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Showing posts from March, 2018

World Cup or not, Lionel Messi is already the greatest

With the World cup  looming, the usual questions have once again resurfaced in regards to Lionel Messi’s standing in the pantheon of football’s all-time greats. There’s no denying that there’s a stone left unturned in the Barcelona  legend’s storied career. For many pundits a World Cup victory is all that stands in the way of immortality for the five-time Ballon d’Or winner, but despite having never lifted the most prestigious of titles in the world of international football the Argentine has shown through his dominance at Barcelona that he still deserves to go down as the best there’s ever been. Messi’s plethora of titles and personal accolades is one that stands tall above the rest but look beyond these tangibles from such an accomplished career and you see a player whose skillset is almost celestial. There are few that have produced the kind of quality on the pitch that the diminutive Argentine has. It’s easy to point to his goalscoring feats but Messi’s brilliance is...

Barca boss Valverde: “In the end you rely on Messi's genius"

Barcelona coach Ernesto Valverde spoke to the media after Lionel Messi's first-half free-kick secured victory for his side over Atlético Madrid, opening an eight-point gap at the top of LaLiga. Read what Atlético Madrid coach Diego Simeone had to say after the match. "In the end you depend on Messi's genius" Barça had to suffer for that victory. That's because of how important the points are. I think they barely had any chances. The disallowed goal, perhaps. But you always have the feeling that they can score against you at any moment, such is the level they're at as a team. Your team responded again in a big match I've no doubts about that. The team came together. We conscious that we have to be together in order to apply pressure and hang on when they dominate. I knew that the team was going to respond. But of course, in the end you depend on Messi's genius. We handled the game well.  Messi's free-kick I was thinking ab...

Messi free kick gives Barcelona win over Atletico, extends lead

Lionel Messi scored from a free kick for his third straight game as Barcelona beat second-place Atletico Madrid 1-0 Sunday to increase its lead at the top of the Spanish league to eight points. Messi dipped a shot over the wall in the 26th minute to take his league-leading tally to 24 this season and 32 in all competitions. It was Messi's sixth goal from a free kick this season, and his third straight with successful free kicks against Girona and Las Palmas. Barcelona remained undefeated after 27 rounds and dealt Atletico just its second defeat in the league this season. Atletico coach Diego Simeone said the league was Barcelona's to win. "The numbers are what they are. Barcelona wouldn't normally lose four or five games in what they have left," Simeone said. "But this is football, and we have to go out there to win the next match and think about how we can continue to improve." Ernesto Valverde's side now has a comfortable lead with 11 ...