Spanish footballers will go on strike this weekend, postponing the start of the Liga football season after talks between the players’ union and the national football league failed to break a deadlock over unpaid wages.
Real Madrid ended its three-year silverware drought on Wednesday by beating Barcelona 1-0 in the Copa del Rey final, with an extra-time header from Cristiano Ronaldo (pictured right).
Real Madrid has a chance to end its three-year silverware drought on Wednesday by beating Barcelona in the Copa del Rey final, the second of four meetings between the two sides in 18 days.
The 32 Champions League teams taking part this season will each receive a minimum of 7.2 million euros just for participating, said European football governing body UEFA, 100,000 euros more each than last year.
Barcelona retained the Spanish La Liga title on the final day of the 2009/10 season with a 4-0 win over Valladolid at Camp Nou on Sunday, finishing ahead of arch rivals Real Madrid.
Saturday's 'El Clasico' between Real Madrid and arch-rivals Barcelona promises to be a gripping face-off, with both teams topping 'La Liga' with 77 points. Last season, the Catalans memorably won 6-2 at the Bernabeu stadium.
Ballon D'Or winner Lionel Messi scored twice as Barcelona defeated La Coruna 3-1 on Saturday, resulting in a healthy five point lead over Real in La Ligua. In Italy, Juventus edged out Inter in the Serie A race.
Swedish striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic scored the only goal for Barcelona against arch-rivals Real Madrid as the Catalans leapfrogged the "Galacticos" to take the top spot in the Spanish Liga.
Third division Alcorcon, a football club with a budget 400 times smaller than the Spanish Liga giants, dealt Real Madrid in an astonishing 4-0 defeat in the King's Cup.
A Disneyland-style theme park dedicated entirely to Real Madrid: that is what the wealthy club's president Florentino Perez (photo) has in mind, according to Spanish sports newspaper AS. The project has a price tag of 150 million euros.
