to move up and down
Barcelona’s players celebrate during a ceremony at the Camp Nou stadium in Barcelona on May 19, 2013 after winning the Spanish League title. Barcelona celebrated lifting the La Liga trophy for a 22nd time with a 2-1 win over Valladolid. Photo: LLuis Gene/AFP/Getty Images)
He’s feeling better: Spain’s Rafael Nadal celebrates after winning his tennis match against Bulgaria’s Grigor Dimitrov, during the Monte-Carlo ATP Masters Series Tournament. (Photo: JEAN CHRISTOPHE MAGNENET/AFP/Getty Images)
(Source: nationalpost.com)
Lionel Messi got a new tattoo in tribute to his son Thiago. It’s an interesting choice … (Photo: Twitter/Leo Messi Fan Club/Matias Messi)
Barcelona’s relentless pace at the top of La Liga, fired by the insatiable Lionel Messi, has left their closest rivals Atletico and Real Madrid all but throwing in the towel before the midway point of the season.
Any doubts about Tito Vilanova’s abilities to take up where Pep Guardiola left off after four trophy-ladened seasons look to have been misplaced with Barca nine points clear of Atletico and 13 ahead of champions Real Madrid after only 16 games.
A 4-1 thrashing of Diego Simeone’s pretenders on Sunday, with another double from Messi, served to underline their dominance in a league where they have swept up 46 of 48 points so far.
Third-placed Real were held to a surprise 2-2 draw by Espanyol at the Bernabeu.
“Barca are left without rivals,” Catalonia-based daily Sport gloated on Monday. “The league isn’t won yet… but everyone thinks it is. (Photo: Jasper Juinen/Getty Images)
This does not look promising: Lionel Messi was carried off on a stretcher with an apparent knee injury as Barcelona was held to 0-0 by Benfica at Camp Nou in the Champions League on Wednesday.
Messi, who went on as a reserve in the 58th minute, collided with Benfica goalkeeper Artur in the 85th and was in obvious pain from his left knee.
Messi is only one goal short of tying Gurd Mueller’s 40-year-old record for most goals in a calendar year.
Horsin’ around: A horse is washed during the Sicab International Pre Horse Fair in Seville. The show runs till November 25 and is dedicated exclusively to Spanish thoroughbreds. (Photo: REUTERS/Marcelo del Pozo)
Messi gets the full treatment: Argentina’s Lionel Messi is escorted by security personnel as he arrives with his team in Riyadh. Argentina will play a friendly soccer match against Saudi Arabia on Wednesday. (Photo: REUTERS/Fahad Shadeed)
This doesn’t look good: Cristiano Ronaldo will miss Portugal’s friendly in Gabon on Wednesday after sustaining a gash over his left eye in a Real Madrid game.
Ronaldo missed the second half of his club’s match against Levante after defender David Navarro’s elbow cut the Portugal captain.
Ronaldo scored Madrid’s opener in the 21st minute but could not continue after halftime.
Madrid coach Jose Mourinho said that his star forward “lost vision in both eyes.”
Yamaha MotoGP world champion rider Jorge Lorenzo falls during the Valencia Motorcycle Grand Prix at the Ricardo Tormo racetrack in Cheste, near Valencia. Lorenzo was denied a victorious season finale on home soil when he crashed out while leading an incident-packed Valencia Grand Prix on Sunday to hand victory to fellow-Spaniard Dani Pedrosa. (Photo: REUTERS/Heino Kalis)
Real Madrid’s Sergio Ramos (L) and teammate Pepe react after colliding during their Champions League Group D soccer match against Borussia Dortmund in Madrid on Tuesday. (Photo: REUTERS/Juan Medina)
