Lionel Messi agrees new deal worth £16m a year with Barcelona

Barcelona have reached an agreement with Lionel Messi over an extension to his contract. The Argentina forward has been in negotiations for several weeks. However a statement on Barcelona's website on Friday confirmed that they have agreed terms.
"Barcelona has reached an agreement to adjust the terms in the contract binding Leo Messi to the club as a professional first team player," it read. "The revised and updated contract will be signed over the next few days."
No details of the contract were disclosed, but the deal follows lengthy negotiations during which it was reported that the 26-year-old wanted to surpass Real Madrid's Cristiano Ronaldo as the best-paid player in the world.
According to the Barcelona-based newspaper Sport, the contract is worth a record €20m per season (£16.3m), plus further incentives,
while tying Messi to the club until 2019.
Securing Messi's future is a major piece of business for Barcelona as they shape up for a crucial summer. The club were hit with a one-year transfer ban for violations of the rules on signing minors earlier this year. That ban has been suspended on appeal and Barça need to make a series of moves in order to guard against the possibility that they are reinstated for both the winter transfer window and next summer.
The news was announced on the eve of Barça's title decider against La Liga leaders Atlético Madrid, who will travel to Camp Nou on Saturday. Barcelona need a win to take the title, with a draw enough for Atlético.
Messi has scored 28 goals in 30 league appearances to lead Barça's charge once again, and has 41 in all competitions this season. In all the Argentinian has scored 354 goals in 424 matches for Barca, the highest scorer in the club's history.
The new contract will see Messi move into a second decade with the club, having come through the ranks to make his debut during the 2004-05 season. He has gone on to win six league titles, three Champions League crowns, two Copa del Reys, two Club World Cups and two European Super Cups.

Cristiano Ronaldo ruled out of Real Madrid's La Liga game at Celta Vigo

Cristiano Ronaldo is out of Real Madrid's La Liga match at Celta Vigo on Sunday, Carlo Ancelotti said on Saturday.
The Portugal captain, who has been struggling with minor injuries in recent weeks, limped out of Wednesday's 1-1 draw at Real Valladolid with an apparent thigh strain. With the Champions League final against Atlético on 24 May looming, it has been decided not to risk aggravating the injury, Ancelotti told a news conference.
"Cristiano Ronaldo is not playing tomorrow because

Gareth Bale hopes for Champions League glory after Bayern crushed

Gareth Bale helped Real Madrid to dismantle Bayern Munich in their own stadium, taking his club to a first Champions League final since 2002, and said that momentous nights such as these were the reason why he moved from Tottenham Hotspur for a world record £86m last summer.
Real won 4-0 at the Allianz Arena to advance 5-0 on aggregate and they will face either Chelsea or Atlético Madrid in the final in Lisbon. Carlo Ancelotti, the Real manager, said he would be happy to face Chelsea, who sacked him in 2011 while José Mourinho, the Stamford Bridge manager, would surely like to face Real, from where he departed last summer.
It was the sheer force of Real's first-half performance against the defending champions that took the breath away, with Sergio Ramos heading two

Benzema gives Real a lead

Real Madrid took a step towards their first Champions League final in 12 years by beating Bayern Munich 1-0 at the Bernabeu thanks to a first-half goal by Karim Benzema.
Carlo Ancelotti's side must still survive another 90 minutes against the European champions, but head to the semi-final second leg in Munich with the added advantage of not conceding an away goal.
The visitors dominated possession but were unable to

Cristiano Ronaldo to have late fitness test on Wednesday before Bayern tie

Cristiano Ronaldo will undergo a fitness test on Wednesday morning to decide if he can take part in the Champions League semi-final first leg against Bayern Munich at the Bernabéu.
The Real Madrid coach, Carlo Ancelotti, said he was "confident" that the competition's top scorer would be available but insisted that they will not take any risks with his fitness. Gareth Bale is doubtful after having suffered with a bout of flu.
Ronaldo has missed the last four games, including the final of the Copa del Rey, through injury. The Portuguese had suffered a knee injury and then had hamstring problems. The club had been cautious about his prognosis, saying little publicly, and Ronaldo had also

Lionel Messi hat-trick gives Barcelona victory over Real Madrid

With six minutes to go Lionel Messi struck a penalty high into the top corner of the Real Madrid net to complete a hat-trick and the scoring in an astonishing match that left the title race wide open once again. Just a solitary point now separates these two great rivals. Yet while the biggest game in Spain concluded with a new league leader, it was neither of them. Atlético Madrid are top.
All three contenders stand within a point of each other in a fascinating run-in that concludes with Barcelona-Atlético at the Camp Nou. Madrid's "other team" are top on head-to-head over Real, while Barcelona are a point behind the capital's clubs. The defending may not

Full-time: Real Madrid 3-4 Barcelona

It's all over! Barcelona have won!

more later...

UEFA Champions League Quarter Final

QF 4 Manchester United (ENG) Vs Bayern Munich (GER)

QF 3 Paris Saint German (FRA) Vs Chelsea (ENG)

QF 2 Real Madrid (ESP) Vs Borussia Dortmund (GER)

QF 1 Barcelona (ESP) Vs Atletico Madrid (ESP)

Here we go...


Real Madrid recap: An explosive force in this

Ronaldo double completes Real Madrid's thrashing of Schalke

 

Real Madrid's young forward Jesé faces a lengthy period on the sidelines after rupturing the cruciate ligament in his right knee in Tuesday's Champions League win over Schalke.
The 21-year-old was knocked to the ground and landed awkwardly when he tangled with the Schalke defender Sead Kolasinac in the second minute of Real's 3-1 second-leg victory at the Bernabéu and had to be replaced by Gareth Bale.
"He has had bad luck