La Liga
Yaya Toure ‘offers’ self to embattled Barca
Former Barcelona midfielder and Cote d’ Ivoire legend Yaya Toure has stated he is readily available to help Barcelona at any given time if he is contacted to do so.
The Blaugrana have been inconsistent this season, and have suffered back-to-back defeats in all competitions, the latest one coming on Saturday when they fell 2-0 to La Liga champions Atletico Madrid.
Barca have won just once in their last six matches in all competitions, losing thrice and drawing twice. It is a run that is hurting the club’s faithful, and it is for this reason the former midfielder has offered himself to help the team if needed.
“It may be a difficult time for the club but my belief for Barcelona is strong,” Toure, who is currently the Akhmat Grozny assistant coach, posted on his official social media account.
“I will always be available for the club should they need me anytime as my heart is forever with the club, the people, and the fans.
“My time at Barcelona was one of the best memories of my playing career. The club decided to trust me when I was still a young player, yet to establish myself in the top leagues. I will forever be grateful to the club for what they have done for me.”
It may be a difficult time for the club but my belief for @FCBarcelona is strong. I will always be available for the club should they need me anytime as my heart is forever with the club, the people and the fans! #ForçaBarça https://t.co/YjUnxrh5Md
The now 38-year-old was signed by the Spanish heavyweights from Monaco in 2007 and played until the summer of 2010 when Manchester City came calling. While at Barca, the West African won La Liga titles in 2008/09 and 2009/10 seasons.
He also won the Copa del Rey in the 2008/09 season as well as the UEFA Champions League that year.
In 2009, he won the Spanish Super Cup, UEFA Super Cup, and the FIFA Club World Cup with Barca, and has now suggested he is keen to help the under-pressure manager Ronald Koeman.
On the La Liga table, Barcelona are placed in the ninth position with 12 points from the seven matches they have played. The former champions have managed three wins, as many draws, and a loss.
Rivals Real Madrid and Atletico Madrid are joint top with 17 points the latter having played one more match (eight).
A Spanish court on Wednesday handed Brazil coach Carlo Ancelotti a one-year prison sentence for failing to pay tax on his image rights revenues in 2014 when the Italian was Real Madrid manager, according to a statement.
Ancelotti, who managed Real Madrid from 2013 to 2015 and between 2021 and 2025, was cleared of a similar charge in 2015, as the court could not prove he had stayed long enough in Spain to incur tax liabilities, the court added. He moved to London after Real Madrid sacked him in May 2015.
Under Spanish law, any sentence under two years for a non-violent crime rarely requires a defendant without previous convictions to serve jail time.
The 66-year-old former Bayern Munich, AC Milan and Chelsea manager is the latest of several soccer celebrities to be investigated and convicted by the Spanish tax authority for alleged tax fraud.
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Raphinha knew there was no reason to panic as Barcelona struggled to break down Espanyol on Thursday and said it was only a matter of time before the “golden feet” of Lamine Yamal steered them to a title-winning victory with a glorious goal.
Yamal, 17, took the ball on the right touchline and made a superb lateral run across the edge of the box before unleashing a curling strike between two defenders and into the top corner to break the deadlock early in the second half.
The stunning strike set Barca on course for a 2-0 win that secured the LaLiga title, with Real Madrid seven points back with only two games left to play.
“We didn’t have many clear chances but we have a kid in there who sometimes pulls something out of the golden feet he has and he gave us peace of mind to stay in the game more calmly,” Raphinha said.
“In January some people were saying we would fight to be third. We have confidence in ourselves. That’s the key. We trust in the work and in what we know we can do.”
Raphinha has scored 18 league goals this season, including a brace in Saturday’s crucial 4-3 win over Real Madrid, and was quick to credit the trust shown in him by coach Hansi Flick.
The Brazilian tripled his goal tally from last season and also has the third-highest number of assists in the competition with nine, three less than leader Yamal.
“The most important thing was the confidence of the coach. Knowing at the start of the season that he was counting on me, a person who controls the team … it changes you in the end,” he said.
-Reuters
Former Spain midfielder Xabi Alonso is set to become the next Real Madrid manager on a three-year deal when he leaves Bayer Leverkusen after this season, Spanish media reported on Monday.
Alonso, 43, is expected to replace current Real boss Carlo Ancelotti, who is being lined up for the vacant Brazil job ahead of the 2026 World Cup, soccer sources told Reuters.
Despite the Italian having a year remaining on his contract, Real’s underwhelming season and his desire to coach Brazil have led to a mutual agreement to part ways, the sources added.
Alonso, who said earlier this month that he was leaving Leverkusen after guiding them to the double last term, will join Real before the inaugural Club World Cup in the United States from June 14 to July 14, multiple media reports said.
Alonso, who also played for Liverpool and Bayern Munich, last season steered Leverkusen to their first Bundesliga title, ending the Bavarians’ 11-year domination, and they also won the German Cup and German Super Cup.
Reports of Ancelotti’s likely departure come as no surprise after Real’s 4-3 defeat at Barcelona in a thrilling ‘El Clasico’ on Sunday left his side on the brink of a trophyless season.
The 65-year-old Italian, who returned for a second stint at Real in June 2021, led the Spanish giants to two Champions League and LaLiga doubles, the latest of which came last season.
He is the most successful manager in the club’s history with a total of 15 trophies and the first coach to claim titles in Europe’s top five leagues.
However, this season Real were knocked out of the Champions League in the quarter-finals by Arsenal and allowed Barca to fight back and win 3-2 in the Copa del Rey final.
Second-placed Real are seven points adrift of Barcelona, who could secure the league title on Wednesday without kicking a ball if Real fail to win at home to Mallorca.
Regardless of Real’s result, a Barca victory in the city derby away to Espanyol on Thursday would clinch the title.
An official announcement regarding a managerial change is expected before Real’s last game of the season at home to Real Sociedad on May 25.
-Reuters
Schmuelgen/File Photo
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