Football: Lionel Messi wins men’s Ballon d’Or for seventh time
PARIS (REUTERS) – Argentina’s Lionel Messi won the Ballon d’Or award for the best player in the world for a record-stretching seventh time on Monday (Nov 29), beating Robert Lewandowski and Jorginho to lift soccer’s most prestigious trophy yet again. The forward added to his 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2015 and 2019 trophies after winning... » read more
Football: Barcelona begin life without Messi with 4-2 win over Real Sociedad
BARCELONA (AFP) – Barcelona started life without Lionel Messi by defeating Real Sociedad 4-2 in their La Liga opener at the Camp Nou on Sunday (Aug 15). Captain Gerard Pique gave them a 19th minute lead with Martin Braithwaite finding the net in first half injury time and in the 59th minute. Sergi Roberto added... » read more
Football: Lionel Messi signs two-year contract with PSG
PARIS (AFP) – Argentina forward Lionel Messi, who left Barcelona after 21 years last week, has signed a two-year contract with Paris Saint-Germain, with the option of an additional year, the French club announced on Tuesday (Aug 10). Messi, 34, will wear the number 30 as revealed in a video by the club, the number he... » read more
Football: Argentines celebrate ‘new stage’ in Messi’s career ahead of PSG move
BUENOS AIRES (AFP) – Argentines reacted with joy and pride as their national idol Lionel Messi arrived in France on Tuesday (Aug 10) ahead of his expected move to Paris Saint-Germain following two decades at Barcelona. The South American country may be 11,000 kilometres from Paris but Argentines were glued to their screens following the... » read more
Football: What next for Messi after Barca departure?
MADRID (REUTERS) – In a bombshell development, Barcelona announced on Thursday (Aug 5) that superstar and six-time Ballon d’Or winner Lionel Messi would leave the club after 18 years. The Catalan side said that financial regulations imposed by La Liga would prevent them from retaining their highest-ever goalscorer, which begs the question: What next for... » read more
Football: Lionel Messi to leave Barcelona as contract talks collapse
MADRID (AFP) – Lionel Messi will end his 20-year career with Barcelona after the Argentine superstar failed to reach agreement on a new deal with the club, the Spanish giants announced on Thursday (Aug 5). “Although an agreement has been reached between FC Barcelona and Leo Messi it cannot be formalised due to economic and... » read more
Super sub Messi nets brace for win
BARCELONA • Barcelona coach Ronald Koeman said Lionel Messi had agreed to start as a substitute against Real Betis on Saturday, after the Argentina forward came off the bench to net twice for a 5-2 La Liga win. The captain had not failed to make the team’s first XI since a defeat by Granada in... » read more