TEL AVIV—”I’m from where Messi is from,” 90-year-old Esther Cunio told the two masked Palestinian invaders who moments earlier entered her home in southern Israel. It was the morning of Oct. 7 and Hamas was carrying out its killing spree in communities near the Gaza border, including in Kibbutz Nir Oz, where Ms. Cunio, who […]
HONG KONG—Lionel Messi made another conciliatory gesture to fans in Hong Kong and mainland China on Monday by releasing a video on social media to explain why he didn’t play in an exhibition match this month, and insisted that there were no political reasons behind his decision. Messi disappointed fans in Hong Kong and the […]
The paper napkin containing the agreement which saw Lionel Messi join FC Barcelona will go to auction with a starting price of $380,000 (£300,000). The napkin, which was signed to acquire the talents of then 13-year-old Messi in 2000, will be sold by auction house Bonhams in March. The commitment to a contract was written […]
LONDON—Lionel Messi landed another prestigious award in soccer—barely. The Argentina star needed a tiebreaker with Erling Haaland to win FIFA’s best men’s player prize on Monday. He has national team captains to thank. The voting breakdown showed Messi and Haaland with 48 points each after voting by a global panel of national team coaches and […]
Six shirts worn by Lionel Messi during Argentina’s triumphant run at the 2022 World Cup are expected to become the “most valuable collection of sports memorabilia” when bidding opens later this month, auction house Sotheby’s said. The collection includes the shirt he wore during the first half of the final in Qatar. “The extraordinary collection […]
Lionel Messi has finalized 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 […]
Bill Gates is kicking off a trip to China. Will he meet with Chinese leader Xi Jinping? His trip overlaps with a top American diplomat’s visit there, but lately, Beijing has opened its arms to business leaders while giving politicians the cold shoulder. What’s behind China’s power play with Washington? Topics in this episode: Cold […]
BUENOS AIRES, Argentina—Gunmen threatened Argentine soccer superstar Lionel Messi in a written message left 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 […]
PARIS—World Cup champion Lionel Messi edged Kylian Mbappé again, this time to take FIFA’s best men’s player award on Monday. The best women’s player was Spain’s Alexia Putellas for a second straight year. After steering Argentina to World Cup glory in an epic final against Mbappé’s France last year in Qatar, Messi won the best […]
LOS CONDORES, Argentina—Lionel Messi has been immortalized in Argentina in tributes ranging from tattoos to murals after leading the national team to win the soccer World Cup. Now his face can be seen from the heavens too—on a specially designed corn field. The field in Los Condores in central Cordoba Province was sown using an […]
Lionel Messi set yet another record on Tuesday after his Instagram post celebrating Argentina’s World Cup win became the most-liked on the platform, breaking a nearly four-year-old record held by a photo of an egg. Having led Argentina to their first World Cup in 36 years with victory over France on Sunday, Messi proceeded to […]
LUSAIL, Qatar— Lionel Messi is back in the World Cup final with Argentina on his mission to win soccer’s biggest prize for the first time. And, at 35, he could hardly be playing any better. Messi converted a penalty and had a hand in the other two goals by Julián Álvarez, leading Argentina to a […]
Lionel Messi finally signed his eagerly anticipated Paris Saint-Germain contract on Tuesday night to complete the move that confirms the end of a career-long association with Barcelona and sends PSG into a new era. The French club said in a statement that the 34-year-old Argentina star signed a two-year deal with the option for a […]
LE BOURGET, France—Six-time Ballon d’Or winner Lionel Messi received a hero’s welcome after flying to France on Tuesday to join Paris Saint Germain (PSG) following his shock departure from Barcelona. The agreement to sign the 34-year-old Argentine is a major coup for wealthy PSG, who will add one of the best soccer players of all […]
BARCELONA—Barcelona was forced to let star player Lionel Messi leave the club because his high wages coupled with strict La Liga financial rules could have jeopardized its future, President Joan Laporta said on Friday. Both the club, which has suffered steep losses recently, and 34-year-old Messi had wanted to sign a new contract. But the […]
MADRID—Six-time Ballon d’Or winner Lionel Messi will leave Barcelona despite both parties having reached an agreement over a new contract, the La Liga club said on Thursday, citing economic and structural obstacles to the renewal of the deal. Messi, who joined Barca’s youth set-up aged 13, is the club’s all-time top scorer and appearance maker […]
