CELEBRITY
A look at departing Barcelona star Lionel Messi’s career
Football has been turned on its head in recent days with Barcelona’s bombshell announcement that their superstar forward Lionel Messi is set to leave the Nou Camp.
The Argentinian, who joined Barca’s youth set-up aged 13, spent his entire professional career at the club and is their all-time top scorer and appearance maker with 672 goals in 778 games in all competitions. His contract expired at the end of June.
Born: June 24, 1987 in Rosario, Argentina
Career to date
• Joined Barcelona as a 13-year-old in 2000 and shone in the youth ranks before coach Frank Rijkaard gave him a senior debut at the age of 16 in a friendly against Porto in 2003.
• Made his La Liga debut in October 2004 and scored his first league goal the following May in a match against Albacete at the Nou Camp.
• Scored six goals in 17 appearances in 2005-06 as Barca won La Liga for the second year in a row but did not feature in their 2-1 victory over Arsenal in the Champions League final.
• Played a key role as Barca claimed six trophies in the calendar year of 2009 including the Champions League, La Liga, Copa del Rey and Club World Cup.
• Won the first of four consecutive Ballon d’Or awards.
• Won La Liga again in 2010 and retained the Ballon d’Or award, beating Spanish World Cup winners and Barca team-mates Andres Iniesta and Xavi.
• Inspired Barcelona to a 3-1 win against Manchester United in the 2011 Champions League final, scoring one goal and creating another.
• Helped Barca to a third consecutive La Liga title in 2010-11 and was on the scoresheet as they beat Santos 4-0 to win the Club World Cup.
• While Barca failed to retain La Liga or the Champions League, Messi overtook Cesar Rodriguez as Barcelona’s all-time leading goalscorer and finished 2012 with an extraordinary total of 91 goals in all competitions – a record for a calendar year.
• Smashed La Liga’s scoring record for one season in 2011-12 with 50 goals.
• Equalled the Champions League scoring record of 71 goals set by former Real Madrid and Schalke 04 forward Raul when he struck twice against Ajax Amsterdam at the end of 2014. Has since been overtaken by Juventus forward Cristiano Ronaldo.
• Turned in a series of scintillating performances in 2014-15 as Barca won a historic second treble, with Messi winning his fifth Ballon d’Or award after becoming the all-time top scorer in La Liga.
• Won the domestic double in 2015-16 and 2017-18.
• Following the departure of Andres Iniesta in May 2018, Messi was named Barcelona’s captain for the following season and led them to the league title, but the club were eliminated at the Champions League semi-final stage by Liverpool.
• Won a record sixth Ballon d’Or in September 2019.
• Attempted to leave Barcelona in August 2020, making a formal request for an exit after a breakdown in his relationship with then president Josep Maria Bartomeu but successor Joan Laporta, who presided over the Argentinian’s rise to greatness, convinced him to stay.
• Surpassed Pele’s record at Santos with his 644th goal for Barcelona against Real Valladolid in La Liga in December 2020.
• In his final season at the club, Barcelona won the Copa del Rey but finished third in the league and were knocked out by Paris St Germain in the Champions League last 16 stage.
• Scored a club record 672 goals in 778 games and won 35 trophies at the club, including 10 La Liga titles and four Champions League trophies.
Finest moments with Barcelona
• First hat-trick against Real Madrid (2007): March 10, 2007, a 3-3 draw in La Liga at home to Real Madrid.
Two left-footed strikes from the mesmerising Argentinian starlet brought Barcelona back into a game where Ruud van Nistelrooy had plundered a 2-0 lead at the Nou Camp for arch-rivals Real Madrid. But Messi’s cheeky 90th-minute equaliser after stealing the ball form Sergio Ramos made the-then 19-year-old and his deadly finishing the talk of the town.
• Seismic 6-2 win at Real Madrid (2009): May 2, 2009, a 6-2 Liga win at Real Madrid.
Messi was at the heart of three of the goals that saw Madrid slip to their most bitter home defeat ever by Barcelona in a painful 6-2 lesson.
• Four-goal haul against Arsenal (2010): April 6, 2010, a 4-1 Champions League quarter-final win over Arsenal at the Camp Nou.
Barcelona were in trouble against Arsene Wenger’s Arsenal after a 2-2 draw in London when they fell 1-0 behind at home as the Londoners dared an attacking strategy that fell short as Messi ran rampant. Starting with a long-range shot before conjuring two more from nothing and ending with a lethal low shot, Messi again stole the plaudits and the show. He would score five against Leverkusen in a 7-1 win in 2012, a year in which he racked up 91 goals. But the Arsenal mauling stands above that as his most dazzling display.
• Beating Real in Europe (2011): April 27, 2011, a 2-0 Champions League semi-final away win at Real Madrid
In his first meeting with Real Madid in Europe, Messi scored a stunning late double in the opening away leg as Pep Guardiola’s Barcelona killed the contest in a game that attracted massive worldwide audiences.
• Champions League win at Wembley (2011): May 28, 2011, Champions League final, a 3-1 victory over Manchester United in London.
In a rematch of the 2009 final also won by Barca, Messi propels his team to victory with a fine strike, his 53rd goal in 55 matches at that time in the season. He also won the title of top scorer in the competition that year, with 12 goals.
• Double against Guardiola (2015): May 6, 2015, Champions League semi-final, first leg – a 3-0 win over Bayern Munich at Camp Nou.
Facing his former coach Guardiola, Messi scores twice in three minutes at the end of the game.
The highlight then was a dribble which left opposing defender Jerome Boateng on his backside, before setting up Neymar.
• Mythical celebration (2017): April 23, 2017, in La Liga, a 3-2 victory at the Bernabeu against Real Madrid.
Messi was left bleeding from the nose after a nudge from Real’s Marcelo.
Madrid went in front before Messi levelled. At the end of the game, with the score at 2-2, Messi scores past Keylor Navas with the clock showing the second minute of injury time.
He celebrates by removing his shirt, holding it at arms’ length in front of stunned Madrid supporters, his chin raised in a sign of defiance.
-Reuters/AFP
The legacy of Brazilian football legend Pelé has taken a new turn after Neymar Santos Sr, father of Brazil star Neymar Jr, confirmed the acquisition of the commercial rights to Pelé’s name and image through his agency, NR Sports.
Speaking at the Pelé Museum in Santos, Brazil, Neymar Sr said the deal marks a new chapter for one of the most iconic brands in global sport.
“We are proud. I think it’s a very strong brand. We want to strengthen its identity and adapt it to the current era,” he said, describing the project as deeply emotional and nationally significant.
Although financial details were not officially disclosed, Brazilian media estimate the acquisition at around $18 million. The rights had previously belonged to US-based company Sport 10, which many in Brazil accused of underdeveloping a national treasure.
A ‘Repatriation’ of Pelé’s Legacy
NR Sports described the agreement as a “repatriation” of Pelé’s brand—bringing back to Brazil “one of the greatest symbols in the history of world sport.”
Pelé’s daughter, Flavia, attended the announcement and welcomed the move, saying the family had tried—and failed—to reacquire the rights after Pelé’s death in 2022.
“There are no words to describe the emotion of bringing back a brand that embodies soul, humanity, and love. It’s priceless,” she told AFP.
The unveiling was accompanied by an emotional tribute at the Pelé Museum, which erected a massive green screen with Pelé’s iconic logo. A video shared on Pelé’s and NR Sports’ official accounts celebrated the “universal language” of Brazilian football, showing some of the King’s most memorable goals from his World Cup triumphs in 1958, 1962, and 1970.
Neymar Jr: ‘Pelé Was Born to Change Everything’
Neymar Jr, who recently returned to Pelé’s former club Santos and has surpassed the King as Brazil’s all-time top scorer, featured in a promotional video congratulating his father’s company.
“Some are born to play, others are born to change the game. Pelé was born to change everything,” the 33-year-old forward said. “Pelé never stopped being one of us, and now he is officially part of Brazil, again and forever.”
A New Era for an Underused Global Brand
For years, Pelé’s image rights were more prominently exploited abroad than at home—a situation that drew criticism from the family and Brazilian football circles. The new deal is expected to revitalise the Pelé brand through modern marketing, partnerships, and heritage initiatives anchored in Brazil.
“This is the beginning of a motivating project for us. We are very moved,” Neymar Sr added.
Pelé, who died in December 2022 at age 82, remains an enduring symbol in Santos, São Paulo state, where he played from 1956 to 1974 and where thousands still visit his mausoleum.
With the rights now back in Brazilian hands, NR Sports says the goal is clear: preserve, expand, and enrich the legacy of the King of Football for generations to come.
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Lionel Messi expressed his wish to one day return to Barcelona’s Camp Nou on Monday, having made a brief visit to see the newly revamped stadium where he spent 21 years of his illustrious career.
The 38-year-old Argentine World Cup winner, who joined Barca’s youth academy at age 13 and went on to become the club’s all-time top scorer with 672 goals in 778 appearances, left the Catalan side in 2021 when they could not make it financially viable to keep him.
Having won 10 LaLiga titles, four Champions League crowns and three Club World Cups with Barca, Messi now plays for Inter Miami after two years with Paris St Germain.
Barca reopened the Camp Nou on Friday, 895 days after its closure, unveiling a revamped stadium by staging an open training session attended by 21,795 fans.
“Last night, I returned to a place that I miss with all my heart. A place where I was immensely happy, where you made me feel a thousand times like the happiest person in the world,” the eight-times Ballon d’Or winner wrote on Instagram on Monday.
“I hope that one day I can return, and not just to say goodbye as a player, as I never got to do.”
Messi extended his contract with Inter Miami in October, and has previously said that the Major League Soccer club would likely be his last.
“You’re always welcome at your home, Leo,” Barca posted on X.
-Reuters
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Argentina has paid a powerful tribute to its greatest football icon, Diego Armando Maradona, by unveiling a special commemorative silver coin celebrating both the late legend’s 65th birthday and the upcoming 2026 FIFA World Cup.
The coin, released on October 30 — the date that would have marked Maradona’s 65th birthday — honours his unforgettable solo goal against England in the 1986 World Cup, often described as “the goal of the century.”
The Central Bank of Argentina announced that the limited-edition coin features a football motif on one side, while the reverse captures Maradona’s legendary dribble from his own half, past five English defenders, before coolly slotting the ball home in Mexico City.
That match, etched in global memory, also produced another of football’s most talked-about moments — the “Hand of God” goal, scored just minutes earlier. Together, those two goals defined not only a game but an era, as Maradona led Argentina to World Cup glory in 1986, their second in history.
“This coin immortalizes a symbol of Argentine pride — a goal that transcended sport to become a moment of national identity,” said the Central Bank in a statement.
The release is also timed to build excitement ahead of the 2026 FIFA World Cup, which will be jointly hosted by the United States, Mexico, and Canada — marking 40 years since Maradona’s most celebrated tournament.
Maradona, who passed away in 2020, remains one of football’s most revered figures. His blend of artistry, audacity, and passion continues to inspire generations of players and fans alike.
Across Argentina, tributes poured in from fans, clubs, and former teammates, with many visiting murals, statues, and shrines dedicated to the No.10. In Buenos Aires, street musicians played “Live is Life” — the anthem that once accompanied Maradona’s famous pre-match warm-up routine at Napoli — as a reminder of his enduring magic.
For Argentina, this special-edition coin is more than a collector’s item; it is a national homage to an eternal legend, a man whose left foot and spirit still define the heartbeat of Argentine football.
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