In fact, it's arguable that by his own standards -- notwithstanding several moments of sheer beauty and monumental invention -- Messi has been playing pretty badly since the end of November. 'Messi … But that can't erode the truth of the past few weeks. One of the world’s biggest footballers is in the city. I won't give the full litany of evidence, but I'd say there are about 25 examples of moments that are simply alien to a Messi who's on regular form, let alone his stellar version. It all began when Koke, on his 300th Liga appearance, produced one of the performances of his life to constantly harass, confuse and stifle Messi on the first night of December. Thomas Shambler. And then there was his hat trick against Mallorca, plus a truly extraordinary "no space to shoot but I'll thrash a howitzer past the keeper anyway" against Alaves. Thomas Shambler. Height: 1,70 m. Position: Right Winger . Caps/Goals: 142/71. How quickly Messi resets, refreshes and reestablishes his preeminence will become more and more vital by the week. 1 6 3 20 10 4 10 7. Did you watch Espanyol 2-2 Barcelona? February 18, 2020. The more vulnerable Messi looks, the more midfielders and defenders thrive in confidence, and the harder they work to frustrate him and support their teammates' pressing. Lionel Messi and Barcelona may have started 2020/21 on the wrong foot, coming off the back of the overextended transfer saga surrounding the Argentine. It has been a long, long time since Barcelona's No. The real reason Lionel Messi is in Dubai right now. I'm not forgetting any of those, nor his assist for Luis Suarez at Real Sociedad. The man Messi still reckons was his best-ever coaching influence pointed out that, under him and the later era under Luis Enrique, when the Blaugrana No. Barca are little more than 50 days away from facing Napoli in Naples and six Liga matches away from the rematch against Real Madrid, having been lucky to escape without defeat in the first Clasico. MF Sergino Dest, 6 --Returned to the side after resting in midweek but was unable to offer a threat on the right. As if things weren’t already bad enough for … Born in 1987, Leo Messi is one of the greatest footballers of all-time, scoring hundreds of goals and winning a host of La Liga and Champions League titles for FC Barcelona, as well as the Ballon d'Or. How long can Son keep out-running his own xG? Barcelona under Ronald Koeman experienced a sluggish start, but the Dutchman showed flexibility to adapt and has since taken the team to new heights. As the contract says that the clause should have been activated by 10 June, the club is convinced they are in control. ESPN FC 100: Liverpool, Man City dominate our ranking of world's best soccer players. Lionel Messi News NewsNow brings you the latest news from the world’s most trusted sources on Lionel Messi, the legendary Argentinian footballer. You know, they're coached by Pep Guardiola, who is formerly Messi… Rashford's two-year battle with pain at Man United. Suarez was holding off two defenders, Naldo and Bernardo Espinosa, the latter falling to the floor, but as Messi cut away from them with a chance to scythe Espanyol open, Marc Roca simply sweot the ball off his toes, a feat Roca then repeated with 20 minutes left. In the day job, Messi's former teammate Daniel Alves has urged his favorite right flank partner not to leave Barcelona in the summer. Here's an uncomfortable truth about Messi right now: He doesn't do much running, and that causes a slight tactical headache at the top level. Thirty-three-year-old veteran Manu Garcia repeatedly hoovered up possession off Messi's usually magnetic left boot in the defeat of Alaves. Lionel Messi. As if things weren’t already bad enough for … This, if he leaves, is the end -- in playing terms at least. Surely not. He's … Barca convinced Messi will stay after genius goal seals Copa del Rey, Real Madrid defeat Barcelona to clinch El Clasico victory, Mingueza pulls one back for Barcelona at Real Madrid in El Clasico, Garcia: Playing with Messi would be ‘very special’, Koeman praises ‘improved’ Barcelona after hammering Real Sociedad, Messi is the most important player in Barca’s history, declares Koeman, PSG star told ‘not to talk about Messi’ after transfer speculation, ‘He could stay at mine!’: Ramos would welcome Messi to Madrid, Barcelona boss Koeman hopes young talent will convince Messi to stay, PSG keeper Navas dedicates Messi penalty save to teammate, Messi and Ronaldo make Champions League history they didn’t want, Pochettino relieved to put to bed PSG’s ghost of Champions League past, Messi scores stunner before penalty miss in Champions League exit, Messi scores stunning goal for Barcelona at PSG in Champions League, The 20-year-old goal machine set to ‘define an era’, ‘Messi loves Barca’: Laporta aims to keep ‘best player in the world’, Families of Saudi prisoners urge Messi to reject partnership deal, Aguero hints at Messi to Man City but can’t confirm his own future, Haaland and Mbappe could well be the next great rivalry, Mbappe will be at ‘same level’ as Messi and Ronaldo, says Griezmann, Mbappe’s magic overshadows something even more important for PSG, ‘Hard work paying off’ for Mbappe after stunning PSG hat-trick, Mbappe takes torch from Messi as PSG thrash Barcelona, Remembering la remontada: Barcelona 6-1 PSG, Barcelona deny leaking details of Messi’s contract, Barcelona made a ‘mistake’ by not selling Lionel Messi, says Rivaldo, Messi escapes lengthy ban after first career red card, Messi sent off for first time in Super Cup defeat for Barcelona. Koeman: Barcelona’s title aspirations may rest on January results, Messi issues Barcelona future update in rare revealing interview, Messi’s five best Barcelona goals after breaking Pele record, Messi breaks Pele’s record for most goals at a single club, Ronaldo, Messi and Lewandowski vie for men’s Fifa Best award, How to live stream the Best Fifa Football Awards 2020. Who is nominated for the Best Fifa Football Awards 2020? Also, elite clubs rely very heavily indeed on video analysis. The same players who thought they could catch, tackle or harass Messi when he was in Zeus-like form, and then found they couldn't, see other players of their level robbing the ball, sheep-dogging him down blind alleys and think to themselves: "This is my turn to blunt the greatest player of all time!" What time is the Best Fifa Football Awards and when do they start? However, it must be said, since his absolutely soaring performance against Borussia Dortmund in late November, his goal total, chance creation and assist counts have all decreased. 2h ESPN. "I have said to Messi several times: he was born to be a Barcelona player and Barcelona were born to be his club," Alves explained in an interview with the Guardian. Throughout the rest of the match, it's indisputable that Messi was picked off, ushered into bad positions, miscontrolled the ball and generally looked subdued. Here's what PSG can offer Messi: A huge contract Why Barcelona can’t rely on Messi the Miracle Goalscorer right now. That could soon change. Messi now has 33 goals in all competitions and 25 in the league, one more than the total scored by the whole Getafe team. I'm fully aware that Messi's genius remains intact, that his will to win is the size of a continent. Lionel Messi. Here’s why. Why Man United vs. Liverpool was postponed, what happens next, Man Utd-Liverpool called off due to fan protests, Bale hat trick keeps Spurs' UCL hopes alive, Van der Sar talks up future Man United role, Inter end Juventus' stranglehold on Serie A title, Chelsea cruise past Bayern to make UWCL final, Transfer Talk: Rice tops Man Utd's shortlist of Pogba replacements, Man United supporters' protest against owners, the Glazer family, in pictures. 10 shirt was being walked around the pitch when others were sprinting and sweating, it was because he was taking an X-ray of player positions, spaces and opportunities all around him -- seeing things nobody else saw so as to, later, do things that nobody else could even dream of. Lionel Messi has scored scored in every one of his last nine La Liga and Champions League games. Barcelona need the right time to phase out Lionel Messi and now may be the perfect date to do so with a generational talent taking the world by storm. Where will Messi go now that he is no longer looking to play for FC Barcelona? We’ve had more than a decade arguing whether Lionel Messi or Cristiano Ronaldo was the best but now there’s a new kid on the block. Citizenship: Argentina. Now, I hear the indignant spluttering and rising protests. Rashford's two-year battle with pain at Man United, Man City, on brink of title, are already laying down marker for next one, Chelsea sidestep Fulham trap as Havertz & Co. provide perfect platform for Champions League. Please don’t tell me he couldn’t handle the ‘physicality’ elsewhere.” Another simply added: "What a dangerous tackle." Why Barcelona can’t rely on Messi the Miracle Goalscorer right now. But his normally laser-guided mind isn't operating at NASA level. Which MLS youngsters are ready for Europe? By Muhammad Butt. So obvious, in fact, that I can't believe nobody else is asking it: What the heck is wrong with Lionel Messi? The greatest player of modern times, perhaps the greatest ever footballer, and the same genius who was recently christened The Best by FIFA after which he picked up his sixth Ballon d'Or, is significantly out of form. Getafe are not safe yet, four points the gap above the bottom three. Ronald Koeman says Barcelona can still win LaLiga title, Ronaldo, Messi and Lewandowski shortlisted for men’s The Best award, Barca presidential candidate makes Messi contract prediction, Ronaldo says he has never seen Messi ‘as a rival’, Ronaldo stars as Juventus turn on the style against Messi’s Barcelona, Ronaldo at the double as Juventus outclass Barcelona, Messi’s lacklustre form down to ‘mental problem’, suggests Pirlo, Maradona’s son calls on Messi to retire No 10 shirt in tribute to dad, Barcelona presidential candidate to overhaul La Masia with YNWA slogan, Barcelona set for fine after Messi’s Maradona tribute, Messi pays unique tribute to Maradona after sensational Barcelona goal, Barcelona players agree to wage cuts worth €120m, Diego Maradona: Footballer who dominated the game like a god, ‘Diego is eternal’: Messi pays tribute to Argentine icon Maradona, Griezmann on relationship with Messi after uncle and agent’s comments, Messi left out of Barcelona squad for Kiev game, Guardiola discusses Messi’s future amid Man City speculation, Messi transfer to Man City is ‘inevitable’ after Guardiola extension, Messi told to ‘show Liverpool some respect’ by referee in new footage, Messi must become the Jordan of Barcelona, says presidential candidate, Messi says he’s ‘tired’ of being blamed for Barcelona’s problems, Nadal’s uncle and former coach joins Barcelona candidate’s team, Messi is not difficult to work with, says Barcelona manager Koeman, Barcelona troll Cristiano Ronaldo after win over Juventus, Dembele and Messi deliver Barca win over Juventus in Champions League, Messi’s message to Ronaldo as he races to recover to face Barcelona, Man United wins again at PSG; Messi scores in Barca rout, Barca coach Koeman says Messi’s performances ‘could be better’, Man City ‘have financial strength’ to sign Messi, says club’s COO. Maybe. The question is obvious. Lack of options from his teammates? ... Lionel Messi Is the Most In-Form Player On The Planet Right Now At 33. In 2005 he became the youngest player ever to score in the league for Barça, a record now held by Ansu Fati. imago images. Manchester City and Paris-Saint Germain were hot on his heels with his future up in the air. Citizenship: Argentina. Want an ad-free experience?Subscribe to Independent Premium. He was born in 1987 in Rosario, Argentina, in a crowded family of amateur football team coach and a social worker. Date of birth/Age: Jun 24, 1987 (33) Place of birth: Rosario. 18 February 2020. Barcelona's form at present suggests that Napoli, far from favourites in the tie, have a fighting chance of knocking Ernesto Valverde's team out of the Champions League in the round of 16. Now, from Neymar to president Nasser Al-Khelaifi, PSG are beginning to seduce the iconic forward to make the move to Paris. https://www.biographyonline.net/sport/football/lionel-messi.html But can he? While emphasising his preference to stay at Barcelona, he's never forgotten to state his fundamental demand that his team stay ultra-competitive to win the biggest trophies. Particularly against Real Sociedad, Atleti, Alaves, and Espanyol, Messi has looked short of electricity, slightly unsure of his first touch, prone to being more easily caught and more easily anticipated. Let me pick a few, though. Javi Lopez repeated that trick five minutes later, but perhaps the most strident came in the 51st minute. Lewy will have to answer this question. Indecision? Diagnosing what's going on is simply a matter of speculation. When Muller was asked whether Lewandowski is the best all-round attacker in the world right now, he said: 'We'll see that on Friday. Date of birth/Age: Jun 24, 1987 (33) Place of birth: Rosario. Published: 20:15, 11 December 2020 . Part of what's going on, of course, is that this month-long dip, which has still contained inventions of power and brilliance sufficient to last any other player for many weeks, looks shabby compared to the remarkable brilliance of most of the rest of 2019 -- most of the rest of his career. But that is not the dip that must be concerning Messi and those who rely on him. These past few weeks, Messi's ambling has repeatedly seen him ignore the chance to press, ignore the chance to pounce on a second ball; he's looked dispirited and, dare I say it, disinterested. That's bizarre to watch. Some of the problems he's encountered when robbed or mobbed stem from the fact that he's a couple of metres away from where he should be, a second or so slow to react to a loose ball or just infinitesimally less explosive when he tries to thrust away from a challenge (or two). Right now, TVE has reported that Messi has made his intentions to stay at the club clear, but wants a competitive team in return. SPORTbible. Instead of learning from the drubbing at Anfield in last spring's semifinal, Barcelona look intensely vulnerable away from home, consistently conceding first on the road in La Liga, and you could forgive Messi if his mood was: "Here we go again ..." Another reasonable thought is that, after a badly curtailed preseason thanks to injury and further fitness problems in the first few weeks of 2019-20, Messi is simply suffering physically, curbing a millimetre or two from his precision and his reaction time, which hauls him back within the grasp -- just -- of mere mortal footballers. Leo Messi wants to leave right now no matter what. Igor Zubeldia, Mikel Merino and Diego Llorente all did just the same against Real Sociedad. The worst thing for his club, of course, would be if he's lost faith in this Barca team and subconsciously dipped as a result. Manchester City star Kevin De Bruyne has beaten the likes of Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo to be named the best footballer in the world right now. What's wrong with Messi right now? Lionel Andrés Messi is one of the best football players of the modern times. Will he continue playing soccer, after playing professionally for 16 years? There are numerous examples, and they far outweigh the normal Messi service moments since that Dortmund victory. Messi is hardly a brittle player, but he’s also never been exposed as much he is now, a few months after hitting 30 — when most soccer players begin to decline. Who are soccer's 39 best players age 21 or under? As the season wore on, Messi’s departure started to look more and more inevitable. Published: 20:15, 11 December 2020 . A pair of Lionel Messi’s boots have been sold for charity for $173,000, auction house Christie’s said on Friday. “Messi has now taken a whack to the face and a potential leg-breaking tackle – and that’s just in the last five minutes!” said one Twitter account. Who won the Best Fifa Football Award in 2019? Messi's participated in an unprecedented number of interviews since the end of the summer. Is the Frenchman now the best player in the world? In the world of soccer, no player is more closely associated with a team than Leo Messi and Barcelona. 1d Tor-Kristian Karlsen. "Once he told me to stay in Barcelona because there wasn't any place that was better. It's not my imagination. 10 has gone down so many blind alleys with his dribbling, had his pocket picked by players he'd normally leave gasping in a heap on the ground. Only when the 27-year-old Atletico lifer was absent from his chaperone role in the dying embers of the match did Messi erupt into life via an amazing one-two with Suarez and a scimitar-curved shot past Jan Oblak for the 1-0 win. Barcelona got the Ronald Koeman era off to a great start as a 4-0 win over Villarreal with some emphatic individual performances raised the Blaugrana spirits once again. A long time since he ran into defensive ambushes as if he were not aware they were there, or since he missed pass after pass, often to his own intense frustration. Just on the half-hour mark, Sergio Busquets fed Messi with time to turn and run, but Naldo easily nipped the ball away from him. Also on rt.com 'The decision is final': Lionel Messi tells Barcelona he wants to LEAVE on a free transfer The walking in which he indulged isn't the kind Pep Guardiola once counselled us all to think of completely differently. Barca can't just rely on Messi to win every game. And because there's a trophy to be won this week at the Spanish Super Cup (semifinal vs. Atletico Madrid, Thursday at 1:30 p.m. Thus, Messi's camp argues, so should his right to exercise his option to leave as a free agent. He admitted that, "As I go onto the pitch at the start of the match, I'm thinking much more about the team's play than whether I'll score or not." Lionel Messi. Yes: significantly. Date of birth/Age: Jun 24, 1987 (33) Place of birth: Rosario. For the first time in his career, Sterling has surpassed Messi with the former Liverpool man now worth an eye-watering €207.8m. Yes: Against Atletico Madrid he scored an otherworldly goal, a monstrous construction of wit, speed and power. “Yet he just gets up and carries on. Barcelona got the Ronald Koeman era off to a great start as a 4-0 win over Villarreal with some emphatic individual performances raised the Blaugrana spirits once again. Across all these matches, a clutch of sensational moments aside, Messi looked melancholy. By Muhammad Butt. Contract expires: Jun 30, 2021 Current international: Argentina. And it's the state of his play and Barcelona's subsequent flaccid, slow, predictable football when he's off-form that are at the heart of this critique. What will the 2020s bring to Spanish football? Leicester's Premier League title heroes five years on: Where are they now? Or that, for him, the absolute key to his remaining elite years is to conquer Europe again -- at least once. 'Now I have reminded him of that conversation and that a good friend (him) advised me that Barcelona is the best place ever. Who are soccer's 39 best players age 21 or under? Citizenship: Argentina. The ageing Messi, on the other hand, is worth €167.4m. The latest breaking news, comment and features from The Independent. Right up until the moment they lost 3-0 because one person decided to … The news that Messi intends to leave the club he has been at since the age of 13 signals the end of a footballing era – but is also the right step. 1 6 3 20 10 4 10 7. It was Leo's grandma who managed to recognize his talent as a future soccer star, so she brought him to his first training sessions when he was only 5 years old. Just before the turn of the year, the 32-year-old gave an interview to La Liga. The latest breaking news, comment and features from The Independent. 1 6 3 20 10 4 10 7. Where will Messi go now that he is no longer looking to play for FC Barcelona? Right now, the - sort of the safe money is on Manchester City of the English Premier League. Here's what we know regarding the 33-year-old soccer star's future career plans, and if he is, in fact, moving to another soccer team. MF Sergino Dest, 6 --Returned to the side after resting in midweek but was unable to offer a threat on the right. The strangest thing of all is when he's actually erupted into one of his piston-legged bursts but appears to take two or three seconds to see a pass or to make a decision, when those calculations would ordinarily have been computed in hundredths of a single second. 1y Graham Hunter. I don't claim to know. ET; stream live on ESPN), he may well erupt into the kind of unstoppable form that allows those offended by my argument to thumb their noses at me. Admittedly, if Barcelona now abandon their right to point at Messi's contract, which lasts until the end of next June, and avoid a legal battle to enforce their contractual superiority, it isn't as if Messi is going to go away for a few weeks, only to surge back full of gratitude. Will he continue playing soccer, after playing professionally for 16 years? MAURER: So really, you know, globally, there's only, you know, five to 10 teams that could even afford to sign Messi. Here's what we know regarding the 33-year-old soccer star's future career plans, and if he is, in fact, moving to another soccer team. Barcelona need the right time to phase out Lionel Messi and now may be the perfect date to do so with a generational talent taking the world by storm. Time will tell, but when Messi is in this form, Barcelona's other flaws -- which are many, and which their captain so often disguises -- shriek out to their opponents: "We are vulnerable, and we don't have our Superman!". On his heels with his future up in the air again -- at least.! Look more and more vital by the week his preeminence will become more and more inevitable Barcelona 's no no... Magnetic left boot in the world was n't any Place that was better at NASA level he... … is the end of the summer as the season wore on, Messi ’ s biggest footballers in! Best player in the world of soccer, no player is more where is messi right now associated with a than... 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