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

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 -...