Philippe Coutinho

With just two points separating Barcelona and Real Madrid at the top of La Liga, the race to be crowned champions is very much on.

Football in Spain’s top division got back underway on Thursday, but it wasn’t until Saturday before fans were able to watch either of the top two in action. Barcelona produced a convincing display to ease past Mallorca 4-0, but Real responded when they hosted Eibar the next day – also securing all three points with a 3-1 win.

With very little to separate the two teams as we reach the business end of the season, 90min takes a look at who should be considered the favourites…

Barcelona

Well, look, the three month break didn’t really seem to have any kind of impact on Lionel Messi whatsoever. Maybe a little rusty? Maybe a bit of time to adjust? Anything? No, Messi was well…typical Messi.

Although he registered two assists against Mallorca, he could have picked up a couple more as well. Oh, he also capped off his fine night’s work with a low shot to make it 4-0. As for the team’s performance, Quique Setien couldn’t have asked for much more.

A clean sheet, a fast start and four goals (including a first goal for Martin Braithwaite). It was a convincing display, with players getting the chance to not only boost their match fitness but also to gain confidence playing together again ahead of the season run-in.

Real Madrid

As for Real Madrid, it was a dominant first half display that did the damage against Eibar. Toni Kroos got Los Blancos off to the perfect start after just four minutes, while Sergio Ramos and Marcelo also netted before the break.

Playing at the Alfredo Di Stefano Stadium, Zinedine Zidane’s men didn’t need much time to adjust, instead looking right at home. Perhaps what will have impressed Zidane the most was the performance of Eden Hazard, who looked sharp and showed promising signs of being back to his best.

However, the second half saw Real’s tempo drop and Eibar pulled a goal back. Nonetheless, while there were signs of fatigue and match sharpness in the second period, this was to be expected. Overall, similar to Barça, it was a convincing display and one that will have pleased Zidane.

Barcelona

M29 – Barcelona vs Leganes

M30 – Sevilla vs Barcelona

M31 – Barcelona vs Athletic Club

M32 – Celta Vigo vs Barcelona

M33 – Barcelona vs Atletico Madrid

M34 – Villarreal vs Barcelona

M35 – Barcelona vs Espanyol

M36 – Valladolid vs Barcelona

M37 – Barcelona vs Osasuna

M38 – Alaves vs Barcelona

It isn’t an easy run-in for Barça, as five of their remaining ten clashes are with teams in the top half of the table. To that end, particularly tough clashes await against Sevilla (away), Atletico Madrid (home) and Athletic Club (home).

However, Barça are also still to play Espanyol and Leganes, both of whom are currently in the relegation zone. The problem for Barça, however, arises when you look at how the fixtures fall – after their clash against Leganes, they have those tricky fixtures all within the next five games.

This tough run could give Real the chance they need to reclaim top spot.

Real Madrid

M29 – Real Madrid vs Valencia

M30 – Real Sociedad vs Real Madrid

M31 – Real Madrid vs Mallorca

M32 – Espanyol vs Real Madrid

M33 – Real Madrid vs Getafe

M34 – Athletic Club vs Real Madrid

M35 – Real Madrid vs Alaves

M36 – Granada vs Real Madrid

M37 – Real Madrid vs Villarreal

M38 – Leganes vs Real Madrid

If Barça’s season run-in wasn’t straightforward, then neither is Real’s. Six of their remaining ten league games are against teams in the top half of the table. Next up is a home clash with Valencia and Zidane’s starting lineup on Sunday underlined the importance of the game against Los Ches.

Federico Valverde started the game on the bench, as did Ferland Mendy, Vinicius Junior and Gareth Bale. Valverde and Mendy are the two most likely to come into the side against Valencia as they look to secure all three points in what is expected to be a tight contest.

While Los Blancos – like Barcelona – have a tough run of fixtures, it is worth noting that they have only lost three league games all season and will feel confident heading into the remaining clashes.

Barcelona

Prior to the enforced break, Barça were struggling with injuries. Luis Suarez, Ousmane Dembele and Sergi Roberto were the most notable absentees – but now, the Catalan giants have a fairly clean bill of health. Suarez returned to the bench for the clash with Mallorca, with Antoine Griezmann occupying the striking role and Braithwaite filling in on the wing.

However, due to problems at the back, Setien opted to go with young Ronald Araujo on Saturday evening. The 21-year-old was composed in his work, but it remains to be seen whether he has done enough to retain his place in the side.

While Setien will be pleased to have the majority of his players back fit again, there are still defensive and offensive question marks. Most notably, how would they cope should Messi be ruled out of a game through injury or suspension? Their over-reliance on the Argentine has been well documented, but it remains a major problem.

Real Madrid

Real Madrid have arguably the best squad in Europe.

If any player were to get injured, Zidane has two or three outstanding other talents to select, while there is a constant battle to get into the starting lineup. The return of Hazard from injury will have been especially pleasing for fans on Sunday evening, with the Belgian starring.

Elsewhere, Marco Asensio will be looking to finish the season strongly, having now recovered from his serious injury. The options are endless for Zidane. But one player he will not have at his disposal is Luka Jovic, who could potentially miss the rest of the campaign through injury.

Of course, the Serbian has struggled to make a real impression during his first season in Madrid, but the lack of cover for Karim Benzema will be a concern.

Two points separate Barcelona and Real Madrid, that’s all. It could go either way, but considering Real’s squad depth as well as the fixtures left to play (and the timings of them), it appears as though Real Madrid are in a slightly stronger position and should be considered the favourites.

Barcelona’s run of games against Sevilla, Athletic Club, Celta Vigo, Atletico Madrid and Villarreal could make or break their season. The problem, however, is with games set to be played every three or four days, Barça could be in a very dangerous position should any player suffer an injury. This isn’t the case for Madrid.

Overall, we can expect a very tight title race, but Real may just come out on top.

For more from Adam Aladay, follow him on Twitter!

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Barcelona will continue their quest to retain their title when they face Leganés at home on Tuesday night. The league leaders will be hoping to make it three straight La Liga victories and can’t afford any slip-ups, with Real Madrid just two points behind them.

Los Blancos are putting up a real title challenge for the first team in three years, so Blaugrana will have to be at their best if they hope to pull away from Madrid in the title race.

In terms of injuries and suspensions, only Jordi Alba and Ousmane Dembele are unavailable for Tuesday’s game, so Quique Setién will have plenty of choice when it comes to picking his starting lineup. This is how Barcelona should lineup for Tuesday’s game.

Marc-André ter Stegen (GK) – Having started in 27 of Barcelona’s 28 league games this season, Ter Stegen is about as close to certain to start as it is possible to be.

Sergi Roberto (RB) – With Nelson Semedo currently out of favour with Setién following the Portugal international breaking lockdown protocols, expect Sergi to get the nod.

Gerard Piqué (CB) – Piqué has played in all but one game for Barcelona and don’t expect that to change on Tuesday.

Samuel Umtiti (CB) – Having featured on the bench in Barcelona’s return against Mallorca at the weekend, injury-prone Umtiti could start for Setién’s side and push them towards the league title.

Júnior Firpo (LB) – With Jordi Alba suspended for Tuesday’s game, Firpo should land his eight start of the season and hold down the fort during Alba’s absence.

Sergio Busquets (DM) – Despite being on the wrong side of 30, Busquets is still bossing the midfield for Barcelona and shows no signs of slowing down. The Spaniard has only missed three league games all season and will once again start on Tuesday.

Frenkie de Jong (CM) – Having featured in every one of Barcelona’s league games this season, De Jong has been ever-present for Blaugrana as they look to land a third straight La Liga title. His ability to play a number of roles in the middle of the park has made him vital to Barcelona.

Arturo Vidal (CM) – Vidal marked Barcelona’s return at the weekend with a goal and has been one of Barça’s unsung heroes this season. His untouchable work rate make him an easy option to start against Leganés .

Lionel Messi (RW) – Spanish football returned this weekend, Lionel Messi landed two assists, bagged a goal and the world felt right again. It was business as usual for the Argentine as he picked up where he left off. Barcelona’s greatest-ever player will undoubtedly start on Tuesday.

Luis Suárez (ST) – Having struggled with injuries recently, Suárez came off the bench against Mallorca – assisting Messi for the fourth goal of the game – and might just be ready to start for Tuesday’s meeting, where he’ll be hoping to make up for lost time and bag a couple of goals.

Antoine Griezmann (LW) – Although Griezmann’s struggled throughout his first season at Camp Nou, the Frenchman is still one of Barcelona’s best attacking players and will no doubt lineup alongside Messi and Suarez on Tuesday, in an attack that’s sure to terrify Leganés defenders.

Let’

Italian publication Tuttosport has released its initial list of 100 candidates for the 2020 Golden Boy award, which honours the best under-21 player in Europe each year.

Previous winners of the prestigious award include Rafael van der Vaart (in its inaugural year in 2003), Wayne Rooney (2004), Lionel Messi (2005), Raheem Sterling (2014) and Kylian Mbappe (2017), while last year the prize was given to Joao Felix of Atletico Madrid.

Run by Tuttosport, a preliminary list of 100 talented young stars in one of Europe’s top tiers is whittled down to a shortlist of 20 by public vote, before a panel of 40 journalists from a range of countries and publications select the overall winner.

Among those on this year’s 100 are Dortmund’s Erling Haaland, – who Tuttosport describe as a frontrunner – as well as his teammate Jadon Sancho, Bayern Munich’s Alphonso Davies, Barcelona’s Ansu Fati and Real Madrid duo Vinicius Junior and Rodrygo Goes.

Including Sancho, there are 15 Englishmen on this year’s list with the others being: Max Aarons (Norwich), Tino Anjorin (Chelsea), Trae Coyle (Arsenal), Karamoko Dembele (Celtic), Phil Foden (Man City), James Garner (Man Utd), Morgan Gibbs-White (Wolves), Angel Gomes (Man Utd), Mason Greenwood (Man Utd), Callum Hudson-Odoi (Chelsea), Curtis Jones (Liverpool), Bukayo Saka (Arsenal), Ryan Sessegnon (Tottenham), Oliver Skipp (Tottenham).

Chelsea’s Scottish midfielder Billy Gilmour also made the cut, as did his Blues’ teammate Ethan Ampadu (on loan at RB Leipzig this season) and Southampton’s Ireland international Michael Obafemi.

With 17 goals and 16 assists in the Bundesliga this season, Sancho is perhaps best-placed to challenge Haaland for the top honour, while Rennes’ Real Madrid target Eduardo Camavinga and Valencia’s Ferran Torres are also likely to make the final 20.

See Tuttosport’s website for the full list and to cast your vote.

Let’

Barcelona will reportedly debut their new 2020/21 home kit in next month’s Derbi Barceloní with Espanyol, as new leaks have emerged showing how the kit will look.

Quique Setién’s side resumed their season with a 4-0 victory over Mallorca on Saturday evening, hoping to kick-start some momentum to drive them towards another La Liga title.

With the season unexpectedly running well into the summer, kit launches can take on a trivial feel – but they remain critically important for marketing and revenue, especially when finances are hit hard due to the coronavirus pandemic.

???? El Barça estrenará la equipación de la próxima temporada en el derbi ante el RCD Espanyol del 7-8 de julio (vía @jvehils) #fcblive pic.twitter.com/WLyDkoMoMU

— Albert Rogé (@albert_roge) June 13, 2020

According to Albert Rogé, of Catalan-based outlet SPORT, Barca will put their 2020/21 home kit on sale from 8 July – coinciding with what could be a key derby match.

It is not uncommon for new kits to debut on the final league match of a given season, but the pandemic has created a bizarre set of circumstances where Barcelona will give their 2020/21 home kit its first run-out with four games left to play.

It is unclear if they will then return to their familiar chequered 2019/20 kit from then on – or switch to their new shirt, which boasts traditional Barcelona vertical stripes, from then on.

The gold trim is reminiscent of the kit Barcelona wore in 2010/11, when they won a historic La Liga and Champions League double, and that will be no coincidence with the tenth anniversary of that famous triumph to be marked next season.

?? Sir Alex Ferguson: “In my time as manager, it’s the best team I’ve faced.”

?? See Xavi Hernández, Andrés Iniesta & Lionel Messi lead Josep Guardiola’s Barcelona to glory in 2011 ?

? Watch game IN FULL on https://t.co/AmDdmbTInd ?#UCLclassics

— UEFA Champions League (@ChampionsLeague) May 26, 2020

The Catalan side have fallen a little since those days, but showed no ring rust when they resumed their season against Mallorca on Saturday evening. Lionel Messi did his best Lionel Messi impression with a goal and two assists, as Barca opened up a five-point gap over chasing Real Madrid.

Real have played a game fewer, and will look to trim that gap when their own campaign resumes against Eibar on Sunday.

For more from Robbie Copeland, follow him on Twitter!

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La Liga is back, and if not for the lack of spectators and dodgy broadcast-purpose synthetic crowd noise, you’d be forgiven for thinking it had never been gone.

We’ve had seven games so far, and already we’ve seen a fiery Seville derby, seen Espanyol pick up a key win to drag Deportivo Alaves back into the mire, and we’ve seen Lionel Messi at his majestic best.

Quick bit of housekeeping before we nosedive into the best of what is to come – bare in mind that the fluctuating broadcasting schedule means than anything beyond 25 June is liable to change dramatically.

Still with us? Okay, here are the key dates to mark in your calendar.

Sevilla’s title challenge looks dead and buried – but they’ll know that if they can knock Barcelona off their stride with an upset victory, then anything could happen.

For that reason, the Catalan giants will need to be on their game for their trip to Seville. They’ll be buoyed by an impressive recent record against Los Nervionenses, having scored 14 goals over their last three meetings, but Julen Lopetegui’s team will be in no mood to roll over and give Barça another helping hand towards the title.

It’s a similar story for Madrid, who two days later, will go looking for revenge against a Real Sociedad team who sent them packing from the Copa del Rey in February.

Sociedad are chasing a return to the Champions League and know how to beat Zinedine Zidane’s side. Remarkably, they’ve won three of their four meetings since January 2019 – though the inability to field the electric Martin Odegaard will be a blow as they look to make it four out of five.

This promises to be a weekend which could be decisive at both ends of the table. In the title race, both sides of El Clasico face tough away trips – Real to Athletic Club and Barça to Villarreal – in what could be a week of fixtures more likely than any other to provide a slip.

At the other end of the table, Espanyol and Leganes – the league’s bottom two teams – will face off, well aware that defeat could spell the end of their La Liga tenure.

KIT NEWS: Barcelona will reportedly debut next season’s home kit against Espanyol on Wednesday 8 July at the Camp Nou.

Leaked images of the shirt show the club have returned to their traditional stripes after a season in their Croatia-inspired checkerboard number. pic.twitter.com/YSAViBE0R2

— LIGI ™ (at ?) (@OfficialLIGI) June 13, 2020

And then we’ve got the Derbi Barceloní, where Barcelona will look to keep their foot on the gas at the expense of their city rivals.

According to reports, this could be the fixture that sees Barca debut their home kit for 2020/21.

The tight margins up and down the table mean it’s impossible, at this stage, to determine when things will be decided. The penultimate round of fixtures, however, brings many possibilities.

Both Barça and Real face banana-skin home ties, and if the state of play remains constant, then it will be a case of who blinks first.

Meanwhile, Sevilla will take on Real Sociedad while Getafe host Atletico – as the four teams currently occupying third to sixth embark on a self-contained Royal Rumble – with Champions League qualification on the line.

Madrid will finish their season with a South Madrid derby against Leganes – with the possibility rife that they could clinch a first league title in 2017 just a stone’s throw away from the Bernabeu.

Barcelona will be hoping to prevent that with a victory of their own against Deportivo Alaves, while fellow Catalans Espanyol take on Celta Vigo in what could be a final-day relegation six-pointer.

For more from Robbie Copeland, follow him on Twitter!

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Countless times throughout his 16-year career Lionel Messi has proved that he’s simply not human.

All those who are blessed with La Liga TV or determined to grind through 90 minutes of scrawny pixelation on a dodgy stream witnessed yet another example on Saturday night.

In Barcelona’s 4-0 victory over Mallorca, the GOAT churned out a display that shouldn’t have been possible following a lengthy three-month lay-off. Bagging a pair of assists and a late right-footed strike, the Argentine’s performance was just pure insanity.

While empty stadiums, way too many substitutions and even cooling breaks have been promiment features of football in a Covid-19 world, another interesting facet are the players’ look – with no haircuts and all that.

In Messi’s case we saw a return of the babyface, with the bearded GOAT nowhere to be seen, while the combover up top looked like a tidier iteration of the barnet he rocked during his later teen years.

Nevertheless, we’ve seen some rascal looks from the Argentine over the years, whether it be trims, beards or attire.

Here are the pick of the bunch…

8. Supply Geography Teacher

Everybody on Barcelona got super-fancy… except for Substitute Teacher Lionel Messi: http://t.co/cHJz91Eyii pic.twitter.com/u2Y7fxqbJV

— SB Nation (@SBNation) March 23, 2015

The choice of attire from Brazilian trio Adriano, Neymar and Dani Alves is an insult to the retinas, while Rafinha is looking pretty darn slick on the contrary.

Messi, meanwhile, appears ready to teach about 25 16-year-old’s what happens at a destructive plate margin. Either that or how an ox-bow lake is formed, one of the two.

7. Dumb & Dumber Inspired

It’s a trim we regrettably saw on a couple of occasions early on in Messi’s career – most notably in 2006 and 2009. Lloyd Christmas would’ve been proud of this bowl chop, mullet and dopey grin combo.

6. The Mop

As his career progressed, Messi’s hair grew in direct correlation to his fearsome reputation. 

By the summer of 2008, the Argentine’s luscious, long locks were akin to a ’70’s rock star as he guided La Albiceleste to Olympic gold in Beijing.

5. I Really Don’t Know…

There’s just so much wrongness going on here. From the bob which does little other than accentuate the size of his ears, to the outlandish dragon-patterned(?) jacket, it’s a woeful look.

Messi doesn’t look comfortable wearing it and I’m not exactly comfortable gazing at it, neither should you.

4. Ginger Beard

No problems with the ginger beard per se, just a bit crazy Lionel Messi had a ginger beard.

The blonde tips which soon followed completed a more stylish look up top, as the Argentine attempted to drain his sorrows after La Albiceleste’s defeat in the 2016 Copa America final on penalties.

3. Garish Red

Following his fashion flop at the 2012 ceremony – oh, you’ll see – Messi thought it would be best to turn up to the 2013 Ballon d’Or awards looking like a tin of Quality Streets… or Ron Burgundy.

Another poor showing which was finally punished as Cristiano Ronaldo broke Messi’s streak of four consecutive Ballon d’Or crowns.

2. Platinum Blonde

? — Throwback to The Blonde Messi. pic.twitter.com/Fkl9iH1q99

— Barça Universal (@BarcaUniversal) April 7, 2020

Messi’s shock switch to a brave, blonde barnet was certainly rascal, but it kinda worked.

Inspired by Aaron Ramsey and Samir Nasri’s 2016 summer bleachings, the 32-year-old radical hair shape-up wouldn’t last long following a poor start to the 2016/17 campaign by his exceedingly lofty standards.

1. Polka Dot Disaster

It may have been the finest calendar year of football we’ve ever seen by one man, but not even his 91 goals in 2012 could spare the great Argentine from the justified slander he received for this polka dot monstrosity he donned on awards night.

The undisputed number one. The thinking behind it needs its own ten-part Netflix series.

Let’

Barcelona marked their return to La Liga action with a comfortable 4-0 victory at the relegation-threatened Mallorca on Satuday night, extending their lead at the top to five points.

Quique Setien got the dream start he’d been craving ever since Spanish football was given the green light to return, as a surging Arturo Vidal headed home expertly from a pinpoint Jordi Alba cross within two minutes.

The visitors continued to probe and penetrate in what was a mightily impressive start, before the supremely gifted Takefuso Kubo spearheaded a brief Mallorca resurgence either side of the ‘cooling break’ in the first half.

The Japanese international had two efforts from distance well-saved by Marc-Andre ter Stegen, as he started to pose questions of surprise inclusion Ronald Araujo with his supreme dribbling style.

The Blaugrana started to impose their will once more, however, and doubled their lead through an instinctive Martin Braithwaite finish following some typically GOAT-ish work in the build-up by Lionel Messi.

A bizarre pitch invasion was a peculiar highlight following the restart, before Messi notched his second assist of proceedings, this time in more conventional fashion as good ol’ buddy Alba latched onto his deft lofted flick in behind before slotting home calmly one-on-one with Manolo Reina.

The Argentine then rounded off an imperious display with a finish of his own in stoppage time, securing a 4-0 victory for Setien’s side.

Starting XI: Reina (6); Pozo (5), Valjent (6), Raillo (6), Sastre (5); Rodriguez (6), Pedraza (6), Sevilla (6), Kubo (8); Hernandez (5), Budimir (6)

Subs: Junior (7), Gamez (6), Baba (6), Salibur (5), Prats (6)

Key Talking Point

Mallorca would’ve been confident of catching the La Liga table-toppers off guard following a three-month hiatus. But from minute one, Barcelona were able to impose their will on a lowly Los Bermellones.

After Vidal had given Setien the dream start, the visitors proceeded to dominate the opening period; monopolising possession as a result of patient circulation and almost immediate retrieval when it was lost. Their movements were fluid and smart, while the combination play on display was sublime at times. Frenkie de Jong and Vidal, meanwhile, were majestic in all phases of play.

And unlike previous performances before the break, there seemed to be a persistent source of penetration in the final third; whether it be Messi or the full-backs. For Setien, that will be hugely encouraging considering both Luis Suarez and Ousmane Dembele were missing from the starting XI.

On the whole, it was an impressive display in their return to action, as Setien goes about implementing his complex possession-based ideas onto this Barcelona side.

Starting XI: Ter Stegen (6); Roberto (7), Pique (7), Araujo (6), Alba (8); Busquets (6), Vidal (8), De Jong (9); Messi (10), Braithwaite (7), Griezmann (6).

Subs: Rakitic (6), Suarez (5), Semedo (6), Arthur (N/A), Firpo (N/A).

Listen, I know it’s boring, but this guy was just sensational in this one.

Messi is back to doing Messi things.

If quarantine is what it feels like to not be able to see this man play football anymore, it’s going to be painful once he retires.

— EiF (@EiFSoccer) June 13, 2020

A goal and two assists.

Leo Messi is back ? @brfootball pic.twitter.com/eG4FJYCixU

— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) June 13, 2020

Lionel Messi vs. Mallorca [field rank]:

44 attempted final third passes [1st]
33 successful final third passes [1st]
14 attempted take-ons [1st]
9 successful take-ons [1st]
6 chances created [1st]
3 goal involvements [1st]
3 fouls suffered [1st]
2 assists [1st]

Ridiculous. ? pic.twitter.com/4LBATRFJIG

— Statman Dave (@StatmanDave) June 13, 2020

His positioning and capacity to drift almost everywhere in the attacking third caused the hosts all sorts of problems, while the weight of his passes were always perfect; regularly setting Alba and Roberto on their way in behind down the flanks. He ended with a pair of assists, but it really should have been closer to half a dozen.

It was a dazzling display that very few could produce following a three month break, and if the Argentine’s in this sort of silly form for the remainder of the campaign, you can book in Barcelona as back-to-back-to-back La Liga champs.

Barcelona return to the Camp Nou on Tuesday night as they host the lowly Leganes before making the tough trip to Sevilla three days later. Mallorca, meanwhile, visit Villarreal and welcome Leganes next week – the latter of which being a huge clash in the race for survival.

Let’

Arturo Vidal has hinted that he is interested in a potential move to Inter due to his good relationship with Antonio Conte.

The Barcelona midfielder is one of the most decorated players in world football, having won eight consecutive league titles with Juventus, Bayern Munich and most recently the current Spanish champions.

However, Vidal has played more of a bit part this season, starting just eight games as a result of the fierce competition for places in the Barcelona midfield, and triggering speculation that he could leave the club at the end of the season.

Speaking to El Periodico, the Chile international admitted he wants more game time at Camp Nou in order to feel valued.

“Here I am happy and I have excellent teammates, but I want to feel important,” Vidal said. “Otherwise, I will have to look for something else to continue my career.

“I like playing, I don’t say all the games, but the most difficult and important ones to win the titles.”

Equipo ganador!!!??????? pic.twitter.com/9IBAAaXh9T

— Arturo Vidal (@kingarturo23) June 8, 2020

Should the 33-year-old call time on his Barcelona career, he has been linked with a switch to Inter – a move that would see him reunite with former boss Conte.

Vidal spent three years playing under the Italian at Juventus, winning three Serie A titles in the process.

On Conte’s reported interest in him, Vidal added: “We have an excellent relationship, he knows that I am a winner and that he can trust me. That’s what I want here.”

The midfielder is poised to return to action with Barcelona on Saturday evening, as they get their La Liga defence back underway with a trip to Mallorca.

The Catalan giants currently sit two points clear at the summit of La Liga, and Vidal insists his focus is purely on Barcelona’s title challenge, not his future.

“We are up in the league and what we have ahead is such a defined goal that we don’t have to think about anything else,” Vidal said. “We must be champions, that is what is really important.”

Let’

Arsenal icon Thierry Henry has admitted that he left Arsenal in search of the kind of competition which could only be found at Barcelona.

The Frenchman, who led Arsenal to two Premier League titles, sealed a surprise move away from the Emirates Stadium in 2007, after which he went on to finally add the Champions League to his impressive trophy cabinet.

[embedded content]

Speaking in a video interview with UEFA, Henry insisted that his love for Arsenal never faded away, but he wanted a chance to pass the greatest test – earning a spot at Camp Nou – before his career came to an end.

“Competition is above all for me,” he admitted. “I love football, I’m an Arsenal fan, I love Arsenal, but competing is above all. That’s what drives me. That’s what makes me better. That’s what challenges me.

“When I went to Barcelona, Ronaldinho was on the left, [Samuel] Eto’o was in the middle, and [Lionel] Messi was on the right, and nobody told me I was going to play. I like to compete. That’s priceless to me. You can go somewhere and your heart can stay somewhere else. That’s exactly what happened.

? #UCL legend Thierry Henry with a stunner!

?? #FreekickFriday | @Arsenal | @ThierryHenry https://t.co/2bJIHUgcdv pic.twitter.com/LZC5kTK0rw

— UEFA Champions League (@ChampionsLeague) June 5, 2020

“I went to Barcelona, I learned a lot – a hell of a lot – about something that I thought I had down to a tee. I thought I knew football, [but] at Barcelona I got de-programmed and re-programmed. That doesn’t mean I don’t love Arsenal or I’m not an Arsenal fan – my heart will always be there – but Barça was special, man.”

Despite waxing lyrical about Barcelona and how La Blaugrana had ‘re-programmed’ him, Henry was adamant that Arsène Wenger is the man he owes his career to as the boss was the one who taught him to be the best individual player he could be.

“He was like a father figure for me,” Henry confessed. “So as you can imagine, with your dad, you argue, you scream, he punishes you. It’s complicated at times, but that’s what happens when you love someone.

“Arsène triggered my brain, [and every day it was] about asking myself the right questions. I used to complain that guys couldn’t see me – you know, typical strikers: ‘They don’t want to give me the ball.’ He said: ‘Well, ask yourself if that guy can [see] you the same way that the other guy can.’ And I started to adapt my game to others instead of waiting for them to adapt to my game.

“He [triggered] what I could be capable of as a player. And then you have Pep [Guardiola], who tactically triggered my brain, so those two guys had a massive impact on me.”

You can watch the full video on UEFA’s YouTube channel.

For more from ?Tom Gott, follow him on ?Twitter!

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Arturo Vidal will not consider leaving Barcelona until all of their 2019/20 fixtures are finished – even if that means missing out on a move to Inter this summer.

The Chilean is, somewhat deceptively, one of modern football’s most accomplished players. Though he has developed something of a mercenary reputation, joining Bayern from Juventus before moving to Barcelona in 2018, he has won league titles in each of his last eight seasons – four on the spin with Juve and three with Bayern before helping Barça romp to La Liga triumph last season.

This season though, he has been used more sparingly than he is used to. Although 31 appearances by March is no modest total, he has only started eight of the Catalan side’s 27 league matches, with the intense competition for midfield places freezing the 33-year-old out of the starting XI for prolonged spells.

Equipo ganador!!!??????? pic.twitter.com/9IBAAaXh9T

— Arturo Vidal (@kingarturo23) June 8, 2020

Naturally, this has led to speculation over his long-term role with the Spanish champions. Reports in Italy have frequently suggested a reunion with Antonio Conte at Inter could be on the cards, a pretty safe suggestion given that the Nerazzurri will sign almost any accomplished player over the age of 31.

There has been fleeting supplementary talk of a Premier League move, with Manchester United and Newcastle – the latter in the midst of an illustrious takeover – both said to be considering moves.

Mundo Deportivo, however, say that any interested party will have to wait. Vidal is said to be focused on seeing out the current season on the pitch, and helping Barça to retain their La Liga title, before a tilt at winning the Champions League for the first time in his career. Only after that will he consider any offers.

Barcelona are said to be of the same mindset, keen to keep the current group together to see out the remainder of the campaign. Their defence of the title will resume at Mallorca on 13 June, while their Champions League round of 16 second leg with Napoli – initially due to take place on 18 March – is yet to be rescheduled.

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