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Tag: Messi

  • Barca presidential candidate: Xavi will convince Messi to stay

    Barca presidential candidate: Xavi will convince Messi to stay

    Barcelona presidential candidate Victor Font is convinced Xavi can help persuade Lionel Messi to stay.

    The Al Sadd coach has been mentioned as a future general manager by Font should he win election.

    He told Mundo Deportivo: “Messi has explained it, he ideally wants to stay here and finish his sports career at Barça. Before the summer, when the great frustration happened, it was what he had always said and had commented that the most important condition for him is to have a winning and competitive project.

    “We have a winning, competitive project, with people like Xavi, in which once again, the trust and credibility of the different assets in a project is fundamental, this credibility and this relationship between Xavi and Messi exists, that’s why I believe it is one of the main reasons and guarantees that Messi will feel very comfortable with our project and we will have many options for him to continue.”

  • Barca presidential candidate expects Messi to leave

    Barca presidential candidate expects Messi to leave

    Barcelona presidential candidate Agusti Benedito believes they’ll lose Lionel Messi this summer.

    Asked about the future of the club’s captain, Benedito was frank in his take on the situation.

    “Keeping Messi would be the best news for the club, but I’m not very optimistic,” he said in an interview with ESPN.

    “I would’ve liked it if in his interview the other week he had said that his wish was to stay at the club, but he didn’t, and now we have to wait and see.

    “The truth is that I’m pessimistic. You have to keep in mind that in August he said that he wanted to go after 20 years and he hasn’t said what he wants to do.

    “The most probable result I can see is that he leaves us halfway through the year.

    “Given the situation at the club, I think it’s important that he stays at Barcelona, he understands what the next two years ahead of us will be like.

    “He’s been here for 20 years, he’s a Barcelona fan and I think he’s sensitive to the situation.”

  • Lionel Messi admits MLS ambition

    Lionel Messi admits MLS ambition

    Barcelona star Lionel Messi has left the door open to playing in the USA.

    The Argentine’s Barcelona contract expires at the end of the current campaign, leaving him free to talk to clubs about a transfer from January 1, but he’s not thinking beyond the current season for now.

    “I’ve always said that I’d like to experience the United States’ league,” Messi told La Sexta. “But that’s not for now.

    “I’m not thinking about how the season will end. It wouldn’t be good for me to say today what I’m going to do, and I don’t know either. I don’t know if I’m going to leave or not. But if I go I want to leave in the best way.

    “I’d like to return to live in this city and work at the club. Barcelona are much bigger than any player. I hope the president who comes in will do things well.”

  • Ronaldo knocks out Messi, Salah; wins Player of the Century award

    Ronaldo knocks out Messi, Salah; wins Player of the Century award

    Cristiano Ronaldo, knocked out three other top contenders, for the Player of the Century crown at the Globe Soccer Awards in Dubai on Sunday.

    The Juventus forward attended the awards to receive the top prize for which Lionel Messi, Mohamed Salah and Ronaldinho were also shortlisted.

    “Thank you, to everyone who voted for me, to my family, to my mother and sisters,” Ronaldo said.

    “It is an exceptional achievement. It gives me the motivation to move forward.

    “To be named the best is a great honour, I hope that this situation is over next year and that we can have more fun, thank you very much. I hope to still be able to play for more years.”

    The 35-year-old Portuguese also received the Agent of the Century award on behalf of his agent and compatriot, Jorge Mendes.

    Bayern Munich striker, Robert Lewandowski was named the player of the year in what was a good evening for his club.

    Hansi Flick received the coach of the year prize and Bayern Munich were named the club of the year, after a season that included winning the Champions League, Bundesliga and DFB-Pokal titles.

    Real Madrid were recognised as the club of the century.

    Pep Guardiola was voted Coach of the Century, having won eight league titles with Barcelona, Bayern Munich and Manchester City, as well as two Champions League titles with Barcelona.

    FIFA President, Gianni Infantino was also in attendance and played his part in the awards ceremony by handing trophies to several of the winners.

  • 644 Goals: Budweiser sends beer to all goalkeepers Messi scored against

    644 Goals: Budweiser sends beer to all goalkeepers Messi scored against

    Beer company Budweiser has celebrated Lionel Messi’s 644 goal achievement by sending out bottles of beer to every goalkeeper the Argentine has scored against.

    The beer company sent a numbered bottle of beer to every goalkeeper labelling it with which strike of Messi’s he scored against them.

    The beer brand also released a short film which was titled ‘Kings aren’t made overnight’. The video showed Lionel Messi making notes for every goalkeeper he scored against. The note was sent alongside the beer to all the goalkeepers.

    Lionel Messi against Valladolid on Tuesday broke Pele’s record number of goals for one club by netting his 644th career goal for Barcelona.

    Goalkeepers have been receiving their beer as Gianluigi Buffon, Juventus goalkeeper thanked Budweiser for the beer. He also congratulated the attacker for breaking the record.

  • Barca players unhappy with Messi wage negotiations

    Barca players unhappy with Messi wage negotiations

    Barcelona’s players are unhappy with skipper Lionel Messi over his decision to negotiate his wage reduction separately from the rest of the squad.

    The Argentine is reluctant to lower his salary from his €50m yearly wages because he intends not to renew his contract with Barcelona beyond June 30, 2021 and, therefore, the payment reduction cannot be deferred. A situation which is in contrast with his teammates.

    “There is an unhappiness in the staff with Messi for negotiating on his own.

    “The salary reduction is going to be applied to him in a different way and that is going to mount a schism,” revealed Okdiario’s Eduardo Inda on El Chiringuito about the situation.

    It’s claimed Messi has now decided to leave Barca when his contract expires in June.

  • La Liga: Messi breaks Pele record in Barca win

    La Liga: Messi breaks Pele record in Barca win

    Lionel Messi scored his 644th goal for Barcelona during his side’s victory over Real Valladolid to break Pele’s record of the most goals for one club.

    Argentina forward Messi, 33, scored Barca’s third when he collected Pedri’s backheel, took a touch then slotted the ball past goalkeeper Jordi Masip.

    Messi created the first goal when his cross was headed in by Clement Lenglet and started the move for the second, finished off by Martin Braithwaite.

    Messi also hit the post in injury time.

    Brazil great Pele scored 643 goals in 19 seasons for Santos in his homeland between 1956 and 1974.

    Messi, who scored his first goal for Barca in 2005 and has gone on to win 10 La Liga titles and four Champions Leagues, is out of contract at the end of the season and able to talk to other clubs from January.

    In August, he said he wanted to exercise a clause in his deal which he said allowed him to leave on a free transfer, but Barcelona refused, saying his 700m euro (£624m) release clause had to be met.

    Earlier this week, Messi said the incident caused him to have “a very bad time in the summer”,although he was in superb form against Valladolid on Tuesday, inspiring a win that took Barcelona back up to fifth, eight points behind leaders Atletico Madrid.

    Barca could have scored more goals but Masip made a number of fine saves and substitute Philippe Coutinho also hit the woodwork late on.

    Marc-Andre Ter Stegen made two one-handed saves to deny Fabian Orellana and Kike Perez, preserving Barcelona’s clean sheet.

    Earlier on Tuesday, Atletico beat third-placed Real Sociedad 2-0 thanks to goals from Mario Hermoso and Marcos Llorente to go three points clear of Real Madrid, who play Granada at home on Wednesday.

  • Truth is I felt very bad last summer, Messi reveals

    Truth is I felt very bad last summer, Messi reveals

    Barcelona captain Lionel Messi has lifted the lid on his failed transfer demand over the summer.

    Messi attempted to force a move away, with Manchester City waiting to take him off Barca’s hands, but had a transfer request rejected by former president Josep Maria Bartomeu at the time.

    The Argentine eventually withdrew his demand and committed to Barca before the LaLiga season kicked off.

    In an interview to be broadcast in full on December 27, Messi said RAC1’s El Mon: “The truth is that today I’m fine.

    “It’s true that I had a very bad time in the summer. It came from before. What happened before the summer, how the season ended, the burofax and all that … Then I dragged it out a bit at the beginning of the season.

    “But today I am fine and I find myself wanting to fight seriously for everything that lies ahead, excited.

    “I know that the club is going through a difficult time, at the club and team level, and everything that surrounds Barcelona is becoming difficult but I’m looking forward to things.”

  • Messi equals Pele record with 643rd club goal

    Messi equals Pele record with 643rd club goal

    Lionel Messi equalled Brazil legend Pele’s record of 643 goals for a single club after scoring for Barcelona in Saturday’s draw against Valencia.

    The Argentine, 33, achieved the feat with a diving header just before half-time, immediately after his penalty was saved by keeper Jaume Domenech.

    Messi scored his first goal for Barca in 2005 against Albacete.
    Pele, 80, scored 643 goals in 19 seasons for Brazilian side Santos between 1956 and 1974.

  • UCL: Ronaldo outshines Messi in Barca win

    UCL: Ronaldo outshines Messi in Barca win

    Cristiano Ronaldo scored two penalties to take his Champions League goal tally to 134 as Juventus beat Barcelona to seal top spot in Group G.

    Ronaldo sent Marc-Andre ter Stegen the wrong way after being fouled by Uruguay defender Ronald Araujo.

    Juve doubled their lead through Weston McKennie’s bicycle kick before Ronaldo added his second from the spot after Clement Lenglet handled.

    It is Barcelona’s first defeat in a group game since 2016.

    They started the day with a three-point cushion over Juve but finish second and will be unseeded in next Monday’s last-16 draw.

    Barcelona forward Lionel Messi and Ronaldo, regarded as the two greatest players of their generation, were facing one another for the first time since May 2018.

    While Ronaldo scored two, Messi was frustrated by 42-year-old Juve keeper Gianluigi Buffon, who made a string of fine saves.