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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 ...

Barcelona easily cruised to their first trophy of 2020-21 - their first silverware since 2019 - as they thrashed Athletic Bilbao 4 goals to nothing. Barcelona were unable to find their breakthrough despite having a lion's share of ball possession until the 60th minute. Antoine Griezmann turned in Frenkie de Jong's cross to give Barcelona their first. Barcelona would go on to score three more goals in the space of 12 minutes. De Jong scored Barcelona's second, merely 3 minutes after Griezmann's. Thereon, it was a Messi show, with the Argentine driving from his own half, exchanging twice with De Jong to score Barcelona’s third. His second goal - Barcelona's fourth - came in four minutes after his first - a truly sublime goal. Messi's brace takes his goal tally for the season to 31 goals. As of now, he has scored more than 3 goals for Barcelona in all competitions in 13 straight seasons. Barcelona have now won the Copa del Rey 31 times. Messi passed Telmo Zar...

Lionel Messi just created another record with his 768th appearance for Barcelona - the most of any player in Barcelona's history. He created the record in style, with two goals and assist as Barcelona thrashed fifth placed Real Sociedad 6 - 1.  The other goal scorers were: Antoine Griezmann who opened scoring, Sergino Dest who also scored a Brace like Messi, and Ousmane Dembele with a fine goal. Barcelona had already sent five past the Sociedad keeper when  Ander Barrenetxea scored a consolation goal for Real Sociedad. Messi's assist for Sergino Dest's first goal for Barcelona took Messi's assist tally to eight this season. Leo has now scored 29 goals and provided 13 assists in 37 games this season in all competitions for Barcelona - 23 of those scored in La Liga. Barcelona are still four points behind league leaders Atletico Madrid who earlier beat Alaves 1 - 0, thanks to Luis Suarez's 500th career goal and a late Jan Oblak penalty save.  

Lionel Messi was in brilliant form on Monday night as he inspired Barcelona to a 4-1 triumph over Huesca, scoring a brace and providing an assist. It was a special occasion as he equaled Xavi's record number of appearances in a Barcelona jersey.  Barceona's first goal of the night came from Messi in the 13th minute, the second came from Antoine Griezmann 10 minutes before half-time - a near copycat goal of Messi's, the third from Oscar Mingueza (assisted by Messi) early in the second half, and the fourth by Messi in the last minutes of play.  "It's a good result and we keep growing," Koeman said after the match. "We were good in the first half and maintained the intensity in the second half. We did lose a little bit of concentration after the break, maybe there was a bit of tiredness. But the objective was to win and we've done that." Barcelona  have now managed 11 wins and a draw from their last 12 matches, and are now only four points awa...

Messi's outrageous strike against PSG on Wednesday will live long in football fans' memories - a ferocious effort from 25 yards (22.86 meters) that sunk into the top corner of the net - though it wasn't enough for Barcelona to overcome their 4-1 first-leg defeat - Barcelona needed four goals to progress to the quarter-finals. The uphill task was made even more difficult for the Blaugrana as Kylian Mbappe converted a penalty for PSG on the half-hour.  Messi had the opportunity to make it two for Barcelona, but missed from the penalty spot, with Navas comfortably deflecting the ball away from goal. It was a rather convincing display from Barcelona, and coach Koeman hopes Barcelona's recent progress in performance will convince Messi to stay at Barcelona beyond this season. "Leo [Messi] has seen for quite some time that the team is improving thanks to all the changes we've made," Koeman said after Barcelona's Champions League exit. "We have you...

58-year-old lawyer Joan Laporta, poised favorite to replace Josep Maria Bartomeu, has been confirmed as Barcelona's new president, beating Victor Font and Toni Freixa in Sunday's election. He amassed 54.28* of the vote, Font - 29.99% and Freixa - 8.58%. This will be Laporta's second term as Barcelona's president. He took charge of the club from 2003 to 2010. During his reign, Barcelona won two Champions League titles and four league titles. For the first time, Lionel Messi - accompanied by his son Thiago - voted in club elections. Laporta has reportedly been Messi's choice all along. The night before election day, Laporta was asked if he would be in touch with Messi's entourage on voting day, and he said: “Why tomorrow? I can speak tonight, the night is long.”  “These are the most important elections in the history of FC Barcelona,” Laporta declared. “They have been organized in a model fashion.” Font who lost the elections TV3: “I think it has been a cons...

Barcelona's 2-0 win at Osasuna on Saturday brought them within two points of first-place Atletico Madrid. For three games in a row now, Barcelona have conceded zero goals. Barcelona's opener - scored by Jordi Alba was set by Lionel Messi in the first half. Brilliant saves by Marc Andre ter Stergen from Kike Barja and Ruben Garcia saw Barcelona maintain a clean sheet in the first half, and throughout the game. Barcelona's second goal was scored by eighteen-year-old Ilaix Moriba, with another assist from Messi. He  collected Lionel Messi’s pass on the edge of the area before cutting on his left foot and curling a wonderful effort into the top corner - a goal he says he will never forget and will take to his grave. “Leo gave me a good pass and I don’t know how I cut and shot with the left, and thank God it went in," he told  Barca TV.  "I will never forget this and I will take it to my grave. There’s competition for places but it doesn’t matter if you are young...

It was another remontada for Barcelona - converting a first leg Copa del Rey semi-final loss (0-2) to Sevilla. The game was drawing to its end and a defeat seemed most likely, despite Ousmane Dembele scoring Barcelona's first in the 12th minute. Barcelona seemed unable to add to their lead after the first goal. Thankfully, Marc Andre Ter Stergen kept hope alive for Barcelona by stopping Ocampos' penalty in the 73rd minute - a penalty conceded after a clash between Oscar Mingueza and the former. Pique who has been in better form following his recovery from a knee injury netted for the Catalans in the last minute of the game, to give them a lifeline with prolongation. Credit also goes to Antoine Griezmann who carved out the chance for Pique's header with a fine cross. Martin Braithwaite sealed victory for Barcelona early on in the additional 30 minutes. On aggregate, Barcelona won 3-2 and will will either face Athletic Club or Levante at the finals.

Luis Suarez, who transferred to Atletico Madrid last September has revealed the most disappointing aspect of his exit from Barcelona - the club telling him that he was too old to perform at the highest level. Suarez who is now second-highest goal scorer in La Liga with 16 goals (after Messi) has proven Barcelona management wrong, by firing Atletico Madrid to the top of the La Liga scoring chart. “What really bothered me was when they told me that I was old and that I could no longer play at a high level, be up to [the task of fronting] a great team,” Suarez told  France Football . “That’s what I did not like.” Suarez said he lived up to expected standards at the club, and blamed the club for signing players who were not on an elite level. “Today, we can see that it is not easy to play at Barca ... A lot of players who signed there did not have the level that was expected of them. Me, I played for six years at Barca maintaining a certain level and living up to what was ...

Lionel Messi and the entire Barcelona squad were in good form on Saturday as they faced a first-class Sevilla. At the heart of Barcelona's formidable display was Lionel Messi who scored a goal and provided the assist for Ousmane Dembele's goal to make it 0-2 for Barcelona. Messi has now scored 38 goals against Sevilla, six more than he has scored against any other side. He has also achieved his best scoring streak in two years, netting in eight La Liga games in a row - a total of 12 goals during these matches. Barcelona are now within one point of Diego Simeone's men, though the latter have two games in hand. Barcelona's victory brings an end to Sevilla's 10-game winning run in domestic competitions. Barcelona face Sevilla again on Wednesday, in the second leg of the Copa del Rey semi-final. "If we can overturn the tie on Wednesday, our entire season turns around," Barcelona defender Gerard Pique said. "After playing like this at Sevilla, not givi...

It was a comfortable La Liga win for Barcelona as they defeated Elche 3 - 0 with second half goals from Lionel Messi and Jordi Alba - a brace from Messi and one goal from Jordi Alba. Messi notched in Martin Braithwaite's backheel into the bottom corner of the Elche goalkeeper's net in the 48th minute, and scored his second 20 minutes later - he picked up a pass from Frenkie de Jong, and fended off a few defenders before scoring. Jordi Alba scored Barcelona's third in the 73rd minute, set up by Braithwaite and Messi. Barcelona lay Sevilla on Saturday - a La Liga fixture, then next Wednesday at Camp Nou in the second leg of the Copa del Rey semi-finals. It will be an uphill task for the Catalans as they already lost the first leg 2-0 away. Barcelona are third in La Liga behind Atletico Madrid and Real Madrid - 55, 52 and 50 points respectively, albeit Atletico still have a game in hand. Messi's brace has taken him to the top of the La Liga scoring chart, with two goal...

Messi and a couple of first-team regulars did not feature in the starting XI for the Barcelona vs Real Betis clash, with a Copa del Rey semi-final against Sevilla due Wednesday, and the first leg of their Champions League clash with PSG eight days away. In-form Griezmann however debuted, but Barcelona trailed Real Betis 0-1 by the end of the first half. Barcelona did not register a single shot on target in the first 45 minutes of play. In the 56th minute, Koeman brought Messi in, who scored two minutes later to level the game. A Victor Ruiz own goal later put Barcelona ahead. But it was Trincao's curled strike that sealed the win for Barcelona. This victory places Barcelona 7 points behind league leaders Atletico Madrid, who have two games in hand.

Barcelona returned home to Camp Nou for their La Liga fixture vs Athletic Bilbao on January 31, 2021. It was a triumphant home as they moved up to second in La Liga - goals from Lionel Messi and Antoine Griezmann helped them beat Athletic Bilbao 2-1. Barcelona were the better team from kick-off - played with intensity, had the majority of ball possession and pressed to recover the ball when they lost it.  A very active Messi opened scoring for Barcelona in the 20th minute with a brilliant free kick (his 650th goal for Barcelona), though Athletic leveled through a Jordi Alba own goal early in the second half. Griezmann struck the winner for Barcelona with 15 minutes of play time left. This win stretched Barcelona's unbeaten run in the league to 10 games. They still have a long way to go however as they are still 10 points behind league leaders Atletico Madrid.

The Supercopa de Espana (Spanish Super Cup) is not a prestigious trophy for Spanish football heavyweight Barcelona, but after a trophyless 2019/20 season, Barcelona edging closer to its first title is relieving for fans. Barcelona's first-half lead (a goal from Frenkie de Jong) in the semi-finals yesterday night was canceled by an equalizer from Real Sociedad (penalty scored by Mikel Oyarzabal) in the second half. They proceeded to play for an extra 30 minutes in prolongation, and headed on to win Barcelona's first penalty shoot-out since 1998. Messi did not play the game and was rested due to injury. The hero of the game was Barcelona goal keeper Marc-Andre ter Stergen who made three stunning saves in extra time - the first from Joseba Zaldua and the other two from Adnan Januzaj. Then came his penalty shoot-out heroics - he saved the first two Real Kicks, while their third hit the post. Teenage sensation drove home the final penalty kick for Barcelona sending the club into t...

Barcelona's most recent outings have been exciting, with quite some progress from their dull start to the season. Barcelona's 4-0 win over Granada extends Barcelona's unbeaten run to eight games. Messi is back on top of the Pichichi standings with 11 goals to his name. He's been in pretty good form lately with four goals and an assist in his last three games. Messi scored a brace despite being taken off in the second half. Messi put an end to his mini free-kick drought with his second goal. Griezmann was exceptional as well, providing an assist for Messi and scoring two himself. He opened scoring for Barcelona with a fine left-footed finish in the 12th minute. According to OptaJose, Griezmann has now been in three goals in the same game for Barcelona for the second time in all competitions (two goals and an assist against Real Betis in August 2019.

Barcelona captain Lionel Messi had a turbulent summer, with doubts cast over his Barcelona future, but he's back to his best self in 2021. On Wednesday night, Barcelona won Athletic Bilbao 3-2 with a goal from Pedri and a brace from Messi.  Inaki Williams gave Athletic Bilbao an early lead in the third minute. Messi swept home a cheeky backheel from Pedri to give Barcelona the lead after Pedri's equalizer a few minutes after Inaki's goal for Athletic. He then scored Barcelona's third with Antoine Griezmann's assist. With the win, Barcelona are now third in La Liga - five points behind second-placed Real Madrid and seven adrift of table leaders Atletico Madrid. Messi and three others, including Luis Suarez top the goalscoring charts in Spain with nine goals each. Koeman was pleased with the Pedri-Messi connection, and praised the 18-year-old who completed over 90% of his attempted passes. "Pedri is showing despite his youth that he is very mature," the Dutc...

Messi and team celebrate after his goal After two successive defeats - a 1-2 loss to Cadiz (in La Liga) last weekend, and a humiliating 0-3 defeat to Juventus in the Champions League, Barcelona defeated Levante at Camp Nou - a much needed 1-0 victory. Messi fired home a pass from Frenkie de Jong in the 76th minute - his fifth goal in 11 La Liga appearances this season. Barcelona are now 8th in La Liga.  La Liga leaders Real Sociedad only lead Atletico Madrid now on goal difference. Sociedad are to play Barcelona on Wednesday. Barcelona are nine points behind leaders Real Sociedad and Atletico Madrid. Though many suggest that Barcelona will miss out on La Liga trophy for a second consecutive season, Barcelona Coach Ronald Koeman believes Barcelona can still win it. "Of course we can win [the title]," the 57-year-old told reporters. "If we improve and we have more confidence and we improve our effectiveness [in front of goal], there's a chance! "There are st...

Barcelona seem to be back to their winning ways barely a few hours after Josep maria Bartomeu resigned as president of the club. Barcelona were able to beat Juventus at Turin, thanks to a masterclass display from Messi and co. Messi assisted Ousmane Dembele's deflected opener with a stunning cross-field pass and sealed victory for Barcelona by converting a late penalty, which resulted in a 2-0 win over the Bianconeri in the Champions League on Wednesday. He also completed more take-ons (6) and created more chances (5) than any other player on the pitch. Barcelona top Group G with 6 points in two games played. Italian football legend Vieri was left dumbfounded by the Argentine's brilliance on the pitch and told CBS Sports:  "An amazing Barcelona, there was no game. They could've scored six, seven goals easy. They played fantastic. "Messi is a magician, he's the Harry Potter of soccer and when he stops playing, I'm throwing my TVs away. I'm not going...

Lionel Messi scored for Barcelona in their 5-1 win vs Hungarian side Ferencvaros in their first Champions League outing of the season. He scored his 116th Champions League goal - a first half penalty, becoming the first player to score in 16 consecutive Champions League seasons. So far, Manchester United great Ryan Giggs is the only player to have scored in 16 Champions League seasons, though not in consecutive years. Messi also extended his record of teams scored against in the Champions League to 36. He has now scored 69 goals in the Champions League group stage - more than any other player. 17-year-old Ansu Fati also scored, becoming the first player under the age of 18 to score two Champions League goals after scoring Barcelona's second goal for the night.