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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.

Barcelona captain Lionel Messi has been fined $50,000 and banned from playing for his national team Argentina, following his heavy criticism of CONMEBOL during the Copa America. Messi was incensed by several incidents during the Copa, including one that saw two Argentina denied two penalty claims in a semifinal loss against Brazil. Messi claimed the officials didn't use VAR on fouls against Argentina because they were "in favor" of Brazil. "Referees gave so many stupid fouls in this Copa America but today VAR wasn't consulted once," said Messi. "This should be looked into and I hope CONMEBOL do something with these referees who unbalance the pitch by favoring a team.  "The truth is we're angry because we played very well, we put in a huge effort for it and to end like this makes us sad." CONMEBOL justified banning and fining Messi on their website, though not spelling out the exact reason for the ban in clear terms. They said ...

After Argentina's loss to Brazil in a Copa America semi-final game marred by controversial refereeing, Lionel Messi, Argentina's captain, hit out at CONMEBOL and the tournament as a whole, and also after being controversially sent off in the third-place play-off with Chile. Messi claimed the game officials had been favoring tournament hosts, Brazil, throughout the Copa.  CONMEBOL reacted indirectly, qualifying Messi's rant as "unacceptable". Messi's long-tie Barcelona team-mate, Dani Alves, who won player of the tournament at the Copa America also criticized Messi, reiterating that Messi remains a dear friend, but still believes Messi was wrong. "A friend is not always right just because he's a friend. You can say it in the heat of the moment, but I still won't agree," Alves told  SporTV's 'Bem Amigos'. "Firstly, he's disrespecting an institution such as the Selecao, in my view. Secondly, he's being disre...

Paraguay's football legend, former goalkeeper  José Luis Chilavert, has sided with Argentina captain Lionel Messi amid the latter's allegations against CONMEBOL (the South American Football Confederation. Not only did Chilavert agree with Messi, but went further to say the tournament was "prepared so Brazil would become champions", as per  Mundo Deportivo . He launched a scathing attack on CONMEBOL saying: “CONMEBOL is killing football. Why would they sanction Messi, if we live in a democratic world? The players need to unite and boycott CONMEBOL. VAR came to legalize corruption that exists in South American football, the company that controls VAR was a part of ‘FIFAgate.’ It makes me laugh that they say, ‘Chilavert was right.’”

Brazil manager Tite has qualified Messi's corruption claims as disrespectful and says Messi has to have more respect and accept defeat. Brazil beat Peru 3-1 on Sunday to lift the Copa America trophy for the first time since 2007. Tite shared his views on Messi after Brazil's victory. Despite dismissing Messi's corruption claims, he said he didn't think Messi deserved a red card vs Chile. As per ESPN, Tite said, "He has to have more respect and needs to accept when he loses. "We played clean against Argentina. Messi was unfairly sent off against Chile. It was a yellow card. But be careful." Dani Alves who won player of the tournament also disagreed with Messi's comments. "I do not agree with what [Messi] said. Here we have professional players who have worked a lot in this competition and who have fought for it. Deservedly [Brazil] eliminated [Argentina in the semifinal]. This is a very special achievement. We do not have to think about...

The usually quiet Messi has been rather outspoken throughout this Copa. He's had a lot to say about the poor officiating and "corruption" as he says that went down to favor Brazil's winning of their first Copa title in 12 years. Real Madrid midfielder Casemiro was asked to comment on Messi's claims and accusations. He didn't want to say much but sent across a subtle message. The Brazilian said: "Those with a mouth can say what they want. "It's not up to me to speak, it's a delicate subject. "It's not for me to say if the refereeing was good. "Everyone tries to do their best and we need to congratulate Peru for the good Copa America they had." What's your take on the subject?

Brazil defeated Peru 3-1 yesterday, at the Maracana stadium to win their first Copa America in 12 years. Right-back Dani Alves was named player of the tournament. Alves left Paris Saint-Germain this summer and will certainly be sought for by many suitors after his triumphant performances at the Copa America. 36-year-old Alves replaced Neymar as Brazil's captain in May  after the forward's series of off-field controversies, including a physical attack on a fan that earned him a three-match ban by the French Football Association. Everton who  was named man of the match for the final, scored a goal and won a penalty against  Peru . He also picked up the golden boot. He shared the honor with Peru's Paolo Guerrero, both on three goals each.  Alisson , meanwhile, was awarded the golden glove for his heroics in the tournament. Dani Alves also responded to Messi's claim that the Copa had been set up for Brazil to win. Alves' response as per ESPN was:  "I do ...

Messi was controversially sent off the Argentina - Chile third place play-off yesterday, with a red card, only the second of his illustrious career. Many player, and even coaches have criticized his expulsion. One of those who did not hold back their criticism of the use of VAR and CONMEBOL's faulty management was Arturo Vidal.  After the game, he said: "I think Argentina had things go against then when they played Brazil.  "It was unfair, just like when they sent us to a hotel two hours away from the stadium to play against Colombia. "The referee wanted to be more important than the game, how can he send off both captains for a bit of pushing? "Clearly they got ahead of themselves, they didn't touch faces, there was nothing serious. "Two shoves with the chest isn't a red card." VAR also came into question as Vidal spoke to the press in the mixed zone after the match. "VAR is used in a different way in Europe, in South ...

Leo Messi definitely is short of luck in his international career. His Argentina career began in 2005 with him being sent off with an absurd red card in a friendly against Hungary, falsely adjudged to have thrown an elbow at a defender. 14 years later, he is sent off in equally absurd circumstances.  The first 34 minutes of the first half had been played when the incident that led to Messi's expulsion occurred. Chile’s captain, Gary Medel, shepherded out a ball near his own goal. Messi challenged him from behind and Medel reacted angrily, repeatedly charging Messi with his chest, then raising his hands. The Paraguayan referee, Mario Díaz de Vivar, then sent both Medel and Messi off with a red card each. Sergio Agüero put Argentina 1-0 ahead after 12 minutes, with Messi providing the assist. Paulo Dybala made it two 10 minutes later with a nice finish after Giovani Lo Celso had put him through on goal with a delightful, defence-splitting pass. Art...

Lionel Messi and Sergio Agüero did not hesitate to hide their displeasure at the officiating of the Copa America semi-finals, which saw their side (Argentina) lose to Brazil 2-0. They could not understand why the Video Assistant Referee (VAR) system which had been heavily used at the tournament, considerably impacting results, was not consulted in two penalty appeals that were waved away. Uruguay had three of its goals ruled out in their quarter-final exit to Peru due to VAR, numerous goals were disapproved after lengthy VAR review stoppages in the group stage, and penalties awarded even without foul appeals, but alas, VAR was a no-show during the Argentina - Brazil game on Tuesday. Messi, who is not known for lashing out made his discontentment known without reserve.  “They were not better than us. They found the net early and the second goal came from a penalty they didn’t award,” Messi said. “The officiating was crazy. There were clear penalties, on Nicolas Otamendi,...

Argentina captain Lionel Messi, has declared that "another Copa begins now" for Argentina after helping them narrowly cross to the quarterfinals. Argentina lost to Colombia in their first game, drew with Paraguay in the second, and beat Qatar in their final group game yesterday. Goals from Lautaro Martinez and Sergio Aguero gave La Albiceleste the much needed victory to qualify for the quarterfinals. Messi is looking to take positives from their victory while looking forward to their last-eight encounter with Venezuela on Sunday. After the game, he told reporters, "We played a good game and we won, and that was what mattered. "We needed a game like this to gain some confidence and calm. As we play more games, the team grows each one and that game was good for that. "The important thing was to win to keep going in the Copa, to get through the group stage. This will be an important boost for what's to come ... another Copa begins now. "This vi...

Barcelona captain Lionel Messi's side, Argentina, suffered a shock defeat to Colombia in their first game at the Copa America. Nonetheless, the Argentina main believes the Albiceleste can still control their destiny in the Copa. He says there is no time for Argentina to complain after their first defeat to Colombia since 2007. Roger Martinez opened scoring for Colombia with an unstoppable drive in the 72nd minute before substitute Duvan Zapata finished off a good team move four minutes into stoppage time, despite Argentina dominating the game. “There are positives to come out of this, we are ready to accept the challenge that we have,” Messi said after the game. “There is no time to complain, we have to look ahead, we have to raise our heads and continue, there’s still a lot of the tournament left. “They kept the ball well but didn’t create clear opportunities, but when we took a step forwards in the second half they scored a goal. “When we were playing at our...

Cesc Fabregas and Lionel Messi and close friends. The pair have played together from the age of 12 to 16, at La Masia, and were reunited in 2011 when Fabregas returned to Barcelona, for a three-year spell, before joining Chelsea. The former Chelsea man believes Lionel Messi is now "a more complete player than ever" at the age of 32. Fabregas currently lays for Monaco, and had earlier played for Arsenal, aged 16. Fabregas outlined to Goal why he believes Messi has gotten better with age, despite taking on players less often.  “That's the thing with Leo, he reinvents himself season after season,” Cesc said of the Rosario-born star. “Maybe he is not the player who dribbles past three, four or five players and score an outstanding goal any more. “Instead, now, he prefers to do 50-yard passes, leaving Jordi Alba one-versus-one with the goalkeeper.  “He sees one-twos around the box, he might do a chip and an assist... I think now he is more complete than ever.” W...

PSG ace/Brazil forward Neymar ruptured his ankle ligaments during a friendly between Brazil and Qatar on Wednesday, and has been ruled out of Copa America. A statement on the Brazilian football federation's website said:  “After suffering a sprain in his right ankle during last Wednesday’s game against Qatar, Neymar was evaluated and subjected to tests that confirmed ligament rupture in the ankle.  “Due to the seriousness of the injury, Neymar will not have the physical conditions and sufficient recovery time to participate in the Copa América Brasil 2019.” The 27-year-old PSG star left the Estadio Nacional field upset and was later seen leaving the premises on crutches at half time.  After the game, which ended in a 2-0 victory for Brazil, Neymar reportedly said, "Today I played one of the most difficult games of my career, if not the most difficult."  Neymar  is currently under investigation by police for rape and for publishing intimate pho...

Messi remains a danger to opponents as ever, especially to Nicaragua, ranked 129th in the world in footballing terms. He opened scoring in the 38th minute. In the construct to Messi's first goal - a solo goal, he brilliantly danced past three defenders before clinically finishing past goalkeeper Lorente. His second goal, came in less than a minute later from a Sergio Aguero rebound. Messi has now scored 67 goals for Argentina. Messi and Aguero were then replaced at half-time by Paulo Dybala and Martinez.   Inter’s Martinez added to Argentina's lead by curling a shot into the bottom corner of the net with 27 minutes remaining, then fired home a fourth from close range 10 minutes later. Argentina's third substitute, Roberto Pereyra tapped in the simplest of goals in the final nine minutes to make it 5-0. Nicaragua were able to score a consolation goal through penalty, in stoppage time after a Nicolas Otamendi handball. Messi has played and lost three Copa finals - ...

Manchester City star Sergio Aguero says he is desperate to help his countryman and friend, Barcelona ace Lionel Messi claim his first senior international honor with Argentina this summer. Argentina are preparing for the Copa America which will hold in Brazil from June 14 to July 17, 2019.  Five-time Ballon d'Or winner Lionel Messi has won practically every trophy available with Barcelona,  including ten La Liga titles, six Copa del Reys, four Champions League trophies and three Club World Cup crowns, but has been unable to replicate that success on the international stage. Messi has won the U20 World Cup with Argentina in 2005, won the 2008 Olympics too, but is yet to lift a trophy with the first team. He has come close on several occasions though, such as during the 2014 World Cup final vs Germany. Messi has scored 65 goals for Argentina in 129 appearances. Sergio Aguero told Fox Sports Argentina: “I'm more anxious to be a champion for Messi than fo...