Messi's fitness was a major concern ahead of the resumption -- the talismanic forward was dealing with a quadriceps injury. But he has suffered no further setbacks since returning to training with the rest of the squad at the start of the week.
Like life, elite sports can at the same time be cruel as well demanding. Virat Kohli had faced that for the past three years when he faced the run drought.
Barcelona sacked coach Ronald Koeman after Wednesday's 1-0 LaLiga defeat at Rayo Vallecano, the Catalan club said on Wednesday.
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.
Earlier in the day, Bolivia beat Venezuela 3-1 at home and Uruguay and Paraguay drew 0-0 in Montevideo.
'I take responsibility for my errors and if they existed, it was only to make Barcelona better and stronger'.
Messi announced he wanted to leave Barcelona, on Tuesday, after spending his entire career at the Catalan club.
Erling Haaland and Phil Foden scored hat-tricks to fire champions Manchester City to a rampant 6-3 thrashing of local rivals Manchester United in the English Premier League on Sunday.
Nicolas Gonzalez equalised for Argentina four minutes before half-time when he bulleted a header home from a Giovani Lo Celso corner kick.
Here is a compilation of some of the best photos from 2021...
Messi was named the top-earning footballer in the world by French newspaper L'Equipe earlier this year, claiming an estimated 8.2 million euros ($9.97 million) per month from Barca.
Sunil Chhetri's late goal earned India the 1-0 victory over Nepal in the SAFF Championship, at the National Football Stadium in Male, Maldives, on Sunday. The victory took India to third in the group standings with five points, just a behind Maldives and Nepal, both of whom have six points each.
A summary of Thursday's World Cup qualifiers.
Brazil against Argentina is a true clasico. The teams first met in 1914 and in the years since have established themselves as two of the most storied sides in world soccer. Together they have won seven World Cups.
Lionel Messi, who is Barcelona's all-time top scorer with 634 goals in 731 games, is expected to spend three seasons at Manchester City before moving to CFG's Major League Soccer franchise New York City FC.
The Argentine's representatives and Barcelona did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
The Dutchman burst through the middle of the pitch and laid the ball off for Messi to dribble into the net for an 18th league goal of the season, extending his lead at the top of the scoring charts.
Bayern Munich eased past title rivals Borussia Dortmund 3-1 on Saturday to secure their 10th consecutive Bundesliga crown in front of a sold-out home crowd and with three games to spare, while Paris St Germain secured a record-equalling 10th French top flight title after stuttering to a 1-1 home draw by 10-man RC Lens.
The club have been trying to rebuild the squad with Junior Firpo, Jean-Clair Todibo and Carles Alena being sold to make way for free signings Sergio Aguero, Memphis Depay and Eric Garcia.
Mbappe becomes PSG's all-time highest goal-scorer as French champions extend lead
Lionel Messi scored twice as Barcelona crushed Getafe 5-2 on Thursday to stay in the hunt for the La Liga title.
Aubameyang joined Arsenal from German club Borussia Dortmund in 2018 for a fee of around 58 million pounds ($79 million) as former manager Arsene Wenger's last signing.
Barcelona gave up more ground to Real Madrid in La Liga's title race on Tuesday after being held to a 2-2 draw at home to third-placed Atletico Madrid as a late penalty from Saul Niguez cancelled out Lionel Messi's 700th career goal. The draw meant the Catalans stayed second in the standings on 70 points and leaders Real Madrid, who have 71, will go four points clear at the top with five games left if they beat Getafe at home on Thursday.
Barcelona are taking measures to cut the wages of their players and staff to reduce the economic effects of the coronavirus crisis, the La Liga club said on Thursday. All professional players at Barcelona, including six-times world player of the year Lionel Messi, as well as non-playing staff, will face a compulsory wage reduction during the period of lockdown, the club's directors decided at a board meeting held via video conference.
Lionel Messi and Luis Suarez scored twice each as La Liga champions Barcelona turned on the style to hammer Huesca 8-2 on Sunday and join Real Madrid as the only teams in the league to win their opening three games.
The Ballon d'Or will not be awarded this year for the first time in its 64-year history after the COVID-19 pandemic wreaked havoc on the football calendar, organisers France Football magazine said on Monday. The prestigious award, voted for by journalists, is an annual prize given to the best male footballer in the world since 1956. The women's Ballon d'Or was first awarded in 2018.
Finances aside, though, there is an even bigger question mark hanging over Lionel Messi. Is he a fading force?
Barcelona star Lionel Messi is 'worried' over the coronavirus outbreak and said it is 'time to be responsible and stay at home'.
The goal gave Argentina all three points and condemned their neighbors to a losing start to their Copa campaign.
Argentina's Lionel Messi is used to being hacked down by desperate defenders but his statue in Buenos Aires has suffered even rougher treatment for the second time this year.
Messi was at his devastating his best during the Celta Vigo clash as he netted a hat-trick, helping Barcelona secure a 4-1 win on Sunday.
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 fought back from a goal down to score three times in the second half and record a 3-1 win over Venezuela that maintained their 100 percent record in qualifying matches for the 2022 World Cup.
The winner will be named on August 26, along with UEFA's women's player of the year and Champions League positional award winners, at the Champions League group stage draw in Istanbul.
Barcelona president Josep Maria Bartomeu's remarks come amid severe speculation around Messi's future at the club.
Brazil soccer great Pele died on Thursday, aged 82, after a long battle with cancer.
Barcelona suffered in the absence of the injured Lionel Messi as they drew 1-1 at home
Argentina got their World Cup qualifying campaign off to the perfect start on Thursday when Lionel Messi's early penalty gave them a 1-0 win over Ecuador in a lacklustre match in Buenos Aires.
The Year of the Rabbit, according to the Chinese calendar, began on Sunday, January 22.
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.
