Lionel Messi

BARCELONA: Spain's La Liga is investigating whether a party organised by Barcelona players at their captain Lionel Messi's home broke COVID-19 protocol. "We're looking into it," La Liga sources told AFP on Tuesday (May 4). Monday's meal brought together Barca players, some accompanied by their partners, at the Argentinian star's house, despite social distancing rules in the Catalonian capital outlawing groups of more than six to meet in private. The party may constitute "a possible breach of COVID-19 protocols", the source suggested. The

VALENCIA, Spain: Lionel Messi led Barcelona to a quick-fire comeback to win 3-2 at Valencia on Sunday and keep the pressure on La Liga title rivals Atletico Madrid and Real Madrid. Barca fell behind in the 50th minute when Valencia defender Gabriel Paulista headed into an empty net from a corner after keeper Marc-Andre ter Stegen had stumbled to the ground in his attempt to come for the ball. The Catalans, who had blown the chance to go top of the league with

BARCELONA: Lionel Messi scored twice as Barcelona crushed Getafe 5-2 on Thursday (Apr 22) to stay in the hunt for the La Liga title. Messi gave Barca an early lead with the help of a pin-point pass from Sergio Busquets but Getafe pulled level with an own goal by Clement Lenglet. The visitors then conceded a calamitous own goal when Sofian Chakla's backpass deceived keeper David Soria and trickled over the line. Messi extended Barca's lead before halftime, hitting the post then following

Lionel Messi broke the club's appearance record on Sunday as the Argentine featured in his 768th game for the Catalan giants. Messi celebrated in style, working his now famous magic in Barcelona's 6-1 victory over Real Sociedad, as he superseded the landmark set by former teammate and club legend Xavi Hernandez, who appeared 767 times for the club. Barcelonaa's official Twitter account dubbed the Argentine an "otherworldly player" and called his record-breaking appearance figure a "stratospheric number." Messi's eighth assist of the season

Messi netted his league-leading 22nd and 23rd goals from inside the area in the 56th and 89th. Lionel Messi played his 768th match for Barcelona to surpass Xavi Hernández for the record number of club appearances. Messi and American defender Sergiño Dest scored two goals each as Barcelona easily beat Sociedad for its fifth consecutive league win — and ninth straight away from home. Griezmann opened the scoring in the 37th before Dest netted in the 43rd and 53rd minutes for his first

Barcelona boss Ronald Koeman says Lionel Messi can have no doubts over the "great future" the club has after they bowed out of the Champions League with a spirited performance at Paris St-Germain. Messi, 33, who has won the competition with Barcelona on four occasions, outlined his frustrations at the Nou Camp last summer and was heavily linked with a move to PSG prior to this last-16 tie. However, while the result saw Barca fail to reach the last eight of the competition

MADRID: Lionel Messi soared past Luis Suarez to become La Liga's top scorer on Wednesday (Feb 24) by adding his 17th and 18th goals of the season in a much-needed 3-0 victory for Barcelona over Elche. Barca had followed up last week's crushing Champions League loss to Paris Saint-Germain by drawing at home to Cadiz on Sunday but eased the strain with a comfortable win at the Camp Nou. Messi's double owed much to a pair of superb assists, with a supreme dribble

Barcelona were forced to delete a tweet about Lionel Messi's tribute to Diego Maradona, after lots of backlash on Tuesday morning. Messi scored Barca's fourth goal in their 4-0 win against Osasuna on Sunday afternoon, just days after the sad passing of Argentina legend Maradona. The goal itself was a near perfect tribute to the 1986 World Cup winner but Messi went one step further to pay respects to the man who managed him for the national team. Messi removed his Barca shirt

When it comes to measuring the greatest players in the world’s most beautiful game, the focus inevitably turns to a pair of rivals with household names and exclusive claims to being the only team-sport athletes to earn $1 billion during their careers. It may be time to make room for a third. Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo top this year’s Forbes ranking of the highest-paid soccer players once again, after Messi resolved a weeks-long contract drama to land the top spot with $126 million, nudging

Football superstar Lionel Messi will stay at Barcelona for another season, avoiding a lengthy legal battle against the "club of his life." But he also accused the club president of going back on his word. Lionel Messi announced on Friday that he would reluctantly stay with Barcelona until the end of the 2020-21 season rather than face a bitter court battle with the club. Messi made the announcement in a video interview to website Goal putting an end to days of speculation over

Big Manchester clubs will have to make a lot of adjustments if they want Messi on their books. Ever since Lionel Messi has asked to leave Barcelona, speculation in both mainstream and social media has intensified about his next destination. Messi is contemporary football’s biggest star and very few clubs can afford him. Manchester City are said to be at the front of the queue not only because they are flush with money from Abu Dhabi, but also because of Messi’s close proximity

The speculations regarding Barcelona star striker Lionel Messi's probable move to Manchester City shows no sign of ending as the the Pep Guardiola's side are reportedly now willing to offer 100 million euros and three players to rope in the Argentinian. According to a report in SPORT, Manchester City are ready to offer midfielder Bernardo Silva, defender Eric Garcia and forward Gabriel Jesus besides signing fee in order to grab Messi. In fact, all these three players have also been linked to a

Angry Barcelona fans chanted for the resignation of club president Josep Maria Bartomeu after captain Lionel Messi announced on Tuesday that he wished to leave the Catalan side. “We love you, Messi stay, Messi stay!” and “Bartomeu resign!” chanted several hundred fans outside Barcelona’s Camp Nou stadium on Tuesday night. “I am very upset, for me Barca is Messi and Messi is Barca. They are the same, he is the symbol of Barca ... They should erect a monument in Camp Nou. I

Lionel Messi has told Barcelona that he wants to leave the club after nearly 20 years, and he is keen on a move to Manchester City, according to Marcelo Bechler of Esporte Interativo. Messi has been in contact with Man City manager Pep Guardiola, who coached him at Barcelona from 2008-2012, on a possible move, according to The Athletic. If Messi does join City, his deal could include an MLS clause where he would spend three years in Manchester before joining their sister club New

Lionel Messi has reportedly told Barcelona he wants to leave now following the club’s latest Champions League humiliation. According to Marcelo Bechler, the captain has really had enough after losing 8-2 to Bayern Munich in the Champions League and wants out. Messi is frustrated with the way the club is run, Barca’s poor planning, and a source reckons they’ve never seen the captain this way before and ready to quit. There was a rumor earlier this season that Messi was fed up and thinking of leaving when his

In an incredible Champions League encounter, Bayern Munich decimated an insipid Barcelona to reach the semi-finals, winning 8-2 in Lisbon. The pressure on manager Quique Setien has grown exponentially after one of the heaviest defeats in Barcelona's history while Bayern look to be the team to beat in the Champions League. The tone was set early on as Thomas Muller - making his 113th Champions League appearance - scored inside four minutes, but it was soon cancelled out by a freak own goal from David

Lionel Messi wants to stay with Barcelona until the end of his career, says club president Josep Maria Bartomeu, amid rumors the star is unsettled. The 33-year-old's relationship with the club has come under considerable strain this year and his future with the Catalans had been called into question with his contract up next season. Despite reports that Messi was looking for a potential way out, Bartomeu remains confident his man will stay at Barcelona for many more years to come. "Messi has

Neymar needs to match the professionalism of Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi in order to achieve his full potential, according to Brazil great Zico. Paris Saint-Germain superstar Neymar has scored 69 goals in 80 appearances in all competitions since arriving at the Parc des Princes from Barcelona for a world-record transfer fee of €222 million (£195m/$240m) in August 2017. The 28-year-old has won every domestic title available in France but injuries, and now the coronavirus pandemic, have blighted his attempts to lead PSG to success in the Champions League. Neymar has

Barcelona captain Lionel Messi's four-goal strike helped his side beat Eibar in the La Liga game on Saturday. Messi scored as early as in the 14th minute of the game to give Barca the lead in the game. He scored again on the 37, 40 and 87th minute to give his team a 4-0 lead. Arthur Melo scored in the 89th minute of the game again, much to the amusement of the Barca fans at Camp Nou. Barcelona ultimately won the game 5-0.

The January 2020 transfer window for Premier League clubs opened on Wednesday 1 January and closed on Friday 31 January 2020. Manchester United signing Bruno Fernandes is one of the biggest headlines of this transfer window. Huge money was spent behind roping in several players, while some were brought on loan. The January transfer window was a good business for many clubs who have tried to buy players that they thought would fit the bill. Meanwhile, the latest list of 10 highest release