Tag: Messi
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Players like Messi born once every 50 years — Conte
Antonio Conte hailed Lionel Messi as the kind of player born once every 50 years after the Barcelona superstar’s virtuoso performance eliminated Chelsea from the Champions League at Camp Nou, ESPN reports. Messi scored twice to take his tally to 100 goals in the competition and also set up Ousmane Dembele to open his Barcelona…
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Messi set Liga record, Suárez fired hat-trick as Barcelona beat Girona 6-1
Lionel Messi scored against the 36th different team he has faced in La Liga on Saturday to break the league record, while Barcelona also set a new club unbeaten league run as they beat Girona 6-1. By scoring in the first half, Messi broke the record he shared with Athletic Bilbao striker Aritz Aduriz. Messi…
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La Liga: Messi, Suarez lead Barca’s 5-0 romp at Real Betis
FC Barcelona rode further away from their crumbling title rivals on Sunday as Lionel Messi and Luis Suarez scored twice each in a 5-0 thrashing of Real Betis. The emphatic win opened up an 11-point gap at the top of the La Liga standings. A strike from Ivan Rakitic broke the home side’s resistance in…
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Messi agreed to Barca exit clause in case of Catalan independence, media report says
Lionel Messi could leave FC Barcelona without a transfer fee if Catalonia ceded from Spain and the club did not compete in any of Europe’s top four leagues. El Mundo, a leading Spanish newspaper, on Friday reported this, citing a clause in his new contract. Barca’s all-time top goalscorer signed the contract in November, seven…
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Ronaldo trailing in Messi’s wake after mimicking celebration
The defining image of the previous “Clasico’’ in the league last April was the sight of Lionel Messi defiantly showing the back of his shirt to the baying Real Madrid crowd. This was after burying the winning goal to settle a thrilling contest 3-2 for FC Barcelona. The goal, also the Argentine’s 500th strike for…
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Lionel Messi statue in Buenos Aires vandalised again
A statue of Argentine football star Lionel Messi has been vandalised in the capital, Buenos Aires.The bronze statue was chopped off just above the ankles, with the main “body” left lying on the pavement. It is the second time the statue, which was unveiled in June 2016, has been targeted by vandals. Police said the…
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Barca held by Celta, Messi ends goal drought
La Liga leaders FC Barcelona were held to a 2-2 home draw by Celta Vigo on Saturday as their former assistant coach Juan Carlos Unzue dented their title hopes. The Catalans dropped points for the second game in a row for the first time this campaign. Celta striker Iago Aspas silenced the Nou Camp by…
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Why I want to be better than Messi, Neymar, Lewandowski, others – Ronaldo
Real Madrid star Cristiano Ronaldo says he is driven to be the best player in the world by the fear of being surpassed by the likes of Lionel Messi and Neymar. The 32-year-old Portugal international, who won the Ballon d’Or in January, is a firm favourite to be crowned the world’s finest footballer for the…
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Tax fraud: Messi escapes jail term, as court rules he pays €252,000 fine instead
Lionel Messi and his father saw their suspended prison sentences for tax fraud reduced to fines by a Barcelona court on Friday. The pair had been convicted of hiding image rights royalties in offshore accounts and had been given suspended jail terms of 21 and 15 months. Messi will pay 252,000 euros ($287,000) and his…