Bayern Munich were so keen to get home and start celebrating their Champions League semi-final win over Barcelona that they left star midfielder Javi Martinez behind at Camp Nou. The former Athletic Bilbao man's reward for another imperious performance against the Catalans was to be left hanging around in Barca's car park waiting to be [.
Roberto Soldado of Valencia (Photo by Dean Mouhtaropoulos/Getty Images)
After their elimination to Paris Saint-Germain in the French capital last Wednesday for the UEFA Champions League, Valencia F.C. is slowing switching gears to their now only tournament left, the Spanish League.
Valenciaarechasing Malaga, who is a point ahead, for the fourth place in La Liga and consequently a spot in next year's Champions League.
Nicola Leali during the Serie A match between Reggina Calcio and SS Virtus Lanciano (Photo by Maurizio Lagana/Getty Images)
Mohamed Al-Hendy breaks down the best under-21 world football players in the game, starting with 100 and going all the way to number one. Stick with SWOL for the following installments of the SWOL Top 100 U-21′s to Watch in 2013.
Ibai Gomez (L) of Athletic Club battles for the ball against Jose Maria Callejon of Real Madrid CF (Photo by Denis Doyle/Getty Images)
The clash between Real Madrid and Athletic Bilbao promises to be an intense tactical and physical encounter between La Liga champions and their rivals from the Basque.
Lionel Messi came off the bench to transform a sluggish Barcelona, but could only draw with Athletic Bilbao, whileReal Madrid came from behind to win the derby against Atletico.
Behind at half-time to Markel Susaeta's 20th-minute opener at San Mames, Barca introduced Messi just before the hour and the substitute equalised with fine solo effort, jinking past three Athletic players before stroking the ball into the bottom-left corner.
Barcelona will have to wait a little longer to get their hands on La Liga's title after a last-minute strike from Ander Herrera saw them held to a 2-2 draw by Athletic Bilbao.
The visitors were out of sorts for an hour at San Mames and deservedly trailed to Markel Susaeta's first-half goal, but the introduction of substitute Lionel Messi swung the match as he scored one and teed up another for Alexis Sanchez.
Athletic Bilbao vs Barcelona 2013 Highlights 2-2 Susaeta Herrera Messi Sanchez Goals Video is a post from Soccer Blogger. Follow Soccer Blogger on Twitter
Athletic Bilbao vs Barcelona 2013 Highlights 2-2 Susaeta Herrera Messi Sanchez Goals Video is a post from Soccer Blogger. Follow Soccer Blogger on Twitter Athletic Bilbao vs Barcelona 2013 ( Bilbao Barcelona VIDEO BELOW) Final score and result:- Athletic Bilbao vs Barcelona 2-2 ( Susaeta, Herrera/ Messi, Sanchez) Estadio San Mames, Bilbao- 17.
Video- Lionel Messi goal vs Athletic Bilbao Barca April 2013 is a post from Soccer Blogger. Follow Soccer Blogger on Twitter
Video- Lionel Messi goal vs Athletic Bilbao Barca April 2013 is a post from Soccer Blogger. Follow Soccer Blogger on Twitter This stunning Lionel Messi goal vs Athletic Bilbao saw the Argentine again show signs of his best after a quiet outing in midweek against Bayern Munich.
Barcelona left their big stars on the sidelines but still managed a comfortable 3-0 victory at Real Zaragoza while Real Madrid won at Athletic Bilbao by the same score.
Barcelona maintained their 13-point lead at the top of La Liga with a 3-0 win at Real Zaragoza. With Lionel Messi among several stars rested by coach Tito Vilanova, the new wave of Barca talent took their opportunity to shine.
Athletic Bilbao vs Real Madrid 2013 Goals 0-3 Ronaldo Higuain Highlights Video is a post from Soccer Blogger. Follow Soccer Blogger on Twitter
Athletic Bilbao vs Real Madrid 2013 Goals 0-3 Ronaldo Higuain Highlights Video is a post from Soccer Blogger. Follow Soccer Blogger on Twitter Athletic Bilbao vs Real Madrid 2013 ( Bilbao Real Madrid VIDEO BELOW) Final score and result:- Athletic Bilbao vs Real Madrid 0-3 ( Ronaldo*2, Higuain) San Mames, Bilbao- 14 April, 2013- 20.
At the end of the current season Atheltic Bilbao's historic San Mames stadium will be closing its doors for the final time ahead of the club completing their proposed move into their new stadium the Nuevo San Mames for the 2013/14 campaign.
As such, 2012/13 will be Bilbao's 100th and final season at La Catedral, with building work almost complete on the three sides of their new home that are due to open up in time for next season.
Real Madrid capped off their incredible week with a 2-1 victory over Celta Vigo thanks to two Ronaldo goals last night. Of course, he dedicated his brace to his son, Ronaldo Junior, doing the "paw paw" (or Papa!) gesture in the direction of the VIP stands of the Bernabeu.
When Leo Messi scores four goals, he gets to keep the ball. Well, it is an unspoken tradition in football that players who score more than three goals are presented with the match ball at the end of the game anyway, but Messi probably has 5,000 of these in his attic already.
Fernando Llorente to join Juventus this summer - originally posted on Soccerlens.com
It is official now; Athletic Bilbao striker Fernando Llorente will join Italian giants Juventus in July, when his contract at the Spanish club expires.
One of the most talked about transfer saga is finally over.
Juventus have taken a big step towards signing Athletic Bilbao striker Fernando Llorente on a free transfer next summer.
The Italian champions are to hold talks with the 27-year-old Spain striker, who has scored 115 goals in 317 appearances over nine seasons for the Basque club.
Athletic has published a statement confirming the development on its website.
Unsurprisingly Barcelona and Real Madrid dominated Spanish football in 2012. Barca accumulated over 100 points, whilst Real Madrid were ten points behind their bitter rivals. Interestingly during 2012 Valencia and Rayo Vallecano picked up the same number of points as each other, however Valencia drew 10 of their games, Vallecano drew just one a goalless game with Sevilla in September.
Athletic Bilbao's Fernando Llorente has firmly confirmed his decision to leave the club when his contract ends on June 30th in the first press conference the striker has given this season.
View the story "Llorente to leave Athletic Bilbao in the summer" on Storify
Barcelona opened up a six-point lead at the top of La Liga's summit after Lionel Messi's brace inspired a 5-1 rout of Athletic Bilbao, with Real Madrid then seeing off second-placed Atletico Madrid 2-0 in the late kick-off.
Messi's 83rd and 84th goals of the calendar year left the Argentina forward needing just one more goal to equal Gerd Muller's record of 85 in a calendar year, set in 1972.
Barcelona vs Athletic Bilbao 5-1 Goals 2012 Pique Messi Adriano Fabregas Ibai Highlights Video is a post from Soccer Blogger. Follow Soccer Blogger on Twitter
Barcelona vs Athletic Bilbao 5-1 Goals 2012 Pique Messi Adriano Fabregas Ibai Highlights Video is a post from Soccer Blogger. Follow Soccer Blogger on Twitter Barcelona vs Athletic Bilbao 2012 ( Barca Bilbao VIDEO BELOW) Final score and result:- Barcelona vs Athletic Bilbao 5-1 ( Pique, Messi*2, Adriano, Fabregas/ Ibai) Camp Nou, Barcelona- December 1, [.
Real Madrid vs Athletic Bilbao 5-1 Highlights Ibai Aurtenetxe OG Ramos Benzema Ozil Khedira Goals Video 2012 is a post from Soccer Blogger. Follow Soccer Blogger on Twitter
Real Madrid vs Athletic Bilbao 5-1 Highlights Ibai Aurtenetxe OG Ramos Benzema Ozil Khedira Goals Video 2012 is a post from Soccer Blogger.
Real Madrid are going through an injury crisis of strikers with the news that Gonzalo Higuain will be joining Karim Benzema on the treatment table.
Higuain could be out for up to a month after suffering a hamstring injury against Borussia Dortmund.The Argentine international had to be substituted after 15 minutes of the Champions League game and, according to Marca, tests have confirmed the injury is worse than at first feared, meaning that Higuain will be sidelined for a minimum of 21 days.
Athletic Club Bilbao vs. Olympique Lyonnais Match day 4 Group Stages Europa League
Four wins in four games is an offer Remi Garde cannot refuse. Complete the mission and get a guaranteed spot in knockout stages of the lengthy Europa league, simple as that. The match at San Mames comes on the heels of a smart recovery against Bastia on Sunday.
Playing tiki-taka with the interwebs Uber-pundit Gary Neville knows everything. Here's his guide to assassination [YouTube] Carlos Tevez, Gareth Barry, Edin Dzeko and Samir Nasri could all be sold by Manchester City this summer [Guardian] Young Athletic Bilbao fan not pleased by Fernando Llorente's impending move to Juventus [101GG] Brad Friedel inherits his boundless energy [.
Arsenal have been training hard for their FA Cup clash against Brighton & Hove Albion this afternoon and although the statistics look promising (they haven't been defeated by a lower-ranked side in the FA Cup since Sheffield United in 1996), there's always that deep, cold, fear of Cup unpredictability.
Spanish forward Fernando Llorente is set to become a free agent this summer, but he might not wind up waiting that long to leave Athletic Bilbao for a new club.
Athletic have announced that Llorente has entered contract negotiations with Italian champions Juventus on a contract ahead of a potential winter transfer move.
Fernando Llorente insists that he hasn't agreed to sign a deal with Juventus, with the Spaniard continuing to be linked to Liverpool. Llorente has long been a target for the Reds, with the striker revealing last year that the club had come in to sign him, but because of their refusal to match his £30 million exit clause, Athletic Bilbao said no.
Fernando Llorente has hinted at a potential move to the Barclays Premier League in either January or the summer, blaming the attitude of the Spanish press for his forthcoming exit from Athletic Bilbao.
Spain international Llorente has only made nine league appearances in an unsettled campaign thus far, scoring a solitary goal.
It was expected that Athletic Bilbao striker Fernando Llorente would be joining Juventus in the January transfer window.
The striker has been the source of transfer speculation since last summer when he confirmed to Athletic that he would not be renewing his contract, and Juve were rumoured to have had a bid for the player turned down this past summer.
Juventus' sudden vulnerability throws Serie A open - originally posted on Soccerlens.com
Winning is a habit, we're told. Juventus are finding that losing is too.
While the emphatic victory over Chelsea has raised hopes of a Serie A renaissance in the Champions League, domestically Juve are experiencing an uncharacteristic slump.
FIFPro Questions ‘Blackmailing' of Key Players - originally posted on Soccerlens.com
FIFPro, the Trade Union, for global professional football players says clubs need to stop blackmailing key players who refuse to sign new contracts.
FIFPro has suggested that Inter Milan midfielder Wesley Sneijder and Athletic Bilbao striker Fernando Llorente are two recent examples of players who are being treated unfairly by their clubs as a result of their stance over current contracts.
A host of Premier League clubs have been alerted to the availability of Athletic Bilbao forward Fernando Llorente, who is reportedly available for as little as €7 million. The Spanish forward is in the last year of his contract at the Basque club, and will be available to leave the club on a free transfer at the end of the season.
Liverpool is targeting Athletic Bilbao defender Fernando Amorebieta in January and is hopeful of securing the deal for around €15 million. Amorbieta's current deal runs out in 2014 and he as shown little indication that he wants to sign another deal with the Basque club and this has drawn interest from Liverpool boss Brendan Rodgers according to Spanish media outlet Fichajes.
Money bags Zenit St Petersburg are ready to enter the race for Liverpool target Fernando Amorebieta. The Athletic Bilbao defender has been on the Reds' radar for some time now but they were priced out of a move for him when they were told they had to meet his £26m release clause. But he is now available for much less with his contract set to expire in 2014 - and renewal talks not going smoothly.
When Bayern Munich thumped Barcelona 4-0 in the first leg of their Champions League semifinal earlier in the week, Lionel Messi was largely made irrelevant as he dealt with the lingering effects of a hamstring injury. But in Barca's match against Athletic Bilbao on Saturday, Messi's hamstring seemed just fine as he weaved through defenders and fired a shot into the bottom corner of the goal.
Manchester United were first drawn against European champions Real Madrid in the 1957 European cup semi final. In the previous round United had seen off Spanish champions and Real's great domestic rivals Athletic Bilbao. It was an epic clash, one which United clinched with a stunning 3-0 win in Manchester, after going down 5-3 in Bilbao.
The worldwide trade union for professional footballers, Fifpro, has highlighted an alarming trend in the way clubs deal with players who are nearing the end of their contract, one example is the Arsenal transfer target Fernando Llorente who plays, or rather doesn't, for Athletic Bilbao.
Fifpro have also highlighted the case of the Dutch international midfielder, Wesley Sneijder, who is under contract with the Italian Serie A outfit Inter Milan.
A change of tack today but one nonetheless in keeping with this site's support of grassroots football and the importance of the sport in society. Joe Harrison, one time co-editor of The Seventy Two, has put pen to paper to bring us a moving tale of how football can bring people together in the teeth of oppression.
10.11.2012 - Lejos de los brillos y las burbujas de la temporada anterior, cuando el Athletic sorprendía a Europa, Marcelo Bielsa sale a dar su declaración de principios cuando el público del Athletic comienza a silbar al equipo. Con 20 partidos de la nueva temporada, el (diezmado) Athletic de Marcelo Bielsa quedó eliminado de la Europa League y no levanta cabeza en la Liga (3G 2E 5P).
