King's Cup holders Barcelona have a fight on their hands if they are to remain in the competition after losing a fiery first leg of their last-16 tie at Athletic Club 2-1 on Thursday despite playing the final 10 minutes with a two-man advantage.

Lionel Messi's beaten Copa America finalists Argentina end the year top of FIFA's world rankings while France were named 'mover of the year'.

Barcelona star Lionel Messi should win the Ballon d'Or award every year, according to club president Josep Maria Bartomeu, after the Argentine was beaten to the prize by Real Madrid rival Cristiano Ronaldo.

Barcelona star Lionel Messi should win the Ballon d'Or award every year, according to club president Josep Maria Bartomeu, after the Argentine was beaten to the prize by Real Madrid rival Cristiano Ronaldo.

Barcelona striker Luis Suarez hopes teammate Lionel Messi will follow his lead by signing a long-term contract to see out the remainder of his prime years at the Camp Nou.

Barcelona have agreed to withdraw an appeal against fines imposed by UEFA last year after their supporters waved pro-Catalan independence flags at two matches, European soccer's governing body said on Monday.

Luis Suarez celebrates his bumper new five-year Barcelona deal in style with a double as the champions defeated Espanyol 4-1 in the Catalan derby to move to within three points of La Liga leaders Real Madrid.

A six-year-old Afghan boy, who shot to Internet fame by sporting a Lionel Messi shirt made out of a plastic bag, fulfills his dreams by meeting the Argentine soccer great.

Neither Lionel Messi nor Cristiano Ronaldo would be considered fresh enough at youthful Bundesliga leaders RB Leipzig, says sports director Ralf Rangnick.

Barcelona's Nou Camp is the biggest soccer arena in Europe and has long been the home of the world's best players but visitors have often complained that it is lacking in atmosphere.

Real Madrid can open a nine-point lead over bitter rivals Barcelona at the top of La Liga by winning Saturday's 'Clasico' at the Nou Camp.

Despite being former midfield heroes for the clubs they now manage, Barcelona coach Luis Enrique and his Real Madrid counterpart Zinedine Zidane are afforded little credit for their achievements in management.

Barcelona were held 1-1 by lowly Hercules in their King's Cup last 32 first-leg match on Wednesday while Mariano scored a hat-trick as Real Madrid romped to a 6-1 second-leg victory over third-tier Cultural Leonesa and a 13-2 aggregate triumph.

A plane that crashed in the mountains of Colombia, killing 71 people, including members of a Brazilian football team, may have run out of fuel, a Colombian military source told AFP.

Doctors treated traumatized survivors and an investigation was to get underway on Wednesday into an air crash that killed 71 people and wiped out Brazil's Chapecoense soccer team en route to a cup final in Colombia.

Gerard Pique gives a scathing assessment of Barcelona's display after the champions were held to a 1-1 draw by Real Sociedad and casts doubt on his team's ability to retain the La Liga title unless their performances improve.

For football great Diego Maradona, Cuban revolutionary Fidel Castro was more than a friend and fellow Latin American legend, he was "a second father."

Lionel Messi's prodigious talent is matched by his startling humility, which he displayed again on Thursday by denying that Barcelona's fate is determined by his presence in the team.

Arsenal forward Alexis Sanchez is keen to play the same kind of role Lionel Messi performs at Barcelona, the Chilean international said.

Lionel Messi looks set to return for Barcelona's Champions League trip to Celtic on Wednesday after overcoming a sickness bug