As a Newcastle fan, I'm quite used to hearing ridiculous things - usually from our own supporters. But this one really tops the lot. Sports Direct News (yes that's actually a thing) has claimed that "low-level" talks have taken place between the Magpies and Wayne Rooney's agent, although an official offer is yet to be lodged. Go figure.

The other night, the light-bulb came on when I watched Real Madrid and then Barcelona being dismantled by German teams on successive evenings. The excitement was partly about the football itself, but mainly at the way two powerhouses of European football were swept away with barely a whimper. It was the same with the Mongols. The great empires of China and Persia went up in a puff of smoke, demolished without throwing a punch in self-defence.

Those same voices who so revelled in the inevitability of the the San Marino rout take it in turns to lavish praise on Barca, to turn to the bottomless well of superlatives and dub them "the greatest side ever". But are they?

Lionel Messi won his fourth successive Ballon d'Or award this week and the Barcelona forward has cobbled together his golden balls for a couple of sna...

Pep Guardiola doesn't forget and doesn't forgive when it comes to Cristiano Ronaldo, after the former Barcelona coach refused to shake the Real Madrid...

Barcelona president Sandro Rosell has warned Arsenal to forget about signing striker David Villa during the January transfer window. The Gunners ar...

Who knows what butterfly effect would have occurred had Koscielny and Szczesny not had that last minute moment to forget? Wenger will definitely have nightmares thinking about that as the 2010/2011 season was Arsenal's best chance of ending their trophy drought.

It says a lot about the duopoly in Spanish football that the three point gap between Barcelona and Atlético is rarely mentioned, but that might change if Simeone ends the derby curse and Atleti finally beat Real Madrid. Now, for once, they have a chance of doing so.

When Benzema is on form, there is no doubt that Madrid play better. Higuaín may have a superior goals-to-game ratio but the Frenchman offers much more and, if given a run of games, will no doubt follow it with a run of goals.

Andrés Iniesta's weekend wedding was attended by almost all of his Barcelona team-mates. Lionel Messi, Cesc Fàbregas, Sergio Busquets and former ...

Didier Drogba is reportedly set to fly into Catalonia today for talks with FC Barcelona, less than a week after he signed for Shanghai Shenhua. The...

The Bourne Ultimatum director Paul Greengrass is to helm Barca, a documentary about FC Barcelona's rise under the soon-to-be-departing coach Pep Guard...