FIFA Ranks Lionel Messi & His Argentina National Team Mates No. 1 for First Time in Six Years

Posted on April 6, 2023 by Tom Castaneda

Lionel Messi and his Argentina teammates are celebrating a special rise…

World Cup winners Argentina, led by the Argentine soccer star, topped the FIFA rankings released on Thursday for the first time in six years.

Argentina’s two wins in friendlies last month ended the one-year run at the top for Brazil, who lost 2-1 at Morocco and fell to No. 3.

France, the World Cup beaten finalist, followed Argentina in rising one place, to No. 2. France won back-to-back European Championship qualifiers against No. 6 the Netherlands and Ireland.

Belgium stayed at No. 4, with England next after two wins including beating No. 8 Italy.

Europe completed the top 10 with No. 7 Croatia followed by Italy, Portugal and Spain.

Morocco, who joined the Spanish and Portuguese in a 2030 World Cup bidding plan, stayed at No. 11 to lead African teams.

The United States was still No. 13, two ahead of regional rival Mexico. Canada, the other North American co-host of the 2026 World Cup, rose six to No. 47.

Japan at No. 20 were the best of the Asian teams, and 2022 World Cup host Qatar fell to No. 61.

Lionel Messi Becomes Only Third Male Soccer Player to Surpass 100 International Goals

Posted on March 28, 2023 by Tom Castaneda

Lionel Messi is in elite company…

The 35-year-old Argentine soccer star has became just the third male player to surpass 100 international goals, scoring a hat trick to blow past the century mark in the first half of Argentina‘s friendly with Curacao on Tuesday in Santiago del Estero.

The Paris Saint-Germain forward picked up the ball in the middle of the area, cut to his right hit a low shot past the keeper to hit the remarkable career milestone. He then added to his tally before halftime with another trademark, bending strike, before adding a third on the counter-attack to take his total to 102.

Messi passed the 100-goal mark in his 174th appearance for his country, after netting his 99th international goal — and 800th of his career — in Thursday’s 2-0 win against Panama.

He’s the first South American male player to hit the 100-goal mark and second South American overall behind Brazil’s Marta, who has 109 for country.

The game against Curacao was the second since they lifted the 2022 World Cup in Qatar in December, Argentina’s first world title in 36 years.

Messi remains third on the all-time men’s list of leading international scorers behind Portugal‘s Cristiano Ronaldo, who achieved the century of goals in September of 2020, and now has 120, and Iran‘s Ali Daei, who scored 109 before retiring in 2007.

Almost half (46) of Messi’s goals have come in international friendlies. The former Barcelona forward has scored 28 goals in World Cup qualifiers, including a hat trick in a 3-1 win at Ecuador in October 2017 that secured Argentina passage to the 2018 World Cup.

Messi has scored 13 times in the Copa America and he is the highest goalscorer for Argentina at World Cup competitions, having netted 13 goals in 26 matches spanning five editions, starting in 2006.

A record seven-time Ballon d’Or winner, Messi made his Argentina debut in August 2005 in a 2-1 win at Hungary, a game in which he was sent off after just two minutes. He scored his first international goal a year later in his sixth appearance against Croatia.

He registered a goal and an assist within 13 minutes of his World Cup debut with Argentina at 18-years-old in a 6-0 win over Serbia and Montenegro at the 2006 World Cup.

While Messi did not score in the 2021 Copa America final triumph over rivals Brazil at the Maracana stadium, his first major trophy with Argentina.

He netted seven times in the World Cup in Qatar. Two of which came against France in the final.

The Rosario-born player will have an opportunity to add to his goal tally when Argentina host Curacao in a friendly on March 28.

Argentina Football Association Renames National Team Headquarters After Lionel Messi

Posted on March 26, 2023 by Tom Castaneda

Lionel Messi is getting his name on an important building…

The 35-year-old Argentine soccer star has been honored by the Argentina Football Association who have renamed the national team’s headquarters after him.

Messi, who captained Argentina as they lifted the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, has made 173 appearances for the Albiceleste since making his debut in 2005.

The Paris Saint-Germain forward, along with Argentina FA president Claudio Tapia and national team manager Lionel Scaloni, unveiled a plaque outside the Albiceleste’s training center on Saturday.

“We experienced a historic day in our Casa de Ezeiza, which from today will be renamed Lionel Andres Messi, in tribute to the best player in the world,” Tapia tweeted.

Argentina’s headquarters are located in Ezeiza, which is 40 minutes away from the Buenos Aires city center.

Messi, who scored his 800th career goal in Thursday’s 2-0 friendly win over Panama, was moved by the recognition.

“I’ve been coming here for 20 years, and I have always felt a very special energy,” the former Barcelona star said. “This is very exciting for me. I’m very happy. It’s a very, very special recognition.

“This place is something sensational. Even at the worst times, which I’ve had very bad moments, I would go in and forget everything. I would arrive and feel happy for being in this place and I still feel it. That’s why today I feel very happy that, after so long, this is going to bear my name.”

Messi had lost three straight finals with Argentina before lifting the Copa America in 2021 after defeating bitter rivals Brazil in the title game.

The seven-time Ballon d’Or winner was sensational in Qatar and was voted the player of the tournament after his seven goals and three assists in seven appearances helped Argentina win their first world title in 36 years.

“I think that the tributes have to be done while one is alive, and this is a very special recognition for what this place means,” Messi said. “That it [training centre] bears my name is something very nice.”

Messi, who is one strike shy of scoring his 100th international goal with Argentina, will be back in action with the Albiceleste in Tuesday’s international friendly against Curacao.

Lionel Messi Notches 800th Career Goal in Argentina Win over Panama

Posted on March 23, 2023 by Tom Castaneda

Lionel Messi continues his scoring ways…

The 35-year-old Argentine soccer star scored his 800th career goal for club and country in Argentina‘s 2-0 friendly win over Panama in Buenos Aires on Thursday night.

After twice hitting the post from free kicks, Messi curled his third try past Panama keeper Jose Carlos Guerra in the 89th minute to hit the 800 goal mark and send the sold-out crowd at Monumental Stadium into delirium.

“I want to thank you all for the love and recognition that you have been receiving, not only after the World Cup but also for the Copa America,” Messi told the crowd after the match. “We said that we were going to give it all for this trophy.”

Messi came into the game needing just one goal to reach the milestone after scoring his 799th goal in Paris Saint-Germain‘s Ligue 1 win over Nantes on Saturday.

Messi hit the 800 mark shortly after being named Best FIFA Men’s Player having led Argentina to the 2022 World Cup title in Qatar. He also celebrated scoring his 700th career club goal last month.

The win over Panama came in Argentina’s first match since beating France in Qatar last December. The team was roared on by the home supporters as Thiago Almada opened the scoring in the second half and Messi added his historic goal right before full-time.

The full squad from Qatar attended the match and took pictures in front of the World Cup trophy before kickoff, while Messi, manager Lionel Scaloni and others brought their families to the stadium.

A tearful Scaloni said after the match: “Eternal gratitude to these players. Football belongs to them, and without them we wouldn’t have won the World Cup.

“Everyone who wears this shirt gives their all and sometimes the results don’t come. But this time we got it and it’s incredible.”

According to the International Federation of Football History & Statistics (IFFHS), Messi is just the second man ever to reach the 800 career-goal landmark, after Cristiano Ronaldo.

The Portuguese star, 38, scored his 800th goal in December 2021.

However, there is some dispute between other sources due to historical inconsistencies in the classification of “official” goals scored in “official” competitions. Brazilian great Pele claims to have scored more than 1,000 goals during his career.

Messi, 35, spent the first 17 years of his senior career with boyhood club Barcelona, where he went on to score an incredible club-record 672 goals in 778 appearances.

His 474 LaLiga goals remains a record for Spain’s top division.

Since leaving Barcelona due to the club’s financial problems and joining PSG in the summer of 2021, Messi has scored 30 goals for the French champions.

The Rosario star has scored a further 98 goals internationally for Argentina, including seven goals in Qatar as he lifted the World Cup for the first time.

He has been named FIFA‘s best men’s player a record seven times.

Selena Gomez Becomes First Woman to Surpass 400 Million Followers on Instagram

Posted on March 18, 2023 by Tom Castaneda

Selena Gomez is the Queen of Instagram…

The 30-year-old Mexican American actress/singer has officially become the first woman on the social media platform to surpass 400 million followers, reaching the milestone on Friday, March 17.

Less than a month ago, when she reached 381 million followers, the Only Murders in the Building star passed Kylie Jenner as the most-followed women on Instagram

While Gomez is the most-followed woman on the platform, soccer player Cristiano Ronaldo is the most-followed person in general with 562 million followers. Another soccer superstar, Lionel Messi, follows with 442 million.

Gomez’s most recent post was a stunning makeup-free selfie with the simple caption, “Violet Chemistry,” which is a track title from Miley Cyrus’ freshly released eighth studio album, Endless Summer Vacation.

The “Lose You to Love Me” singer returned to personally posting on her Instagram page in January, more than four years after she deleted the app from her phone and gave posting rights to a member of her team due to her unhealthy relationship with the platform.

“At one point Instagram became my whole world, and it was really dangerous. In my early 20s, I felt like I wasn’t pretty enough. There was a whole period in my life when I thought I needed makeup and never wanted to be seen without it,” she previously told InStyle.

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Leo Messi Teaming Up with Sony Music Entertainment to Develop Animated Series Inspired by His Childhood

Posted on March 6, 2023 by Tom Castaneda

Leo Messi is getting animated…

The 35-year-old Argentine soccer captain has teamed up with Sony Music Entertainment to develop a new animated series after winning the World Cup in Qatar.

The series will depict Messi as a child as he confronts obstacles while traveling throughout a videogame. It’s aimed at children and young adolescent audiences.

It’ll feature original music from Sony Music Entertainment artists and composers.

Messi is widely regarded as one of the best soccer players to ever grace the pitch and Argentina’s win in the final of the 2022 World Cup against France cemented that further, scoring two goals and winning man of the match.

He broke the record for the most appearance in the World Cup with 26 matches played and has scored 98 goals in 172 appearances for his country, in addition to 474 goals in 520 appearances for his former club Barcelona.

Since 2021, Messi has played for Paris Saint-Germain, where he has 18 goals in 46 appearances, and he has also won a record seven Ballon d’Ors, the award for the best player in the world.

The series will be produced in English, Spanish, and several other languages. Sony Music’s Premium Content Division, which is producing in partnership with Leo Messi Management, will oversee the development and distribution of the series. No network or streamer is currently attached.

Sony Music Entertainment is a record label and is also a podcast producer and is behind a number of documentaries, but this marks its first move into animation.

“Since I was a kid, I’ve always loved animated series and my kids are big fans of animated characters. Being able to participate in an animation project makes me happy, because it fulfills one of my dreams. I would like to thank Sony Music for joining this project and we hope that everyone will like the result, especially the girls and the boys,” said Messi.

“It is a privilege for Sony Music to collaborate with Lionel Messi on this project to showcase the power and lessons of sports in partnership with the greatest football player of all time and one of the greatest athletes in history,” added Fernando Cabral, EVP, Business Development, Latin-Iberia Regional, Sony Music Entertainment. “We look forward to bringing this heartwarming and humbling series to screens for audiences of all ages around the world.”

Lionel Messi Named Best FIFA Men’s Player

Posted on February 27, 2023 by Tom Castaneda

Lionel Messi is this year’s Best…

The 35-year-old Argentine professional footballer was named Best FIFA Men’s Player at a ceremony in Paris on Monday, beating Paris Saint-Germain teammate Kylian Mbappe and Real Madrid‘s Karim Benzema.

Messi won the 2022 World Cup with Argentina in December — the country’s first in 36 years — ending his wait for the only major honor to have eluded him in his career.

“It’s amazing. It was a tremendous year and it is an honor for me to be here tonight and win this award,” said Messi, who sat next to Mbappe throughout the ceremony at the Salle Pleyel.

Monday’s award was Messi’s second FIFA The Best title, his first coming in 2019. He has also won a record seven Ballon d’Or awards.

“I want to express my thanks to [coach Lionel] Scaloni and my teammates; without them I would not be here,” Messi added. “I achieved a dream I had been hoping for so long and finally I achieved it. It’s a dream for any player; very few people can achieve that and I was lucky enough to do so.”

Messi scored seven goals at the World Cup in Qatar — including a brace in the thrilling 3-3 final victory on penalties — finishing one behind Golden Boot winner Mbappe.

Messi has scored 16 goals in 27 games in all competitions this season, as well as registering 14 assists, as he chases his second Ligue 1 title in two years at PSG.

Barcelona’s Alexia Putellas won the Best FIFA Women’s award for the second year running, while Argentina’s Scaloni and Emiliano Martinez got the honors for top men’s coach and goalkeeper, respectively.

Alexia Putellas Crowned FIFA’s The Best Women’s Player for Second Year in a Row

Posted on February 27, 2023 by Tom Castaneda

Alexia Putellas is celebrating a second consecutive honor…

The 29-year-old Spanish professional footballer who plays as a midfielder for Barcelona has been crowned FIFA‘s The Best Women’s Player for the second year in a row, seeing off competition from Beth Mead and Alex Morgan for the award.

Putellas claimed the prize at a ceremony in Paris on Monday, with Paris Saint-Germain forward Lionel Messi taking the men’s award.

The Barca midfielder becomes the first woman to win the accolade twice since it launched in 2016, with Carli Lloyd, Lieke Martens, Marta, Megan Rapinoe and Lucy Bronze all one-time winners.

She also became the first woman to win the Ballon d’Or Feminin twice in October 2022, finishing ahead of Mead and Sam Kerr.

The Best Women’s Coach award went to Sarina Wiegman, who led England to the title at the Women’s European Championship, and Mary Earps, who played in net for the Lionesses at the tournament, picked up Best Goalkeeper honors.

Putellas has not played since tearing the anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) in her knee while on Spain duty in July. FIFA’s award only takes into account last season.

“The accolade recognizes the most outstanding performers in the women’s game from the period of Aug. 7 2021 to July 31 2022,” the organization said.

During that time, Putellas captained Barca to a third successive Primera Division title. The Catalan side made history by winning all 30 of their league games throughout the 2021-22 campaign.

She also led the Blaugrana to success in the Spanish Super Cup and the Copa de la Reina to complete a domestic treble, although they came up short in the Champions League. Putellas’ goal in the final — her 11th in the competition last season — was not enough to stop French side Lyon from beating Barcelona 3-1 in Turin.

There was hope that success with Spain would follow at the European Championship in England, but she was ruled out of the tournament after injuring her ACL in training just days before La Roja‘s first game.

She has not played since, but Barca recently published a video of her doing some work with a ball on the training pitch, hinting that she could return to action before the end of the season.

Arsenal forward Mead, who starred as England won the Euros and is also sidelined with an ACL injury. She joined San Diego Wave‘s Morgan on the final shortlist and finished behind Putellas.

Mead won the Golden Boot and player of the tournament at Euro 2022 last summer, while Morgan was the National Women’s Soccer League‘s leading scorer with 15 goals in just 17 appearances.

Morgan also scored the winner as the United States beat Canada in the 2022 CONCACAF W Championship final — a competition in which she finished as joint-top scorer and player of the tournament — as she became the 13th USWNT player to pass 200 caps.

Lionel Messi Records 700th Club Level Goal in Paris Saint-Germain’s Win over Marseille

Posted on February 26, 2023 by Tom Castaneda

Make that 700 goals for Lionel Messi.

The 35-year-old Argentine professional footballer scored a goal in Paris Saint-Germain 3-0 win over bitter rivals Marseille on Sunday to extend their Ligue 1 lead to eight points.

Messi and Kylian Mbappe, World Cup foes, inspired the team’s win.

Mbappe, who bagged a double, was set up by Messi for both his goals, and repaid the favor by laying on another for Messi as PSG, who were without the injured Neymar, moved to 60 points from 25 games with second-placed Marseille on 52.

The goal was Messi’s 700th at club level between his trophy-filled tenure at Barcelona and his more recent time at PSG.

France forward Mbappe, who was on the losing side against Messi’s Argentina in the World Cup final, became PSG’s joint record scorer with 200 goals — level with Edinson Cavani.

“We were aggressive, we put intensity into the game, that’s what we’d been missing,” said PSG centerback Sergio Ramos.

PSG next face Nantes at home before travelling to Bayern Munich for their Champions League last-16 return leg after losing the first encounter 1-0 at the Parc des Princes.

Argentina’s Emiliano Martinez Wins Golden Glove at FIFA World Cup

Posted on December 19, 2022 by Tom Castaneda

Emiliano Martinez is having a golden moment…

The 30-year-old Argentine goalkeeper has been awarded the Golden Glove trophy following this year’s FIFA World Cup.

Martinez earned the prize, which is given to the most outstanding goalkeeper of the tournament, after Argentina won the shootout 4-2, to win the World Cup title at Lusail Stadium in Qatar.

Martinez became the first player to represent Argentina to win the Golden Glove. He was joined at the trophy ceremony by teammate Lionel Messi, who won the Golden Ball, as well as Enzo Fernandez, the winner of the Best Young Player award.

Martinez played a key role in Argentina’s dramatic final to win the country’s first world championship in 36 years.

The Aston Villa goalie, who had three clean sheets in the tournament, carried his team through extra time and a penalty shootout following a 2-2 tie in regulation. He brilliantly denied France’s Kingsley Coman with a diving left save in the performance.

After Argentina’s historic win, an emotional Martinez said, “We suffered a lot. We thought we were in control but they managed to come back. It was a very complicated game. Our destiny was to suffer. They had one last chance to win, luckily I was able to stop it with my foot.

“This is a moment I’ve always dreamed of living, I have no words for it. I left very young for England and I would like to dedicate this victory to my family.”

Martinez has been the goalkeeper for Aston Villa since 2020.

Last year, he helped his country to its first Copa America trophy since 1991.

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