'I would just be kind to all my players and if there were ever mistakes, I would find a way to hide it.'
With the mammoth task of facing a country that appears to grow great players on trees, Greece go into their final Group B clash with Argentina on Tuesday knowing they have nothing to lose.
Argentine prodigy Lionel Messi emulated Diego Maradona once again on Saturday when he scored a replica of the Argentine great's famous "hand of god" goal with a desperate equaliser against city rivals Espanyol on Saturday.
The Argentine forward's glittering resume has one major omission -- a World Cup winner's medal.
Emiliano Martinez said he had always wanted to come to India.
With immense pressure on him to match the late great Diego Maradona and send the trophy back to Buenos Aires, Lionel Messi has lit up the Qatar tournament while others in the superstar stratum - Neymar, Cristiano Ronaldo - have underwhelmed and gone home.
Saturday's game should give Barcelona's teenage Argentine Lionel Messi the chance to pit his skills against Real Madrid's Brazilian wizard Robinho.
Brazilian World Cup winner Ronaldinho will visit to Kolkata in October.
Brazilian football legend Ronaldinho on Sunday arrived in Kolkata on a two-day visit.
Argentine legend Diego Maradona will kick off a football conclave on October 3 in the presence of a galaxy of current and former Indian stars like Bhaichung Bhutia, Sunil Chhetri and I M Vijayan.
A Colombian doctor who treated controversial Argentine soccer legend Diego Maradona for weight loss last year was nabbed at an international airport on Wednesday with nearly 2 kilos of cocaine packed in his bags, police said.
Diego Maradona was forced to stub out his fat cigar but no one could take the smile off his face -- or stop him talking -- after Argentina's 3-1 last 16 World Cup defeat of Mexico on Sunday.
Indian fans wait for Messi's '2011 Tendulkar moment'
IMAGES from the UEFA Champions League matches played on Wednesday
In the streets of the capital, revellers partied early into the hours of Monday. Fans climbed onto bus stops and lamp-posts, blared horns, banged drums and set off fireworks into the night sky. Some even climbed the tall Obelisco monument.
The comparison with Maradona for the title of the greatest Argentine player of all time cannot be complete without a world title, which the late Maradona won almost single-handedly 36 years ago.
Franz Beckenbauer was for decades synonymous with Germany's success on the pitch, as player and then coach.
'I understood that if I dedicated myself solely to coaching, I could get much better at it'
Not only the senior team but the young Blue Colts also emerged victorious in the SAFF Men's U-19 champions after hammering Pakistan in the final and clinching a vigorous 3-0 victory.
Atletico Madrid secured a hard-fought 2-1 home victory over Real Betis in La Liga on Sunday thanks to an own-goal by Rui Silva and a header by Alvaro Morata as Diego Simeone's side ended a three-game winless run in all competitions.
Wearing his infectious goofy grin, 'Samba Magician' Ronaldinho cast a spell on the football-crazy denizens of Kolkata as his arrival for a two-day visit in Kolkata ushered in an early onset of the Durga Puja festival.
Former India captain Kapil Dev on Wednesday lauded Yuvraj Singh's inclusion in the Indian T20 team terming him as a 'crowdpuller like John McEnroe'.
Two of the most intimidating strikers in world football, Argentina's 35-year-old Lionel Messi and Poland's 34-year-old Robert Lewandowski, line up against each other on Wednesday with a last 16 place at stake in the World Cup.
Wasteful Napoli held to goalless draw by visiting Monza
But after an exceptional transfer window and with Luciano Spalletti at the helm, Napoli dominated the title race while their main rivals all suffered slumps during the season.
Raucous home support for holders Argentina did not make up for the absence of Juan Martin del Potro and Federico Delbonis on Friday as they fell 2-0 behind to Italy in the first round of the Davis Cup.
Lionel Messi kept his dream of winning his first World Cup alive by rifling in the opening goal in Saturday's 2-0 victory over Mexico in World Cup Group C, proving he was far from done in the tournament.
Reactions to the death of Argentine football legend Diego Maradona, who died on Wednesday.
Soccer fans watch the telecast of the World Cup game between Argentina and Saudi Arabia on a Kolkata street with the God Of Football (Diego Maradona holding the 1986 World Cup trophy poster) to keep them company.
Pope Francis is a lifelong fan of the Buenos Aires San Lorenzo soccer team.
Scenes from the champion team's homecoming...
Antonella Roccuzzo and her children stole the show during Argentina's 2022 World Cup last 16 clash against Australia on Saturday night.
Manchester United's miserable season continued with a 3-2 home defeat by Galatasaray.
Global sales of soccer gear were up more than 700% for the 2022 World Cup in Qatar versus the 2018 World Cup in Russia across the Fanatics network of online stores.
Several thousand Argentinians are expected to descend on Qatar for the tournament starting next month but not all are having an easy ride.
'It was a signal really, because it was the first goal in a tight game. When he cheated, a lot of the players as well as me complained... I was chasing the referee. But it stood.'
'I feel very happy, to be able to achieve this, to finish my World Cup journey by playing my last game in a final'
The Italian coach considers that having healthy players, such as striker Karim Benzema, will be the key to face the schedule that awaits the Madrid side, who will be looking to defend their LaLiga, Spanish Super Cup and Champions League titles.
Dominic Xavier pays homage to arguably the greatest footballer the world has seen.
Pochettino, who is well aware of Messi's game-changing abilities having worked with the 35-year-old last season, said he was still the best player in the world.
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