Lionel Messi scored an injury-time penalty as Argentina rescued a draw in their friendly with South American rivals Uruguay in Tel Aviv. Messi’s Barcelona team-mate Luis Suarez had given Uruguay a second-half lead from a free-kick before Martin Caceres handled…
Messi first to score in 15 straight Champions League seasons (Guardian)
Lionel Messi became the first-ever player to score at least once in 15 consecutive Champions League seasons after opening the scoring at Slavia Prague on Wednesday. The 32-year-old Argentinian beat goalkeeper Ondrej Kolar with a low left-footed shot after robbing…
Why I almost left Barca in 2017, Messi reveals (Vanguard)
Lionel Messi has spectacularly revealed that he wanted to quit Barcelona during his £2.95million tax row with the Spanish government and it was only a lack of offers from elsewhere that kept him at the club. Messi has played for…
FIFA deny World Player of the Year award fixed so Lionel Messi would win (Metro)
FIFA have been forced to deny claims their World Player of the Year vote was fixed to ensure Lionel Messi would take home the prize. Messi collected the top honour ahead of Liverpool centre-back Virgil van Dijk and Juventus star…
Neymar: Lionel Messi would have ‘loved’ Barcelona to re-sign Brazil forward (BBC)
Lionel Messi says he would have “loved” for Neymar to return to Barcelona as his arrival would have “increased our chances of achieving our objectives.” Neymar, 27, joined Paris St-Germain from Barcelona in 2017 for a world record fee of…
Messi ‘made me better player’, says Ronaldo (Punch)
Cristiano Ronaldo admitted on Wednesday his long-time rivalry with Lionel Messi has made him “a better player” and that he enjoys a “healthy” rivalry with the Argentine great. However, Portuguese star Ronaldo, whose influence at Real Madrid mirrored that of…
*Why we’re excited about proposed Lagos-Ibadan Expressway closure–Highway hawkers (Punch) * IGP, northern govs oppose El-Zakzaky’s travel for treatment (Punch)
Why we’re excited about proposed Lagos-Ibadan Expressway closure–Highway hawkers (Punch) He ran as fast as his legs could carry him, latching on to transparent white nylon bags containing cooked guinea fowl eggs, his face etched with tiredness. Tall and swift,…
Copa America: Conmebol ban Messi (Punch)
The Argentine superstar’s punishment for his straight red in the third-place playoff against Chile has been confirmed. The Albicelesta captain has been hit with a one-game ban (as per ESPN) for that red card he received in the third-place playoff…
*Lagos landlord, developer, agents defraud 66 accommodation seekers of N16m (Punch)*Court orders seizure of Lagos firm over alleged N4.6 billion bank loan (Guardian)
Lagos landlord, developer, agents defraud 66 accommodation seekers of N16m (Punch) Over 66 prospective tenants have been thrown into confusion as the landlord, Olatunji Joseph, in connivance with a developer, Aderonke Olaleye, and other allegedly yet-to-be identified agents swindled them…
Referee hits back at Messi, Argentina accusations, Roddy Zambrano
The referee accused by Argentina at the Copa America of having made “serious and gross” mistakes during their semi-final defeat to Brazil has hit back at his detractors accusing them of being bad losers. Argentina and their captain Lionel Messi…