Football superstar Lionel Messi is set to unfold his magic when he leads Argentina in FIFA international friendly against Venezuela in Kolkata on Friday evening.
Impressive performances from Lionel Messi and Ansu Fati helped Barcelona overcome an early red card to defender Clement Lenglet and win 3-0 at Celta Vigo on Thursday to make it two wins out of two in the new La Liga season.
Barcelona manager Ernesto Valverde said the football world must get used to the idea that Lionel Messi will retire in the near future.
'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.'
Lionel Messi wanted Maradona to stay on as Argentina coach and is looking forward to playing in the same club side as Spain's Cesc Fabregas one day, the Barcelona forward said on Thursday.
'Messi is the best player in the world, along with Ronaldinho. I see him as very similar to me,' Maradona said.
IMAGES from the FIFA World Cup quarter-final played between Argentina and The Netherlands on Friday.
Lionel Messi, who turns 23 on Thursday, captained his country for the first time on Tuesday and gave another virtuoso performance as Argentina beat Greece 2-0 to reach the second round of the World Cup.
The Messi Experience Park, which is being launched by the five times world player of the year in collaboration with Chinese broadcaster Phoenix Group and Spanish media company Mediapro, is set to open in 2019 in the Chinese capital.
Barcelona talisman Lionel Messi has been declared as the best forward, while Ballon d'Or winner Cristiano Ronaldo was ranked 29th.
RBI Governor Shaktikanta Das on Wednesday replied to the 'history major central bank governor' taunt faced by him, questioning if Argentinian football legend Lionel Messi is also a post-graduate in history. An interviewer anchoring a fireside chat at a summit organised by Business Standard compared his position to an opponent facing Messi at a football arena in Qatar, to which Das replied with wit. "Don't mind it, but was Messi also a post-graduate in history? Not often, but I am sometimes reminded by people that I am supposed to have done history," Das said.
Lionel Messi guided Argentina past a tough Uruguay side in the final half hour with two brilliant goals for a 3-0 win on Friday that keeps them top of South America's World Cup qualifiers.
Soccer's five-times World Player of the Year Lionel Messi said on Thursday he knew nothing about an alleged tax evasion scheme when he signed contracts related to image rights.
Barcelona's Lionel Messi hit his 400th career goal for the La Liga leaders.
Lionel Messi came off the bench and scored twice in the second half as Barcelona, who survived two late dismissals, won 2-1 at Racing Santander on Sunday and maintained their huge lead in the Primera Liga. Racing gave the visitors little space and took the lead after the restart when Nikola Zigic scored from the penalty spot.
Neymar has distanced himself from remarks made by Brazilian great Pele claiming the Santos striker is better than Barcelona's Argentine forward Lionel Messi.
Runaway Premier League leaders Manchester City beat champions Chelsea 1-0 at the Etihad Stadium on Sunday to extend their lead to 18 points and leave the London side further adrift from the Champions League qualification spots.
Barcelona teammates Lionel Messi and Andres Iniesta find themselves competing against each other along with four other top sporting icons, including Rafael Nadal, for the 'World Sportsman of the Year' trophy at the prestigious Laureus Awards to be announced in Abu Dhabi on Monday.
Barcelona forward Lionel Messi has paid an emotional tribute to Pep Guardiola, after he announced leaving the Catalans at the end of the season.
Barcelona coach Luis Enrique has decided to rest Lionel Messi, Neymar and most of his regulars for the King's Cup last 16, second leg match at Elche later on Thursday.
Lionel Messi is not interested in leaving Barcelona in the wake of his sentencing for tax fraud, according to club spokesman Josep Vives.
It all ended in tears as Argentina and Colombia went out in the round of 16, the latter on penalties, while Uruguay and Brazil both lost their quarter-finals on Friday, to France and Belgium respectively.
It is a mistake to compare Argentina with Barcelona as the Spanish club have been working as a unit for a lot longer, Lionel Messi said on Thursday.
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.
IMAGES from the Champions League 2nd semi-final first leg match between Barcelona and Liverpool at Nou Camp on Wednesday
Argentina put behind a dismal first half to beat Algeria 4-3 in a friendly international.
Lionel Messi is not about to leave Barcelona despite taking his time to sign a new contract with the Liga side, teammate Gerard Pique said on Thursday, saying that the Argentine "loves the club more than anybody".
Argentina forward Lionel Messi will not play in the Olympic Games after a sporting tribunal ruled on Wednesday that his club Barcelona were not obliged to release him.
Football's world governing body FIFA named Cristiano Ronaldo, Lionel Messi and Franck Ribery as the three nominations from a 10-player shortlist for the Ballon d'Or award on Monday.
Lionel Messi stole Cristiano Ronaldo's thunder again by plundering yet another hat-trick for Barcelona and Basel ruined Jose Mourinho's Champions League return with a shock win at Chelsea.
Barcelona's Lionel Messi set a Champions League scoring record when he took his tally to 14 in the competition so far this season as the holders knocked out AC Milan to reach the semi-finals on Tuesday.
The 20-year-old Lionel Messi, three years Cristiano Ronaldo's junior, was the outstanding attacking player on show in the Champions League second leg semi-final and almost single-handedly led Barcelona's attempt to claw back Paul Scholes's early goal and take the 2006 winners through to Moscow with an away goal.
Lionel Messi has recovered fully from his thigh muscle injury and can begin work on his fitness although no date has yet been set for his return to action, the Argentine Football Association (AFA) said on Friday.
Harry Kane toppled Alan Shearer's 22-year-old record for the most Premier League goals in a calendar year by scoring a double for Tottenham Hotspur against Southampton, on Tuesday, also overtaking Lionel Messi as the top scorer in Europe.
A brilliant World Cup for Lionel Messi would be good for Argentina's chances of victory although it is preferable to rely on the team and not one man however great, according to defender Gabriel Heinze.
Barcelona will ignore attempts by Real Madrid coach Jose Mourinho to play mind games, according to Lionel Messi.
Barcelona forward Lionel Messi raised eyebrows when he said in passing on Monday that he did not know where he would be next year.
Saudi Arabia will host the men's soccer World Cup in 2034 while the 2030 edition will be held in Spain, Portugal and Morocco, with one-off matches in three South American countries, world soccer's governing body FIFA confirmed on Wednesday.
Argentina beat Venezuela 2-0 away in their World Cup qualifying match.
Barcelona's Lionel Messi broke free from Arsenal's shackles to score two late goals and put the Champions League holders on the brink of the quarter-finals with a clinical 2-0 victory at the Emirates Stadium on Tuesday.
