Ronaldo being benched in Portugal's 6-1 demolition of Switzerland has caused some of his die-hard fans to reconsider the current state of affairs.
Barcelona forward Lionel Messi injured his hamstring and defender Javier Mascherano sustained a more serious knee problem in Tuesday's 2-2 Champions League quarter-final first leg draw at Paris St Germain.
News of all that's transpired on and off the football field
Barcelona forward Lionel Messi was back on the training pitch on Thursday as he bids to rid himself of a hamstring injury before Tuesday's Champions League semi-final first leg at Bayern Munich.
Argentina have called up Mallorca's Spanish defender Pablo Maffeo for the first time ahead of this month's World Cup qualifiers against Uruguay and Brazil in the squad announced by its FA on Friday.
A statue of Lionel Messi in Argentina's capital has been broken in half, with the player's upper body, arms and head removed.
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.
Lionel Messi may lack a World Cup for Argentina but his 10 years with Barcelona have seen him rewrite the history books and become symbolic with the club's golden era.
Lionel Messi's exquisite Champions League double for Barcelona against Bayern Munich was a case of history repeating itself with an added magnificent assist for Neymar to seal an emphatic 3-0 semi-final, first leg win.
Lionel Messi, still only 25, was named the world's best player for the fourth time in a row on Monday after a year in which finally produced his best form for Argentina as well as Barcelona.
The Argentine striker hit a double as Barcelona beat Celtic 3-2 in the first leg of their Champions League round of 16 tie.
In a video, released on Thursday, Neymar thanked his famous former Argentine teammate and the Catalonian club for the wonder years.
After playing the most soporific game of the World Cup so far, France will feature in a seismic last-16 clash of former champions with a resurgent Argentina on Saturday, and they will have to drastically improve if they are to stop Lionel Messi.
'Messi is a player that makes a difference in all games and in Clasicos he has always made a big impact but we will have to see if he is ready' 'You never know what can happen in these types of games and when you start as favourite it can often go wrong'
Although the prosecutor has argued Lionel Messi should not have to answer the charges as his father oversaw his finances, a court document published on Thursday showed the judge in the case had ruled he must still appear as a defendant.
A mesmeric Lionel Messi helped Barcelona to come from behind and beat Sevilla 2-1 in a thrilling encounter on Sunday as the champions kept the pressure on La Liga leaders Real Madrid, who saw off Leganes 3-0 thanks to a double from Gareth Bale.
Manchester City coach Pep Guardiola has denied a newspaper report that he tried to sign strikers Lionel Messi and Neymar from former club Barcelona in the close season.
After picking fifth Ballon d'Or, Ronaldo's reignites eternal debate
Here is what you need to know about their route to the final
'We made many changes, trying to create opportunities but the important thing today was the players were really brave. That courage made this result possible'
Cristiano Ronaldo said there is no chance of him playing club football in Europe again and that the Saudi Arabian league is better than Major League Soccer.
Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi will resume their perennial battle to be crowned the world's best footballer after they headed the shortlist of 30 players for the 2016 Ballon d'Or announced on Monday.
Argentina forward Lionel Messi did not deserve to win the World Cup 'Golden Ball' as the tournament's best player, according to his compatriot and former great Diego Maradona.
Love them, hate them but the Oscars have a way of sneaking up on you.
Lionel Messi scored within three minutes of returning to action for the first time in more than three weeks to help fire La Liga champions Barcelona to a resounding 4-0 home win over Deportivo La Coruna on Saturday.
Messi, whose deal expires in 2021, had called his side "weak" and "inconsistent" after they lost the league title to Real Madrid.
A summary of sports events and sports persons, who made news on Wednesday
Switzerland's 'Alpine Messi' Xherdan Shaqiri, hot from a hat-trick against Honduras in his last game, meets the real Messi on Tuesday as the Europeans seek a major World Cup upset when they face Argentina in the last 16.
Injured Barcelona forward Lionel Messi is almost irreplaceable but the Spanish champions are determined to put his temporary absence behind them, coach Pep Guardiola said on Tuesday.
World Player of the Year Lionel Messi scored twice as Barcelona became the first team to overturn a two-goal first-leg deficit without the benefit of an away goal to advance to the last eight 4-2 on aggregate. Following is a selection of reactions to Barcelona's 4-0 Champions League victory against AC Milan on Tuesday.
The 29-year-old's composure on the ball, ability to pick a pass and tough tackling paid dividends at both ends of the pitch in the must-win game against Nigeria.
Barcelona coach Luis Enrique expects Lionel Messi to bounce back from a difficult summer with his usual enthusiasm -- and does not rule out a return to international football.
Barcelona's Lionel Messi and Luis Suarez secured victory over nine-man Atletico Madrid in La Liga's top of the table clash, while Juventus won a 12th straight Serie A game to stay hot on the heels of leaders Napoli.
A stunning overhead kick by Eduard Bello helped Venezuela hold Brazil to a 1-1 draw in their 2026 World Cup qualifier on Thursday.
The dazzling Lionel Messi returned from illness to score yet another double to help Barcelona ease into the knockout stages of the Champions League for a 13th successive year with their 2-0 win at Celtic on Wednesday.
'What happened to Raj and Simran after running away on the train at the end of DDLJ 20 years later? Have they become flatmates instead of lovers? What happens when the initial chemistry has worn off and love becomes a habit? This has always fascinated me.'
Barca, who had a rather disappointing season, managed to restore some pride with victory over last season's second division champions in what was the final match to be played at Atletico Madrid's Vicente Calderon Stadium.
The clinical Argentine Messi now has 11 goals in his last five games in all competitions and with record signing Ousmane Dembele injured and Luis Suarez rested, he put on a sensational show at Camp Nou to extend Barcelona's La Liga lead.
Barcelona's Lionel Messi beat Real Madrid's Cristiano Ronaldo to take home the UEFA Best Player in Europe Award on Thursday.
IMAGES from the UEFA Champions League quarter-final 2nd leg matches played on Tuesday
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