<p lang="EN-US" paraeid="{9852a801-df85-48a6-9336-fba77c7e80ee}{60}" paraid="1294791171" >Barcelona manager Ronald Koeman has slammed Paris Saint-Germain star Angel&nbsp;Di&nbsp;Maria for allegedly trying to unsettle Lionel Messi ahead of the UEFA Champions League&nbsp;round of 16 encounter between the two sides.&nbsp;&nbsp;</p>

<p lang="EN-US" paraeid="{a7ba440d-37e0-49d0-86d4-d9066ba72b5d}{93}" paraid="2127574026" >Messi is out of contract after the end of the ongoing 2020-21 season and is free to sign pre-contract with non-Spanish clubs with Paris Saint-Germain one of the clubs interested in the Argentine forward. When asked about links of Messi to PSG, Di Maria sounded&nbsp;optimistic as the Argentine said that he hopes PSG sign Messi.&nbsp;&nbsp;</p>

<p lang="EN-US" paraeid="{9852a801-df85-48a6-9336-fba77c7e80ee}{69}" paraid="1776522413" >The comments by Di Maria&nbsp;has&nbsp;irked Koeman, who said that the statement "seems to be lack of respect" while terming it as disrespectful towards Barcelona.&nbsp;&nbsp;</p>

<p lang="EN-US" paraeid="{968f57bf-0c44-4ca7-8881-72daa56cc311}{42}" paraid="981046405" >"Yes, yes, I hope so,"&nbsp;Di Maria said when asked whether Messi could join him in Paris.&nbsp;"There are many possibilities. We have to be calm and things will develop."&nbsp;</p>

<p lang="EN-US" paraeid="{2950d834-ee11-4af9-8c5d-c2e8bef3b69a}{137}" paraid="1574599549" >&nbsp;"It seems to me to be a lack of respect,"&nbsp;Koeman said.&nbsp;&nbsp;</p>

<p lang="EN-US" paraeid="{2950d834-ee11-4af9-8c5d-c2e8bef3b69a}{137}" paraid="1574599549" ><strong>ALSO READ:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/sports/brighton-deal-huge-blow-to-liverpools-premier-league-title-hopes-361237" hreflang="en">Brighton deal huge blow to Liverpool's Premier League title hopes</a></strong></p>

<p lang="EN-US" paraeid="{968f57bf-0c44-4ca7-8881-72daa56cc311}{249}" paraid="605042083" >"It’s wrong to say such of thing, especially ahead of the Champions League game.&nbsp;It’s not fair, and I don’t think it’s respectful toward Barcelona to speak like that about a player who’s ours. They talk a lot about Leo, who plays for Barcelona. Besides, we have a tie against them."&nbsp;</p>

<p lang="EN-US" paraeid="{6398b0fc-da07-47ea-9e40-f479a48d1698}{76}" paraid="1620717291" >Messi had asked Barcelona to allow him to leave the club last summer but the Argentine ended up staying with the Spanish giants following a public spat with the club's board.&nbsp;</p>

<p lang="EN-US" paraeid="{79482692-71a8-4c17-ac79-c6f268d11a59}{94}" paraid="2044953905" >Recently, Koeman had said he was not confident about keeping Messi at&nbsp;Nou&nbsp;Camp.&nbsp;</p>

<p lang="EN-US" paraeid="{79482692-71a8-4c17-ac79-c6f268d11a59}{94}" paraid="2044953905" ><strong>ALSO READ:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/sports/its-always-easier-when-harry-kane-is-not-playing-chelsea-boss-thomas-tuchel-on-london-derby-361152" hreflang="en">'It's always easier when Harry Kane is not playing': Chelsea boss Thomas Tuchel on London derby</a></strong></p>

<p lang="EN-US" paraeid="{fd30100f-4952-4479-ad54-132bbb9412dc}{101}" paraid="1597680080" >"I’m not confident about that,"&nbsp;Koeman told The Athletic.&nbsp;&nbsp;</p>

<p lang="EN-US" paraeid="{fd30100f-4952-4479-ad54-132bbb9412dc}{179}" paraid="1686302454" >"I’m hopeful, yes, about this because he’s still a great player and he’s still winning matches for us, for the team. I’m enjoying being his coach, if you look at his qualities every day in the training sessions, it’s incredible. Of course, he came as a young kid to Barcelona. And I still don’t see Leo Messi in another shirt other than the Barca shirt."&nbsp;</p>


Barcelona manager Ronald Koeman has slammed Paris Saint-Germain star Angel Di Maria for allegedly trying to unsettle Lionel Messi ahead of the UEFA Champions League round of 16 encounter between the two sides.

Barcelona manager Ronald Koeman has slammed Paris Saint-Germain star Angel Di Maria for allegedly trying to unsettle Lionel Messi ahead of the UEFA Champions League round of 16 encounter between the two sides. Messi is out of contract after the end of the ongoing 2020-21 season and is free to sign pre-contract with non-Spanish clubs with Paris Saint-Germain one of the clubs interested in the Argentine forward. When asked about links of Messi to PSG, Di Maria sounded optimistic as the Argentine said that he hopes PSG sign Messi. The comments by Di Maria has irked Koeman, who said that the statement "seems to be lack of respect" while terming it as disrespectful towards Barcelona. "Yes, yes, I hope so," Di Maria said when asked whether Messi could join him in Paris. "There are many possibilities. We have to be calm and things will develop." "It seems to me to be a lack of respect," Koeman said. ALSO READ: Brighton deal huge blow to Liverpool's Premier League title hopes "It’s wrong to say such of thing, especially ahead of the Champions League game. It’s not fair, and I don’t think it’s respectful toward Barcelona to speak like that about a player who’s ours. They talk a lot about Leo, who plays for Barcelona. Besides, we have a tie against them." Messi had asked Barcelona to allow him to leave the club last summer but the Argentine ended up staying with the Spanish giants following a public spat with the club's board. Recently, Koeman had said he was not confident about keeping Messi at Nou Camp. ALSO READ: 'It's always easier when Harry Kane is not playing': Chelsea boss Thomas Tuchel on London derby "I’m not confident about that," Koeman told The Athletic. "I’m hopeful, yes, about this because he’s still a great player and he’s still winning matches for us, for the team. I’m enjoying being his coach, if you look at his qualities every day in the training sessions, it’s incredible. Of course, he came as a young kid to Barcelona. And I still don’t see Leo Messi in another shirt other than the Barca shirt."

'It’s not fair...': Ronald Koeman slams PSG's Di Maria for trying to unsettle Lionel Messi

<p>Lionel Messi underlined his worth to Barcelona by scoring a sensational free-kick on Sunday but Atletico Madrid are in charge of La Liga after beating Cadiz to stand 10 points clear at the top of the table.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Messi's stunning effort in a 2-1 win over Athletic Bilbao had been matched by the Argentinian's friend and former team-mate Luis Suarez, who earlier curled in a superb free-kick of his own in Atletico's 4-2 victory over Cadiz.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Atletico end the weekend even further ahead after Real Madrid's defeat by Levante on Saturday, which means Zinedine Zidane's side are now level with Barca on points, both of them struggling to keep pace in the title race.</p>

<p>"Every game is an important step towards reaching the goal we set ourselves at the start of the season," said Diego Simeone. "We have to keep pushing each other."</p>

<p>Barca's win at least maintains their momentum while Messi's 650th club goal may have carried extra satisfaction for the Argentinian, who had the details of his contract published in the Spanish newspaper El Mundo on Saturday night.&nbsp;</p>

<p>El Mundo claimed the deal signed by Messi in 2017 shows he could earn up to 555 million euros over its four years, describing it as "the colossal contract that ruined Barcelona".&nbsp;</p>

<p>"Someone has done it with bad intentions to cause problems," said Ronald Koeman. "You have to respect a player who has given so much to Spanish football and to this club. I didn't have any doubts that it wouldn't affect him on the pitch."</p>

<p>Few can argue with Messi's contribution in that regard, with the 33-year-old showing against Bilbao why the club have gone to such lengths to keep him.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Bilbao briefly drew level through a Jordi Alba own-goal early in the second half but Antoine Griezmann's strike secured Barca their third consecutive victory, with Ousmane Dembele and Frenkie de Jong both impressive again.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Asked what Messi worth is to the team, Griezmann said: "What a question, we are enjoying him, he is a legend. I hope we can keep enjoying him for many more years."</p>

<h2>- Suarez haunts Barca -</h2>

<p>But Barcelona continue to be haunted by the spectre of Suarez, whose tremendous free-kick and then a penalty helped Atletico push their advantage into double figures.&nbsp;</p>

<p>While Messi's free-kick was closer and bent perfectly into the top right-hand corner, Suarez's shot was further out and hit harder, a fizzing effort that curled into the left side of the net.</p>

<p>"The other day they were practising free-kicks," said Simeone. "I told him we had not seen him score many goals from free-kicks so that's why I smiled when I saw him score this one."</p>

<p>"After spending so long at Barca with Messi, it was difficult," added Suarez.</p>

<p>He was the driving force again, his two goals making it nine in his last eight games and 14 now for the season.&nbsp;</p>

<p>His goals and assists have now earned Atletico 12 extra points in the league, with Barcelona's decision to let him leave, especially for title rivals, seeming more misjudged by the week.&nbsp;</p>

<p>It could get even worse for them and Real Madrid, given Simeone's side still have a game in hand over each of them.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Both would have been given hope by a rousing display from newly-promoted Cadiz, who were inspired by the relentless Alvaro Negredo.&nbsp;</p>

<p>The 35-year-old scored twice, could have had a hat-trick and certainly did not deserve to be on the losing side.</p>

<p>But Suarez's double, between goals from Saul Niguez and Koke late on, sealed another three points for Atletico, who now have the La Liga crown within reach, even with half of the season left to play.</p>


Lionel Messi underlined his worth to Barcelona by scoring a sensational free-kick on Sunday but Atletico Madrid are in charge of La Liga after beating Cadiz to stand 10 points clear at the top of the table.

Lionel Messi underlined his worth to Barcelona by scoring a sensational free-kick on Sunday but Atletico Madrid are in charge of La Liga after beating Cadiz to stand 10 points clear at the top of the table. Messi's stunning effort in a 2-1 win over Athletic Bilbao had been matched by the Argentinian's friend and former team-mate Luis Suarez, who earlier curled in a superb free-kick of his own in Atletico's 4-2 victory over Cadiz. Atletico end the weekend even further ahead after Real Madrid's defeat by Levante on Saturday, which means Zinedine Zidane's side are now level with Barca on points, both of them struggling to keep pace in the title race. "Every game is an important step towards reaching the goal we set ourselves at the start of the season," said Diego Simeone. "We have to keep pushing each other." Barca's win at least maintains their momentum while Messi's 650th club goal may have carried extra satisfaction for the Argentinian, who had the details of his contract published in the Spanish newspaper El Mundo on Saturday night. El Mundo claimed the deal signed by Messi in 2017 shows he could earn up to 555 million euros over its four years, describing it as "the colossal contract that ruined Barcelona". "Someone has done it with bad intentions to cause problems," said Ronald Koeman. "You have to respect a player who has given so much to Spanish football and to this club. I didn't have any doubts that it wouldn't affect him on the pitch." Few can argue with Messi's contribution in that regard, with the 33-year-old showing against Bilbao why the club have gone to such lengths to keep him. Bilbao briefly drew level through a Jordi Alba own-goal early in the second half but Antoine Griezmann's strike secured Barca their third consecutive victory, with Ousmane Dembele and Frenkie de Jong both impressive again. Asked what Messi worth is to the team, Griezmann said: "What a question, we are enjoying him, he is a legend. I hope we can keep enjoying him for many more years." - Suarez haunts Barca - But Barcelona continue to be haunted by the spectre of Suarez, whose tremendous free-kick and then a penalty helped Atletico push their advantage into double figures. While Messi's free-kick was closer and bent perfectly into the top right-hand corner, Suarez's shot was further out and hit harder, a fizzing effort that curled into the left side of the net. "The other day they were practising free-kicks," said Simeone. "I told him we had not seen him score many goals from free-kicks so that's why I smiled when I saw him score this one." "After spending so long at Barca with Messi, it was difficult," added Suarez. He was the driving force again, his two goals making it nine in his last eight games and 14 now for the season. His goals and assists have now earned Atletico 12 extra points in the league, with Barcelona's decision to let him leave, especially for title rivals, seeming more misjudged by the week. It could get even worse for them and Real Madrid, given Simeone's side still have a game in hand over each of them. Both would have been given hope by a rousing display from newly-promoted Cadiz, who were inspired by the relentless Alvaro Negredo. The 35-year-old scored twice, could have had a hat-trick and certainly did not deserve to be on the losing side. But Suarez's double, between goals from Saul Niguez and Koke late on, sealed another three points for Atletico, who now have the La Liga crown within reach, even with half of the season left to play.

Messi shows his worth but Suarez double stretches Atletico lead

<p>Two of the candidates in Barcelona's presidential election, Joan Laporta and Victor Font, insisted on Monday that Lionel Messi "generates more" than he earns, after his "colossal" club contract was published in a Spanish newspaper.&nbsp;</p>

<p>"Leo generates much more income than the money he costs," Joan Laporta, who is seeking to regain the presidency, told Rac1 radio.&nbsp;</p>

<p>"We have done a study and he generates a third of Barca's total income."</p>

<p>"It's not only the economic return," Laporta said. "But also the emotional and sporting return, and the vivid moments he gives us."&nbsp;</p>

<p>Messi is in the last year of his contract.&nbsp;</p>

<p>On Sunday, under the headline "the colossal contract that ruins Barcelona", El Mundo published details of the current deal, signed in 2017. It said Messi could have earned 555 million euros ($674 million) by the time the deal expires.</p>

<p>Barcelona responded by saying it was not the source of the leak and it planned to sue El Mundo. The club did not, however, contradict the details.</p>

<p>Laporta is one of three candidates for the election on March 7. One of his rivals, Font, spoke on Onda Cero radio.</p>

<p>"To imply that Barca is ruined because of Messi is an absolutely erroneous conclusion," he said.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Both candidates condemned the "leak" to the Madrid newspaper and both promised they would do everything to keep Messi at Barca.&nbsp;</p>

<p>"We have to do everything possible to keep Messi, in 2017 and today too," said Font.</p>

<p>Laporta, the president when Messi first broke into the Barcelona team, agreed.</p>

<p>"I will do everything possible to keep Messi at Barca. I have had signals that he is happy in Barcelona, that he wants to stay."</p>


Two of the candidates in Barcelona's presidential election, Joan Laporta and Victor Font, insisted on Monday that Lionel Messi "generates more" than he earns, after his "colossal" club contract was published in a Spanish newspaper.

Two of the candidates in Barcelona's presidential election, Joan Laporta and Victor Font, insisted on Monday that Lionel Messi "generates more" than he earns, after his "colossal" club contract was published in a Spanish newspaper. "Leo generates much more income than the money he costs," Joan Laporta, who is seeking to regain the presidency, told Rac1 radio. "We have done a study and he generates a third of Barca's total income." "It's not only the economic return," Laporta said. "But also the emotional and sporting return, and the vivid moments he gives us." Messi is in the last year of his contract. On Sunday, under the headline "the colossal contract that ruins Barcelona", El Mundo published details of the current deal, signed in 2017. It said Messi could have earned 555 million euros ($674 million) by the time the deal expires. Barcelona responded by saying it was not the source of the leak and it planned to sue El Mundo. The club did not, however, contradict the details. Laporta is one of three candidates for the election on March 7. One of his rivals, Font, spoke on Onda Cero radio. "To imply that Barca is ruined because of Messi is an absolutely erroneous conclusion," he said. Both candidates condemned the "leak" to the Madrid newspaper and both promised they would do everything to keep Messi at Barca. "We have to do everything possible to keep Messi, in 2017 and today too," said Font. Laporta, the president when Messi first broke into the Barcelona team, agreed. "I will do everything possible to keep Messi at Barca. I have had signals that he is happy in Barcelona, that he wants to stay."

Barcelona presidential rivals insist Messi is worth it

<p>La Liga club Barcelona on Sunday said that they will be taking legal action against Spanish newspaper El Mundo for publishing star player Lionel Messi's contract with the club.</p>

<p><strong>ALSO READ:&nbsp;</strong><a href="https://www.wionews.com/sports/chelsea-boss-tuchel-convinced-goal-shy-werner-can-turn-around-poor-form-360306" hreflang="en">Chelsea boss Tuchel convinced goal-shy Werner can turn around poor form</a></p>

<p>The newspaper published full details of Lionel Messi's contract with Barcelona that was from 2017 to June 2021.&nbsp;</p>

<p>According to the report, which was previously described by French newspaper L'Equipe as the most lucrative in football, had contributed to the club's recent financial troubles, which have been exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic.</p>

<p>Recently, Barcelona's interim president Carles Tusquets said the club was forced to delay payments to players after the Catalan giants' last account revealed a debt of $592.24 million.&nbsp;</p>

<p>The Spanish club denied any responsibility for the publication of the contract in a statement, adding they regretted its release as it was a "private document governed by the principle of confidentiality between the parties".</p>

<p>The statement added: "FC Barcelona expresses its absolute support for Lionel Messi, especially in the face of any attempt to discredit his image, and to damage his relationship with the entity where he has worked to become the best player in the world and in football history."</p>


La Liga club Barcelona on Sunday said that they will be taking legal action against Spanish newspaper El Mundo for publishing star player Lionel Messi's contract with the club.

La Liga club Barcelona on Sunday said that they will be taking legal action against Spanish newspaper El Mundo for publishing star player Lionel Messi's contract with the club. ALSO READ: Chelsea boss Tuchel convinced goal-shy Werner can turn around poor form The newspaper published full details of Lionel Messi's contract with Barcelona that was from 2017 to June 2021. According to the report, which was previously described by French newspaper L'Equipe as the most lucrative in football, had contributed to the club's recent financial troubles, which have been exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic. Recently, Barcelona's interim president Carles Tusquets said the club was forced to delay payments to players after the Catalan giants' last account revealed a debt of $592.24 million. The Spanish club denied any responsibility for the publication of the contract in a statement, adding they regretted its release as it was a "private document governed by the principle of confidentiality between the parties". The statement added: "FC Barcelona expresses its absolute support for Lionel Messi, especially in the face of any attempt to discredit his image, and to damage his relationship with the entity where he has worked to become the best player in the world and in football history."

Barcelona sues Spanish newspaper for revealing Lionel Messi's contract details

<p lang="EN-US" paraeid="{fce29abc-708b-4dc5-b513-d18bf7ad12ee}{135}" paraid="1823409209" >Paris Saint-Germain manager Mauricio Pochettino has reacted to PSG sporting director Leonardo's public interest on Barcelona megastar Lionel Messi,&nbsp;whose contract expires at the end of ongoing 2020-21 season.&nbsp;</p>

<p lang="EN-US" paraeid="{acd7e834-0daf-4255-b372-463602210671}{44}" paraid="1306928233" >While Pochettino played his cards close to his chest when asked over a potential move for Messi, the former Tottenham Hotspur boss said that "everyone dreams of having the best players with him."&nbsp;</p>

<p lang="EN-US" paraeid="{fce29abc-708b-4dc5-b513-d18bf7ad12ee}{144}" paraid="896490706" >Some of the media reports have stated that Messi could be&nbsp;reunited&nbsp;with former Barcelona teammate Neymar at the Parc des Princes.&nbsp;</p>

<p lang="EN-US" paraeid="{2730b1b5-d613-490d-b346-1e21137f2490}{220}" paraid="1562997917" >"Everyone dreams of having the best players with him," Pochettino told Cadena Ser late on Tuesday.&nbsp;&nbsp;</p>

<p lang="EN-US" paraeid="{2730b1b5-d613-490d-b346-1e21137f2490}{220}" paraid="1562997917" ><strong>ALSO READ:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/photos/from-messi-to-ramos-football-stars-who-run-out-of-contracts-in-2021-356962" hreflang="en">From Messi to Ramos: Football stars who run out of contracts in 2021</a></strong></p>

<p lang="EN-US" paraeid="{4f6ef52b-4030-462b-8f45-69d4b30fe734}{127}" paraid="1089130484" >"I have huge respect for the players I have in my team but I must also have respect for players in other teams," the former Tottenham boss, who replaced Thomas Tuchel at the Parc des Princes at the start of this month, added.&nbsp;</p>

<p lang="EN-US" paraeid="{4f6ef52b-4030-462b-8f45-69d4b30fe734}{134}" paraid="1559611000" >Despite moving away from expressing public interest on Messi,&nbsp;Pochettinho&nbsp;said that he has a unique bond with Messi that existed between the two&nbsp;of them, "like love for Newell Old Boys", one of the clubs in Rosario in their homeland.&nbsp;</p>

<p lang="EN-US" paraeid="{4f6ef52b-4030-462b-8f45-69d4b30fe734}{155}" paraid="1220952476" >"Both of us have come from there, I think it's something that strongly unites us, this passion for the red and black (Newell's club&nbsp;colours)."&nbsp;</p>

<p lang="EN-US" paraeid="{4f6ef52b-4030-462b-8f45-69d4b30fe734}{155}" paraid="1220952476" ><strong>ALSO READ:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/sports/what-has-gone-wrong-in-liverpools-title-defence-357895" hreflang="en">What has gone wrong in Liverpool's title defence?</a></strong></p>

<p lang="EN-US" paraeid="{4f6ef52b-4030-462b-8f45-69d4b30fe734}{162}" paraid="1905909122" >&nbsp;Pochettino's comments come after PSG sporting director Leonardo, who had recently told France Football that&nbsp;"the top players like Messi will always be on PSG's radar.&nbsp;</p>

<p lang="EN-US" paraeid="{4f6ef52b-4030-462b-8f45-69d4b30fe734}{183}" paraid="1480143824" >"But obviously now is not the time to talk nor to dream about that.&nbsp;</p>

<p lang="EN-US" paraeid="{4f6ef52b-4030-462b-8f45-69d4b30fe734}{197}" paraid="692591667" >"Yet we are at the top table of those who are following the case closely."&nbsp;</p>

<p lang="EN-US" paraeid="{4f6ef52b-4030-462b-8f45-69d4b30fe734}{204}" paraid="1465548832" >&nbsp;However, Pochettino played down reports in Spain linking France World Cup winner Kylian Mbappe with a move to LaLiga giants Real Madrid.&nbsp;</p>

<p lang="EN-US" paraeid="{27a39475-ae46-460c-88d3-81638bd3212a}{168}" paraid="1861178022" >"I've no doubt about the fact that Kylian loves being in Paris," he said&nbsp;</p>


Paris Saint-Germain manager Mauricio Pochettino has reacted to PSG sporting director Leonardo's public interest on Barcelona megastar Lionel Messi, whose contract expires at the end of ongoing 2020-21 season.

Paris Saint-Germain manager Mauricio Pochettino has reacted to PSG sporting director Leonardo's public interest on Barcelona megastar Lionel Messi, whose contract expires at the end of ongoing 2020-21 season. While Pochettino played his cards close to his chest when asked over a potential move for Messi, the former Tottenham Hotspur boss said that "everyone dreams of having the best players with him." Some of the media reports have stated that Messi could be reunited with former Barcelona teammate Neymar at the Parc des Princes. "Everyone dreams of having the best players with him," Pochettino told Cadena Ser late on Tuesday. ALSO READ: From Messi to Ramos: Football stars who run out of contracts in 2021 "I have huge respect for the players I have in my team but I must also have respect for players in other teams," the former Tottenham boss, who replaced Thomas Tuchel at the Parc des Princes at the start of this month, added. Despite moving away from expressing public interest on Messi, Pochettinho said that he has a unique bond with Messi that existed between the two of them, "like love for Newell Old Boys", one of the clubs in Rosario in their homeland. "Both of us have come from there, I think it's something that strongly unites us, this passion for the red and black (Newell's club colours)." ALSO READ: What has gone wrong in Liverpool's title defence? Pochettino's comments come after PSG sporting director Leonardo, who had recently told France Football that "the top players like Messi will always be on PSG's radar. "But obviously now is not the time to talk nor to dream about that. "Yet we are at the top table of those who are following the case closely." However, Pochettino played down reports in Spain linking France World Cup winner Kylian Mbappe with a move to LaLiga giants Real Madrid. "I've no doubt about the fact that Kylian loves being in Paris," he said

Will PSG sign Lionel Messi? Mauricio Pochettino opens up about the move

<p>The Spanish soccer federation on Tuesday suspended Lionel Messi for two matches after the Barcelona forward hit an opponent in an off-the-ball incident during the Spanish Super Cup final against Atletic Bilbao.</p>

<p>Messi was facing a suspension of up to 12 matches for swinging his arm at an Athletic Bilbao player during Barcelona’s 3-2 defeat in the final of Spanish Super Cup. The federation’s competition committee didn’t deem the incident to be severe and imposed a lenient penalty against Messi.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Messi appeared to have swung his right arm aimed towards the head of the Athletic Bilbao forward Asier Villalibre as they ran toward the penalty box. After the incident, Messi was handed his first red in 753 appearances for Barcelona.&nbsp;</p>

<p><strong>ALSO READ:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/sports/never-ever-underestimate-team-india-justin-langer-reflects-on-2-1-series-defeat-357764" hreflang="en">Never ever underestimate Team India: Justin Langer reflects on 2-1 series defeat</a></strong></p>

<p>Referee Gil Manzano, in his match report, stated that Messi hit his opponent with “excessive force” when the ball was not close to him. The suspension will force Messi to miss Barcelona’s match against Cornell in the Copa del Rey and against Elche in the Spanish league.</p>

<p>Meanwhile, Barcelona was handed a shock 2-3 defeat by Athletic Bilbao after the latter scored an extra-time winner to lift the coveted Spanish Super Cup.</p>

<p><strong>ALSO READ:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/photos/from-messi-to-ramos-football-stars-who-run-out-of-contracts-in-2021-356962" hreflang="en">From Messi to Ramos: Football stars who run out of contracts in 2021</a></strong></p>

<p>"After so many years in football, Leo knows perfectly well when he is fit to play," said &nbsp;Barca coach Ronald Koeman.&nbsp;</p>

<p>"We talked and he said he was in a good place to start. He has survived the game, given the maximum, nothing more."<br />
Messi's anger will take some of the limelight away from Bilbao, who had already denied the competition a Clasico final by beating Real Madrid in the semi on Thursday and now have completed the set.</p>


The Spanish soccer federation on Tuesday suspended Lionel Messi for two matches after the Barcelona forward hit an opponent in an off-the-ball incident during the Spanish Super Cup final against Atletic Bilbao.

The Spanish soccer federation on Tuesday suspended Lionel Messi for two matches after the Barcelona forward hit an opponent in an off-the-ball incident during the Spanish Super Cup final against Atletic Bilbao. Messi was facing a suspension of up to 12 matches for swinging his arm at an Athletic Bilbao player during Barcelona’s 3-2 defeat in the final of Spanish Super Cup. The federation’s competition committee didn’t deem the incident to be severe and imposed a lenient penalty against Messi. Messi appeared to have swung his right arm aimed towards the head of the Athletic Bilbao forward Asier Villalibre as they ran toward the penalty box. After the incident, Messi was handed his first red in 753 appearances for Barcelona. ALSO READ: Never ever underestimate Team India: Justin Langer reflects on 2-1 series defeat Referee Gil Manzano, in his match report, stated that Messi hit his opponent with “excessive force” when the ball was not close to him. The suspension will force Messi to miss Barcelona’s match against Cornell in the Copa del Rey and against Elche in the Spanish league. Meanwhile, Barcelona was handed a shock 2-3 defeat by Athletic Bilbao after the latter scored an extra-time winner to lift the coveted Spanish Super Cup. ALSO READ: From Messi to Ramos: Football stars who run out of contracts in 2021 "After so many years in football, Leo knows perfectly well when he is fit to play," said Barca coach Ronald Koeman. "We talked and he said he was in a good place to start. He has survived the game, given the maximum, nothing more." Messi's anger will take some of the limelight away from Bilbao, who had already denied the competition a Clasico final by beating Real Madrid in the semi on Thursday and now have completed the set.

Lionel Messi banned for two matches after historic Barcelona red card

<p>After playing over 750 games for Barcelona, Lionel Messi received his first red card while playing for the Spanish giants. The Argentine received the red in the final moments of the Sunday's 3-2 defeat to Athletic Club in the finals of Spanish Super Cup.</p>

<p><strong>ALSO READ:&nbsp;</strong><a href="https://www.wionews.com/sports/form-goes-out-the-window-against-liverpool-says-man-utds-solskjaer-356986" hreflang="en">Form goes out the window against Liverpool, says Man Utd's Solskjaer</a></p>

<p>During the extra-time, Messi played a pass and took a swing at Asier Villalibre as the Athletic forward ran across his path.</p>

<p>Referee Gil Manzano missed the incident at first but upon a VAR review, he showed Messi a straight red card for violent conduct.&nbsp;</p>

<p>This was the first-ever Red Card in Messi's 753rd appearance for the Catalan giants.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Barcelona's Antoine Griezmann's dream season continued as he scored a brace against the Athletic Club, however, his contribution was not enough as Iniaki Williams struck before Messi saw red in the 121st minute.</p>

<p>Messi could now face at least a four-game ban for his actions, depending on a review from the Spanish FA. This means the Argentine could be absent during his side's &nbsp;Copa del Rey clash against Cornella on Thursday, and La Liga matches against Elche, Athletic Club and Real Betis.</p>


After playing over 750 games for Barcelona, Lionel Messi received his first red card while playing for the Spanish giants. The Argentine received the red in the final moments of the Sunday's 3-2 defeat to Athletic Club in the finals of Spanish Super Cup.

After playing over 750 games for Barcelona, Lionel Messi received his first red card while playing for the Spanish giants. The Argentine received the red in the final moments of the Sunday's 3-2 defeat to Athletic Club in the finals of Spanish Super Cup. ALSO READ: Form goes out the window against Liverpool, says Man Utd's Solskjaer During the extra-time, Messi played a pass and took a swing at Asier Villalibre as the Athletic forward ran across his path. Referee Gil Manzano missed the incident at first but upon a VAR review, he showed Messi a straight red card for violent conduct. This was the first-ever Red Card in Messi's 753rd appearance for the Catalan giants. Barcelona's Antoine Griezmann's dream season continued as he scored a brace against the Athletic Club, however, his contribution was not enough as Iniaki Williams struck before Messi saw red in the 121st minute. Messi could now face at least a four-game ban for his actions, depending on a review from the Spanish FA. This means the Argentine could be absent during his side's Copa del Rey clash against Cornella on Thursday, and La Liga matches against Elche, Athletic Club and Real Betis.

Barcelona star Lionel Messi receives first red card in club career

From Messi to Ramos: Football stars who run out of contracts in 2021

<p>Lionel Messi is bang in form in the new year, Schalke avoided matching the Bundesliga record for the most consecutive games without a win and there was a very rare defeat for Bayern Munich.</p>

<p>AFP Sport rounds up some of the main talking points from across the continent:</p>

<h2>- Messi means business -</h2>

<p>Lionel Messi looks like a man on a mission at the start of 2021 and what could be his final six months as a Barcelona player. On Saturday he scored twice -- including direct from a free-kick, one of his late-career specialities -- in a 4-0 win at Granada. That followed a masterful double and two shots off the post in a 3-2 midweek victory at Athletic Bilbao.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Before that he provided the assist for Frenkie de Jong's winner at Huesca, and Barcelona have won three out of three since the turn of the year, while Messi is now La Liga's top scorer. Maybe it's not too late for Ronald Koeman's side to challenge for the title: they are third, four points behind leaders Atletico Madrid, albeit having played three games more.</p>

<h2>- New Hoppe for Schalke -</h2>

<p>Matthew Hoppe is the latest young American to break through in the Bundesliga and he is already a hero for Schalke supporters. The California-born 19-year-old, who made his debut in November, had never scored a senior goal before netting a hat-trick -- the first ever for an American in the Bundesliga -- in the 4-0 defeat of Hoffenheim that rescued the Royal Blues from equalling an unwanted record.</p>

<p>Their first win since January 17 last year, after 30 games without, prevented them from matching Tasmania Berlin's infamous German top-flight record of 31 games without a victory set in 1965/66. Hoppe has given hope to a whole club, and suddenly Schalke have new cause for optimism as they bid to beat the drop. They are off the bottom, above Mainz, but they remain in the relegation zone.</p>

<h2>- Title race alive as Bayern come unstuck -</h2>

<p>Bayern Munich had begun to look a little less irresistible on a run of eight straight Bundesliga matches in which they had conceded the opening goal. But they had won five and drawn three of those matches. Then on Friday they were 2-0 up away to Borussia Moenchengladbach only to lose 3-2, just their second Bundesliga defeat since losing at the same ground in December 2019.</p>

<p>It is a result that keeps the Bundesliga title race very much alive, although Hansi Flick's team have a winnable run of matches upcoming and they remain top, two points clear of RB Leipzig, who lost 3-1 at home to Borussia Dortmund, for whom Erling Braut Haaland scored twice. Third-placed Bayer Leverkusen are four points off the top after drawing 1-1 with Werder Bremen.</p>

<h2>- Milan unfazed by Juve defeat -</h2>

<p>Three days after a 3-1 home loss to reigning champions Juventus which ended a 27-game unbeaten run in Serie A stretching back to June, AC Milan bounced back to beat Torino 2-0 at San Siro. With second-placed city rivals Inter drawing at Roma, Milan are now three points clear at the top of the table, and remain seven ahead of Juventus, who are fourth but do have a game in hand.</p>

<p>Added good news for Milan came with the return of veteran top scorer Zlatan Ibrahimovic as a late substitute for his first appearance since November 22 after injury. The Swede came on for Rafael Leao, who had earlier scored his third goal in five games. Can Zlatan now fire the Rossoneri to their first Scudetto since 2011?&nbsp;</p>

<h2>- Lyon lead way in France -</h2>

<p>Mauricio Pochettino got his first victory as coach of Paris Saint-Germain, a 3-0 defeat of Brest, but it is Lyon who lead halfway through the Ligue 1 season. They claimed the symbolic title of autumn champions after coming back from 2-0 down to draw 2-2 at Rennes on Saturday with Memphis Depay scoring one fine goal before setting up Jason Denayer's equaliser.</p>

<p>Rudi Garcia's team are unbeaten in 16 games although both PSG and Lille are just a point behind, and there is a very long way to go. Ensuring Depay stays to see out the remainder of his contract rather than leaving this month will be crucial.</p>


Lionel Messi is bang in form in the new year, Schalke avoided matching the Bundesliga record for the most consecutive games without a win and there was a very rare defeat for Bayern Munich.

Lionel Messi is bang in form in the new year, Schalke avoided matching the Bundesliga record for the most consecutive games without a win and there was a very rare defeat for Bayern Munich. AFP Sport rounds up some of the main talking points from across the continent: - Messi means business - Lionel Messi looks like a man on a mission at the start of 2021 and what could be his final six months as a Barcelona player. On Saturday he scored twice -- including direct from a free-kick, one of his late-career specialities -- in a 4-0 win at Granada. That followed a masterful double and two shots off the post in a 3-2 midweek victory at Athletic Bilbao. Before that he provided the assist for Frenkie de Jong's winner at Huesca, and Barcelona have won three out of three since the turn of the year, while Messi is now La Liga's top scorer. Maybe it's not too late for Ronald Koeman's side to challenge for the title: they are third, four points behind leaders Atletico Madrid, albeit having played three games more. - New Hoppe for Schalke - Matthew Hoppe is the latest young American to break through in the Bundesliga and he is already a hero for Schalke supporters. The California-born 19-year-old, who made his debut in November, had never scored a senior goal before netting a hat-trick -- the first ever for an American in the Bundesliga -- in the 4-0 defeat of Hoffenheim that rescued the Royal Blues from equalling an unwanted record. Their first win since January 17 last year, after 30 games without, prevented them from matching Tasmania Berlin's infamous German top-flight record of 31 games without a victory set in 1965/66. Hoppe has given hope to a whole club, and suddenly Schalke have new cause for optimism as they bid to beat the drop. They are off the bottom, above Mainz, but they remain in the relegation zone. - Title race alive as Bayern come unstuck - Bayern Munich had begun to look a little less irresistible on a run of eight straight Bundesliga matches in which they had conceded the opening goal. But they had won five and drawn three of those matches. Then on Friday they were 2-0 up away to Borussia Moenchengladbach only to lose 3-2, just their second Bundesliga defeat since losing at the same ground in December 2019. It is a result that keeps the Bundesliga title race very much alive, although Hansi Flick's team have a winnable run of matches upcoming and they remain top, two points clear of RB Leipzig, who lost 3-1 at home to Borussia Dortmund, for whom Erling Braut Haaland scored twice. Third-placed Bayer Leverkusen are four points off the top after drawing 1-1 with Werder Bremen. - Milan unfazed by Juve defeat - Three days after a 3-1 home loss to reigning champions Juventus which ended a 27-game unbeaten run in Serie A stretching back to June, AC Milan bounced back to beat Torino 2-0 at San Siro. With second-placed city rivals Inter drawing at Roma, Milan are now three points clear at the top of the table, and remain seven ahead of Juventus, who are fourth but do have a game in hand. Added good news for Milan came with the return of veteran top scorer Zlatan Ibrahimovic as a late substitute for his first appearance since November 22 after injury. The Swede came on for Rafael Leao, who had earlier scored his third goal in five games. Can Zlatan now fire the Rossoneri to their first Scudetto since 2011? - Lyon lead way in France - Mauricio Pochettino got his first victory as coach of Paris Saint-Germain, a 3-0 defeat of Brest, but it is Lyon who lead halfway through the Ligue 1 season. They claimed the symbolic title of autumn champions after coming back from 2-0 down to draw 2-2 at Rennes on Saturday with Memphis Depay scoring one fine goal before setting up Jason Denayer's equaliser. Rudi Garcia's team are unbeaten in 16 games although both PSG and Lille are just a point behind, and there is a very long way to go. Ensuring Depay stays to see out the remainder of his contract rather than leaving this month will be crucial.

Messi on form, a new American star and Bayern beaten: Talking points from around Europe

<p>Ronald Koeman said Barcelona can still win La Liga after Lionel Messi scored twice on Wednesday in a 3-2 win over Athletic Bilbao.</p>

<p>Messi's double helped Barca reduce the gap behind La Liga's leaders Atletico Madrid to seven points, even if Atletico will be hard to catch, given they also have two games in hand.</p>

<p>Koeman admitted last week it would be "very difficult" to close the gap but was more optimistic after the victory at San Mames.</p>

<p>"There is always a chance," he said. "The season is very long and you can have ups and downs. It may be that one team that is doing very well will later find it difficult."&nbsp;</p>

<p>Barca trailed to an early Inaki Williams strike but responded with a slick attacking performance that had Messi at the heart of it.&nbsp;</p>

<p>It was his cross that led to Pedri's equaliser and then the Argentinian could have had a hat-trick, only for VAR and the woodwork to intervene.&nbsp;</p>

<p>But this was a vintage display from the 33-year-old, perhaps his best of the season so far, at a time when his future at Barcelona remains up in the air.</p>

<p>Only a late mistake took some of the shine off Messi's night, a poor pass allowing Iker Muniain to finish and make the result look closer than it was.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Bilbao had scored in the third minute and the 90th, each time exposing Barcelona's defensive frailties that remain unsolved.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Yet in between, Koeman's team were able to dictate the match and demonstrate why going forward they are still a force to be reckoned with.&nbsp;</p>

<h2>- 'Team is growing' -</h2>

<p>"The team is growing, playing with more confidence," said Koeman. "Sometimes we look close to our best."</p>

<p>Pedri was excellent again, his sumptuous backheel for Messi's first goal another indication of the 18-year-old's&nbsp;talent and his understanding with his captain.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Ousmane Dembele, meanwhile, enjoyed one of those virtuouso nights where his speed, invention and confidence made him look every bit like one of the world's most exciting players.</p>

<p>"Everything starts with the player himself," said Koeman. "He gives us a lot."</p>

<p>Bilbao were playing their first game under new coach Marcelino Garcia Toral, who led Valencia to win the last completed Copa del Rey by beating Barca in the final.&nbsp;</p>

<p>He was springing off the bench and clenching his fists in the third minute after Williams raced in behind, touching inside the scrambling Clement Lenglet before driving home.&nbsp;</p>

<p>But Barcelona were invigorated.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Sergino Dest should have scored after a neat exchange between Messi and Antoine Griezmann before Pedri did, Messi's looping cross to the back post cushioned back across for Pedri to nod in.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Dembele was almost unplayable, drifting inside one minute and darting forward the next but it was Pedri's vision that created Barca's second.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Messi sent him through, the youngster cutting inside before seeing Messi behind him.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Pedri backheeled, wrongfooting the Bilbao defence and goalkeeper, with Messi sliding in the finish.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Griezmann was denied after more good work by Dembele while Messi had a goal ruled out and then nicked the crossbar with a curling effort from distance.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Bilbao were still in it and might have equalised early in the second half, with the lively Williams and Raul Garcia both going close.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Yet their hopes were dashed just after the hour when Messi struck again. He sent the ball wide to Griezmann via Pedri and when the pass came to the near post Messi was there to stroke in off the crossbar.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Messi could have had his hat-trick but hit the post again when Dembele's cross was dummied by Griezmann before a misplaced Messi pass allowed Muniain to pull one back for Bilbao. It was Messi's first mistake of the night.&nbsp;</p>


Ronald Koeman said Barcelona can still win La Liga after Lionel Messi scored twice on Wednesday in a 3-2 win over Athletic Bilbao. Messi's double helped Barca reduce the gap behind La Liga's leaders Atletico Madrid to seven points, even if Atletico will be hard to catch, given they also have two games in hand.

Ronald Koeman said Barcelona can still win La Liga after Lionel Messi scored twice on Wednesday in a 3-2 win over Athletic Bilbao. Messi's double helped Barca reduce the gap behind La Liga's leaders Atletico Madrid to seven points, even if Atletico will be hard to catch, given they also have two games in hand. Koeman admitted last week it would be "very difficult" to close the gap but was more optimistic after the victory at San Mames. "There is always a chance," he said. "The season is very long and you can have ups and downs. It may be that one team that is doing very well will later find it difficult." Barca trailed to an early Inaki Williams strike but responded with a slick attacking performance that had Messi at the heart of it. It was his cross that led to Pedri's equaliser and then the Argentinian could have had a hat-trick, only for VAR and the woodwork to intervene. But this was a vintage display from the 33-year-old, perhaps his best of the season so far, at a time when his future at Barcelona remains up in the air. Only a late mistake took some of the shine off Messi's night, a poor pass allowing Iker Muniain to finish and make the result look closer than it was. Bilbao had scored in the third minute and the 90th, each time exposing Barcelona's defensive frailties that remain unsolved. Yet in between, Koeman's team were able to dictate the match and demonstrate why going forward they are still a force to be reckoned with. - 'Team is growing' - "The team is growing, playing with more confidence," said Koeman. "Sometimes we look close to our best." Pedri was excellent again, his sumptuous backheel for Messi's first goal another indication of the 18-year-old's talent and his understanding with his captain. Ousmane Dembele, meanwhile, enjoyed one of those virtuouso nights where his speed, invention and confidence made him look every bit like one of the world's most exciting players. "Everything starts with the player himself," said Koeman. "He gives us a lot." Bilbao were playing their first game under new coach Marcelino Garcia Toral, who led Valencia to win the last completed Copa del Rey by beating Barca in the final. He was springing off the bench and clenching his fists in the third minute after Williams raced in behind, touching inside the scrambling Clement Lenglet before driving home. But Barcelona were invigorated. Sergino Dest should have scored after a neat exchange between Messi and Antoine Griezmann before Pedri did, Messi's looping cross to the back post cushioned back across for Pedri to nod in. Dembele was almost unplayable, drifting inside one minute and darting forward the next but it was Pedri's vision that created Barca's second. Messi sent him through, the youngster cutting inside before seeing Messi behind him. Pedri backheeled, wrongfooting the Bilbao defence and goalkeeper, with Messi sliding in the finish. Griezmann was denied after more good work by Dembele while Messi had a goal ruled out and then nicked the crossbar with a curling effort from distance. Bilbao were still in it and might have equalised early in the second half, with the lively Williams and Raul Garcia both going close. Yet their hopes were dashed just after the hour when Messi struck again. He sent the ball wide to Griezmann via Pedri and when the pass came to the near post Messi was there to stroke in off the crossbar. Messi could have had his hat-trick but hit the post again when Dembele's cross was dummied by Griezmann before a misplaced Messi pass allowed Muniain to pull one back for Bilbao. It was Messi's first mistake of the night.

Messi double gives Barca renewed hope in La Liga title chase

<p>Real Madrid captain Sergio Ramos is free to negotiate with other clubs after stalling contract talks with the Los Merengues. Ramos, who is out of contract in summer, can negotiate terms and contracts with other clubs and leave the Spanish giants for free after the expiry of his contract.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Paris Saint-Germain, who recently appointed Mauricio Pochettino as head coach, is looking to sign the Spanish international with reports stating that PSG are eyeing a scoop by signing Ramos along with Barcelona megastar Lionel Messi - both on free transfers.</p>

<p>After letting go&nbsp;Thiago Silva, PSG are in need of an experienced defender and Ramos would fit the bill perfectly. However, the biggest surprise is that Ramos, during contract negotiations with Real Madrid president Florentino Perez, said that PSG are trying to sign him with Messi.&nbsp;</p>

<p><strong>ALSO READ:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/sports/watch-southampton-boss-ralph-hasenhuttl-cries-tears-of-joy-as-saints-defeat-liverpool-354575" hreflang="en">Watch: Southampton boss Ralph Hasenhuttl cries tears of joy as Saints defeat Liverpool</a></strong></p>

<p>Spanish publication El Chiringuito TV reported that Ramos has told Real Madrid president Florentino Perez: "At PSG they have told me that they will make a team with me and with Messi."</p>

<p>Messi is also available on a free transfer in summer and the Argentine has already said he will think about his future after the season ends.</p>

<p><strong>ALSO READ:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/sports/premier-league-to-continue-during-new-english-lockdown-354549" hreflang="en">Premier League to continue during new English lockdown</a></strong></p>

<p>Both Messi and Ramos, despite being free transfers, will demand monumental wages - which could be a worry for the French giants with COVID-19 pandemic inflicting major financial damages to every club in the world.</p>


Real Madrid captain Sergio Ramos is free to negotiate with other clubs after stalling contract talks with the Los Merengues. Ramos, who is out of contract in summer, can negotiate terms and contracts with other clubs and leave the Spanish giants for free after the expiry of his contract.

Real Madrid captain Sergio Ramos is free to negotiate with other clubs after stalling contract talks with the Los Merengues. Ramos, who is out of contract in summer, can negotiate terms and contracts with other clubs and leave the Spanish giants for free after the expiry of his contract. Paris Saint-Germain, who recently appointed Mauricio Pochettino as head coach, is looking to sign the Spanish international with reports stating that PSG are eyeing a scoop by signing Ramos along with Barcelona megastar Lionel Messi - both on free transfers. After letting go Thiago Silva, PSG are in need of an experienced defender and Ramos would fit the bill perfectly. However, the biggest surprise is that Ramos, during contract negotiations with Real Madrid president Florentino Perez, said that PSG are trying to sign him with Messi. ALSO READ: Watch: Southampton boss Ralph Hasenhuttl cries tears of joy as Saints defeat Liverpool Spanish publication El Chiringuito TV reported that Ramos has told Real Madrid president Florentino Perez: "At PSG they have told me that they will make a team with me and with Messi." Messi is also available on a free transfer in summer and the Argentine has already said he will think about his future after the season ends. ALSO READ: Premier League to continue during new English lockdown Both Messi and Ramos, despite being free transfers, will demand monumental wages - which could be a worry for the French giants with COVID-19 pandemic inflicting major financial damages to every club in the world.

Lionel Messi and Sergio Ramos to join PSG? Real Madrid star makes stunning revelation

<p>Barcelona won 1-0 at bottom side Huesca on Sunday as Lionel Messi became the first foreigner to make 500 appearances in Spain's La Liga, while a late Luis Suarez goal secured leaders Atletico Madrid victory against Alaves.</p>

<p>Messi returned for Barca after missing the final game of 2020 with an ankle knock and swung in a cross for Frenkie de Jong to divert home for the only goal on 27 minutes.</p>

<p>Although Ronald Koeman's side began a potentially season-defining run of four consecutive away matches with a comfortable win, they remain a distant 10 points behind Atletico in fifth having played a game more.</p>

<p>"In general, aside from the last 20 minutes we played well," said Koeman.</p>

<p>"We created a lot of danger, which isn't easy against a team that shuts up at the back. We got a great goal and we had two or three more chances to pull away." &nbsp;</p>

<p>Barca dominated possession and created a number of chances but Huesca goalkeeper Alvaro Fernandez produced several fine saves to keep the hosts in touch.</p>

<p>After De Jong's opener Messi was denied a second just before half-time when Fernandez superbly clawed away his free-kick heading towards the top corner.</p>

<p>The Argentine was again thwarted by the legs of Fernandez in the second half after combining well with Pedri, moments after Marc-Andre ter Stegen reacted sharply to keep out Rafa Mir's inventive back-heel.</p>

<p>That was a rare threat from Huesca who have now won just once in 17 tries this season but had taken points off most visitors to their Estadio El Alcoraz so far, including Atletico in September.&nbsp;</p>

<p>"We came out strong and very concentrated. It's the main base we need. If we have that, we improve a lot with the ball and if we get better in front of goal then we can have a very good start to the year," added Koeman.</p>

<h2>- Suarez the saviour -</h2>

<p>Earlier in the day, Suarez struck a 90th-minute winner for Atletico as they defeated 10-man Alaves 2-1 to move back above Real Madrid at the top.</p>

<p>Marcos Llorente gave Atletico the lead at Mendizorroza shortly before half-time with a deflected strike from just outside the area.</p>

<p>Diego Simeone's side appeared to have the game under control when Alaves defender Victor Laguardia was sent off on the hour following a VAR review for chopping down Thomas Lemar as the Frenchman ran towards goal.</p>

<p>Florian Lejeune headed against the post for Alaves before a spectacular own goal on 84 minutes from Felipe threatened to cost Atletico two vital points, the Brazilian centre-back&nbsp;drilling beyond Jan Oblak as he attempted to hack clear an attempted cross.</p>

<p>However, Suarez secured Atletico's fourth consecutive win in the final minute as the Uruguayan tapped in from close range after the ball was slotted across goal by substitute Joao Felix.</p>

<p>"The best thing is how the team finished, not getting nervous, just playing. And the goal was a great goal," said Simeone.</p>

<p>Atletico climbed two points clear of Real Madrid and have two games in hand on the defending champions.</p>

<p>"The takeaway from this is to continue on the same path," added Simeone.</p>

<p>Athletic Bilbao sacked coach Gaizka Garitano following a 1-0 home win over Elche, with reports in Spain linking former Barcelona boss Ernesto Valverde to the vacant job.</p>

<p>Real Sociedad lost more ground on the top two after they could only manage a 1-1 draw at home to struggling Osasuna, while teenager Bryan Gil scored both goals in Eibar's 2-0 defeat of Granada.</p>


Barcelona won 1-0 at bottom side Huesca on Sunday as Lionel Messi became the first foreigner to make 500 appearances in Spain's La Liga, while a late Luis Suarez goal secured leaders Atletico Madrid victory against Alaves.

Barcelona won 1-0 at bottom side Huesca on Sunday as Lionel Messi became the first foreigner to make 500 appearances in Spain's La Liga, while a late Luis Suarez goal secured leaders Atletico Madrid victory against Alaves. Messi returned for Barca after missing the final game of 2020 with an ankle knock and swung in a cross for Frenkie de Jong to divert home for the only goal on 27 minutes. Although Ronald Koeman's side began a potentially season-defining run of four consecutive away matches with a comfortable win, they remain a distant 10 points behind Atletico in fifth having played a game more. "In general, aside from the last 20 minutes we played well," said Koeman. "We created a lot of danger, which isn't easy against a team that shuts up at the back. We got a great goal and we had two or three more chances to pull away." Barca dominated possession and created a number of chances but Huesca goalkeeper Alvaro Fernandez produced several fine saves to keep the hosts in touch. After De Jong's opener Messi was denied a second just before half-time when Fernandez superbly clawed away his free-kick heading towards the top corner. The Argentine was again thwarted by the legs of Fernandez in the second half after combining well with Pedri, moments after Marc-Andre ter Stegen reacted sharply to keep out Rafa Mir's inventive back-heel. That was a rare threat from Huesca who have now won just once in 17 tries this season but had taken points off most visitors to their Estadio El Alcoraz so far, including Atletico in September. "We came out strong and very concentrated. It's the main base we need. If we have that, we improve a lot with the ball and if we get better in front of goal then we can have a very good start to the year," added Koeman. - Suarez the saviour - Earlier in the day, Suarez struck a 90th-minute winner for Atletico as they defeated 10-man Alaves 2-1 to move back above Real Madrid at the top. Marcos Llorente gave Atletico the lead at Mendizorroza shortly before half-time with a deflected strike from just outside the area. Diego Simeone's side appeared to have the game under control when Alaves defender Victor Laguardia was sent off on the hour following a VAR review for chopping down Thomas Lemar as the Frenchman ran towards goal. Florian Lejeune headed against the post for Alaves before a spectacular own goal on 84 minutes from Felipe threatened to cost Atletico two vital points, the Brazilian centre-back drilling beyond Jan Oblak as he attempted to hack clear an attempted cross. However, Suarez secured Atletico's fourth consecutive win in the final minute as the Uruguayan tapped in from close range after the ball was slotted across goal by substitute Joao Felix. "The best thing is how the team finished, not getting nervous, just playing. And the goal was a great goal," said Simeone. Atletico climbed two points clear of Real Madrid and have two games in hand on the defending champions. "The takeaway from this is to continue on the same path," added Simeone. Athletic Bilbao sacked coach Gaizka Garitano following a 1-0 home win over Elche, with reports in Spain linking former Barcelona boss Ernesto Valverde to the vacant job. Real Sociedad lost more ground on the top two after they could only manage a 1-1 draw at home to struggling Osasuna, while teenager Bryan Gil scored both goals in Eibar's 2-0 defeat of Granada.

Barca triumph as Messi makes 500th Liga appearance

<p>Barcelona is off to the worst start in decades and their woeful run extended after settling for 1-1 draw against Eibar. Lionel Messi's reaction became the talking point after the match.&nbsp;</p>

<p>The Argentina star, who missed the playing XI due to an injury, left the stands dejected after the final whistle. Barcelona were predicted to get an easy win against 'relegation contenders' Eibar at home.</p>

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<p dir="ltr" lang="en">Lionel Messi at the end of the game. This hurts. <a href="https://t.co/SLsvNdeqAv">pic.twitter.com/SLsvNdeqAv</a></p>
— Barça Universal (@BarcaUniversal) <a href="https://twitter.com/BarcaUniversal/status/1344015915902492672?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 29, 2020</a></blockquote>
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<p>However, the Catalan giants failed to establish their dominance as Eibar striker Kike opened the scoring in the 57th minute. Despite Ousmane Dembele's equaliser 10 minutes later, the home side failed to get a winner.&nbsp;</p>

<p>The Catalans were dominant with possession with 74 per cent but failed to win the match. After the referee blew the full-time whistle, a dismal Messi's reaction to the result was all fans talked about on social media.</p>

<p>“Again tonight we did well. We worked really hard. We did everything, we changed the team, we played one against one in the last 10 minutes. We did enough to win the game but finally, we don’t win and that’s happened often," said Koeman.&nbsp;</p>

<p>“We deserved to win. We did enough, we created enough chances to score, we did not score the penalty and then a big mistake in defence and it was one shot on goal from Eibar and it’s 0-1.”</p>

<p>With 15 matches, 7 wins, 4 draws and 4 losses, Barcelona continue to be in the mid-table position.</p>


Barcelona is off to the worst start in decades and their woeful run extended after settling for 1-1 draw against Eibar. Lionel Messi's reaction became the talking point after the match.

Barcelona is off to the worst start in decades and their woeful run extended after settling for 1-1 draw against Eibar. Lionel Messi's reaction became the talking point after the match. The Argentina star, who missed the playing XI due to an injury, left the stands dejected after the final whistle. Barcelona were predicted to get an easy win against 'relegation contenders' Eibar at home. Lionel Messi at the end of the game. This hurts. pic.twitter.com/SLsvNdeqAv — Barça Universal (@BarcaUniversal) December 29, 2020 × However, the Catalan giants failed to establish their dominance as Eibar striker Kike opened the scoring in the 57th minute. Despite Ousmane Dembele's equaliser 10 minutes later, the home side failed to get a winner. The Catalans were dominant with possession with 74 per cent but failed to win the match. After the referee blew the full-time whistle, a dismal Messi's reaction to the result was all fans talked about on social media. “Again tonight we did well. We worked really hard. We did everything, we changed the team, we played one against one in the last 10 minutes. We did enough to win the game but finally, we don’t win and that’s happened often," said Koeman. “We deserved to win. We did enough, we created enough chances to score, we did not score the penalty and then a big mistake in defence and it was one shot on goal from Eibar and it’s 0-1.” With 15 matches, 7 wins, 4 draws and 4 losses, Barcelona continue to be in the mid-table position.

WATCH- Lionel Messi's reaction after disappointing draw against Eibar goes viral!

Yearender 2020: The year 2020 was supposed to be gruelling and hectic across sports. The year started normally but chaos struck when the novel coronavirus started to take almost every country under its dreaded wings.

Yearender 2020: The year 2020 was supposed to be gruelling and hectic across sports. The year started normally but chaos struck when the novel coronavirus started to take almost every country under its dreaded wings. Sporting events suffered postponement, cancellations. Even the unthinkable happened. The 2020 Tokyo Olympics were also rescheduled by a year. After months of lockdown, life started to return to normalcy. Sporting events resumed albeit behind closed doors while maintaining strict COVID-19 protocols. Tournaments, leagues, series opened up as grounds welcomed back the athletes. Records were shattered, TV ratings reached new heights as fans, who were in a dearth of sport, tuned to watch their favourite teams and players play. As the unforgettable year 2020 comes to an end, let us take a look at some of the most memorable sporting moments of the year. ALSO READ: From Hamilton to Ronaldo: Athletes who tested positive for COVID-19 in 2020 ALSO READ: From NBA to Super Bowl: Here's complete list of winners in 2020 Lionel Messi-Barcelona Saga: With 2020 being a strange year, the footballing world saw one of the unlikeliest incidents. Barcelona megastar Lionel Messi handed in a transfer request, via a burofax, to Barcelona urging the Spanish giants to release him from his duties after serving them for close to two decades. Messi and Barcelona are like a pure love story but Messi’s relation with club president Josep Bartomeu turned sour. The Argentine maestro gave an explosive interview during the entire episode where he revealed how unhappy he is at Nou Camp while revealing why he wanted to leave the club. Ultimately, Barcelona didn’t allow Messi to leave and the Argentine stayed put at Nou Camp to avoid a legal battle with the club he loves. #messileavingbarca exclusive interview with @goal.@fundacionmessi explained to the president his desire to leave and the president always said he can leave at the end of the season, only for the president to have lied.#Barcelona#messileavingbarca#BartomeuOUT#Messi pic.twitter.com/kE3DTF3saU — Marqohpolo 💙💛 (@marqohpolo) September 6, 2020 × Rafael Nadal completes 20th Grand Slam: With uncertainty and risk factor surrounding COVID-19, Rafael Nadal decided to skip the US Open 2020 but returned back to his favourite – Rolland Garros – as he continued to shatter the record books. Nadal steamrolled to the final, without even dropping a set, to set a blockbuster clash with Novak Djokovic. The Spaniard went on to defeat world number one Djokovic 6-0, 6-2, 7-5 to claim his 13th French Open title while equalising Roger Federer’s 20 Grand Slams. Wanted to share a nice picture with you 😉 @rolandgarros 👉🏻 #Paris #13 #Vamos 💪🏻😘 pic.twitter.com/SNgy5YYWCa — Rafa Nadal (@RafaelNadal) October 12, 2020 × Naomi Osaka lets her masks do the talking: The year 2020 saw the entire world, including many high-profile athletes, speak out against racial discrimination. Following the death of an African-American man George Floyd in Minneapolis, under police custody, massive outrage broke out. Naomi Osaka, not only joined the protests in US, but also wore masks during the US Open, with names of black victims of police brutality in the US. Osaka made seven masks for the US Open with a view of reaching the final of the Grand Slam event and not only did she reach the final but also lifted the coveted trophy by winning a nail-biting summit clash. .@naomiosaka walked out in a Breonna Taylor mask for her night match at Arthur Ashe stadium.#USOpen pic.twitter.com/Ubxwst54kl — US Open Tennis (@usopen) September 1, 2020 × IN PICS | Ace Naomi Osaka pays tribute to black lives in a unique fashion! MS Dhoni’s international retirement: Former India captain and one of the most decorated cricketers of all-time, Mahendra Singh Dhoni announced his retirement from international cricket on August 15, 2020. Dhoni, who doesn’t do many interviews, took to social media platform Instagram to post a classic Indian song merged with images from his career as he quit international cricket in the most MS Dhoni-esque fashion one could imagine. The entire cricket fraternity was left emotional by Dhoni’s retirement and poured heartfelt tributes to the legendary Indian captain. Dhoni participated in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2020 for Chennai Super Kings and will continue to do so for the time being. View this post on Instagram A post shared by M S Dhoni (@mahi7781) × Liverpool win Premier League after 30 years: Under the guidance of Jurgen Klopp, Liverpool ended their 30-year wait of lifting the Premier League title as the Reds comfortably won the league by 18 points. Liverpool accumulated a staggering 99 points, 18 more than second-placed Manchester City, to break the Premier League title drought. In 38 matches, Liverpool won 32 matches while drawing three and losing as many in what is regarded as one of the best seasons for English top-flight club. WE’RE PREMIER LEAGUE CHAMPIONS!! 🏆 pic.twitter.com/qX7Duxoslm — Liverpool FC (@LFC) June 25, 2020 × Australia Women’s Cricket team dominate the world stage, again: Australia Women’s team continued to stamp their authority in world cricket as they lifted their fifth ICC Women’s T20 World Cup title on March 8. It was one of the last major tournaments in world sport that featured capacity crowd. As many as 86, 174 fans witnessed the summit clash between India and Australia at the iconic Melbourne Cricket Ground in what was a record crowd for a women’s cricket game. Australia won the final by 85 runs. WORLD CHAMPIONS ON HOME SOIL This is for you, Australia 💚💛#CmonAussie pic.twitter.com/IbgIbTGAOK — Australian Women's Cricket Team 🏏 (@AusWomenCricket) March 8, 2020 × Lewis Hamilton equals Michael Schumacher’s record: Hailed as one of the best F1 drivers of all-time, Lewis Hamilton equalled Michael Schumacher’s record of winning seven world championships. Shattering the record books, Hamilton won 11 of the 17 races in 2020 F1 season to take his tally past Schumacher’s 91 Grand Prix wins to 95. Utilising a breathtaking Mercedes car, Hamilton skipped past everyone to record one of the finest seasons of all-time in F1 history. If reports are to be believed then Hamilton will soon be honoured with knighthood and will become one of the few sportspersons to have achieved the tag of ‘Sir’ during their playing days. A day i’ll never forget 🏆#S7ILLRISING pic.twitter.com/O1Y6eD9iQX — Lewis Hamilton (@LewisHamilton) November 15, 2020 × Indian Premier League in the UAE: The Indian Premier League (IPL) 2020 suffered postponement after the outbreak of coronavirus in India. The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) decided to take the money-spinning T20 tournament to the United Arab Emirates (UAE) amid the pandemic and to everyone surprise, it pulled off the event without a hitch. Even though it was played in front of empty stands, IPL 2020 was widely watched and celebrated by the sporting fans and shattered television records. The tournament became the first multi-team cricket tournament to take place after COVID-19 enforced break in March. Happy that we gave people something to cheer for: @mipaltan' five-time IPL winning captain @ImRo45 👏🙌🏆#Dream11IPL #Final #MIvDC pic.twitter.com/l8aUTvtLaa — IndianPremierLeague (@IPL) November 10, 2020 × Bayern Munich win it all: German giants Bayern Munich completed a quintuple as they won the German domestic treble while winning the UEFA Champions League and UEFA Super Cup. Due to COVID-19 pandemic, the FIFA Club World Cup was cancelled or else, Bayern Munich would have had a real shot at winning all six trophies in club football – achieved by a few clubs till date. Not only did Bayern Munich compete as a team, their striker Robert Lewandowski, who had a sensational season in front of the net, was awarded UEFA’s Best Player of the Year award as he beat Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo to lift the coveted title. König Lewy hat 2020 regiert! 👑🏆#MiaSanMia @lewy_official #TheBest #LewanGOALski #LEGENDowski pic.twitter.com/xVXoIFCzRg — FC Bayern München (@FCBayern) December 29, 2020 × Team India's Adelaide Horror and Melbourne comeback: The Indian cricket team were bundled out for their lowest-ever Test score (36) by Australia in the Adelaide Test - the first of the four Test matches of the blockbuster series. India were left stunned by the Australian bowlers as the visitors surrendered in front of the hostile Aussie attack. India went on to lose the match by eight wickets and concede an early 1-0 series lead to Australia. While many teams have been down and out with low confidence and self-doubt, India bounced back strong, without their talisman Virat Kohli, in the Boxing Day Test to dominate Australia and win the match by eight wickets. As Indian head coach Ravi Shastri said, this win will be regarded as one of the greatest comebacks/wins of all-time. https://t.co/eQNZo0Ou2G! 👏👏#TeamIndia bounce back in style to beat Australia by 8⃣ wickets to level the four-match series. 👍👍 #AUSvIND Scorecard 👉 https://t.co/lyjpjyeMX5 pic.twitter.com/FgepGB00uE — BCCI (@BCCI) December 29, 2020 ×

Yearender 2020: From Dhoni's retirement to Hamilton's 7th - Check out the most memorable sporting moments

<p>Barcelona maestro Lionel Messi has said that he wants to play in the United States but said he will not negotiate with any clubs until his current contract with Barca expires in June. Messi can start negotiations with other clubs in January with the current contract running out at the end of the season.</p>

<p>Speculations have been rife since Messi handed a transfer request in August before continuing with the Spanish giants. However, Messi made it clear that even if he leaves Barcelona one day, he would return back to the Spanish club in some capacity.</p>

<p>"I don't know what I'm going to do yet," Messi told Spanish television channel La Sexta.</p>

<p>"I'm going to wait until the season ends. I would like to play in the United States and experience life and the league there but ultimately come back to Barcelona in some capacity.</p>

<p><strong>ALSO READ:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/sports/pep-guardiola-named-coach-of-the-century-beats-stiff-competition-from-zidane-alex-ferguson-352943" hreflang="en">Pep Guardiola named Coach of the Century, beats stiff competition from Zidane, Alex Ferguson</a></strong></p>

<p>"Right now the most important thing is to focus on the team and finish the season well, to focus on trying to win trophies and not get distracted by other things."</p>

<p>Barcelona, who went trophyless last season, are currently sitting fifth in La Liga. This is their worst start to a league campaign in 33 years.</p>

<p>Messi has been with Barcelona since the age of 13 and is club’s record goalscorer while winning 10 La Liga titles, four UEFA Champions League among other trophies. He has won the Ballon d’Or a record six times.&nbsp;</p>

<p><strong>ALSO READ:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/photos/from-hamilton-to-ronaldo-athletes-who-tested-positive-for-covid-19-in-2020-352776" hreflang="en">From Hamilton to Ronaldo: Athletes who tested positive for COVID-19 in 2020</a></strong></p>

<p>Messi admitted that Barcelona are going through their worst phase financially and footballing wise while adding that he would be difficult to bring back the club where it used to be. The Argentine legend described Josep Maria Bartomeu’s reign as a “disaster”. Bartomeu had resigned in October.</p>

<p>"It's a difficult moment for the club, for everyone, but those inside the club know that it's in a really bad situation, things are very bad and it's going to be difficult to return the club to where it used to be," he added.</p>


Barcelona maestro Lionel Messi has said that he wants to play in the United States but said he will not negotiate with any clubs until his current contract with Barca expires in June.

Barcelona maestro Lionel Messi has said that he wants to play in the United States but said he will not negotiate with any clubs until his current contract with Barca expires in June. Messi can start negotiations with other clubs in January with the current contract running out at the end of the season. Speculations have been rife since Messi handed a transfer request in August before continuing with the Spanish giants. However, Messi made it clear that even if he leaves Barcelona one day, he would return back to the Spanish club in some capacity. "I don't know what I'm going to do yet," Messi told Spanish television channel La Sexta. "I'm going to wait until the season ends. I would like to play in the United States and experience life and the league there but ultimately come back to Barcelona in some capacity. ALSO READ: Pep Guardiola named Coach of the Century, beats stiff competition from Zidane, Alex Ferguson "Right now the most important thing is to focus on the team and finish the season well, to focus on trying to win trophies and not get distracted by other things." Barcelona, who went trophyless last season, are currently sitting fifth in La Liga. This is their worst start to a league campaign in 33 years. Messi has been with Barcelona since the age of 13 and is club’s record goalscorer while winning 10 La Liga titles, four UEFA Champions League among other trophies. He has won the Ballon d’Or a record six times. ALSO READ: From Hamilton to Ronaldo: Athletes who tested positive for COVID-19 in 2020 Messi admitted that Barcelona are going through their worst phase financially and footballing wise while adding that he would be difficult to bring back the club where it used to be. The Argentine legend described Josep Maria Bartomeu’s reign as a “disaster”. Bartomeu had resigned in October. "It's a difficult moment for the club, for everyone, but those inside the club know that it's in a really bad situation, things are very bad and it's going to be difficult to return the club to where it used to be," he added.

Lionel Messi wants to play in United States, says 'want to experience life there'

<p>Lionel Messi missed Barcelona`s return to training on Monday after being granted permission by the club to stay in Argentina, and he will also be absent from Tuesday`s La Liga match at home to Eibar.<br />
<br />
Barca said on Twitter that Messi, who is in the last year of his contract and is free to negotiate a move to rival clubs for free in 2021, would return to training after the Eibar game, meaning he will be back for their visit to Huesca on Jan. 3.<br />
<br />
The Argentine returned to his home city of Rosario via private jet immediately after scoring in his side`s 3-0 win away to Real Valladolid on Dec. 22.<br />
<br />
The Catalan club did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Messi`s absence, although Spanish media reports said it was to give the captain more time to rest in what has been a challenging season for their all-time top scorer.<br />
<br />
Messi has started 17 of Barca`s 20 games in all competitions this season and although he is their top scorer with 10 goals, it has been his worst start to a campaign in 13 seasons in terms of goals and assists.<br />
<br />
Barca`s captain said last week he had dragged the ill feeling from his attempt to leave in August into this season but was feeling happier now and was focused on helping the team, fifth in the league, challenge for trophies.</p>


Lionel Messi missed Barcelona`s return to training on Monday after being granted permission by the club to stay in Argentina, and he will also be absent from Tuesday`s La Liga match at home to Eibar.

Lionel Messi missed Barcelona`s return to training on Monday after being granted permission by the club to stay in Argentina, and he will also be absent from Tuesday`s La Liga match at home to Eibar. Barca said on Twitter that Messi, who is in the last year of his contract and is free to negotiate a move to rival clubs for free in 2021, would return to training after the Eibar game, meaning he will be back for their visit to Huesca on Jan. 3. The Argentine returned to his home city of Rosario via private jet immediately after scoring in his side`s 3-0 win away to Real Valladolid on Dec. 22. The Catalan club did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Messi`s absence, although Spanish media reports said it was to give the captain more time to rest in what has been a challenging season for their all-time top scorer. Messi has started 17 of Barca`s 20 games in all competitions this season and although he is their top scorer with 10 goals, it has been his worst start to a campaign in 13 seasons in terms of goals and assists. Barca`s captain said last week he had dragged the ill feeling from his attempt to leave in August into this season but was feeling happier now and was focused on helping the team, fifth in the league, challenge for trophies.

Lionel Messi given extended break, will miss match vs Eibar

<p>Barcelona star Lionel Messi calls himself "lucky" to have played under Pep Guardiola, who managed the Catalan giants between 2008-12. According to Leo, the Spaniard brings "something special" to coaching, comments that are likely to fuel speculation the pair could reunite at Manchester City.</p>

<p><strong>ALSO READ:&nbsp;</strong><a href="https://www.wionews.com/sports/if-salah-wants-to-go-then-we-cannot-not-hold-him-back-liverpool-boss-juergen-klopp-352581" hreflang="en">'If Salah wants to go then we cannot hold him back': Liverpool boss Juergen Klopp</a>&nbsp;</p>

<p>Messi was a key player in Guardiola's Barcelona. under Pep, the club won 14 major titles. The Argentine player is into the final few months of his current contract in Spain and has been linked with a switch to City since the manager signed a new deal that will keep him at the Premier League club until the end of the 2022-23 season.</p>

<p>"Pep has something special," Messi told Spanish television channel La Sexta.</p>

<p>"He makes you see things in one way: how he prepares for matches, defensively, how to attack ... he told you exactly how the match was going to be, how you had to attack to win.</p>

<p>"I was lucky ... to train under Guardiola and Luis Enrique, the two best. Having them made me grow a lot physically and mentally, and also the tactical wisdom they've taught me."</p>


Barcelona star Lionel Messi calls himself "lucky" to have played under Pep Guardiola, who managed the Catalan giants between 2008-12. According to Leo, the Spaniard brings "something special" to coaching, comments that are likely to fuel speculation the pair could reunite at Manchester City.

Barcelona star Lionel Messi calls himself "lucky" to have played under Pep Guardiola, who managed the Catalan giants between 2008-12. According to Leo, the Spaniard brings "something special" to coaching, comments that are likely to fuel speculation the pair could reunite at Manchester City. ALSO READ: 'If Salah wants to go then we cannot hold him back': Liverpool boss Juergen Klopp Messi was a key player in Guardiola's Barcelona. under Pep, the club won 14 major titles. The Argentine player is into the final few months of his current contract in Spain and has been linked with a switch to City since the manager signed a new deal that will keep him at the Premier League club until the end of the 2022-23 season. "Pep has something special," Messi told Spanish television channel La Sexta. "He makes you see things in one way: how he prepares for matches, defensively, how to attack ... he told you exactly how the match was going to be, how you had to attack to win. "I was lucky ... to train under Guardiola and Luis Enrique, the two best. Having them made me grow a lot physically and mentally, and also the tactical wisdom they've taught me."

'Pep has something special': Lionel Messi praises former manager, fuels transfer speculations

<p>Barcelona and Spain’s legendary defender Carles Puyol feels that Lionel Messi still has three to four years at the highest level if he doesn’t pick up a serious injury. Messi at Barcelona broke Pele’s record of scoring the most number of goals for a single club and cemented his legacy as one of the greatest of all-time even more. Messi scored his 644th goal for Barcelona while surpassing Pele’s 643 goals for Santos.</p>

<p>Puyol said that Messi, despite being 33 years old, is motivated and eager to keep going at the highest level.</p>

<p>"He is now 33 years old and takes care of himself. He is motivated and eager, and I think he has three or four years to go at this level if he is lucky enough to not have any major injuries and if he continues playing with the same desire to improve and keep winning, with that motivation. I think we still have Leo for a while," Goal.com quoted Puyol as saying.</p>

<p><strong>ALSO READ:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/sports/salah-is-happy-at-liverpool-says-klopp-352242" hreflang="en">Salah is happy at Liverpool, says Klopp</a></strong></p>

<p>Taking back on Messi’s career, where the Argentine has been at the peak for almost 15 years, Puyol said: "I am sure that talent is not enough. Talent is needed, of course, but also work and dedication, a desire to learn and be motivated to seek new challenges every day. We have seen it in Messi.</p>

<p>"He is not the same player today as he was when he started. He has been adding records and improving, he is a very complete player who can set the rhythm of the game, score free kicks, goals, give assists. He does practically everything!" he added.</p>

<p><strong>ALSO READ:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/sports/manchester-citys-gabriel-jesus-kyle-walker-test-positive-for-covid-19-to-miss-crucial-matches-352328" hreflang="en">Manchester City's Gabriel Jesus, Kyle Walker test positive for COVID-19, to miss crucial matches</a></strong></p>

<p>Puyol added that Messi has evolved over the years and became even more impressive while lauding him the “best of all time”.</p>

<p>"In the beginning, he was very good, but one of those players who you give the ball and he does his individual move. He made the difference and scored goals. He was already very good [at a young age], but over the years he has become an even more impressive player, the best of all time," he said.</p>

<p>Puyol was part of the Barcelona team when Messi made his senior debut in 2004 against Espanyol. As Messi kept on growing in stature, he brought laurels to Barcelona and made them one of the scariest sides in world football.</p>


Barcelona and Spain’s legendary defender Carles Puyol feels that Lionel Messi still has three to four years at the highest level if he doesn’t pick up a serious injury.

Barcelona and Spain’s legendary defender Carles Puyol feels that Lionel Messi still has three to four years at the highest level if he doesn’t pick up a serious injury. Messi at Barcelona broke Pele’s record of scoring the most number of goals for a single club and cemented his legacy as one of the greatest of all-time even more. Messi scored his 644th goal for Barcelona while surpassing Pele’s 643 goals for Santos. Puyol said that Messi, despite being 33 years old, is motivated and eager to keep going at the highest level. "He is now 33 years old and takes care of himself. He is motivated and eager, and I think he has three or four years to go at this level if he is lucky enough to not have any major injuries and if he continues playing with the same desire to improve and keep winning, with that motivation. I think we still have Leo for a while," Goal.com quoted Puyol as saying. ALSO READ: Salah is happy at Liverpool, says Klopp Taking back on Messi’s career, where the Argentine has been at the peak for almost 15 years, Puyol said: "I am sure that talent is not enough. Talent is needed, of course, but also work and dedication, a desire to learn and be motivated to seek new challenges every day. We have seen it in Messi. "He is not the same player today as he was when he started. He has been adding records and improving, he is a very complete player who can set the rhythm of the game, score free kicks, goals, give assists. He does practically everything!" he added. ALSO READ: Manchester City's Gabriel Jesus, Kyle Walker test positive for COVID-19, to miss crucial matches Puyol added that Messi has evolved over the years and became even more impressive while lauding him the “best of all time”. "In the beginning, he was very good, but one of those players who you give the ball and he does his individual move. He made the difference and scored goals. He was already very good [at a young age], but over the years he has become an even more impressive player, the best of all time," he said. Puyol was part of the Barcelona team when Messi made his senior debut in 2004 against Espanyol. As Messi kept on growing in stature, he brought laurels to Barcelona and made them one of the scariest sides in world football.

Lionel Messi still has 3-4 years at highest level, reckons Carles Puyol

<p>Barcelona star Lionel Messi recently broke Pele's longtime record of goals for one club on Tuesday. Barca playmaker scored 644th goal for Barcelona surpassing Pele's 643 for Santos.&nbsp;</p>

<p><strong>ALSO READ:&nbsp;</strong><a href="https://www.wionews.com/sports/premier-league-chelseas-ziyech-out-of-arsenal-clash-chilwell-james-doubtful-352108" hreflang="en">Premier League: Chelsea's Ziyech out of Arsenal clash, Chilwell, James doubtful</a></p>

<p>Beer company Budweiser has decided to celebrate Messi's achievement uniquely. The beer brand will be sending limited edition 'Messi' beer bottles to all the goalkeepers against whom he scored.&nbsp;</p>

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<p>The beer brand released a short film which was titled 'Kings aren’t made overnight'. The promo showed Lionel Messi making notes for every goalkeeper he scored against.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Messi released a statement after surpassing the record.&nbsp;</p>

<p>"20 years ago, I began a journey determined to be the best player I can be and it has taken sacrifice and hard work to score every one of the 644 goals with the help of my teammates. Hopefully, fans around the world will find inspiration in my story to commit to their craft no matter how hard the journey because everyone can achieve greatness if they believe in themselves. I’m excited to partner with Budweiser to share this journey with everyone," Messi said in a statement.</p>

<p>Messi’s former teammate, Carles Puyol said: "I have seen first-hand the hard work Messi puts into achieving greatness day in, day out. This record couldn’t have been broken without the dedication and commitment he has shown over the last 20 years and I feel privileged to have played a part in his journey to becoming the King of Football."</p>


Barcelona star Lionel Messi recently broke Pele's longtime record of goals for one club on Tuesday. Barca playmaker scored 644th goal for Barcelona surpassing Pele's 643 for Santos.

Barcelona star Lionel Messi recently broke Pele's longtime record of goals for one club on Tuesday. Barca playmaker scored 644th goal for Barcelona surpassing Pele's 643 for Santos. ALSO READ: Premier League: Chelsea's Ziyech out of Arsenal clash, Chilwell, James doubtful Beer company Budweiser has decided to celebrate Messi's achievement uniquely. The beer brand will be sending limited edition 'Messi' beer bottles to all the goalkeepers against whom he scored. × The beer brand released a short film which was titled 'Kings aren’t made overnight'. The promo showed Lionel Messi making notes for every goalkeeper he scored against. Messi released a statement after surpassing the record. "20 years ago, I began a journey determined to be the best player I can be and it has taken sacrifice and hard work to score every one of the 644 goals with the help of my teammates. Hopefully, fans around the world will find inspiration in my story to commit to their craft no matter how hard the journey because everyone can achieve greatness if they believe in themselves. I’m excited to partner with Budweiser to share this journey with everyone," Messi said in a statement. Messi’s former teammate, Carles Puyol said: "I have seen first-hand the hard work Messi puts into achieving greatness day in, day out. This record couldn’t have been broken without the dedication and commitment he has shown over the last 20 years and I feel privileged to have played a part in his journey to becoming the King of Football."

'Kings aren’t made overnight': Lionel Messi to gift Budweiser to every goalkeeper he scored against

<p>Lionel Messi overtook Pele's record of goals for a single club on Tuesday as Barcelona strolled to a 3-0 La Liga win at Real Valladolid, while Atletico Madrid kept hold of their place at the top of the table.</p>

<p>Messi struck his 644th goal for Barca, one more than Brazil legend Pele scored for Santos, in the 65th minute of a routine win for Ronald Koeman's side, who are fifth in La Liga after the win and eight points behind leaders Atletico.</p>

<p>The Argentine, who had looked out of sorts this season after trying to leave the club in the summer, was at the heart of a powerful Barca performance against admittedly poor opposition.</p>

<p>Catalan giants Barca have won three of their last four matches after two embarrassing defeats to Cadiz and Juventus earlier this month.</p>

<p>"I see Messi happy. He is working hard, and he is a very important part of our attacking game," said Koeman after the win.</p>

<p>Barca started on the front foot at the Jose Zorrilla Stadium, with Messi flashing a curling shot wide in the seventh minute and forcing a superb save from Jordi Masip in the 20th minute.</p>

<p>Barca took the lead seconds later when Messi clipped over a beautiful cross which France defender Clement Lenglet headed home.</p>

<p>Martin Braithwaite gave the away side a deserved second 14 minutes later, Messi slipping through Sergio Dest who rolled over a perfect low cross for the Danish international to tap home.</p>

<p>Messi scored the landmark goal his excellent performance deserved with a simple finish after bursting through to collect Pedri's delicate backheeled assist.</p>

<p>The easy win puts Barca two points behind Sociedad and fourth-placed Villarreal, who drew 1-1 at home with Athletic Bilbao.</p>

<h2>- Atleti stay top -</h2>

<p>Earlier second-half goals from Mario Hermoso and Marcos Llorente earned Atletico a 2-0 win away at a Sociedad team that started the fixture three points off the lead but are now six back in third after their third straight league defeat.</p>

<p>Diego Simeone's side are three clear of second-placed Real Madrid, who can move level again with their city rivals with a home win over Granada on Wednesday.</p>

<p>Atletico know that however Madrid fare that they will have played two fewer games than the reigning champions, while Sociedad have played three games more than the leaders.</p>

<p>The win was Simeone's 300th league win as Atletico coach.</p>

<p>"It's means a lot, really a lot," the Argentine said.</p>

<p>"I came here with the idea of taking Atletico to the summit of the game ... I can't thank the club enough for what they have given me."</p>

<p>Sociedad were the better side in the first half but couldn't carve a goalscoring opportunity in an opening period without a shot on target.</p>

<p>Atletico went ahead just three minutes after the break when Hermoso found himself unmarked in the area and perfectly met Yannick Carrasco's free-kick to send a header flying into the bottom corner.</p>

<p>Atletico sealed the points with 16 minutes remaining, Llorente lashing home when the ball fell to him on the edge of the area to complete a textbook away performance.</p>

<p>Sevilla are sixth, nine points behind Atletico after Suso fired them to a 1-0 win at struggling Valencia.</p>

<p>Suso gave the Andalusians the points with a thumping strike in the 81st minute after charging through to collect a Joan Jordan through ball.</p>

<p>Valencia are 13th and just a point above the relegation zone after their sixth consecutive league match without a win.&nbsp;</p>


Lionel Messi overtook Pele's record of goals for a single club on Tuesday as Barcelona strolled to a 3-0 La Liga win at Real Valladolid, while Atletico Madrid kept hold of their place at the top of the table.

Lionel Messi overtook Pele's record of goals for a single club on Tuesday as Barcelona strolled to a 3-0 La Liga win at Real Valladolid, while Atletico Madrid kept hold of their place at the top of the table. Messi struck his 644th goal for Barca, one more than Brazil legend Pele scored for Santos, in the 65th minute of a routine win for Ronald Koeman's side, who are fifth in La Liga after the win and eight points behind leaders Atletico. The Argentine, who had looked out of sorts this season after trying to leave the club in the summer, was at the heart of a powerful Barca performance against admittedly poor opposition. Catalan giants Barca have won three of their last four matches after two embarrassing defeats to Cadiz and Juventus earlier this month. "I see Messi happy. He is working hard, and he is a very important part of our attacking game," said Koeman after the win. Barca started on the front foot at the Jose Zorrilla Stadium, with Messi flashing a curling shot wide in the seventh minute and forcing a superb save from Jordi Masip in the 20th minute. Barca took the lead seconds later when Messi clipped over a beautiful cross which France defender Clement Lenglet headed home. Martin Braithwaite gave the away side a deserved second 14 minutes later, Messi slipping through Sergio Dest who rolled over a perfect low cross for the Danish international to tap home. Messi scored the landmark goal his excellent performance deserved with a simple finish after bursting through to collect Pedri's delicate backheeled assist. The easy win puts Barca two points behind Sociedad and fourth-placed Villarreal, who drew 1-1 at home with Athletic Bilbao. - Atleti stay top - Earlier second-half goals from Mario Hermoso and Marcos Llorente earned Atletico a 2-0 win away at a Sociedad team that started the fixture three points off the lead but are now six back in third after their third straight league defeat. Diego Simeone's side are three clear of second-placed Real Madrid, who can move level again with their city rivals with a home win over Granada on Wednesday. Atletico know that however Madrid fare that they will have played two fewer games than the reigning champions, while Sociedad have played three games more than the leaders. The win was Simeone's 300th league win as Atletico coach. "It's means a lot, really a lot," the Argentine said. "I came here with the idea of taking Atletico to the summit of the game ... I can't thank the club enough for what they have given me." Sociedad were the better side in the first half but couldn't carve a goalscoring opportunity in an opening period without a shot on target. Atletico went ahead just three minutes after the break when Hermoso found himself unmarked in the area and perfectly met Yannick Carrasco's free-kick to send a header flying into the bottom corner. Atletico sealed the points with 16 minutes remaining, Llorente lashing home when the ball fell to him on the edge of the area to complete a textbook away performance. Sevilla are sixth, nine points behind Atletico after Suso fired them to a 1-0 win at struggling Valencia. Suso gave the Andalusians the points with a thumping strike in the 81st minute after charging through to collect a Joan Jordan through ball. Valencia are 13th and just a point above the relegation zone after their sixth consecutive league match without a win.

Messi overtakes Pele's goal record as Atletico cement Liga lead

Lionel Messi, Gerd Müller, Pele: Players with most goals scored for one club

<p>Barcelona megastar Lionel Messi continues to shatter the record books and achieved an iconic milestone on Tuesday as he surpassed Pele’s record of scoring most goals for a single club. Messi helped Barcelona win 3-0 against Valladolid in La Liga and also surpassed the landmark in his trophy-laden career.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Messi scored his 664th goal for the La Liga giants on Tuesday and surpassed Pele’s record of 643 goals for Brazilian club Santos from 1956 to 1974. After surpassing Pele’s record, Messi took to social media platform Instagram to share a heartfelt post as he thanked his family, teammates and his well-wishers.</p>

<p>"When I started playing football, I never thought I would break any records, especially the one I broke today, which was Pele's. I can only thank everyone who's helped me all these years, my teammates, my family, my friends, and everyone who supports me every day," Messi wrote in an Instagram post on Wednesday.</p>

<p><strong>ALSO READ:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/sports/messi-overtakes-peles-goal-record-as-atletico-cement-liga-lead-351743" hreflang="en">Messi overtakes Pele's goal record as Atletico cement Liga lead</a></strong></p>

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<p>While Messi scored 644 goals in 749 matches, Pele was far quicker in getting to the milestone as he took just 655 matches for Santon to score 643 goals. Messi netted his first Barca goal in 2015 and has gone on to play 17 seasons with the Catalan giants. The Argentine maestro has won 10 La Liga titles and four UEFA Champions League trophies with Barcelona.&nbsp;</p>

<p><strong>ALSO READ:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/photos/from-nba-to-super-bowl-heres-complete-list-of-winners-in-2020-350549" hreflang="en">From NBA to Super Bowl: Here's complete list of winners in 2020</a></strong></p>

<p>Recently when Messi equalised Pele’s record, the Brazilian lavished praises on the Barcelona star.</p>

<p>"Congratulations on your historical record, Lionel. But above all, congratulations on your beautiful career at Barcelona. Stories like ours, of loving the same club for so long, unfortunately will be ever rarer in football. I admire you a lot," Pele wrote in a social media post.</p>

<p><br />
&nbsp;</p>


Barcelona megastar Lionel Messi continues to shatter the record books and achieved an iconic milestone on Tuesday as he surpassed Pele’s record of scoring most goals for a single club.

Barcelona megastar Lionel Messi continues to shatter the record books and achieved an iconic milestone on Tuesday as he surpassed Pele’s record of scoring most goals for a single club. Messi helped Barcelona win 3-0 against Valladolid in La Liga and also surpassed the landmark in his trophy-laden career. Messi scored his 664th goal for the La Liga giants on Tuesday and surpassed Pele’s record of 643 goals for Brazilian club Santos from 1956 to 1974. After surpassing Pele’s record, Messi took to social media platform Instagram to share a heartfelt post as he thanked his family, teammates and his well-wishers. "When I started playing football, I never thought I would break any records, especially the one I broke today, which was Pele's. I can only thank everyone who's helped me all these years, my teammates, my family, my friends, and everyone who supports me every day," Messi wrote in an Instagram post on Wednesday. ALSO READ: Messi overtakes Pele's goal record as Atletico cement Liga lead View this post on Instagram A post shared by Leo Messi (@leomessi) × While Messi scored 644 goals in 749 matches, Pele was far quicker in getting to the milestone as he took just 655 matches for Santon to score 643 goals. Messi netted his first Barca goal in 2015 and has gone on to play 17 seasons with the Catalan giants. The Argentine maestro has won 10 La Liga titles and four UEFA Champions League trophies with Barcelona. ALSO READ: From NBA to Super Bowl: Here's complete list of winners in 2020 Recently when Messi equalised Pele’s record, the Brazilian lavished praises on the Barcelona star. "Congratulations on your historical record, Lionel. But above all, congratulations on your beautiful career at Barcelona. Stories like ours, of loving the same club for so long, unfortunately will be ever rarer in football. I admire you a lot," Pele wrote in a social media post.

Lionel Messi posts heartfelt message after breaking Pele's all-time goalscoring record

<p>Brazilian football great Pele congratulated Lionel Messi for equalling his record of scoring most goals for a single club on Saturday.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Messi was lucky to get his record-equalling feat as he initially missed a penalty but Jordi Alba kept the ball alive and deflected the cross which was headed home by the Argentine.</p>

<p>“When your heart overflows with love, it is difficult to change your path. Like you, I know what it’s like to love wearing the same shirt every day,” Pele, the only player to win the World Cup three times, wrote on Instagram.</p>

<p>“Like you, I know that there is nothing better than the place we feel at home. Congratulations on your historic record, Lionel. But above all, congratulations on your beautiful career at Barcelona.</p>

<p>“Stories like ours, of loving the same club for so long, unfortunately, will be increasingly rare in football. I admire you very much.”</p>

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<p>In a duel of legends, Messi has taken several more games to dismount the Brazilian superhero as Pele had scored 643 goals in 665 games for Santos, while Messi took 748 matches to reach the tally.</p>

<p>Pele who debuted for Santos aged 15 had joined the club in 1956 and played until 1974 as Brazil became multiple world champions. The Brazilian star helped Santos clinch six national league titles and two Copa Libertadores Cup.</p>

<p>Messi joined Barcelona aged 17 in 2004 and has helped win the club 10 La Liga titles and four Champions Leagues.</p>

<p>Barcelona is currently eight points behind leaders Atletico Madrid who beat Elche 3-1 to maintain their supremacy.</p>


Brazilian football great Pele congratulated Lionel Messi for equalling his record of scoring most goals for a single club on Saturday. Messi was lucky to get his record-equalling feat as he initially missed a penalty but Jordi Alba kept the ball alive and deflected the cross which was headed home by the Argentine.

Brazilian football great Pele congratulated Lionel Messi for equalling his record of scoring most goals for a single club on Saturday. Messi was lucky to get his record-equalling feat as he initially missed a penalty but Jordi Alba kept the ball alive and deflected the cross which was headed home by the Argentine. “When your heart overflows with love, it is difficult to change your path. Like you, I know what it’s like to love wearing the same shirt every day,” Pele, the only player to win the World Cup three times, wrote on Instagram. “Like you, I know that there is nothing better than the place we feel at home. Congratulations on your historic record, Lionel. But above all, congratulations on your beautiful career at Barcelona. “Stories like ours, of loving the same club for so long, unfortunately, will be increasingly rare in football. I admire you very much.” View this post on Instagram A post shared by Pelé (@pele) × In a duel of legends, Messi has taken several more games to dismount the Brazilian superhero as Pele had scored 643 goals in 665 games for Santos, while Messi took 748 matches to reach the tally. Pele who debuted for Santos aged 15 had joined the club in 1956 and played until 1974 as Brazil became multiple world champions. The Brazilian star helped Santos clinch six national league titles and two Copa Libertadores Cup. Messi joined Barcelona aged 17 in 2004 and has helped win the club 10 La Liga titles and four Champions Leagues. Barcelona is currently eight points behind leaders Atletico Madrid who beat Elche 3-1 to maintain their supremacy.

'I admire you very much': Pele congratulates Lionel Messi for equalling goal record

<p>Brazil's Pele is considered as one of the best footballers in the world. His records have been almost unbeatable.&nbsp;</p>

<p><strong>Also read:&nbsp;</strong><a href="https://www.wionews.com/sports/court-rules-maradonas-body-must-be-conserved-350385" hreflang="en">Court rules Maradona's body 'must be conserved'</a></p>

<p>The Brazilian has had a prolific career with both club and country. However, two of the greats in modern football Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo near two of the greatest records held by Pele.&nbsp;</p>

<p><strong>Also read:&nbsp;</strong><a href="https://www.wionews.com/sports/i-love-you-diego-pele-pens-emotional-letter-for-maradona-347295" hreflang="en">'I love you, Diego': Pele pens emotional letter for Maradona</a></p>

<p>Barcelona star Lionel Messi is just one goal away from surpassing Pele's record for most goals scored for a single club ever. The Brazilian found the net 643 times with Santos, over the course of 18 seasons, whereas, Six-time Ballon d'Or winner Messi has netted 642 goals for Barça across all competitions following his strike in last week's 1-0 victory over Levante.</p>

<p><strong>IN PICS:&nbsp;</strong><a href="https://www.wionews.com/photos/from-ban-to-ballon-dor-world-cup-winner-paolo-rossis-prolific-career-348798" hreflang="en">From ban to Ballon d'Or: World Cup-winner Paolo Rossi's prolific career</a></p>

<p>Juventus star Cristiano Ronaldo, on the other hand, nears one of the most significant record held by Pele. The Portuguese is just four goals away from surpassing Pele's official goals scored tally. Pele has smashed 767 goals for country and club, whereas, Juve star Ronaldo has scored 763 goals. Lionel Messi is not far behind in the list as he has scored 713 goals for Barcelona and Argentina.&nbsp;</p>


Brazil's Pele is considered as one of the best footballers in the world. His records have been almost unbeatable. Also read: Court rules Maradona's body 'must be conserved' The Brazilian has had a prolific career with both club and country.

Brazil's Pele is considered as one of the best footballers in the world. His records have been almost unbeatable. Also read: Court rules Maradona's body 'must be conserved' The Brazilian has had a prolific career with both club and country. However, two of the greats in modern football Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo near two of the greatest records held by Pele. Also read: 'I love you, Diego': Pele pens emotional letter for Maradona Barcelona star Lionel Messi is just one goal away from surpassing Pele's record for most goals scored for a single club ever. The Brazilian found the net 643 times with Santos, over the course of 18 seasons, whereas, Six-time Ballon d'Or winner Messi has netted 642 goals for Barça across all competitions following his strike in last week's 1-0 victory over Levante. IN PICS: From ban to Ballon d'Or: World Cup-winner Paolo Rossi's prolific career Juventus star Cristiano Ronaldo, on the other hand, nears one of the most significant record held by Pele. The Portuguese is just four goals away from surpassing Pele's official goals scored tally. Pele has smashed 767 goals for country and club, whereas, Juve star Ronaldo has scored 763 goals. Lionel Messi is not far behind in the list as he has scored 713 goals for Barcelona and Argentina.

Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo near couple of significant records held by Pele

<p>Robert Lewandowski is confident of being named FIFA's best male footballer on Thursday on the strength of his 55-goal haul to help Bayern Munich win the treble last season.</p>

<p>The Poland striker, Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo are shortlisted in the men's category for FIFA's 'The Best' awards.&nbsp;</p>

<p>"We were the best, there's no doubt about that," Lewandowski said on Wednesday ahead of the online ceremony at FIFA headquarters in Zurich.</p>

<p>After a season "when you've scored a lot of goals and won everything, I don't think there's anyone I can compare myself to," the 32-year-old added confidently.</p>

<p>His goals helped Bayern lift the Bundesliga, German Cup and Champions League trophies in 2019/20 as top-scorer in all three competitions.</p>

<p>Lewandowski has already been named the footballer of the year for Germany and Europe.</p>

<p>Croatia's Luka Modric, voted 'The Best' FIFA men's footballer in 2018, is the only player to have broken Ronaldo and Messi's domination since 2008.</p>

<p>Ronaldo has been voted player of the year five times, one less than Messi.</p>

<p>Can the Poland striker - who team-mate Thomas Mueller has dubbed 'LewanGOALski' - break the mould?</p>

<p>"There's no one who deserves it as much as Robert," said Bayern boss Hansi Flick, who is shortlisted for coach of the year alongside Liverpool's Jurgen Klopp and Leeds boss Marcelo Bielsa.</p>

<p>Bayern captain Manuel Neuer - who along with Jan Oblak and Alisson Becker is up for the best male goalkeeper award - says Lewandowski is "unique".</p>

<p>"I'm really happy to have him in my team - and not to have to play against him," Neuer quipped.</p>

<p>The various category winners will be decided by the votes of the captains and head coaches of all the national teams, plus more than 200 media representatives, while fans can also vote.</p>

<p>England's Lucy Bronze, Pernille Harder of Chelsea and French defender Wendie Renard are in the running for the women's award.</p>

<p>However, Bayern players are only too aware of the dangers of getting their hopes up.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Former Munich winger Franck Ribery was crestfallen in 2013 - when Bayern also won the treble - to have been voted third behind Ronaldo and Messi.</p>

<p>A year later, Neuer had to settle for third behind the superstars despite outstanding displays to help Germany win the 2014 World Cup.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Lewandowski scored in Bayern's 8-2 thrashing of Barcelona in the quarter-finals of the Champions League in August with Messi on the losing team.</p>

<p>A footballer from a Bundesliga club has never been voted as the world's best player.</p>

<p>Lothar Matthaeus, the only German voted FIFA world player of the year, was at Inter Milan when he achieved the feat in 1991.</p>

<p>Lewandowski would not be surprised if Messi wins it again on Thursday, adding: "we'll have to wait 100 years until someone like him is born again".</p>


Robert Lewandowski is confident of being named FIFA's best male footballer on Thursday on the strength of his 55-goal haul to help Bayern Munich win the treble last season.

Robert Lewandowski is confident of being named FIFA's best male footballer on Thursday on the strength of his 55-goal haul to help Bayern Munich win the treble last season. The Poland striker, Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo are shortlisted in the men's category for FIFA's 'The Best' awards. "We were the best, there's no doubt about that," Lewandowski said on Wednesday ahead of the online ceremony at FIFA headquarters in Zurich. After a season "when you've scored a lot of goals and won everything, I don't think there's anyone I can compare myself to," the 32-year-old added confidently. His goals helped Bayern lift the Bundesliga, German Cup and Champions League trophies in 2019/20 as top-scorer in all three competitions. Lewandowski has already been named the footballer of the year for Germany and Europe. Croatia's Luka Modric, voted 'The Best' FIFA men's footballer in 2018, is the only player to have broken Ronaldo and Messi's domination since 2008. Ronaldo has been voted player of the year five times, one less than Messi. Can the Poland striker - who team-mate Thomas Mueller has dubbed 'LewanGOALski' - break the mould? "There's no one who deserves it as much as Robert," said Bayern boss Hansi Flick, who is shortlisted for coach of the year alongside Liverpool's Jurgen Klopp and Leeds boss Marcelo Bielsa. Bayern captain Manuel Neuer - who along with Jan Oblak and Alisson Becker is up for the best male goalkeeper award - says Lewandowski is "unique". "I'm really happy to have him in my team - and not to have to play against him," Neuer quipped. The various category winners will be decided by the votes of the captains and head coaches of all the national teams, plus more than 200 media representatives, while fans can also vote. England's Lucy Bronze, Pernille Harder of Chelsea and French defender Wendie Renard are in the running for the women's award. However, Bayern players are only too aware of the dangers of getting their hopes up. Former Munich winger Franck Ribery was crestfallen in 2013 - when Bayern also won the treble - to have been voted third behind Ronaldo and Messi. A year later, Neuer had to settle for third behind the superstars despite outstanding displays to help Germany win the 2014 World Cup. Lewandowski scored in Bayern's 8-2 thrashing of Barcelona in the quarter-finals of the Champions League in August with Messi on the losing team. A footballer from a Bundesliga club has never been voted as the world's best player. Lothar Matthaeus, the only German voted FIFA world player of the year, was at Inter Milan when he achieved the feat in 1991. Lewandowski would not be surprised if Messi wins it again on Thursday, adding: "we'll have to wait 100 years until someone like him is born again".

Lewandowski hopes to break Messi, Ronaldo monopoly as world's 'Best'

<p>French giants Paris Saint-Germain have told their stores around the French capital to gear up for a growth in business around shirt sales as PSG grow confident of signing Lionel Messi from Barcelona on a free transfer in the summer transfer window of 2021, according to Football Transfers.</p>

<p>Messi, in 2020, publicly cleared that he is unhappy at Barcelona after staying at Camp Nou for two decades. He was on the verge of leaving Barcelona in summer before legal obligations made him to stay at the Catalan club.</p>

<p>The six-time Ballon d’Or winner is out of contract at the end of 2020-21 season and is likely to not pen a new deal.</p>

<p><strong>ALSO READ:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/sports/under-fire-arteta-vows-to-stop-arsenal-blip-349985" hreflang="en">Under-fire Arteta vows to stop Arsenal 'blip'</a></strong></p>

<p>Barcelona officials have admitted that Messi will require to take a pay cut if he wants to remain at the club with their poor run of form on the pitch pushing Messi away from the Blaugrana.</p>

<p>PSG, along with Manchester City are one of the two clubs ready to pounce on Messi if he decides to move next summer.&nbsp;</p>

<p>PSG have told their partner stores to get ready for a flood of interest ahead of the once in a lifetime deal.</p>

<p>However, it would be interesting to see whether Neymar leaves his no. 10 jersey for Messi if PSG manage to sign the Argentine.</p>

<p><strong>ALSO READ:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/photos/from-taking-the-knee-to-joining-protests-athletes-who-contributed-to-black-lives-matter-movement-349554" hreflang="en">From taking the knee to joining protests: Athletes who contributed to 'Black Lives Matter' movement</a></strong></p>

<p>PSG signing Messi would mean that the French club would be able to field the blockbuster troika of Neymar, Mbappe and Messi and fight more for their dream of lifting the UEFA Champions League.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Before that, PSG will have to face Messi in Barcelona jersey after the two teams were pitted against each other in the Round of 16 of UEFA Champions League 2020-21 season.</p>


French giants Paris Saint-Germain have told their stores around the French capital to gear up for a growth in business around shirt sales as PSG grow confident of signing Lionel Messi from Barcelona on a free transfer in the summer transfer window of 2021, according to Football Transfers.

French giants Paris Saint-Germain have told their stores around the French capital to gear up for a growth in business around shirt sales as PSG grow confident of signing Lionel Messi from Barcelona on a free transfer in the summer transfer window of 2021, according to Football Transfers. Messi, in 2020, publicly cleared that he is unhappy at Barcelona after staying at Camp Nou for two decades. He was on the verge of leaving Barcelona in summer before legal obligations made him to stay at the Catalan club. The six-time Ballon d’Or winner is out of contract at the end of 2020-21 season and is likely to not pen a new deal. ALSO READ: Under-fire Arteta vows to stop Arsenal 'blip' Barcelona officials have admitted that Messi will require to take a pay cut if he wants to remain at the club with their poor run of form on the pitch pushing Messi away from the Blaugrana. PSG, along with Manchester City are one of the two clubs ready to pounce on Messi if he decides to move next summer. PSG have told their partner stores to get ready for a flood of interest ahead of the once in a lifetime deal. However, it would be interesting to see whether Neymar leaves his no. 10 jersey for Messi if PSG manage to sign the Argentine. ALSO READ: From taking the knee to joining protests: Athletes who contributed to 'Black Lives Matter' movement PSG signing Messi would mean that the French club would be able to field the blockbuster troika of Neymar, Mbappe and Messi and fight more for their dream of lifting the UEFA Champions League. Before that, PSG will have to face Messi in Barcelona jersey after the two teams were pitted against each other in the Round of 16 of UEFA Champions League 2020-21 season.

Lionel Messi to PSG? French club tell stores to be ready for blockbuster announcement

<p>Lionel Messi saved Barcelona from another embarrassing result by scoring the decisive goal in a 1-0 win over lowly Levante, while Real Sociedad returned top of La Liga on Sunday.</p>

<p>Messi struck with 14 minutes remaining of a lacklustre display from Barca at the Camp Nou which will do little to ease fan fears following their 3-0 hammering at the hands of Juventus midweek.</p>

<p>Ronald Koeman's side are still way off the pace in the title race, nine points behind Sociedad who reclaimed first place despite only drawing 1-1 with Eibar.</p>

<p>Barcelona do however have two games in hand on the Basque outfit.</p>

<p>Atletico are level on 26 points with Sociedad and also have two games in hand while Real Madrid are now just three points behind the leaders having played one less after beating their local rivals 2-0 on Saturday.</p>

<p>Villarreal are four points off the lead in fourth after drawing 1-1 at Real Betis, who are one point behind Barca in ninth.</p>

<p>"The team is working well, they gave the maximum," said Koeman.</p>

<p>"We still lack a little confidence in ourselves, in our game, but we had a lot of chances, and I have nothing to say about the attitude of the players in this match."</p>

<p>Barca managed to force several saves from Aitor Fernandez, with the Levante goalkeeper doing particularly well to push away a stinging shot from Martin Braithwaite in the 16th minute and Antoine Griezmann's header five minutes later.</p>

<p>However the best chance of the opening period fell to Jorge de Frutos in the 12th minute, the Spaniard somehow shooting straight at Marc-Andre ter Stegen after the ball broke kindly for him right in front of goal.</p>

<h2>- Messi saves day -</h2>

<p>Barca continued to dominate possession in the second half but if anything looked less threatening, with Fernandez being called into action largely for shots that were hit straight at him.</p>

<p>However with Levante looking more comfortable than a side of their level should at the Camp Nou, Messi saved his team with a clinical finish off the post after collecting Frenkie de Jong's pass.</p>

<p>It was hardly the sort of display to honour Sergio Busquets' 593rd appearance for the club, which takes him level at fourth of all time for matches played for Barca alongside Carles Puyol.</p>

<p>However the three points are a boost ahead of the visit of Sociedad on Wednesday, which is then followed up by another home clash with Valencia on Saturday.</p>

<p>Earlier Ander Barrenetxea gave Real Sociedad the lead in San Sebastian with a thumping strike in the 20th minute, but Sergi Enrich turned home with 25 minutes remaining to send his team 10th on 15 points.</p>

<p>Sociedad would have had a bigger gap between them and Atletico had Igor Zubeldia's 80th-minute tap-in not been ruled out by VAR for an extremely tight offside.</p>

<p>Sunday's draw was Sociedad's sixth in as many games in all competitions, and came after another 1-1 draw at Napoli on Thursday which saw them squeeze into the last 32 of the Europa League.</p>

<p>Granada won 1-0 at Elche in Sunday's other match, a win that keeps them one point ahead of Barcelona.</p>


Lionel Messi saved Barcelona from another embarrassing result by scoring the decisive goal in a 1-0 win over lowly Levante, while Real Sociedad returned top of La Liga on Sunday.

Lionel Messi saved Barcelona from another embarrassing result by scoring the decisive goal in a 1-0 win over lowly Levante, while Real Sociedad returned top of La Liga on Sunday. Messi struck with 14 minutes remaining of a lacklustre display from Barca at the Camp Nou which will do little to ease fan fears following their 3-0 hammering at the hands of Juventus midweek. Ronald Koeman's side are still way off the pace in the title race, nine points behind Sociedad who reclaimed first place despite only drawing 1-1 with Eibar. Barcelona do however have two games in hand on the Basque outfit. Atletico are level on 26 points with Sociedad and also have two games in hand while Real Madrid are now just three points behind the leaders having played one less after beating their local rivals 2-0 on Saturday. Villarreal are four points off the lead in fourth after drawing 1-1 at Real Betis, who are one point behind Barca in ninth. "The team is working well, they gave the maximum," said Koeman. "We still lack a little confidence in ourselves, in our game, but we had a lot of chances, and I have nothing to say about the attitude of the players in this match." Barca managed to force several saves from Aitor Fernandez, with the Levante goalkeeper doing particularly well to push away a stinging shot from Martin Braithwaite in the 16th minute and Antoine Griezmann's header five minutes later. However the best chance of the opening period fell to Jorge de Frutos in the 12th minute, the Spaniard somehow shooting straight at Marc-Andre ter Stegen after the ball broke kindly for him right in front of goal. - Messi saves day - Barca continued to dominate possession in the second half but if anything looked less threatening, with Fernandez being called into action largely for shots that were hit straight at him. However with Levante looking more comfortable than a side of their level should at the Camp Nou, Messi saved his team with a clinical finish off the post after collecting Frenkie de Jong's pass. It was hardly the sort of display to honour Sergio Busquets' 593rd appearance for the club, which takes him level at fourth of all time for matches played for Barca alongside Carles Puyol. However the three points are a boost ahead of the visit of Sociedad on Wednesday, which is then followed up by another home clash with Valencia on Saturday. Earlier Ander Barrenetxea gave Real Sociedad the lead in San Sebastian with a thumping strike in the 20th minute, but Sergi Enrich turned home with 25 minutes remaining to send his team 10th on 15 points. Sociedad would have had a bigger gap between them and Atletico had Igor Zubeldia's 80th-minute tap-in not been ruled out by VAR for an extremely tight offside. Sunday's draw was Sociedad's sixth in as many games in all competitions, and came after another 1-1 draw at Napoli on Thursday which saw them squeeze into the last 32 of the Europa League. Granada won 1-0 at Elche in Sunday's other match, a win that keeps them one point ahead of Barcelona.

Messi saves lacklustre Barca, Sociedad reclaim top spot

<p>Juventus' Cristiano Ronaldo, Barcelona's Lionel Messi and Bayern Munich's Robert Lewandowski have been announced as the finalists for the Best FIFA Men's Player 2020 award.&nbsp;</p>

<p><strong>Also read:&nbsp;</strong><a href="https://www.wionews.com/sports/manchester-united-need-derby-bounce-back-after-european-exit-348898" hreflang="en">Manchester United need derby bounce back after European exit</a></p>

<p>All three strikers have had a prolific season. Cristiano Ronaldo had a great season with Juventus. He won the Serie A and was the second-highest goal scorer of the season. Lewandowski, on the other hand, played a crucial role in Bayern Munich's treble. Barcelona star Lionel Messi did not have a great season in terms of silverware, however, he still went on to win the record-extending seventh golden boot in La Liga.&nbsp;</p>

<p>FIFA also announced the finalists for Best FIFA Men's Goalkeeper award. Liverpool's Alisson Becker, Bayern Munich's Manuel Neuer, and Atletico Madrid's Jan Oblak have been shortlisted.&nbsp;</p>

<p>For FIFA Men's Coach award, Liverpool's Jurgen Klopp, Bayern Munich's Hansi Flick, and Leeds United's Marcelo Bielsa are named the finalists.&nbsp;</p>

<p><strong>The shortlisted candidates for the remaining categories are as follows:</strong></p>

<p><strong>The Best FIFA Women's Player:</strong> Lucy Bronze (England / Olympique Lyonnais / Manchester City WFC), Pernille Harder (Denmark / VfL Wolfsburg / Chelsea FC Women) and Wendie Renard (France / Olympique Lyonnais)</p>

<p><strong>The Best FIFA Women's Goalkeeper:</strong> Sarah Bouhaddi (France / Olympique Lyonnais), Christiane Endler (Chile / Paris Saint-Germain), Alyssa Naeher (USA / Chicago Red Stars)</p>

<p><strong>The Best FIFA Women's Coach:</strong> Emma Hayes (England / Chelsea FC Women), Jean-Luc Vasseur (France / Olympique Lyonnais), Sarina Wiegman (Netherlands / Dutch national team).</p>

<p>FIFA said that all winners, including those of the FIFA Fan Award and the FIFA Fair Play Award, will be crowned on December 17.</p>


Juventus' Cristiano Ronaldo, Barcelona's Lionel Messi and Bayern Munich's Robert Lewandowski have been announced as the finalists for the Best FIFA Men's Player 2020 award.

Juventus' Cristiano Ronaldo, Barcelona's Lionel Messi and Bayern Munich's Robert Lewandowski have been announced as the finalists for the Best FIFA Men's Player 2020 award. Also read: Manchester United need derby bounce back after European exit All three strikers have had a prolific season. Cristiano Ronaldo had a great season with Juventus. He won the Serie A and was the second-highest goal scorer of the season. Lewandowski, on the other hand, played a crucial role in Bayern Munich's treble. Barcelona star Lionel Messi did not have a great season in terms of silverware, however, he still went on to win the record-extending seventh golden boot in La Liga. FIFA also announced the finalists for Best FIFA Men's Goalkeeper award. Liverpool's Alisson Becker, Bayern Munich's Manuel Neuer, and Atletico Madrid's Jan Oblak have been shortlisted. For FIFA Men's Coach award, Liverpool's Jurgen Klopp, Bayern Munich's Hansi Flick, and Leeds United's Marcelo Bielsa are named the finalists. The shortlisted candidates for the remaining categories are as follows: The Best FIFA Women's Player: Lucy Bronze (England / Olympique Lyonnais / Manchester City WFC), Pernille Harder (Denmark / VfL Wolfsburg / Chelsea FC Women) and Wendie Renard (France / Olympique Lyonnais) The Best FIFA Women's Goalkeeper: Sarah Bouhaddi (France / Olympique Lyonnais), Christiane Endler (Chile / Paris Saint-Germain), Alyssa Naeher (USA / Chicago Red Stars) The Best FIFA Women's Coach: Emma Hayes (England / Chelsea FC Women), Jean-Luc Vasseur (France / Olympique Lyonnais), Sarina Wiegman (Netherlands / Dutch national team). FIFA said that all winners, including those of the FIFA Fan Award and the FIFA Fair Play Award, will be crowned on December 17.

Ronaldo, Messi, Lewandowski: FIFA announces the finalists of Men's Player 2020 award

<p>Italian giants Juventus had the last laugh against Barcelona on the pitch and in the social media after Ronaldo's brace helped them beat the Catalan club 3-0 at Camp Nuo on Tuesday.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Juventus wasted no time in trolling Barcelona after the Spanish club took a cheeky swipe at them in October when Barcelona defeated the Italian club in Turin. Messi scored one of the two goals in the match, after which the club took to Twitter to share their skipper's photo and wrote: "We are glad you were able to see the (goat) on your pitch, @juventusfcen!"</p>

<div class="ui-state-default" contenteditable="false">
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<p dir="ltr" lang="en">We are glad you were able to see the 🐐 on your pitch, <a href="https://twitter.com/juventusfcen?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@juventusfcen</a>! 😘 <a href="https://t.co/yh74wh0lNJ">pic.twitter.com/yh74wh0lNJ</a></p>
— FC Barcelona (@FCBarcelona) <a href="https://twitter.com/FCBarcelona/status/1321573012894896133?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 28, 2020</a></blockquote>
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<p>Juventus replied at the time with a simple message: "You probably looked it up in the wrong dictionary. We'll bring you the right one at Camp Nou."</p>

<div class="ui-state-default" contenteditable="false">
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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
<p dir="ltr" lang="en">You probably looked it up in the wrong dictionary. We'll bring you the right one at Camp Nou 🔍📖</p>
— JuventusFC (@juventusfcen) <a href="https://twitter.com/juventusfcen/status/1321589740542562304?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 28, 2020</a></blockquote>
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<p>Well, Ronaldo missed the previous fixture after he was tested for COVID-19. However, he returned for the reverse fixture at Camp Nou. The Portuguese star was booed as he landed into Barcelona. Ronaldo went on to score two crucial penalties to but the Italian side at the front.&nbsp;</p>

<p>After Ronaldo's performance, Juventus took to Twitter and wrote: "We kept our word: we brought it!"</p>

<div class="ui-state-default" contenteditable="false">
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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
<p dir="ltr" lang="en">We kept our word: we brought it! 📖🐐🔥 <a href="https://t.co/EMOPTzYEFx">https://t.co/EMOPTzYEFx</a> <a href="https://t.co/mqr5aKA5cC">pic.twitter.com/mqr5aKA5cC</a></p>
— JuventusFC (@juventusfcen) <a href="https://twitter.com/juventusfcen/status/1336435446050643968?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 8, 2020</a></blockquote>
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<p>Last time Ronaldo and Messi met on the pitch was back in 2018. The Portuguese superstar took to Twitter after the match to share his delight in playing at the Camp Nou again and "against one of the best teams I ever faced."</p>

<p>"Always great to return to Spain and to Catalunya, always hard to play in Camp Nou against one of the best teams I ever faced.</p>

<p>"Today we were a team of Champions [sic]! A true, strong and united family! Playing like this, we have nothing to fear until the end of the season... Let's go!"</p>


Italian giants Juventus had the last laugh against Barcelona on the pitch and in the social media after Ronaldo's brace helped them beat the Catalan club 3-0 at Camp Nuo on Tuesday.

Italian giants Juventus had the last laugh against Barcelona on the pitch and in the social media after Ronaldo's brace helped them beat the Catalan club 3-0 at Camp Nuo on Tuesday. Juventus wasted no time in trolling Barcelona after the Spanish club took a cheeky swipe at them in October when Barcelona defeated the Italian club in Turin. Messi scored one of the two goals in the match, after which the club took to Twitter to share their skipper's photo and wrote: "We are glad you were able to see the (goat) on your pitch, @juventusfcen!" We are glad you were able to see the 🐐 on your pitch, @juventusfcen! 😘 pic.twitter.com/yh74wh0lNJ — FC Barcelona (@FCBarcelona) October 28, 2020 × Juventus replied at the time with a simple message: "You probably looked it up in the wrong dictionary. We'll bring you the right one at Camp Nou." You probably looked it up in the wrong dictionary. We'll bring you the right one at Camp Nou 🔍📖 — JuventusFC (@juventusfcen) October 28, 2020 × Well, Ronaldo missed the previous fixture after he was tested for COVID-19. However, he returned for the reverse fixture at Camp Nou. The Portuguese star was booed as he landed into Barcelona. Ronaldo went on to score two crucial penalties to but the Italian side at the front. After Ronaldo's performance, Juventus took to Twitter and wrote: "We kept our word: we brought it!" We kept our word: we brought it! 📖🐐🔥 https://t.co/EMOPTzYEFx pic.twitter.com/mqr5aKA5cC — JuventusFC (@juventusfcen) December 8, 2020 × Last time Ronaldo and Messi met on the pitch was back in 2018. The Portuguese superstar took to Twitter after the match to share his delight in playing at the Camp Nou again and "against one of the best teams I ever faced." "Always great to return to Spain and to Catalunya, always hard to play in Camp Nou against one of the best teams I ever faced. "Today we were a team of Champions [sic]! A true, strong and united family! Playing like this, we have nothing to fear until the end of the season... Let's go!"

'We kept our word': Juventus bring back Twitter banter after Messi vs Ronaldo battle

<p>Barcelona coach Ronald Koeman on Friday expressed his annoyance with interim&nbsp;president Carles Tusquets who on Thursday said that Barca should have sold Lionel Messi in the summer transfer window given the dire financial situation of the club.&nbsp;</p>

<p>"The comments from outside do not interest me and those from inside the club do not help us to have the tranquillity to do our job, which is to win the games," Koeman said at a press conference ahead of Saturday's Liga game against Cadiz.&nbsp;</p>

<p>"We cannot control the statements from outside, but those from inside the club, I believe that it is different," he said.</p>

<p>Tusquets of Thursday said that "economically speaking, I would have sold Messi in the summer. Economically speaking, it would have been desirable".</p>

<p>Messi wanted to leave Barcelona in the summer transfer window after submitting an official request.</p>

<p>However, he backed down saying he doesn’t want to hurt Barcelona and the fans. He will be allowed to leave for free in 2021.&nbsp;</p>

<p><strong>ALSO READ:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/sports/24-billion-tokyo-olympics-to-cost-whopping-sum-over-postponed-games-347454" hreflang="en">$2.4 billion! Tokyo Olympics to cost whopping sum over postponed Games</a></strong></p>

<p>Koeman said he considered Tusquets' statements "a personal opinion and I respect any opinion, but Leo has this season with Barca and he will decide his future. Hopefully it will be here". &nbsp;</p>

<p>"We know Leo's situation and he is the one who must decide his future.</p>

<p>"I don't know any more about figures, it's not my job. My job is to prepare the team, play well and win," said Koeman.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Earlier this week, PSG star Neymar said he would like to have a reunion with Messi after leaving the Catalan club for a world record deal in 2017.</p>

<p><strong>ALSO READ:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/sports/arsenal-win-on-fans-return-to-top-level-football-in-england-347421" hreflang="en">Arsenal win on fans' return to top level football in England</a></strong></p>

<p>"What I want most is to have fun with him on the pitch again," Neymar told ESPN. "I want to play with him for sure. Next year we have to do it."</p>

<p>However, Tusquets has ruled out buying back Neymar. PSG are one of the candidates to sign Messi from Camp Nou but Manchester City remain favourites to sign the Argentine.</p>

<p>Messi and Neymar played together for Barca and when asked whether he would like to have the duo in the club again, Koeman said:</p>

<p>"I don't like to talk about the individual but as a club, as a coach, as a Barcelona fan, you always want to have the best players in the world."&nbsp;</p>

<p>Tusquets also warned about Barcelona’s finances, which have been stretched by the lack of spectators due to COVID-19 pandemic. Barcelona players will not be paid in January.&nbsp;<br />
Koeman said, "the players and I as a coach have reached an agreement with the club".&nbsp;</p>

<p>&nbsp;</p>


Barcelona coach Ronald Koeman on Friday expressed his annoyance with interim president Carles Tusquets who on Thursday said that Barca should have sold Lionel Messi in the summer transfer window given the dire financial situation of the club.

Barcelona coach Ronald Koeman on Friday expressed his annoyance with interim president Carles Tusquets who on Thursday said that Barca should have sold Lionel Messi in the summer transfer window given the dire financial situation of the club. "The comments from outside do not interest me and those from inside the club do not help us to have the tranquillity to do our job, which is to win the games," Koeman said at a press conference ahead of Saturday's Liga game against Cadiz. "We cannot control the statements from outside, but those from inside the club, I believe that it is different," he said. Tusquets of Thursday said that "economically speaking, I would have sold Messi in the summer. Economically speaking, it would have been desirable". Messi wanted to leave Barcelona in the summer transfer window after submitting an official request. However, he backed down saying he doesn’t want to hurt Barcelona and the fans. He will be allowed to leave for free in 2021. ALSO READ: $2.4 billion! Tokyo Olympics to cost whopping sum over postponed Games Koeman said he considered Tusquets' statements "a personal opinion and I respect any opinion, but Leo has this season with Barca and he will decide his future. Hopefully it will be here". "We know Leo's situation and he is the one who must decide his future. "I don't know any more about figures, it's not my job. My job is to prepare the team, play well and win," said Koeman. Earlier this week, PSG star Neymar said he would like to have a reunion with Messi after leaving the Catalan club for a world record deal in 2017. ALSO READ: Arsenal win on fans' return to top level football in England "What I want most is to have fun with him on the pitch again," Neymar told ESPN. "I want to play with him for sure. Next year we have to do it." However, Tusquets has ruled out buying back Neymar. PSG are one of the candidates to sign Messi from Camp Nou but Manchester City remain favourites to sign the Argentine. Messi and Neymar played together for Barca and when asked whether he would like to have the duo in the club again, Koeman said: "I don't like to talk about the individual but as a club, as a coach, as a Barcelona fan, you always want to have the best players in the world." Tusquets also warned about Barcelona’s finances, which have been stretched by the lack of spectators due to COVID-19 pandemic. Barcelona players will not be paid in January. Koeman said, "the players and I as a coach have reached an agreement with the club".

'We know Leo's situation': Ronald Koeman irked by Lionel Messi and money talk at Barcelona

<p>Neymar dropped a bombshell on Wednesday as he followed up scoring twice for Paris Saint-Germain in their 3-1 Champions League win over Manchester United by revealing his desire to reunite with Lionel Messi next season.</p>

<p>The Brazilian enjoyed four successful seasons alongside the six-time Ballon d'Or winner at Barcelona before making a world record 222 million euro ($264m) move to the French capital in 2017.</p>

<p>"It's what I most want, to enjoy being with him on the field again," Neymar, whose contract at PSG runs until 2022, told ESPN.</p>

<p>"I want to play with him for sure, next year we have to do it."</p>

<p>Neymar was heavily linked with a return to Barcelona in 2019, but the Catalan giants were unable to fund an acceptable offer for PSG.</p>

<p>Barca have had to agree salary cuts worth 122 million euros in players' salaries this season to help offset the financial hole left by the coronavirus pandemic and are highly unlikely to be in a position to bring Neymar back next year.</p>

<p>Instead, it is Messi who could be on the move as the Argentine is out of contract at the end of the season and publicly expressed his desire to leave in August.</p>

<p>Then Barca president Josep Maria Bartomeu would not free Messi from the final year of his deal at the Camp Nou, but Bartomeu has since resigned with new presidential elections scheduled for January 24.</p>

<p>Manchester City were the favourites to land Messi's signature earlier this year, but PSG could be an alternative for a player who will turn 34 at the end of this season.</p>

<p>"He can play in my position, there is no problem," Neymar joked. "Take me out."</p>

<p>Neymar's partnership with Kylian Mbappe is yet to deliver PSG's first ever Champions League title, but the French champions should have another shot in this season's knockout stages after a vital victory in Manchester.</p>

<p>Thomas Tuchel's men are now level on points with United and RB Leipzig with one game in Group H to come.</p>

<p>But PSG are in the driving seat as they host already-eliminated Istanbul Basaksehir next week, while United travel to Germany needing a point to reach the last 16.</p>


Neymar dropped a bombshell on Wednesday as he followed up scoring twice for Paris Saint-Germain in their 3-1 Champions League win over Manchester United by revealing his desire to reunite with Lionel Messi next season.

Neymar dropped a bombshell on Wednesday as he followed up scoring twice for Paris Saint-Germain in their 3-1 Champions League win over Manchester United by revealing his desire to reunite with Lionel Messi next season. The Brazilian enjoyed four successful seasons alongside the six-time Ballon d'Or winner at Barcelona before making a world record 222 million euro ($264m) move to the French capital in 2017. "It's what I most want, to enjoy being with him on the field again," Neymar, whose contract at PSG runs until 2022, told ESPN. "I want to play with him for sure, next year we have to do it." Neymar was heavily linked with a return to Barcelona in 2019, but the Catalan giants were unable to fund an acceptable offer for PSG. Barca have had to agree salary cuts worth 122 million euros in players' salaries this season to help offset the financial hole left by the coronavirus pandemic and are highly unlikely to be in a position to bring Neymar back next year. Instead, it is Messi who could be on the move as the Argentine is out of contract at the end of the season and publicly expressed his desire to leave in August. Then Barca president Josep Maria Bartomeu would not free Messi from the final year of his deal at the Camp Nou, but Bartomeu has since resigned with new presidential elections scheduled for January 24. Manchester City were the favourites to land Messi's signature earlier this year, but PSG could be an alternative for a player who will turn 34 at the end of this season. "He can play in my position, there is no problem," Neymar joked. "Take me out." Neymar's partnership with Kylian Mbappe is yet to deliver PSG's first ever Champions League title, but the French champions should have another shot in this season's knockout stages after a vital victory in Manchester. Thomas Tuchel's men are now level on points with United and RB Leipzig with one game in Group H to come. But PSG are in the driving seat as they host already-eliminated Istanbul Basaksehir next week, while United travel to Germany needing a point to reach the last 16.

'Next year we have to do it': Neymar keen for Messi reunion

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