ZURICH, Dec 16: The FIFA best men’s player award for 2023 will be another contest between Lionel Messi, Kylian Mbappé and Erling Haaland.

December 6: Argentina captain Lionel Messi has been named Time magazine's Athlete of the Year for 2023 after winning the Ballon d'Or for a record-extending eighth time and elevating the profile of the sport in the U.S. with his move to Inter Miami.

WASHINGTON, Aug 21: Lionel Messi extended his prolific scoring run as Inter Miami beat Nashville 10-9 on penalties to win the Leagues Cup final on Saturday.

Lionel Messi has finalized his deal to join Major League Soccer, and after years of planning and pursuing, Inter Miami has landed a global icon.

May 3: Paris St Germain forward Lionel Messi will not have his contract renewed at the club following an unauthorized trip to Saudi Arabia, French sports daily L'Equipe reported on Tuesday.

Lionel Messi set yet another record on Tuesday after his Instagram post celebrating Argentina's World Cup win became the most-liked on the platform, breaking a nearly four-year-old record held by a photo of an egg, as reported by Reuters.

LUSAIL, Qatar, Dec 19: Argentina won their third World Cup in an extraordinary final on Sunday as they beat France 4-2 on penalties after Lionel Messi scored twice in a 3-3 draw and Kylian Mbappe grabbed a hat-trick to bring the holders back from 2-0 and 3-2 down.

Argentina's captain and top scorer Lionel Messi began his fifth World Cup in style on Tuesday with a 10th minute penalty against Saudi Arabia as he embarked on his final quest for the only major trophy that has eluded him, Reuters reported.

November 19: Superstar Argentinian forward Lionel Messi and six other players have been noticeably absent from Argentina’s field training camp at Qatar University on Friday, Al Jazeera reported.

August 11: Lionel Messi finally signed his eagerly anticipated Paris Saint-Germain contract on Tuesday night to complete the move that confirms the end of a career-long association with Barcelona and sends PSG into a new era.

RIO DE JANEIRO, July 11:  Argentina coach Lionel Scaloni paid tribute to Lionel Messi on Saturday, praising his team captain and revealing he played in the Copa America win over Brazil with an injury.

They may not be meeting the real Lionel Messi, but Islam Battah’s resemblance to the Barcelona footballer is so uncanny, that the children at an orphanage in the Egyptian city of Zagazig swarm around him in delight anyway

MADRID, Aug 30: Lionel Messi will not take a planned pre-season coronavirus test on Sunday or return to training on Monday after his shock announcement earlier this week that he wants to leave Barcelona, Spanish media reported on Saturday.

BUENOS AIRES, Aug 27:  The news that Lionel Messi wants to leave Barcelona may have shocked the football world but his fellow Argentines back his decision and they are excited by growing reports of a reunion with coach Pep Guardiola at Manchester City.

BARCELONA , July 16:  Barring a miracle, Barcelona’s recent grip on the La Liga title is coming to an end and there is a deep sense of frustration within the club and among fans at how this season has gone, with an overriding sense that they have thrown it away.

BARCELONA, July 3:  Barcelona captain Lionel Messi has called off negotiations over renewing his contract with the club and is ready to leave the Catalans when his current deal expires in 2021, according to a report by Spanish radio station Cadena Ser on Friday.

March 25: Barcelona forward Lionel Messi and Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola have each donated one million euros ($1.08 million) towards the fight against coronavirus.

SEVILLE, Feb 10: Lionel Messi produced a hat-trick of assists as Barcelona pulled off a gutsy 3-2 win at Real Betis after trailing twice in an enthralling match in La Liga on Sunday, finally giving the Catalans something to celebrate after a week of upheaval.

PARIS, Dec 3: Lionel Messi claimed a record sixth Ballon d’Or award on Monday, beating Liverpool’s leading nominees and Cristiano Ronaldo to lift soccer’s most prestigious individual trophy.

RIYADH, Nov 16: Lionel Messi returned from international suspension to score the winner in Argentina’s 1-0 victory over Brazil in Saudi Arabia on Friday.

BARCELONA, Oct 7:  Lionel Messi scored his first goal of the season as Barcelona beat Sevilla 4-0 on Sunday to climb into second place in the La Liga standings behind Real Madrid but ended the game with nine men as Ousmane Dembele and debutant Ronald Araujo were sent off.

BARCELONA, Oct 3: Lionel Messi showed Barcelona what they have been missing with his repeated injuries this season by producing a stunning and decisive assist in Wednesday’s 2-1 victory over Inter Milan which kick-started their Champions League campaign.

PORTUGAL, Sept 18: Juventus forward Cristiano Ronaldo said he deserves to end his soccer career with more Ballon d’Or awards than Barcelona counterpart Lionel Messi and hopes to establish himself as the greatest player of all time.

BARCELONA, Sept 14: Lionel Messi will miss Barcelona’s La Liga showdown with Valencia on Saturday and is also a doubt for Tuesday’s Champions League trip to Dortmund as he has yet to recover from the calf injury he picked up in August, coach Ernesto Valverde said.

NYON, August 15: Lionel Messi, Cristiano Ronaldo and Virgil Van Dijk have been shortlisted for the UEFA Player of the Year award, the sport’s European governing body said on Thursday.

ASUNCION, July 24: Argentina captain Lionel Messi has been banned for one game and fined $1,500 after being sent off against Chile in the Copa America third-place playoff and levelling accusations of “corruption” at South American soccer chiefs.

SAO PAOLO, July 7: Lionel Messi was sent off before halftime and then angrily hit out at “corrupt” tournament organisers after Argentina beat Chile 2-1 to win a bad-tempered third-place playoff at the Copa America on Saturday.

BELO HORIZONTE, July 3: Lionel Messi finally showed signs of life at the Copa America on Tuesday as Argentina battled Brazil for a place in the final but once again he failed to inspire the side when it mattered most and his long wait for an international trophy goes on.

BELO HORIZONTE, July 3: Argentina’s Lionel Messi and Sergio Aguero lashed out at the officiating after their 2-0 Copa America semi-final defeat to Brazil on Tuesday and questioned why video technology was not consulted in two penalty appeals that were waved away.

BELO HORIZONTE, June 30: Lionel Messi has not been at his best at the Copa America but Brazil defender Thiago Silva says his side will not take their eyes off the Argentina captain for a minute in their semi-final on Tuesday.

PORTO ALEGRE, June 24: An early goal from Lautaro Martinez and a late second from Sergio Aguero gave Argentina a 2-0 win over Qatar on Sunday, a deserved victory that takes them into the Copa America quarter-finals to face Venezuela.

BELO HORIZONTE, June 20: Lionel Messi scored from the penalty spot to salvage a 1-1 draw for Argentina against Paraguay in the Copa America on Wednesday as his side rode their luck to cling on to hope of reaching the quarter-finals.

Barcelona and Argentina striker Lionel Messi dethroned five-division boxing world champion Floyd Mayweather as the highest paid athlete over the past year, according to the annual list published by business magazine Forbes on Tuesday.

June 11: Lionel Messi has long craved a suitable strike partner so that he can win a major trophy with Argentina and the return of his friend Sergio Aguero has given the nation renewed hope of winning the Copa America.

LIVERPOOL, May 8: Juergen Klopp’s Liverpool wrote one of the most amazing chapters in the history of the club’s European triumphs with a 4-0 victory over Lionel Messi’s Barcelona in the Champions League semi-finals on Tuesday that stunned the world of football.

Your daily dose of missed important news of the day.

BARCELONA, May 2: Liverpool manager Juergen Klopp said his team could not have played much better despite their 3-0 loss to a Lionel Messi inspired Barcelona in the Champions League semi-final first leg at the Nou Camp on Wednesday.

BARCELONA, May 2:  After Lionel Messi mapped out Barcelona’s path to the Champions League final with a vintage display in a 3-0 win over Liverpool in Wednesday’s semi-final first leg, few could say he is not delivering on his promise to return his side to European glory.

BARCELONA, May 2: Lionel Messi put Barcelona on the verge of the Champions League final with a devastating double in a 3-0 home win over Liverpool in the first leg of their last-four clash on Wednesday, taking his goal tally for the Catalans to 600.

BARCELONA, April 28: Lionel Messi fittingly sealed Barcelona’s 26th La Liga title on Saturday by coming off the bench to score the goal in a 1-0 win over Levante in front of a jubilant Nou Camp crowd, who celebrated a remarkable eighth league crown in 11 years.

BARCELONA, April 21: Barcelona closed in on the La Liga title on Saturday after earning a hard-fought 2-1 win over Real Sociedad at the Nou Camp, with goals from defenders Clement Lenglet and Jordi Alba restoring their nine-point lead at the top of the table.

BARCELONA, April 17: Lionel Messi produced another masterful Champions League performance to knock out Manchester United and fire Barcelona into the semi-finals for the first time in four years, scoring twice in a 3-0 home win on Tuesday.

BARCELONA, April 7: Barcelona closed in on the La Liga title after beating 10-man Atletico Madrid 2-0 in Saturday’s top-of-the-table showdown at the Nou Camp as late strikes by Luis Suarez and Lionel Messi gave the Catalans an 11-point lead at the top of the table.

VILA-REAL, April 3: Barcelona’s Lionel Messi came off the bench in his side’s hour of need to inspire the Liga leaders to battle back from 4-2 down in stoppage time to snatch a remarkable 4-4 draw at struggling Villarreal on Tuesday.

Your daily doze of missed important news of the day.

SEVILLE, March 18: Lionel Messi was lauded by opposition supporters on Sunday after he scored an outstanding hat-trick in Barcelona’s 4-1 win at Real Betis, which put the Catalans 10 points clear at the top of La Liga with 10 games remaining.

NYON, March 16: Barcelona will meet Manchester United in the Champions League last eight in a repeat of the 2009 and 2011 finals which were both won by the Catalans, with the help of goals from Lionel Messi.

BARCELONA, March 14: Lionel Messi lead the way with two goals and two assists as Barcelona reached the quarter-finals of the Champions League in style by thrashing Olympique Lyonnais 5-1 at home on Wednesday and advancing by the same scoreline on aggregate.

SEVILLE, Feb 24: Lionel Messi said Barcelona were back to their best following a mid-season slump after he scored a remarkable 50th career hat-trick in a rousing 4-2 win at Sevilla in La Liga on Saturday.

Barcelona are waiting on a late fitness test to see if Lionel Messi will be fit to feature in Wednesday's Copa del Rey clash with Real Madrid.