However, the Brazilian legend has no doubts that Lamine would have dribbled past him if the two had ever crossed paths on a football pitch. "[He's] Great. It would be a problem for me. Until my last day as a footballer, I never found a winger who was worse than me. They were always very fast... Lamine would have definitely dribbled past me," said Marcelo.
Real Madrid represents power, and Barça represents freedom. I don't know if business deals are made in the Bernabéu's VIP box. There's power involved. Here it's a different story; we're more focused on democracy and freedom.
Two new faces and a very special visitor at training - FC Barcelona Good news on a very special return to work for Barça. After a rest day following the morale-boosting win against Atlético Madrid, Hansi Flick's men returned to training at the Ciutat Esportiva for a session that also included Fermín López and Frenkie de Jong. And, as if that weren't enough, they received a visit from Andrés Iniesta, who stopped by to watch the session and greet the players and coaching staff.
After obtaining the first occupancy licence for phases 1A and 1B of the Spotify Camp Nou redevelopment, FC Barcelona reopened their historic stadium on 22 November with the match against Athletic Club. Since then, Hansi Flick's team have played two more matches, against Deportivo Alaves and Atletico Madrid. All three games, which ended in three victories, were held before 45,000 spectators, the capacity available in the first and second tiers in the Tribuna, Lateral and South Goal stands.
Just 15 years old, Gabriel is regarded as the brightest young talent coming through the ranks at Manchester United. A centre-forward by trade, who is also capable of operating on the left flank, the youngster has been in prolific form for the Manchester United Under-18 setup this season. Indeed, Gabriel has racked up ten goals and an assist in ten matches in the U-18 Premier League, including a hat-trick in the recent 7-0 thrashing of Liverpool.
Monaco boss Sébastien Pocognoli has confirmed that Barcelona loanee Ansu Fati has suffered a hamstring injury and is out of his team's next game against Stade Brestois on Friday. Fati missed training on Wednesday due to the problem and Pocognoli offered an update an his pre-match press conference. "Ansu Fati suffered a hamstring injury on Tuesday at the end of training. We expect tests today. Bad news," he told reporters.
"First-team player Aitana Bonmatí has undergone successful surgery for the transdesmal fracture of her left fibula. This surgery was performed by Dr. Antoni Dalmau at the Hospital de Barcelona, under the supervision of the Club's Medical Services. The expected recovery time will be around five months."
At 37, Robert Lewandowski continues to perform strongly for Barcelona in attack, with his form especially improving after his return from injury. However, his contract stands to expire at the end of the season, and as things stand, everything indicates that the Blaugrana do not plan on offering a renewal to the Poland captain. In fact, the search for a replacement is already underway, with Atletico Madrid's Julian Alvarez seen as the dream target, although signing him will be a near-impossible mission.