Lionel Messi
El Clásico’s impact on La Liga title race
In the 246th competitive fixture between Real Madrid and Barcelona on Saturday, it was Los Blancos who came out on top at the final whistle. First-half goals from Karim Benzema and Toni Kroos were enough to claim three points at the Estadio Alfredo di Stefano despite a second-half consolation for the visitors by Óscar Mingueza. With little over a month left of the season, we look at just how their 2-1 victory has impacted the La Liga title race. Which teams are battling it out? There are three teams left fighting for the title at this stage – Real Madrid, Barcelona and Atlético Madrid. Since Valencia in 2003/2004, these three are the only teams to have won a La Liga title. Atlético have done so on one occasion in that time frame, pipping Barcelona on the final day of the 2013/14 campa...
Real Madrid complete El Clasico double to go top of La Liga
Real Madrid defeated Barcelona for the second time this season to climb to the top of the La Liga table. It was a lively start to the game, with the visitors having the first sight of goal. Lionel Messi slipped a ball through to Jordi Alba, who tried to find Ousmane Dembele with a low cross but was denied by the left hand of Thibaut Courtois. But it was not long before Los Blancos launched their first attack, and with that came the opening goal. Lucas Vazquez was fed the ball after some brilliant work from Federico Valverde, and the Spaniard’s low cross was expertly flicked in at the near post by Karim Benzema. Not long later, Zinedine Zidane’s men doubled their lead through a slice of luck. Toni Kroos’ free kick took a huge deflection off Sergino Dest, and Alba was unable to head the ball...
Neymar in contact with Barcelona over possible return
Brazilian superstar Neymar is reportedly in contact with newly elected Barcelona president Joan Laporta over a potential return to the club, reports El Chiringuito (via the Express). Neymar left Barcelona in the summer transfer window of 2017 for a world record £198 million fee, joining Paris Saint-Germain. He has since enjoyed a lot of success in France, scoring 83 goals in 105 appearances while winning seven domestic trophies, as well as reaching a Champions League final. Neymar has continued to shine at PSG However, Les Parisiens will be concerned over his future, with his contract set to expire in 2022. They have been in talks with the forward over a new deal, but nothing has been agreed yet. And now Spanish outlet El Chiringuito reports that Barcelona president Joan Laporta has got in...
Manchester United boss rules out suggestions of move for Kun Aguero
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has ruled out suggestions that Sergio Aguero could cross the Manchester divide by joining Man Utd. The Manchester City legend has confirmed that he will be leaving the club at the end of the season after a decade of success at the Etihad, winning four league titles, five league cups and an FA Cup, as well as establishing himself as the club’s record goalscorer. He does of course still have the chance to add four more winners medals to his collection before the end of the season as City chase an unprecedented quadruple of honours this campaign. However, with Aguero set to finish his career away from the Etihad, attentions have understandably turned to where he will be moving to, with a whole host of top European sides looking to bolster their attacking lineups. Barcelon...
€180m striker could be Barcelona’s priority signing, if Lionel Messi leaves
Barcelona will prioritise a summer move for Borussia Dortmund striker Erling Braut Haaland if Lionel Messi leaves at the expiry of his contract, AS reports. Haaland is regarded as one of the world’s best strikers and he has been in sensational form for Dortmund this term with 33 goals and eight assists from just 31 outings. His progress has caught the eye of numerous elite clubs ahead of the summer, but Dortmund are likely to demand as much as €180m to sanction his sale. The Blaugrana are one of the clubs interested, but it is reported that the striker will be a transfer priority, only if Messi heads through the exit door. Messi’s contract expires at the end of June and the club’s hierarchy have yet to convince him to extend his two-decade long stay with a fresh renewal. There is stil...
Barcelona legend comments on Lionel Messi situation
Former Bulgarian striker Hristo Stoichkov has given his opinion on Lionel Messi’s situation at Barcelona. Last summer, Messi shook the world of football by announcing his desire to leave Barcelona – the club he had been at since his youth team days. However, after a long-running feud with former president Josep Maria Bartomeu, the Argentine stayed at Camp Nou. Since then, a lot has changed at the club. Bartomeu resigned and was replaced by Joan Laporta, who has vowed to make keeping Messi his number one priority. However, it is unclear whether this will change his stance. Messi’s future at Barcelona is still unclear The six-time Ballon d’Or winner is out of contract in the summer and is supposedly being eyed up by Paris Saint-Germain and Manchester City. Barcelona legend Hristo Stoichkov h...
Lionel Messi shines on landmark occasion as Barcelona cruise to victory over Huesca
Barcelona comfortably saw off bottom of the table Huesca to crank up the pressure on Atletico Madrid in a tense title race. It was a perfect start for Lionel Messi, who was making his record-equalling 767th Barcelona appearance. The Argentine marked the occasion with a beautiful opener, touching the ball past the defender before curling a strike in off the crossbar. Both sides threatened to find the next goal. Pablo Maffeo saw his low strike saved by Marc-Andre ter Stegen following a mazy solo run, while Jordi Alba struck the crossbar from Messi’s through ball. But it wasn’t long before the hosts doubled their lead in equally brilliant fashion. This time it was Antoine Griezmann, who hammered a 25-yard shot into the top corner. It was the Frenchman’s first goal in ten games in all competit...
PSG “immensely optimistic” of Lionel Messi signing
Paris Saint-Germain are growing increasingly confident of signing Barcelona superstar Lionel Messi, according to Brazilian journalist Marcelo Bechler. The Argentine was at the heart of the biggest transfer saga of last summer following his shock transfer request away from the Camp Nou. However, after a long-running feud with former president Josep Maria Bartomeu, Messi stayed at the Catalan giants. Messi remained at Barcelona after last summer’s saga The election of Joan Laporta as Barcelona’s new president gave hope to the idea that the 33-year-old would stay beyond his current contract, which expires in the summer. The Spaniard promised to make keeping Messi one of his main priorities. However, it seems as if Laporta’s election may not be sufficient to keep the six-time Ballon d’Or winne...
Messi misses penalty as PSG eliminate Barcelona from Champions League…again
Paris Saint-Germain reached the quarter-finals of the Champions League after seeing out an entertaining 1-1 draw at home to Barcelona, winning 5-2 on aggregate. It was a positive start from Ronald Koeman’s men. Ousmane Dembele had two good chances to open the scoring but converted neither, while Keylor Navas turned Sergino Dest’s effort onto the crossbar. On the half hour mark, PSG got the chance to take the lead on the night when VAR awarded a penalty for Clement Lenglet’s trip on Mauro Icardi. Kylian Mbappe stepped up and bagged his fourth of the tie. Dembele wasted another chance to get on the scoresheet after being played through by Antoine Griezmann, placing his strike straight at Navas. But it wasn’t long before Lionel Messi had his say. The six-time Ballon d’Or winner picked up the ...
Key issues to address for Barcelona’s Joan Laporta: Lionel Messi, wage bill, new signings
Joan Laporta was officially elected as the 42nd president of Barcelona yesterday after receiving 54.28 percent of the votes in his favour. The 58-year-old has taken over the position for the second time, having previously held the role between June 2003 and June 2010. One of the election highlights was Lionel Messi, who was pictured casting his vote alongside Sergio Busquets, Sergi Roberto and Jordi Alba. Laporta was full of praise for the Argentine after he took over as the new president, and his main focus will now lie on convincing the captain to stay put. Messi’s current deal with the club expires in June this year, and it is reported that Laporta will make it a priority to convince the 33-year-old to sign a fresh deal. However, this may not be the only objective for Laporta in the sho...
Alba and Moriba strike as Barcelona claim another three points in title race
Barcelona moved within two points of La Liga leaders Atletico Madrid following a 2-0 away victory over Osasuna on Saturday. The goalkeepers stole the spotlight in the early stages. Marc-Andre ter Stegen produced a fine stop to deny former West Ham United forward Jonathan Calleri from opening the scoring, before Sergio Herrera was shown a red card for handling the ball outside the box with Lionel Messi through on goal. However, the linesman’s flag went up, and replays confirmed that Messi was offside in the build-up. The visitors took the lead on the half-hour mark, with left-back Jordi Alba breaking the deadlock. Messi played a brilliant pass over the top for the Spaniard, who slammed into the roof of the net from a tight angle. Shortly afterwards, La Blaugrana were thankful to Ter Stegen ...
Zlatan Ibrahimovic: Brazil legend Ronaldo ‘the best player in history’
Milan star Zlatan Ibrahimovic has named Brazil legend Ronaldo as ‘the best player in history’. Ibrahimovic expressed his admiration towards the World Cup winner ahead of Milan’s Europa League clash with Red Star Belgrade on Thursday night, while putting him ahead of modern-day greats such as Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo in the all-time list of top players. The 39-year-old thinks Ronaldo Nazario, who inspired Brazil to World Cup glory in 2002, transcended the game with his unique talents and still stands out as the unrivalled master of the footballing craft to this day. Zlatan told Discovery Plus: “I don’t need to describe Ronaldo, ‘The Phenomenon’. “I always say you have the players that play the game, and the players that are the game. For me, Ronaldo is the game. When you watch him...
