Lionel Messi struck twice in Barcelona s thumping defeat of Chelsea in the Champions League to bring up his 100th goal in the competition.
Messi opened the scoring by nutmegging Blues goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois in the third minute at Camp Nou, later driving another finish through the Belgium international s legs to wrap up a 3-0 win.
The Argentina superstar also set up Ousmane Dembele s first Champions League goal as Ernesto Valverde s men completely outplayed their Premier League visitors.
But despite many believing Messi to be the finest footballer to have ever played the game, he is actually the second man to reach 100 Champions League goals.
Cristiano Ronaldo of Real Madrid, Messi s old rival and fellow five-time Ballon d Or winner, is inevitably tha…
Lionel Messi reached the milestone of 500 career goals for Barcelona and Argentina against Valencia in La Liga on Sunday.
The 28-year-old s strike at Camp Nou moved his tally for Barca to 450 goals, while he scored his 50th for his country with a penalty against Bolivia during last month s international break.
With another career landmark reached, we look at the best Opta stats from Messi s 500 career goals.
BETTER GOAL RATE THAN RONALDO
Messi s career is constantly compared to that of his Real Madrid rival Cristiano Ronaldo, with fans of both players debating who should be considered the world s best.
Ronaldo has already reached the 500-goal milestone, but Messi has played in 159 fewer matches, giving him a better goal-per-game ratio.
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Guingamp have confirmed Antoine Kombouare as their new head coach ahead of the 2016-17 Ligue 1 season.
The 2014 Coupe de France winners announced the appointment on their club website after president Bertrand Desplat came to an agreement with the 52-year-old on Monday morning.
Kombouare was previously in charge of Lens for three seasons, leading them to promotion to the top flight in his first campaign, before suffering relegation in his second.
Prior to that, the New Caledonian had been in charge of Paris Saint-Germain, where he played for five years, from 2009 until 2011.
He was replaced by Carlo Ancelotti despite leading PSG to the top of Ligue 1.
Kombouare steps in for Jocelyn Gourvennec as Guingamp boss, with the 44-year-old having ended …
Arsenal are interested in signing Dusan Vlahovic from Juventus, according to . The report has claimed that Arsenal were keen on securing the services of the striker in the summer of 2023, and that they remain interested in bringing him to the Emirates Stadium.
Juventus were open to letting the Serbia international striker leave in the summer of 2023, but they are now trying to tie him down to a new deal. Head coach Massimiliano Allegri is pleased with how the 23-year-old is doing at the moment, and former Serie A and UEFA Champions League winners Juventus want to keep him for the long term.
Vlahovic has made six starts and four substitute appearances in Serie A for Juventus this season. The striker has scored four goals and given one assist in those games. The 23-year…
Aleix Vidal returned to Barcelona training on Wednesday after more than three months out through injury, but is not likely to be involved in Saturday s Copa del Rey final.
The full-back suffered a dislocated ankle in a 6-0 win over Alaves – this weekend s opponents – in February and initial assessments put his recovery time at five months.
However, Barca tweeted to confirm he was back on the training pitch with his team-mates in the build-up to Luis Enrique s final match in charge, when he will hope to sign off with silverware.
There was a blast from the past on show, as Ronaldinho – a star for the club between 2003 and 2008 – paid a visit.
Barça is on the training field now, getting ready for Saturday s final! Oh, and guess who popped in…
Manchester United don t want Cristiano Ronaldo back at their training centre of Carrington after the World Cup, according to Fabrizio Romano, and they re prepared to instruct the Portugal captain not to return in the wake of his highly controversial interview with Piers Morgan on Monday.
Apparently, this is just the first step they re taking to ensure his indiscretion does not pass without severe consequences; there is more to come.
It’s true that Manchester United are prepared to instruct Cristiano Ronaldo not to return to Carrington after World Cup, this is the plan as things stand.
This is one of the first steps after the interview — more will follow in the next days.
— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano)
Speaking to Morgan, Ro…
Tottenham have reached an agreement to sign Fraser Forster on a free transfer.
The 34-year-old will join at the start of July on a two-year deal once his Southampton contract officially expires.
Forster has spent the past eight years at St Mary s, albeit with a season on loan at Celtic in 2019-20, and made 134 appearances for the club in the Premier League.
That includes 19 top-flight outings last season when conceding 35 goals and keeping three clean sheets.
Tottenham confirmed the six-cap England international s imminent arrival on their official website on Wednesday.
We re looking forward to next season too, Fraser
— Tottenham Hotspur (@SpursOfficial)
I m absolutely delighted, Forster said. This is a fantastic …
Brazil were unable to mark Neymar s 100th cap with a win as they were held to a 1-1 draw by Senegal in humid conditions in Singapore on Thursday.
Neymar has scored four goals in his past five matches for Paris Saint-Germain but was unable to continue that form with the Selecao, failing to convert any of the chances that came his way.
Brazil moved ahead early at the National Stadium through Roberto Firmino s cool finish, but Sadio Mane won a penalty that Famara Diedhiou dispatched before the break.
Tite s team struggled to work clear openings in the second half and are now winless in three games – their worst run since 2013.
Brazil took a ninth-minute lead when Gabriel Jesus skipped inside of Racine Coly and slid a throughball into the box that Firmino…
Dele Alli ended a six-month wait for his first Everton goals and vowed to keep fighting to prove himself to boss Frank Lampard.
The former Tottenham and England star moved to Goodison Park in January, but struggled to make an impact at the sharp end of the pitch.
He made 11 appearances for the Toffees last season but only one start, and will be hoping to reset and win over manager Lampard in the new campaign.
A double from Alli in the 4-2 win at Blackpool on Sunday might count for little in the long run, given the game was a friendly, but for the 26-year-old Alli it marked a breakthrough moment.
I got two goals, so I m happy, said Alli.
He insisted Everton s progress in pre-season should not be judged on individual moments and was more about how…
According to a recent report from Sport Bild, Bayern Munich are believed to be interested in making Philippe Coutinho’s loan deal from Barcelona permanent during next summer’s transfer window – but only if Mauricio Pochettino becomes the club’s new manager.
There’s no confirmation as to whether or not this is down to an admiration that Pochettino specifically has for the Brazilian, but either way, it’s certainly an interesting approach to have. Coutinho has had a decent enough start to life in Germany but still has a lot left to prove, especially after a poor year with Barcelona before making the move to Bayern.
There are still plenty of reasons for him to feel positive about his future, but it’s all about getting into the right sort of rhythm. Bayern …