2021: THE YEAR IN PREVIEW What lies ahead for Argentine football in 2021 02-01-2021 08:57 Your (tongue-firmly-in-cheek) guide to what lies ahead for Argentine football in the next 12 months. by Dan Edwards
RECORD-BREAKER Messi passes Pelé as top scorer at a single club 22-12-2020 23:03 Lionel Messi beat Pelé's record of goals for a single club when he scored his 644th for Barcelona on Tuesday.
FOOTBALL Messi, Ronaldo set to renew stellar rivalry in Champions League 07-12-2020 12:30 Lionel Messi's rivalry with Cristiano Ronaldo has enthralled football for the better part of a decade, and the pair will duel for potentially the final time when Barcelona host Juventus in the Champions League on Tuesday.
DIEGO ARMANDO MARADONA (1960-2020) Maradona: Out of this world 28-11-2020 07:35 Diego Armando Maradona, the popular icon that Argentina was crying out for, blessed us mortals with 60 years in his magnetic presence. But now, the ‘Cosmic Kite’ has finally been called back to his home planet. by Dan Edwards
ALBICELESTE LEGEND Javier Mascherano announces retirement from football aged 36 17-11-2020 22:02 A stalwart of the national side since he was 19, Javier Mascherano calls time on his playing career, describing it as “the most correct thing to do."
BARCELONA PRESDENT Bartomeu resigns as Barcelona president, says club in for Euro Super League 27-10-2020 18:17 Josep Maria Bartomeu resigned as Barcelona president on Tuesday, along with his board of directors, and left with a bombshell admission that he had accepted a proposal for the club to play in "a future European Super League."
La Garganta Poderosa ‘We must fight to correct inequality,’ says Messi in rare political interview 16-10-2020 00:46 Argentine footballing superstar criticises prevailing global social inequalities, as he delivers rare political comment in special interview marking 100th edition of La Garganta Poderosa.
WORLD CUP QUALIFIERS Messi to put Barça drama behind him as Albiceleste seek fast start 07-10-2020 01:04 Lionel Messi will take a break from his Barcelona soap opera as he bids to fire the Albiceleste to the World Cup in Qatar.
SPANISH FOOTBALL Lionel Messi says it’s time for Barcelona to unite 30-09-2020 14:09 Lionel Messi wants to put his dispute with Barcelona behind him and called for the club and its fans to unite.
FOOTBALL 'Nothing surprises me anymore' – Messi laments Suárez departure 25-09-2020 12:24 Lionel Messi bid an emotional farewell on Friday to Luis Suárez, the day after the Uruguayan striker had said tearful goodbyes to Barcelona after the club sent him to Atlético Madrid.
MONEY IN SPORT Messi joins exclusive club of sporting billionaires 15-09-2020 14:36 Argentine superstar's career earnings of over US$1 billion places the six-time Ballon d'Or winner in a group of mega-wealthy sports figures containing just Tiger Woods, Floyd Mayweather and his great rival on the pitch, Cristiano Ronaldo.
MESSI TRANSFER SAGA Messi trains alone as Barça reintegration begins 07-09-2020 15:25 33-year-old trains alone in first session since Ronald Koeman was appointed coach and his first since he said on Friday he had been forced to stay at Barcelona.
BARÇA-MESSI SAGA Rosario left deflated but still hopeful, as Messi says he'll stay put 06-09-2020 08:09 Rosario had dared to dream, but it was left disappointed after the city's most celebrated son Lionel Messi announced he was staying at Barcelona on Friday.
BARÇA-MESSI SAGA Messi confirms he’s staying at Barcelona – but against his will 05-09-2020 09:53 Albiceleste star lashes out at Barcelona President Josep Maria Bartomeu in interview, says he wants to leave Spanish giants, but won’t take them to court in order to do so.
Argentine superstar Lionel Messi confirms in interview he will stay at Barcelona 04-09-2020 13:39 Messi confirms he will stay at Barcelona, insisting he could never go to court against "the club of his life" and letting rip at Club President Josep Maria Bartomeu.
MESSI TRANSFER SAGA No agreement in meeting between Barcelona and Messi’s father 02-09-2020 23:56 Argentine's future no closer to being resolved, after initial meeting between player's father and club officials on Wednesday.
Argentine superstar Barcelona wants face-to-face meeting to change Messi’s mind 01-09-2020 15:48 Talks with Messi’s father, who is also his agent, are expected this week in Barcelona, but the club also hopes to sit down with the player himself.
Argentine superstar Messi skips required coronavirus testing with Barcelona 30-08-2020 08:42 In another strong sign that Lionel Messi’s time with Barcelona may be coming to an end, the player did not report for required coronavirus testing scheduled for the whole squad on Sunday.
END OF AN ERA? Messi calls time at Barcelona – what happens next? 29-08-2020 10:25 Any club in the world would want Lionel Messi. But only a select few could make a financial deal work for the six-time Ballon d’Or winner.
END OF AN ERA? We need to talk about Lionel Messi 29-08-2020 10:20 Barcelona are entitled to seek a fair price for their prize asset, but they do not have the right to deny Lionel Messi the chance to seek his future elsewhere after such a long, glittering spell. by Dan Edwards
RALLY IN ROSARIO Newell’s Old Boys fans dream of an unlikely Messi homecoming 28-08-2020 00:17 Messi’s surprise decision to leave Barcelona has sparked unlikely dreams among the residents of Rosario that he may return to play to Argentina to play with Newell’s Old Boys.
MESSI OFF TO MANCHESTER? Report claims Messi wants to move to Manchester City 26-08-2020 16:48 Local daily La Nación claims Argentine superstar has decided to move to English Premier League side Manchester City, where he would be reunited with former coach Pep Guardiola.
MESSI: END OF AN ERA Top European clubs circle as Messi calls time at Barcelona 26-08-2020 09:14 Lawyers for Argentine star sends club a fax confirming Messi's desire to rescind his contract by triggering a release clause, sending shockwaves throughout the world of football.
ARGENTINE SUPERSTAR From Ballon d'Or to abject humiliation: why Messi seeks pastures new 26-08-2020 09:08 Barcelona have insisted in the past they had plans for coping with Messi's retirement, whenever it came, but the truth is their number 10 is irreplaceable.
END OF AN ERA? Goals, records, trophies: Messi's glittering career 26-08-2020 08:51 After announcing he wants to leave the Catalan club, here's a look at the career highlights of one of football's all-time greats.
Champions League Football Messi’s silence raises more doubts about Barcelona future 21-08-2020 14:43 Barcelona lost 8-2 in the Champions League quarterfinals last week to Bayern Munich.
BARÇA IN CRISIS Questions surround Messi’s future amid Barcelona chaos 18-08-2020 07:56 Barcelona fired coach Quique Setién on Monday, three days after the team’s humiliating 8-2 loss to Bayern Munich in the Champions League, the first step in what it said would be “a wide-ranging restructuring" of the club.
CHAMPIONS LEAGUE SHOCK 'Rock bottom': Barca reeling after Champions League humiliation 15-08-2020 08:30 A night of utter misery in Lisbon for Barcelona, as the pandemic-enforced single-game reformatting of a knockout stage and Bayern Munich deliver an killer blow to the club's legendary stars.
CHAMPIONS LEAGUE SHOCK 'Hard to comprehend': Brutal Bayern hit eight past Barcelona 15-08-2020 08:25 A merciless Bayern Munich inflicted a humiliating, record defeat on Barcelona on Friday, recording a scarcely believable 8-2 victory in their Champions League quarter-final in Lisbon.
CHAMPIONS LEAGUE Messi's toughest task as Barcelona face up to Bayern Munich 13-08-2020 00:46 Lionel Messi might never have been faced with a more daunting task at Barcelona than engineering a victory against Bayern Munich in Lisbon on Friday.
SPANISH FOOTBALL Bartomeu has 'no doubt' Messi will stay at Barcelona 27-07-2020 15:54 "Messi has said many times that he wants to retire here and I have no doubt that he will re-sign," says club president.
SPANISH FOOTBALL Messi blasts 'weak' team after Barcelona loses league title 17-07-2020 02:08 Messi blasted his team for being “weak” after Real Madrid wrested the league title away from Barcelona for the first time in three years on Thursday.
FOOTBALL TRANSFERS Talks with Inter over Lautaro Martínez have 'stopped,' says Barça exec 13-07-2020 12:01 22-year-old ex-Racing forward, who has scored 17 goals in all competitions for Inter this season, has been heavily linked with a move to the Camp Nou. But Barcelona President Josep Maria Bartomeu says talks over a potential move had been halted.
SPANISH FOOTBALL Messi scores 700th career goal against Atlético Madrid 01-07-2020 08:31 Messi scores a penalty in the “Panenka” style, chipping it softly past goalie Jan Oblak. The goal was Messi’s 630th club goal to go with 70 for his Argentina. It was also his league-leading 22nd goal of the season.
SPANISH FOOTBALL Messi caps Barcelona win over Mallorca on La Liga return 14-06-2020 09:57 Not even a streaker could ruin Lionel Messi's return to action with Barcelona, as La Liga kicked off again behind closed doors this weekend.
GLOBAL PANDEMIC ‘I chose to stay’ – Argentine med student details life on Spain’s Covid-19 frontline 30-05-2020 10:35 When the coronavirus pandemic hit, third-year med student Celeste Basaez, on residency in Barcelona, had a choice: head home or join her hospital’s fight on the frontlines against Covid-19. by James Francis Whitehead
FOOTBALL & CORONAVIRUS Messi looking forward eagerly to 'weird' La Liga restart 27-05-2020 16:37 Messi, who after a few weeks confined like the rest of Spain by the coronavirus pandemic, is training with Barca again ahead of a planned resumption of La Liga behind closed doors on the weekend on June 12.
Fight against virus Barcelona to sell Camp Nou naming rights to raise money to fight virus 21-04-2020 14:23 Barcelona will sell the naming rights to its Camp Nou, Europe’s biggest stadium – which has never had a sponsor since it opened in 1957 – for one year in an effort to raise money for the fight against the coronavirus.
Coronavirus pandemic Covid-19 keeps Dybala isolated, as sport copes with coronavirus 13-03-2020 12:12 Coronavirus shuts down all the sport activities until further notice. Professional football is not an exception.
EUROPEAN FOOTBALL Messi demands calm after chaotic two months for Barcelona 20-02-2020 13:37 Barcelona has been hit recently by a series of setbacks on the field and conflicts inside the club. And though Lionel Messi has had enough, he says he won't leave the club.
SPANISH FOOTBALL Barça-bound Quique Setién set to lead the club he has long admired 14-01-2020 07:24 61-year-old Spaniard often tried to get his teams to mimic Barcelona's ball-possession and attacking-minded style – and now he will get to do it himself at the Catalan club for real.
EUROPEAN FOOTBALL Lautaro Martínez’s impressive form could cost Inter Milan 21-12-2019 13:09 Inter Milan might just lose out to Barcelona...again.
MESSI Messi takes leadership in his stride to clinch a historic sixth Ballon d'Or 02-12-2019 18:34 The Argentina footballer, considered to be one the greatest players of all time, won his sixth Ballon d’Or on Monday, after a fantastic season with Barcelona.
FILM REVIEW Review: New documentary shines fresh light on Maradona's mythic tale 30-09-2019 07:30 From a god to a devil – Asif Kapadia's absorbing and exhaustive new film shines new light on one of Argentina's most iconic figures: Diego Armando Maradona. It airs in Argentina on October 2 on DirecTV.
FIFA AWARDS 'The Best': Lionel Messi win FIFA men's player of the year award 23-09-2019 17:52 Barcelona star sees off Cristiano Ronaldo and Virgil van Dijk to win award; Marcelo Bielsa honoured with 'Fair Play' award for incident at Leeds.
LOCAL FOOTBALL Ex-Boca star Juan Román Riquelme announces La Bombonera testimonial 20-09-2019 12:55 Former Boca Juniors and Argentina star will be honoured with a testimonial at La Bombonera in December, more than five years after midfielder's retirement.
FOOTBALL TRANSFERS 'I would be thrilled if Neymar came back,' says Barcelona's Messi 12-09-2019 08:41 Argentina captain would be "thrilled" if Neymar returned to the Catalan side but insisted they could still win trophies without the Brazilian.
FOOTBALL Messi has option to leave Barcelona next summer 08-09-2019 08:13 Spanish newspaper El País reports that Argentine's current contract with Barcelona includes the option for the legendary star to unilaterally end his stay in the summer of 2020.
FOOTBALL Problems mount for Messi as injury woes adds to ban 06-08-2019 10:00 Messi banned for three months after CONMEBOL 'corruption' outburst, as star's new season in Spain begins with a cloud hanging over it.