Messi was a mainstay of Guardiola's Barca side that won 14 major titles and has been linked with a switch to City

'The pandemic has caused football to change a lot, and for the worse. You can see it in the matches, and I hope this all ends soon and we can get fans back into the stadiums and return to normality.'

Images from football matches played in the La Liga, Serie A and Bundesliga on Saturday.

Barcelona finally made a statement of intent in what has been a chaotic season as they came from behind to beat La Liga leaders Real Sociedad 2-1 at home on Wednesday.

When Barca and Neymar were at the peak of their powers in 2017, however, he shook world football by heading to PSG for a record-smashing 222 million euros ($269.89 million).

'It could have been worse, but once again God spared me something more serious.'

The two-legged ties will be played from February 16.

Lionel Messi dragged a nervous Barcelona to a 1-0 win at home to Levante in La Liga, while Cristiano Ronaldo converted two late penalties on his 100th appearance for Juventus in all competitions as the Serie A titleholders ground out a 3-1 win away to a dogged Genoa side.

It was the Portuguese who emphatically came out on top, scoring two penalties as Juventus triumphed 3-0 to claim top spot in Group G.

Barcelona's fourth defeat of the season left them seventh in the standings on 14 points after 10 games, 12 points behind leaders Atletico.

Cristiano Ronaldo scored the 750th goal of his remarkable career in a 3-0 win over Dynamo Kyiv on Wednesday

The Argentine then lifted his shirt to reveal a red and black replica kit of his hometown club Newell's Old Boys bearing the number 10 which Maradona wore during his brief spell at the Rosario side in 1993.

Images from La Liga matches played on Saturday.

Juventus progressed to the Champions League last 16 after a Cristiano Ronaldo goal and a late header from substitute Alvaro Morata gave them a comeback 2-1 home win over Hungarians Ferencvaros on Tuesday.

Messi's love for Barcelona, who he joined when he was just 13, is deep.

Liverpool striker Mohamed Salah and Arsenal midfielder Mohamed Elneny have returned another positive test for COVID-19, the Egyptian Football Association (EFA) said on Wednesday.

But Font believes Messi's love for Barcelona, who he joined aged 13, is so deep that he could lower his salary demands in order to stay.

News of all that's transpired on and off the football field.

News of all that's transpired on and off the football field.

Lionel Messi scored a penalty for the third Champions League game in a row with the Spaniards maintaining their winning start to the group stage.

Barcelona president Josep Maria Bartomeu resigned from the club on Tuesday ahead of a vote of no confidence that was due to be held next month after some 20,000 fans signed a petition demanding that he step down.

Real Madrid captain Sergio Ramos once again proved to be the man for the big occasion as he converted a fiercely debated penalty to help his side to a 3-1 win over rivals Barcelona at an empty Camp Nou in La Liga on Saturday.

Images from the UEFA Champions League matches played on Tuesday night.

Champions Real Madrid were beaten at home by promoted Cadiz, while Barcelona fell to their first defeat in La Liga under new coach Ronald Koeman as they lost to Getafe.

Philippe Coutinho scored his first league goal since returning to Barcelona to help his side draw 1-1 at home to an excellent Sevilla side in La Liga on Sunday.

New Barcelona signing Sergino Dest said he "followed his heart" by turning down a move to European Champions Bayern Munich in favour of the Catalan side.

Impressive performances from Lionel Messi and Ansu Fati helped Barcelona overcome an early red card to defender Clement Lenglet and win 3-0 at Celta Vigo on Thursday to make it two wins out of two in the new La Liga season.

Lionel Messi was back in scoring business for Barcelona on Sunday, leading them to a resounding 4-0 win at home against Villarreal in a near-perfect La Liga opener for the Catalans under new coach Ronald Koeman.

Suarez had joined Barcelona in 2014. He scored 198 goals in 283 games for the Catalan side and he also earned the Golden Shoe as Europe's top scorer after scoring 59 total goals in 2015-16.

Atletico Madrid have signed striker Luis Suarez from Barcelona, the Spanish clubs said on Wednesday, bringing to an end his six-year stint at the Camp Nou.

Luis Suarez has agreed a deal with the club to end his contract and settled on personal terms with Atletico Madrid,

Setien's complaint piled yet more pressure on president Josep Maria Bartomeu less than an hour after a group seeking his removal announced they had gathered enough signatures to force a vote of no-confidence against him.

News of all that transpired on and off the football field.

Arsenal extend Aubameyang stay with new three-year deal

The question is whether Manchester City can combine a gradual freshening up of their squad at the same time as they fight on the domestic and international front for trophies.

'I would never go to court against Barca because it is the club that I love, which gave me everything since I arrived. It is the club of my life, I have made my life here.'

'For the Premier League, it would be great having the best player in the world in the league. I'm not sure the Premier League needs a boost but it would be.'

Messi announced he wanted to leave Barcelona, on Tuesday, after spending his entire career at the Catalan club.

Finances aside, though, there is an even bigger question mark hanging over Lionel Messi. Is he a fading force?

Yet even without a transfer fee, Messi's colossal salary, reported to be the highest in world football, means very few clubs would be able to afford him.