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Tag: Lionel Messi

  • Messi and Pochettino can form special bond, Ardiles says

    Messi and Pochettino can form special bond, Ardiles says

     Former midfielder Ossie Ardiles believes Lionel Messi will form a stronger bond with Mauricio Pochettino than he has with any other manager after the Argentina captain’s move to Paris.

    Messi has signed a two-year deal with Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) after Barca were unable to keep the superstar forward for financial reasons.

    Former Argentina midfielder Ardiles expects the six-time Ballon d’Or to revel in playing under his compatriot Pochettino.

    Ardiles also feels the presence of fellow Argentinians Angel Di Maria, Mauro Icardi and Leandro Paredes can only be a positive for Messi.

    “Messi is not just Argentinian, but a global player. Of course he is able to play with anyone and he is also able to play at any style of game. This is how enormous his game is,” Ardiles said.

    “But it helps to have that many Argentinians. Mauricio, for instance, is from the same city [as Messi], Rosario. Obviously, they speak the same language.

    “It will be very important for Lionel Messi to have Mauricio there. Messi got along well with almost every manager, but I think it will be even better with Mauricio.

    “Being with Di Maria, Paredes and Icardi will help, but I also think these players don’t play the full Argentinian style. They are very global. Icardi has been in Italy and now at PSG.

    “The same (goes) for Paredes or Di Maria, being also in English football. From that point of view, there won’t be any issue, for sure.”

    Messi scored 672 times in 778 appearances for the Blaugrana, winning the UEFA Champions League four times and claiming 10 LaLiga titles.

    The 34-year-old was reduced to tears during an emotional farewell news conference and Ardiles fears for Barca following the departure of the inspirational skipper —- especially considering the desperate state of the club’s finances.

    Ardiles added: “Barca stay very, very hurt. Actually, the situation is absolutely critical. To lose the best player in the world is tough.

    “He has spent 20 years in the club, he is the symbol, the captain ……. he is everything. I really think there are coming very tough times for FC Barcelona.”

  • Messi Agrees Two-Year Deal With PSG

    Messi Agrees Two-Year Deal With PSG

    Lionel Messi has agreed to join Paris Saint-Germain on a two-year contract, according to reports.

    The French club reportedly offered Messi an initial two-year deal, thought to be worth £25m a year after tax.

    He is expected to fly to France to seal the deal, which includes an option to extend it by a year.

    Messi, his lawyers and his father, Jorge, have been in talks with PSG since Thursday.

    The move will enable Messi to link up with Neymar, his former teammate at Barcelona.

    Messi, who had spent his entire career at Barcelona, broke down in tears at a press conference where he formally announced his exit.

    The six-time Ballon d’Or winner had said he was not prepared to leave the club where he had spent 21 years.

    He was looking forward to signing a new five-year deal when the club announced that things had changed owing to “financial and structural obstacles”.

    At the press conference, Messi said until the turn of things, he was optimistic that he would remain at Camp Nou.

    “This is really difficult for me after so many years, having been here for all my life. I am not ready for this.

    “These recent days I’ve been thinking, giving a lot of thought to what I can say. And the truth is that I can’t think of anything. This is really difficult for me after so many years.

    “I’ve been here my entire life. I’m not ready for this. And last year with all the nonsense, I was convinced of what I wanted to say, but this year it is not the same.

    “This year my family and I were convinced we were going to stay here. That is what we all wanted more than anything. We were at home, and we thought we’d be staying here in Barcelona, the time we’ve hard here and with the city and football has been amazing. But today, I have to say goodbye to all of this,” he said.

  • Lionel Messi To Arrive Paris On Monday For PSG – Report

    Lionel Messi To Arrive Paris On Monday For PSG – Report

    Lionel Messi is expected to arrive in Paris on Monday, lured by the limitless funds of PSG, having said a tearful farewell to Barcelona after 21 years.

    The 34-year-old, seen by the French giants’ Qatari owners as the vital missing piece of their frustrating Champions League puzzle, has already had fans playing a guessing game.

    On Sunday night, dozens of PSG diehards gathered at the gates of Le Bourget airport to the north of the capital in the hope of catching a glimpse of their newest ‘galactico’.

    However, their wait was in vain.

    Stressing no deals had been done, Messi did concede at his tearful farewell news conference in Barcelona earlier Sunday that joining PSG was a “possibility”.

    In reality, they are the only club who can afford what is expected to be a deal worth 35 million euros a year for the 34-year-old Argentine.

    “I gave everything for Barcelona from the first day that I arrived right to the last. I never imagined having to say goodbye,” Messi told the news conference.

    “I have still not come to terms with the reality of leaving this club now — I love this club,” added a suited Messi, who several times wiped away tears before a squadron of reporters at the club’s Camp Nou ground who gave him a standing ovation.

    Messi, widely considered the most gifted player in the history of the game, won 35 trophies at Barcelona who he joined as a 13-year-old — including four Champions Leagues and 10 league titles while his 672 goals are a record for any of the top five European leagues.

  • Lionel Messi Named Best Playmaker Of The Last Decade

    Lionel Messi Named Best Playmaker Of The Last Decade

    According to The International Federation of Football History & Statistics (IFFHS), Leo Messi is the best playmaker of the last decade.

  • Messi Reveals Reason for bad performance at start of La Liga Season

    Messi Reveals Reason for bad performance at start of La Liga Season

    Football superstar, Lionel Messi, has revealed he was not happy during the summer, saying the drama surrounding his attempted exit from Barcelona this summer affected his form at the start of the season.


    The 33-year-old Argentina forward told Barcelona he wanted to leave after nearly two decades at the club, sending a document, via burofax [a form of recorded delivery provided by Spain’s postal service], expressing his desire to activate a release clause that would end his contract.


    After days of back-and-forth over the issue, Messi agreed to stay, with Barcelona and La Liga insisting the forward’s €700m release clause had to be paid in full to trigger a move.


    “What happened before the summer, what with how the season ended, the burofax and all the rest of it. I ended up carrying that over a bit into the start of this season.”

    Barcelona were rocked by further off-field issues when Josep Maria Bartomeu resigned as club president in October, following heavy criticism of his handling of Messi’s attempt to leave.

    Messi has now revealed he felt tired of being blamed for problems at Barcelona and is feeling positive again now, having recently equalled Pele’s record of 643 goals for a single club after scoring in Barcelona’s 2-2 draw with Valencia on Saturday, December 19.


    “I’m feeling good at the moment,” Messi said. “I’m raring to really fight for everything that lies ahead.


    “I’m excited. I know that the club is having a tough time of things, both on and off the field, and everything related to Barcelona is a bit tricky right now, but I’m feeling hungry.”

  • Lionel Messi ‘tired of always being the problem’ at Barcelona

    Lionel Messi ‘tired of always being the problem’ at Barcelona

    Lionel Messi says he is tired of being blamed for problems at Barcelona after he was accused by Antoine Griezmann’s former agent of making life difficult for the French striker at the La Liga club.

    Eric Olhats had accused Messi of having too much control at the club, saying his “reign of terror” had made life difficult for Griezmann to adapt since his arrival last year.

    Messi returned to Barcelona from international duty with Argentina on Wednesday where he was met by reporters at the airport.

    “The truth is that I’m a little tired of always being the problem for everything at the club,” Messi was quoted as saying by Spanish media.

    “On top of that, after a 15-hour flight, I had the tax authorities waiting for me. It’s madness.”

    With one year left on his contract, Messi tried to activate a disputed clause to leave Barcelona for free in the off-season, but eventually decided to stay as he did not want to face a legal battle with the club.

    Barcelona have been in turmoil since Bayern Munich humiliated the Spanish side 8-2 in the Champions League quarter-finals last season. Club president Josep Maria Bartomeu resigned last month ahead of a vote of no confidence.

    Messi has also had his run-ins with the Spanish tax authorities in recent years.

    He was handed a 21-month prison sentence in 2016 and ordered to pay a fine of 2m euros (£1.8m) for defrauding the Spanish government of 4.2m euros over income earned from image rights.

    However, the 33-year-old did not serve any jail time after exchanging his sentence for a 250,000 euros fine, as in Spain defendants without a previous conviction are permitted to serve any sentence of under two years on probation

  • Former Barcelona boss shot himself in the foot, says Bojan

    Former Barcelona boss shot himself in the foot, says Bojan

    Quique Setien should not have dragged Lionel Messi’s name into his list of excuses for failing at Barcelona, says Bojan Krkic, with an ousted coach considered to have shot himself in the foot.

    A man relieved of his duties at Camp Nou on the back of a disappointing end to the 2019-20 campaign – which culminated in a humiliating 8-2 Champions League defeat to Bayern Munich – has broken his silence on a forgettable spell in Catalunya.

    Setien has accused Barca talisman Messi of being “difficult to manage”, with the six-time Ballon d’Or winner considered to hold too much power at the Liga outfit.

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    Bojan, though, believes that the 62-year-old is merely looking to cover up his own deficiencies, with anyone taking the reins at one of the biggest clubs in world football fully aware of the pressure and challenges they will face.

    The former Blaugrana star, who graduated out of the famed La Masia academy system alongside Messi, told Sport: “Being part of Barca comes with a lot of hard work but it’s also a privilege.

    “Quique Setien landed the top job and, despite everything, is now part of the club’s history. No one can take that away from him, regardless of the fact Barca could clearly have done better with him in charge. 

    “Not everything that went wrong would have been to do with him but when things don’t go as you hoped, what you shouldn’t do is look for excuses elsewhere – especially in a public forum.

    “For that reason, Setien’s recent comments seemed unfortunate to me. To resort to excuses and to focus on the best player, I think is to shoot yourself in your foot if you want to coach a club of a certain size again in the future, where there are always strong characters in the dressing room. 

    “Because what was Setien’s real problem? That Lionel Messi is difficult or that he and his staff were not capable of managing the level of demand that comes with these types of players? I think that’s the key question”.

    “Setien was wrong to look for excuses outside and not look at himself, but what really concerns me is that this is a problem that’s found too frequently at Barca. 

    “That’s why I like Ronald Koeman’s attitude so much. Beyond what’s happening, he’s showing that he’s a coach with charisma and character. He’s making decisions with the club in mind (which may later prove incorrect) but at least he’s making it obvious that he’s not looking for excuses despite the difficulty of the situation.

    “He could use many things as justification for results, but what he’s done is make big choices without shaking. You feel something’s being built and that is something right now. 

    “No one is looking for guilt at the moment and that invites me to think that a positive evolution is afoot. That motivates me. Time will tell.”

    Barcelona have been inconsistent at times through the early months of their 2020-21 campaign, but entered the November international break on the back of a 5-2 win over Real Betis that has them up to eighth in La Liga with games in hand and with positive progress made in the Champions League.

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  • Lionel Messi addresses his recent outburst at Barcelona’s board as he commits himself to the club

    Lionel Messi addresses his recent outburst at Barcelona’s board as he commits himself to the club

    Lionel Messi has addressed his recent outbursts at Barcelona’s board by reassuring fans that he is fully committed to the team after he tried to make a move out of the club. 

    Recall that the Argentine playmaker attempted to make a move to Manchester City but after a huge debate surrounding the release clause in his contract, he decided to stay. 


    During a brutally honest tell-all interview, Messi took several shots at the Barcelona’s board and later blasted the club for selling his friend and striker partner, Luis Suarez to Athletico Madrid.  


    Speaking in a new with Diario SPORT, the six-time Ballon d’Or winner said he acted in the best interests of the club and has now committed himself to the team. 


    “After so many disagreements, I would like to put an end to it. All Barça fans must unite and know that the best is yet to come,” the Argentine told Diario SPORT.


    “We must leave aside our differences. In particular I take responsibility for my mistakes, which, if they exist, were made as I attempted to make a stronger and better Barcelona,” Messi said.

    “The only way for us to achieve our goals is by bringing passion and excitement, always united and rowing in the same direction.

    “Today, my commitment to this shirt and to this shield is total, it remains intact,” the captain said.

  • Messi blasts Barcelona for ‘throwing’ Suárez out of the club

    Messi blasts Barcelona for ‘throwing’ Suárez out of the club

    Lionel Messi has launched a fresh attack on Barcelona’s hierarchy for the way the club treated his close friend Luis Suárez after the striker left for rival club, Atlético Madrid. 

    The Argentine playmaker, who threatened to leave Barça last month and recently hit out at the club’s president Josep Maria Bartomeu’s leadership, said Suárez was harshly treated and ‘thrown out’ of the club.

    In an emotional goodbye post dedicated to Suarez, the club’s third-highest scorer of all time, Messi wrote: “I had already begun to imagine it but today I went into the dressing room and it truly dawned on me. It’s going to be so difficult to not continue to share every day with you both on the pitches and away from them.

    “We’re going to miss you so much. We spent many years together, many mates, many lunches and many dinners. So many things we will never forget, all the time we spent together.

    “It will be strange to see you in another shirt and much more to come up against you on the pitch. You deserved a farewell that fit with who you are: one of the most important players in the history of the club. Someone who achieved great things for the team and on an individual level.

    “You did not deserve for them to throw you out like they did. But the truth is that at this stage nothing surprises me anymore.”

    On Thursday, an emotional Suarez said his goodbye to Barcelona and paid tribute to Messi after sealing a switch to Atletico Madrid. The Uruguay international had previously made it clear that he wanted to stay and see out his contract but was told by Barca’s new coach Ronald Koeman that his playing days were over at the club. 

    Suarez helped the club win four LaLiga titles, four Copa del Rey crowns, and the Champions League in 2015. He scored 195 goals and provided 113 assists in 283 outings for the club before his exit. 

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  • Lionel Messi returns to training with Barcelona

    Lionel Messi returns to training with Barcelona for the first time since asking to leave the club (Photos)

    Lionel Messi has returned to training with Barcelona for the first time since asking to leave the club following his fallout with the board over his future.

    The 33-year-old Argentine superstar was pictured on Monday afternoon, September 7, arriving at the Joan Gamper Ciutat Esportiva after agreeing to stay with the club.

    Lionel Messi returns to training with Barcelona for the first time since asking to leave the club (Photos)

    Messi had wanted to activate a clause that would allow him opt out of his contract, but the club insisted the time had passed for the clause to be activated and that the player would need to pay the €700m release clause in his contract if another club wanted to sign him this summer.

    Lionel Messi returns to training with Barcelona for the first time since asking to leave the club (Photos)

    Following a meeting between his father and the club, the playmaker reversed his decision and committed his future to Barcelona, saying he could never go to court against the Spanish giants to secure a move