A six-year-old Afghan boy, who shot to Internet fame by sporting a Lionel Messi shirt made out of a plastic bag, fulfills his dreams by meeting the Argentine soccer great.

Real Madrid remain six points clear at the top of La Liga after Sergio Ramos's late leveller earned a 1-1 draw at Barcelona in El Clasico on a weekend in which none of the top six won.

Real Madrid captain Sergio Ramos rescued a draw and maintained the European champions' six-point lead at the top of La Liga in a 1-1 draw at Barcelona on Saturday.

Barcelona's Nou Camp is the biggest soccer arena in Europe and has long been the home of the world's best players but visitors have often complained that it is lacking in atmosphere.

Real Madrid can open a nine-point lead over bitter rivals Barcelona at the top of La Liga by winning Saturday's 'Clasico' at the Nou Camp.

Despite being former midfield heroes for the clubs they now manage, Barcelona coach Luis Enrique and his Real Madrid counterpart Zinedine Zidane are afforded little credit for their achievements in management.

Barcelona were held 1-1 by lowly Hercules in their King's Cup last 32 first-leg match on Wednesday while Mariano scored a hat-trick as Real Madrid romped to a 6-1 second-leg victory over third-tier Cultural Leonesa and a 13-2 aggregate triumph.

Saturday's blockbuster La Liga clash between Barcelona and Real Madrid will be preceded by a minute's silence for the 71 people killed in a plane crash that decimated the Brazilian football team Chapecoense.

Gerard Pique gives a scathing assessment of Barcelona's display after the champions were held to a 1-1 draw by Real Sociedad and casts doubt on his team's ability to retain the La Liga title unless their performances improve.

Barcelona's Brazilian star Neymar damaged his Ferrari Spider in a road accident but his club said he was ready to play against Real Sociedad on Sunday night.

Lionel Messi's prodigious talent is matched by his startling humility, which he displayed again on Thursday by denying that Barcelona's fate is determined by his presence in the team.

Arsenal forward Alexis Sanchez is keen to play the same kind of role Lionel Messi performs at Barcelona, the Chilean international said.

Spanish giants FC Barcelona sealed a massive shirt sponsorship deal Wednesday with Japanese online retailer Rakuten worth at least 55 million euros ($59 million) a year.

Barcelona president Josep Maria Bartomeu predicts that Lionel Messi would not only extend his contract with the Catalan club but also end his playing days there too.

Lionel Messi announced a press boycott to protest against a journalist who alleged team-mate Ezequiel Lavezzi had used marijuana at Argentina's training base.

European Golden Shoe winner Luis Suarez said negotiations to extend his contract with Barcelona until 2021 were running smoothly.

Stars of Emmy-winning television epic "Game of Thrones" got a front row seat at the Lionel Messi show on Sunday as the Argentine superstar scored his 500th Barcelona goal.

After beating the 'best team in the world', playing lowly Middlesbrough on a November afternoon in the north of England should bring Premier League leaders Manchester City nicely back to earth.

Barcelona will put Manchester City to the sword if they commit the same kind of errors as they did in their Champions League encounter last month, coach Luis Enrique has said.

Barcelona centre-back Jeremy Mathieu joined the club's mounting injury list and faces three weeks out after hurting his right calf,