Lionel Messi

Cristiano Ronaldo Ignores Lionel Messi And Praises Kaka, Rooney And Drogba

Isaac Asante — Mon, 08 Mar 2010 16:25:06 +0000

Cristiano Ronaldo recently named Ricardo Kaka, Wayne Rooney, and Didier Drogba as the world’s best football players, leaving out Lionel Messi in his list.

The Real Madrid player clearly made his choice while talking to Corriere dello Sport by saying:

“Kaka, Rooney and Drogba are the best players in the world.”

Quite a strange opinion there, don’t you think? Despite the fact that Wayne Rooney and Didier Drogba have been making the headlines in the English Premier League and the Champions League by scoring remarkable goals, Lionel Messi is still undoubtedly one of the world’s most impressive players, if not the best player.

Speaking of Cristiano Ronaldo’s team mate Ricardo Kaka, one might wonder how the Brazilian player entered in Ronaldo’s list of best football players in the world, seeing that the former FIFA Player of the Year Kaka is yet to live up to expectations in La Liga for Real Madrid.

With all this in mind, it is hard to accept that Cristiano Ronaldo picked up his players with a sincere thought. Rather, it looks like the Barcelona forward Lionel Messi was intentionally excluded from the Top 3. However, in reality, how could this be?

Lionel Messi has so far scored over 100 goals for Barcelona (a record Cristiano Ronaldo wasn’t able to make at the age of 22 for Manchester United), and he currently leads the standings in Spain for the number of goals scored and assist made.

Lionel Messi is also the FIFA World Player of the Year, the UEFA Club Forward of the Year, the European Player of the Year, the 2009 Ballon d’Or winner, the Onze d’Or winner, as well as the Castrol Ranking Leader for the month of February 2010; and these are just some of the high prizes obtained by the 22-year Argentine forward.

Statistically, Lionel Messi is also the world’s best creator of opportunities ahead of Ronaldo, and he is also one of the best team players due to his habit of making unstoppable one-twos.

Other facts show that Lionel Messi is the top football player in media value, and in addition, he presently owns the title of the world’s best dribbler. Concerning his behavior, Lionel Messi is certainly not an angel, but he is surely more composed and disciplined than his rival Cristiano Ronaldo on the pitch.

This fact was made quite apparent to the public when Ronaldo failed to comport himself in front of Messi during the UEFA Champions League final in Rome back in May 2009, when Ronnie received a yellow card for making several harsh and unprofessional fouls on Barcelona’s Carles Puyol.

Further figures also confirm that Messi is one of the fastest growing player ever – taking into account his numerous individual achievements in only a few years.

Well, I guess that going deep into details would make this article look like a biography; so probably, the best thing to do would be to end it here. Nevertheless, I presume that by now, knowing this, it is understandable that Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo are very close to each other in terms of greatness.

Yet, Ronaldo somehow ignored Messi’s hard work and reputation by omitting him while mentioning his top 3 football players in the world. Now, honestly, bearing in mind all the rivalry between both footballers, which has been bursting into flames through the repetitive comparisons from the media, isn’t this list strange?

Well, frankly, this bizarre attitude from Ronaldo can definitely raise strong debates, and alarm Messi fans who will be wondering whether CR9 spoke with truthfulness, or dishonesty.

What makes Cristiano Ronaldo’s affirmation even more questionable is the fact that this statement came right after Messi confessed that “CR was looking great, and Real Madrid were dangerous”. So was this Ronaldo’s answer to Messi’s admission?

This reminds me of a certain time when Lionel Messi was pounced by fans of the Portuguese winger, because of the Argentine’s incomprehensible choice of excluding Ronaldo from his list of best footballers.

Anyway, subsequent to this news, a football expert explained that Cristiano Ronaldo intentionally excluded himself and Lionel Messi from the list, since both players were too highly estimated.

Indeed, it is true that Cristiano Ronaldo often includes his name when it comes to selecting the world’s best football players (according to his opinion), and if he placed himself aside this time around, then there was certainly a reason to that decision.

Perhaps, this makes sense, but where would be the use of removing Lionel Messi’s name from the Top 3? No one knows…

For sure, Ronaldo fans will always find ways of defending their beloved superstar through complicated explanations, but whatever the case may be, their defensive justifications will always be based on assumptions – at least – until the time when the mouth of Cristiano Ronaldo himself reveals the hidden truth in this outlandish assertion.

Isaac Asante, Footballfantalk.com

Lionel Messi Pictures: Almeria 2-2 Barcelona

Isaac Asante — Mon, 08 Mar 2010 13:07:45 +0000

Lionel Messi scored two goals for Barcelona at the weekend to help them get a 2-2 draw against Almeria in La Liga. Below are pictures of Lionel Messi against Almeria:

[View with PicLens]

Watch pictures of Almeria 2-2 Barcelona and much more Lionel Messi pictures in Barcelona, Argentina, in La Liga, and in the UEFA Champions League by clicking on the page below:
http://lionelmessifan.com/messiphotos/lionel-messi-fc-barcelona-2009-2010

Isaac Asante, Footballfantalk.com

Almeria 2-2 Barcelona: Lionel Messi and Barcelona Video Highlights

Isaac Asante — Mon, 08 Mar 2010 11:42:17 +0000

Barcelona drew 2-2 with Almeria on Saturday evening in La Liga, at the Estadio Mediterraneo. Watch the diverse video highlights of this football game by clicking on the links below:

- Almeria 2-2 Barcelona Full Video Highlights
- Almeria 2-2 Barcelona: Lionel Messi Free Kick
- Almeria 2-2 Barcelona: Lionel Messi Second Goal

Other football video highlights including Almeria 2-2 Barcelona can be watch in Football Video Gallery.

Isaac Asante, Footballfantalk.com

Almeria 2-2 Barcelona: Lionel Messi Scores Twice To Rescue Barca

Isaac Asante — Mon, 08 Mar 2010 11:13:35 +0000

The Argentine playmaker and Barcelona forward Lionel Messi was in top form at the weekend, although his club could only secure a 2-2 draw away to Almeria in La Liga.

Almeria’s Domingo Cisma first headed home the ball from a corner-kick in the 12th minute after Carlos Puyol had failed to properly clear an attack from the home side.

Barcelona controlled the game, trying to create productive chances on every occasion; but they were deprived of mental power before the break when their coach Pep Guardiola saw red following some protests against the official.

FIFA Player of the Year Lionel Messi then pushed Barcelona back into the game on 42 minutes through a superb free-kick, but his goal was however controversial, as the referee’s decision to let Barcelona score from a set-piece was debatable in the first place.

An own goal from Carlos Puyol on 57 minutes put Almeria back in front, and a few minutes later, things got even worse for Barcelona as their striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic was also sent off for needlessly kicking an Almeria player inside the penalty area.

Lionel Messi grabbed his second goal of the night on 66 minutes to refresh the game for a 10-men Barca side, subsequent to a bullet left-footed shot from close range.

Several trademark runs from Messi through the end of the game seemed deadly enough to give Barcelona the winner, but his finishes kept being parried away by the Almeria keeper.

After 90 minutes of proceedings, the Almeria vs Barcelona game ended 2-2, and with Real Madrid earning a vital 3-2 victory over Sevilla at home also on Saturday night, Barcelona now find theirselves in second position in the La Liga standings.

Isaac Asante, Footballfantalk.com

Lionel Messi: Cristiano Ronaldo Is Great, Real Madrid Are Dangerous

Isaac Asante — Thu, 25 Feb 2010 10:57:22 +0000

Barcelona favorite Lionel Messi made his point to the media two days ago by confessing that Real Madrid’s pursuit in La Liga and Cristiano Ronaldo’s form was really threatening the Spanish League leaders Barca.

Lionel Messi was pretty straight forward while speaking his word, and he didn’t hesitate to praise the Madrid side, as well as Cristiano Ronaldo – despite implicitly putting emphasis on their reduced 2-point gap at the top of La Liga.

A short interview on Sky Sports quoted Messi saying:

“From what I’ve seen, Real Madrid are very strong and Cristiano Ronaldo is looking great, in good shape, as he proved with a glorious free-kick (against Villarreal at the weekend).

“I am sure that they will be fighting for trophies at the end of the season.”

In reference to Barcelona’s 4-0 victory against Racing Santander last Saturday evening, Lionel Messi admitted that the Catalans were not at their full best.

“Of course, we weren’t playing as we normally had to play, but the important thing is that we won because that was the target,” Messi explained.

“There are always days when things do not go so well, like against Racing (Santander) and Atletico (Madrid). We cannot fall into deep disappointment simply because of one or two games went badly though.”

Stuttgart 1-1 Barcelona: Lionel Messi Admits Barca Were Poor

Isaac Asante — Wed, 24 Feb 2010 14:47:16 +0000

The Barcelona winger Lionel Messi believes his team did not play well against Stuttgart in the UEFA Champions League away to the Mercedes-Benz Arena.

Barcelona drew 1-1 with Stuttgart yesterday evening with Zlatan Ibrahimovic getting the equalizer for the Catalans, but Messi thinks that Barcelona need to take their time and find back the devastating form they once had and maintained.

“It’s been some time now that we have not been playing well, we have not been playing the same football as before,” admitted Lionel Messi.

“The passes that were keeping us connected before, are now missing their quality.

“At halftime (against Stuttgart), we knew we had to change our play to get a draw – and we did.”

View Lionel Messi pictures from the Champions League game Stuttgart 1-1 Barcelona:

[View with PicLens]

Isaac Asante, Footballfantalk.com

Stuttgart 1-1 Barcelona: Lionel Messi Misses Help From Barca Mates

Isaac Asante — Wed, 24 Feb 2010 11:56:38 +0000

FC Barcelona’s unsatisfying run kept going on yesterday evening at the Mercedes-Benz Arena when they drew 1-1 with Stuttgart.

Brazilian-born striker scored the opener for Stuttgart on 25 minutes, but a second-half equalizer from Zlatan Ibrahimovic rescued the visitors.

Carlos Puyol, Maxwell, Gerard Pique, Sergio Busquet, Rafael Marquez, Andres Iniesta, Xavi Hernandez, Lionel Messi, and Zlatan Ibrahimovic all started the game for Barcelona – while Thierry Henry, Pedro Rodriguez, and Bojan were left on the bench.

On the side of Stuttgart, former Barca player Aliaksandr Hleb, Cacau, and Pavel Pogrebnyak served as the deadly men in front for the Germans.

Messi had said before the game that netting a goal was among his targets, explaining that dominating Stuttgart away from home was extremely important and beneficial.

Early in the game, Lionel Messi ran on the attack for Barcelona, but he was slightly tripped by a Stuttgart defender, which somehow caused him to go down inside the box. Although there were no appeals for a foul, there was few contact between both players, but looking at the replay, it is clear that it was not a penalty.

Ibrahimovic and Lionel Messi were both closed-up by the Stuttgart defense, but still, Messi managed to cut his way through and make his passes. Messi struck twice after some wonderful individual efforts, but his shots came off the defenders and eventually left the keeper without stress.

However, Barcelona should have been awarded a penalty within the first period when what could be an intelligent challenge on Zlatan Ibrahimovic from the Stuttgart defense turned out to force a handball inside the 18-yard box.

This time, there were appeals, but the referee was unconvinced and ordered for the play to continue.

After several attempts, Stuttgart finally got the lead through a good organization. Good work from Hleb gave Gebhart the chance to cross – sending the ball deep into the danger zone – only for Cacau to make a bullet header and get his fifth goal in four days for Stuttgart.

From Google Images

1-0 Barcelona were losing on 25 minutes…

Lionel Messi kept making efforts to create opportunities setting off from the midfield, but ineffectiveness from Xavi Hernandez and Andres Iniesta on the night spoiled everything. Stuttgart were then denied a clear penalty after the ball hit Gerard Pique’s hand, but once again, the referee overruled the appeals.

In search of an equalizer, Lionel Messi made a superb run a few moments later, but expectedly, his 25-yard shot was badly parried away by former Arsenal keeper Jens Lehmann, before the ball slowly rolled off the post.

With both sides unable to modify the result displayed on the score board in the first 45 minutes, the score line remained 1-0 to Stuttgart at half time.

The second half began on a better note for Barcelona, who found an early equalizer through Zlatan Ibrahimovic in the 52nd minute. There were more gifts for Barcelona as the game went on, but Xavi, Iniesta, and Ibra just couldn’t put their side in front.

Messi kept putting the pressure on Stuttgart with his trademark runs and smooth passes, but not even the introduction of Thierry Henry in the second half was helpful enough to change Barcelona’s game.

In the end, 1-1 the game ended, and one must say that it was a horrific performance from the Champions League title holders overall.

Nevertheless, Barcelona return home at least with an away goal, but there is more work to do at the Camp Nou in the second-leg Champions League encounter against Stuttgart later in March.

Watch the video highlights of the Champions League match “Stuttgart 1-1 Barcelona” and enjoy more football video highlights.

Isaac Asante, Footballfantalk.com

Stuttgart vs Barcelona: Lionel Messi To Score Against Stuttgart In Champions League

Isaac Asante — Tue, 23 Feb 2010 14:15:47 +0000

German club VfB Stuttgart and Spanish giants FC Barcelona will face each other tonight in the UEFA Champions League. Barcelona currently hold the Champions League title, and their winger Lionel Messi seems poised to give his club success.

Messi recently declared how much he wanted Barcelona to take hold of the Champions League trophy again for the second time in a row, but the young Argentine knows that this will not be possible if Barca do not beat Stuttgart in the Round of 16.

“At this point nothing is easy, so we (Barcelona) have to work more than ever to get a good result (against Stuttgart);” warned Lionel Messi.

“I scored against Stuttgart two years ago (in the Champions League) and I believe my game hasn’t changed since then. I will continue, like I’ve always done, to score and help my team become victorious.”

FC Barcelona won their last league match 4-0 at home as a preparation to their first-leg Champions League encounter away to the Mercedes-Benz Arena against Stuttgart.

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Isaac Asante, Footballfantalk.com

Lionel Messi To Join Argentina Again After 2010 World Cup

Isaac Asante — Tue, 23 Feb 2010 12:55:36 +0000

Lionel Messi is expected to have his name included in the Argentina squad which will be playing at the 2010 World Cup in South Africa, but even after this top tournament, Messi is anticipated to join Los Albicelestes again for additional international matches.

The Argentina Football Association expressed on February 22 that it planned to send its national football team to the United States of America for an exhibition this year after the World Cup.

The Argentine FA also signed an agreement with Cardenas Marketing Network which allowed the AFA’s sponsorship rights, broadcast, and marketing rights in the United States, while CMN had the rights to organize matches in Germany, Spain, and Italy.

Lionel Messi is set to play for Argentina in international football matches four times this year after the 2010 World Cup, as the Argentinians look to build a permanent and perfectly-shaped national football team.

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Isaac Asante, Footballfantalk.com

Lionel Messi: Let Us Win The Champions League Again, Barcelona!

Isaac Asante — Tue, 23 Feb 2010 11:34:50 +0000

The Barcelona star Lionel Messi played an instrumental role for Barcelona last year when Barca – in some ways – finished their season as champions of La Liga, the Copa del Rey, and the UEFA Champions League, the Spanish Super Cup, the UEFA Super Cup, and the FIFA Club World Cup.

Lionel Messi feels Barcelona can win even more trophies this season, but his aim is especially centralized on the Champions League title. No football club has ever won the Champions League twice in a row, but Messi hopes Barcelona can make history.

“We (Barcelona) have made history,” Lionel Messi noted.

“But we do not want to stop with what we have already done (in the past and recently).

“We have a great club, and we have to take advantage of it. This is a feeling that all of us here have. This is a very special time for the Barcelona squad and the coaching staff as well.

“If we keep working hard then, little by little, we will accomplish more and more and reach our goals. That is all the motivation we need at the moment.

“It would be nice if we were to become the first football team to win the Champions League twice in a row, so we will see if we can achieve it.”

Lionel Messi joins the Barcelona squad that plays Stuttgart tonight in the Round of 16 of the UEFA Champions League.

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Isaac Asante, Footballfantalk.com