Ronald Koeman came under pressure after losing the El Classico earlier this week. There was a buzz in Spain that the coach will be replaced if he fails to produce against Rayo Vallecano. The rumor came true after failing to win a rather easy La Liga fixture on Wednesday (October 27). Following the defeat, the club stated in an official statement that first-team coach Ronald Koeman has been fired after 14 months in command. Let's take a look at the top candidates for Ronald Koeman's replacement at FC Barcelona.    Ronald Koeman's Potential Successors at FC Barcelona Barcelona's newly elected president Joan Laporta extended Koeman's contract for another season earlier this summer despite his unimpressive style of play. However, he fell short in terms of decision-making. Under his leadership, Barcelona has only 15 points from ten La Liga games this season. His team also lost twice in the ongoing UEFA Champions League group stage. The Barcelona board was increasingly frustrated with Koeman's poor managerial performance, and his termination was on the cards after the defeat against arch-rival Real Madrid. Here are a few prospective Koeman replacements. Read Man United humiliated: Salah hat trick in 5-0 Liverpool rout Jordi Cruyff Jordi Cruyff, the son of former Barcelona legend Johan Cruyff, is one of the leading contenders for the position. He is quite knowledgeable about Blaugrana's style. Because his father was the main architect of Barcelona's famed tiki-taka style of play. Jordi understands exactly what Barcelona expect from him.  Jordi has previously held managerial positions with Maccabi Tel Aviv, Shenzen FC, and the Ecuadorian national team. Currently, he is serving as the sports advisor at Barcelona. It will not be a bad choice if the club names Jr. Cruyff as the next Barcelona first-team coach. Read Madrid wins 2-1 at Barcelona in first post-Messi ‘clásico’ Antonio Conte Italian coach Antonio Conte is the most well-known name on the market. He resigned as manager after winning Serie A with Inter Milan last season. Conte has a particular vision and approach to the game. He has the capability to bring out the best in his players and can help Barcelona to regain its glory. One major issue is, Conte's ideology may not be completely aligned with FC Barcelona's. Barcelona might be considering him as an alternative for Koeman if they are unable to convince their other main targets.  Read European soccer leagues oppose FIFA biennial World Cup plan

Lionel Messi became a free agent on July 1, although he was anticipated to re-sign with FC Barcelona. However, on Thursday (August 5) Barcelona confirmed that they will not sign Messi due to financial regulations by La Liga. Just five days after the announcement, French club PSG have signed Lionel Messi for a two-year deal with an option for a third year. PSG have become an immediate favorite to win the Champions League next season after acquiring Messi on a free transfer. Here we will discus Lionel Messi's illustrious football career and how he can guide PSG to Champions League crown. Details of Lionel Messi's PSG contract Europe's big teams began contacting Messi's management in an attempt to sign him following the announcement that Lionel Messi will not sign a new contract with Barca. However, only PSG had the available funds and ambition to recruit the former Barcelona forward. Read Lionel Messi signs 2-year contract with Paris Saint-Germain Lionel Messi's father Jorge Messi immediately contacted the Paris Saint-Germain hierarchy to secure the deal as early as possible. The contract talks moved quickly, and Lionel Messi and his family landed in Paris on Tuesday (August 10) to finalize the paperwork. After completing his medicals, Lionel Messi formally signed a contract with Paris Saint-Germain in the presence of President Nasser Al-Khelaifi and sports director Leonardo.The 34-year-old reportedly agreed to a two-year contract that includes a base salary of €25 million after taxes, with an extra €10 million in bonuses.According to sources, the Argentine will also get a €25 million signing bonus, as well as a third-year option on the same financial conditions. Read Lionel Messi is Leaving Barcelona Despite Wanting to Stay The Role Lionel Messi will Play at PSG Lionel Messi refused to take Neymar's number 10 jersey. Instead, he's opted for the number 30 jersey. Messi began his professional career with Barcelona with this jersey number and he wants to start fresh at PSG with this concept. Messi's primary responsibility at PSG would be to build lethal attacking combinations with Neymar and Mbappe. He could play as a false 9 on the right wing or in the center. Messi may drop into the middle if necessary to create a holistic attack on the opposition defense. Read Lionel Messi Contract: PSG Set to Sign Former Barcelona Forward Messi's football knowledge and experience will be crucial in reviving the squad. The Paris Saint-Germain side would be much more balanced and positive with the inclusion of two veteran former La Liga players Sergio Ramos and Lionel Messi. Ramos and Messi have both won the Champions League four times and know what it takes to win Europe's most coveted club competition. Their presence will be vital, particularly in the knockout stages. That's why Lionel Messi may lead PSG to their first Champions League title. Aside from Lionel Messi and Sergio Ramos, PSG have also signed Georginio Wijnaldum, Gianluigi Donnarumma, and Achraf Hakimi during the summer transfer window 2021. Read Messi breaks down, says he wasn’t ready to leave Barcelona At a Glance: Lionel Messi's Remarkable Football Career Lionel Messi has a long list of achievements to his name, both with his club and for his country. His major success, though, has come at the club level. Lionel Messi made his professional debut for Barcelona against Porto at the Camp Nou stadium on November 16, 2003. Messi won 35 titles and 672 goals in 778 games during his 17 years at FC Barcelona. Read PSG explores Messi signing; Pochettino in contact With Barcelona, Lionel Messi won 10 La Liga trophies, four Champions Leagues, seven Copa Del Rays, eight Supercopa de Espana, three UEFA Super Cups, and three FIFA Club World Cups. Lionel Messi has also won a record-breaking six Ballon d'Or awards. Lionel Messi broke several club, La Liga, European, and world records during his stint at FC Barcelona. From a teenage star at Barcelona, he has grown into one of the greatest footballers of all time. Lionel Messi has only won one major trophy with Argentina's national team. He won the Copa America 2021 trophy in Brazil. However, Messi has appeared in four Copa America finals as well as the 2014 World Cup final in Brazil. At age level tournament, Messi won the FIFA U-20 World Cup in 2005 and the gold medal at the Summer Olympics 2008 in Beijing. Read End of an era: Barcelona says Messi won’t stay with the club Lionel Messi is expected to play at the highest level for at least two more seasons. We can anticipate him to break more records and dazzle football fans in the coming years. Verdict Ligue 1 club PSG are currently the strong favourite to win the 2021/2022 Champions League trophy following their marquee signings during the summer transfer window. Also, Lionel Messi's incredible career achievements indicate that he is a true winner who can really help PSG go to the next level. Veterans Sergio Ramos and Lionel Messi will provide stability to the team. Their experience will be crucial if Paris Saint-Germain are to win the Champions League for the first time. It would be difficult for other teams to stop PSG if they can maintain consistency in the knockout stage of the tournament. Read Copa America 2021: Lionel Messi vs Neymar da Silva

Lionel Messi has officially confirmed his departure from Barcelona after 21 years of service. Messi flooded the emotions of football fans by arriving at the news conference with tears in his eyes on Sunday (August 8). The little magician wanted to continue his career with Barcelona when Joan Laporta took over as president earlier this year. However, the Argentine superstar will not be able to sign a new deal with FC Barcelona due to La Liga's financial and structural obstacles. Lionel Messi confirmed his exit from Barcelona during the press conference, despite the fact that he expressed his desire to stay. Highlights of Lionel Messi's Press Conference Lionel Messi addressed his farewell to everyone at the start of the press conference. Later, he responded to a variety of media questions. Here are a few highlights of Messi's press conference. On leaving FC Barcelona Messi feels that this is the right time to leave Barcelona, but he has promised that he would return in a few years. He is really pleased with what he has accomplished with this club. On signing a new contract Messi has indicated that adjusting to life after Barcelona will be difficult. He had made up his mind to stay with the club for a few more years.He also revealed that everything was finalized, but that the deal could not be completed due to the pay structure in La Liga. Read: Messi breaks down, says he wasn’t ready to leave Barcelona Message to his teammates In a message to his teammates, Lionel Messi expressed gratitude to everyone who had assisted him in his development as a player. He also claimed that he did his best to treat everyone with respect. On Barcelona Supporters Lionel Messi was also lamented for not being able to say his final goodbyes in front of tens of thousands of Barcelona supporters. He wanted to share his final thoughts in front of Barcelona's most ardent supporters. In the context of reminiscing for Barcelona Lionel Messi feels that Barcelona is still the finest club in the world and that he had really enjoyed his time with the club. Messi promised that he will return one day and help Barcelona in their progress. Read Messi, Ronaldo, Neymar: Who Has Acquired Most International Achievements? On his best moment with FC Barcelona Messi had so many wonderful moments with FC Barcelona. However, he picked his debut match as his favorite. The most difficult moment in his football career Lionel Messi believes that leaving FC Barcelona is the most difficult decision he has ever made in his professional career. He has his rough moments, but leaving Barcelona is really difficult for him. Regarding Barcelona without Messi Messi is confident that FC Barcelona will continue to be one of the most successful clubs in the world, and therefore that supporters will become used to seeing Barcelona without Lionel Messi. Because Messi feels that no one is more important than the club as well as its fans. Messi assures that his professional career should be ok soon since he will be accompanied by his family. He will always be up for a challenge. Read: Lionel Messi Contract: PSG Set to Sign Former Barcelona Forward

After months of speculation and rumors, Barcelona revealed on Thursday that their star Argentine forward Lionel Messi would not sign a new contract due to financial and structural issues. Lionel Messi became a free agent on July 1 following his contract with Barca ended on June 30. Messi's agent and FC Barcelona reached a verbal agreement in the midst of July. However, they were unable to sign Messi due to La Liga's economic and constitutional provisions. PSG are now the favourite to sign Messi following this announcement. In this article, we looked at what PSG might offer in Lionel Messi's contract. Lionel Messi Contract: PSG are Favourite to Sign the Argentine Superstar  Lionel Messi has been a member of FC Barcelona's senior team since 2004. He has had tremendous success at the Catalan-based club. Messi has 35 titles to his name and 672 goals in 778 games for Barcelona. He has many club records, including six Ballon d'Or honors. However, Messi has decided to leave Barcelona after a two-decade stint at the club due to financial limitations.   Read: End of an era: Barcelona says Messi won’t stay with the club Following the news that Lionel Messi would be leaving Barcelona, all of Europe's major clubs began contacting Messi's agent to acquire his services. According to recent reports, Lionel Messi will sign a new deal with PSG in the coming days. PSG does have the financial resources and can provide Messi with a comfortable setting in the locker room.  PSG have already booked the Eifel Tower for Tuesday (August 10) for a unanimous reason. However, if the rumors are true, PSG have reserved the Eifel Tower for Lionel Messi's unveiling ceremony. The 34-year-old Argentina national team captain is set to sign a two-year contract for £25 million per year after taxes next week, with an option for an additional year.  Read: Ballon d'Or 2021 Predictions: Lionel Messi in Pole Position to Win the Coveted Award PSG are convinced that they can balance their budgets by selling players and signing Messi without breaching FFP laws, thanks to their Qatari owners. In addition, any Messi agreement would be a big boost for Qatar as it gears up to host the FIFA World Cup 2022. Verdict  Ligue 1 club PSG are now the overwhelming favourite to sign one of the best footballers in history. Lionel Messi's arrival will undoubtedly increase PSG's global appeal. Any Lionel Messi contract will bring them a lot of money. On the other side, Messi will be surrounded by close friends who can help him adapt to the beautiful city of Paris. Read Messi, Ronaldo, Neymar: Who Has Acquired Most International Achievements?

Lionel Messi is widely regarded as one of the all-time greatest footballers. However, he has not been able to maintain his usual form in competitive football for the past two years. There are two reasons for this: first, Messi is no longer as fit as he once was due to his age, and second, Barcelona and Argentina no longer have world-class footballers. A notable number of new footballers have been included in Barcelona. With whom it is not possible to win big trophies. So in this article, we discuss why Lionel Messi should play for Manchester City next season.  Why Lionel Messi should leave FC Barcelona Helping Barcelona to overcome the economic downturn Barcelona are going through an economic recession. According to various sources, their current debt is estimated to be 1. 2 billion euros. On the other hand, Messi's current annual salary is 71 million euros. Apart from him, the Catalan club also has high-paid players like Philippe Coutinho and Antoine Griezman.In addition, Barcelona have suffered heavily due to the coronavirus outbreak. Overall, if Messi leaves, Barcelona will save a lot of money. Read: How the European Super League could have ruled Messi and Ronaldo out of the FIFA World Cup 2022? Responding to critics by playing in the Premier League There's a saying about Messi that he doesn't play well outside of his comfort zone. Messi has been a success for Barcelona, but not so much for Argentina. Many believe that he will struggle to succeed if he plays in the English Premier League. That's why Messi should play in the Premier League for at least two or three seasons to respond to his critics. Opportunity to win the Champions League once again Lionel Messi has not won the Champions League trophy since 2015. Along with Suarez and Neymar, Messi won the most coveted club-level football competition in Europe for Barcelona that season. But with the best players leaving the club, Barcelona have been unable to form a competitive squad capable of winning major trophies. As a result, the Catalan club is being eliminated from the knock-out stages every year. Messi will have the opportunity to play for the best team in the world if he joins Manchester City. As a result, Messi's chances of winning another Champions League before retirement will increase. Ending the GOAT debate It will be a strong response to many critics if Messi wins the Premier League and the Champions League for Manchester City. Then there will be no doubt on anyone's mind that he is the real GOAT. Because what Messi has achieved is truly remarkable, and no one is likely to surpass his overall record. Read: How European football is badly affected by the pandemic covid-19? Why Manchester City should sign Messi Chances of reuniting with Pep Guardiola When Pep Guardiola was at Barcelona a few years back, he certainly brought out the best version of Messi. Guardiola was Barcelona's coach from 2008 to 2012. Playing under Pep, Messi scored 211 goals in 219 matches and had a total of 88 assists. Barcelona won a record 14 trophies under his management. So, Lionel Messi can find his best form by playing under Pep again. Man City will benefit a lot if he is included in the squad. Strengthening the forward line of Manchester City Without playing any forward, Pep Guardiola is leading Manchester City to new heights. In short, he is redefining football. Guardiola is bringing out excellent results by playing some world-class midfielders instead of strikers. Manchester City will improve if Lionel Messi joins the squad, then it would be difficult to stop them. There is no alternative to Messi if Man City want to be an irresistible team in Europe. Read: Football Transfers 2021: The hot favorites to replace Sergio Aguero at Man City Manchester City will be hot favorite to win the Champions League Manchester City are yet to win the Champions League despite hiring the best coach in the world, Pep Guardiola, in 2016.That demonstrates how difficult it is to win Europe's best tournament. Apart from luck, winning such a championship requires one or two best football players on the team.They will be the X factors and in that case, Lionel Messi may be the most ideal option for citizens. Manchester City's brand value would significantly increase Manchester City are still lag behind Barcelona, Real Madrid, and Manchester United In terms of brand value. The brand value of Man City will increase by several times if they can bring one of the best footballers in history, Lionel Messi to Etihad. The citizens will also benefit financially. Overall, it will be a win-win situation for both Messi and Man City. Read: Potential Young Players Who Could Rule World Football Next Decade Verdict So far, we have discussed some of the key reasons Why Lionel Messi should play for Manchester City. It would be difficult for Messi to leave Barcelona after 21 years and find a new club. Because Messi has a strong emotional attachment to this club. However, Messi should accept the reality and seek a new challenge. In this case, the above discussion explains why Lionel Messi should play for Manchester City next season. Messi will have the chance to cement his place as the greatest player of all time by playing in the Premier League.

Eight of the games in a slightly truncated Matchday 31 of La Liga will be played on Sunday due to the final of the Copa del Rey between FC Barcelona and Athletic Club Bilbao on Saturday night. Barca will play their league game corresponding to Matchday 31 at home to Granada on April 28 while Athletic Club takes on Valladolid in a very relevant match to the visitors' struggle against relegation on the same day. The round of matches kicks off on Sunday lunchtime with Real Sociedad at home to Sevilla in a game with a lot to say in the race for the title and the battle to qualify for Europe. Sevilla's thrilling 4-3 win away to Celta Vigo on Monday means they are just six points behind league leaders Atletico Madrid. A run of 13 points from a possible 15 means they have to be seen as outsiders in the race for this season's La Liga title. Real Sociedad, meanwhile, are fifth and locked in a battle with Villarreal and Betis for a place in next season's Europa League (a battle that will become harder if Athletic Club qualifies by winning the Cup on Saturday). Atletico Madrid has been dropping points at a worrying rate and now holds just a one-point lead over Real Madrid, with Barca another point behind, but they have to favor their home game against the bottom of the table Eibar. Eibar visits the Wanda Metropolitano bottom of the table with just 23 points and after 13 league games without a win after their home defeat to Levante last weekend. Even though Luis Suarez and Joao Felix are out for Atletico, Diego Simeone's men are still clear favorites. Real Madrid makes the short visit to play Getafe, who are not safe from relegation yet after a home defeat to Cadiz last weekend. Madrid goes to the south of the capital after assuring their place in the Champions League's semi-finals on Wednesday. Although they will still be without Lucas Vazquez, Sergio Ramos and probably Raphael Varane, they have every reason to be confident. The last time Getafe beat Real Madrid was in 2012, and the last time Pepe Bordalas' side scored against them was in March 2018, and it looks as if tiredness with being the main rival for Zinedine Zidane's men. Elsewhere the battle against relegation takes center stage, with Javier Calleja making his home debut as coach at second from bottom Alaves when they face Huesca. Calleja's side held on for a 0-0 draw in Bilbao last weekend, and with Lucas Perez back after the ostracism he suffered under Abelardo Fernandez, they have more threat in attack. Rafa Mir will be the main threat for Huesca, who have improved hugely with Pacheta in the dugout, and their 3-1 win at home to Elche last weekend saw them leapfrog Elche to escape the bottom three for the first time in 22 weeks. That defeat ended Elche's positive trajectory under Fran Escriba. They need to recover from that defeat when they visit Osasuna, who are probably one win from assuring their survival for another year. Elsewhere Betis takes on Valencia, looking to keep their efforts to qualify for Europe on track after a 1-1 draw at home to Atletico Madrid last week. Valencia striker Maxi Gomez is suspended after his sending off against Real Sociedad a week ago. An always entertaining Celta Vigo will test Cadiz's solid defense. There is also an east-coast derby as Levante entertains Villarreal, three days after Villarreal qualified for the Europa League's semi-finals.

FC Barcelona face Athletic Club Bilbao in the Spanish Supercup final in the 'Estadio de la Cartuja' in Seville on Sunday night.

Atletico Madrid striker Luis Suarez will miss the chance to face his former club FC Barcelona this Saturday after testing positive for COVID-19.

Lionel Messi’s father arrived in Spain early Wednesday and is expected to meet with Barcelona club officials to discuss his son’s future, reports AP.