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Tag: Lionel Messi
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Lionel Messi, the Inter Miami captain, has talked about what he normally does with an opponent’s swap shirt after collecting it on the pitch.
Messi’s jersey is arguably the most sought-after in the world.
Opponent players often try to swap shirts with Messi after games.
When asked if he decides which players he swaps jerseys with after games and what he does with the shirts after collecting it, Messi told Miami Herald ahead of Inter Miami’s Leagues Cup final with Nashville SC on Sunday, “I simply exchange with whoever happens to be there at that moment.
“I have had a chance to play against teams that had Argentine players and generally we swap shirts, but I also exchanged shirts with players in Europe, players who I knew from before, it’s always nice to change shirts with friends or players I know.
“I have them all saved in my house in Barcelona where I have all the important mementos of my career.”
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Lionel Messi, the world-famous Argentina football superstar, has has hit the round running in the USA.
The World Cup winner curled in a stunning stoppage-time free-kick on his Inter Miami debut to clinch a 2-1 victory against Mexican side Cruz Azul.
Messi, 36, struck in the fourth minute of added time as his Major League Soccer side won the Leagues Cup tie.
Incredible free-kick, classic Messi pic.twitter.com/au8Pq6aWGe
— John H O N E S T Y (@ExJohnHonestyy) July 22, 2023
The 20,000-capacity crowd included celebrities such as basketball’s LeBron James, tennis legend Serena Williams and US TV star Kim Kardashian.
“We wanted to start like this by giving these people a victory,” said Messi.
“We knew that it was very important for us to start this championship in winning fashion. Luckily we were able to do it in the end, and I am very happy.”
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Grammy award-winning Nigerian singer, Ayodeji Balogun, aka Wizkid, has revealed his favourite footballer between Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi.
He picked his favourite during a chat with Red Radio.
Wizkid was asked to choose between Messi and Ronaldo and after dilly-dallying, he eventually picked Ronaldo.
He said, “I don’t watch football [laughs]. Ronaldo, I guess.”
Asked who he would rather bring back to life between Fela and Bob Marley, Wizkid said, “Wow! Fela Kuti!”
The Starboy also said he would choose money over fame and Nicki Minaj over Cardi B.
Wizkid said he was tired of traffic, adding that he would choose wine over spirits.
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Lionel Messi, the Argentina captain, has explained that if he wins the 2023 Ballon d’Or it will be good.
Messi and Manchester City’s Erling Haaland are among the top contenders to challenge for this year’s Ballon d’Or.
The 35-year-old arrived in Beijing, China by private jet last weekend and was greeted by hundreds of jubilant fans.
Messi, who is set to lead Argentina to face Australia in a friendly next week, was interviewed by Chinese media on a Chinese stream platform to talk about the Ballon d’Or, World Cup and Man City manager Pep Guardiola.
When asked about this year’s Ballon d’Or, Messi said, “Ballon d’Or? At this point in my career, if it comes, it’s good and if it doesn’t, nothing happens.”
“Does the Ballon d’Or matter to me? No, at this stage in my life, it is no longer important to me. I have always said that individual prizes are not what matters to me but the collective ones are the most important to me. The most important prize at the moment is the World Cup. This is the greatest prize for me.”
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Jerome Rothen, a former Paris Saint-Germain winger, has talked about Lionel Messi.
He slammed Lionel Messi’s behaviour at the French Ligue 1 champions.
Messi’s time at PSG came to an end last weekend as the Argentine played his final game for the Parisians against Clermont Foot.
The Argentina World Cup winner will be joining MLS side Inter Miami as a free agent upon the expiration of his contract with PSG.
However, Rothen has now criticized Messi for not wanting to adapt during his time at PSG, stating that he didn’t want to train in the morning.
“We got wind of a lot of things. We mopped up all that because it wasn’t the time to talk about it. Remember the day he left training? The club had covered it all up, saying it was a small calf injury. It was all wrong, absolutely wrong. The reason? Monsieur was fed up with this that was offered to him in training,” Rothen said (via RMC Sport).
“It was certainly a day when his children were suffering in my opinion… (ironic) He was not well in his head, so he left training. He went back to the locker room, he took a shower, he left. It shows how much he respected his coach and his teammates.
“He very often wanted to change the pace of training. He did not want to train in the morning. He told the staff on several occasions that training in the morning is not good. That you have to train in the afternoon. Fortunately, the staff did not give up. This shows that he wanted to change certain things and that he did not want to adapt.”
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World-famous football icon, Lionel Messi has issued a public apology to his Paris Saint-Germain.
He apologized to the club and teammates for his unauthorized trip to Saudi Arabia.
Recall that his club, PSG slammed the suspension on the Argentine super star for missing training on Monday and proceeding to Saudi Arabia for the paid event.
The contract of the seven-time Ballon D’Or winner expires at the end of the season with speculations rife he may make a sensational return to the club of his life Barcelona.
Breaking his silence after the club slammed the suspension on him, Messi in a statement on his Instagram page said he went on the trip thinking there was a day-off.
He however apologised to his teammates and the club, stating he was open to it’s decision on the development.
The Argentine super star said: “I thought we were going to have a day off after the game as always.
“I had this trip organised and I couldn’t cancel it. I had already cancelled it before…”
“I apologise to my teammates and I’m waiting for what the club wants to do with me”.
Leo Messi statement 🚨🇦🇷 #Messi
“I thought we were going to have a day off after the game as always. I had this trip organized and I couldn't cancel it. I had already canceled it before…”.
“I apologize to my teammates and I'm waiting for what the club wants to do with me”. pic.twitter.com/GBuarEgwSl
— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) May 5, 2023
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Marco Kirdemir, the FIFA agent, has made a claim about Lionel Messi.
He claimed that Messi, the Paris Saint-Germain forward, will not be returning to Barcelona amid reports he is set to leave the Parisians.
Kirdemir insisted that Messi has a $600 million offer to join Saudi Arabia club Al-Hilal in the summer.
Messi, 35, has been suspended for two weeks by PSG for his recent ‘unauthorised’ trip to Saudi Arabia.
Reports had emerged that the Argentina World Cup winner will leave the Parisians in the summer.
There have been widespread reports about Messi making a return to his boyhood club Barcelona.
However, Kirdemir believes that the seven-time Ballon d’Or winner will join Al-Hilal if his family gives him permission.
Kirdemir said (via MARCA), “He’s not going to Barcelona. He wants to come back when he retires.”
“He has an offer of 600 million dollars from Al-Hilal, the King’s team. Messi travelled to the country to get to know it, to see the place where he could live; if his family gives the OK, he will play in Saudi Arabia.”
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Emmanuel Petit, the Arsenal legend, has defended football icons, Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo.
He defended them amid recent criticisms of the duo.
Messi, 35, and Ronaldo, 38, have dominated world football over the course of the past two decades and have won plenty of trophies.
However, the duo have come in for criticism recently due to their career decisions.
Many have argued that Ronaldo wrongfully chose to head to the Saudi Pro League to join Al Nassr a few months ago, while Messi has drawn the ire of supporters for opting not to sign an extension with PSG.
However, Petit has defended both Messi and Ronaldo by claiming that no one can tell them what to do at the end of their careers.
According to him, both Ballon d’Or winners should be allowed to make whatever decision suits them, adding that they have nothing left to prove.
“Messi and Ronaldo have lit up football for 20 years,” Petit told French outlet Rothen s’enflamme.
“You can’t tell these players what to do at the end of their career when they have nothing left to prove.”