La Liga

Real Madrid announced winger Eden Hazard and midfielder Casemiro tested positive for COVID-19 on Friday.

"All of the other first-team players and coaching staff, as well as the club employees who work directly with the squad tested negative in yesterday's tests," Saturday's statement read. "Meanwhile, all of them, apart from Casemiro and Hazard, once again tested negative in the antigen tests taken this morning."

Both players practiced with the club Friday before the positive tests were processed, per Goal. They will consequently be unavailable for Sunday's La Liga match against Valencia.

Hazard only recently returned to a squad after missing nearly a month with a leg injury suffered in late September. He scored in a 4-1 victory over Huesca on Oct. 31.

"It was a good goal," Hazard told reporters. "I'm happy for the team and for myself. When you score you get extra confidence. I'm tired, I want to play more games. My peak fitness will come with the matches and we've got another one in a few days. We need to keep training and be ready."

He hadn't scored since October 2019, partly because of a series of injuries.

Meanwhile, Casemiro had appeared in all 10 of the team's La Liga and UEFA Champions League matches during the 2020-21 campaign.

The Brazilian defensive midfielder scored late in stoppage time to secure a UCL draw against German side Borussia Monchengladbach in October. It's his only goal of the term.

The international break arrives after Sunday's match, so it's possible both players will only miss one club fixture. Los Blancos return to action Nov. 21 against Villarreal.

The saga is over. 

Barcelona President Josep Maria Bartomeu resigned Tuesday following a summer showdown that saw superstar Lionel Messi unsuccessfully try to leave the club. 

Per Sam Marsden and Moises Llorens, an election will be scheduled within 90 days to vote on replacement options for the board, with a temporary management group overseeing the day-to-day operations of the club. 

Per that report, 20,000 Barcelona supporters signed a petition earlier in October to remove him from his position, setting into motion a vote on his presidency. Bartomeu said Monday that a vote of no confidence had been scheduled for Nov. 1-2, giving no indication he'd be stepping down, per AS:

"Regarding the vote of no confidence, we are waiting for a response from the Generalitat to know if the health situation is maintained so the vote can be held on November 1 and 2. We have always wanted a decentralised vote, in various venues so that as many members as possible vote, so we asked for 15 more days, but last Thursday we were told that it would be November 1 and 2."

He also told reporters that resigning "has never passed through my mind. It would be irresponsible. With the [coronavirus] pandemic, brave decisions need to be made every day. It would be a bad decision to leave the club in the hands of an administrator."

The situation with Messi over the summer likely sealed Bartomeu's fate at the club. The superstar became disillusioned with the state of the club and tried to cancel the remainder of his contract using a clause that would have allowed him to leave on a free transfer if he triggered it before the end of the season. Barcelona and Messi disagreed on that date, with Barca saying it was written in for early June, while Messi argued the COVID-19 hiatus and resumption over the summer pushed the date back.

Barcelona won the standoff, and Messi remained. But it was clear that Bartomeu's presence with the Catalonia side was one of the reasons the electrifying forward wanted out in the first place. 

"As I said, I always thought I was free to leave. The president always said at the end of the season I could decide if I stayed or not," he said in an interview with Goal.com. "Now they cling to the fact I did not say before June 10, when it turns out on June 10 we were competing for La Liga."

Bartomeu countered that he couldn't let a player of Messi's stature leave and potentially join a rival. 

"I was accused of wanting to force a transfer for financial reasons to 'balance the books,'" he told reporters. "That's not true. I defended the interests of the club, accepting the consequences that refusing Messi's decision to go to one of our rivals would entail."

It's a moot point now. Bartomeu is out after six seasons as president. Messi, who will be free to leave after the 2020-21 season if he so chooses, remains for now. 

Veteran defender Sergio Ramos scored the go-ahead goal in the 63rd minute Saturday as Real Madrid defeated Barcelona 3-1 in El Clasico at Camp Nou in Barcelona, Spain.

Ramos was pulled down by Barca defender Clement Lenglet in the box, and after a video review determined that it was indeed a foul, Ramos made no mistake by depositing his penalty kick past Neto:

Luka Modric then put the match away for Real Madrid in the 90th minute with an insurance marker to finalize the 3-1 score:

While Real Madrid's top players made a significant impact on the match, Barca superstar Lionel Messi did not factor into the scoring.

By virtue of the win, Real Madrid improved to 4-1-1 and moved past Real Sociedad and Villareal for first-place in the La Liga table. Meanwhile, Barcelona are now 2-1-2 and remain in 10th.

Per OptaJose, this marks the first time Real Madrid have won the first El Clasico match of the La Liga season since 2014 and only the second time in the past 13 seasons:

It didn't take long for Los Blancos to jump ahead Saturday, as Karim Benzema threaded a perfect pass to Federico Valverde, who scored in the fifth minute to put Real Madrid up 1-0:

While it would have been easy for Barcelona to lose their confidence given their struggles for far this season, that wasn't the case, as the Blaugrana struck right back.

Just three minutes after Valverde gave Real Madrid the lead, 17-year-old phenom Ansu Fati scored for Barca to tie the score at 1-1:

As ESPN Stats & Info pointed out, Fati made history with that goal by becoming the youngest player ever to score in El Clasico:

Fox Soccer summed up all Fati has already accomplished in his young career despite still being a few days shy of his 18th birthday:

Another significant, history-making moment occurred in Saturday's El Clasico as well, with Sergino Dest getting a start for Barca.

According to Fox Soccer, Dest became the first American in the 118-year history of El Clasico to play in the match:

With the 19-year-old Dest acquitting himself well and the 17-year-old Fati scoring, it is clear that Barcelona have a bright future even though it has been a disappointing start to the 2020-21 season for Ronald Koeman's side.

Meanwhile, Real Madrid appear back on track after a La Liga loss to Cadiz last week and a surprising Champions League defeat at the hands of Shakhtar Donetsk on Wednesday.

Real Madrid will attempt to carry their momentum into their next match when they face Borussia Monchengladbach in a Champions League clash Tuesday followed by a La Liga tilt with Huesca next Saturday.

Barcelona will look to bounce back Wednesday against Juventus in a Champions League match and then next Saturday against La Liga side Alaves.  

Barcelona winger Ansu Fati received an apology from Spanish newspaper journalist Salvador Sostres for a racist comment in a match report about Barca's 5-1 Champions League win over Ferencvaros on Tuesday.

Sky Sports reported Sostres, who wrote "Ansu when running has something of a gazelle, or a very young, black street seller running away from police," published an apology through ABC, his employer, on Thursday:

"My intention was to praise the beauty of Ansu's movement and his talent as a very young player.

"Some expressions were understood as racist insults. Nothing was further from my intention, nor the very favourable opinion of the player that I have expressed in all the match reports I have written since his debut.

"I deeply lament the misunderstanding and I ask forgiveness if anyone has felt offended."

Seventeen-year-old Fati is off to a terrific start to the 2020-21 campaign after making his Blaugrana debut in August 2019. He's scored four goals in five appearances to open the term, including a tally in Barcelona's rout of Ferencvaros.

"Ansu is an exceptional guy who deserves respect like all human beings," teammate Antoine Griezmann wrote on Twitter, per Sky Sports. "No to racism and no to ignorance."

In April 2019, UEFA President Aleksander Ceferin told reporters he was "ashamed" by the amount of racism within all levels of European football:

"Today I'm ashamed. I'm ashamed to be here with you. I'm simply ashamed that today in 2019 we have to organize a conference that promotes diversity.

"It's 2019. How can that happen? I'm ashamed that here in Europe not a weekend goes by without a discriminatory act taking place in a football stadium, amateur level or professional level.

"I'm ashamed to see extremist movements use our sport as a vehicle for their messages of hate and intolerance. A stadium must not and must never be a forum in which people are allowed to express their sickening fascist nostalgia. I'm ashamed to see lone individuals utter racist, sexist and homophobic insults without realizing the devastating effect and symbolic significance of their words."

Fati and Barcelona are back in action Saturday for a La Liga rivalry clash with Real Madrid. Their next Champions League fixture is Oct. 28 against Juventus.

Barcelona announced the signing of American right-back Sergino Dest on Wednesday from Eredivisie club Ajax.

ESPN's Tom Hamilton reported the transfer fee was €21 million with a potential €5m in add-ons, and his new five-year contract with Barca includes a €400 million buyout clause.

Dest also received interest from reigning Bundesliga and Champions League winners Bayern Munich before being convinced to join Barcelona by Ronald Koeman, the club's new manager, per Hamilton.

The 19-year-old defender enjoyed a breakout 2019-20 season with Ajax, which earned him a pivotal role with 25 appearances between the Eredivisie and the Champions League.

Last October, he announced his intention to represent the United States rather than his native Netherlands, a decision he explained to Hamilton in January.

"A lot of people only want you when it's going well," Dest said. "The USMNT helped me when it didn't go well, and I'm thankful for that. They helped me through hard times, and if they hadn't given me a chance, maybe I wouldn't be here now with Ajax. Maybe I'd never have reached this level."

The rising star arrives at Camp Nou with the opportunity to compete with Sergi Roberto for a starting spot at right-back.

He joins a growing list of young USMNT players who are earning extensive roles with European clubs:

It lends hope the USMNT will be able to move past the disappointment of failing to qualify for the 2018 World Cup by ushering in a new core over the next two years.

Meanwhile, Dest is the latest move in a busy transfer window for Barca, who are coming off a rare trophyless campaign that sparked the exit of several high-profile players, including Luis Suarez, Arturo Vidal, Ivan Rakitic, Arthur and Nelson Semedo.

The roster turnover gives him a chance to quickly establish himself as a key fixture in the starting XI for the foreseeable future.

Eden Hazard's status for Real Madrid's match against Barcelona on Oct. 25 is in doubt, according to ESPN's Rodrigo Faez and Alex Kirkland. 

Madrid released a statement on Wednesday but provided little in the way of specifics: "Following tests carried out today on our player, Eden Hazard, by Real Madrid Medical Services, he has been diagnosed with a muscle injury in his right leg. His recovery will continue to be assessed."

Faez and Kirkland reported the Belgian attacker could be out for three to four weeks, a timeframe that would include El Clasico.

Hazard signed for Madrid in June 2019 for around €100 million and had what he called "the worst season of my career." He made 16 La Liga and six Champions League appearances, registering a total of one goal and four assists.

Prior to 2019-20, the 29-year-old had averaged 35 domestic appearances over his previous 11 seasons between Lille and Chelsea. While his on-field performance was an occasional question mark at Chelsea, his durability was never in doubt.

Now, injuries are becoming a problem for Hazard.

Real Madrid captured their 34th league title last year, but there's no question they'd benefit greatly from seeing Hazard back to his usual self.

The absence of Cristiano Ronaldo is glaring in the Madrid attack. Madrid finished with 94 La Liga goals in 2017-18, Ronaldo's final season. That figure dropped to 63 and 70 over each of the past two years.

Karim Benzema was fantastic in 2019-20, scoring 21 goals, but centre-back Sergio Ramos was Madrid's second-leading goalscorer. He had 11, six of which came from the penalty spot. James Rodriguez and Gareth Bale have left, while Luka Jovic might be joining them out the door.

That puts pressure on Hazard to yield some sort of return, but it could be a repeat of his last campaign if he can't return to fitness soon.

Lionel Messi and Barcelona had a tension-filled summer, with the superstar attempting to force his way out of the club.

That didn't happen, and now Messi is hoping to move forward and make the best of a potentially awkward situation—and potentially his final year at Barcelona—as he told Diaro Sport on Tuesday (h/t Sam Marsden of ESPN):

"After so many disagreements, I would like to bring an end to everything and put aside any differences. I take responsibility for my mistakes and, if there were any, they were only to make Barcelona better and stronger. If any fans were annoyed by something that I said or did, let there be no doubt that anything I did was always with the club's best interests in mind."

Barcelona is in upheaval. A number of veteran players, including Luis Suarez, Ivan Rakitic, Arda Turan and Arturo Vidal, have been let go.

Messi's situation only inflamed what was already a tenuous time at the club following an 8-2 loss against Bayern Munich in the Champions League in August. Upset at the direction of the club, Messi tried to use a clause in his contract that would allow him to leave on a free transfer if it was exercised before the end of the season.

Barcelona argued that the clause had to be exercised in May, when the season was originally scheduled to end before it was delayed to the COVID-19 pandemic. The club won out, and Messi has returned.

It would have been a shocking end to Messi's time at the only professional club he's ever played for in his career, where he's scored an astonishing 635 goals, over 400 more than any other player in club history.

It's possible Messi will still depart at the end of this season. He has the same clause he could exercise before the end of this campaign. But for now, Messi wants a truce. Given all the turmoil at Barcelona this summer, it probably was received with open arms.

Barcelona superstar Lionel Messi and former Barca standout Neymar ripped the Spanish club Friday for its handling of the Luis Suarez transfer saga.

Messi made an emotional post on Instagram after Suarez completed a move to La Liga rival Atletico Madrid:

Neymar agreed with his former teammate's stance:

It's been a busy transfer window for Barcelona as they reshape their roster following a rare trophyless campaign. Suarez, Arthur, Ivan Rakitic, Arturo Vidal and Nelson Semedo were among the high-profile departures following new manager Ronald Koeman's arrival.

Messi attempted to join the mass exodus from the Camp Nou earlier in the summer. The club refused to allow him to leave on a free transfer amid interest from other European giants, however, which led the six-time Ballon d'Or winner to confirm he would see out the final year of his contract with Barca.

"I thought and was sure that I was free to leave; the president always said that at the end of the season I could decide if I stayed or not," he told Goal's Ruben Uria on Sept. 4. "... Now I am going to continue in the club because the president told me that the only way to leave was to pay the €700 million clause, and that this is impossible."

Neymar left the club in August 2017 to join French side Paris Saint-Germain.

Suarez said Thursday there was little option after Koeman informed the striker he wasn't going to feature in the club's rebuilt attack.

"When the club says it doesn't need you anymore, you have to accept it," he told reporters. "But it takes a while; it's difficult. Your family is involved. You've gone through a lot with the club. So it's difficult to accept that you are leaving, but you have to. It's the reality. It's how things are in soccer."

Barca are scheduled to open their La Liga campaign Sunday against Villarreal, and they will attempt to leave the offseason drama in the rearview mirror.

That said, Messi's discontent is palpable heading into what will likely be his final year with the Blaugrana.

Luis Suarez is officially a member of Atletico Madrid. 

Barcelona announced Wednesday that the star striker had been sold to their La Liga rivals, with Atletico paying the Catalan side "six million euros in variables."

The club said in its statement, "FC Barcelona would like to publicly express their gratitude to Luis Suárez for his commitment and dedication and wishes him all the best for the future."

Suarez, 33, spent six seasons with Barcelona, winning four La Liga titles and one Champions League title in his time at the club. He scored 198 goals in 283 total appearances—only Lionel Messi (634) and Cesar (232) have scored more for the club—while adding 97 assists. 

His pairing with Messi has helped the Blaugrana boast one of the most fearsome front lines in football. While Antoine Griezmann never settled into life in that front three as seamlessly as Neymar had before his departure for PSG, Suarez's clinical finishing and underrated playmaking helped lead the line to consistent success. 

But with Barcelona clearly turning over the club in an effort to move on from its veteran core with an eye to the future—one would imagine this is Messi's final year at the club after this summer's row—Suarez was always one of the players likely to be sold off. 

Suarez is hardly dead weight at this point. While his 16 goals were his fewest since he debuted for the team in the 2014-15 season, he posted them in 22 starts and 28 total appearances, a clinical tally. A knee injury in January threatened his season, though the eventual delay due to COVID-19 allowed him to return during the summer's restart. 

With Atletico, he'll join an attacking force that already includes Diego Costa at striker. He's essentially replacing Alvaro Morata, who left on loan to Juventus.  

Barcelona striker Luis Suarez is reportedly "furious" after the club allegedly backed out of a verbal agreement to allow a free transfer after it emerged he was close to signing with La Liga rival Atletico Madrid. 

ESPN's Sam Marsden and Moises Llorens reported Tuesday that Suarez is "considering holding a news conference alongside his lawyers" if Barca don't clear the transfer.

The sides reportedly came to terms that would've allowed the Uruguay international to pay Barcelona a portion of his contract in exchange for a free transfer as long he didn't move to Real Madrid, Manchester United, Manchester City or Paris Saint-Germain.

Since Atletico wasn't on the list, Suarez's representatives worked to finalize a contract with Los Rojiblancos, and the club were prepared to announce a deal contingent on Alvaro Morata completing his loan to Juventus before Barca backed out, according to Marsden and Llorens.

It was noted that the Blaugrana don't want to help a direct rival improve for free, while Suarez doesn't understand the club's change of heart since new manager Ronald Koeman has suggested the veteran striker won't be a key part of his attack this season.

Suarez is hopeful for a resolution that allows the transfer before the window closes Oct. 5.

The 33-year-old former Liverpool standout remained productive with 21 goals in 36 appearances across all competitions for Barca last season. He's tallied 198 goals in 283 matches in six years with the Spanish club.

He's been one of the world's most prolific goalscorers across his 15-year career with Nacional, Groningen, Ajax, Liverpool and Barcelona, and he's still a big enough threat in the attacking third to become a valuable asset for Diego Simeone at the Wanda Metropolitano if the transfer is confirmed.

It sounds like Barca, who previously prevented Lionel Messi from leaving on a free transfer during the current window, may once again stand firm against allowing one of the other top clubs in Europe to benefit from adding one of its stars without a fee.