchester United has maintained that it isn't interested in letting the 37-year-old forward leave.

"We are planning for Cristiano Ronaldo for the season and that's it," United manager Erik ten Hag told reporters earlier in July. "I'm looking forward to working with him. I have read [that he wants to leave], but what I say is Cristiano is not for sale, he is in our plans and we want success together."

Ronaldo hasn't lost his scoring touch. He found the back of the net 18 times and added three assists in Premier League action last season.

But Ronaldo's age, wages and his inability (or unwillingness) to operate as a defensive contributor in a high-pressing tactical system has perhaps soured him for high-profile teams around Europe. At this stage, Ronaldo is an expensive poacher, capable of scoring goals but offering less in other areas of the game.

So as the summer wears on, a return to Manchester United feels more and more likely.

Barcelona manager Xavi Hernandez said Monday there's no chance Lionel Messi returns to the La Liga club from Paris Saint-Germain ahead of the 2022-23 season.

Xavi described the idea of Messi coming back to Camp Nou one year after his departure as "impossible" at the moment because of his PSG contract, but he admitted that outlook could change in the future.

"It doesn't make sense to speak about Messi. He is the best player in the world and the best ever," Xavi told reporters. "The president has already said that he hopes Messi's story has not finished with Barcelona. We will see in the future, but it's not the moment to speak about Leo, it's the moment to talk about the exciting players we have here."

Messi was expected to remain at Barcelona last summer, and the sides even reached an agreement on a contract extension to keep him with the club, but Barca announced last August the deal couldn't be finalized because of La Liga's "regulations on player registration."

Less than a week later he joined PSG. French outlet L'Equipe reported (via AS' Andres Onrubia) that the legendary forward signed a two-year contract with an option for a third season at the Parc des Princes worth up to $129 million.

Joan Laporta returned to the role of Barcelona president in March 2021 after running a campaign heavily focused on Messi's future. He previously held the position from 2003 through 2010, the period when the Argentine superstar began to emerge as one of the best players in history.

"I am sure that if someone else wins the election [other than me], Messi won't stay at the club," Laporta said during a debate before last year's election. "I have a good relationship with him; there's a lot of respect."

His return to the presidential post wasn't enough to secure Messi's future at Camp Nou, but he told ESPN on Sunday there's still hope for a storybook ending.

"I would hope that the Messi chapter isn't over," Laporta said. "I think it's our responsibility to try to ... find a moment to fix that chapter, which is still open and hasn't closed, so it turns out like it should have, and that it has a more beautiful ending."

The 35-year-old playmaker didn't quite live up to his usual standard in his first season with PSG—his 11 goals across all competitions marked his lowest total since 2005-06—but he still compiled a productive six goals and 14 assists in 26 Ligue 1 appearances.

He'll once again help headline one of the world's most star-studded attacks this season alongside Neymar and Kylian Mbappe for the Parisians.

It sounds like Barcelona will be heavily involved if Messi decides to decline the option in his Paris Saint-Germain contract next summer, though.

Albert Masnou of Diario Sport reported on Sunday that Xavi, Messi's former Barca teammate, has asked Laporta to sign the forward back in 2023 under the belief his return would "bring a lot to the club both on an economic level and a sporting one."

All told, whether the potential return happens next summer or a little further down the line, it would be a surprise if Messi's swan song doesn't take place with Barca.

Barcelona president Joan Laporta hopes that Lionel Messi's story with his former club hasn't completely concluded.

"Messi was everything," Laporta told ESPN. "To Barca, he's been possibly its greatest player, the most efficient. To me he's only comparable to Johan Cruyff. But it had to happen one day. We had to make a decision as a consequence of what we inherited. The institution is in charge of players, coaches.

"I would hope that the Messi chapter isn't over. I think it's our responsibility to try to ... find a moment to fix that chapter, which is still open and hasn't closed, so it turns out like it should have, and that it has a more beautiful ending."

Barcelona's financial woes ahead of last season meant that the club could no longer afford Messi's wages, and he joined Paris Saint-Germain on a free transfer after spending the first 17 years of his professional career with the Catalan giant.

That transition wasn't seamless for either side. Messi had six goals and 15 assists in 26 total Ligue 1 appearances, pedestrian stats for the seven-time Ballon d'Or winner, while Barcelona finished trophyless, failed to reach the knockout stage of the Champions League and finished second in La Liga behind rivals Real Madrid.

It seemed clear that Messi never wanted to leave the only European club he had ever known, as he was emotional during the press conference announcing his departure last summer.

"As president of Barca, I did what I had to do," Laporta told ESPN. "But also as president of Barca, and on a personal level, I think I owe him."

What exactly that means is unclear. Barça has already made several splashy signings this summer in attacking positions, including superstar striker Robert Lewandowski and promising winger Raphinia, so it seems highly unlikely that the club would make a move for Messi this summer.

But the Argentine superstar has just one more year remaining on his PSG contract (with an option for an additional year as well), so perhaps a reunion in the future isn't out of the question.

There has been speculation that Messi could join the MLS' Inter Miami after his PSG contract runs up, perhaps even becoming a minority owner in the process. But a Barcelona reunion would be the storybook ending Laporta, at least, seems to be hoping is still in the cards.

Barcelona defender Gerard Pique and music superstar Shakira announced Saturday the end of their 11-year relationship.

The former couple, who met in 2010 and began dating a year later, have two children together, sons Milan and Sasha.

"We regret to confirm that we are parting ways," they said in a joint statement to E! News. "For the well-being of our children, who are our highest priority, we ask that you respect their privacy. Thank you for your understanding."

They met when Pique appeared in a music video for Shakira's track "Waka Waka (This Time for Africa)," which was used as the official song for the 2010 FIFA World Cup in South Africa.

The superstar center back, who played a key role in the Spain national team's golden era, helped La Roja capture the 2010 World Cup title.

Also Saturday, Shakira addressed rumors about her health after she was recently seen in an ambulance, saying she was accompanying her father after he'd suffered injuries in a fall:

Pique, a Barcelona native, emerged as a promising prospect at Barca's famed La Masia youth academy before starting his professional career at Manchester United in 2004.

He returned to the Blaugrana in 2008 and has spent the past 14 years at the Camp Nou while establishing himself as one of the best defenders of the generation.

Now 35, he faced speculation about retirement early in the 2021-22 season but told Barca TV+ in March (via Abdi Rashid of the Daily Mail) he plans to continue playing.

"For me, it has been a dream this journey, and I hope to keep it going as long as I can—keep playing and keep helping the club," Pique said. "I hope this journey does not end yet; I want it to go on a bit more. I am very proud."

Pique retired from international football in 2018, but there have been rumors he could return to the Spain squad ahead of the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, which kicks off in November.

Paris Saint-Germain star Lionel Messi believes Real Madrid striker Karim Benzema deserves to win this year's Ballon d'Or, which is presented to the player who is considered to be the best in the world, after helping Los Blancos win the UEFA Champions League and La Liga titles.

"There are no doubts, it's very clear that Benzema had a spectacular year and ended up victorious in the Champions League," Messi said on Argentine television, according to Reuters (h/t ESPN). "He was fundamental in all the matches from the round of 16 onwards. I think there is no doubt this year."

It's no surprise Messi believes Benzema should win the award after the Frenchman scored a hat trick against Paris Saint-Germain in the second leg of their UEFA Champions League last-16 matchup. 

"The Real Madrid game killed us, me and everyone in the dressing room. We had a lot of hope. It makes me want to win again," Messi said. "But the best team doesn't always win the Champions League. I don't take credit away from Real Madrid, they weren't the best in this competition and yet they beat everyone."

Benzema, who has spent the last 13 seasons with Real Madrid, tallied 44 goals and 15 assists in 46 games across all competitions en route to winning the UEFA Champions League and La Liga titles. 

Benzema scored 27 La Liga goals, nine more than the next-best player, and 15 Champions League goals. Of his 15 Champions League goals, 10 came in the tournament's knockout stages.

The 34-year-old would become the second-oldest player to win the Ballon d'Or. Blackpool's Stanley Matthews is the oldest, having won the inaugural award in 1956 when he was 41. He would also become the first Frenchman to win the award since Zinedine Zidane in 1998 to win it. 

After winning the Champions League title, Benzema admitted to reporters that he was thinking about the possibility he could win the Ballon d'Or for the first time in his 18 professional seasons.

"Of course," Benzema said. "Now I will join up with the national team but I don't think I can do much more with my club. We will see what happens, but in any case I am proud of what I have done."

Benzema added: "Let's see what happens. I have trophies and I have nothing else [to prove] on the pitch. The important thing is to enjoy it."

Other possible Ballon d'Or candidates include Bayern Munich's Robert Lewandowski, Manchester City's Kevin De Bruyne, Paris Saint-Germain's Kylian Mbappe and Liverpool's Mohamed Salah. 

The nominees will be announced August 12 and the award will be presented nearly two months later on October 17.