Lionel Messi
Barcelona president gives update on the futures of Lionel Messi and Ronald Koeman
Recently elected Barcelona president Joan Laporta has spoken about the futures of star man Lionel Messi and manager Ronald Koeman. It has been a turbulent season at Camp Nou. Koeman found himself under severe pressure after a poor first half of the season, with La Blaugrana looking way off the pace in the title race. A round of 16 humiliation at home to Paris Saint-Germain in the Champions League did little to ease the tension. Koeman’s side have been unable to win the title However, the Dutchman managed to turn things around, winning the Copa del Rey and putting themselves within touching distance of the top of the table going into the final few weeks. Carelessly dropped points against Granada and Levante saw them lose their grip on the title race, and they eventually ended the season in ...
Barcelona approach Lionel Messi’s father-agent with contract proposal
Barcelona president Joan Laporta has pitched Lionel Messi’s father-agent Jorge Messi with a contract offer that would see his son spend the next two years at Camp Nou. The 33-year-old has less than two months left to run on his current deal in Spain and has yet to pledge his future to Barcelona following another turbulent season. Messi seemed to be on the verge of cutting short his trophy-laden career at Camp Nou last summer, but former president Josep Maria Bartomeu managed to persuade him to stay put. An embarrassing 8-2 defeat to Bayern Munich in the Champions League quarter-finals in 2019/20 and the club’s decision to release Luis Suarez last summer nearly pushed the six-time Ballon d’Or winner away from La Liga. Despite convincing their captain and headline performer to remain, the Ca...
Report: Lionel Messi accepts new Barcelona deal
Lionel Messi will stay at Barcelona. The official announcement will be treated as Barca’s big signing of the summer and the latest important media outlet to confirm the news is ‘BeIN Sports’. Journalist Achraf Ben Ayad, who follows Barca news very closely, says that Leo Messi has decided to stay. The Argentine missed the final game of the La Liga season and he did not train on Friday either with the club’s permission. The striker has taken holiday before going to Argentina to play in the Copa America. It seems like Leo Messi wants to decide on his future before the Copa America starts in June so the Argentinian’s new deal could be confirmed in the next two weeks. Leo Messi will have to accept a contract with a lowe salary than his current one due to Barca’s complicated financial situation....
As Real Madrid chase Atletico in tense title race, Lionel Messi takes a break
The 2020/21 La Liga season is coming to a close as Atletico Madrid and Real Madrid go head-to-head in a thrilling title race. Regardless of what happens on the final matchday of the campaign, the league crown will stay in the capital. Barcelona and Sevilla have already qualified for next season’s Champions League group stage, but all the attention is turned towards the Madrid sides in this nail-biting season finale. Ahead of the final kick-off, Atletico lead the way in one of the most exciting title races in Spain over the past few years, holding a two-point advantage on cross-town rivals Real. Zinedine Zidane hopes to make history Seeking league titles in consecutive seasons for the first time since 2007/08, Real go into Matchday 38 looking to overturn a two-point deficit on Atletico. Des...
Big two dwarf £470m star on rich list – move to Madrid or Barcelona would have fuelled jump
Three of football’s biggest superstars have retained their places in the top 10 list of the world’s highest-paid athletes. According to Forbes, Lionel Messi, Cristiano Ronaldo and Neymar are raking in massive amounts of money every year. Messi and Ronaldo have swapped places on this year’s list, but they lag miles behind Conor McGregor’s $180 million annual earnings. However, while the big two have seen their income increase over the past 12 months, Neymar has suffered a slight reduction. Sportslens takes a look at the three high-earning footballers. Lionel Messi – Barcelona – $130 million Messi has edged back in front of Ronaldo in the standings, pocketing a staggering $130m to claim second spot on the list. A lucrative lifetime endorsement deal with adidas helps to keep Messi’s bank bala...
Paris Saint-Germain and Barcelona stars could beat Lewandowski for 2021 Ballon D’Or
The Ballon d’Or is arguably the most prestigious individual award in modern football, celebrating the beautiful game’s best player from the previous year. Now it is worth noting that the Ballon d’Or is not the be-all-and-end-all of football. It’s often biased towards those who shine in the Champions League. Media hype, big moments, and trophies won usually take precedence in the voting over individual performances. In fact, all Ballon dOr winners since 2007 has either won the Champions League or been the competition’s top goalscorer, and all since 2007 have reached at least the semi-finals stage. With no obvious standout, however, this summer’s international tournaments could be decisive. Lionel Messi and co. will compete in the Copa America, while Europe’s finest battle it out at the Euro...
La Liga title race: Barcelona and Real Madrid playing catch-up, but can the league leaders manage a win?
In what looked set to be a crucial round of fixtures in the La Liga title race, points dropped by Atlético, Barcelona and Real Madrid over the weekend leaves us with no clear title favourite with three games left to play. Atlético maintained their two-point lead at the top of the La Liga table despite their stalemate with the Catalans on Saturday afternoon, as Real Madrid also drew with Sevilla on Sunday night in an entertaining 2-2 clash. The tense race for La Liga glory will continue, and with the unpredictable nature of the chasing pack’s results – we can expect plenty of surprises as the season draws to a close. Will wasteful Barca rue missed opportunity? Ousmane Dembélé was guilty of missing a glaring opportunity five minutes from time Victory over Atlético Madrid at the Camp Nou woul...
Fabrizio Romano: Leeds target with 182 EPL goals wants to join one club because of Argentine
Manchester City striker Sergio Aguero wants to join Barcelona at the end of the season, according to Sky Sports journalist and transfer expert Fabrizio Romano. The Argentine is leaving the Etihad Stadium as a free agent this summer and has been linked with Leeds United. The Elland Road outfit want to sell Rodrigo after a disappointing campaign, and head coach Marcelo Bielsa is said to be keen on Aguero as a replacement. The Leeds boss is a huge fan of his compatriot, but a move does not look likely going by Romano’s latest update. “I want to say that Kun Aguero wants to join Barcelona,” the journalist said on the Here we go podcast. “He is pushing to go to Barcelona – he wants to play with Leo Messi. Contacts are going on. Barcelona won’t decide anything before the end of the season, ...
Messi brace gives Barcelona three points in entertaining victory over Getafe
Barcelona picked up three more points in their title challenge, defeating Getafe 5-2 at the Camp Nou. It was a lively start from the home side, who came within inches of opening the scoring in the third minute. Lionel Messi struck from just outside the box, seeing his near-perfect shot crash back off the underside of the crossbar. But it was not long before the Argentine was on the scoresheet. Sergio Busquets found him with a brilliant through ball, and he did the rest, finding the far corner via David Soria’s glove. However, this lead did not last long. La Masia graduate Marc Cucurella whipped in a low cross towards Angel. The striker deflected the cross onto the body of Clement Lenglet, who diverted the ball into his own net. In the 28th minute, Getafe returned the favour, putting La Bla...
Lionel Messi could leave Barcelona over European Super League news
Sunday’s European Super League announcement could impact Lionel Messi’s future at Barcelona, Marca has reported. Barcelona are one of 12 major European clubs who have signed up to a European Super League, breaking away from their domestic leagues. They are joined by fellow La Liga sides Real Madrid and Atletico Madrid, as well as six clubs from England and three from Italy. A banner in protest of the European Super League The announcement was met with intense disapproval from the majority of the footballing world. Fans and pundits were outraged, while governing bodies responded with force, threatening to ban clubs and players from participating in certain tournaments. One of the governing bodies to oppose the European Super League was FIFA, who claimed that any participating players could ...
Barcelona win Copa del Rey after sensational second half performance
Barcelona have won the Copa del Rey after putting on an incredible second half performance against Athletic Bilbao to win 4-0. Barcelona made a lively start to the game, and nearly took the lead in the fifth minute. Sergio Busquets floated a ball over the top to Lionel Messi, who cut back for Frenkie de Jong. The Dutchman placed his first time shot off the far post. A few minutes later, Athletic Bilbao hit back with a chance of their own. Alex Berenguer swung in an excellent free kick to Inigo Martinez, but the Spaniard couldn’t direct his effort on target. After that, La Blaugrana continued to dominate the first half. Messi had two shots blocked, while Sergino Dest scuffed a shot wide. They ended the half with 86% possession and seven shots to Athletic Bilbao’s one, but the score remained...
Mino Raiola wants Erling Haaland to be 1st £1 millon-a-week player
Mino Raiola is determined to make Erling Haaland the first £1 million-a-week player. Haaland has grown into one of the deadliest strikers in world football, having scored a ridiculous 49 goals in 52 appearances for Borussia Dortmund. The Norwegian sensation is attracting interest from all of Europe’s elite but according to The Mirror, super-agent Raiola wants any transfer to be a “once in a lifetime deal”. Raiola, along with Haaland’s father Alf-Inge, recently travelled to spain for meetings with both Barcelona and Real Madrid. It’s said the two Spanish giants were shocked at the finances it would take to secure the former Red Bull Salzburg man, while Manchester City, Manchester United, Chelsea and Liverpool are all aware how costly and complex a potential deal will be. Still only 20 but w...
