Andrea Orlandi also told Insider that Messi "wasn't convinced" with his teammates on the pitch at the start of the season.

Sofian Chakla passed the ball into his own net after failing to recognize his keeper was out of the goal.

Laporta is seeking reelection having already enjoyed a successful period as president between 2004 and 2010, during which time Messi made his debut.

Three other key club figures have also been arrested, according to Spanish newspaper El Pais. Details remain sparse at this point.

The financial impact of the coronavirus pandemic on Europe’s soccer clubs was clear to see in this year’s January transfer window. Premier League clubs spent $US219 million less than last year, while across the German, Spanish, French and Italian top-flights, spending was down by $US560 million. While there was no […]

Even if Lionel Messi leaves FC Barcelona this summer, he will still be putting a huge dent in the club’s finances for years, because he’s owed $US48 million in unpaid bonuses. La Vanguardia reports Barcelona will pay Messi the sum in eight separate installments between this summer and 2025. Messi, […]

As we approach the end of what has been a turbulent 2020, Insider has put together its annual list of the best soccer players on the planet. This year, for the first time ever, our list features 25 male and 25 female players, with Insider soccer experts Barnaby Lane and […]

La Liga president Javier Tebas says he is “ready” for Lionel Messi to leave Spain and believes the Argentine’s departure won’t make much difference to the division. Messi attempted to force a move away from FC Barcelona in the summer, however backed down after the club refused to sanction his […]

The “Golden Boy” award is the prize given to the best footballer under the age of 21 in Europe each year. Its previous winners include Lionel Messi, Wayne Rooney, and most recently Joao Felix. Below are the 20 players who made the final shortlist for the award in 2020. Visit […]

FC Barcelona president Josep Maria Bartomeu has resigned along with the rest of the club’s board of directors. The Spaniard’s decision to step down comes just weeks before he was expected to be ousted by a vote of no confidence from the club’s members. Bartomeu fell out with the club’s […]

Lionel Messi told Goal.com that the moment he told his family of his decision to leave FC Barcelona was “brutal.” Messi said wife and kids “began crying, my children did not want to leave Barcelona, nor did they want to change schools.” Messi has been forced to stay with the […]

2009 was a historic year for FC Barcelona. The club earned the first treble in Spanish football history by winning La Liga, Copa del Rey, and the UEFA Champions League. Later in 2009, Barça went on to secure an unprecedented sextuple with Supercopa de España, UEFA Super Cup, and FIFA […]

After 16 years with FC Barcelona, Lionel Messi has decided to part ways with the club he’s played with for his entire professional career. The club confirmed that the Argentinian superstar plans to activate a clause to unilaterally terminate his contract. The six-time Ballon d’Or winner led Barca to four […]

Lionel Messi is leaving FC Barcelona. On Tuesday, the six-time Ballon d’Or winner declared his intention to part ways with the club after weeks of speculation that he could depart for another team. Multiple sources as well as the club itself confirmed that the Argentinian superstar plans to activate a […]

On Wednesday night, aged just 15 and 219 days, RCD Mallorca’s Luka Romero became the youngest player in La Liga history. The “Mexican Messi” came on as a late substitute as Mallorca lost 2-0 to Real Madrid. Born in Mexico, Romero signed for Mallorca in 2015 despite having touted interest […]

Over the next two weeks, Insider will be revealing its Team of the Season for each of Europe’s top five soccer leagues. These are the English Premier League, Italy’s Serie A, France’s Ligue 1, Spain’s La Liga, and the German Bundesliga. Below is our selection for La Liga, which includes […]

Sevilla FC and Real Betis were supposed to meet in La Liga on Sunday night. But with fixtures in Spain’s top division postponed until April 5, the two teams instead re-created the fixture on “FIFA 20” for more than 60,000 fans to watch on the streaming service Twitch, according to […]