"Messi is good but I was better '- Maradona

Always controversial, Diego Armando Maradona was considered himself better than Lionel Messi, player he trusts to give Argentina the win at the next World Cup.

"I hope that Messi gives Argentina the World Cup but will not be easy, because they know him and know what he can do.

In the game with Milan, they built him a cage. For me, Messi is a great kid but I think I was better, said "El Pibe" in a press conference in Italy, even before the "classic game" between Barcelona and Real Madrid, which ended with the triumph (3-1) of Madrid.

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Messi misses Barcelona training

Barcelona started this Friday morning the preparation of the league match against Osasuna on Sunday without Lionel Messi, who underwent a physiotherapy session.
According to the club, the Argentinian star will be able to play.

 However, it is almost certain that Messi will be resting against Osasuna in order to play against Real Madrid, in the best physical condition.

Messi donates 150 000 euros

Lionel Messi, the Barcelona footballer, donated one million pesos, about 152 thousand euros for the rehabilitation of a sports complex in a depressed area of Rosario, Argentina.

"The rehabilitation of this sports complex will benefit thousands of people in this area of ​​the city," said Rolando del Lago, the municipality responsible for sports.

Messi, who at age 13 left the Newell `s Old Boys from Rosario to head to Barcelona, has a foundation that has made several works of charity in the town.

Fourth Ballon d'Or for Lionel Messi and dominance looks unstoptable

Lionel Messi with his fourth FIFA Ballon d'Or award

Lionel Messi began 2013 by winning the Fifa Ballon d'Or (with 41.6% of the votes), Cristiano Ronaldo (23.7%) came second and Andrés Iniesta (10.9%) third. It is the fourth time Messi has won it and no one else has won it so often. Because the award is a merger of the old European Footballer of the Year and the Fifa World Player of the Year which was inaugurated only in 1991, Diego Maradona never won it and nor did Pelé but it is doubtful if they would have matched Messi's achievement. Marco van Basten won the European award three times in five years, Johan Cruyff three in four and Platini three years in a row. Alfredo Di Stéfano won it twice. Messi has superseded all of them.

Months of speculation slowly gave way to a growing realisation, especially as the European Championship was left behind and Messi accelerated towards the end of the year: it was going to be him again. He scored twice in each of eight successive games and they were almost all goals of barely plausible brilliance; when he scored only once in his final game of 2012, it was as if he had underachieved. On Monday night, finally it was confirmed. "The good thing about the Ballon d'Or is that it's being handed out tomorrow," the Barcelona coach, Tito Vilanova, had said the night before. Everyone could get on with their lives, talk about something else for a change.

Hardly: first there will be the reaction and then it will not be long before talk turns to next year's award – except that right now it is hard to imagine anyone else walking away a winner from Zurich in 12 months' time. 2012, like 2010, was an opportunity for others but Messi swept all before him again – all the excitement, all the debates, all the headlines and the same winner. "To tell you the truth this is really quite unbelievable," Messi said. "The fourth award that I have had is just too great for words."

Michael Owen recalls how Gérard Houllier had to pull him aside after he won the Ballon d'Or in 2001 and impress upon him the significance of the award. Owen had taken it in his stride; Houllier was shocked at how blasé he was. In France, he insisted, it is huge.

So it is in Spain. The Ballon d'Or has become more important in England over the decade since international football, projected by the Champions League, carried by a television and internet boom, accessible in a way unthinkable 10 years ago, is followed far more closely than it was then and European exposure brings European tastes. But, at least while the candidates all reside south of the Pyrenees, the interest still does not match that of the Spanish.

Only one Spaniard has won the award: Luis Suárez in 1960. Many have never forgiven Owen. Some consider it a grave injustice that Raúl did not become the second; 2001 was the year when Raúl's candidacy was at its strongest; the England striker's Ballon d'Or was "rightfully" Raúl's. Similarly, had Owen not been a former winner, Real Madrid's president Florentino Pérez would surely have been less interested in signing him: here was another one for the collection, status guaranteed. An "objective" measure of the best player in the world.

Just as with Raúl, a sense of injustice exists now. It is quieter but it is there. This Spain side is the most successful international team there has ever been. But none of its players have won the award. In 2010 even Messi seemed surprised to finish ahead of Xavi and Andrés Iniesta. Here Iniesta was Spain's sole representative – the winner of Uefa's Best Player in Europe award following Euro 2012. "I don't need individual awards to feel recognised; football is a collective game," he said. But that collective success, some argue, should have been recognised in this award.

Spain's media and fans remain divided along club lines, though. Over 60% of the country declares itself a fan of Madrid or Barcelona and sports newspapers wear their club colours unashamedly. Even the idea of a Spanish winner only unites them at a superficial level: they want a club winner. When the list for the team of the year was released the front cover of AS said it all: "Madrid 6 Barcelona 5".

And so it is that the battle comes back down to the two men who have come to represent Spain's biggest two clubs, the personification of the greatest rivalry. Messi had already admitted that he would be voting for Xavi, Iniesta and his Argentina team-mate Sergio Agüero; asked why he did not vote for Messi, Ronaldo said the reason was simple – he had not voted at all. Injury meant that he missed international duty and his voting papers were passed to a team-mate – who voted for him.

By the time the ceremony came round, Ronaldo had got used to the idea that he was not going to win: "This is not a life and death issue," he said. In August he had insisted: "I only want justice to be done." José Mourinho, who did not attend despite being short-listed for the managerial award, bemoaned that Messi would win, "after the campaign that has been carried out". Yet the most aggressive campaign had been his own in favour of Ronaldo. "How can Messi win the Ballon d'Or without winning the league or the Champions League?" Mourinho asked.

Last year Messi picked up almost half the votes; there was no question. This time a case can certainly be made for Ronaldo, who helped carry Real Madrid to the league title, taking it from Barcelona for the first time in four years and breaking an all-time points record. He scored the goal that effectively clinched the title at Camp Nou, one of 63 he scored in 71 games. Ronaldo, like Messi, reached the Champions League semi-final and, like Messi, missed a penalty. But Ronaldo missed his in the shootout having scored in normal time.

At Euro 2012 Portugal reached the semi-final where they were defeated by Spain; Ronaldo was down to take the final penalty but never got the chance. Messi, of course, was not there. At team level Messi won only a Copa del Rey.

But then he scored more goals than anyone in a calendar year (the last man to hold the record, Gerd Müller, did not win the Ballon d'Or: Franz Beckenbauer did in 1972). Messi finished as the Champions League's top scorer for a fourth year in a row. And he started to do the one thing that everyone agreed he still had pending: perform brilliantly, consistently, for Argentina: his 12 international goals included a hat-trick against Brazil.

This is a wider electorate now than the ones used for either of the awards that preceded it. With the old system, where only journalists voted, Messi would not have won in 2010. With 600 in the electorate now, the criteria are widened and yet also narrowed; virtually no one is going to leave Messi out of their top three.

Beyond the analyses there is a very simple question: who is the best player in the world? Few would doubt that the answer is Messi. "For as long as Messi is around, the Ballon d'Or makes no sense," Dani Alves said, and Agüero concurred: "The Ballon d'Or will always be for Messi."

Messi is 25. It may be a long wait for someone else.

sources : guardian ( writer by : Sid Lowe )

Lionel Messi is speechless with a fourth Golden Ball

"To be honest, this is unbelievable. Winning the award for the fourth time is too awesome to describe in words," said Messi when he received the Golden Ball, the main prize of the FIFA Gala, held in Zurich, Switzerland.

The FC Barcelona player wanted to recognize the role of the Argentine national team colleagues and the Catalan team, with particular emphasis on Andres Iniesta, also named: "It has been a pleasure to train and play with you."

Lionel Messi, who defeated the Portuguese Cristiano Ronaldo and Iniesta, do not forget the coaches he worked with, family, friends and especially his wife and son, to whom he dedicated the prize.

Why Lionel Messi should win FIFA Ballon d'Or 2012

Final three candidate FIFA Ballon d'Or 2012 (Andres Iniesta, Lionel Mess, Cristiano Ronaldo)

For the last three years, one man has been honored as the best player in the world. In 2012, he has an opportunity to make it four. That man is Lionel Messi and a Ballon d'Or victory on Jan. 7 would be another historic milestone for Barcelona's franchise star.

Messi is far and away the front-runner for the award, but there is one compelling argument against his victory: Messi did not win a major team trophy in 2012. The Spanish League title was wrestled away from Barcelona for the first time in three years by none other Cristiano Ronaldo's Real Madrid. While Ronaldo scored the game winner against Barcelona in the spring Clasico that essentially won them the trophy, Messi was held scoreless. During the Champions League, Messi had a prime chance to score on the penalty shot for Barcelona against a 10-man Chelsea, but he also failed and his team was eventually eliminated in the semi-final. During the Spanish Super Cup, he also failed to deliver the championship for Barcelona. The only trophy he delivered was the 2011-12 Copa Del Rey, but he only scored three goals in that one.

His two opponents did win major trophies in 2012. As aforementioned, Ronaldo won the Spanish League title and the Spanish Super Cup while Messi's Barcelona teammate Andres Iniesta picked up a major victory at the Euro 2012. He also won the MVP for that tournament and was awarded with the award for the Best Player in Europe by UEFA.

However, Messi's 2012 has been like no other. At the top of everyone's list of recognition will be the superhuman feat of scoring 91 goals in a calendar year. The feat broke Gerd Müller's new record and established Messi as the greatest goal scorer of all time. He ended the 2011-12 season with 50 goals scored and 15 assists. In the Champions League he led all players with 14 goals and five assists. He ended the season on an even better run with 26 goals and five assists in 17 matches for Barcelona and is on pace to top the 50 goals he scored last season. He ended 2012 by scoring 15 goals in his last nine matches. He also has five goals in the Champions League and has finally shown his ability to lead his national team. Messi and Argentina are currently sitting atop the qualification table for the 2014 World Cup thanks to some big goals and plays from him.

For pure individual success, no one was better than Messi and that reason alone should enable him to win a record fourth Ballon d'Or.

sources : latinospost.com

Lionel Messi's Best Goal Ever

Lionel Messi : " I wish Argentina as succesfull as Barcelona"

Lionel Messi

Lionel Messi has often been accused of caring more about the fortunes of the Blaugrana than his national team, but he said that he wants nothing more than for la Albiceleste to thrive under his captaincy.

"I wish we could win as many titles as we can in Barcelona and qualify for the World Cup with Argentina," the 25-year-old told.

"I’ve had many nice moments with the national team (Argentina) and others that were not so good. Throughout this last year, we have enjoyed things and got together. I always expect to improve in everything, and that includes my career."


Sources : Goal.com

(Video) Lionel Messi's Top 15 Goal 2008-2012, Guardiola's era

Lionel Messi reject £460,000-a-week offer, to leave Barcelona

Lionel Messi picture

Lionel Messi hs just put pen to paper on a new long-term deal at FC Barcelona, one whch includes a £205m release clause.

Despite the crazy figure written into the contract, according to a report, an unknown Russian club triggered it, and offered the world's greatest player £460,000-a-week to tempt him away.

The fee of £205m would easily have made Messi the most expensive player of all time, surpassing the £80m Real Madrid paid Manchester United for Cristiano Ronaldo.

However, The Sun claim Messi turned down the offer of £24m a year after tax, understood to have been made by Anzhi Makhachkala .

Messi and Barcelona were reportedly shocked that a club was willing to pay the prohibitive release clause, yet after talks with Barca president Sandro Rosell and his family the Argentine opted to remain at the Camp Nou.


Sources : independent.co.uk

(Video) All Lionel Messi's Goal in 2012

Messi disappointed Barca Lack Trophy in 2012

Lionel Messi

Despite bring Barcelona currently 16 point lead over Real Madrid in La Liga and just made personal record with 91 gol in 2012, Lionel Messi believes the lack af major trophies make a disappointed year for Barcelona.

Messi who is a favorite for the FIFA Ballon d'Or  after incredible 2012 in which he has picked up the Spanish Golden Boot, become top score UEFA Champins League for the fourth consecutive year and beaten Gerd Muller's record of 85 goals to set a new world record for a calendar year.

Hwever, Messi only bring one trophies (Copa Del Rey) for Barcelona this year, after lost in semifinal UEFA Champions League by Chesea and only reached Runner-Up position La Liga, under the winner Real Madrid.

"I am happy with my goal and my record, but this year could have been better wiyh trophies" He told to El Mundo Deportivo. " I always say that the important thing is the group, and my goal, without tropies, is not important"

sources : soccernet.espn

Lionel Messi Finish 2012, with 91 goals

Messi (Picture) after made 91th goal

Lionel Messi polished his record with 91 goals and the final goal he scored when Barcelona win againts host Real Valladolid, 1-3 on Saturday Night. Before the game Lionel Messi with Barcelona's player wore T-Shirt of support for Vilanova, who had throat sugery to remove a second tumor in two years on Thursday : "This win for Tito".

Lionel Messi scored his goal in 59th minute by dribbling between a defender's leg before making it 2-0 after Xavi Hernandes open the scoring two minute before half time. The game close by goal from Barcelona' young star Tello in 94th minute after Valladolid respon goal by Javi Guerra in 89th minute. Final Score 1-3 for FC Barcelona.  

Barcelona remained perfect in nine away games and extended its record league start with its 16th win in 17 rounds. It opened up a nine-point lead over second-place Atletico Madrid and a 16-point gap over Real Madrid after it lost to Malaga later Saturday.

Bacelona's player wore T-shirt to support their coach, Tito Vilanova

source : espn 

Lionel Messi had agree extend his contract with FC BArcelona until 2018

Barcelona have agreed to extend Lionel Messi's contract until 2018, when he will be 31 years old. The Argentinian's previous deal ran until 2016 but negotiations have been swift and he has expressed a desire to see out his career at Camp Nou.

His formal buy-out clause remains at €250m (£203m) and his salary, which is heavily driven by incentives, is understood to begin at around €11m a year net.

FC Barcelona also announced that Barcelona's vice captain Xavi Hernández and Captain Carles Puyol have renewed their contracts until 2016. Puyol's deal was due to run out at the end of this season while Xavi had two years left to run. Xavi is 32 and Puyol 34.Toni Freixa, the club's spokesman, said: "It just happened that an agreement they have was reached today just as it could have done on any other day. It is a coincidence, not a strategy."

Lionel Messi, who is in the running for a fourth world player of the year award, admitted a month ago that he had not yet talked to Barcelona about a new deal but that he did not anticipate there being any problems in renewing: his deal has been periodically updated since he made his first-team debut in October 2004. Lionel Messi's last contract was signed in September 2009 having been drawn up by the sporting director Txiki Beguiristain, who is now at Manchester City.

It was a complicated deal in which the Argentinian earned a basic salary of about €9.5m. Any bonuses earned in a season were then subsequently included in the basic salary from that moment on. Although full details have not yet been revealed, a similar formula has been used for this latest deal and the figures have not changed substantially. Barcelona's president, Sandro Rosell, is expected to answer questions on Wednesday and the three players will sign their deals over the coming week.

"Puyol, Messi and Xavi are three basic pillars and it was necessary that they continued to be attached to the club," said Freixa. "The board are extremely satisfied to be able to give a successful project continuity with the renewals of Xavi, Puyol and Messi." Puyol is the club captain while Xavi has played more games and won more trophies than anyone in Barcelona's history. Together they have won three European Cups, with Messi having scored a record 90 goals this calendar year.

Lionel Messi's deal comes as little surprise, even if negotiations were concluded quickly. Xavi's renewal had also been anticipated, although 2016 means that he will remain under contract until the age of 36. News of Puyol's deal is more unexpected. Negotiations had been going on for longer and his existing contract expires on 31 June. Other defenders signed deals before he had and progress appeared slower with the captain.

The most striking thing about Puyol's deal is its length. Having previously renewed on short-term deals, this time he has signed up for a further three years. He will be 38 when the deal expires. Puyol recently said: "I hope to keep playing until I am 40 but I do not want to be a burden."


Sources : guardian.co.uk

Lionel Messi's Career at Barcelona (2005-2006)

Lionel Messi

On 16 September 2005, for the second time in three months, Barcelona announced an update to Lionel Messi's contract; this time it was improved to pay him as a first team member and extended until June 2014. Lionel Messi obtained Spanish citizenship on 26 September 2005 and was finally able to make his debut in the season's Spanish First Division. Messi's first home outing in the Champions League came on 27 September 2005 against Italian club Udinese. Fans at Barcelona's stadium, the Camp Nou, gave Messi a standing ovation upon his substitution, as his composure on the ball and passing combinations with Ronaldinho had paid dividends for Barcelona.

Messi netted six goals in 17 league appearances, and scored one Champions League goal in six. His season ended prematurely on 7 March 2006, however, when he suffered a muscle tear in his right thigh during the second leg of the second round Champions League tie against Chelsea. Rijkaard's Barcelona ended the season as champions of Spain and Europe.





Sources : wikipedia

Lionel Messi Junior Team Career at Barcelona

Young Messi

Lionel Messi played in Barcelona's junior Infantil B and Cadete B & A teams from 2000 to 2003 (scoring 37 goals in 30 matches in Cadete A). Season 2003–04 saw him on a record five different teams: He started one match in Juvenil B (one goal) and got promoted to Juvenil A (14 matches, 21 goals). Later he debuted for FC Barcelona C team (Tercera División) on 29 November 2003 and for FC Barcelona B (Segunda División B) on 6 March 2004. He played for both teams during the season (ten matches, five goals and five games, zero goals, respectively). Even before these two debuts, Messi made his official debut for the first-team on 16 November 2003 aged 16 years and 145 days, in a friendly match against Porto.

Less than a year after his start, Frank Rijkaard gave him his league debut against RCD Espanyol on 16 October 2004 (at 17 years and 114 days), becoming the third-youngest player ever to play for Barcelona and youngest club player who played in La Liga, which would be broken by Bojan Krkić in September 2007. When he scored his first senior goal for the club against Albacete Balompié on 1 May 2005, Messi was 17 years, ten months and seven days old, becoming the youngest to ever score in a La Liga game for Barcelona until it was again broken by Bojan Krkić in 2007, scoring from a Messi assist. Messi said about his ex-coach Rijkaard: "I'll never forget the fact that he launched my career, that he had confidence in me while I was only sixteen or seventeen." During the season, Messi played also in Barcelona B (Segunda División B) scoring 6 goals in 17 matches.

sources : wikipedia

Early Life Lionel Messi

Messi was born in Rosario, Santa Fe Province, Argentina to parentsJorge Horacio Messi and Celia Maria Cuccittini. His paternal family originates from Ancona, Italy from his ancestor, Angelo Messi, Emigrated t Argentina in 1883. He has two older brother, Rodrigo and Matias, and sister Maria Sol. At the age of five Messi started playing soccer for Grandoli, a local club who coached by his father. In 1995 Messi switched to Newell Old Boy's who were based in his home city Rosario. He became a part of a local powerhouse that lost only one match in the next four years and became localy known "The Machine of the 87" from the year of their birth.

At the age of 11, Messi was diagnosed with a growth hormone deficiency. Local powerhouse River Plateshowed interest in Messi's progress, but did not have enough money to pay the treatment for his condition, which cost $900 a month. The Sporting Director of Barcelona, Carles Rexach had been made aware of his talent as Messi had relatives Lleida, and Mesii and his father were able to arrange  a trial with the team. Rexach with no other paper at hand, offered Messi a contract written on a paper napkin. Barcelona offered to pay Messi's medical bill if he was wiling to move to Spain. Since that time Messi and his father move to BArcelona where Messi enrolled in the club youth academy, La Masia.

sources : wikipedia

About Lionel Messi

Lionel Andres Messi is an Argentine Footballer. He was born 24 June 1987. Now he play as a forward for La Liga club FC Barcelona and the Argentine National team (Captain). Lionel Messi is Barcelona's all time top skor in all official club competition. By the age 21, Messi had receive Ballon D'Or and FIFA World Player of The Year nomination. The following year in 2009 he won the Ballon D'Or and FIFA World Player of The Year, and the inaugural FIFA Ballon d'Or 2010 and 2011. He also won UEFA Best Player in Europe Award 2010-2011.

Lionel Messi is the fourth football player to win Ballon d'Or and the second player to win three consecotive Ballon d'Or. Until 2012 Lionel Messi has won five La Liga, two Copa Del Rey, five SuperCopas de Espana, three Champions League, two Super Cups, and two Club Worlds Cup (All title he get with his club, FC Barcelona).

Lionel Messi has made UEFA Champions League history by becoming the first player to score five goal in one match. Lionel Messi also matched Jose Altafini's record of fourteen goals in a single UEFA Champions League season.

Lionel Messi become the first football player to top score in four successive Champions League campaigns. In 2011-2012 season Lionel Messi set the world record for most goal scored with 73 goal. In same season he set goalscoring record in a single La Liga with 50 goal.


sources : wikipedia

Menotti: "Messi is a Martian»

"It's a Martian. It's amazing what we have achieved, "said  Argentine coach César Luis Menotti. compatriot of Messi.

"His deep commitment with the team, their solidarity, prudent and respectful. When he score a goal embraces his colleagues, no celebrates with the croud. When it is bright it becomes impossible to see what it does. Never seen him play poorly. Never. Neither in Barcelona nor in the selection, "said Menotti, who believes" there are no doubts 'about who deserved to win the Golden Ball, although it adds that "it would also be  fair a award for Iniesta.

About Cristiano Ronaldo says he is " individually remarkable", but in this sense "individual plays to win the game." "When she does not get the team playing with ten 'claims, speaking to radio Xarxa.

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Messi and Co. wins in Moscow

A brilliant Messi warmed the frosty Luzhniki stadium. Barcelona beat Spartak Moscow for 3 -0 with 2 goals from Lionel Messi who has one more remarkable exhibition.

With these 2 more goals Messi has equaled Ruud van Nistelrooy as second top scorer in the history of the Champions League. Leo has scored 56 goals and only surpassed by Raúl with 71.