Spanish football morning headlines for 16 February.
Pique back for Barca
This week’s Barcelona news is focused on the first leg of their Champions League tie against Paris Saint-Germain at the Camp Nou and Gerard Pique is back in the matchday squad.
💙❤️ @3gerardpique is back! pic.twitter.com/MwWbvLHVml
— FC Barcelona (@FCBarcelona) February 16, 2021
The central defender has not featured for the club since sustaining a serious knee injury at Atletico Madrid back in November, and his return is months ahead of schedule.
Alaba press conference
Real Madrid news on Tuesday is focused on a press conference being held by Bayern Munich star David Alaba as he looks set to confirm his future beyond this season, as per Marca.
Alaba is out of contract at Munich in June and Italian transfer guru Fabrizio Romano claims there is a verbal agreement in place for him to join Madrid.
Rummenigge ‘laughed’ at Messi contract
Bayern Munich CEO Karl-Heinz Rummenigge admits he “laughed” when hearing the sums involved at Lionel Messi’s contract at Barcelona, and believes the pandemic shows football now must reset.
Rummenigge told an interview with Corriere, as per Marca: “I laughed…I can only congratulate him, because he managed to make an astronomical contract!
“In the last ten years we have all made mistakes, because we have spent more and more in favour of players and agents. The pandemic has shown that we must go back and return to a more rational model. I hope it is possible, but it will not be easy.”
