Argentina will play the World Cup semi-finals thanks to Julián Álvarez. He hadn't scored in the entire tournament and was dealing with some murmurs about his rather mediocre performance, but he showed up at the best moment to save his team in another match decided by delirium (3-1). Sought after by big European clubs like Barça, the Atlético de Madrid forward invented a championship goal to unbalance a match that was heading for penalties. A rocket into the top corner from a brave Swiss team to meet England's Kane and Bellingham in the semis this Wednesday.

From the 2022 World Cup is common to see on social media that Argentine players share photos and videos of their roasted with the national team. Fans follow them wherever they are: in Qatar, at the Ezeiza fields – where the internationals train in Argentina – or in the United States. "It has become a ritual. They usually do it 48 hours before matches. The players, the technical staff, and the rest of thestaff technician. The grid is always handled by Diego Iacovone," says Bruno González, an Argentine journalist.

Leo Messi's Argentina came from behind against Egypt in a match marked by refereeing decisions. The North Africans have bitterly complained about François Letexier's performance and went so far as to claim that the match was "fixed" and that they had suffered "a great injustice." A duel full of controversies, almost all of which favored the current world champions.

There is a play that Leo Messi likes very much. While his team attacks down the left and the winger on duty reaches the byline, the center forward goes to the six-yard box to look for the finish. The defenders, normally, follow him. And while all this is happening, discreetly but totally intentionally, Leo Messi appears at the half-moon. The pass goes to him, of course. Like lightning, he loads his leg and finishes with power and precision. The shot, always with his left leg, has a bit of curl, enough to finally mislead and surprise everyone, from the defenders to the goalkeeper. It's a goal he's scored about two hundred times. Or more. But he keeps doing it. And he will continue to do it. A goal that had a double prize. It served him to open the scoring against Austria and become the top scorer in World Cup history. A decisive goal in Argentina's victory, which he would seal with a second goal in stoppage time to leave his team as first in group J, already qualified for the round of 32 (2-0).

Leo Messi's family confirmed this Thursday that Jorge Messi, the Argentine footballer's father, has been admitted to the hospital for a health problem about which no details have been disclosed. In a statement, the family environment indicated that he is "under medical supervision, recovering and evolving favorably within the framework he presents," the family said.

Three cries in the early morning woke many residents in Catalonia. They were Argentinians living here or Catalans who miss Messi. The former Barça player debuted on Wednesday morning in Kansas City in his sixth World Cup. He did so exactly on the day that marked 20 years since his first match in a World Cup, a distant 2006 in Germany. Messi entered the field defending the crown won four years ago in Qatar, when he finally became champion. The Argentinians faced Algeria in a test that was supposed to allow an understanding of their level of play, after playing few high-level friendlies in recent months. And they passed the test with flying colors thanks to three goals from their captain. There were people who said he shouldn't be a starter because he's already a veteran. Others said he lives permanently on vacation in Miami. In reality, Messi is eternal and scored the three goals for the albiceleste. He even scored a fourth goal that didn't make it onto the scoreboard. He also made a mistake when he stepped heavily on an opponent, playing with fire. The Algerians asked for a red card, but the referee didn't send him off.

From the young Lamine Yamal and Pedri González, main hopes of the Spanish team, to legendary veterans like Leo Messi, Cristiano Ronaldo, and Luka Modrić, still references for Argentina, Portugal, and Croatia, respectively. Few World Cups in history have had such a wide spectrum in terms of the age of the stars who will be part of it. The World Cup starting this June 11 will be the longest to date (48 teams), and also one of the most fiercely contested. Will the albiceleste" repeat the ecstasy of 2022? Will France be as superior as its starting lineup suggests? Will Brazil once again be a feared opponent by everyone? What will be the surprise team? All these predictions will depend on the role of the ten essential footballers in a tournament that will shake the planet for five exciting weeks.

The World Cup, the most important and anticipated sporting event of the year, is now entering its final phase. From now on, there is no room for error for the 48 teams that, from Thursday, June 11, are competing with a single objective: to be in the final on Sunday, July 19 (9 p.m.) which will be played at the MetLife Stadium located in New Jersey (near New York).

Leo Messi has been awarded the Princess of Asturias Award for Sports 2026. The Argentine footballer, who currently plays for Inter Miami, will receive the award on October 23 at the Campoamor Theatre in Oviedo. The jury – chaired by swimmer Teresa Perales – has highlighted his "exceptional sporting career" and his solidarity in "promoting access to education and healthcare for the most disadvantaged children". The former Barça star has won 47 titles, including four Champions Leagues, ten Spanish leagues, and the World Cup achieved with Argentina in 2022.

Leo Messi has become one of the main figures around which Barça's election campaign has revolved. Xavi Hernández's revelation that Mateu Alemany The following day, he confirmed that he had pitted the two presidential candidates vying for his favor against each other. Joan Laporta proposed erecting a statue in his honor, while Víctor Font suggested naming him honorary president, even suggesting he might return to play for Barcelona. Meanwhile, Messi remains silent. And he does so precisely when his image applauding Donald Trump has gone viral.

Xavi Llorens (Barcelona, ​​1958) is the quintessential unsung hero of Barça. A pioneer of the women's team – which he managed between 2006 and 2017 – Llorens has also been involved in futsal and youth football, allowing him to boast of having been Leo Messi's first coach at the club. "I've always been told that a pétanque team will be formed and that I'll have to start it. What I like is being in the shadows, doing less visible work, and going almost unnoticed," he explains to ARA. The coach – who has played various roles in the game of pétanque – laid the foundations for a Barça team that won three Champions League titles. "We just had to work and convince the players that what we wanted to do was win a lot of things," he says.

Leo Messi has become a secondary figure in the Barcelona elections. Although just a few days ago Marc Ciria presented his project for his return to the club with a large banner above Diagonal AvenueVíctor Font has announced his plan to bring Messi "home." His proposal includes seeing the greatest player in history back in action, but goes further: he wants him to be honorary president of Barça. "As everyone knows, the only obstacle to Messi's return is Joan Laporta," he asserted. According to the Barça presidential candidate, he presented the proposal to Messi's family over a year ago and it has the player's approval: "We've spoken with everyone." As Font presented it, his plan consists of three pillars: institutionally, they consider it important to bring back an "icon" who "exports Barça to the world." For this reason, the leader of Nosotros proposes that the members' assembly approve a statutory reform that would allow Messi to be named honorary president of the club, a lifetime position previously held only by Johan Cruyff. In the sporting arena, Font has stated that he wants Messi to "say goodbye to Barcelona fans on the pitch." However, his role will have to be defined according to "the player's wishes, the sporting director's criteria, and the coach's plans." "We mustn't forget that Messi has been deceived twice: in 2021, when he arrived in Barcelona to renew his contract, and in 2023, when he wanted to return to the club of his life with Xavi Hernández. After raising his hopes, the board once again closed the door on him."

A few months ago, Leo Messi's seemingly impromptu photo shoot at the new Camp Nou It shook the institutional peace of Joan Laporta's Barça. Four and a half years after his last visit to the Blaugrana facilities, in November the Argentine decided to revisit them, without informing anyone at the club. Accompanied by his teammate Rodrigo de Paul and his ever-present advisor Pepe Costa, he stood at one of the guard booths surrounding the grounds and asked the security personnel for permission to access the pitch. Wish granted. It was Messi knocking on the door. The image stirred consciences: it directly appealed to Barça nostalgia and, indirectly, highlighted the breakdown in relations between the Argentine star and President Laporta, who made Messi's continuity a broken promise in 2021. Two years later, even Hernández failed to make it possible.

It was early 2009 when a seventeen-year-old striker appeared in the old Montilivi press room, demolished years before, accompanied by a translator. His name was Hiroshi Ibusuki, and he was a promising young player for Girona who went viral without the need for social media, which was still in its infancy. The club's official website received a flood of Japanese visitors who crashed the internet asking what on earth this club was, a club then experiencing its first season in the Second Division after fifty years.

Leo Messi never tires of making history. At 38 years old and with over forty titles to his name, the Argentine has achieved a new milestone in his career: winning Inter Miami's first-ever MLS Cup. It was a particularly special match because it marked the final game for Jordi Alba and Sergio Busquets in professional football. After sharing many years in the Barcelona dressing room – one of the greatest teams in football history – the three embarked on one last dance in the United States. They were joined by Luis Suárez and led by Javier Mascherano. Today, two of them brought an era to a close. The connection between Messi and Alba, or the control of the game that Sergio Busquets provided as the team's guiding light, is over. However, they did so in the only way they know how: by lifting a trophy after defeating the Vancouver Whitecaps 3-1, with two assists from the Rosario native.

The Lionel Andrés Messi's seemingly impromptu photo shoot Messi's visit to the new Camp Nou has shaken the institutional peace of Joan Laporta's Barça. Four and a half years after his last visit to the Blaugrana facilities, the Argentine decided to revisit them, now that they are undergoing extensive renovations, without informing anyone at the club. Accompanied by his teammate Rodrigo de Paul and his ever-present advisor Pepe Costa, he arrived at one of the guard booths surrounding the stadium and asked for permission to access the pitch. According to sources close to him, the uniformed personnel granted the request immediately, which contradicts the version released from the Barça offices, where it is claimed that the club, minutes after being informed of the attempt, allowed Messi to even set foot on the pitch, that at that hour he was inside the stadium.

Joan Laporta breaks his silence after Leo Messi's whirlwind visit to Barcelona and the new Camp Nou. The Barça president admitted he knew nothing about the legend's visit, but said that "Camp Nou is his home." "It was a spontaneous act, a true Barça gesture. I think it was a charming outburst," he said. However, in an interview with The morning of Catalunya RàdioHe confessed to not having sent him any messages after the visit and said that his relationship with him is "correct": "He plays for Inter Miami, but he will always be loved by all Barcelona fans." Regarding a possible tribute to the Argentine to inaugurate the stadium, once Camp Nou is at its full capacity of 105,000 spectators, Laporta has shown himself open to it, although he assured that for the moment they are working to finish the construction. In any case, the president admits that the striker's departure from Barça "was not as I would have liked" but insists that he "does not regret it," since "nothing and no one is above Barça." On the other hand, regarding a possible return of the footballer to play for Barça, even if only for six months – and thus put an end to his professional career – Laporta says that "making these speculations is not realistic." Laporta gives clues as to when the Barça elections will be held

Laporta's term ends this season, and he has decided to run for re-election. The question is when the elections will be held. The president hasn't answered the question, although he has hinted, as reported by ARA, that he is considering holding them as soon as possible. According to the club's statutes, they must take place between March 15th and June 15th. But he doesn't want them to coincide with a hypothetical Champions League semi-final – scheduled for May. Thus, although he hasn't explicitly stated it, it's understood that the elections could be before Sant Jordi's Day.

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The scene lasts only 22 seconds, but it will remain in the protagonists' memories for the rest of their lives. Nil and Gisela, two lifelong Barcelona fans, were celebrating the start of their relationship on Sunday night on Juan XXIII Avenue in Barcelona when they suddenly froze at what was happening behind them. Gisela noticed first, and Nil quickly turned his head to confirm that what seemed impossible was very real: Leo Messi walked past Rodrigo de Paul, his teammate at Inter Miami and in the Argentine national team, and with Pepe Costa, Messi's friend, advisor and companion since his time at Barça.

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Leo Messi's clandestine return to Camp Nou made me think of those novels that tell you the ending in the first paragraph, like The tunnel by fellow Argentinian Ernesto Sábato. It only takes 14 words to inform us that a murder has taken place, who the murderer is, and who the victim is. However, this tells us almost nothing, and a whole novel remains to be told. Nor does the image of Messi posing distractedly on the Camp Nou pitch explain much to us.With a touristy air. It's simply a matter of revealing the end of the story in the first paragraph to grab the reader's attention. The images were an emotional explosion, but at first, they didn't resolve any of the core questions.

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Leo Messi caught everyone off guard, including the club, when he posted on his Instagram account Monday morning about his nighttime visit to Camp Nou with a message proclaiming his love for Barça, but which also carried a deeper meaning. No matter how much the club now tries to portray Messi's stroll through the stadium under construction as normal, it doesn't hold water, because the first sign that it was anything but normal is that the club was unaware of the player's intentions. And this isn't just any player; he's the best in history, who left in tears after being sacked by Laporta, and who continues to make it clear that the wound is still fresh.

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