What was Joan Garcia doing holding a Brock string with one hand that went from his nose, to the center of his gaze, to one of the members of the Barça technical staff while he threw tennis balls at him? The exercise, recorded on video by the club's media and which went viral in the build-up to the Champions League quarter-final second leg at the Metropolitano, may be surprising to fans, but it is an increasingly common practice in the preparation of high-performance goalkeepers. These types of exercises are part of neurovisual training and have become – at Barça they have been practiced for several seasons now – an essential part of the goalkeepers' routine.

He himself barely expected it, when after chaining four consecutive substitutions in La Liga, Hansi Flick put him in as a starter against Betis. A lot of water has passed under the bridge since then, when it was the 15th matchday of La Liga, played in mid-December, and Roony was able to demonstrate his talent. At that time, the coach needed to rotate because the Blaugranas had hosted Atlético de Madrid at the Camp Nou four days earlier and, three days after their visit to Cartuja, they were hosting Eintracht. Furthermore, Raphinha was injured. One of the alternatives involved placing the very young Dro as an attacking midfielder – in January he would move to PSG – and keeping Lamine Yamal on the right. The chosen one, finally, was Roony and the winger from Rocafonda centered his position, playing as an attacking midfielder.

Just past the 40th minute of the league match between Barça and Celta this Wednesday, and almost simultaneously with the moment Lamine Yamal fell to the ground injured after scoring the only goal of the match, a Barça fan suffered cardiac arrest that chilled the atmosphere at the Camp Nou. A 56-year-old supporter collapsed in the stadium's side area. The match was interrupted to attend to the affected person, as per protocol in such cases.

With just over two weeks to go until the classic, Barça already knows it will have to play against Madrid and seal the league title without its biggest star. The results of the tests carried out this morning on Lamine Yamal have confirmed that he has a hamstring injury in his left leg and will miss the rest of the season - which ends on May 24 - with Barça. The statement also clarifies that it is "expected" that the footballer will be available for the World Cup and will undergo conservative treatment to recover.

A little more than two weeks before the classic, Barça takes for granted that it will have to seal a league title that cannot escape it in any way without its great star. We will have to wait for the tests that Lamine Yamal will undergo this Thursday, but with barely a month left until the end of the competition and with a World Cup just around the corner, the feelings at the end of the match against Celta did not invite optimism. With a penalty goal, just before suffering an injury to his left leg and the stadium freezing over because a fan suffered cardiac arrest, the Rocafonda winger did what will probably be his last service of the season for Barça. The victory (1-0) against Celta dyes the League a little more blaugrana on a complicated night at Camp Nou.

In the preview of the Barça-Celta match this Wednesday (9:30 PM, Movistar), Hansi Flick has defended that the team has recovered from their Champions League elimination and that "the atmosphere is very good" to achieve what would be the second consecutive league title with the German on the bench. "The players are well, happy, and motivated. I see it in training. Now we have to transfer it to the remaining matches." The Barça coach has praised his players, a very young group, and has recalled his affection for Barça and also for the city of Barcelona. This has led him to talk about his continuity in the Catalan institution, beyond the next season (2026-27), in which his current contract would end.

The return of the Champions League quarter-finals to the Metropolitano made evident, once again, one of Barça's great shortcomings: the absence of a reference center forward who does not generate doubts in the starting eleven. While it is true that Ferran Torres performed at a good level in Madrid in a position where he started to emerge at City with Pep Guardiola and which he has ended up making his own at Barça, the sporting leadership is clear that the "nine position does not lie with the Valencian nor with Robert Lewandowski.

"It is intolerable and a shame the refereeing yesterday," Joan Laporta stated this Wednesday after the team was eliminated from the Champions League. "In the first leg, Cubarsí was sent off, which was a yellow and not a red. In the second leg, the same with Eric. Neither of them are reds. There's an aggression against Fermín, a penalty against Olmo...", complained the top Barça executive who even considers that Ferran's 1-3 should not have been disallowed. Laporta gave voice to the feeling of injustice that was felt in the locker room after being eliminated at the Metropolitano. Barça fell with pride intact and their heads held high, but they fell. And in the Champions League, it's been like this for eleven seasons now.

UEFA will ensure that the grass at the Riyadh Air Metropolitano is in good condition for this Tuesday's Atlético de Madrid-Barça match. Following a meeting held this morning in the Spanish capital with representatives from the clubs and UEFA, prompted by complaints from Hansi Flick, who found the turf to be too high and dry during yesterday's training session –he didn't hesitate to frown and discuss it with his coaching staff–, the continental governing body has secured a commitment from the Madrid club. They will cut the grass to 26 millimeters –the maximum allowed is 30– and water it both before the game and at halftime. "There's no news. It's a ridiculous fuss," assured the president of Atlético de Madrid, Enrique Cerezo.

There is a veteran guide at Old Trafford who, when you reach the changing rooms of the imposing Manchester United stadium, stops in front of a mirror and likes to make this joke: "This is where Cristiano Ronaldo used to have a good time looking at himself in the mirror before each match," he says to the complicit smile of the tourists taking part in the tour. The Portuguese star was the first to love himself and to make it known, with more than one unfortunate statement: "They envy me because I'm handsome and rich." Represented by Jorge Mendes, he became a global star at United, first, and then at Real Madrid.Cristiano, not always easy to manage in the dressing room, reached 100 professional matches at twenty years old (19 years and 348 days) and with two trophies, a Super Cup with Sporting Portugal and an FA Cup with the Manchester team. Leo Messi did it at 20 years and 248 days and with five titles, including two Leagues and a Champions League. Lamine Yamal reached this figure much earlier: 17 years and 292 days, with a League and a European Championship under his belt. Now, at just 18 years old, he is on his way to winning his third League, as well as having won a Cup and two more Super Cups, and being Spain's star for the World Cup. Before reaching adulthood, he had already become a star. With all that it entails.

Barça is now close to winning the League with a nine-point lead over Real Madrid after beating Espanyol (4-1) in a derby in which the white-and-blues did not give up despite the good first half from the blaugranas. Below are the hot takes from the derby.

Barça is now touching the League, with a nine-point lead over Real Madrid after beating Espanyol (4-1) in a derby in which the white and blue team did not stop fighting despite the good first half from the blaugranas. Below are the immediate reactions from the derby.

Andreas Christensen's umpteenth injury led to an unexpected move in Barça's winter market. Hansi Flick was short of a center-back, and with the Blaugrana entity limited in its movements because it was – and continues to be – exceeding the salary limit, the Dane's long-term absence opened up the possibility of strengthening. The options that had Hansi Flick's approval were limited, but Jorge Mendes, always well-connected with Deco – he was his agent when he was a footballer – and with Joan Laporta – they maintain a close relationship –, facilitated a solution: João Cancelo. For the super-agent it was a win-win: he continued to offer solutions to Barça and, at the same time, brought his client out of obscurity, who had declared himself in rebellion in Saudi Arabia and longed to return to Barcelona, where he had already played on loan for the Blaugrana in the 2023-24 season.

Barça put in the heart and football, but a cowardly Atlético de Madrid knew how to get oil from their visit to the Camp Nou (0-2). With two goals in barely three shots on target, the Colchoneros punished a blaugrana team that had to play the entire second half with one less player due to Pau Cubarsí's expulsion in the 43rd minute. The fans flocked to the stadium en masse, hopeful and excited about a group of players who have often made them happy with comebacks and thrashings, but this time the outcome was very cruel.

After losing in Mallorca (2-1) on Saturday and practically saying goodbye to the League with Barça seven points ahead with eight matchdays left in the championship, Bayern Munich deepened the wound by storming the Santiago Bernabéu (1-2) in the first leg of the Champions League quarter-finals. Luis Díaz, in the 41st minute, and Harry Kane, right at the start of the second half, were the goalscorers for the team led by Vincent Kompany, who failed to smell blood and allowed a team relying on Kylian Mbappé's inspiration, the scorer of the white goal, to leave alive.

After losing in Mallorca (2-1) on Saturday and practically saying goodbye to La Liga with Barça seven points behind with eight matchdays left in the championship, Bayern Munich deepened the wound by storming the Santiago Bernabéu (1-2) in the first leg of the Champions League quarter-finals. Luis Díaz, in the 41st minute, and Harry Kane, right at the start of the second half, were the goalscorers for the team managed by Vincent Kompany, who failed to seize the opportunity and let a team relying on the inspiration of Kylian Mbappé, scorer of the white goal, leave alive.

After the departure of Iñigo Martínez, Hansi Flick lost much more than a starter and a fundamental piece for his footballing idea: he was left without a left-footed centre-back. The absence of the defender from Ondarroa was particularly noticeable in the first part of the season, when the team left many doubts in defence. Pau Cubarsí, who began to establish himself with Xavi Hernández and was confirmed as an undisputed starter with Hansi Flick, was one of the first to notice it: forced to change his profile in the centre, it was not the same to have Iñigo Martínez as Ronald Araujo as his dancing partner. Finally, the solution the German coach ended up finding was to convert Gerard Martín into a centre-back. The experiment, previously tested in training, was transferred for the first time to a match on November 22nd, which coincided with the return to Camp Nou and ended with a resounding and comfortable 4-0 victory over Athletic Club.

"I know that [the chants] were directed at the opposing team [Egypt], but as a Muslim person, it is still a lack of respect and something intolerable [...]. To those who sing these things: using religion as a mockery leaves you as ignorant and racist people," published the Barça star and pillar of Luis de la Fuente's team on his social media on Wednesday. On Tuesday, after the match against Egypt and the globally shameful scene that occurred in the confrontation against the North African team, the footballer left the Espanyol stadium with his head down and without greeting the local fans. Afterwards, he passed through the mixed zone hastily, absorbed, looking at his mobile phone, barely wanting to look up to see the press who were interviewing some of his teammates. Lamine Yamal was restless.

Without flair, but with a goal from a set piece. Without sparkle, but with pragmatism (and survival). Barça had enough with a good spell of attacking intent in the first half and the saves of their goalkeeping treasure, Joan Garcia, to overcome (1-0) a Rayo Vallecano side that showed more energy than the Blaugrana. Hansi Flick's men made the most of Ronald Araujo's goal from a corner to secure the three points with nine matchdays remaining in La Liga, thus adding pressure to Real Madrid, who host Atlético de Madrid tonight (9 pm).

The scandalous 7-2 thrashing of Newcastle, with four goals in just 20 minutes of the second half, exemplifies the intensity of Hansi Flick's Barça. In just a season and a half at Barcelona, ​​the German coach has provided the team with historic goalscoring records: in 105 matches on the Barça bench, his team has scored 303 goals. Incredible. To put it in perspective, Pep Guardiola's Barça managed 250 goals in 104 matches. Despite the doubts surrounding the team this season, the Barça squad maintains its offensive output. After the defeat at Montilivi (2-1) a month ago, the German coach emphasized the need to improve their finishing. In fact, Barça this season created more chances than last season, but were less clinical in front of goal. Since that defeat against Girona that sowed doubts, Barça has turned things around completely. A key factor has been the Camp Nou. Since returning to the stadium in November, the team has won every match. And not only that, they've been racking up wins. Thirteen wins in thirteen matches, with 46 goals scored: an average of more than three goals per game. The thrashing of Newcastle also allowed Robert Lewandowski to rediscover his scoring touch and break new records in his long and prolific career in front of goal. With his brace, the Polish striker surpasses Lionel Messi as the player who has scored against the most different opponents in the Champions League, with 41. "He told me he had the energy to keep trying. He has a lot of experience and is one of the best strikers for matches like this. I'm very happy with his brace," Flick said after the match.