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 […]
Lionel
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 […]
Bolivia will be out to give Lionel Messi and Argentina a tough time on Tuesday when they face off in a high-altitude FIFA World Cup qualifying match in La Paz. “We have to avoid the Bolivian lament of being the poor little things,” Bolivia coach Cesar Farias said, according to ESPN. “Let them say that we’re nasty, it doesn’t matter. But we want to eat the liver of our opponents at altitude.” Bolivia will host Argentina at the Estadio Hernando Siles in La Paz – one of the country’s two capital cities – 3,600 meters (11,800ft) above sea level. “Playing in the Hernando Siles […]
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 […]
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 […]
In 2019, Messi received a fine of $50,000 and a three-month ban from international football after he criticized the organizers of Copa America, accusing referees of corruption, and even said that Argentina shouldn’t participate in the tournament anymore. Lionel Messi believes the Argentine national football team will end its title drought at the 2021 Copa America, Goal reported, without citing its sources. According to the sports website, the 33-year-old believes in the team’s new manager Lionel Scaloni and completely trusts the coaching staff. Messi reportedly thinks that with the players that have recently come to the fore – Giovani Lo Celso, […]
The 33-year-old has recently put an end to his transfer saga and announced that he would stay in Barcelona for the 2020/2021 season. The athlete said it was impossible for him to leave due to the $823 million buyout clause. Lionel Messi is considered one of the best football players in the history of football. His stellar performance on the pitch has also made him one of the highest-paid athletes. According to Forbes, in 2019 he earned $127 million (this year though the Argentine has been surpassed by his rival Cristiano Ronaldo). His net worth is estimated to be $400 million. […]
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 […]
On Tuesday, Spanish football club Barcelona confirmed that its superstar, Lionel Messi, had announced his desire to depart the Catalan club, ending a 20-year career with Camp Nou, as soon as this summer. Rumors suggested that the Argentinian striker could move to England’s Manchester City club, managed by his former coach, Pep Guardiola. The English Premier League club, Manchester City, is ready to offer football icon and FC Barcelona superstar, Lionel Messi, a five-year 500-million-euro contract, Sport.es reported on Sunday. According to the Spanish outlet, Messi’s annual salary at City would be 50 million euros. Under this deal, the 33-year-old Argentinian […]
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 […]
https://cdn1.img.sputniknews.com/img/07e4/08/1c/1080298407_0:57:2078:1225_1200x675_80_0_0_13879a5b64cd3b95e432beb78d9bacdc.jpg Sputnik International https://cdn2.img.sputniknews.com/i/logo.png Muhammad Osman. Sputnik International https://sputniknews.com/sport/202008281080298321-man-city-ready-to-offer-895m-plus-silva-jesus-garcia-in-exchange-for-lionel-messi—report/ Argentinian football superstar Lionel Messi is reportedly mulling an end to his 20-year career at Camp Nou this summer. The reports come following a recent 2-8 loss Barcelona suffered at the hands of Bayern Munich in a quarter-final match at the 2019–20 UEFA Champions League. The sports legend reportedly intends to move to Manchester City. English Premier League club Manchester City is “ready to offer” Spanish football giant Barcelona £89.5 million ($118.1 million) in addition to Brazilian forward player Gabriel Jesus, Portuguese midfielder Bernardo Silva and Spanish back player Eric Garcia in exchange for club superstar […]
On 25 August, the Argentinian superstar dropped a bombshell statement, revealing that he no longer wishes to play for Barcelona and wants to leave Camp Nou already this summer. The announcement shocked the club and its millions-strong army of fans, who demanded that the club’s officials persuade Messi to stay. Lionel Messi wants PSG and Brazil star Neymar to join him in Manchester City, where the Argentinian will reportedly continue his career, ESPN Brazil reported. According to the sports website, Messi has allegedly told Neymar, with whom he played for four years in Barcelona, that he will move to Etihad, City’s […]
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 […]
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 […]
As several Arkansas police officers pinned Lionel Morris on the floor of Harps Food Store in February, with the knee of one officer pressing into his back, the 39-year-old begged for help, repeatedly crying out “I can’t breathe.” The Conway Police Department said that on Feb. 4, the supermarket reported that two men had removed a drone from its packaging. When officers arrived on the scene, Morris ran away, prompting a chase around the food store—until he was tased multiple times and punched at least twice. But newly released body-camera footage shows the officers continued to use excessive force on Morris, […]
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 […]