While on this island we were debating whether Rory, Katie or maybe Paul O’Donovan was our outstanding sportsperson of the decade, the Associated Press gave itself the rather grander task of identifying the finest athlete in the whole world over the same timespan.

The past and the present are in a permanent state of war with each other, generally over which is best — and never more so than in football.

There were no goals and surprisingly little quality in tonight’s La Liga Clasico at the Camp Nou, with the game showing just how far both Barcelona and Real Madrid currently are from their peaks over the last decade.

With the Chrismas clasico just a few weeks away, Barcelona and Real Madrid put on impressive weekend displays at the top of La Liga.

The mood is not positive around the Camp Nou ahead of tonight’s vital Champions League Group F game against Borussia Dortmund.

Switzerland topped Ireland’s qualification group with an easy 6-1 win away to Gibraltar in their final match last night, with Cedric Itten scoring twice.

16-year-old Ansu Fati became the youngest Barcelona player to feature in the Champions League.

Antoine Griezmann responded to the challenge laid down by coach Ernesto Valverde with a brilliant display as Barcelona came from behind to thrash Real Betis 5-2.

Ahead of the 2019/20 La Liga season — which kicks off tonight — Dermot Corrigan looks at the key storylines to follow in the months ahead

Atletico Madrid are beginning legal action as they bid to put a halt to Barcelona’s swoop for the France international forward Antoine Griezmann.

The age of Spain, bookended by two Liverpool triumphs. After the miracle of Istanbul in 2005, Barcelona and Real Madrid won the European Cup in eight of the next 13 seasons.

Liverpool are through to the Champions League final after beating Barcelona 4-0 in the semi-final second leg at Anfield to win 4-3 on aggregate.

We’re almost there, although we still don’t know where “there” is yet. It’s been whittled down to heaven or hell, with nothing in between.

Luis Suarez led the way and Lionel Messi added the killer blows as Barcelona battled to a 3-0 victory in last night’s Champions League semi-final first leg at the Camp Nou.

It’s been interesting to see the way Barca have managed their Champions League away fixtures this season because not all their matches have proved to be end-to-end goal feasts.

Roberto Firmino’s absence from Liverpool’s starting line-up forced an alteration to the Premier League side’s usual shape.

This has been a decent season for Lionel Andres Messi.

With Barcelona set to seal the title tonight, Dermot Corrigan wraps the LaLiga campaign

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s ability to inspire Manchester United to a memorable Champions League victory over PSG underlined the Norwegian’s credentials.

Manchester United managed to stifle Lionel Messi, bloodied and bowed after a nasty first-half injury, but their nemesis Luis Suarez played the pivotal part in the only goal of this Champions League quarter-final first leg.

Manchester and Barcelona have an unusual amount in common this week.

Each Real Madrid v Barcelona Clasico is about more than just football, with both superclubs having deep roots within Spanish and Catalan society. But this week’s two Clasicos in four days have even wider resonance than usual, given the current mix of legal and political issues directly and indirectly involving both clubs.

Tottenham’s new stadium WILL be the only place to host Champions League football in London this season after another night of incredible drama in Barcelona ended with Lucas Moura striking a late, late equaliser to send Spurs through to the last 16 of the Champions League.

As if Tottenham’s task in trying to qualify for the last 16 of the Champions League is not hard enough, Mauricio Pochettino has to contend with an injury situation that means rookie right-back Kyle Walker-Peters will be thrown in against Lionel Messi and his Barcelona team-mates in the Nou Camp tonight.

Theo Foley smiled from the pages of other people’s books, had cameos in other people’s stories.

Uruguay captain Diego Godin bristled at the suggestion that his team might resort to a physical approach to neutralise Egypt forward Mohamed Salah on his return from a shoulder injury in their World Cup opener today.

Ian Rush says he will bow down to Mohamed Salah should the Egyptian break his Liverpool goals record for a single season in the Champions League final.

Liverpool 4 Brighton 0

Barcelona's hopes of an unbeaten LaLiga campaign were ended in their penultimate game as they lost 5-4 at Levante.

The rise and fall of Arsène Wenger: An insider’s account of how the historic success of Arsenal’s greatest manager ultimately contained the seeds of his own downfall.

All the latest from the action in Spain, Italy, Germany and France.

Luis Suarez scored his first Champions League goal of the season to earn Barcelona a 4-1 victory over Roma in the first leg of their quarter-final.

The irony of Andy Moran’s call on Monday for a 50-yard penalty to punish cynicism late in matches shouldn’t be lost on anybody.

Ryan Giggs defended Gareth Bale’s contribution after he suffered his first defeat as Wales manager to Uruguay in the China Cup final.

Edinson Cavani, winning his 100th cap, scored the winner for Uruguay.

Daniel Storey reviews this weekend’s Premier League action.

Mohamed Salah's record-breaking season shows no signs of slowing down as four goals in the 5-0 victory over Watford put him in pole position for the Premier League's golden boot.

Chelsea produced the kind of attacking performance in Europe that Manchester United fans were screaming for 24 hours earlier, but found centurion Lionel Messi was still too good for them, as they lost 3-0 in the Nou Camp in what was the harshest of Champions League lessons.

Jamie Carragher can console himself that there’s always someone worse off.

Four things we learned from the Premier League this weekend.