https://cdn1.img.sputniknews.com/i/logo-itemprop.png Sputnik International https://cdn2.img.sputniknews.com/i/logo.png Max Gorbachev. Sputnik International https://sputniknews.com/sport/202010161080794810-lionel-messi-marks-16th-anniversary-of-his-debut-for-barcelona/ It’s hard to imagine Barcelona without Messi. It’s even harder to imagine that twenty years ago, the club’s board of directors hesitated about signing him. If it were not for Carles Rexach, one of Barcelona’s coaches back then, who signed a contract with Messi’s father on a napkin, Barcelona’s future would have been quite different. Lionel Messi marks the 16th anniversary of his debut for Barcelona. When on 16 October 2004 he came off the bench to replace Portuguese midfielder Deco in the game against Espanyol, spectators in the stadium and people […]
Barcelona
Jose Mourinho almost managed to tempt Lionel Messi from Barcelona to Chelsea in 2014, according to football journalist and transfer guru Gianluca Di Marzio. In his book ‘Grand Hotel Calciomercato’, the Italian has revealed how Messi was supposedly on the verge of making the switch to Stamford Bridge after being charmed by the ‘Special One’ in a FaceTime call. According to Di Marzio, Real Madrid president Florentino Perez attempted to prise Messi away from Barcelona in 2013, but the diminutive No. 10 dismissed him, unwilling to cross the divide between the two fierce rivals. However, Messi was said to be open to leaving […]
More than 66.6 percent must vote against Bartomeu for him to be removed. If that happens, the club will then have to hold an election to elect a new president. A vote of no confidence against Barcelona president Josep Maria Bartomeu is set to go ahead within the next few weeks after club members reached the required amount of signatures for the motion to go through. The move to replace Bartomeu comes after six-time Ballon d’Or winner Lionel Messi sent a burofax in August saying he wanted to leave the club. Messi has since changed his mind amid reported threats of legal action […]
Wantaway Barcelona ace Lionel Messi could still be persuaded to stay at the Camp Nou, according to a man who was recently dumped from the Catalan club, Luis Suarez. Uruguayan striker Luis Suarez has swapped Barcelona for Atletico Madrid, but said that his friend and teammate will likely prefer to remain at his boyhood club, if things behind the scenes can settle down and create an atmosphere the Argentine ace can enjoy again. Messi attempted to engineer a move away from Barca in the summer, but after a very public back-and-forth with the club, agreed to stay until his current contract […]
The 33-year-old has had his worst season in Barcelona, which ended without trophies in La Liga and other tournaments. It was also plagued by feuds with the club’s officials and staff. All of this prompted the striker to try to leave Barcelona, which turned out to be impossible due to a clause in his contract. Argentina’s coach Lionel Scaloni has praised Lionel Messi for staying on with Barcelona, saying the decision allowed the athlete to remain settled and to stay fit. Scaloni said the 33-year-old is “well” in Barcelona. “I spoke to Leo when everything was resolved and I saw him […]
Barcelona have begun legal proceedings in preparation for another round of wage cuts, but club vice president Jordi Moix has said players will not necessarily be subject to them, according to reports in Spain. Marca reported the reductions would be universal across all staff at the club including those in the first team squad, who are said to have been asked to choose someone to represent them in the negotiations alongside other employees on the Business Committee. Options for representatives are reported to be limited as many players are currently with their national teams during the international break. In March, the […]
Argentine forward, Lionel Messi, ended a saga of controversy in September after he confirmed that he had no intention of leaving Barcelona after expressing his intentions to jump ship. Barcelona coach Ronald Koeman praised Lionel Messi on Saturday as an ideal captain and setting an example for the rest of the team describing his continued contribution to the club since his decision to remain with them this season. “From day one, Leo has trained and played well and has given the maximum for the club, for his team and for his team-mates and I have had no complaints about him on […]
Earlier, Lionel Messi confirmed his total commitment to Barcelona’s “shirt and badge” as he began the team’s La Liga campaign by scoring a penalty in a 4-0 rout of Villarreal, seeking to put behind him the scandal triggered by his failed attempt to leave the club. Lionel Messi is projecting the image of being a man on a mission after his failed bid to part ways with Barcelona FC, “playing out of his skin” for the team, believes Barcelona defender Sergi Roberto. “Leo is so fired up right now… He ran so much today and played out of his skin for […]
Ansu Fati, the 17-year-old who was formally made a senior player at Barcelona last week, has shown why the club included a whopping $468 million release fee clause in his new contract by sending their Liga season off to a flyer. The Spain sensation has made incredible progress since making his debut for the club last season, becoming the club’s youngest ever goal scorer just a week later and, in the months that followed, the youngest player ever to represent Barca in the Champions League and the European competition’s youngest ever goal scorer. While all eyes were on Lionel Messi following the […]
https://cdn1.img.sputniknews.com/i/logo-itemprop.png Sputnik International https://cdn2.img.sputniknews.com/i/logo.png Sputnik https://cdn2.img.sputniknews.com/i/logo.png https://sputniknews.com/sport/202009231080554482-fc-barcelona-agrees-to-transfer-striker-luis-suarez-to-atletico-madrid/ Uruguayan striker Luis Suarez is leaving Barca after six seasons, having scored 198 goals and sealed 13 titles. Madrid will pay 6 million euros to FC Barcelona for the transfer. Luis Suarez will be transfered from FC Barcelona to Atletico Madrid, according to Barca’s statement released on Thursday. “FC Barcelona would like to publicly express their gratitude to Luis Suárez for his commitment and dedication and wishes him all the best for the future”, the football club said. The transfer will cost Madrid 6 million euros. Barca, where Suarez has been playing for six […]
After Ronald Koeman was appointed the new manager of Barcelona, the Uruguayan striker was reportedly told he would no longer play a central role in Barca and was free to leave. He has been linked to Juventus, but now reports say that the striker may continue playing in La Liga. Italian police have reportedly launched an investigation into Barcelona’s striker Luis Suarez following reports that the 33-year-old cheated on his citizenship test. In order to complete his move to Juventus, the Uruguayan had to become an Italian citizen, because the club has no space for non-EU citizens. Last week, he flew […]
https://cdn1.img.sputniknews.com/img/07e4/09/0b/1080427946_0:0:3072:1728_1200x675_80_0_0_56bce86693e147c04d6ee60f339f86d7.jpg Sputnik International https://cdn2.img.sputniknews.com/i/logo.png Sputnik https://cdn2.img.sputniknews.com/i/logo.png https://sputniknews.com/europe/202009111080429193-pro-independence-demonstrators-gather-in-barcelona-to-mark-diada—video/ This year, organisers of the Diada rally have limited the event to a maximum of 300 participants amid coronavirus restrictions in the city. Watch a live broadcast from Barcelona, Spain, where pro-independence Catalans are gathering on Friday to mark the National Day of Catalonia, or ‘La Diada’, which commemorates the fall of Barcelona to the troops of King Philip V of Spain after a 14-month siege in 1714. The rally was organised by the Catalan National Assembly, and this time the event can bring together not more than 300 people due to restrictions imposed […]
The football legend hinted he might leave Barcelona in August after 20 years there, causing a major uproar among his fans. However, he later noted he would stay in order to avoid a legal dispute with the Spanish club. Lionel Messi had no choice but to remain at Barcelona due to bad advice from his father and agent Jorge, former Real Madrid player Hugo Sanchez stated. According to him, the player shouldn’t have sent a burofax message about leaving the club. “That untimely burofax only strengthened the image of the president of Barcelona and gave him time to weaken Messi’s decision”, […]
The football world came to a standstill on 25 August after Lionel Messi, considered one of the best players in the history of the sport, announced that he wanted to exercise a clause in his contract and leave Barcelona. Lionel Messi never ceases to surprise footballs fans, this time though he didn’t do it on the football pitch. The 33-year-old revealed he would stay at Barcelona because of the $823 million buyout clause in his contract. “I thought and was sure that I was free to leave, the president always said that at the end of the season I could decide if […]
Lionel Messi has put to bed the biggest potential transfer saga this summer by committing his future to Barcelona in a statement on Friday, confirming a dramatic u-turn after initially telling the club he wanted to leave. “I wasn’t happy and I wanted to leave,” the player told Goal. “I have not been allowed this in any way and I will stay at the club so as not to get into a legal dispute. The management of the club led by Bartomeu is a disaster.” It had earlier been reported the Argentine icon and Barca’s all-time top scorer would make his decision official as the […]
Showdown talks between Messi’s father and Barcelona bosses on Wednesday produced no result. The club doesn’t want its legend to leave for free while potential buyers are seeking further clarity on the star’s reported €700-million buyout clause. Barcelona may allow its star forward Lionel Messi to leave the Camp Nou for as little as €100 million ($118m) in the current transfer window, The Telegraph reports, citing sources familiar with the situation. Messi, who has been with the club for 20 years, last week told bosses that he wants to quit following a humiliating 2-8 defeat to Bayern Munich in the Champions […]
https://cdn1.img.sputniknews.com/img/07e4/08/1f/1080325833_0:136:2077:1304_1200x675_80_0_0_dcd1c24b8261b9deeedc9d1bc2820116.jpg Sputnik International https://cdn2.img.sputniknews.com/i/logo.png Sputnik https://cdn2.img.sputniknews.com/i/logo.png https://sputniknews.com/photo/202008311080326678-messi-leaves-barcelona-looking-back-at-argentinian-superstars-career-with-spanish-club/ Last week, Spanish football club Barcelona confirmed that its forward, Lionel Messi, had informed them of his wish to leave the club this summer. According to rumours, Messi could move to England’s Manchester City, which is managed by his former coach, Pep Guardiola. Sport.es reported on Sunday that Manchester City was ready to offer Messi a five-year €500 million contract. Last week, Barcelona confirmed that its all-time top-scorer had informed the team of his intention to leave the La Liga club. Messi has a contract with the Catalan club until 2021, with a clause to leave […]
Passions are running high at Camp Nou after the superstar informed the club on 25 August of his desire to leave, despite the fact that his contract does not expire until 2021. Earlier today, the 33-year-old reportedly skipped coronavirus testing and reports say he will not appear for tomorrow’s practice. Barca officials intend to make him stay. The Barcelona football club president, Josep Maria Bartomeu, will meet with Lionel Messi’s father on 2 September, Mundo Deportive reported. According to the sports newspaper, Jorge Messi, the athlete’s de-facto manager, has been in contact with Bartomeu for several days. The newspaper notes that […]
Despite his legal team arguing otherwise, La Liga has confirmed Lionel Messi’s Barcelona contract remains valid, meaning he cannot walk away for free, and a club would have to pay the $833 MILLION release clause to sign him. Messi’s contract, which he signed in 2017, contains a clause that would have allowed him to leave the Catalan side for free if he had put in an official request by June 10. But, despite that date passing, his legal team said that the specific day was set in the contract to signify the end of the Spanish season, and the COVID-19-delayed nature of the […]
The two earlier talked to each other over the phone, Spanish media reported, as speculation about Lionel Messi leaving Camp Nou, where he has been playing since the onset of his career, gained momentum. Lionel Messi is set to meet in Barcelona with Manchester United boss Pep Guardiola while the latter is there on holiday, the Spanish TV channel El Chiringuito reported on the programme Jugones, as the Argentinian’s stunning €1.6m-a-week transfer has been on everyone’s lips in recent weeks. Guardiola, with whom Messi successfully worked during some of Barca’s most productive years, in 2008-2012, has already been seen dining out […]
Lionel Messi is seeking a meeting with the Barcelona top brass to avoid an ugly and protracted exit from the club, according to reports. The Argentine is, however, still intent on leaving the club this summer. Messi stunned the footballing world this week when he informed the Barcelona hierarchy that he wanted to leave this summer. The 33-year-old asserted that he could walk away for free, citing a disputed contract clause which the club insists has already expired. Instead, Barcelona bosses claim Messi remains tied to the club until the summer of 2021, with an official release clause of €700 million […]
Barcelona striker Luis Suarez, who has been deemed surplus to requirements at the Nou Camp by new manager Ronald Koeman, has taken to Instagram to issue a cryptic rebuke of his critics. Suarez, 33, has one year remaining on his current Barcelona contract but will almost certainly see his six-year stay at the club come to an end as part of Koeman’s summer clear-out, as the Dutchman seeks to rebuild the team after a trophyless 2019-20 season. The Uruguyan was reportedly told by Koeman in a brief telephone call on Monday that he should start looking for other clubs – a […]
Lionel Messi’s two-decade association at Barcelona appears to have met an inauspicious end after the six-time Ballon d’Or winning forward told club officials that he intends to leave the club, according to reports. Speculation as to Messi’s future has been rampant amid a disastrous 2020 for the Catalan giants, which saw them surrender their Spanish title to arch-rivals Real Madrid and endure a humiliating 8-2 Champions League exit at the hands of Bayern Munich. Also on rt.com Manchester City looking at financial aspects of potential Messi swoop – reports The club appears braced for more internal strife, however, after strong reports […]
The Barcelona board are braced to resist any transfer bids for Lionel Messi as new boss Ronald Koeman declares six-time Ballon d’Or winner crucial to his plans, despite the Argentinian ace’s apparent discontent at the Camp Nou. For the first time since he joined the club two decades ago, rumors have suggested that Messi’s discontent at Barcelona’s poor performance last season could lead to the club’s star player deciding that his future lies away from the Catalan club. Backroom rancor and discontent under former boss Quique Setien came to a head following Barcelona’s humiliating 8-2 UEFA Champions League defeat to Bayern Munich […]
It seems that the Catalan team, which the Argentinian ace has been playing for since his teen years, could be about to make his rumoured departure incredibly difficult for him. Responding to rumours about Lionel Messi’s potential transfer, FC Barcelona firmly believes their captain is not up for sale, a Mundo Deportivo report has it, suggesting that the Catalan side sees Messi as “untransferable” and that the team is unlikely to let the top forward go. This is due to Messi’s eye-watering €700 million release clause, which appears to be a fee that will need to be matched for the 33-year-old […]
Barcelona have today sacked manager Quique Setien just days after his side’s humiliating 8-2 defeat against Bayern Munich, amid rumors that club’s current instability has led to prized asset Lionel Messi requesting a transfer. Setien, who was appointed as Ernesto Valverde’s successor in January, had a tumultuous spell in the charge of the Catalan giants, which his position mired almost immediately by reports that many of the first team playing squad were unconvinced by his leadership. The situation at the club degenerated post-lockdown, as Barca surrendered their La Liga crown to rivals Real Madrid and then suffered the historic Champions League […]
Dutch manager and former Barcelona sweeper Ronald Koeman is set to be appointed successor to the soon-to-be-departing boss Quique Setien, according to reports in Spain. Koeman, who is currently the national team coach of the Netherlands, is expected to announce his departure from the Dutch FA imminently to free him up to take over the hotseat at the Camp Nou, where he’ll be tasked with the job of reviving the club’s fortunes after a season that saw them come up short, both in La Liga and in the UEFA Champions League. READ MORE: Dead man walking: Barcelona boss Quique Setien ‘already SACKED’ […]
https://cdn1.img.sputniknews.com/i/logo-itemprop.png Sputnik International https://cdn2.img.sputniknews.com/i/logo.png Sputnik https://cdn2.img.sputniknews.com/i/logo.png https://sputniknews.com/sport/202008161080190100-fc-barcelona-president-confirms-resignation-of-head-coach-enrique-setien/ Enrique “Quique” Setien is a Spanish former professional footballer, signed as head coach of Barcelona on January 2020. His resignation comes after FC Barcelona got annihilated by Bayern Munich in the Champions League with the score of 8-2. President of FC Barcelona, Josep Maria Bartomeu, confirmed to Tiempo de Juego Sunday that Enrique Setien resigned as Barca’s head couch. According to The Guardian’s journalist Fabrizio Romano, Ronald Koeman, Mauricio Pochettino and Xavi are the candidates for the position. The tweet reads: “Bartomeu to @victor_nahe: “Setién is out.” The President has left the meeting with Abidal […]
Barcelona’s talismanic playmaker Lionel Messi has reportedly demanded an immediate transfer from the Catalan club following the side’s catastrophic capitulation in the UEFA Champions League. Messi looked disinterested and demoralized as Barcelona were put to the sword 8-2 by Bayern Munich in the Champions League quarterfinals on Friday night. And while it is widely expected that head coach Quique Setien will be relieved of his duties early this week, it seems the disquiet at the Camp Nou has become too much for the Argentinian forward, who is thought to feel “isolated” after missing out on both the Champions League and the […]
Amid rumors that Argentine footballer Lionel Messi, whose contract with FC Barcelona expires in 2021, was not planning on re-signing, the illustrious striker has been linked with various possible transfer options. Massimiliano Mirabelli, former sporting director of Inter Milan, has opened up on the football club’s long cherished transfer target – football icon Lionel Messi. The Argentinian superstar and forward with Spanish club Barcelona is becoming a serious possibility, claims Mirabelli in an interview for Radio Sportiva in Italy. Currently, Messi is reported to be increasingly unhappy in the Barcelona team, and speculation has been rife regarding his future, as his […]
Previously speculation has been rife that Argentine footballer Lionel Messi, whose contract with Barcelona expires in 2021, was not planning on re-signing over reported “internal squabbles” at the club. FC Barcelona’s forward Lionel Messi is reportedly one step closer to leaving the club, according to COPE. The iconic Argentine footballer, winner of a record six Ballon d’Or awards, is cited as barely having been able to contain his frustration after the relentless 8-2 battering Barcelona received at the hands of on-fire Bundesliga champions Bayern Munich on 14 August in the Champions League quarterfinal at Luz stadium in Lisbon. Messi is claimed […]
Quique Setien’s brief reign in charge of Barcelona has already been ended following the most humiliating night in the Spanish giants’ history, according to sources reporting that Xavi or Mauricio Pochettino could replace him. Setien was a forlorn figure as Barca were crushed 8-2 by Bayern Munich in the quarter-finals at Lisbon’s Estadio da Luz, presiding over the worst defeat in Champions League history for the five-times winners of the tournament. There had already been serious doubts over the 61-year-old’s future after he led Barcelona to a distant second in La Liga, dropping points in four of their final ten matches […]
Lionel Messi showed his frustration as Barcelona fell to a 2-1 defeat against Osasuna in their final home match of the season, echoed by experts and fans as the Spanish giants surrendered the Liga title to arch rivals Real Madrid. Messi offered little more than a disconsolate hand swipe into the Camp Nou air after scoring a free-kick that would have been considered spectacular by most other players, drawing Barcelona level with midtable Osasuna in the 62nd minute of a 2-1 defeat that handed the trophy to Madrid. Zinedine Zidane’s side were far more comfortable as they went 2-0 up at […]
The Portuguese capital, Lisbon, is to host a special mini-tournament to decide the winner of this season’s Champions’ League. The holders, Liverpool, were knocked out by Atletico Madrid just days before the coronavirus lockdown began. Barcelona will play Bayern Munich or Chelsea in the quarter finals of the Champions’ League if they can get past Napoli. The draw has been complicated by the fact that the lockdown happened before the second leg of the last round could be played. Champions League QF draw:Real Madrid or Man City v Lyon or Juventus;Leipzig v Atletico Madrid;Napoli or Barcelona v Chelsea or Bayern;Atalanta v […]
After Lionel Messi celebrated 700 career goals with a Panenka penalty in Barcelona’s La Liga draw with Atletico Madrid on Tuesday night, take a look back at seven of his best strikes, including the World Cup and Champions League. Lionel Messi scored his 700th goal on Tuesday night as Barcelona were held by Atletico Madrid in La Liga, nonchalantly netting a Panenka penalty to reach the record 112 games earlier than goalscoring rival Cristiano Ronaldo. The impudent spot-kick that gave the relentless record-breaker his latest century wasn’t quite as dramatic as his 500th and 600th goals, though. Here, we take a look […]
When Ronaldo arrived in Spain in 2009 he was already a football star with millions of fans, but it’s his performance for Real Madrid that earned him the title of one of the greatest players in the history of football. Cristiano Ronaldo’s absence in the Spanish La Liga tournament is barely noticed, said league president Javier Tebas. “It certainly irritated the Real Madrid fans, but his absence was barely noticed at a league level, because the Liga brand transcends individual players”, Tebas said in an interview with radio station RAC1. As if this was not enough to upset the 35-year-old Portuguese […]
Barcelona fans are being given the chance to recreate the look of their heroes by buying replicas of masks that the club’s squad and coaching staff are wearing to training – but fans say the products are capitalizing on COVID-19. While some of Barcelona’s European rivals have charged around a quarter of the price for masks, the reigning La Liga champions are asking for €18 (around $20) for each item, designed to protect against COVID-19 transmission. Barca encouraged their vast global fanbase to buy the garments and provided a gallery of famous faces wearing the new masks, including major summer signings Frenkie De […]