Raissa's Blog - Best of Sports, Culture, and Entertainment

A hat-trick of hat-tricks was the result produced by a scintillating Messi-Mbappe-Neymar trio versus Clermont on Saturday. Neymar and Mbappe each netted three times, with a trio of assists from Messi to achieve a 6-1 victory versus Clermont.  Messi's first assist came from the edge of the penalty area as he made a pass to Neymar who went on to score and give PSG a 1-0 lead. Messi leads the leagues with assists this season, with a total of 13 assists to his name. After the game, Mbappe told Canal Plus France: "The connection on the field with Messi and Neymar, it's a shame it's only happening now."

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 -...

Spanish newspaper El Mundo reports that PSG star Neymar, and father have lodged another lawsuit against FC Barcelona - his former club. They demand  € 3.5 million in unpaid wages, and accuse club president Josep Maria Bartomeu of acting in "absolute bad faith", issuing "reprisals" as a way of punishing the PSG forward for walking out on the Spain giants in 2017. The 27-year-old also believes the Catalan side owe him  €43.6m  via a renewal bonus. According to El Mundo, FC Barcelona also believe Neymar owes them  €8.5 million in damages and interest, and even more due to the first part of a renewal bonus. This financial stand-off makes a Neymar return to Barcelona even more unlikely, despite both parties expressing a desire for the Brazilian's return to Camp Nou last summer.  Neymar won two La Liga titles and 1 Champions League title during his four-year spell with Barcelona (from 2013 to 2017) then left the club in controversial circumstances in 2017. ...

An exposé on Brazilian football prodigy Neymar Junior by Antoine Bourlon, via Ballon d'Or awarding France Football has revealed Messi's confessions to Neymar after Barcelona suffered a shock 0-4 defeat to Liverpool at Anfield in the second leg of the Champions League semi-finals. Messi allegedly told Neymar on phone: " Only together can we win the Champions League, I want you to come back. In two years I will leave and you will take over’. Messi and majority of the Barcelona squad were looking forward to a Neymar return this season. According to Gerard Pique, several Barcelona players including Messi were willing to take a pay cut to facilitate Neymar's transfer to Camp Nou. Messi, Suarez and Neymar formed a fearsome frontline back in the day, with the trio firing the Catalans to Champions League victory in their last spell together (in 2015).  Could Messi have just been speaking in the heat and hurt of the moment? Will he end his career at Barcelona? Time w...

Spanish midflier Cesc Fabregas, who currently plays for Monaco in France believes we may never see another player of Messi's caliber again. He spent three seasons at Barcelona where he played alongside Messi. Messi won two Ballon d'Or awards during that time. He and Messi also played together at Barcelona's academy, La Masia, before Fabregas departed for Arsenal in 2003. When asked by AS' Aritz Gabilondo about whether football will ever see another player like Messi, he responded: "We've seen the likes of Ronaldo and Ronaldinho, amazing players, but Messi has been the best for 15 years. He's in his 17th season and he's been the best since he was 18 years old.   "I've seen things you wouldn't believe. Every three days he scores goals, he heads off to play for  Argentina , he comes back jet-lagged and scores a hat-trick... that's not normal, believe me. "I would have liked to enjoy playing more with Leo. I had a bit of bad...

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 ...

For the first time, the three highest earning athletes in a year are soccer stars. Lionel Messi, Cristiano Ronaldo and Neymar are the world's highest earning athletes in 2019. The Barcelona and Argentina captain earned $127 million this past year in a combination of his salary and endorsements -- $18 million more than second-place Cristiano Ronaldo, who made a total of $109m. Neymar earned $105 million - $75 million in salary and 30 million in endorsements. Cristiano Ronaldo made the most from endorsements - $44 million, while Messi made $35 million. Messi finished second to Floyd Mayweather last year, with $111 million last year. Floyd Mayweather who doesn't feature in the list this year topped last year with $285 million. The fourth highest-paid athlete was Mexican boxer Saul "Canelo" Alvarez. He earned the same salary as Messi ($92 million) plus $2 million in endorsements. Fifth placed Roger Federer, with total earnings of  $93.4m however leads in t...

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...

Brazil World Cup winner Ronaldo Nazario, one of the greatest forwards in football history, was asked which current players he enjoys watching most, by Spanish publication AS, and his list was quite eye-catching. Messi made the list as expected but his longstanding rival Cristiano Ronaldo did not feature. Ronaldo named Messi, Salah, Eden Hazard, Neymar Jr and Mbappe in his top-five. He told AS,  "Messi, of course, he is number one, it is a talent that we will take 20 or 30 years to see something similar. “I also like (Mohamed) Salah, (Eden) Hazard, Neymar, I love watching him play, and of course (Kylian) Mbappe.” Ronaldo also addressed the comparisons people make between Mbappe and himself, saying: "He has a lot of speed, he finishes well, he has great movements, he hits excellent with both legs, he has an incredible stride. "We have similar things, but I never liked comparisons, especially between players of different generations, because the situations are di...

Paris Saint-Germain face Manchester United tonight oin the first leg of the last-16 tie in the Champions League. PSG goalkeeper Gianluigi Buffon fears PSG playmaker - Neymar's absence could be a "big problem" to them. Neymar sustained a metatarsal injury late last month and is only expected to return in April.  In an exclusive interview with CNN ahead of their first leg match at Old Trafford, Buffon told CNN,  "I think this is a problem for us." "I'm not sure if it's a big problem or a little one. I hope it's only a small problem and that we are nevertheless a team that can thrive without him, it would give us great strength and confidence. "But I must say that without a player of Ney's caliber, it's going to be heavy going, particularly because in the last two or three months he's in excellent condition both physically and mentally and would have been of enormous help. "But nevertheless we have to do our best i...

Luis Suarez and Lionel Messi are certainly one of the most lethal attacking duo in European football, but they are more than teammates. In an interview with  Sport , Suarez revealed he is close to Messi both on and off the pitch. He told Sport ,  "We don't only talk about football. We talk about the past, the future. We're humans that, aside from being teammates, we're good friends who have a lot in common. "Not only that but sometimes our wives are doing things we're left alone. In my house or his drinking mate. We can be sat talking for two or three hours. But I always say this: a lot of people see him as Messi but for me, he's simply Leo." S uarez also talked about a trait of Messi's that has helped him (Suarez), and that is being relaxed. He said,  "I think it's helped me to see how relaxed he is in matches. "Sometimes I thought that you need to be focused the day before, or a few hours before the match. "That...