Madrid aims to erase dire end to 2012 vs. Sociedad
Battered by poor results, dressing room strife, and now injuries, Real Madrid will return from a much-needed winter break in the Spanish league to ...
Johan Cruyff ends coaching career with Catalonia
Dutch great Johan Cruyff concluded his coaching career on Wednesday after overseeing Catalonia's 1-1 draw with Nigeria in a friendly. The former ...
Tito Vilanova leads 1st practice since surgery
Barcelona coach Tito Vilanova led his first team practice session Wednesday since undergoing throat surgery to remove a second tumor in two years 13 ...

'Silly season' arrives as transfer window opens
Expect plenty of speculation about Cristiano Ronaldo, David Villa, Wesley Sneijder, Frank Lampard and Theo Walcott, among others, to be doing the ...

Jose Mourinho under pressure for dropping Casillas
Real Madrid President Florentino Perez's confounded expression upon hearing that veteran goalkeeper Iker Casillas had been dropped for Saturday's game ...
Barcelona ties up goalkeeper Pinto until 2014
Barcelona has agreed with backup goalkeeper Jose Pinto to extend his contract by one year until the end of the 2013-14 season. The Spanish club said ...
Messi scores 91st goal of year as Barcelona wins
Lionel Messi polished off his record year with his 91st and final goal of 2012 in Barcelona's 3-1 win at Valladolid on Saturday, while Jose Mourinho's ...

Mourinho benches Casillas in costly Madrid loss
Real Madrid coach Jose Mourinho surprisingly benched veteran goalkeeper Iker Casillas for Saturday's game at Malaga, and the move may cost him more ...

Vilanova released 2 days after throat surgery
Barcelona coach Tito Vilanova was released from the hospital on Saturday, two days after undergoing throat surgery to remove a tumor — giving the team ...
Atletico beats Celta to stay in touch with Barca
Adrian Lopez scored a late winner to give Atletico Madrid a 1-0 victory over Celta Vigo on Friday, as Diego Simeone's side stayed in touch with leader ...
Sociedad beats struggling Sevilla 2-1 in Spain
Real Sociedad dealt another blow to Sevilla's slumping season with a 2-1 home win Thursday that kept the Basque club unbeaten in seven rounds of the ...

Column: Messi and company will win without coach
Even if Lionel Messi and his Barcelona teammates had no coach to guide them, you would think long and hard about betting against what is perhaps the ...

Barcelona plays Milan in Champs League last 16
Real Madrid will face Manchester United in a mouthwatering Champions League last-16 clash that sends Cristiano Ronaldo back to where he made his ...

Barcelona coach Vilanova to undergo surgery
For the second time in two years, Barcelona coach Tito Vilanova is stepping aside from football to take care of his health. Vilanova will have surgery ...
Abidal returns to training after liver transplant
Barcelona defender Eric Abidal has taken part in his first team training session since a liver transplant eight months ago. Abidal's return on ...

Barcelona, Madrid head Champions League last 16
Champions League favorite Barcelona and nine-time European champion Real Madrid are among nine former winners in the last-16 draw on Thursday.
Onyewu's late goal gives Malaga draw in Copa
United States defender Oguchi Onyewu scored three minutes into injury time to secure Malaga a 1-1 draw at third-division Eibar in the first leg of ...
AP Global Soccer 10 Quotebox
Quotes from panelists voting in the AP Global Football 10 poll: Leonardo Bertozzi, ESPN Brazil. "Corinthians: The victory over Chelsea in the final ...

Messi conquers all in AP football rankings
Lionel Messi brushed aside all challengers in the AP Global Soccer rankings this week, although his Barcelona team came close to being topped by new ...

Messi gives Barcelona 2 more years to 2018
Lionel Messi's soaring career at the club that has coached him since he was an under-sized teenage prodigy is set to continue for at least another ...

Jose Mourinho's reign at Real Madrid turns sour
It began as a marriage of convenience between a coach hungry to establish himself at the top of his sport and a club determined to put the brakes on ...
Malaga wins 2-0 at Sevilla to cement hold on 4th
Malaga strengthened its hold on fourth place in the Spanish league with a convincing 2-0 win at Sevilla in Saturday's Andalusian derby based on yet ...