France forward Ousmane Dembele won the men's Ballon d'Or at a ceremony in Paris on Monday, the most prestigious individual award in football rewarding his starring role in the Paris Saint-Germain side that won the Champions League last season.

Barcelona made light of playing in front of just 6,000 fans to thrash Valencia 6-0 in their first home game of the season, with three players netting twice in a goal-scoring carnival.

Barcelona cruised to a 3-0 win at nine-man Mallorca in their opening LaLiga game of the season on Saturday as England forward Marcus Rashford made his debut off the bench.

Brazil's Barcelona forward Raphinha regretted that the players were not consulted about extending their season to play at the Club World Cup, adding that nobody should be obliged to give up their vacation time.

The Brazilian, whose previous deal was set to expire in 2027, was vital as Barcelona won a domestic treble of La Liga, the Copa del Rey and the Spanish Super Cup.

Together, they have not only lifted Barça back to domestic supremacy but turned every encounter against Real Madrid into a stage for their individual magic.

Raphinha scored twice as Barcelona overcame a two-goal deficit to secure a crucial 4-3 home victory against rivals Real Madrid in a pulsating Clasico on Sunday, edging them closer to the LaLiga title.

Barcelona and Inter Milan shared a compelling 3-3 draw in a high-octane Champions League semi-final first leg clash on Wednesday, with teenage star Lamine Yamal shining bright.

Hansi Flick's Barca are a step away from reaching the semi-finals for the first time since 2019 and extended their unbeaten run to 23 matches.

All eyes were on Brazil's Raphinha ahead of the game after his explosive comments on Romario TV, where he boldly promised Argentina would be “beaten up” both on and off the pitch.

"We'll beat them up... Absolutely! Beat them up! On the pitch and off the pitch if we have to," Raphinha said in an interview on "Romario TV" with the Brazilian great.

Lamine Yamal and Raphinha dazzled as Barcelona thumped Benfica 3-1 on Tuesday, reaching the Champions League quarter-finals 4-1 on aggregate.

Raphinha claimed Barcelona a 1-0 Champions League last-16 first leg win at Benfica on Wednesday, despite the Catalan giants playing most the game with 10 men.

 Robert Lewandowski's second-half strike secured a 1-0 win for Barcelona against Deportivo Alaves on Sunday, as the third-placed hosts reduced the gap on LaLiga leaders Real Madrid to four points.

Raphinha struck a dramatic winner in stoppage time as Barcelona came from behind to beat Benfica 5-4 in a wild match on Tuesday and virtually ensure direct qualification to the Champions League last 16.

The Catalans had lost their last six games against Bayern but outplayed the six-time winners at the Olympic Stadium with Robert Lewandowski also on the scoresheet, while England star Harry Kane struck for the visitors.

Building on last week's 2-1 comeback win in Chile, Brazil looked livelier from the start and dominated possession, with late goals from Andreas Pereira and Luiz Henrique putting the gloss on an impressive performance.

After scoring the first hat-trick of his career and delivering two assists to guide Barca to a 7-0 demolition of Real Valladolid, Raphinha said that the result showed that the club has the players it needs to be contenders.

Brazil winger Raphinha scored a hattrick as Barcelona thrashed Real Valladolid 7-0 on Saturday to make it four wins from four in La Liga under new coach Hansi Flick.

Brazil goalscorer Raphinha insisted the five-time world champions would be unfazed at the prospect of playing Uruguay.