Tag: Lionel Messi

Barcelona all-time great Lionel Messi returning to the Catalan giants is “unrealistic”, the club’s president Joan Laporta said Wednesday.

The 38-year-old Argentine superstar made a surprise appearance at Barca’s Camp Nou stadium on Sunday night and said he hoped “one day I can return, and not just to say goodbye as a player, as I never got to do”.

Eight-time Ballon d’Or winner Messi, Barca’s record goalscorer and appearance maker, left for Paris Saint-Germain in 2021 after two decades there because their precarious financial position meant they could not afford to keep him.

“Out of the utmost respect for Messi, the professionals at the club, Barca, and the Barca club members, I believe that now, for me to make speculation that is unrealistic, nor do I think it is fair, well, I believe that is not appropriate,” Laporta told Catalunya Radio.

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The president, who was in charge at the time of Messi’s departure, said he did not regret what happened because “Barca is above everything”.

Laporta confirmed he would love to hold a match in homage to Messi’s career at the rebuilt Camp Nou, once it is fully open.

“Things didn’t end the way we would have liked… if, in some way, this tribute can make up for what wasn’t done, I think it would be a good thing,” explained Laporta.

“It would be right that he has the best tribute (match) in the world, and it would be wonderful to have it here, in front of 105,000 fans,” he continued.

The president said Inter Miami forward Messi’s surprise visit to the stadium on Sunday was a “spontaneous” display of his love of the club.

Messi is currently in Spain with the Argentina national team, where they are training before a friendly against Angola.

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Argentina and Barcelona legend Lionel Messi has expressed his longing to return to the iconic Camp Nou, revealing his emotional connection to the club and his wish to one day bid a proper farewell to the fans who shaped his legendary career.

The 38-year-old Argentine icon visited the newly renovated Camp Nou this week, marking his first appearance at the stadium since leaving Barcelona in 2021.

In an emotional Instagram post, Messi described the visit as a deeply nostalgic experience.

“Last night I returned to a place I deeply miss. A place where I was immensely happy, where you made me feel a thousand times like the happiest person in the world,” the eight-time Ballon d’Or winner Messi said.

Messi left Barcelona after two decades when the club’s financial troubles made his contract renewal impossible.

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He later joined Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) before moving to Inter Miami in 2023, where he continues to make an impact, most recently scoring twice to help his side advance in the MLS Cup play-offs.

During his glittering 17-year spell at Barcelona, Messi rose from a teenage prodigy to the club’s greatest-ever player, netting 672 goals in 778 appearances.

His time at the Catalan club brought an era of unprecedented success, including 10 LaLiga titles, four UEFA Champions League crowns, and three FIFA Club World Cups.

Barcelona reopened the Camp Nou on Friday after 895 days of renovation, celebrating the occasion with an open training session attended by nearly 22,000 fans.

“I hope one day I can return, and not just to say goodbye as a player, as I was never able to do,” Messi added in his heartfelt message.

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Lionel Messi scored two goals and assisted on two by Tadeo Allende to spark Inter Miami in a 4-0 rout of Nashville on Saturday to advance in the MLS Cup playoffs.

Argentine icon Messi opened the scoring in the 10th minute, added another goal in the 39th, and set up compatriot Allende’s goals in the 73rd and 76th that sealed Miami’s triumph.

Inter Miami won the best-of-three Eastern Conference first-round series 2-1 to advance to a second-round match against FC Cincinnati, which defeated Columbus 2-1 in another series-deciding encounter.

Eight-time Ballon d’Or winner Messi ensured Miami would avoid a third first-round exit in four seasons after having fallen to Atlanta last year and New York City in 2022.

In the night’s other match, 10-man Minnesota United rallied to eliminate Seattle 7-6 on penalty kicks after playing to a 3-3 draw in a Western Conference thriller, booking a second-round match against Sunday’s winner between Portland and San Diego.

Miami striker Luis Suarez was absent, suspended one game by MLS for violent conduct in last week’s loss at Nashville.

MLS season goal-scoring leader Messi took a deflected ball, ran to the top of the box, and fired a left-footed shot into the lower right corner.

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Messi doubled the margin when he fired home a left-footed shot from just outside the box off a pass from Argentine teen rookie Mateo Silvetti.

Allende’s first goal was from point-blank range off passes from Messi and Jordi Alba. He then took a long pass from Messi and chipped a high ball into the net.

At Cincinnati, Canadian Jacen Russell-Rowe gave Columbus a 1-0 lead in the 61st minute but Brazilian striker Brenner Souza answered in the 67th and 86th to send Cincinnati into a second-round home match against Miami.

At Minnesota, the series was not decided until the 10th round of penalties when Seattle goalkeeper Andrew Thomas, injured making a save in the opening round after being inserted for the shootout, clanged the ball off the crossbar.

Seattle equalized at 3-3 on a goal by Jordan Morris in the 88th minute but when the penalty shootout arrived, the Sounders replaced keeper Stefan Frei for backup Thomas.

Minnesota’s Joaquin Pereyra missed the first penalty kick wide right, and Thomas hurt a hand diving for the ball, but stayed in the match.

Morris hit the crossbar in the second round, and in sudden-death rounds, Thomas made two saves, but Seattle missed both chances to win, Obed Vargas hitting the left post, and Osaze De Rosario’s shot being saved by Minnesota’s Dayne St. Clair.

MLS Goalkeeper of the Year, St. Clair scored in the 10th round, and Thomas missed to give the Loons the victory.

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Indian captain Harmanpreet Kaur imitated Argentine football star Lionel Messi in a heartfelt social media post after her team won the ICC Women’s World Cup 2025.

A day after India defeated South Africa in a thrilling final at the Dr DY Patil Sports Academy, Kaur shared a heartfelt post on Instagram that quickly went viral.

In the picture, the Indian captain can be seen peacefully sleeping beside the World Cup trophy, a gesture reminiscent of Messi’s viral photo after leading Argentina to FIFA World Cup glory in 2022.

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Donning a white T-shirt with the line, “Cricket is a gentleman’s EVERYONE’s game,” with the word ‘gentleman’s’ struck out, Harmanpreet Kaur sent out a message about inclusivity in sport.

“Some dreams are shared by a billion people. That’s why cricket is everyone’s game,” she captioned the post.

 

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With this win, India became only the fourth nation in the 52-year history of the Women’s ODI World Cup to lift the prestigious title.

The first edition took place in 1973, where England defeated Australia to become the inaugural champions.

Since then, Australia have dominated the competition with seven titles, including a hat-trick of wins between 1978 and 1989, while England follow with four championships (1973, 1993, 2009, and 2017).

New Zealand, the 2001 champions, were the only other team to have won the tournament before India’s triumph.

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Saudi Arabia declined an offer to sign Lionel Messi for a short-term stint in the Saudi Pro League before next year’s World Cup, according to a senior sports official.

“During the last Club World Cup, Messi’s team contacted me and offered for him to play in Saudi Arabia because the MLS will stop for nearly four months,” Abdullah Hammad, CEO of the Mahd Sports Academy, said during a podcast with Saudi platform Thmanyah.

“The player wanted to remain in shape and prepare himself for the upcoming 2026 World Cup.”

“This happened with David Beckham when he was with Los Angeles Galaxy and went to AC Milan (in 2010),” he added.

Eight-time Ballon d’Or winner Messi moved to Inter Miami in 2023, following speculation about a potential switch to Saudi Arabia.

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That followed a two-year spell with Paris Saint-Germain, the club he joined in 2021 after ending his long association with Barcelona.

Hammad explained that he relayed the offer to the minister of sports, who rejected it. “The minister made it clear that the Saudi league would not serve as a preparation platform for other tournaments,” he said.

In response to a question about whether Saudi Arabia had rejected Messi, he replied: “That’s true.”

Since the arrival of Cristiano Ronaldo at Al-Nassr after the last World Cup, the Saudi league has attracted numerous stars from major European clubs, including Neymar and Karim Benzema, while the kingdom has been awarded the hosting rights for the 2034 World Cup.

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Lionel Messi has expressed his desire to play for Argentina in the 2026 FIFA World Cup, but he says he will listen to his body before deciding whether he can make that dream a reality.

The 38-year-old striker for Inter Miami of MLS led Argentina to the 2022 World Cup title and yearns to be on the field when the “Albiceleste” defend the crown next year in North America.

Eight-time Ballon d’Or winner Messi told NBC News in an interview broadcast on Monday that he will see next year how his body feels before deciding on whether or not he can play in the World Cup co-hosted by the United States, Mexico and Canada.

“It’s something extraordinary to be able to be in a World Cup and I would love to,” said Messi, who turns 39 next June.

“I would like to be there, to be well and be an important part of helping my national team, if I am there.

“And I’m going to assess that on a day-to-day basis when I start preseason next year with Inter and see if I can really be 100%, if I can be useful to the group, to the national team, and then make a decision.”

Messi, who has been playing professionally since 2004, wants the chance for one more star turn on football’s biggest stage.

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“I’m really eager because it’s a World Cup. We’re coming off winning the last World Cup, and being able to defend it on the field again is spectacular because it’s always a dream to play with the national team, especially in official competitions.”

Messi, who debuted with Barcelona in La Liga at age 17, joined Paris Saint-Germain in 2021 and moved to MLS in 2023.

“The truth is that I like everything about living here,” Messi said of Miami.

“I spent a lot of time in Barcelona, which for me is an extraordinary city, where I grew up and had many spectacular moments, and which we miss a lot.

“But Miami is a city that allows us to live very well, that makes us enjoy life, that allows us to be calm, that allows the kids to be themselves and live day to day.”

Messi has 195 appearances for the Argentine national team, scoring 114 goals.

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Argentine superstar Lionel Messi scored twice to lift Inter Miami to a 3-1 victory over Nashville SC on Friday in the opening game of their Major League Soccer (MLS) Cup round one playoff series.

Tadeo Allende also scored for Inter, who took a 1-0 lead in the best-of-three series, with game two in Nashville on November 1.

Eight-time Ballon d’Or winner Messi was presented with the Golden Boot award before the game after topping the regular-season scoring chart with 29 goals in 28 games.

He wasted no time in demonstrating how he earned it, putting Miami up 1-0 with a diving header off a pass from Luis Suarez in the 19th minute.

Sergio Busquets had gained control of the ball near the sideline and passed to Rodrigo De Paul.

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De Paul found a charging Messi, who handed off to Suarez on the right and pressed forward to connect when Suarez fed it back.

Allende’s header from a pass by Ian Fray put Miami up 2-0 in the 62nd minute.

Messi made sure of the win nine minutes into second-half injury time when Nashville keeper Joe Willis leapt forward to stop a ball from Jordi Alba, the left wing, but failed to corral it, leaving Messi to slot home.

That meant Hany Mukhtar’s strike in the 11th and final minute of stoppage time was nothing but window dressing.

The victory comes a day after Messi inked a three-year contract extension that will keep the 38-year-old in Florida through 2028.

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Lionel Messi has agreed a contract extension with Inter Miami, which will see the Argentine superstar remain in Major League Soccer until the end of the 2028 season, the club confirmed on Thursday.

Inter Miami’s X feed posted a video of Messi signing a contract sitting at a table in the middle of the club’s new Freedom Park stadium, which is under construction, with the simple caption: “He’s Home.”

“It makes me really happy to stay here and to continue with this project that, besides being a dream, has become a beautiful reality — playing in this stadium, at Miami Freedom Park,” Messi, 38, said in a club statement.

“Since I arrived in Miami, I’ve been very happy, so I’m truly glad to keep going here,” Messi added.

Inter Miami co-owner David Beckham said Messi’s decision to extend reflected his “commitment to the city, to the club, to the game”.

“He’s still as committed as he’s ever been and he still wants to win,” Beckham said. “As owners to have a player that loves the game as much as he does, and who has done as much for the game in this country and to inspire the next generation of young talent as he has, we feel very lucky.”

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The World Cup-winner’s current contract expires at the end of the 2025 MLS season.

A new deal had been viewed as a formality after club sources told AFP last month that the franchise had reached an agreement on an extension.

Messi’s contract ensures he will remain in competitive action until and long after the 2026 World Cup hosted by the United States, Canada and Mexico.

The tournament gets under way on June 11, with the final to be played at the MetLife Stadium in New Jersey on July 19.

Messi moved to Inter Miami in 2023 after an unhappy spell at Paris Saint-Germain, but the bulk of his stellar career was spent at Barcelona, where he played from 2004 to 2021 after coming through the youth system at the Spanish giants.

At Barcelona, he won the La Liga title 10 times and lifted the UEFA Champions League trophy on four occasions.

In 2022, he led Argentina to World Cup glory in Qatar and has expressed a desire to try to retain the trophy next year.

He has scored 114 international goals and also won the Copa America twice with Argentina, in 2021 and 2024.

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A rampant Lionel Messi scored a sensational hat-trick to seal Major League Soccer’s Golden Boot award on Saturday as Inter Miami roared into the playoffs with a 5-2 victory over Nashville SC.

The Argentine superstar tallied an astonishing 29 goals from 28 matches, with Los Angeles FC’s Denis Bouanga and Nashville’s Sam Surridge tied for second best with 24 goals.

Messi claimed his first MLS Golden Boot and also staked his claim to a second straight Most Valuable Player award with a bravura performance that saw Inter rally to clinch third place in the Eastern Conference.

They’ll face the same Nashville team in the first round of the MLS Cup playoffs starting on October 24.

Nashville had seen some quality chances go begging when Messi put Miami in front in the 34th minute with a cracking goal from outside the penalty area.

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Messi took a pass from Jordi Alba and made one cut before he unleashed a left-footed shot into the bottom left corner.

Nine minutes later, Nashville’s Surridge grabbed his 24th goal of the season when he headed in a pinpoint delivery from Hany Mukhtar at the near post.

Nashville seized a 2-1 lead deep in first-half injury time when Jacob Shaffelburg was there to fire home the rebound off a Mukhtar shot that hit the post.

Messi’s first penalty conversion of the season pulled Inter level in the 63rd.

The referee pointed to the spot after a ball deflected by Luis Suarez hit Mukhtar on the arm.

Messi stepped up and rolled it past Nashville keeper Joe Willis.

After Baltasar Rodriguez made it 3-2 to Miami in the 67th, Messi completed his hat-trick in the 81st with a curling shot through traffic and past Willis.

Miami’s Telasco Segovia completed the scoring against a shell-shocked Nashville in second-half injury time.

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Lionel Messi scored twice to spark Inter Miami to a 4-0 victory over Atlanta United, seizing the lead in Major League Soccer’s scoring table in a key victory for the Florida club.

The Argentine superstar scored his 25th and 26th goals of the season, moving ahead of Los Angeles FC’s Denis Bouanga in the race for the Golden Boot after starting the day tied with the Gabon international on 24 goals.

Miami, already assured of an MLS Cup playoff berth, continued their push for better playoff position.

They pulled level with Cincinnati on 62 points in the Eastern Conference, four points behind leaders Philadelphia, who have clinched the Supporters Shield as the team with the best regular season record in the league.

Messi’s 39th-minute strike to open the scoring was a beauty.

Baltasar Rodriguez robbed an Atlanta defender and found Messi just outside the box. Messi strode forward and curled a left-footed shot around Pedro Amador and out of the reach of Atlanta goalkeeper Jayden Hibbert in the upper left corner of the net.

Hibbert had denied Messi in the 13th minute as the eight-time Ballon d’Or winner came up empty on a string of early attempts.

Messi was instrumental in Jordi Alba’s goal that doubled Miami’s lead in the 52nd minute, lofting a ball forward to the Spaniard, who chipped a left-footed shot over Hibbert into the bottom right corner of the net.

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Alba’s sixth goal of the season came on the day that Inter paid tribute to the former Spain and Barcelona star, who announced this week that he would retire at the end of the MLS season.

Uruguay’s Luis Suarez made it 3-0 in the 61st minute, and Messi added his second in the 87th, knocking in a left-footed shot from the center of the box after Alba found him with a long through ball.

With MLS playing through the FIFA international window, Messi’s status for Inter’s match remained a mystery until shortly before kickoff when manager Javier Mascherano announced his lineup.

Messi and Rodrigo De Paul had trained with Argentina this week in Florida, although Messi was a spectator as Argentina beat Venezuela 1-0 in a friendly at Hard Rock Stadium on Friday.

De Paul came on as a late substitute against Venezuela and was unavailable for Inter, who had six players called up for international duty during the current window, which will also see Argentina play Puerto Rico on Monday in a match moved from Chicago to Inter’s Chase Stadium in Fort Lauderdale.

Saturday’s game was Inter’s last regular-season home game at the venue, as they prepare to move into their new Miami Freedom Park next season.

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