Lionel Messi

When It Comes To Backheels And Nutmegs, Who’s The Filthiest Player On The Planet?

Thank you @StatsBomb. Thank you, thank you. When it comes to statistics, dribbles, key passes and xG tell us some, but they don’t tell us enough — namely, (Ronaldinho, Ronaldinho on the wall) who is the filthiest of them all?

But thanks to StatsBomb.com, we can now discern which footballer earns his keep in a metaphorical pigsty, living amongst the grime and fetid squalor like Jack London in “The People of the Abyss.” 

Before Ronaldinho Gave Him No. 10, These Are The 19 Best Goals Messi Scored As No. 19

It’s hard to remember Lionel Messi sporting anything other than the famous No. 10 for Barcelona, but before he assumed the mark of the talisman, he made his debut in the No. 30 and then spent a few seasons sporting the No. 19. 

It wasn’t until Ronaldinho left the club before the 2008-09 campaign — at which time Messi had already scored 42 goals for the senior side (including 31 in LaLiga and eight in the Champions League) — that Messi assumed his iconic number.

Messi Responds To Ronaldo’s Challenge And More In Rare, In-Depth Interview

In-depth interviews with Barcelona captain Lionel Messi are a rare thing, but they continuously reveal a humble, cerebral and analytical individual who refuses to be drawn into the trappings of fame and modern society. With LaLiga entering its winter break (Barcelona last played on Dec.

Christmas Photos From The Best Footballers On The Planet

Stars — they're just like us! (Except for David Beckham and Zlatan Ibrahimovic — they're celebrating the holidays like only they can.) Here's a collection of how some top footballers celebrated Christmas.

Lionel Messi and family

New Year's Resolutions For The Top European Clubs

The winter-break period separating the first half and the second half of the season in Europe’s top five leagues is a great time for clubs to reflect on a club's season (although winter break doesn’t exist in England). Even before Christmas, but Europe’s top clubs are preparing for their second half of the season push. Here are some New Year's resolutions for Europe’s top clubs in the big five leagues.

If Lionel Messi And Cristiano Ronaldo Played In Smaller Leagues …

No one is going to deny Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo are two of the greatest footballers of the last 20 years — perhaps even all time. But what if they didn’t play for the best clubs in the world? What if they played in smaller leagues? What if Messi and Ronaldo played in Ligue 1 and Liga NOS?

Well, they’d be Hatem Ben Arfa and Bas Dost, respectively.

Lionel Messi Receives Fifth Golden Shoe To Move One Ahead Of Cristiano Ronaldo

How many goals has Messi scored? It’s hard to answer, because right this very instant, he dropped Jérôme Boateng and chipped Manuel Neuer. In the time it took you to read that sentence, he just scored a hat-trick against Levante. Lionel Messi has scored 664 goals in his career for club and country, so yes, I’m slightly exaggerating, but only slightly.

Messi Registers Hat-Trick And Two Assists In Godly Performance

The genius of Lionel Messi propelled Barcelona to a 5-0 victory over Levante on Sunday evening in Valencia — the Argentine was involved in all five goals with a hat-trick and two assists. Luis Suarez also had a goal and was heavily involved in setting up two of Messi’s. The 31-year-olds are alright. 

The first goal arrived in the 35th minute after Messi danced across the top of the box. With defenders circling and closing around him, Messi pulled off an impossible reverse ball which Suarez converted with sublime control. 

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