Lionel Messi Archives ⋆ Page 17 of 19 ⋆ LSU

Mar92019 by JBNo Comments

Former Barca boss Enrique reveals feud with Messi at Camp Nou

La Liga

Former Barca head coach Luis Enrique has revealed there was tension between himself and Lionel Messi during his time in charge of the club. Now in charge of Spain, Luis Enrique was at the helm of the Catalan club when Messi starred in their outstanding treble triumph in 2014-15. (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); Towards the end of that season , there were constant stories in the Spanish media hinting at a rift between the manager and his star player. The former Barca boss has rarely gone on record about his relationship with Lionel Messi but has now opened up about it. "Until the issue was resolved there was a period of tension," Luis Enrique told Catalunya Radio. "Which I was not looking for in any way, but which happened and needed to be managed....

Mar32019 by JBNo Comments

Pique slams Sergio Ramos for elbowing Messi in El Clasico match

La Liga

Lionel Messi had blood in his mouth after a clash with Madrid defender Sergio Ramos during Saturday's El Clasico match, claims Gerard Pique. Messi and Ramos were involved in a flashpoint in the first half of Barcelona's 1-0 win at the Bernabeu that moved them 10 points clear at the top of the La Liga table. (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); Ramos knocked the ball past Messi but then seemed to put his arm into the face of the Barca captain, who made his anger clear to the officials, although Madrid's captain was not punished. Former Madrid manager Jose Mourinho used an appearance as a pundit on beIN Sports to claim Ramos had deliberately hit Messi. Ramos denied that was the case after the game but Pique was clear on who was to blame over the incident. ...

Feb262019 by JBNo Comments

REVEALED: The time Messi did a Kepa for Barcelona and refused to be substituted in 2014

Premier League, La Liga

Kepa Arrizabalaga grabbed the headlines from the Carabao Cup final after refusing to be substituted - but he is not the first player to disobey his manager. The Chelsea goalkeeper was in fact following the lead of one of the greatest players of all time, in Barcelona's (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); In October 2014, Messi refused to come off during a 3-0 La Liga victory over Eibar, despite his manager, Luis Enrique, wanting to take him off. With the victory secure, Enrique wanted to bring off the Argentina international for the final 15 minutes in order to help him stay fresh. However his gesticulations to Messi to come over to the touchline were met by a thumbs up from him, clearly indicating he felt good to continue. After some shouting and ple...

Jan242019 by JBNo Comments

REVEALED: Lionel Messi told Barcelona to sign Frenkie de Jong

La Liga, Transfer Info

Lionel Messi was desperate for Barcelona to sign Ajax player Frenkie de Jong, according to Dutch coach Aad de Mos. De Jong was wanted by several top clubs in Europe but Barcelona’s main competition for the midfielder came from Manchester City and Paris Saint-Germain, who were confident of completing a deal. (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); But Barcelona managed to win the race for his signature and have agreed an initial €75 million deal with Ajax to sign De Jong at the end of the campaign. And De Mos, who has won three Eredivisie titles during his managerial career, claims that Messi was very key in Barcelona’s push to sign De Jong. ‘The football that Barcelona play suits De Jong,’ De Mos told HLN. ‘Combining in the short space is entirely De...

Dec282018 by JBNo Comments

Lionel Messi: I want Neymar and Guardiola back

Premier League, La Liga, Ligue 1, Transfer Info

Lionel Messi has confirmed he would love to have Neymar back at Barcelona but conceded Paris Saint-Germain are unlikely to let their star player leave. Neymar swapped Camp Nou for Parc des Princes in a world-record €222m transfer back in August 2017. (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); The 26-year-old spent four successful years at Barca, winning La Liga twice and the Champions League once, but a desire to step out of Messi's shadow is believed to have motivated his exit. Speculation persists that Neymar could yet seek a return to Barcelona and his Brazil team-mate Arthur, who linked up with Spanish champions at the start of the campaign, said he was "praying" for the rumours to become reality. Messi shares a similar view but holds reservations over the ...

Dec102018 by JBNo Comments

Cristiano Ronaldo challenges Messi to join him in Italy – ‘He misses me more’

La Liga, Seria A

Ronaldo believes that his great rival at Barcelona, Lionel Messi , should come and join him in Italy, in his new interview. The Portugal international also said that Juventus has better team spirit than Real Madrid. On if he misses Messi, he said: "Maybe I miss him a little. I have played in England, Spain, Italy, Portugal, with the national team, while he has stayed in Spain . Maybe, he needs me more. (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); "For me, life is a challenge, I like it and I like to make it happy. I would like him to come to Italy one day. Do what I did, accept the challenge. However, if he is happy there, I respect that. "He is a great player, a great guy, but here I don't miss anything. This is my new life and I am happy." On the Ballon d'O...

Dec32018 by JBNo Comments

Suarez reveals what worried him about playing with Messi and Neymar

Uncategorized, La Liga

Luis Suarez has revealed what worried him most about playing with Lionel Messi and Neymar when he first joined the club. The Uruguayan forward sealed a £73million move from Liverpool to the Spanish giants in 2014 - and his strike partners had already played a campaign together at the Nou Camp. (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); The forward was coming off the back of a very good season at Anfield, having scored 31 goals in 37 games. "When I came to Barcelona, I had Neymar on one side and Lionel Messi on the other," he explained to Otro . "And I thought, where am I going to play? "Where am I going to do my job of running, fighting the defence and looking for open spaces so that the two best players in the world can optimize their space?. "It's all ab...

Nov72018 by JBNo Comments

REVEALED: Barcelona were ‘paid to play’ Messi, Suarez and Neymar

La Liga, Premier League

Barcelona were reportedly paid to play Lionel Messi, Neymar and Luis Suarez together in 2017, it has been revealed. The Spanish giants received the reward after signing a contract ahead of their pre-season tour in the United States. One of terms Barcelona had agreed with Relevent Sports was for just showing up in the Champions Cup match. According to Spiegel , Barcelona was given $3.25million for every appearance. (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); For their game against Manchester United , a bonus of $750,000 was paid. Barcelona then played Real Madrid and were awarded an extra $6.5m. Combined with their game against United, the Spanish giants had made almost $14m in one week. However, there were some stipulations, Relevent Sports included a clause ...

Oct132018 by JBNo Comments

Man City chief reveals details of Guardiola’s transfer talks with Messi

Premier League, La Liga

Pep Guardiola failed in an attempt to bring Barcelona forward Lionel Messi to Manchester City. That is according to City’s chairman Khaldoon Al Mubarak, who asked Guardiola which player he wanted most in the world. Messi and Guardiola worked together at Camp Nou, enjoying amazing success by winning the Champions League twice and La Liga three times in a row. (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); City’s interest in Messi dates back before the arrival of Guardiola, but the Spaniard tried to use his influence to bring the Argentine to England in 2016. ‘We asked Guardiola to talk to him (Messi), we offered him triple the salary he has at Barca, but he never accepted,’ Al Mubarak said. Messi reportedly earns around £100million a year as at Barcelona and is t...

Oct132018 by JBNo Comments

Maradona blasts Messi: He’s not a leader, he uses the toilet ’20 times before a game.’

La Liga

Diego Maradona claims Lionel Messi will never be a leader and says the Barcelona superstar ‘goes to the toilet 20 times a game’. Messi has been hugely criticised for his performances for Argentina and has decided to take a break from the national team after their poor World Cup run in the summer. (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); The 31-year-old has captained Argentina since 2011 but Maradona, who guided his nation to glory at the World Cup in 1986, believes the Messi has no leadership qualities and says he should be considered as an equal to Ronaldo. ‘Messi’s a great player, but he’s not a leader,’ Maradona told Fox Sports Mexico. ‘Before talking to the coach and players, he’ll play on the PlayStation. Then, on the field, he wants to be the leader. He...