Portugal forward Cristiano Ronaldo was given a chance to defend his World Player of the Year title on Monday when he was named on the shortlist for this year's accolade.
After underwhelming early performances, traditional Latin American top dogsArgentina and reigning African champions Nigeria have something to prove when they meet in their final World Cup Group F match on Wednesday.
After picking fifth Ballon d'Or, Ronaldo's reignites eternal debate
Lionel Messi announced on Friday that he wants to return to play for the national team, reversing his decision to retire earlier this year. Messi said in June that he would not play for Argentina again after the team lost to Chile in the final of the Copa America.
Lionel Messi needs one goal to equal the Barcelona scoring record after Cesar Rodriguez's total was revised to 232 from 235, the La Liga club said.
Lionel Messi mesmerised Manchester United into submission on Saturday as his dazzling Barcelona team claimed an emphatic 3-1 win in the Champions League final to bag their third European crown in six seasons.
At the age of 23, Barcelona's Lionel Messi has already come to define an era of European soccer in a way only a handful of players have managed since the days of Alfredo di Stefano.
Former Germany and Bayern Munich striker Gerd Mueller's record of 85 goals in a calendar year will stand for a little longer after Barcelona decided to rest Lionel Messi for a midweek outing in the King's Cup against lowly Alaves.
Argentina won their first major title in 28 years on Saturday after Angel Di Maria's goal gave them a 1-0 win over Brazil and a record-equalling 15th Copa America, at Maracana Stadium in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, on Saturday.
The number of assists is used as a tiebreaker to separate players who are level on goals scored. If they are tied on both counts, the winner is decided by who played the fewest minutes.
Lionel Messi was sent off before half-time and then angrily hit out at "corrupt" tournament organisers after Argentina beat Chile 2-1 to win a bad-tempered third-place playoff at the Copa America on Saturday.
A Lionel Messi masterclass, netting a brilliant free kick before laying on two more goals, put Argentina's World Cup qualifying campaign back on track with a resounding 3-0 win over Colombia in San Juan on Tuesday.
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.
Diego Maradona dreams of seeing his newborn son Diego Fernando playing for Argentina with the offspring of Lionel Messi and Sergio Aguero, he said on Tuesday.
Argentina and Barcelona forward Lionel Messi, still only 24, won the World Player of the Year award for the third time in a row on Monday.
Rather like tennis's serial record breaker Roger Federer, Barcelona striker Lionel Messi cannot seem to finish a soccer match without ticking off another milestone.
Lionel Messi has dismissed talk of chasing records after the Argentine struck twice in Wednesday's 5-0 Champions League win at BATE Borisov to equal Ladislau Kubala as Barcelona's second highest scorer of all time on 194 goals.
Barcelona coach Luis Enrique hailed hat-trick hero Lionel Messi as the greatest player in the world "in every position" after the Argentine maestro sent another record tumbling in a thumping 7-0 Champions League win over Celtic.
Lionel Messi fired Barcelona into the last 16 of the Champions League with two goals in their 3-0 victory at Spartak Moscow on Tuesday but holders Chelsea are walking a tightrope after a crushing defeat by Juventus.
Lionel Messi's sublime double gave Barcelona a 2-0 win over Real Madrid in a tempestuous Champions League semi-final first leg which saw Real finish the game with 10 men and with coach Jose Mourinho in the stands.
Lionel Messi scored a hat-trick as Argentina beat arch-rivals Brazil 4-3 in an end-to-end friendly on Saturday, dealing a blow to the Brazilians as they wrapped up their preparations for the London Olympics.
Barcelona's Lionel Messi is the best player ever, Bayern coach Pep Guardiola said.
Paraguay's Lucas Barrios scored in the 90th minute to give his side a dramatic 2-2 draw against Argentina in the Copa America in Santiago, on Saturday.
No amount of preparation is enough to snuff out the threat of Argentina's "assassin" Lionel Messi, Panama coach Hernan Dario Gomez said ahead of Friday's Copa America clash between the teams. Messi was an unused substitute in Argentina's 2-1 win over holders Chile in their opening Group D match in Santa Clara, California on Monday after a back injury but will reappear when they face Panama in Chicago. "Leo trained normally, he will play," coach Gerardo Martino told a news conference on Thursday. Both sides have three points after Panama marked their first appearance in the world's oldest international tournament with a surprise 2-1 win over Bolivia, who face Chile in Foxborough on Friday.
Lionel Messi has Ronaldinho and rough competition from his brothers to thank for a seamless move into big time soccer
Factbox on Barcelona and Argentina forward Lionel Messi, who became his country's all-time top goalscorer on Tuesday when he scored his 55th international goal.
Chhetri still takes advice from former captain Bhutia who has a huge influence on him.
Argentina's injured captain Lionel Messi has been named in a squad missing the suspended Javier Mascherano and Gonzalo Higuain for next month's World Cup qualifier against South America's bottom side Paraguay.
Lionel Messi's Argentina put the love of their fans to a new test in a World Cup qualifier against Paraguay on Friday after the thrill of their captain's nine goals in five games.
IMAGES from the FIFA World Cup quarter-final played between Argentina and The Netherlands on Friday.
Following is a factbox detailing a selection of key moments in Lionel Messi's Barcelona career.
France will look to boss the midfield in a bid to limit supply to the lethal 31-year-old, who has struggled to impose himself in the tournament.
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.
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.
Barcelona forward Lionel Messi and goalkeeper Victor Valdes are unavailable for the King's Cup last-16 first leg at home to Osasuna on Wednesday because of flu and fever, the La Liga club said on their website (www.fcbarcelona.es).
Barcelona forward Lionel Messi is in such magical form that opposition defences would need a machine gun to stop him, said former European Footballer of the Year Hristo Stoichkov. Messi's remarkable season continued when he set Barcelona on their way to a 2-0 win at Real Madrid in Spain's Clasico on Saturday, four days after the Argentine's brilliant four-goal Champions League haul against Arsenal.
Saturday's 'Clasico' between Real Madrid and Barcelona will be more than a duel between Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi, the Portuguese forward said on Thursday.
A Lionel Messi-inspired Barcelona tightened their grip on the La Liga title race with a comprehensive 4-0 win at Eibar on Sunday to open up an 11-point lead at the top. Munir El Haddadi tapped home the opener from Luis Suarez's cross before Messi doubled Barca's advantage with a brilliant individual effort just before half-time. Messi doubled his tally from the penalty spot before Suarez lashed home the fourth six minutes from time. Barca's 11th consecutive league win also stretches their record unbeaten run to 36 games. Atletico Madrid can close the gap at the top to eight points when they visit Gary Neville's Valencia later on Sunday. Real Madrid remain 12 points adrift of Barca in third despite Cristiano Ronaldo's four-goal show in a 7-1 demolition of Celta Vigo on Saturday.
Lionel Messi, looking to score his first World Cup goal since 2006 in Brazil this month, went scoreless as Argentina cruised to a 3-0 win over Trinidad and Tobago in a World Cup warmup on Friday.
