Picture of Alexis Sanchez car crash

Alexis Sánchez's agent, Fernando Felicevich, confirmed the news to MARCA and had to reassure the Chilean's fans. Footage of the Barcelona player's car showed signs of the forward's violent crash on the C-32 road.



The player walked away unscathed after his car crashed into the road's protective barrier and skidded along it for over 100 metres. He then left the vehicle on the roadside before one of his teammates picked him up and drove him to Gavá, where he lives. They did not report the accident to the authorities.



The footballer told the officers who visited him afterwards at his house that he was unsure what had caused his car to leave the road, although everything points to him exceeding the permitted speed limit.

Neymar want Barca move.

Barcelona is the chosen destination for highly-rated striker Neymar, according to Santos vice-president Odilio Rodrigues.

The 21-year old's future has been the subject of speculation for a number of years since coming through the ranks at Santos and establishing himself as a key part of the Brazilian national team.



Neymar has attracted interest from across Europe, but Rodrigues says that a move to Barcelona is the player's preference.

"Neymar has told us he wants to sign for Barcelona," he told Ser Esports.

"There are other proposals but he has preferences for Barca. There is no official Madrid proposal for Neymar but we know that this offer will come.



"We held conversations in Spain with the Barca board of directors and there are on-going talks but nothing has been decided.



"But the negotiations need to continue because the first bid we were offered was not enough. We know that Madrid had a bid and will be presenting it soon, but I haven't talked to (club president) Florentino Perez.



"We know that the athlete's opinion is important. What we have to do is to find a way to unify the best offer with the player's interest."



Neymar has been a regular fixture in Luiz Felipe Scolari's Brazil squads and the former Chelsea boss was full of praise for the youngster.



"He is an example to follow as a sportsman," he said to Canal+.



"I have spoken to Sandro Rosell about how he behaves on the training pitch and about his personality and he really is an example to follow.



"Barcelona are clearly leading the race for his signature. He would be a great signing for Barcelona.



"He would be an idol for the fans next season alongside Lionel Messi."

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Barca have Neymar bid rejected

Santos vice-president Odilio Rodrigues has confirmed that the club have already rejected an offer from Barcelona for Neymar.



Rodrigues has revealed that talks will continue with Barca, but he also admitted that they are expecting to hold discussions with Real Madrid, too.

"There is no agreement for Neymar, there are talks, I met [Barcelona's president Sandro] Rosell and [Barcelona's sporting director] Raul Sanllehi last week," he told Radio A Xarxa.



"We had a very frank conversation. Talks need to continue because the offer was not good enough."



He confirmed that Santos are expecting Real to lodge a bid shortly, adding: "We know Real Madrid will make an offer too."

Rodrigues also insisted that the player will make the final choice, adding: "Neymar will choose the team he wants, it's Neymar's opinion that is important."


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Messi likely to miss rest of the season

Barcelona star Lionel Messi is set to miss the rest of the season after tests revealed the extent of the damage to his right hamstring.



Messi initially suffered the injury in the first leg of a UEFA Champions League quarter-final against Paris St Germain and he has been in and out of the team ever since. He came off the bench to inspire a Barça win against Prais Saint-Germain in the Camp Nou return but looked a shadow of his brilliant best as the Spanish champions were hammered 4-0 in the first leg of their semi-final meeting with Bayern Munich.



He failed to make an appearance as Bayern duly completed a 7-0 aggregate win in Catalonia. Messi underwent a scan this morning with a Barça statement revealing the results.



It read: "Tests this Tuesday morning showed that Leo Messi has an elongation in the femoral biceps in his right leg. The expected absence is two to three weeks. How the injury evolves will determine the player's availability for future games."



Messi started Sunday's win at Atletico Madrid but limped off after 67 minutes after experiencing further problems with the injury. Barça's final game of the Liga season - they have already wrapped up the title - is scheduled for June 1 at home to Malaga.



It is unlikely Messi will be risked by Barca boss Tito Vilanova, especially as the 25-year-old will be needed by Argentina for their World Cup qualifying doubleheader against Colombia and Ecuador in June.



Messi has enjoyed another wonderful season in Spain, scoring 46 league goals - four short of the record-breaking tally of 50 he notched in 2011-12.


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Liverpool contemplating Barca swoop

Liverpool are once again looking into the possibility of signing Barcelona striker David Villa, according to The Mirror.



Kop boss Brendan Rodgers has been forced to rethink his attacking strategy after Luis Suarez was hit with a 10-match ban after a bizarre bite on Brainslav Ivanovic.



Bargain Hunt



Rodgers is hoping to land the Spaniard on a cut-price deal after they failed to secure him in a loan deal in the January transfer window.



Villa is said to be unhappy with his part-time role at the Nou Camp and could be pushed further back in the squad if the Catalan giants complete the signing of Neymar.



Although Liverpool have a transfer policy of only signing young players, Rodgers wants guaranteed talent, and 31-year-old Villa could be the answer.



Fears



As well as this, there could be the possibility that Liverpool have to sell Suarez in the summer transfer window, bringing the need for a new striker even higher up the list of priorities.



Meanwhile, Rodgers has insisted that Liverpool are still the best team on Merseyside, despite a 0-0 draw with Everton yesterday afternoon.

Xavi fights all the way for Barcelona

Barcelona star Xavi does not believe his side’s Champions League semi-final mauling at the hands of Bayern Munich signals the end of an era for the Catalan club.

Barca established themselves as the world’s leading side during a stunning run of success that saw them win 14 trophies in four years under Pep Guardiola.



They are also poised to reclaim the La Liga title this season in Tito Vilanova’s first campaign in charge.



But after being humiliated 7-0 on aggregate by Bayern, Xavi said:

“There’s no need to be drastic. This team still have a future. We have competed very well up until now.



“I am always optimistic and this team have the desire. We have not been able to get through the semi-finals of the Copa del Rey and Champions League, but we have the team to carry on.



“On Sunday we have another competition.”

That is when Barca play against Real Betis which should see them replace Real Madrid as Spanish champions and heal those European wounds.



Midfielder Cesc Fabregas said: “The players are hurt. We have to react and win La Liga as soon as possible.”


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Vilanova vows to stay on at Barca

Barcelona coach Tito Vilanova has confirmed he will continue in his job next season - despite his health concerns.



Speaking to the media for the first time since returning to Spain from a 10-week stint in New York where he underwent treatment for cancer, an upbeat Vilanova said he "felt strong" and wanted to carry on working.

"I feel strong and, health permitting, I'm looking forward to continuing in the job," he said



"I feel well after all that I've been through. I didn't come back any earlier because there were some side effects.



"But I'm feeling better with every day and I was really looking forward to returning here."

Vilanova had chemotherapy and radiotherapy in the United States following surgery on his parotid gland in December.



The 44-year-old had suffered a relapse after first having a tumour removed from his throat in November 2011.



Assistant Jordi Roura and Aureli Altimira have looked after the first-team in his absence and Vilanova praised them for doing "an exemplary job".

"In any other place this situation of not having a manager would have been a big problem," he said.

And he never had any thoughts of stepping down.

"There were problems due to the distance. But in New York, my day-to-day life was generally good and I was able to keep in contact with the team thanks to new technologies," he added.



"If ever I get two days off, I don't know what to do. This job is not a burden to me and the doctors told me that the best thing I could do was to work."

Barcelona look set to go out of the UEFA Champions League after its 4-0 semi-final first-leg defeat to Bayern Munich, but can win back the Primera Division title from Real Madrid this weekend.



And Vilanova reckons his players deserve praise for how they have coped.



"The club's work-rate and commitment has been extraordinary, we should be pleased with these players for managing to hold their place in the league and reach the Champions League semi-finals for the sixth year running," he added.



On the Bayern tie, Vilanova said all was not lost.

"Bayern truly did come into the game on spectacular form and, although we didn't play badly, we weren't at our best," he said.



"But 4-0 was not a fair reflection. But we are Barca and it is our obligation to go out in front of our fans and show them what we are made of, to compete and try to win.



"We'll see what happens. We have to play confidently. I know it will be difficult, but I'm not throwing the towel in."

Iniesta: Barcelona defeat not end of an era

Iniesta has rejected claims that Barcelona's 4-0 Champions League defeat to Bayern Munich signalled the end of an era.



The Bundesliga champions swept aside the revered Catalan side with astonishing ease in Tuesday's semi-final first leg, inflicting their heaviest European defeat in 16 years.



Chelsea, Celtic, Milan and Real Madrid have all defeated the tika-taka exponents in the last year but Iniesta shrugged off suggestions that the football model to follow has moved from Barcelona to Munich.



"I think it is unjust to talk about the end of an era," he told a press conference in Barcelona.



"This team in the past five years has won two Champions Leagues, been to three more semi-finals, we are about to win a fourth league in five years, we have won Supercups and everything else, it has been a blessed cycle of success.



"That is many years winning and fighting for everything. If you analyse five years in one game against Munich it doesn't make any sense. For me, the end of an era is when years pass and you don't win titles.



"People need to have a lot of respect for this squad, manager and club in general.



"Evidently we need to improve but this is an evolution that the club has to have. It doesn't make sense to me to talk about the ending of an era."



No side has before overturned a 4-0 first leg deficit in the Champions League but Iniesta insisted pride would be at stake at Camp Nou on Wednesday.



"They (Bayern) are in a very good moment right now and we need to recognise their superiority," he added. "Other opponents have recognised it with us.



"It hurts to not have been able to live with the demands that Bayern imposed on us but we need to appeal to our faith a little for the return leg. If we are going to go out, we need to do it giving everything."


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Alves: We have to congratulate Bayern

Barcelona defender Daniel Alves has claimed that Bayern Munich deserve all the praise after their 4-0 mauling of the Spanish giants on Tuesday night.

The two teams played out what was a very tense first half affair, before Barca collapsed after the break, with a brace from Thomas Muller, and goals from Mario Gomez and Arjen Robben contributing to a handsome first leg lead to take to Catalonia.



Reflecting on the game, Alves felt that it was difficult to play against the newly-crowned German champions, but believes there is a way back for Barca if they can identify what went wrong.



Speaking to reporters after the game, the 29-year-old said,”I tip my hat to Bayern for the match they played. It was very difficult to play against them.



“We have to study what we did poorly. We still have 90 minutes at the Camp Nou, but it will be very difficult. We’ve got to come back from 4-0 down and that will be very tough, but we’ll give it everything and leave with our heads held high and knowing we’ve done our best.



“For now we have to congratulate our opponents. They played with far greater intensity than we did. We just couldn’t score. We didn’t fail – we just didn’t create enough chances.


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“As I said before, they deserved to win. When you come up against an opponent that’s better than you, the only thing you can do is congratulate them.”



The La Liga champions elect resume their trail for the domestic title at the weekend against Athletic Bilbao, before the Champions League return leg against Bayern on Wednesday.

Pique: No excuses for defeat

Barcelona defender Gerard Pique conceded they had no excuses for their 4-0 humbling at the hands of Bayern Munich in the first leg of their UEFA Champions League semi-final.

Bayern left Barcelona with a major uphill task in the second leg after a stunning performance at the Allianz Arena.

Two of Bayern's goals could have been ruled out as there was a suspicion of offside over the second goal by Mario Gomez, while Arjen Robben's effort was allowed to stand despite a clear body-check by Thomas Muller on Barcelona defender Jordi Alba.

However, Pique insists they cannot blame the officials for suffering their joint heaviest ever defeat in European competition and admits they were second best to Bayern all over the pitch.

"They gave us a thrashing," admitted Pique. "We will try to turn it around in the return leg and put in a good performance for the fans.

"They were better and faster than us. There is no point talking about the referee, there is no excuse."


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Messi: We'll bounce back

Lionel Messi has insisted he was fit to face Bayern Munich and has vowed to help Barcelona respond to their heavy defeat in Germany.



The Spanish giants suffered a surprise 4-0 loss in their first leg of their UEFA Champions League semi-final and are now facing a huge uphill challenge to qualify.

Messi was a peripheral figure at the Allianz Arena and did not look as if he had recovered from the hamstring injury he suffered a just few weeks ago.

But the Argentine said: "I felt good. I was well enough to play. We have to lift ourselves for the second leg and La Liga. We will bounce back.

"They were a lot stronger than us, physically superior. It is a pity what happened but we have to move on."

Midfielder Xavi also remains adamant Barcelona have not given up hope of reaching the Champions League final at Wembley despite the odds being stacked against them.



"We are Barca and we have got to try to get to the final," said the Spaniard. "We need to play a great game but we know at the same time that it is practically impossible."


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Messi fires Bayern warning

Lionel Messi believes Bayern Munich will be more determined than ever to reach the Champions League final after their defeat last year.

Bayern endured the agony of a penalty shoot-out defeat to Chelsea in the 2012 final, which was played in their Allianz Arena home. Seemingly fuelled by the pain of that loss, Jupp Heynckes men have already wrapped up the Bundesliga title, reached the final of the DFB-Pokal cup competition and comfortably reached the last four of the Champions League once more. Barca meanwhile are playing in their sixth consecutive semi-final and take on Bayern knowing victory will give them a great chance of lifting the trophy for the third time in five seasons. Messi, who hopes to be fit to play after recovering from a hamstring injury, says Bayern are a stronger side than last year and believes their determination to make up for the Chelsea defeat makes them a threat. "Any opponent in these semi-finals would be hard, but Bayern this year have been very, very good," he told the Times of India. "They have been playing at a high level and scoring a lot of goals. "They will also have a lot of extra motivation after what happened at the end of the 2012 competition when they lost to Chelsea in their own field. "I think that their desire to win the title is even greater this time. And Bayern are stronger this year than last, in my opinion." Messi is integral to the chances of Barcelona reaching the final after hitting 53 goals in just 43 appearances this season. Should the Argentine feature at the Allianz Arena on Wednesday evening, then punters may want to use their free bet to back the Catalan side to progress. With great rivals Real Madrid facing Borussia Dortmund in the other semi-final, Messi admits the prospect of an 'El Clasico' final is a tantalising one, even if it is not spoken about openly among the players. "I do not speak of the final, Bayern only, and if we reach the final then we do not care who we play when we are there," he added. "But, a final at Wembley against Madrid would be a special game for many things and for many people. "If we face Madrid in the final then it will be a great show, that's for sure."




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Messi fit to face Bayern

Barcelona forward Lionel Messi has recovered sufficiently from a hamstring strain in time to feature in Tuesday's Champions League semi-final first leg at Bayern Munich.



style="border-radius: 25px 25px 25px 25px; border: 5px solid rgb(204, 204, 204);" width="320" />The Argentine World Player of the Year sat out Saturday's 1-0 La Liga win at home to Levante and has not yet been given the all-clear by medical staff but was included in the squad for the clash at the Allianz Arena.



"Messi is with the team and he is able to compete, although that's a decision for the coaching staff," sporting director Andoni Zubizarreta said on Barca's website. "We will not forego having the best possible team on the pitch."

Barcelona will be without injured defenders Javier Mascherano and Carles Puyol, leaving them with a headache in deciding who will partner Gerard Pique at the centre of the defence.



Bayern will be without suspended striker Mario Mandzukic and injured midfielder Toni Kroos.

Barca host Bayern for the return leg on May 1 and the successful side will meet Borussia Dortmund or Real Madrid in next month's final at London's Wembley stadium.


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La Liga top guns secure wins

It is as you were in Spain's Primera Liga as Barcelona, Real Madrid and Atletico Madrid all recorded comfortable wins on Sunday.

Cristian Tello bagged a brace while Thiago was also on target as Barcelona eased to a 3-0 victory over Real Zaragoza at La Romareda.

Zaragoza came into the match having taken just 27 points from 30 matches and occupying 18th place.

And their performance replicated their standing as Tito Vilanova's team - 13 points clear of second-placed Real Madrid - dominated from the off.

Cristiano Ronaldo scored twice as Real Madrid coasted to a comfortable 3-0 win over Athletic Bilbao.

Ronaldo struck with a fine free-kick in the second minute before heading a second after 69 minutes.

Gonzalo Higuain scored a third as Jose Mourinho's side made sure the gap to leaders Barcelona stayed at 13 points. Defeat left Bilbao eight points above the relegation zone.





Radamel Falcao scored twice as Atletico Madrid continued their bid for a top-two finish with a comprehensive 5-0 home win over Granada.

Falcao, who was the centre of more transfer speculation this week with Manchester United mooted as a possible destination this summer, struck in the 27th and 47th minutes to take his tally to 30 in all competitions this season.

Diego Costa, Raul Garcia and Filipe Luis were also on the scoresheet as Diego Simeone's men made it 14 wins from 16 league matches at the Vicente Calderon this season while also keeping up the pressure on second-placed Real Madrid.

Real Sociedad continued their outstanding run of form with a convincing 2-0 win away to Rayo Vallecano.



Two goals by Imanol Agirretxe in the opening 14 minutes set the Basque side on their way to victory and although they took their foot off the gas somewhat in the second half, they were always in control of the game.

This was Sociedad's fifth win in seven games and means they maintain their grip on fourth spot in the Primera Division table, staying four points clear of Malaga and moving four points ahead of Valencia.

Messi, Iniesta out of Zaragoza clash

Barcelona have left World Player of the Year Lionel Messi and the Spanish international trio of Andres Iniesta, Sergio Busquets and Jordi Alba out of their squad for their trip to Zaragoza on Sunday.



Messi played the final half hour of Wednesday's Champions League quarter-final second-leg against Paris Saint-Germain on Wednesday despite carrying a hamstring injury and, although his participation against the French side didn't aggravate the injury, he is expected to be rested until the first-leg of the semi-final clash against Bayern Munich on April 23.



Busquets has also been ruled out to a pelvic injury, whilst Iniesta and Alba's absences are purely down to the decision of the management staff.



The good news for the Azulgrana though was Adriano's return to training on Saturday and he has been included in the 18-man squad for the Zaragoza game.

Messi boost for Barca

Lionel Messi could be fit for Barcelona's Champions League quarter-final decider against Paris Saint-Germain after tests revealed his hamstring injury is not as bad as first feared.

Highlights: Paris SG vs. Barcelona

The four-time world player of the year limped off at half-time during Tuesday's 2-2 draw, prompting worries he had suffered a torn muscle that would end his season early.

He is certain to miss Saturday's La Liga clash with Mallorca but could yet feature in the return leg against Carlo Ancelotti's side at the Nou Camp on 10 April.

"The medical services of the club have confirmed after carrying out tests that Leo Messi has suffered a hamstring injury in his right leg," said a statement on Barcelona's official website on Wednesday.



"He is out of the league game on Saturday and his development will decide his availability for the games that follow."

Barcelona sweating on Messi

Barcelona are sweating on the fitness of star man Lionel Messi after he limped out of their 2-2 draw with Paris Saint-Germain in the first leg of their UEFA Champions League quarter-final.

style="border-radius: 25px 25px 25px 25px; border: 5px solid rgb(204, 204, 204);" width="320" />

Messi opened the scoring in the 38th minute but spent the final moments of the first half standing motionless by the touchline and was replaced at the interval by Cesc Fabregas.

The Argentina international will undergo a scan on a suspected hamstring injury in his right leg on Wednesday with the return meeting against PSG already on the horizon on April 10.

Defender Javier Mascherano is certain to miss the second leg after he was forced off in the closing stages at the Parc des Princes, with assistant coach Jordi Roura confirming the former Liverpool man is facing several weeks out.

Roura said: "I think it was a typical quarter-final and a good result but we deserved better. It comes at a price because we have lost Messi as well as Mascherano, who will be out for four to six weeks."

Messi's opener was cancelled out by Zlatan Ibrahimovic, with Xavi restoring Barcelona's advantage late on from the spot, only for Blaise Matuidi to snatch a last-gasp leveller.

Fabregas confirmed Messi had been left despondent by the injury, but has backed his team-mate to be back on the field as soon as possible.

"He is down, obviously, because he is injured," Fabregas told Sky Sports News. "He hasn't been injured for many years and has played a lot of football for the last five years, so he is sad obviously.

"I know him very well, so he will just want to recover as soon as possible."

He added: "It was a very good game, they are a very good side and have quality players. It is not a bad result but we scored in the final minute of the game so we expected to win, so we are a little bit sad.



"We play at home (in the second leg) we always have options there. But when you score in the last five or 10 minutes you want to defend well and then from a rebound we conceded so it was unfortunate."

Champions League preview: Barcelona vs. Paris SG

The French league leaders are looking to try and book what would be only their second ever appearance in the last four of Europe's elite tournament.

They previously made the semi-finals in 1995, when coincidentally they disposed of Barca in the quarter-finals.



Barca come into the game with relatively poor recent away form - by their own high standards, having won just twice from their last eight matches on the road.



However, the Catalan giants have won their last six Champions League quarter-finals and their last defeat at this stage came back in 2003 against Juventus.



And the Spanish side are also boosted by the return of their coach Tito Vilanova - who will be on the bench for the first time this year after he returned from America last week following cancer treatment.



Team News :



- PSG are boosted by the fact that their talismanic striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic is available after his two-game European suspension was reduced to a single-match ban.



- Lucas Moura is fit again following a back complaint and looks certain to start along with Ezequiel Lavezzi, who was rested at the weekend.



- Italian Thiago Motta is ruled out with a groin injury, but compatriot Marco Verratti has also served his European ban and will line up alongside Blaise Matuidi in central midfield.



- David Beckham will look to get some action from the substitutes' bench.





- Javier Mascherano, Sergio Busquets, Andres Iniesta and David Villa were all rested at the weekend - but will all return.



- Xavi and Jordi Alba have also made the trip to the French capital after they recovered from hamstring problems.



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Striker Pedro will be missing through suspension, whilst injury forced Carles Puyol and Adriano to remain in Barcelona.



Victor Valdes will be recalled in goal after being suspended for league action at the weekend.

David Villa glad Tito's back at Camp Nou

Barcelona and Spanish international striker, David Villa is elated by the news that manager, Tito Vilanova is making is eagerly-anticipated return to the Blaugrana bench after undergoing two months of cancer treatment in New York.

In an interview with TVE, Villa discusses the return of Vilanova and is excited to see him back at work.



“We are excited to have him back with us as soon as possible with much improved health and overcome this hurdle in his life.”



Villa then discussed his own return to form after months of uncertainty following a devastating leg break in December 2011.



“I’m didn’t lose hope and took things day by day. I knew I had to recover well from this serious injury. All of the people around, supporting me directly or indirectly know who they are.”



One of those people who supported Villa was Spanish national team manager, Vicente del Bosque, who has put Spain’s all-time leading scorer back in the fold.

“It’s an honour for me; I have a lifetime of thanks to give him for the care he’s shown towards me.”



‘El Guaje’ then spoke about the national team and their upcoming match against France on Tuesday evening at Saint-Dennis.



“We have a defined playing style that we are not going to change. The style has given us slight scares like the other day [a 1-1 draw against Finland], but it’s also given us a lot of happiness and victories.



“This group has never changed. We are all very close going into a very difficult match.”

Barça want David Villa for life

Barcelona are reportedly considering the option of giving forward, David Villa a contract extension that would keep Spain’s highest goal-scorer at the Camp Nou for the remainder of his career.

following Villa’s incredible work ethic and ability to overcome a devastating injury and months of getting few minutes as a sub before getting the chance to shine once more, the Blaugrana are prepared to offer the Asturian a contract extension past his current deal, which expires June 2014.



The report goes on to state that the board was prompted to consider offering Villa an extension following his recent run of form, and transfer interest from abroad, with the proposed new deal will offer a high paying salary, which would be subject to goals scored, results, caps, titles, etc.



Villa’s current contract, which expires in 2014, has an automatic one-year extension if he reaches a minimum number of games played next season.



STATS:

- David Villa has the best shot conversión rate in La Liga this season (5+ goals scored).



- David Villa has made two assists for first time in La Liga since he signed

for Barcelona.