Lionel Messi believes the gap between Barcelona, Real Madrid and the rest of LaLiga has closed.

Barcelona lead Madrid on goal difference at the top of the table on 34 points, with Sevilla three points back in third.

However, just three points separate fourth-place Real Sociedad on 27 points and Granada in ninth.

Barcelona have lost three and drawn one of their 15 games this season, while Madrid have drawn four and lost one.

Messi thinks it displays that the strength of the teams across the league has improved.

Everything is becoming more and more even, the Argentina forward said at an Adidas media event on Wednesday.

They have been for several years and we notice that there is more equality, that any team beats any other team, which is i…

Croatia will be without stars Ivan Rakitic and Ante Rebic for their upcoming Euro 2020 qualifier against Wales.

Barcelona midfielder Rakitic and Eintracht Frankfurt s Rebic were ruled out due to leg and knee injuries respectively, the Croatian Football Federation (HNS) announced.

The 2018 World Cup runners-up will host Wales on June 8 before taking on Tunisia in a friendly three days later.

We have jointly made the decision that Rakitic will not play, Croatia coach Zlatko Dalic said in a statement on Wednesday.

 Due to injuries, and Ante Rebić will miss qualifier against and a friendly against Tunisia. 

— HNS (@HNS_CFF)

He has had problems with his leg, it reoccurred in the Copa del Rey final and he won t be ready for Wales and…

Liverpool boss Brendan Rodgers thinks Philippe Coutinho is flourishing at Anfield, calling him a selfless player and a humble guy .

Philippe Coutinho is coming of age at Liverpool and is primed to get even better, according to manager Brendan Rodgers. 

The Brazil midfielder put the seal on his latest eye-catching performance by netting a superb winner as Liverpool beat Premier League champions Manchester City 2-1 at Anfield on Sunday. 

Coutinho has netted three times in his last seven games to leave Rodgers relishing what the future has in store for the 22-year-old, who joined the Merseyside club in January 2013 and signed a new long-term deal earlier this month. 

Rodgers beamed: I think his performances, in particular since he signed his contract, he …

Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger has launched a staunch defence of Mesut Ozil following criticism from former Manchester United midfielder Paul Scholes.

Ozil moved to the Emirates Stadium in September 2013, but the World Cup winner has flattered to deceive at times, while injuries have also hindered his progress.

Scholes, who won the Premier League on 11 occasions with United, stated that Ozil took the easy option when he left Real Madrid for Arsenal.

But Wenger has backed the job his record signing does for the team and believes his style of play masks his work rate.

Speaking ahead of Arsenal s FA Cup quarter-final meeting with United at Old Trafford on Monday, Wenger said  I believe that what was said about Ozil was wrong. He works very hard and is a g…

Roberto Martinez believes Cristiano Ronaldo s experience and commitment is crucial to Portugal s new cycle.

Ronaldo became the most-capped men s player of all time when he took to the field in Lisbon on Thursday for his 197th Portugal appearance.

The 38-year-old marked the occasion with two goals, scoring from the penalty spot before lashing in a free-kick to complete a 4-0 rout over Liechtenstein in Euro 2024 qualifying Group J.

Joao Cancelo put Portugal ahead early on and Bernardo Silva netted shortly after half-time, with Martinez s tenure getting off to the simplest of starts.

Ronaldo was dropped to the bench by previous coach Fernando Santos for Portugal s World Cup knock-out games, but Martinez wanted to get the five-time Ballon d Or winner into his…

Nicolo Zaniolo hit out at Roma for unfulfilled promises and treating him as a capital gain after he joined Galatasaray last month.

Zaniolo left the Eternal City giants to join the Turkish Super Lig leaders for a fee €16.5million early in February.

The Italy midfielder had been expected to move on during the January transfer window, but he turned down a move to Premier League strugglers Bournemouth.

Zaniolo signed a four-year deal with Galatasaray after being left out on in the cold at Roma and the 23-year-old has pointed the finger at his former club over the way he was treated.

He told the Gazzetta dello Sport: I could talk for hours about unfulfilled promises. They [Roma] told me I was a spearhead, instead I ve always been considered just a capital ga…

Reading have named former Swansea City boss Paul Clement as their new manager following the sacking of Jaap Stam.

The Royals dismissed Stam on Wednesday after a run of one win in 18 Championship fixtures, the Dutchman having taken the club to the play-off final last season.

Clement has been out of work since being let go by Swansea after less than a year in charge in December, with the club who he saved from the drop in 2016-17 mired in relegation trouble.

The 46-year-old cut his managerial teeth as assistant to Carlo Ancelotti at Chelsea, Paris Saint-Germain, Real Madrid and Bayern Munich and also spent a brief spell in charge of Derby County.

— Reading FC (@ReadingFC)

Reading chief executive Ron Gourlay said: I am delighted to have …

Spain striker Diego Costa believes Argentina should thank God for Lionel Messi and not criticise the Barcelona superstar.

Messi was absent due to injury as Spain thrashed Jorge Sampaoli s men 6-1 in Madrid on Tuesday, inflicting the joint-worst defeat in Argentina history.

Costa opened the scoring for Spain, with Real Madrid midfielder Isco adding his first international hat-trick in a comprehensive win.

Despite countless trophies at Barca and five Ballons d Or, international success continues to elude Messi, who was on the losing side in the last World Cup final and has been a beaten Copa America finalist on three occasions.

Costa felt Argentina missed Messi badly during their humiliating defeat at Atletico Madrid s new home, with Spain playing at the …

Yaya Toure believes more needs to be done by football s governing bodies to punish those found guilty of racism.

The Manchester City midfielder was subject to racist taunts during a UEFA Champions League at CSKA Moscow in October 2013.

UEFA punished that offence by ordering a partial stadium closure on the Russian Premier League side.

But Toure, speaking at the launch of FIFA s Anti-Discrimination Monitoring System in London, feels more strigent measures are needed.

For me, the real matter is we need harsher sanctions  not just closing part of the stadium or giving them a level of a fine, he said.

We can see now we have a couple of clubs who are bigger than a country and they pay maybe £20,000 and something like that. For me that is not enou…

Athletic Bilbao coach Ernesto Valverde has signed a new one-year deal with the Liga club.

Valverde took over for a second stint in charge of Bilbao back in 2013 and led the Basque club to fourth place as well as a spot in the UEFA Champions League in his first season back at the helm.

The 2014-15 campaign has not been as successful, with Bilbao sitting seventh in the league going into Saturday s final-day clash with Villarreal.

Bilbao were knocked out in the group stage of the Champions League and lost to Torino in the last 32 of the UEFA Europa League.

Despite those disappointments, Bilbao appear to be satisfied with Valverde, handing him a contract that will keep him at the club until the end of next season.

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