“She Wolf” singer Shakira said that she and her son survived a wild boar attack and lived to tell about it. Which prompts the question: Maybe it was a She Boar in disguise?

August 8: Paris Saint-Germain and Lionel Messi are in negotiations on a contract after financially troubled Barcelona was unable to keep the superstar, a person with knowledge of the negotiations told The Associated Press on Saturday.

MADRID, Aug 6: Six-time Ballon d'Or winner Lionel Messi will leave Barcelona despite both parties having reached an agreement over a new contract, the La Liga club said on Thursday, citing economic and structural obstacles to the renewal of the deal.

BARCELONA, Dec 17:  Barcelona coach Ronald Koeman praised his side’s relentless pressing after their 2-1 win over Real Sociedad on Wednesday, when the Catalans finally came alive after an awful start to the season.

BARCELONA, Oct 25: Real Madrid captain Sergio Ramos once again proved to be the man for the big occasion as he converted a fiercely debated penalty to help his side to a 3-1 win over rivals Barcelona at an empty Camp Nou in La Liga on Saturday.

BARCELONA, Oct 1:  Barcelona have completed the signing of United States full back Sergino Dest from Ajax Amsterdam for 21 million euros (19 million pounds) plus five more in variables, the Liga side said on Thursday.

MADRID, Aug 30: Lionel Messi will not take a planned pre-season coronavirus test on Sunday or return to training on Monday after his shock announcement earlier this week that he wants to leave Barcelona, Spanish media reported on Saturday.

BUENOS AIRES, Aug 27:  The news that Lionel Messi wants to leave Barcelona may have shocked the football world but his fellow Argentines back his decision and they are excited by growing reports of a reunion with coach Pep Guardiola at Manchester City.

BARCELONA, Aug 15: The Spanish media showed no mercy to Barcelona after their epic 8-2 defeat by Bayern Munich in the Champions League quarter-finals, calling for huge changes at the club after a night that will be difficult to erase from their memory.

LISBON, Aug 15: German champions Bayern Munich utterly humiliated Barcelona with an extraordinary 8-2 demolition job on Friday that sent them through into the semi-finals of the Champions League.

BARCELONA , July 16:  Barring a miracle, Barcelona’s recent grip on the La Liga title is coming to an end and there is a deep sense of frustration within the club and among fans at how this season has gone, with an overriding sense that they have thrown it away.

BARCELONA, July 12:  Barcelona forward Antoine Griezmann is set to miss his side’s final two La Liga games after sustaining a thigh injury during Saturday’s 1-0 win over Real Valladolid.

BARCELONA, July 9: Barcelona kept up their pursuit of leaders Real Madrid in the La Liga title race by beating city rivals Espanyol 1-0 at home on Wednesday, also condemning their neighbours to relegation from the top flight.

VILA-REAL, July 6:  Barcelona president Josep Maria Bartomeu has said that captain Lionel Messi will end his career at the Catalan club, dismissing a report saying the Argentine no longer wishes to renew his current contract when it expires next year.

VILA-REAL, SPAIN, July 6: Barcelona responded to a trying week by producing a scintillating display to thrash Villarreal 4-1 away on Sunday and stay alive in the Liga title race.

BARCELONA, July 3:  Barcelona captain Lionel Messi has called off negotiations over renewing his contract with the club and is ready to leave the Catalans when his current deal expires in 2021, according to a report by Spanish radio station Cadena Ser on Friday.

BARCELONA, July 1:  Barcelona gave up more ground to Real Madrid in La Liga’s title race on Tuesday after being held to a 2-2 draw at home to third-placed Atletico Madrid as a late penalty from Saul Niguez cancelled out Lionel Messi’s 700th career goal.

BARCELONA, June 30: Barcelona have reached an agreement to sell Brazil midfielder Arthur Melo to Juventus for a fee of 72 million euros ($80.98 million) and signed Bosnian Miralem Pjanic from the Italian champions for 60 million, the La Liga side said on Monday.

MADRID, June 25: Real Madrid eased to a 2-0 home victory over Real Mallorca on Wednesday thanks to goals in each half from Vinicius Jr. and Sergio Ramos to stay in charge of the La Liga title race ahead of Barcelona.

BARCELONA, June 17: Barcelona’s teenage forward Ansu Fati and all-time top scorer Lionel Messi were on target as they beat bottom club Leganes 2-0 at an empty Camp Nou on Tuesday to maintain their perfect start since the season resumed after its three-month hiatus.

BARCELONA, June 9: Barcelona and Real Madrid resume one of the tightest title races in recent memory when La Liga kicks back into action this week in empty stadiums, after a three-month pause due to the coronavirus pandemic.

March 25: Barcelona forward Lionel Messi and Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola have each donated one million euros ($1.08 million) towards the fight against coronavirus.

NAPLES, Feb 26: Antoine Griezmann’s second-half equaliser handed Barcelona a vital away goal and earned them a 1-1 draw at Napoli in their Champions League last-16 first leg meeting on Tuesday.

Messi leads thrilling Barca at Betis

February 10, 2020 09:53 am

SEVILLE, Feb 10: Lionel Messi produced a hat-trick of assists as Barcelona pulled off a gutsy 3-2 win at Real Betis after trailing twice in an enthralling match in La Liga on Sunday, finally giving the Catalans something to celebrate after a week of upheaval.

Barca sign Trincao for 31 million euros

January 31, 2020 21:00 pm

BARCELONA, Jan 31: Barcelona have signed Portuguese forward Francisco Trincao from Braga for 31 million euros ($34 million), the Spanish champions said in a statement on Friday.

VALENCIA, Jan 26: Barcelona coach Quique Setien admitted he is struggling to get his ideas across to his players after the champions were beaten 2-0 away to Valencia on Saturday, their first defeat since the coach took over from Ernesto Valverde earlier this month.

VALENCIA, Jan 26: La Liga champions Barcelona were beaten 2-0 away to Valencia on Saturday for their first defeat in three games under new coach Quique Setien.

BARCELONA, Jan 14: Barcelona have sacked coach Ernesto Valverde and named former Real Betis coach Quique Setien as his replacement, the club said in a statement on Monday.

BARCELONA, Jan 14: Barcelona have sacked coach Ernesto Valverde and named former Real Betis coach Quique Setien as his replacement, the club said in a statement on Monday.

BARCELONA, Jan 13: Barcelona great Xavi Hernandez has spoken to the club’s sporting director Eric Abidal and chief executive Oscar Grau about coaching the team but has not made a decision, a club source told Reuters on Sunday.

BARCELONA, Jan 12: Barcelona great Xavi Hernandez has said it is his dream to coach his former side after his current club, Qatari outfit Al Sadd, confirmed that the ex-Spain midfielder has been in negotiations with the Spanish champions.

JEDDAH, Jan 10: Atletico Madrid pulled off a stunning turnaround to beat Barcelona 3-2 in an enthralling Spanish Super Cup tie in Saudi Arabia on Thursday and book their place in the final of the revamped competition.

BARCELONA, Dec 19: Real Madrid outplayed Barcelona for much of Wednesday’s ‘Clasico’ but did not make their dominance count in a politically-charged match between the La Liga front runners which largely failed to live up to expectations.

BARCELONA, Nov 10: Lionel Messi scored two exquisite free kicks as he netted his first hat-trick of the season in a 4-1 win over Celta Vigo at the Camp Nou on Saturday which took Barcelona back to the top of La Liga after a difficult week.

BARCELONA, Oct 30:  Barcelona captain Lionel Messi scored two goals and set up two more as the Catalans thrashed Real Valladolid 5-1 to move top of La Liga on Tuesday.

BARCELONA, Oct 3: Lionel Messi showed Barcelona what they have been missing with his repeated injuries this season by producing a stunning and decisive assist in Wednesday’s 2-1 victory over Inter Milan which kick-started their Champions League campaign.

BARCELONA, Sept 27: Barcelona spent much of the summer trying to bring Neymar back to the club two years after he left to join Paris St Germain but on Friday the Brazilian will come up against his old club in the courtroom to settle a bitter legal dispute.

GRANADA, Spain, Sept 22: Barcelona were left reflecting on their worst start to a season in 25 years after falling to a shock 2-0 defeat at Granada on Saturday as the La Liga champions’ woeful away form continued and the promoted side climbed to the top of the table.

DORTMUND, Germany, Sept 18: Borussia Dortmund hit the woodwork and had a penalty saved before drawing 0-0 with Barcelona in their Champions League Group F opener on Tuesday, with Lionel Messi making his first appearance of the season for the Spaniards.

BARCELONA, Sept 16: Spanish champions Barcelona thrashed Valencia 5-2 on Saturday while Real Madrid scraped past Levante 3-2. Here are the five talking points from the action in La Liga this weekend.

BARCELONA, Sept 15: Barcelona’s 16-year-old forward Ansu Fati continued his explosive start to life in the first team by scoring and providing an assist as the La Liga champions thrashed Valencia 5-2 on Saturday.

BARCELONA, Sept 14: Lionel Messi will miss Barcelona’s La Liga showdown with Valencia on Saturday and is also a doubt for Tuesday’s Champions League trip to Dortmund as he has yet to recover from the calf injury he picked up in August, coach Ernesto Valverde said.

Barca held to surprise draw at Osasuna

September 1, 2019 09:04 am

PAMPLONA, Spain, Sept 1: Sixteen-year-old Ansu Fati became Barcelona’s youngest ever La Liga goalscorer on Saturday but could not prevent his side stumbling to a surprise 2-2 draw at promoted Osasuna which left the champions with only four points after three games.

BARCELONA, Aug 31: Paris St Germain are not close to reaching a deal with Barcelona that would take Neymar back to the Spanish champions as the Catalans have not met the French club’s asking price for the Brazil forward, PSG’s sporting director Leonardo said on Friday.

BARCELONA, Aug 22: Barcelona forward Antoine Griezmann is under pressure to deliver in his home bow against Real Betis on Sunday with the La Liga champions facing an injury crisis in attack as they look to respond to last week’s surprise defeat at Athletic Bilbao.

BERLIN, Aug 19: Bundesliga champions Bayern Munich have signed Barcelona midfielder Philippe Coutinho on loan for the season, the two clubs confirmed on Monday.

BILBAO, Aug 17: La Liga champions Barcelona fell to their first opening day defeat of the season in 11 years when they were beaten 1-0 at Athletic Bilbao thanks to a sensational late overhead kick from veteran striker Aritz Aduriz.

KOBE, July 29: When Barcelona announced in January they had signed Frenkie de Jong from Ajax, the midfielder became the latest in an illustrious pipeline of Dutch imports to the Catalan club.

Neymar posted a video featuring himself in a Barcelona shirt on social media on Saturday, raising more speculation that the Paris St Germain forward might return to his former club, but his public relations company said he would show up in Paris on Monday.

BARCELONA, July 12: Barcelona have signed French World Cup winner Antoine Griezmann from Atletico Madrid for 120 million euros (£107 million) on a five-year deal after paying his release clause, the La Liga champions said in a statement on Friday.