Yet even without a transfer fee, Messi's colossal salary, reported to be the highest in world football, means very few clubs would be able to afford him.
Barcelona captain Lionel Messi sat out Friday's training session as he has a small thigh strain, the Spanish champions said. Barca returned to full training on Monday for the first time in three months ahead of the Spanish season re-starting on June 11 after being halted since March due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
The Argentine's representatives and Barcelona did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
Messi, who failed to turn up for pre-season training on Monday, had previously labelled his side 'weak' and 'inconsistent' after surrendering the league title to rivals Real Madrid.
Juventus striker Cristiano Ronaldo would like Barcelona's Lionel Messi to leave Spain and rekindle their rivalry by joining him in the Italian top flight.
News of all that transpired on and off the football field.
The action entertainer Marco is a well shot, gnarly bloodfest that packs some lackluster thrills, notes Arjun Menon.
Film folk brought in the New Year with pretty posts and warm wishes on social media.
India captain Sunil Chhetri added another feather to his illustrious cap as he overtook Argentina star Lionel Messi to become the second-highest goalscorer among the current players in international football.
Indian club East Bengal produced an utterly dominant show to crush Bangladesh's Bashundhara Kings 4-0 in their AFC Challenge League match in Thimphu on Tuesday.
He's handsome, he's talented, he has a huge fan base and he's been making his presence felt in the BB house from the moment he stepped in.
News of all that's transpired on and off the football field.
Argentina captain Lionel Messi paid rich tributes to football legend Diego Maradona, who died on Wednesday after suffering a heart attack.
Lamine Yamal has been breaking records since making his professional debut for Barcelona less than 15 months ago, the last one becoming the youngest goal-scorer in Euros history with a stunning curled long-range shot against France that helped his side reach the final.
'I would never go to court against Barca because it is the club that I love, which gave me everything since I arrived. It is the club of my life, I have made my life here.'
Messi has no current contractual link with the Catalans after his deal expired on June 30
Messi opened the scoring at the Nou Camp with an audacious chipped penalty then restored control in the tie after Lyon had pulled a goal back to make it 2-1, hitting a decisive third goal after a trademark dazzling run to shake off four defenders.
The batting great was named the 12th 'Most Admired Man' in the world, as per a survey conducted by YouGov.
Cristiano Ronaldo has hit back at comments made by Ballon d'Or organiser Pascal Ferre, saying the editor-in-chief of France Football "lied" about his rivalry with Lionel Messi.
Barcelona must considerably reduce their wage bill in order to keep Lionel Messi, La Liga chief Javier Tebas said on Thursday, adding that the club would not be shown any leniency when it comes to obeying the league's strict financial control rules.
Brazil soccer great Pele paid tribute to Lionel Messi for equalling his goal-scoring record for a single club after the Argentine forward netted his 643rd goal for Barcelona in Saturday's 2-2 home draw with Valencia.
La Liga on Sunday released a statement saying Lionel Messi's Barcelona contract is still valid, days after his shock announcement that he wants to leave the club and hours after he failed to attend a pre-season medical.
A major surprise in the 2024 Google search trends was the absence of iconic names like Cristiano Ronaldo, Lionel Messi, M S Dhoni, and Virat Kohli from the list of the top 10 most-searched athletes.
The stadium hosted the 'Dil-Luminati' concert on Saturday and Sunday and drew nearly 40,000 fans each night.
The two-time WWE Hall of Famer captioned the video, "The Worldwide Sensation! WOOOOO!", leaving no doubt about the inspiration behind Rohit's celebratory walk.
The Argentine striker had hosted a team meeting on Monday to kick start preparations for the clash against Atletico Madrid.
The Portuguese star is set to earn $125 million before taxes in the 2021-22 season, with $70 million coming from salary and bonus after his return to United.
It will be difficult for Lionel Messi to remain at Barcelona after he made public his desire to leave the Spanish club, his father and agent Jorge Messi said on Wednesday as he arrived in the city to negotiate his son's future.
Messi is idolised the world over but said he does not enjoy giving advice
Dinesh Raheja tips his hat to his favourite Raj Kapoor movie, as we continue celebrating the legend's birth centenary.
Lionel Messi has clearly become disenchanted with life at Barcelona.
A summary of Thursday's South American World Cup qualifiers.
Messi hit back last week, saying he was tired of being blamed for problems at Barcelona.
Barcelona suffered in the absence of the injured Lionel Messi as they drew 1-1 at home
Mateo has inherited great goal-scoring skills from his father.
The man, who declined to be named, said he charges "the most dedicated supporters" a 1,000% markup for tickets to sought-after matches featuring stars like Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo.
PSG have set their sights on Messi, with PSG's players, coaches talking of their excitement about the prospect of bringing the Argentine to the French capital
Lionel Messi became the all-time top scorer for a single soccer club on Tuesday after scoring his 644th goal for Barcelona during their La Liga match against Real Valladolid, surpassing Pele's record goal haul for Brazilian side Santos.
'For the Premier League, it would be great having the best player in the world in the league. I'm not sure the Premier League needs a boost but it would be.'
