Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo have both won the Ballon d’Or award five times. Juventus forward Cristiano Ronaldo has challenged Lionel Messi to leave Barcelona and sign for a club in Italy. Portugal international Ronaldo joined Serie A champions Juventus…
Messi to watch River Vs Boca from a private box at the Bernabeu (DailySports)
The South American football confederation have extended an invitation to all players from that region who currently play in LaLiga Santander to attend the Copa Libertadores final second leg on Sunday. That game takes place at the Estadio Santiago Bernabeu…
Boy who wore plastic bag to look like Messi forced to flee home by Taliban (Metro)
An Afghan boy who won the hearts of football fans across the world after wearing a homemade Lionel Messi shirt has been forced to leave his home by the Taliban. Murtaza Ahmadi, seven, was smuggled out of Ghazni by his…
Messi’s fifth place in Ballon d’Or ‘absurd’, declares Barca boss (Guardian)
Lionel Messi finishing fifth in this year’s Ballon d’Or vote was “absurd”, says Barcelona coach Ernesto Valverde. Real Madrid midfielder Luka Modric won the prize, awarded by France Football and voted for by 180 journalists. Barcelona and Argentina forward Messi,…
Barcelona beat PSV to top group (BBC)
Barcelona ensured they will reach the Champions League knockout stage as Group B winners with victory at PSV. The Spanish side had already qualified for the last 16 but sealed top spot with a Lionel Messi strike and Gerard Pique’s…
Messi’s $64M salary sees Barcelona set new wage record (CNN)
Barcelona spends more money on wages than any other club in the world and has become the first sports team in history to top £10 million ($13.76m) a year in average first-team pay. According to the Sporting Intelligence website’s latest…
Klopp reveals who he prefers between Messi and C. Ronaldo (Metro)
Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp has weighed into the debate over who is the best football player on the planet: Lionel Messi or Cristiano Ronaldo. The pair have enjoyed a stranglehold over the Ballon d’Or for the past decade, with Messi…
‘I love Leo’ – Maradona denies Messi criticism (SuperSport)
Diego Maradona says he “loves” Lionel Messi and described as “false” comments attributed to him attacking his Argentine compatriot and Barcelona legend. “Leo is a friend of mine and I’d never speak ill of a friend,” Maradona assured Spanish sports…
Barca lose seven-goal thriller to Betis (BBC)
Barcelona lost a home league match for the first time in two years as the Spanish champions were beaten by Real Betis’s expert display at the Nou Camp. Junior Firpo gave Betis a deserved lead after 20 minutes, before veteran…