News

World Cup Icons have arrived, with the World Cup taking center stage in FIFA 23's Ultimate Team. Several promotions have been running in the second season of FIFA 23, such as World Cup Stories. Icons in FIFA are legendary star players that are seen as the rarest cards that can be found in the game. With the World Cup taking place mid-season for the first time, World Cup Icon can be packed and added to players' main Ultimate Teams.

Not all FIFA 23 Icon are receiving World Cup versions, but most legendary stars do feature in the promotion. World Cup icons have been released in teams every week throughout the World Cup, with the final ones expected to be released ahead of the World Cup final. While most cards in the promotion are available to open in packs, others can be found by completing objectives, finishing SBCs, or collecting FIFA 23 World Cup Swaps tokens.

Retired professional footballer Iker Casillias, who was a goalkeeper for Real Madrid for most of his career, has been criticized for a Tweet he sent out on Sunday.

The short and now-deleted Tweet, originally written in Spanish, said “I hope I’ll be respected: I’m gay.”

Casillias had written this tweet in an apparent response to rumors that he was seen with multiple women in the wake of his recent divorce. While it must be frustrating to be the subject of tabloid rumors, this is a gross way to respond to that situation.

Former Barcelona captain Carles Puyol also responded to the Tweet saying, “The time has come to tell our story, Iker,” in what seemed to be a bad attempt at a joke.

He later tweeted, “I apologize for a clumsy joke that wasn’t malicious at all but was totally out of order.”

Casillias then attempted damage control with the below tweet,...

Vertical Entertainment has picked up domestic rights to “See You Soon,” the story of a U.S. soccer star who embarks on a romance with a single mother, Variety has learned.

The film’s characters’ lives intersect after the soccer player suffers a career-ending injury in the lead-up to the World Cup. It stars Liam McIntyre (“Spartacus: War of the Damned”), Harvey Keitel, Poppy Drayton (“Downton Abbey”) and newcomer Jenia Tanaeva. The company plans to release the movie on July 26. “See You Soon” is the feature directorial debut of David Mahmoudieh. Central Partnership is handling foreign sales. The sale was finalized at this year’s Cannes Film Festival.

The film also stars Oleg Taktarov (“Predators”), Spanish soccer legend Carles Puyol and Larissa Malevannaya. Tanaeva wrote the script with Mike Cestari. The romantic drama is produced by Tanaeva under her Rising Moon Prods. banner and Monella Kaplan for eMotion Entertainment, with Alexander Mikhalskiy executive producing.

To mark the release of Take the Ball, Pass the Ball , out now, we’ve been given 3 copies to give away on DVD.

Take the Ball, Pass the Ball is the definitive story of the greatest football team ever assembled. For four explosive years Pep Guardiola‘s Barça produced the greatest football in history, seducing fans around the world. In this exclusive, first-hand account of events between 2008 and 2012, the players themselves reveal the tension of the bitter Guardiola-Mourinho rivalry, the emotion of Abidal’s fight back from cancer to lift the European Cup and how Messi, the best footballer the world’s ever seen, was almost rejected by Barça as a 13-year-old.

Inspired by the book Barça: The Making of the Greatest Team in the World by Graham Hunter, Take the Ball, Pass the Ball features exclusive interviews with Barça’s stellar cast of current and ex-players, including Lionel Messi,...

As anyone who has watched World Cup soccer matches over the decades knows, footballers' haircuts have been the source of intense commentary and, largely, ridicule. Indeed, at this year's competition in Russia, Brazil forward Neymar came under the social media spotlight for sporting dyed blond locks likened to a "bowl of pasta."

But rarely has a hairdo seen a footballer actually banned from television, something Spanish soccer star Carles Puyol can now add to his impressive list of achievements.

The former Spain defender and Barcelona captain — whose trademark long curly hair was for years a ...

Liam McIntyre, Oscar nominee Harvey Keitel and newcomer Jenia Tanaeva will topline the romantic drama See You Soon. First-time feature director David Mahmoudieh is going off of a script from Tanaeva and Mike Cestari with revisions by Joe Ballarini. Poppy Drayton, Oleg Taktarov, Spanish soccer legend Carles Puyol and Larissa Malevannaya also co-star in the pic, which is filming in Europe. The film centers on a soccer star who, after suffering a career-threatening injury in…...

Lionel Messi's soccer buds have arrived at the Barcelona superstar's wedding ceremony ... but it's their smokin' hot wives who stole the show!! Messi and his longtime girlfriend, Antonella Roccuzzo, are tyin' the knot today ... and some of the biggest names in the sport are on the guest list, like Messi's old Barcelona teammates, Xavi, Carles Puyol and Cesc Fabregas. They didn't go stag, of course ... bringing their beautiful wives along for the festivities. Check...

All over the globe, millions of soccer fans were glued to their televisions for the 2014 FIFA World Cup Final match between Germany and Argentina on Sunday (July 13).

Stars like Ashton Kutcher, Rihanna, Jennifer Lopez, Alessandra Ambrosio and Shakira all showed up at the Maracana Stadium in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil to see the Germans emerge victorious.

Meanwhile, David Beckham treated his sons Brooklyn and Cruz Beckham to some primo seats while fellow Brit Prince Harry looked on from his Royal perch.

And when it was all over, Gisele Bundchen and former Spanish soccer stud Carles Puyol presented the World Cup in a Louis Vuitton case to the winners.

Bundchen previously shared, “I’ve always played sport, ever since I was little. I played volleyball and I believe sport teaches you a lot, such as teamwork, respect and discipline. Just look at the World Cup. The whole world comes together to...

Gisele Bündchen has a loving and Pda-filled life with her husband, Tom Brady, but, on Thursday, he wasn't part of her romantic day. During a photo shoot in Miami, Gisele danced around while being showered with rose petals. She looked like she may be singing, which wouldn't be a surprise after she put her spin on "Heart of Glass" for H&M's Summer campaign in April. The model has been making headlines for many shoots recently, including sporting a buzz cut for Balenciaga and going completely nude on the cover of Lui magazine. The past few weeks have been a roller coaster for Gisele for one big reason: the World Cup. The Brazilian native has been rooting for her home team on social media, and when Brazil lost their game to Germany on Monday, she tweeted a tearful reaction. Fellow models Adriana Lima and Alessandra Ambrosio also had similar reactions,...

Paul White/AP/Press Association Images

Date: Saturday, 17 May Venue: Nou Camp Kick-Off: 17:00

Spanish football is set for a title showdown this weekend as league leaders Atletico Madrid clash with Barcelona, with La Liga reaching its pulsating conclusion.

Team News

Barcelona will be without the retiring Carles Puyol for their crucial clash with Atletico. Puyol has suffered with knee injuries throughout the season and has played his last game for the club.

However, Neymar returns from a month-long layoff with a foot injury, while Gerard Pique and Jordi Alba are also set to return for Barca.

Atletico Madrid’s leading goalscorer this season, Diego Costa is fit following a hamstring strain.

(BBC)

Key Stats

Over the five games between the sides this season, there have been just three goals.

Barcelona will win La Liga if they defeat Atletico. A draw or a win for Madrid would see them clinch...

Manu Fernandez/AP/Press Association Images

Rarely has a summer transfer window been so important for a club, but the task facing Barcelona in the following months certainly falls into that bracket. The La Liga champions were handed a 14-month transfer ban in April by FIFA, for breaking rules on signing international players under the age of 18.

Barcelona contested the decision and consequently the ban has been suspended till January, pending an appeal. It means the club has the forthcoming summer transfer window to strengthen their squad, before being banned from activity in the next two.

Captain Carles Puyol has already announced that he will be departing, as has goalkeeper Victor Valdes. Add to that the fact that Dani Alves, Xavi, Andres Iniesta and Javier Mascherano will all be over 30-years-old come July, and it is clear that investment is needed.

There is talk of a huge squad overhaul at the Catalan club,...

AP Photo/Andres Kudacki

Date: Wednesday, April 16 Venue: Mestalla, Valencia Kick-Off: 20:30 BST

Spanish giants Real Madrid and Barcelona clash in the Copa del Rey Final at Valencia’s Mestalla stadium tonight, with both clubs looking to get their respective seasons back on course.

Team News

Real Madrid are without leading goalscorer Cristiano Ronaldo with the forward still sidelined by the hamstring injury that has ruled him out of his side’s last three games.

Brazilian fullback Marcelo is a doubt, but defensive colleague Sergio Ramos is fit after recovering from a neck injury.

Barcelona have fitness concerns over defensive trio Gerard Pique (hip), Marc Bartra (hamstring) and Carles Puyol (knee), who are all said to be serious doubts.

Coach Gerardo Martino could again be forced to play midfielder Sergio Busquets at the back – as he did in the 1-0 defeat against Granada last Saturday.

Key Stats

Real Madrid have...

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La Liga champions Barcelona will test Chelsea’s resolve to keep Brazilian defender David Luiz by offering a reported £29 million for him in the January transfer window.

The Daily Star says reports in Spain indicate that Barca boss Gerardo “Tata” Martino remains keen on 26-year-old Luiz as he seeks a replacement for ageing skipper Carles Puyol at the Nou Camp.

Luiz lost his place in the Blues XI under Jose Mourinho before picking up a knee injury, but is now back in full training. He has made just ten appearances for the Special One this season.

With the World Cup coming up in his native Brazil this summer, Luiz will not want to be sat on the Chelsea bench behind Mourinho’s preferred centre back pairing Gary Cahill and John Terry.

Barcelona are understood to have been tracking Luiz for some time and hope that their offer...

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Being arguably the best team in the world means Gerardo Tata Martino’s Barcelona are there to be shot at.

The all-conquering tiki-taka style has brought Barca success on a scale that makes any other club side envious. Just ask El Clasico rivals Real Madrid.

Barcelona set the pace yet again in the Spanish La Liga this term with an unbeaten run of nine wins and a draw. That domestic dominance has seldom been seriously challenged. In Europe, however, they have been upstaged by first Chelsea and then Bayern Munich in the last two campaigns.

Getting to the Champions League semi-finals, the stage the Catalan giants have always reached since last lifting the European Cup in 2011, would be seen by most teams as an achievement. At the Nou Camp it is seen as failure.

We saw evidence at the Confederations Cup this past summer that the legs...

Both have different managers, both have spent vast sums of money on players, but how will the signings that these two illustrious clubs change the way their sides line up come the opening day of the season?

Barcelona have so far just purchased the one player. This player however is most certainly a household name, this being the Brazilian wonderkid Neymar, whom they bought from Santos. It is thought that Neymar will play in his favoured left forward role in the Barcelona 433 system, playing this role for Barcelona means tucking in from the touchline and making incisive runs between full back and centre back to latch on to through balls from Messi, Iniesta and Xavi. Whilst this signing is certainly an excellent acquisition for Barcelona it is thought that this will not alter the way the team play, due to the fact that Neymar is essentially replacing David Villa, who has recently joined Athletico Madrid.

Venue: Parc des Princes Date: Tuesday 2nd April K/o: 19:45 Team News

Paris Saint-Germain will have their influential striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic available to face his former club in tonight’s first leg Quarter-Final clash with Barcelona in the Champions League.

The Swede had his two-match European bad reduced to a single game recently, which he has already served.

Lucas Moura is fit again following a back complaint but Italian Thiago Motta misses out with a groin injury.

Former Real Madrid star David Beckham will be looking to make an impact from the bench.

Barcelona will welcome back Javier Mascherano, Sergio Busquets, Andres Iniesta and David Villa after the quartet were rested at the weekend, while Xavi and Jordi Alba have recovered from hamstring problems.

The La Liga leaders will however be without Pedro, who is missing through suspension, while Carles Puyol and Adriano have not travelled to the French...

Could the Brazilian be on his way out of Stamford Bridge when the transfer window opens again in the summer?

Well, according to a report from the MailOnline, Spanish giants Barcelona are keen to revive their interest in Chelsea’s David Luiz this summer, with coach Tito Vilanova keen to strengthen his defence, despite captain Carles Puyol signing a new deal recently.

The Mail say Luiz has struggled for form recently, as Chelsea have had a difficult season under Roberto Dimatteo and Rafa Benitez, and that he was on the list of transfer targets under discussion when Vilanova met with sporting director Andoni Zubizarreta, technical secretary Albert Valentín and football co-ordinator Narcis Julià in New York this week.

That list also included Luiz’s compatriot Neymar, whose move would spark something of a transfer merry-go-round, with David Villa allowed to leave the Catalan club – which should interest Arsene Wenger considering...

Barcelona are targetting Arsenal centre-half Laurent Koscielny in a surprise move to cure their defensive crisis, according to reports in France.

New Barca boss Tito Vilanova is determined to cure last season’s lack of numbers in defence which saw former boss Pep Guardiola forced to use Javier Mascherano and Sergio Busquets as emergency defenders. Most critics of Barcelona last season believe the lack of defensive options probably cost them the La Liga title and Champions League trophy last season, especially factoring in Gerard Pique’s injury problems and Carles Puyol’s age.

We had heard a few days ago that Barca were looking at Chelsea duo Branislav Ivanovic and David Luiz but as they are on a limited budget may be priced out of moves for either man. They also looked at AC Milan star Thiago Silva (who looks set to join Paris Saint-Germain on a big money move...

Venue: Pge Arena, Gdansk, Poland

Kick-Off: 17:00 BST

Defending European and World champions Spain open their tournament against a young Italian side determined to prove that their glory days aren’t behind them.

Injury News

Spain could be without right-back Alvaro Arbeloa as the Real Madrid player tries to recover from a back problem. However, midfielder Cesc Fabregas has been passed fit after a slight hamstring issue.

Sevilla winger Jesus Navas was worried that he might have to be replaced before the opening whistle but the X-ray on his right hand revealed nothing more than severe bruising.

Meanwhile, Italy have also had their pre-Euro problems. Centre-back Andrea Barzagli could miss the opening two games of the tournament and coach Cesare Prandelli has been looking at alternatives in that position. The Azzurri have been working on a 3-5-2 formation in training that wouldn’t require the extra defender.

Preview

Italy...

Twitter, as part of its review of 2010, has just released what it thinks are the 10 most powerful individual tweets of the year--from a field of 25 billion. And it's not all about celebrity.

Perhaps conscious of its increasingly important role in world affairs, driven by historic moments like the Iranian election protests and gulf oil spill--both of which were news items that the world used Twitter to announce and talk about--Twitter's team has looked at its archive for 2010 and tried to identify which 10 of its tweets were the most important for this year.

The company explains "every day we are inspired by people using Twitter in unexpected ways to make the world a better place. Powerful Tweets have impact, relevance, and resonance." To mine the most powerful of 25 billion tweets, the team didn't necessarily have to find those that came from important Tweeters (say, President Obama) or concerned internationally important events,...

Berlin -- Spain's one-nil win over Germany in Wednesday's World Cup semi-final drew record ratings in both territories and the broadcast was a solid performer across Europe.

An average 14.4 million Spaniards -- a jaw-dropping 81% of the viewing public -- tuned in to watch their squad advance to Sunday's final match against Holland, according to figures from TV ratings firm Barlovento Communicacion.

Audience numbers peaked in the closing minutes of the game, with 17.2 million viewers -- an 88.1% market share -- glued to their sets. Spain booked its spot in the final with a goal in the 73rd minute headed in by Carles Puyol.

Of the three Spanish channels broadcasting the contest, free-to-air Telecinco attracted 13.2 million people for a share of 77.3%, while pay channels Canal + and Canal + Liga, racked up audiences of 295,000 (1.7%) and 423,000 (2.5%), respectively.

German fans had little reason to cheer but public broadcaster Ard had to be smiling about the 31.1 million viewers who tuned in,...

Forget Netherlands’ Wesley Sneijder and even the star of Wednesday night, Spain’s Carles Puyol — the headline grabber of FIFA 2010 continues to be Paul, the psychic Octopus. And, like every sensational celebrity, Paul now has fans naming dishes after him, and nations sending him death threats!Off and on Menus After Spain beat Germany to make it to their first-ever World Cup final, all eyes turned to the eight-legged soothsayer who had predicted Spain’s win on Tuesday itself. Spain’s celebrity chef Jose Andres, who runs a popular restaurant chain called Jaleo in Bethesda, announced on Twitter that he was “taking ...

Carles Puyol of Spain during the 2010 FIFA World Cup Group H match against Switzerland at Durban Stadium in South Africa on June 16, 2010. Photograph by Jamie McDonald/Getty Images. Until their victory in the European Cup two years ago, national football in Spain was never about winning. It was about hope and fury (la Furia, the team’s nickname, recalls an episode of heroism in battle), and yes, oh yes, it always ended up signifying nothing. But defeating Germany in the final of 2008, and doing so with extraordinary virtuosity, transformed them into World Cup favorites. And then came Switzerland, with their strange mixture of German practicality and Italian catenaccio, blundered their way into the goal and had Spanish football fans go into their deepest emotional crisis in history. The thing about this team is that it’s new, therefore disconcerting. It has broken the time-honored tradition of physical and yet impotent football in favor of beauty,...

Abhishek Bachchan was a special invitee for the Chelsea v/s Barcelona to the invited to the game by Chelsea Football Club. He watched the game in the company of Peter Kenyon, CEO of Chelsea Football Club, England’s national coach Capello and Oscar nominated actor Clive Owen of The International and Closer fame, Carles Puyol - Barcelona Captain. Bachchan Jr. was also in fact the first one to be presented the new ‘jersey’ of Chelsea team. It was Abhishek’s seventh trip and he flew to London just to watch the game and flew back to India the next day. However, he has been following.