MADRID, Dec 28 (Reuters) – French Open champion Rafa Nadal has been forced to withdraw from next month’s Australian Open because of a stomach virus that has disrupted his recovery from a knee injury, the world number four said on Friday.

“My knee is much better and the rehabilitation process has gone well as predicted by the doctors, but this virus didn’t allow me to practise this past week,” the Spaniard, who has also pulled out of the Qatar Open in Doha, said in a statement.

MADRID, Dec 22 (Reuters) – Unbeaten La Liga leaders Barcelona ended 2012 on a high when Lionel Messi struck his 91st goal of the year in a 3-1 win at Real Valladolid while their arch-rivals Real Madrid slumped to a 3-2 defeat at Malaga.

It was the perfect tonic for Barca following the news that coach Tito Vilanova had to have throat surgery last Thursday.

MADRID (Reuters) – Unbeaten La Liga leaders Barcelona ended 2012 on a high when Lionel Messi struck his 91st goal of the year in a 3-1 win at Real Valladolid and their arch-rivals Real Madrid were beaten 3-2 at Malaga.

It was the perfect tonic for Barca following the news this week that coach Tito Vilanova needed throat surgery. He was absent from Valladolid’s Jose Zorrilla stadium as Barca racked up a record 16th win in 17 games this season.

MADRID (Reuters) – Adrian came off the bench to fire second-placed Atletico Madrid to a 1-0 La Liga home win over Celta Vigo on Friday and secure a ninth victory in nine matches this season at their Calderon stadium.

Atletico struggled to create chances in their final match of a year in which they won the Europa League and continued their resurgence under coach Diego Simeone.

MADRID, Dec 21 (Reuters) – Adrian came off the bench to fire second-placed Atletico Madrid to a 1-0 La Liga home win over Celta Vigo on Friday and secure a ninth victory in nine matches this season at their Calderon stadium.

Atletico struggled to create chances in their final match of a year in which they won the Europa League and continued their resurgence under coach Diego Simeone.

MADRID (Reuters) – Jose Mourinho has returned Real Madrid to the summit of world football but the combative and controversial Portuguese’s negative impact on the club’s image risks leaving behind a damaging legacy should his project come off the rails.

President Florentino Perez, the Spanish construction magnate who lured Mourinho from Inter Milan at huge expense in 2010, has gambled everything on the former Porto and Chelsea manager in his obsessive pursuit of sporting success and the 10th European crown that has eluded Real since 2002.

MADRID, Dec 21 (Reuters) – Jose Mourinho has returned Real Madrid to the summit of world soccer but the combative and controversial Portuguese’s negative impact on the club’s image risks leaving behind a damaging legacy should his project come off the rails.

President Florentino Perez, the Spanish construction magnate who lured Mourinho from Inter Milan at huge expense in 2010, has gambled everything on the former Porto and Chelsea manager in his obsessive pursuit of sporting success and the 10th European crown that has eluded Real since 2002.

BARCELONA, Dec 17 (Reuters) – When Alex Song sealed a five-year, 19 million-euro ($25 million) deal to join Barcelona from Arsenal in August many wondered how he could possibly hope to win a regular starting place in a team graced with some of the world’s best midfielders.

Four months on, the doubts appear to be justified.

The 25-year-old Cameroon international has made 11 starts for Barca in 25 La Liga, King’s Cup and Champions League games and there is a niggling perception that his adaptation to the intricate one-touch style is taking longer than it should.

MADRID (Reuters) – Two of the most prolific forwards in world football, Barcelona’s Lionel Messi and Atletico Madrid’s Radamel Falcao, will come face to face when unbeaten leaders Barca host second-placed Atletico in La Liga on Sunday (2000 GMT).

World Player of the Year Messi, nicknamed “the flea”, extended his record goals haul for 2012 to 88 with a double in the King’s Cup on Wednesday and the Argentine tops the La Liga scoring chart on 23 from 15 matches.

MADRID (Reuters) – Two of the most prolific forwards in world soccer, Barcelona’s Lionel Messi and Atletico Madrid’s Radamel Falcao, will come face to face when unbeaten leaders Barca host second-placed Atletico in La Liga on Sunday (2000 GMT).

World Player of the Year Messi, nicknamed “the flea”, extended his record goals haul for 2012 to 88 with a double in the King’s Cup on Wednesday and the Argentine tops the La Liga scoring chart on 23 from 15 matches.