According to Goal.com, Messi was set to return to the Catalan capital with his family at the weekend, but will now not be back until around July 12.
"It is a story that I wanted to tell in my own words, about what happened. I feel it is the biggest story of my career and I thought that I held it for too long by myself and that I needed to share it with other people. The moment was now and (being in) Madrid, on the eve of El Clasico on Sunday, was the perfect occasion to make it happen," the former striker said.
Between trying to compose himself, wiping away tears and facing a long standing ovation, it took Lionel Messi more than a minute to start his farewell news conference on Sunday at FC Barcelona, where the Argentine has spent all of his playing career.
The Portuguese is reported to be demanding another new deal to bring his salary in line with Lionel Messi and Neymar, the top two earners in world soccer.
Dutch soccer great Johan Cruyff says he is "2-0 up in the first half" of his fight against lung cancer and confident of winning the battle. A former smoker who had heart surgery in 1991, the 68-year-old former Barcelona coach was diagnosed with cancer in October. "After several medical treatments I can say the results have been very positive, thanks to the excellent work of the doctors, the affection of the people and my positive mentality," triple Ballon d'Or winner Cruyff said in a statement. "Right now I have the feeling I am 2-0 up in the first half of a match that has not finished yet. But I am sure I will end up winning." Considered one of football's all-time greats, Cruyff helped Ajax Amsterdam win three European Cups from 1971-73 and was named European Footballer of the Year in 1971, 1973 and 1974. He joined Barcelona for a then-world record transfer fee of $2 million and it was the Catalan club that defined his coaching career as he helped them win their first La Liga title in 15 years in 1974.
Ronaldo's 62nd minute strike was his 17th league goal this season
Tokyo Olympics gold medallist Neeraj Chopra has been selected as one of the six nominees for the 2022 Laureus World Breakthrough of the Year Award.
The Portugal forward will miss Real's league games against Villarreal, Getafe and Elche but will be available for the King's Cup semi-final, first leg at home to holders Atletico Madrid later on Wednesday and the return game next week.
Griezmann, third in the 2016 Ballon d'Or behind Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi, had been heavily linked to Europa League winners Manchester United in recent weeks.
Booted out by his beloved Manchester United, suspended by the Football Association and deemed over the hill by many, Cristiano Ronaldo answered everything in the best possible fashion with another record-breaking display on Thursday.
Madrid hailed as 'Masters of the Universe' after crushing Juve
Saudi Arabia, FIFA's 51st ranked team and who have suffered 5-0 and 8-0 World Cup defeats down the years, roared back to claim an astonishing 2-1 victory that will go down as one of the greatest shocks in any sport ever.
Portugal star footballer Cristiano Ronaldo's presence makes the team a potential target for terror attacks during Euro 2016, said coach Fernando Santos.
Germany expects 2.7 million people to attend matches in stadiums across the country and some 12 million in its fan zones for outdoor viewing, including on a long stretch of turf laid out in front of Berlin's Brandenburg Gate.
Gerd Mueller netted 68 goals in 62 internationals, including the winner in the 1974 World Cup final, and is third in the all-time list of most goals in the global showpiece tournament with 14, behind Brazilian Ronaldo (15) and German Miroslav Klose (16).
India's One-day International cricket team captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni is among Forbes magazine's 100 highest-paid athletes in the world.
Real Madrid striker Cristiano Ronaldo is comfortably the most influential soccer player online in China.
Cristiano Ronaldo hailed Pele after he surpassed the Brazilian great's goal-scoring haul
Riyad Mahrez, who inspired Leicester City to an extraordinary Premier League title triumph last season, was named African Footballer of the Year on Thursday.
Real will play Japanese champions Kashima Antlers in Sunday's final in Yokohama, looking to become world champions for the second time in three years and earn a record 21st international title.
Ukraine was ordered to play a game behind closed doors as part of a UEFA punishment for racist behavior at last month's European Championship qualifier against Spain.
West Indies all-rounder Dwayne Bravo heaped praise on India and Royal Challengers Bangalore captain Virat Kolhi and equated him with legendary footballer Cristiano Ronaldo.
Five strikers who surprised us in World Cup 2022.
Cristiano Ronaldo has recovered from a muscle strain and is ready to return to action, the Real Madrid and Portugal forward said on Monday.
Cristiano Ronaldo's museum on Madeira has upsized to a larger home in anticipation of the Real Madrid star winning "future trophies", his cousin told AFP on Monday. The Portugal striker's self-financed shrine now occupies a prime seafront position in Funchal, the island's capital where "CR7" was born in 1985. The museum's new two-storey site "will be able to welcome Ronaldo's future trophies," his cousin and museum director Nuno Viveiros said. The treasure trove charting the success of Madeira's most famous son draws in 200,000 visitors a year. It boasts two waxworks of the former Manchester United forward whilst a 3.4-metre-high (11 feet) bronze statue he unveiled of himself in December 2014 has been moved to greet visitors at the entrance. In January the statue was the target of graffiti when it was tagged with the name and shirt number of arch-rival Lionel Messi, hours after the Barcelona superstar saw off Ronaldo to claim a fifth world player of the year award. Among the 160 trophies on display are Ronaldo's three Ballons d'Or.
Barcelona's star striker Lionel Messi has backed Atletico Madrid to seal this year's Champions League title, saying his team don't want to see Real Madrid claim the trophy.
IMAGES from the FIFA World Cup semi-final between Argentina and Croatia played at Lusail Stadium on Tuesday.
After seeing Cristiano Ronaldo pick up a fifth Ballon d'Or on Thursday, Real Madrid coach Zinedine Zidane described the Portuguese forward as the greatest player ever.
Former Portugal star Luis Figo has announced his intentions to challenge Sepp Blatter in the FIFA presidential elections.
Portugal football team captain Cristiano Ronaldo might have some competition in the run for the Ballon d'Or award this year but the forward has no competition when it comes to having the best hair in the game as he won the Salon d'Or for the best hair in the game.
'After winning the World Cup and not being able to go to Barca, it was time to go to the US league to experience football in a different way and enjoy the day-to-day.'
PSG's big buy has been left out squad for the Ligue 1 match against Brest.
Some of the players' high-profile backers, including women's sports pioneer Billie Jean King and presumptive US Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden, leapt to their defence after news of their legal setback broke.
The brain may be sharp as ever, but the legs seem heavier, the pace worryingly slower. He's still only 32, but the strain of a decade-and-a-half of paranormal activity on the pitch may just be piling up.
Hazard, who will face his former manager when Chelsea host United in the league next Saturday, admitted he made a complacent start to that campaign.
On Saturday evening, Lionel Messi finally got what had eluded arguably the finest footballer of his generation throughout his glorious career -- a trophy playing for his country.
Real Madrid forward Cristiano Ronaldo ended his early-season drought in emphatic style when he hit five goals in a 6-0 romp at Espanyol on Saturday to become the club's record scorer in La Liga.
'But when I arrived in Barcelona, I was told that it was no longer possible, that I could not stay and that I had to find another club, because Barca could not afford to extend my contract. That changed my plans.'
Messi's lawyers informed Barcelona, on Tuesday, that the Argentine wanted to take up a release clause in his contract which could allow him to leave for nothing.
Cristiano Ronaldo's agent has defended the FIFA Ballon d'Or winner after he was criticised for throwing a lavish 30th birthday party on Saturday hours after Real Madrid's 4-0 La Liga drubbing at Atletico.
© 2026 Rediff.com - Advertise with us - Disclaimer - Privacy Policy - Sitemap - Feedback - About us - Terms of use - Grievances