In a spectacular display of skill and finesse, Lionel Messi brought the Estadio Más Monumental in Buenos Aires to its feet as he led Argentina to a resounding 6-0 victory over Bolivia in a World Cup qualifying match. This encounter marked Messi’s first appearance on home soil in 334 days, and he made sure it…
Van den Bomen then opened the scoring in the 20th minute with a free kick that left Gianluigi Donnarumma with both feet stuck in the ground. Marquinhos grabbed a Messi free kick only for its deflection to hit the post 12 minutes before the break, but Hakimi was more accurate five minutes later with a…
After hoisting his maiden World Cup trophy with Argentina in December, Lionel Messi said the tournament would be his last but now it seems he is open to the possibility of playing in the 2026 event. “It will be difficult to make 2026 because of age,” Messi, 35, told Diario Ole, an Argentine sports newspaper.…
Despite the win, Rennes slipped to fifth place on 37 points, behind Monaco on goal difference, after the princely side beat AC Ajaccio 7-1 earlier on Sunday with a Wissam Ben Yedder hat-trick. PSG captain Marquinhos said, “Two defeats in the new year, we need to be more aggressive and concrete. If we get it…
Factbox on the career statistics of former Brazil forward Pele, who has died aged 82: * Won three World Cup titles with Brazil in 1958, 1962 and 1970 – the only player to win the showpiece tournament three times. * Became the youngest player to win the World Cup trophy at the age of 17,…
“I knew a lot of people wanted Messi and team tattoos because they booked me before the final,” said tattoo artist Sebastian Arguello Paz, wearing the jersey of national goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez. “I never thought there would be a queue at the shop the next day.” A day after Argentina beat France on penalties in…
The historic Maracana stadium has hosted two World Cup finals, in 1950 and 2014, and saw Messi and his team beat Brazil 1-0 to become 2021 Copa America champions. Messi’s footprint on the Maracana’s Walk of Fame is followed by Brazilian greats such as Pele, Garrincha, Rivelino and Ronaldo, as well as Chile’s Elías Figueroa,…
Fans flocked to buy Nike-brand Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) soccer club jerseys, with sales of Messi and Mbappe jerseys increasing by more than 200 percent on the official PSG online store on Sunday. The 35-year-old Argentina team captain Messi said the final would be his last match at the World Cup, although he would like to…
Players wore gold winners’ medals around their necks and took turns waving to fans from an open-top bus carrying the World Cup trophy overhead, as thousands of mobile phone lights flashed and flags waved in the crowd Were staying Joyful fans sang to the beat of drums and fireworks lit up the sky as the…
“Messi is not an alien, he is a human being who plays football better than anyone else. When that person exceeds you, you cannot suffer, he gives you joy.” Batistuta, who scored 10 goals in three World Cup editions between 1994 and 2002, said Messi had exceeded his expectations with his five goals, three assists…
“You can’t pretend that Maradona or Pele – along with Messi, the most important players in football – were focused on trying to win back the ball. He can’t participate in that. He just needs others to do that for him.” Run.” Coach added. “When you have Messi, you need the other players to understand…
Last 16: Argentina 2-1 Australia The stars were in Messi’s favor in a physical last-16 clash with Australia, as he surpassed Maradona’s World Cup tally by scoring in his 1,000th match. The goal was vintage Messi, almost as if time had stopped for everyone except the 35-year-old, who reacted quickly to a short layup in…
another record The complex play and tight triangles Croatia were attempting only fumbled in a small way, and when they did Argentina looked poised to pounce. It was a cruel irony that, after looking the stronger side for the best part of half an hour, it was Croatia’s inspirational playmaker Luka Modric who lost possession…
hypnotic player With Neymar out and Ronaldo benched by Portugal, only France’s Kylian Mbappe can rival Messi as the tournament’s most compelling player. Every time he got the ball in the first half, a trio of Dutch defenders tried to build a wall around him in an attempt to pass him as quickly as possible,…
If the Netherlands beat Argentina in the World Cup quarter-finals, they could face Brazil in the semi-finals, but their road to the final still won’t be as difficult as Argentina’s in the 1990 edition, according to Gracenote analysis by Nielsen. come to know. Since the introduction of the current knockout stage format in 1986, studies…