Bayern Munich boss Vincent Kompany has claimed his 'toughest opponent' during his playing days was not Lionel Messi or Cristiano Ronaldo, despite recognising the iconic duo as the 'best players' he came up against. Kompany made 621 senior appearances as a player between 2003 and 2020, most notably captaining Manchester City and the Belgium national team.

GOAL spoke to GMs and chief soccer officers across MLS about the league’s 3.0 vision: the calendar change is progress, but executives say the next steps must come faster.

Barcelona presidential candidate Marc Ciria has unfurled a huge banner featuring club legend Lionel Messi in the city centre as he continues his campaign to replace Joan Laporta at the helm of the Catalan giants. Ciria has also added the slogan used by Laporta in a poster near the Santiago Bernabeu in his previous election campaign: "Looking forward to seeing you again."

Lionel Messi is well versed in the art of goal celebration, but the Argentine GOAT struggled to crack a smile after watching son Mateo find the back of the net for Inter Miami’s youth team. The youngster is hoping to follow in the footsteps of his famous father by becoming a professional footballer, with the eight-time Ballon d’Or winner on hand to offer words of advice.

Antonela Roccuzzo took to Instagram to show off the giant Valentine's Day gift she received from husband Lionel Messi. The Argentina international showed off his personal side as the forward continues to recover from injury. And rather than make a big song and dance of the day, Messi treated Roccuzzo to dinner and gifts as a display of affection.