Barcelona president Joan Laporta announced that the club plans to install a statue of Lionel Messi outside the revamped Camp Nou. The decision follows Messi’s emotional visit to the stadium. Messi, 38, toured the new facility on Sunday. He left the club in 2021 and later wrote on Instagram that he hopes to return one day, not just to say goodbye. Laporta said at a book event that the board has already discussed creating a permanent tribute. He believes Messi deserves a statue like Johan Cruyff and László Kubala. The club will move forward once Messi’s family agrees. Laporta also said it is unrealistic for Messi to play for Barcelona again, especially after he extended his contract with Inter Miami. Messi joined Barcelona at 13 and spent 21 years with the club, scoring 672 goals in 778 games and winning major titles, including 10 LaLiga trophies and four Champions Leagues. Camp Nou reopened on Friday after almost 900 days of renovation. More than 20,000 fans attended an open training session. Laporta said the club hopes to hold “the most beautiful tribute in the world” once the work is complete.

Real Madrid coach Xabi Alonso said his team are arriving at Sunday’s La Liga Clasico in better shape after correcting mistakes made in their derby thrashing by Atletico Madrid. Los Blancos suffered a humiliating 5-2 beating by rivals Atletico in their only defeat of the season after 12 games across all competition. Alonso side hold a two-point lead on Barcelona at the top of the table as they prepare to host the champions this weekend at the Santiago Bernabeu. “Without doubt a few weeks have passed in which we have been correcting things, doing things better,” Alonso told a news conference Saturday. “For tomorrow, we are arriving in a good moment, both in terms of morale, in a footballing sense, our competitive level – it’s a good moment.”

Real Madrid came out on top in an enthralling El Clasico, defeating Barcelona 2-1 at the Santiago Bernabeu. They have extended their lead at the top of the LaLiga table to five points. Having recovered from a chastening 5-2 defeat to city rivals Atletico Madrid. Real came into this showpiece on the back of four successive wins in all competitions, and they appeared to carry that momentum into the opening stages here. Inside two minutes, referee Cesar Soto Grado pointed to the spot when Lamine Yamal’s intervention upended Vinicius Junior. However, following a VAR review, the decision was overturned. Undeterred, Real Madrid were celebrating in the 12th minute when Kylian Mbappe magnificently buried a bouncing ball with a dipping strike from range, only for the tightest of offsides to deny the Frenchman.

La Liga proposal to stage Villarreal’s home match against Barcelona in Miami this December has been scrapped. This is due to “uncertainty” surrounding the event, the league confirmed on Tuesday. The game, set for December 20, would have been the first-ever European league fixture played outside its home continent. La Liga said the promoter decided to withdraw because of “uncertainty generated in Spain in recent weeks.” The league expressed regret over the cancellation. They called it a “historic and unparalleled opportunity” to showcase Spanish football internationally. Tickets for the Hard Rock Stadium in Miami were due to go on sale Tuesday, but the presale was delayed before the plan was officially dropped. The fixture will now be played as originally scheduled at Villarreal’s Estadio de la Cerámica.