PARIS, Oct 28 (Reuters) - Spain and Manchester City midfielder Rodri is the 2024 Ballon d'Or winner for the best player in the world, beating Brazil's Vinicius Jr and England's Jude Bellingham, both of Real Madrid, to the prestigious prize.
Barcelona's Spain midfielder Aitana Bonmati won the women's award for a second time.
Barcelona took Real Madrid behind the woodshed on Saturday with an unbelievable 4-0 result at the Santiago Bernabéu. The biggest talking point was Kylian Mbappé’s wretched showing in his first El Clásico.
The Mbappé vs Barcelona performance was truly hard to believe. The Frenchman is one of the most talented players on the planet right now but looked like a lost youth soccer player on Saturday. Real Madrid’s new star man was caught offside EIGHT TIMES against Barcelona.
MADRID — Real Madrid manager Carlo Ancelotti said on Friday that he does not fear LaLiga leaders Barcelona but has the utmost respect for Hansi Flick's side, who they host on Saturday.
Barca lead the standings three points ahead of their rivals. While Ancelotti praised Barca's recent form, he highlighted the fact that Real are the defending champions and will not be intimidated.
"Fortunately, at the moment nobody keeps me awake at night," Ancelotti told a press conference on Friday.
MADRID — Four people have been arrested and questioned in Spain on suspicion of conducting an online hate campaign encouraging fans to racially abuse Real Madrid star forward Vinicius Jr, police said on Thursday.
The men were detained on Oct. 14 and 15 then released as investigations continued into social media slogans which urged fans to wear face masks so they could insult the Black Brazil international without being identified, police added.
BARCELONA — Barcelona captain Raphinha scored a hat-trick to lead them to a commanding 4-1 home victory over Bayern Munich in the Champions League on Wednesday, ending a near decade-long winless run against the German powerhouse.
After six consecutive losses in which they were outscored 22 goals to four by Bayern, including a humiliating 8-2 defeat in the Champions League quarter-finals four years ago, Barcelona got their revenge with a great attacking performance led by their Brazilian captain.
Barcelona vs Bayern highlights
MADRID — Real Madrid fought back from two goals down as Vinicius Jr grabbed a hat-trick in a thrilling 5-2 win over visitors Borussia Dortmund in the Champions League on Tuesday.
In a rematch of last-season's final, Dortmund lit up the game with a two-goal blitz around the half-hour mark from Donyell Malen and Jamie Gittens to silence the Bernabeu crowd.
However, the champions were livelier after the break and broke Dortmund's resistance with Antonio Rüdiger's header on the hour before Vinicius equalized with a close-range strike.
STOCKHOLM/PARIS — Allegations of rape against French footballer Kylian Mbappé are "totally false" and "a slanderous rumour", his representatives said, and his lawyer said he was beyond reproach, following media reports that Mbappé was the subject of an investigation over an incident in a Stockholm hotel on Oct. 10.
Mbappé rape rumors
Swedish prosecutors confirmed in a statement in response to the media coverage that a probe into an alleged rape at a hotel in central Stockholm had been opened, but they did not identify a suspect.
Barcelona shared new Camp Nou renderings this week as the future home ground of the Spanish giants begins to take shape. The club have been playing in the Barcelona Olympic Stadium since 2023 while renovations take place.
The new renderings come with good and bad news as the recent images are incredible, however a return date isn’t known. Originally the plan was for Barcelona to play in a partially completed Camp Nou on November 29 for the club’s 125th anniversary.
Barcelona vice-president Elena Fort said that those plans have been scrapped.
BARCELONA — Former Barcelona and Spain midfielder Andres Iniesta announced his retirement on Tuesday after a glittering trophy-laden career spanning 24 years.
Iniesta, 40, was at the heart of the Spain and Barcelona midfield during a period of sustained success for both teams in the late 2000s and early 2010s.
"Please allow me to be a little emotional today," a tearful Iniesta, who most recently played for Emirates Club in the United Arab Emirates, told a press conference.
Girona goalkeeper Paulo Gazzaniga saved two penalties, excluding one that had to be retaken, before striker Cristhian Stuani scored from the spot deep in stoppage time as they beat visitors Athletic Bilbao 2-1 in LaLiga on Sunday.
Girona sit a provisional 11th in the standings with 12 points from nine matches, while Bilbao are sixth with 14 points.