(CNN) -- Barcelona will meet arch-rival Real Madrid in the semifinal of the Copa del Rey after Leo Messi fired the Catalans past Malaga Thursday.
The Argentina international scored his 40th goal of the season as Barca claimed a 4-2 win to prevail 6-4 on aggregate and set up two more 'El Clasico' games.
It will give Barcelona, which is top of La Liga, the opportunity to avenge its defeat by Jose Mourinho's men in the 2010 final.
Messi and Ronaldo ensure honors shared in 222nd El Clasico
With Real trailing Barca by 15 points in the league, Mourinho will be desperate to regain the trophy which Pep Guardiola lifted in his final game in charge at the Camp Nou last season.
Real Madrid ($650.5 million) and Barcelona ($613 million) lead the way at the top of the chart by some considerable distance over English champion Manchester United ($502.4) . The top six places remain unchanged from last year.
Spain dominates football's rich list
Jerome Valcke: Match-fixing a 'disease'
Lionel Messi celebrates after matching Gerd Muller's record of 85 goals in a calendar year, netting in the 16th minute of Barcelona's match against Real Betis. Just nine minutes later the Argentina star passed the German's 1972 milestone.
Lionel Messi's record year
But if the current Spanish champions are to triumph, they will have to stop Messi and his accomplices, who continue to prosper despite the absence of coach Tito Vilanova.
Vilanova, who is undergoing treatment for cancer, left deputy Jordi Roura in charge, but it made little difference as Barca continued its hot streak.
The statistics are frightening. Barcelona have now scored 100 goals in its 34 goals this season.
It is the fourth year in succession that Messi has reached the 40-goal mark, while his late header also made it 23 goals in his past 15 starts.
With the tie level at 2-2 going into the second leg, Barcelona made the perfect start when Pedro headed home after just eight minutes.
Messi leads Barcelona to new record
But Malaga fought back and Joaquin equalized four minutes later with a neat finish following wonderful interplay.
Although far from its fluent best, Barcelona picked up in the second half and Gerard Pique netted four minutes after the interval only for Roque Santa Cruz to pull Malaga level once again.
But Barca continued to look threatening and a wonderful flowing move ended with Cesc Fabregas threading the ball through for Andres Iniesta to stroke home.
There was still time for Messi's customary goal, running through the middle to head home Dani Alves' cross from close-range and kill off any hopes of a Malaga comeback.
Daniel Craig and Cristiano Ronaldo have both been outspoken in their desire to reclaim a right to privacy. Both men have become frustrated with their treatment in public.
The Real Ronaldo
A day in the life of Cristiano Ronaldo
Lionel Messi, center, celebrates with Barcelona teammates Cesc Fabregas, left, and Xavi Hernandez after matching Pele's 75 goals in a calendar year.
Messi moves past Pele milestone
More than a game: Austerity gives El Clasico new twist
In the night's other game, Atletico Madrid booked its place in the last four with a 1-1 draw at Real Betis to progress 3-1 on aggregate.
Diego Costa put Atletico ahead on the stroke of halftime with Jorge Molina scoring from the penalty spot late on.
Atletico will now face Sevilla in the semifinal.
Bilbao forward Llorente opens talks with Juventus
Meanwhile, Italian champion Juventus confirmed the signing of Spain forward Fernando Llorente.
The 27-year-old, who will arrive in Turin on July 1 when his current deal with Athletic Bilbao expires, has signed a four-year contract.
A statement from the club said: "Juventus can confirm that Spanish international striker Fernando Llorente will join the club on 1 July 2013.
"The 27-year-old has agreed terms on a four-year deal and will move to Turin when his Athletic Bilbao contract expires at the end of the current season."
Elsewhere, AC Milan has signed defender Cristian Zaccardo from Parma in a deal which has seen Djamel Mesbah go the other way.
© 2013 Cable News Network. Turner Broadcasting System, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
Real Madrid star Cristiano Ronaldo has become an integral part of the club's success both on and off the pitch with the Spanish giant leading the Football Money League table for the eighth year in a row.
Leo Messi's goals and success has been key to Barcelona's ability to draw in fans and broadcasters at will. It is the fourth year in a row that the club has finished second in the Football Money League table behind arch-rival Real Madrid.
Robin van Persie, a $38 million summer signing, has helped Manchester United reach the top of the Premier League as it looks to wrestle the title back from rival Manchester City. United, which has recently signed a record shirt deal with General Motors, has been tipped to overhaul the top two over the coming years.
Bayern Munich, which recently appointed Pep Guardiola as its new manager for the 2013/14 season, remain in fourth position. The German giant reached the Champions League final last season where it was beaten by Chelsea.
Last year's European Champions League finalists Bayern Munich and Chelsea remain in fouth and fifth but it is Manchester City which has surged up the table. The English champion was 12th last year but is now up to seventh with revenue of $362.4 million.
European Champions League holder Chelsea is fifth in the money list. The London club has spent big money in recent years including the $80 million purchase of Spain striker Fernando Torres.
Borussia Dortmund leads the average attendance count with 79,900, beating Manchester United into second place. The matchday experience at Bundesliga clubs has seen attendances rise across the board with safe standing and cheaper tickets both key to its success.
.Arsenal stays sixth in the table despite it's failure to win a single trophy since 2005. The club has also seen big name departures with Cesc Fabregas joining Barcelona and Robin van Persie moving to Manchester United
Manchester City's Premier League title win catapulted the club up the Football Money League table and into seventh position. City's revenue grew to $452.6 million, the largest absolute and relative growth of any Money League club.
The three-time world player of the year, who is shortlisted for a record fourth ballon d'Or in January, passed Muller with three more possible matches to play in 2012.
The 25-year-old crept within one goal of Muller's record with two goals against Athletic Bilbao in a 5-1 victory in December. Click here to see a map of Messi's first 84 goals this year.
However, Messi was injured after coming on as a substitute during a Champions League match against Benfica -- but he made a quick recovery to be fit for the Betis game.
Lionel Messi has enjoyed a stellar 2012. With a hat-trick against Grenada in March, he equaled and broke the all-time goalscoring record for Barcelona in official matches of 232 set by Cesar Rodriguez.
A hat-trick against Malaga in May took Messi to 68 goals for the 2011-12 season, edging him past the record for goals in a European season set by Bayern Munich's Muller in 1972-73.
Cristiano Ronaldo and his model girlfriend Irina Shayk enjoy some peace and quiet together but the camera lens is never far away from the pair.
Shayk is a celebrity in her own right having established herself as a leading model. The Russian's romance with Ronaldo has taken her fame to new heights.
"We are just partners," Ronaldo told CNN when asked about his relationship with Shayk. "We have a good relationship, we are almost three years together, I love to be with her, I love her. It's great."
Ronaldo has yet to pop the question to Russian model Shayk but he admits he has thought about marriage. He said: "Not now, but of course in the future, yes. Everyone wants that. I still haven't done that. I don't have the courage."
"In Real Madrid we are always under pressure," Cristiano Ronaldo told CNN. "This is maybe the best club in the world... so we have a lot of pressure and we know that the fans, the Madrid city... everyone wants 'La Decima' (a 10th European Cup). "
Ronaldo has nothing but praise for Real coach Jose Mourinho: "Well, my relationship with him is perfect. I don't ask for nothing better. In terms of coaching I'm sure 100%... 200% that he is the best. He shows every country who's the best because he wins all the leagues."
Ronaldo will be up against Barcelona's Lionel Messi for the Ballon d'Or with the Argentine having won the prize on each of the past three occasions. Both men were on target twice during the last El Clasico match which finished 2-2 at the Camp Nou.
Ronaldo has scored 160 goals in 164 appearances for Real Madrid since his move from Manchester United in 2009. His determination to win is always evident, even when it comes to beating his girlfriend at swimming in their own pool. He said: "Sometimes you have to give her an opportunity to be happy, but I win because I don't like to lose."
Ronaldo last won the Ballon d'Or in 2008 after helping lead Manchester United to the Champions League crown with victory over Chelsea in Moscow. In the 2007-8 season, he scored 42 goals as United also won the English Premier League title.
While Ronaldo has enjoyed great club success with Manchester United and Real Madrid, he has yet to win a major tournament with Portugal. "I'm not saying Portugal doesn't have the capacity to win the World Cup or Euro, but its more tough... its difficult, because you don't have 100 players to choose," sai the Portuguese star.
Ronaldo insists he'd relish the opportunity to talk to his critics and listen to their opinions on why they believe he is arrogant. He told CNN: "People who call me arrogant, I'm interested, not with all of them, but most of them. One day I would like to sit with them and have a chat to see in which way they think I'm arrogant."
When he finishes his football career, Ronaldo wants to become an actor.
Ronaldo tells CNN's Pedro Pinto in an exclusive interview that he believes his perceived 'arrogance' has made him less popular than his chief rival Lionel Messi. "You know, sometimes I'm a victim of that because they don't know the real Cristiano," said the Real Madrid forward.
Cars are one of Ronaldo's great passions. In 2009, while at Manchester United, Ronaldo was lucky to esacpe injury after crashing his Ferrari.
The Argentina star then moved past the Brazil legend with his second goal of the match against Mallorca, which left Messi nine short of the best tally for a year held by Germany's Gerd Muller.
Messi is in line to win a fourth successive world player of the year award in January. Pele presented him with the Ballon d'Or at the start of this year.
Pele scored 75 goals in 1958, when he launched onto the football scene as a 17-year-old and helped Brazil win that year's World Cup.
That feat was surpassed in 1972 by Muller, who scored 85 goals as West Germany won the European Championship and his club Bayern Munich lifted the Bundesliga title.
|