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Former Inter Milan striker Antonio Cassano recently revealed that five-time Ballon d'Or winner Cristiano Ronaldo sent him a WhatsApp message after the Italian claimed Lionel Messi is superior to him. The former Roma player revealed the contents of Ronaldo's alleged texts during an interview on Bobo TV. “Cristiano wrote to me on WhatsApp asking for more respect after everything he’s won, all the goals he’s scored and for what he represents,” Cassano said. “I’m not afraid to tell the truth, I’ll face the whole world, from the Pope to the last person on earth. I told Cristiano Ronaldo that it’s not disrespect to say that only one Ronaldo exists and it’s the Fenomeno, and that Messi is much better than him. That’s not disrespect. “I was telling the truth, facts, that Messi is much better than him and there’s only one Ronaldo. I called Gigi Buffon and asked him if he had given my number to someone. He confirmed that he gave my number to the press officer [at  Juventus ] and he g...

Paris Saint-Germain and Argentina forward Lionel Messi has won the Ballon d'Or for a record seventh time, beating Robert Lewandowski and Jorginho to lift football's most prestigious trophy once more. His previous wins came in 2009, 2011, 2012, 2015 and 2019 - he had already won the trophy more times than any other player.  The 34-year-old was pivotal in Argentina's success - winning the Copa America - his first international honor, scoring 40 goals in 2021 - 28 for Barcelona, four for PSG and eight for Argentina.  Messi said: “It is incredible to be here again. Two years ago I thought that it was my last year and now I am here again. I am very happy, very excited and wanting to fight for new challenges. “I do not know how long I have left but I hope it will be a long time. I want to thank my teammates from Barcelona and PSG, and especially the Argentina team. I won this award and I had the feeling that I was missing something and this year I was able to achieve it. ...

Lionel Messi may have had a poor start to the season, but he's making records as usual. He is the first player to provide a hat-trick of assists in a single Ligue 1 game this season. He achieved this feat as PSG overturned an early deficit to beat 10-man Saint-Etienne 3-1 away in Ligue 1 on Sunday. Messi provided assists for Marquinhos's two headers and a clinical pass for Angel di Maria's goal. Strangely enough, it is Saint Etienne that opened scoring through Denis Bouanga in the first half. The long-awaited debut of former Real Madrid defender Sergio Ramos also came to pass as he finally made a full recovery from injury. Nemar on the other hand, was stretchered off the pitch, sobbing in agony, due to an ankle injury. "Right now there's nothing to say. There's pain. He's going to have tests on Monday to find out a bit more about his injury," said Pochettino. "That's life," Neymar said on Instagram. "I'll be back better and s...

Ligue 1 leaders PSG comfortably beat Nantes on Saturday night 3-1, with Messi scoring his first goal in the French top flight at the Parc des Princes. Kylian Mbappe was first to etch his name onto the scoresheet after deflecting Leandro Paredes' shot into the net barely two minutes into the game. Nantes however equalized 20 minutes into the game with a goal from Randal Kolo Muani. Dennis Appiah gave PSG the lead once more by scoring an own goal against Nantes in the 81st minute. PSG keeper Keylor Navas was expulsed with a red card in the 65th minute for a nasty foul on Ludovic Blas, and  Sergio Rico  was brought in as replacement. Messi's goal came in the 87th minute as he took on a pass from Kylian Mbappe on the edge of the box and shot it into the net.  “I’m happy with this first goal, I really wanted it. I had several chances before in this match and in the previous matches,” said Messi. “I am very happy with this first goal in the league, I had already scored in...

On Sunday, October 10, Argentina faced Uruguay in a 2022 World Cup qualifier. Argentina were victorious, bating Uruguay 3-0. Messi was first to open scoring for Argentina, in the 38th minute with a pass! He literally assisted his own goal. It was his 80th and latest international goal for Argentina, making him the first South American male player to score 80 international goals.  Before half time, Rodrigo de Paul doubled Argentina's lead, with Lautaro Martinez going on to score from close range to make it 3-0 for the hosts. "We played a great game," Messi told reporters, per  Reuters , after the match. "Everything worked out perfectly.” "Uruguay wait for you and they generate danger. Once we got the first goal we started to find space and the goals appeared.” Argentina come second in the South American World Cup qualifying race, with Brazil leading - 28 points from nine wins and a draw in 10 games. Ecuador come third, Uruguay fourth, and Colombia fifth, ...

Six-time Ballon d'Or winner Lionel Messi has ended his mini goal drought at PSG as he scored on Tuesday night in a 2-0 victory over Manchester City in the Champions League group phase. PSG midfielder Idrissa Gueye gave PSG an early lead in the 8th minute, with Raheem Sterling and Bernado Silva coming close to equalizing for PSG as they hit the bar in succession. Messi's sublime goal from the edge of the box however cemented victory for the French.  Football pundit and former Manchester United and England defender Rio Ferdinand reacted on BT Sport as Messi took up a position on the floor behind a defensive wall to prevent Manchester City from surprising PSG keeper Gianluigi Donnarumma with a low shot as City took a late free kick. He said: “No, no, no, no. You can’t. “It’s disrespectful, I wouldn’t have it. “If I was in that team, I’d have to say, ‘Listen, I’ll lay down for you.’ “Sorry, I couldn’t have him laying down like that. I can’t see it. “He don’t get his kit...

Lionel Messi has been rated best player in FIFA 22, from rankings published by EA Sports. Messi is rated at 93 in this year's edition, ahead of second-placed Robert Lewandowski who has a 92 rating, and third-placed Cristiano Ronaldo who shares a rating of 91 with Kevin De Bruyne, Kylian Mbappe, Neymar Jr and Jan Oblak. Kevin De Bruyne's is the highest-rated Premier League footballer on the game, as both Harry Kane and N'Golo Kante come in at 90. Here's the complete list of FIFA 22's best players. 1.  Lionel Messi - 93 2.  Robert Lewandowski - 92 3.  Cristiano Ronaldo - 91 4.  Kevin De Bruyne - 91 5.  Kylian Mbappe - 91 6.  Neymar Jr - 91 7.  Jan Oblak - 91 8.  Harry Kane - 90 9.  N'Golo Kante - 90 10.  Manuel Neuer - 90 11.  Marc-Andre ter Stegen - 90 12.  Mohamed Salah - 89 13.  Gianluigi Donnarumma - 89 14.  Karim Benzema - 89 15.  Virgil van Dijk - 89 16.  Joshua Kimmich - ...

Argentina captain and icon Lionel Messi on Thursday night became the top male international goalscorer, overtaking Brazil legend Pele. Messi scored a hat-trick to give Argentina a 3-0 win over Bolivia in a World Cup qualifier. Messi's international goal tally now stands at 79, two more than Pele. Pele - three-time World Cup winner with Brazil is currently in hospital due to surgery for a tumor on his colon. It was the first time Argentina fans were allowed to watch their national team since the start of the pandemic. There were 21,000 fans in attendance at the Monumental stadium in Buenos Aires. Messi scored his first goal 14 minutes into the game - he moved the ball between a Bolivian defender's legs and shot from outside the box to the right of goalkeeper Carlos Lampe. Hi second came in the 64th minute after he worked a one-two with Lautaro Martinez and displayed superb footwork in a packed penalty box. He completed his hat-trick in the 88th minute, sending home a rebound...

Lionel Messi made his PSG debut against Reims on Sunday, applauded by most of the 21,000 fans in attendance. He replaced Neymar in the 65th minute for what could be the greatest substitution in history. The star for PSG that night was however Kylian Mbappe who scored a brace in what could be his final game in a PSG shirt, securing a 2-0 victory for PSG. Messi however struck records out of the field - his debut was the most-watched Ligue 1 fixture in the history of TV fixtures in France. In Spain, his debut averaged over 2 million viewers, making it the most-watched French football game in the country. Figures revealed show that the match had an average audience of 2.2 million viewers in Spain.  Kosmos Holding, Gerard Pique's company, secured the rights to Ligue 1 following Messi's move to Paris in August. Only Telecinco and Llanos in Spain secured access to Messi's debut, with a license from Kosmos. Llanos's Twitch channel avraged 2 million unique Spanish viewers, a...

This Wednesday morning, Lionel Messi was officially unveiled as a PSG player at the Parc des Princes. His 21-year relationship with Barcelona was officially ended on Tuesday as he completed a medical and officially signed with the number 1 French club. He signed a two-year contract which includes an option of a third year. Following his unveiling, Messi had a press conference before stepping out to greet the thousands of fans in attendance. "Everyone knows that I left Barcelona a few days ago, it was tough it's true because it was several years I've been there. But since I arrived here, I felt a great happening and a great eagerness to start training," Messi said during the presser, according to the  Daily Mail. "I can't wait to join my teammates the head coach and to start this new stage. I want to thank Leonardo the president and all the club for the way this happened. "After the press release from Barcelona, they took their position and it was v...

Following a shock exist from Barcelona, Messi will be joining French side Paris Saint-Germain, on a two-year deal, which has the option of a third year. A news conference will be held by PSG in the auditorium of the Parc des Princes on Wednesday to that effect. He will earn about $35 million to $41 million after tax per season while at PSG. "It's all been confirmed. Lionel Messi is going to be a PSG player," Balague said on BBC Radio 5 Live. "That's it, it's done. It's happened in the last few minutes. "At the moment there are as much police as there are fans [at the stadium]. That's going to change soon. There's eight cameras here, again that's going to change. It seems like it is a two-year deal, plus one. "His idea was to do it at Barcelona but it's going to be PSG. Then if he feels OK he will stay one more year maybe. But in any case his aim is to be at PSG and then to do well in the Qatar World Cup."

An emotional Lionel Messi confirmed on Sunday he was leaving FC Barcelona, the club he has played for his entire life (21 years). He was in tears as he received a standing ovation in his final Barcelona press conference. On Thursday, the same day he returned from his post-Copa America holiday, Barcelona announced the six-time Ballon d'Or winner would be leaving Barcelona. "This year, my family and I were convinced we were going to stay at home, that's what we all wanted more than anything," said Messi. "We'd always made this our own, we were at home. We thought we would be staying here in Barcelona. But today, we have to say goodbye to all of this." "I did everything possible and the club, Laporta, they couldn't do it because of La Liga," said Messi. "I've heard things said about me, that I didn't want to continue, but on my life, we did everything we could because I wanted to stay. "Last year, I didn't want ...

Barcelona in a statement on Thursday evening announced Leo Messi will leave the Catalan club after spending 21 years at the club. The club's statement read:  "Despite FC Barcelona and Lionel Messi having reached an agreement and the clear intention of both parties to sign a new contract today, this cannot happen because of financial and structural obstacles (Spanish Liga regulations). "As a result of this situation, Messi shall not be staying on at FC Barcelona. Both parties deeply regret that the wishes of the player and the club will ultimately not be fulfilled. "FC Barcelona wholeheartedly expresses its gratitude to the player for his contribution to the aggrandisement of the club and wishes him all the very best for the future in his personal and professional life." Messi had already agreed a 50% weekly wage cut and agreed to sign a new five-year contract two weeks after his contract expired on July 1, but Barcelona were unable to register him without ...

The wait is over for Lionel Messi and Argentina who had not lifted a major international trophy since 1993. After over a decade of trophy-winning with Barcelona, Lionel Messi finally won a major title with Argentina (in his 10th major tournament). Argentina's 1-0 victory in the Copa America final on Saturday was the result of team effort - being Argentina's first and only goal in the tournament (out of 12) not to involve Messi.  Argentina coach Lionel Scaloni took the risk of changing the team that won the semi-finals and it proved worthwhile. Guido Rodriguez gave way to Leandro Paredes, and Nicolas Gonzales on the left wing gave way to Angel di Maria - who scored the winner. He also changed the 4-3-3 line-up for a 4-4-2. The Argentine captain had an opportunity to sign off Argentina's win with an extra goal but slipped with the goal at his mercy. Messi was named MVP (Most Valuable Player) of the tournament alongside Neymar, and won the Golden Boot for most goals scored -...

Finally! Argentina has overcome its Copa America penalty shootout demons and defeated Colombia to advance to the Copa America final match-up with Brazil - and the hero of the day was Argentina keeper Emiliano Martinez. Both teams faced each other for 90 minutes and had to go to penalties as stipulates by the rules, with a 1-1 draw. Lautaro Martinez scored for Argentina early in the first half (in the 7th minute), from a Messi assist and Luis Diaz equalized for Colombia in the 61st minute of play. A trash-talking, hip-thrusting Emiliano Martinez saved three of the five penalties he faced, while Messi, Leandro Paredes and Lautaro Martinez did well to convert their chances from the spot for Argentina. Messi labelled 28-year-old "Emi" Martinez a "phenomenon" for his three shoot-out saves.  "We've got Dibu, who is a phenomenon," said Messi. "We trusted him. We achieved the goal of being able to play all the games and now we are going to the final....

Argentina's 3-0 win over Ecuador in the Copa America quarterfinal was largely orchestrated by their captain and talisman Lionel Messi. Messi's goal on Saturday was his 76th for Argentina, taking him to within one of Pele's South American record. Messi missed a golden opportunity to give Argentina the lead early on as he hit the post with a shot when through on goal. He later provided assists for Rodrigo de Paul 41 minutes into the game and for Lautaro Martinez five minutes into stoppage time to give Argentina a much deserved victory.  Leo's goal - his second free-kick of the tournament was scored in stoppage time.  "I've always said that individual prizes are secondary, we're here for something else," Messi said. "We have an objective and we're focused on that.  I want to congratulate the group for the work they are doing - we have been away from our families for many days. "   He added: "It was a hard match. We know how difficul...

Lionel Messi has now surpassed Javier Mascherano to become Argentina's most capped player, a record he set in his 148th national team appearance. Argentina faced Bolivia in their last Copa America group stage game on Monday, with Messi scoring twice and setting up another goal as Argentina routed their opponents 4-1, topping Group A. Messi achieved those strides in just 42 minutes of play, and was taken off the pitch. Argentina will face Ecuador in the quarter-finals in Goiana, and have now gone 17 games unbeaten. Messi has taken his international goals tally to 75 goals with the brace scored last night. Messi who has appeared in three Copa America finals and the 2014 World Cup final - all lost by Argentina - is hoping to lay hands on some silverware with country. On the eve of the Copa, he said: "I've been lucky enough to win everything at club level and individual level and it would be lovely also to win something with the national side," the 34-year-old said.