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Captains Messi, Ramos gear up for their 39th El Clasico

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In the history of this rivalry, only three players have taken part in more El Clasico match-ups than these two superstars.

Barcelona and Real Madrid captains Lionel Messi and Sergio Ramos will shake hands on Sunday at the Camp Nou ahead of their 39th El Clasico appearances.

Looking at the all-time appearances list for this historic fixture, only Manuel Sanchís (with 43), Francisco Gento (42) and Xavi Hernandez (42) have taken part in more competitive El Clasico than their 38.

Funnily enough, both players made their bow in this historic rivalry on November 19th, 2005 when the Blaugrana romped to a famous 3-0 win at the Santiago Bernabeu.

For Messi it was a day to remember; the then-18-year-old assisted Samuel Eto’o’s opener after 15 minutes. From there, he hasn’t looked back and has come up with 26 El Clasico goals of his own, a record in the history of the fixture. Barça’s number 10 has been on the winning side 17 times, losing on 12 occasions and drawing nine.

Ramos, despite being on the losing side that night in 2005, has enjoyed plenty of El Clasico success himself. The defender had already taken on Barcelona twice with Sevilla before securing a big-money transfer to the capital – both losses, 2-0 and 4-0 – but it took until 2006 for his first taste of El Clasico victory, a 2-0 home win in which he assisted Raul for the opener.

He’s now racked up 13 wins in this fixture in total, while drawing eight times and losing 17 times. Despite being a centre-back, he has four goals to his name, most recently netting a last-minute equaliser in the 2016/17 league match at the Camp Nou.

Looking further down the appearances list, Barcelona have two other players in the squad with at least 30 El Clasico outings to their name: Sergio Busquets with 33 and Gerard Piqué with 30. Following the departure of Cristiano Ronaldo, Real Madrid no longer have any others with 30 or more appearances under their belt, although Karim Benzema (28) and Marcelo (27) are closing fast.

Both coaches experienced this fixture during their playing days as well, even if neither Ernesto Valverde nor Julen Lopetegui ever actually made a single appearance. Lopetegui was at Real Madrid between 1988 and 1991 and at Barcelona between 1994 and 1997, while Valverde was at the Camp Nou from 1988 and 1990. However, both players only ever made the bench, which is where they’ll be watching this weekend’s fixture from.

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Robinho To Serve A 9 Year Jail Term Over Gang Rape

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Former Manchester City and Real Madrid striker Robinho will reportedly serve a nine-year jail sentence for gang rape – Imposed on him by an Italian court — in Brazil, judges in Brasilia has ruled.

The 40-year-old was found guilty in Italy in 2017 and according to Globo, Brazil’s Superior Court of Justice (BSCJ), made the ruling on Wednesday, March 20, 2024.

The former Premier League player, whose real name is Robson De Souza, was one of six men who were found guilty of a§§aulting an Albanian woman in an Italian nightclub in January 2013.

In January 2022, the Supreme Court in Rome dismissed his final appeal against the conviction, according to the report.

Robinho claims he is innocent and has been living in Brazil for the past seven years. It came after nine of the court’s 15 ministers had voted in favour of the decision to incarcerate the footballer in Brazil.

Globo also claims that the ex-footballer, who also spent time at AC Milan and Real Madrid, will now be arrested in Santos, where he currently resides.

Robinho, who was 28 and was playing for AC Milan at the time, admitted during his appeal to having ‘contact’ with the woman, but the Brazilian insisted it was consensual.

The Milan Court of Appeals found Robinho had ‘belittled’ and ‘br¥tally h¥miliated’ the victim as it upheld his original sentence in December 2020.

Intercepted phone calls between the Brazilian and those allegedly involved in the assault were used as key evidence in his initial conviction.

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Former Tennis Champion, Tania Okpala Returns To Tennis After Rehabilitation

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Anambra State Governor, Charles Soludo, has revealed that former tennis champion, Tania Okpala, has resumed playing on the courts.

This development follows Soludo’s assurance that she would undergo rehabilitation after a video surfaced online showing her in distress on the streets of Awka, pleading for assistance.

In an update on his social media handle on Thursday, Soludo expressed his satisfaction with Okpala’s return, stating, “Tania Okpala is back on the courts!

“A few months ago, social media was flooded with a viral video showing Ms. Tania in a distressing state on the streets of Awka. I am pleased to report that we have successfully restored Tania to her winning ways.”

Okpala, who hails from Anambra and has a Belarusian mother, represented Nigeria in the 1990s.

Here are pictures of her in the tennis court.

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AFCON: Victor Osimhen Now Cleared To Join The Other Super Eagles Ahead Of Tomorrow’s Game

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Good News has it that Victor Osimhen has finally joined the Super Eagles Nigeria team in Bouake, Ivory Coast.

He has been given the clear from the medical team on the abdominal discomfort issue. Earlier it was reported that the player could not join the rest of the team who flew to Ivory Coast ahead of Tomorrow’s football match against South Africa’s Bafana Bafana.

He’s fully fit and ready to play in the Semifinals against South Africa tomorrow.

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