Page 8 - Lionel Messi

WATCH: Messi vs Ronaldo - Rafael Nadal picks the best footballer in world

Nadal has been spending quality with his family after announcing that he would not play any competitive tennis in 2023 ahead of the French Open tournament early this year.

Messi scores game-winning goal on free kick in his Inter Miami debut

Some people paid hundreds of dollars to be able to say they were in the stadium for Lionel Messi's debut for Inter Miami. Some paid thousands for their seats. The team's owners committed well over $100 million just to have a chance at moments like this. So far, it looks like money well spent. From the you-can't-make-this-up department, Messi capped the opening night with his new club by delivering the unforgettable. His magical left foot sent a free kick into the upper left corner of the net in the 94th minute Friday night, giving Inter Miami a 2-1 win over Mexican club Cruz Azul in a Legends Cup match. What I saw was the goal, Messi said in an on-field interview amid the postgame celebration. I saw the goal. I knew that I had to score. He makes it sound so easy. Made it look so easy, too. The game's greatest active player a seven-time Ballon d'Or winner and a World Cup champion sent the ball over a wall of four Cruz Azul defenders for the winning goal, unquestionably the greate

Jorge Mas: The billionaire who convinced Messi to pick MLS over Saudi

With Lionel Messi and Apple Inc. on his side, the 60-year-old construction executive is seeking to upend the business of US soccer and make it a lot more profitable

Argentina's Lionel Messi introduced by Inter Miami and Major League Soccer

Lionel Messi walked out from behind a curtain, took a few steps along a rain-slicked runaway set up over the field at Inter Miami's stadium and headed toward David Beckham for a big hug. His journey was complete. Inter Miami's wait was over. At long last, Messi has arrived. Inter Miami after years of plotting, pleading and hoping introduced arguably the game's biggest star on Sunday night, presenting their new franchise player with his pink No. 10 jersey that millions of people will be buying over the coming weeks and months. "I'm sure we're going to have many wonderful experiences, Messi told the crowd. Sunday was the first one. Almost every seat was filled despite horrible weather conditions that delayed the show, and nobody seemed to mind soaking rain that pounded down throughout the evening. I'm very much moved to be here in Miami, to be with you, Messi said. I want to thank you, all of you, on behalf of my family, for the kindness that you have given me. Beckham, the team

Lionel Messi reunites with Barcelona teammate Busquets at Inter Miami

Barcelona's iconic midfielder Sergio Busquets has signed a two-year deal with the Major League Soccer (MLS) side Inter Miami

Messi makes it official by signing with Inter Miami and Major League Soccer

Lionel Messi has finalised his deal to join Major League Soccer, and after years of planning and pursuing, Inter Miami has landed a global icon. Messi's contract became official Saturday, a little more than five weeks after he declared that he would be coming to Inter Miami. The team will introduce him Sunday night at its stadium in Fort Lauderdale, and the first home match of the Messi era could be as early as Friday in a Leagues Cup match against Cruz Azul. A formal news conference is scheduled for Monday, and his first training session with his new club is expected on Tuesday. The club previously announced that Messi's deal will be for 2 1/2 seasons and will pay him between $50 million and $60 million annually putting the total contract value between $125 million and $150 million in cash alone. "BIENVENIDO 10," the team posted Saturday on Twitter. Welcome, Messi, indeed. We are overjoyed that the greatest player in the world chose Inter Miami CF and Major League Soccer, and hi

Lionel Messi escapes accident after jumping red light in Miami, say reports

In a video shared by the Twitter account 'FCB Albiceleste', an Argentine TV channel is showing Lionel Messis' car jumping a red light and narrowly escaping an accident

Messi mania engulfs Miami ahead of Argentine soccer superstar''s arrival

A hamburger and drink combination called the Lionel Messi. A huge sketch of the soccer star's smiling face on a restaurant wall beside a viral meme from the 2022 World Cup in Qatar. A beer with a pink label matching the color of the Inter Miami jersey he will wear. Wherever you turn in Miami these days something reminds you of the imminent arrival of the Argentine soccer legend. There is no hiding the euphoria generated by Messi in Miami as he begins the new Major League Soccer phase of his career in one of the most Latino cities in the United States. But his arrival is also bringing a note of sadness as fans know that at age 36 he is nearing the end of his career. Messi announced on June 7 that he will play for Inter Miami in a move that is expected to revitalize soccer in the United States and South Florida with one of the sporting world's best-known figures. More than 100,000 Argentines live in Miami, which will host World Cup matches in 2026. The seven-time winner of the Ballon

Messi's Inter Miami's winless streak hits 10 after 2-2 tie with DC United

Taxiarchis Fountas scored a goal and followed with an assist on Nigel Robertha's equalizer to help D.C. United earn a 2-2 draw with Inter Miami on Saturday night after a scoreless first half. Inter Miami has now gone a club-record 10 straight matches without a victory. Robertha's first goal of the season came in the 77th minute when he used assists from Ruan and Fountas to pull DC United (8-9-6) even. Inter Miami (5-13-3) had taken a 2-1 lead in the 68th minute on an unassisted goal by defender Noah Allen. It was the first goal of the 19-year-old defender's career. Allen has made eight starts and 15 appearances in two seasons with the club. Neither team found the net until Benjamin Cremaschi took a pass from Robert Taylor in the 59th minute and scored his first career goal to give Inter Miami a 1-0 lead. The 18-year-old midfielder has made 13 starts and 17 appearances in his rookie campaign. Fountas knotted the score in the 65th minute. Cristian Djome and Yamil Asad had assists on

India had the chance to host Lionel Messi's Argentina but not enough funds

Argentina were keen to play a friendly match in India, but the AIFF had trouble arranging he required funds

Lionel Messi, Argentina set to pull huge crowd in Beijing exhibition game

Lionel Messi and his World Cup-winning Argentina teammates are expected to draw almost 70,000 fans to Beijing Worker's Stadium for an exhibition against Australia. With tickets starting at around $80 for Thursday's game, local supporters are excited to see Messi and continue the World Cup celebrations. Fans have flocked to all opportunities to see the Argentine star since the team arrived in China, with large crowds angling for photographs and chanting his name. Messi's move to continue my path in Miami last week made global headlines after he turned down extremely lucrative offers from Al-Hilal in Saudi Arabia in favor of Major League Soccer. He said that after winning the World Cup, it was his time to go the United States and live football in another way. Before then, he's with the Argentina squad that is scheduled to play Australia in the Chinese capital and take on Indonesia in Jakarta four days later. Australia coach Graham Arnold said he was looking forward to giving a selec

Here's why Messi was detained by Chinese authorities at Beijing airport

A video shows Lionel Messi standing in the Beijing airport, holding his passport, surrounded by a group of police officers

Messi detained by Chinese Police at Beijing Airport, read to know more

Lionel Messi was detained by Chinese police at Beijing Airport due to Visa related misunderstanding. The Chinese authorities resolved the matter in 30 minutes.

Lionel Messi leaves team amid boos after final match: Club website

Lionel Messi didn't care about the boos in his final game for Paris Saint-Germain as the French league champion lost to Clermont 3-2. Disrespectful PSG supporters booed Messi when the Parc des Princes announcer read his name on a warm evening. A few minutes later, Messi walked onto the field with a smile on his face, holding his three children's hands before the team photo and kissing them on their foreheads before kickoff. I would like to thank the club, the city of Paris and its people for these two years. I wish you all the best for the future, Messi told the club website. In two seasons at PSG, Messi won two French leagues and the French Champions Trophy and notched 32 goals and 35 assists in all competitions. Messi scored in a 1-1 draw at Strasbourg a week ago to help PSG clinch a record-extending 11th French league title. By notching a 496th career league goal, the Argentine genius also broke Cristiano Ronaldo's scoring record for Europe's top five leagues. The World Cup wi

PSG coach Galtier confirms Messi's departure, says to leave after season

Lionel Messi is to play his last match for Paris Saint-Germain against Clermont on Saturday, as the club's head coach Christophe Galtier confirmed his departure at the pre-match press conference

Lionel Messi to play for Saudi Arabia in £522-million 'done deal'

According to AFP, a Saudi source close to the negotiations confirmed on Tuesday morning that Messi will be playing in Saudi next season, labelling the transfer 'huge'

Messi breaks Ronaldo's record, scores 702 goals in top 5 European Leagues

Lionel Messi has gone past Cristiano Ronaldo by scoring his 702nd goal in the top 5 European Leagues. He has also scored his 100th goal in PSG this season

Messi scores and assists in PSG win, helps maintain a six-point lead

One week after being jeered by his own fans, Lionel Messi scored one goal and set up the other as Paris Saint-Germain won at a wasteful Nice 2-0 to maintain its six-point lead of the French league. Messi was booed by some PSG fans in last weekend's home defeat to Lyon, leading to increased speculation he could leave this summer. Argentina's World Cup-winning star clipped in a cross from left back Nuno Mendes in the 26th minute. Then Messi's corner from the left was headed home by veteran defender Sergio Ramos in the 76th. Nice was unbeaten in 14 matches overall before this game and went close to equalizing in the first half, but PSG goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma kept out efforts from Nicolas Pp and striker Terem Moffi. Veteran defender Dante's shot came off the underside of the crossbar and appeared to cross the line in the 51st. But referee Jrmie Pignard was not alerted by goal-line technology that it crossed, even though video replays showed a goal should likely have been ...

Messi and PSG saga: What next? A look at the options if he leaves PSG

When Lionel Messi was jeered by Paris Saint-Germain fans during last Sunday's home defeat to Lyon, their relationship looked like it had reached a breaking point. Messi joined PSG on a two-year deal after leaving Barcelona against his will in 2021, with an option for an extra year if both parties agreed. But talks have reportedly broken down and Messi's departure this summer looks increasingly inevitable. There were high hopes he could lead PSG to an elusive Champions League title, but instead the Qatari-backed club went out in the round of 16 in consecutive seasons. He was among the players jeered last season after PSG was knocked out by Real Madrid, and although Messi's form was outstanding in the first half of this campaign, it dipped significantly after he led Argentina to the World Cup title in Qatar. PSG coach Christophe Galtier defended Messi by saying it was others who should raise their game. "You can't expect Leo to do everything," Galtier said after the Lyon game. "The

Gunmen threaten Lionel Messi, shoot up family-owned supermarket: Police

Gunmen threatened Argentine soccer superstar Lionel Messi in a written message left on Thursday when they opened fire at a supermarket owned by his in-laws in Argentina, police said. Nobody was injured in the early morning attack, and it was unclear why assailants would target Messi or the Unico supermarket in the country's third-largest city of Rosario, owned by the family of his wife, Antonella Roccuzzo. The city's mayor, Pablo Javkin, went to the supermarket and lashed out at federal authorities over what he called their failure to curb a surge in drug-related violence in Rosario, located about 190 miles (300 kilometers) northwest of the capital of Buenos Aires. Police said two men on a motorcycle fired at least a dozen shots into an Unico branch in the early hours, leaving a message on carboard that read, Messi, we're waiting for you. Javkin is also a drug trafficker, so he won't take care of you. Messi has not commented. Widely considered the greatest soccer player of all time