If Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s new-look Manchester United needed a calibration to measure how far they have come since Jose Mourinho departed then this match, despite the result, should leave them standing tall.

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

For a player that only entered League of Ireland football on the cusp of 30, Dave Hill did pretty well to write his name into the folklore of both Cork City and Bohemians.

My first World Cup memories go back to 1966 when I would have been 10 and at a stage in my childhood where I was really becoming obsessed with football.

Comparing teams, who’d win a World Cup of hurling if every county was matched off to a country.

Manchester City haven’t become a bad team on the back of one bad night at the office, writes Liam Mackey

It is hard to believe, given her enduring brilliance and renowned seriousness for preparation and playing, but Anne Dalton actually turned down two invitations to step up to the Kilkenny senior camogie panel.

If ever a manager was entitled to indulge in self-congratulation, it was Pep Guardiola after his Manchester City side went to Old Trafford, totally out-footballed their arch-rivals and nearest challengers, and came away with a 2-1 victory which was rather more emphatic than that narrow scoreline would suggest.

In Paris tonight, during a television programme hosted by David Ginola, the famous Ballon d’Or trophy will be presented for the 62nd time.

Andres Iniesta has signed a "lifetime contract" with Barcelona, the club have announced.

Brendan Rodgers claims complacency is not an issue as Celtic prepare to defend their healthy 5-0 Champions League play-off lead in Astana.

In the media room at the Aviva Stadium yesterday, former international Keith Andrews found himself sitting just a short pass away from a painful memory: a display cabinet containing Xavi’s Number 8 jersey as well as the match ball from that long night in Gdansk when Spain put four past Ireland at Euro 2012.

Mauricio Pochettino says Tottenham chairman Daniel Levy has assured him the club does not have to raise money this summer and will only offload players they want to sell.

Tonight’s Champions League encounter between Juventus and Barcelona was always bound to be tasty and it has been given extra spice by the scandal that has erupted over the past week about alleged Italian involvement in matchfixing in Spain, writes David Shonfield.

As my long-suffering comrades in the press box know only too well, your aging correspondent doesn’t need much encouragement to regale all and, yes, even sundry with what I like to imagine are fascinating stories from my life in — yikes! — going on 40 years in the inky trade.

When Pep Guardiola and Jose Mourinho renew acquaintances on Saturday lunchtime at Old Trafford, one of modern football’s great personal rivalries will take another twist.

Larry Ryan on what we’ll miss most from Gilesy…   

Few tears may have been shed when Louis van Gaal left Carrington for the final time, but in years to come Man United fans may well be thankful for his uncomfortable two-year residency.

Artist Salvadore Dali chose to live in the Girona region of Spain for good reason, says Liz Dunphy.

As many expected,

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Lionel Messi is set to make his 100th Champions League appearance when Barcelona launch their title defence at Roma in a sold-out Stadio Olimpico in tonight’s Group E opener.

Barcelona have signed Turkey captain Arda Turan on a five-year contract from Atletico Madrid for an initial fee of €34 million.

An evening of holes, from beginning to end. 

Xavi’s brief consoling of Pirlo at the end of the Champions League final was a much-needed reminder, in the wake of the FIFA scandal, that the game can still be beautiful, writes Ciarán O’Connor.

Brarcelona 3 Juventus 1: After Barcelona had yet again proven themselves the best, Gerard Pique put it best.

Tonight’s Champions League final is a stage for extravagant attacking talents — but for this netminder, the real storyline is between the posts for the Old Lady of Turin, writes Dónal Óg Cusack.

Xavi Hernandez is determined to end his Barca career in Berlin tomorrow by collecting his 25th trophy in 17 remarkable years; but measuring his contribution to Barcelona history in silverware alone, even bearing in mind those remarkable statistics, doesn’t even come near to over-estimating his influence on the most successful team of the 21st century.

A High Court judge has said it is clear it is not entitled to restrain fair reporting of Dáil utterances; a man has been charged with the murder of young boxer Eamonn Magee Jnr; and a Cork landlord warns about a family who littered his house with dirt and faeces. Just some of the latest and most read stories on irishexaminer.com.

Barcelona’s Copa Del Rey final win may have been Xavi’s last game at the Nou Camp but after the game it was Lionel Messi’s wonder goal which was at the forefront of the captain’s mind.

John Giles was another prominent football man attending the launch of the new Sports Medicine Programme at the Beacon Hospital in Dublin, but it was the health of football as a whole that was on the veteran’s mind when he considered how Messi’s magic in the Copa del Rey final had helped redeem a toxic week for the sport.

Barcelona captain Xavi Hernandez has confirmed he will join Qatari side Al-Sadd this summer, ending his 24-year run with the Catalan giants.

Two quick-fire moments of individual magic from Lionel Messi made the difference, and Neymar added a late added goal, as Barcelona beat Bayern Munich 3-0 in Wednesday’s Champions League semi-final first leg at the Camp Nou.

Barcelona coach Luis Enrique believes his team will be “unstoppable” in the Primera Division if they continue to reproduce the kind of performance which saw them thrash Getafe 6-0 on Tuesday night.

Barcelona 2 Paris St Germain 0 (Barcelona win 5-1 on aggregate ): Barcelona reached the Champions League semi-finals for the seventh time in eight years after comfortably brushing aside the challenge of Paris St Germain last night.

Hubris. Now there’s a word I really like, with its hint of a serpent’s hiss at the end offset by the near certainty that the slithery one is in for a nasty surprise.

PSG 1 Barcelona 3: Barcelona took a big step towards the Champions League semi-finals with a resounding 3-1 victory over Paris St Germain in yesterday’s quarter-final first leg at the Parc des Princes.

Manchester City 5 Newcastle United 0: THE prospect of facing mighty Barcelona - Messi, Neymar, Suarez et al - will presumably offer Manchester City more concern than this perfunctory five-goal thrashing of Newcastle but so schizophrenic are the mood swings at the Etihad Stadium these days that captain Vincent Kompany is relishing the prospect.