Argentina manager Lionel Scaloni has vowed not to take any risks with Lionel Messi during the October international friendlies against Venezuela and Puerto Rico. Messi is doubtful for the Venezuela clash, which will be played on Saturday, only a day before Inter Miami face Atlanta United in a crucial MLS fixture. He will link up with his Argentine team-mates after playing seven matches in 21 days.

Mason Greenwood snubbed Cristiano Ronaldo for another former Manchester United team-mate when naming the best player he's worked with and chose Lionel Messi in the GOAT debate. While Greenwood briefly played alongside Ronaldo during the Portuguese striker's ill-fated second stint at Old Trafford, tensions reportedly ran high between the two as they struggled to build a successful playing relationship.

Lionel Messi has admitted it will be “strange” not playing alongside Jordi Alba in an emotional tribute to his Inter Miami team-mate following the defender’s decision to retire from professional football. The Argentina star took to social media to hail his close friend and former Barcelona colleague after he announced he will hang up his boots at the end of the 2025 Major League Soccer season.

Sergio Busquets, Riqui Puig, and FC Barcelona led the tributes to Jordi Alba after the Inter Miami full-back announced he will retire at the end of the MLS season. The 35-year-old’s decision marks another emotional moment for the club’s famed Barcelona core, with Alba set to join longtime teammate Busquets in closing out a remarkable chapter that bridged La Liga and MLS.

Barcelona legend Xavi has explained how “chosen one” Lamine Yamal compares to Lionel Messi and Neymar, with the teenage wonderkid becoming a global superstar in his own right. That standing has been achieved at just 18 years of age, with Yamal - who has been compared to Argentine GOAT Messi on a regular basis - rewriting the history books as a La Liga and European Championship title winner.