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 […]
Messi
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 […]
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 […]
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 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 […]
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 […]
On Tuesday, Lionel Messi notified Barcelona of his decision to leave the Spanish football club despite having a contract that doesn’t end until June 2021. The move came after his club’s surprise 8-2 defeat to Bayern Munich in the Champions League. Football star Lionel Messi has told FC Barcelona that he would not show up for coronavirus testing on Sunday, according to Catalan radio station RAC1 reporter Gerard Romero. On Saturday, Romero tweeted that “Messi communicated to Barca that he wouldn’t appear for the PCR [polymerase chain reaction] test on 30 August prior to the start of the new season”. 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 […]
Paris Saint-Germain star Neymar has confessed that he will miss his close day-to-day relationship with Thiago after the defender checked in at Chelsea – and is said to have spoken to Lionel Messi about joining the French giants. The most expensive player in the world offered a heartfelt message to his Brazil team-mate on Instagram, where he said he “loved” the veteran defender and would “miss messing with him every day” after he ended his eight-year stay at the reigning French champions to make his long-anticipated move to Stamford Bridge. Thiago spent three years with Neymar in Paris, culminating in the […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
Earlier reports stated that Argentine football icon Lionel Messi had formally asked to leave FC Barcelona this summer, with the move coming 11 days after the Spanish club’s crushing 8-2 loss to Bayern Munich in the Champions League quarterfinals. Former Manchester United defender Rio Ferdinand has claimed on social media that FC Chelsea head coach Frank Lampard is looking to sign Argentine football legend Lionel Messi, now that the celebrated athlete is reportedly seeking to part ways with Barcelona. On Tuesday evening, the former Red Devils captain went on Twitter to suggest that Lampard has set his sights on the six-time […]
https://cdn1.img.sputniknews.com/img/07e4/08/1a/1080278273_0:0:2697:1519_1200x675_80_0_0_6b2fec38629f7c6dd365622f12cc0284.jpg Sputnik International https://cdn2.img.sputniknews.com/i/logo.png Daria Bedenko. Sputnik International https://sputniknews.com/sport/202008261080278318-messi-reportedly-reaches-out-to-pep-guardiola-to-discuss-possible-transfer-to-manchester-city/ Rumours that FC Barcelona player and football icon Lionel Messi may leave the club emerged after the team was annihilated in the Champions League meeting with Bayern Munich, with reports suggesting that the footballer had already confirmed his desire to exit Barca. FC Barcelona superstar Lionel Messi has contacted former coach Pep Guardiola over a possible transfer by the football icon to Manchester City, as allegations circulate that he is adamant in his desire to leave Barca after a humiliating defeat to Bayern Munich in the Champions League, according to reports by […]
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’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 […]
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 […]
La Liga officials have been accused of affording Lionel Messi special protection after the Barcelona ace avoided a red card for a second game in a row despite stamping on a rival in Tuesday’s win against Athletic Bilbao. Chasing a loose ball in the 69th minute at the Nou Camp, Messi went in late on Athletic’s Yeray, bringing his studs down on the defender’s ankle. Yeray span around in agony at the challenge, with Messi immediately returning to the scene to apologize. Despite the presence of VAR, the Barcelona skipper avoided even a booking for the offence, and to rub salt […]
A daring invader who astonished television audiences by running onto the pitch in pursuit of a selfie with Lionel Messi during Barcelona’s behind-closed-doors La Liga return will face criminal action, the league has announced. The audacious supporter, who charged into the action during Barcelona’s win at Mallorca in an Argentina shirt, had revealed that he was awaiting news of a possible punishment from police after officers told him to delete a photo he had taken near goalscorer Jordi Alba and provide his personal details. Now organizers La Liga have said they will seek to prosecute the intrepid intruder because he broke […]
https://cdn1.img.sputniknews.com/img/106555/49/1065554923_0:169:2134:1369_1200x675_80_0_0_3883da7d3fd1aede53b1e7e3a208598e.jpg Sputnik International https://cdn2.img.sputniknews.com/i/logo.png Sputnik https://cdn2.img.sputniknews.com/i/logo.png https://sputniknews.com/viral/202006141079610444-messi-is-my-idol-fan-crashes-football-game-for-a-selfie-with-argentinian-football-legend/ As the fan himself reportedly explained, he did manage to take a photo but a cop later made him delete it. A determined fan apparently managed to sneak into the Son Moix stadium on Mallorca during a football match and ran into the field in order to snap a selfie with Lionel Messi, Diario AS reports. According to the newspaper, the game between Mallorca and Barcelona FC got stopped in the 53rd minute when the fan, dressed in an Argentina jersey and with a camera in hand, charged towards Messi. “I took a photo […]
Sport 08:43 GMT 07.06.2020(updated 08:44 GMT 07.06.2020) Get short URL The captain of Portuguese national team has recently been pronounced Instagram’s top earner, due to a jaw-dropping price tag on his sponsored posts on the platform, which equals roughly $1 million. His Barcelona rival Lionel Messi took second place. Juventus forward Cristiano Ronaldo was named by Forbes the first soccer player in history to have managed to nail $1 billion in earnings across his career, with captain of the Argentina team Lionel Messi poised to become the second. According to the 2020 Forbes Celebrity 100 list of world’s highest-paid A-listers, Ronaldo […]
https://cdn1.img.sputniknews.com/img/107927/64/1079276456_0:0:3072:1729_1200x675_80_0_0_a8cc2d188d9263564f3aa52bf893c9f6.jpg Sputnik International https://cdn2.img.sputniknews.com/i/logo.png Sputnik https://cdn2.img.sputniknews.com/i/logo.png https://sputniknews.com/latam/202005121079276447-messi-donates-500000-euros-to-fight-against-covid-19-in-argentina—reports/ MOSCOW (Sputnik) – Barcelona forward Lionel Messi made a donation of 500,000 euros ($540,000) to help combat the spread of the coronavirus in his native Argentina, the media reported on Monday. According to the TyC Sports news outlet, Messi donated money to the Garrahan Foundation, which will distribute medical equipment, including respirators and ventilators, to healthcare facilities in the South American country. In April, Lionel Messi called healthcare workers heroes protecting people from the coronavirus. “Yesterday the World Health Worker Week came to an end and, together with UNICEF, I want to express my deepest gratitude for […]