As soon as Lionel Messi went for broke on his own body art, we knew that we’d reached peak tattoo in the world of soccer. The juxtaposition between Messi’s wholesome demeanor and his body modification might’ve been keenly felt by your grandmother, who now firmly believes that Messi lives on the edge of society, but tattoos are obviously less of a form of deviance and more of an accepted form of expression in today’s world.
Xavi, Cristiano Ronaldo and Samuel Eto’o are putting fanboys and internet trolls to shame with their ongoing war of words. It's all starting to sound eerily familiar to anyone who’s ever braved the comment section of any article concerning Ronaldo and Lionel Messi.
Celtic knew going into their Champions League encounter with Barcelona that getting a result against a side reinforced by the return of Brazilian great Neymar would be an extremely difficult task.
They couldn’t have imagined just how well the MSN reunion would go for the Blaugrana.
The attacking trio were nothing short of sensational at the Camp Nou, playing a part in all seven Barca goals.
Neymar started things off by setting up Messi’s first, the Argentine finishing with a powerful left-footed shot.
Barcelona are at home against a team that recently lost to a team from Gibraltar. You can guess how it's going.
Messi Neymar Messi Neymar Messi = It's that easy. #UCL @HeinekenSoccer #UCLonFOX https://t.co/Mm2g5qriQU
It isn't surprising that Neymar took this free kick because it's about the same angle that he scored from in the Olympic gold medal match against Germany.
He's also one of the best players in the world. It is surprising that Neymar took this free kick because Lionel Messi was standing over it as well, and he's the best player in the world and was also on a hat trick.
Neymar recreated his Olympic goal against Celtic, and, for the record, Messi did eventually get his hat trick.
This decade has seen some interesting (to put it mildly) fashion trends developed by soccer players. As if the Russell Westbrook-esque pre- and post-game outfits weren’t enough, high-profile soccer stars have adopted an affinity for dyeing their hair blonde. Their questionable decisions have prompted younger players and the youth of our world to follow in their footsteps. Which begs the question, "Why do soccer players bleach their hair blonde?"
Let us take you back in time.
Looking back at his career, Lionel Messi must sometimes marvel at the stupendous fairy tale of his own life. Born to two factory workers in a town known (before Messi) for industry alone, he has risen into a stratosphere unimaginable to most – certainly to a quiet, diminutive boy from Roasario, Argentina.
We take a look here at his life in pictures, from his humble origins to his current status as perhaps the greatest player of all time.