When Lionel Messi made his competitive debut for Barcelona in October 2004 at the tender age of 17, there was already plenty of buzz about the Argentine wizard following his quick rise through the ranks of La Masia.
The attacker was not only seen as one of Barca s brightest prospects, but there were also murmurs he could potentially become an all-time great.
Fast-forward 13 years and it is fair to say Messi has lived up to those prodigious expectations.
At the age of 30, the prolific forward holds numerous individual records, while acting as the driving force behind Barca s mightily impressive trophy haul.
Below, we look at some of the best stats of Messi s remarkable career and the way it has progressed year by year.
RECORD MAN
Messi is La…
Liverpool forward Raheem Sterling is unlikely to be in the England under-21 squad for the European Championships this summer in France
There have been a lot of questions about whether the likes of Raheem Sterling, Ross Barkley and Harry Kane should play for the England under-21 team at this summer’s European Championship.
It seems to me it makes sense for Gareth Southgate to field a strong team in France.
Whether he will be able to field a strong team is unlikely to be in his hands and a number of England’s top young players are set for a rest this summer.
Unsuccessful
England have not won a trophy at senior level since winning the World Cup in 1966, but their under-21 side did get to the final of the European Championships in 2009.
T…
Evan Ferguson believes Brighton and Hove Albion can go on and book a place in Europe after thumping Grimsby Town 5-0 to reach the FA Cup semi-finals.
Wembley awaits the Seagulls, who were handed a shot at Manchester United or Fulham next. United and Fulham contested the last of the quarter-finals on Sunday, after the draw was made.
Manchester City will face Sheffield United in the other last-four clash over the weekend of April 22-23.
Brighton could earn a place in next season s European competitions through the Premier League or by winning the FA Cup.
They sit seventh in the league, level on points with sixth-placed Liverpool and with a game in hand on the Reds.
I think we ve got the hope and the desire to go on and get to Europe, Ferguson said,…
An investigation into Manchester City for potential breaches of Financial Fair Play (FFP) regulations has been launched by the UEFA Club Financial Control Body (CFCB), European football s governing body has announced.
The move follows allegations made against the club and their owners by German publication Der Spiegel, which drew upon documents purportedly obtained by whistleblowers Football Leaks.
The articles included claims of Sheikh Mansour s City regime topping up multi-million pound sponsorship deals with Abu Dhabi companies in order to circumvent rules relating to how much money owners can put into a club.
In response to UEFA s announcement, the Premier League champions issued a statement welcoming the opening of proceedings.
Manchester City…
Didier Drogba was a monster in the dressing room who won countless big games for Chelsea, according to Frank Lampard.
It was announced on Wednesday that Drogba would retire from the game at the age of 40 following a professional career spanning two decades, the peak years of which the Ivorian spent at Stamford Bridge.
In nine seasons across two spells, Drogba won a dozen major honours, including four Premier League titles and a famous Champions League triumph in 2012.
And Lampard, a key figure alongside the striker in the most successful era in Chelsea s history, paid a glowing tribute to his former team-mate.
Enjoy your retirement, !
Thank you for the many wonderful memories
— Chelsea FC (@ChelseaFC)
I get asked a lot who a…
Xavi highlighted Barcelona s success as a team effort rather than down to individual performances after a comfortable 4-0 win in LaLiga over Elche.
A Robert Lewandowski double, plus goals for Ansu Fati and Ferran Torres, saw the Blaugrana swat aside their rock-bottom hosts at Estadio Manuel Martinez Valero.
Against a team who look almost certain to be relegated, there were few doubts about Barca s superiority.
But Xavi was quick to praise his side s unsung heroes as much as their headline-makers, stating his belief that it is a balance of both that will bring them the title.
It has been a rounded night, he said. [It was] a very good game, from start to finish. We have a team with players who do not necessarily participate too much.
[But] they pe…
Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp played down the significance of being top at Christmas, suggesting his team may need 105 points to win the Premier League.
A hard-fought 2-0 win over Wolves on Friday pushed Klopp s side four points clear at the top, guaranteeing them first spot at Christmas.
Eight of the past nine teams to be top on Christmas Day have gone on to win the title, with Liverpool in 2013-14 the exception.
Klopp believes this season is different, with a record 105 points potentially needed to claim the title.
I don t know how much we need, how many any team needs this year, he told a news conference.
What is really different – because everybody asks me about the situation, first in the table and all that stuff – somebody said that t…
Did Hummels betray BVB? / Image via independent.co.uk
Borussia Dortmund departing captain Mats Hummels had been a subject of ongoing transfer speculations for months with Germany defender having been linked with a move to Manchester United and Barcelona among other interested parties.
The 27-year-old centre-back has always been adamant about his future, claiming that once the final decision had been made he will not hold it a secret, thus assuring the BVB fans of his loyalty and honesty.
Dortmund supporters knew for a while that it won’t be too long before they were forced to bid farewell to their long-serving defender, but his decision to join bitter rivals Bayern Munich earlier this month was a big pill to swallow.
After eight years of service at Bor…
Ajax became just the third team to win the away legs of their last-16, quarter-final and semi-final Champions League ties in a single campaign.
Donny van de Beek scored the only goal against Tottenham in London on Tuesday as surprise semi-finalists Ajax seized a 1-0 first-leg lead in the last four.
And that victory came after winning away in stunning fashion at both defending champions Real Madrid – a staggering 4-1 success – and Cristiano Ronaldo s Juventus.
Ajax join Bayern Munich, in the 2012-13 season, and last term s Madrid side in achieving such a run of results on the road.
3 are the third team to win their round of 16, quarter-final and semi-final away game in a Champions League season, after FC Bayern in 2012-13 and Real Madrid in 2017-18. H…
Alexis Sanchez may be on his way out of Arsenal, but the club found goals easy to come by on Saturday thanks largely to the unlikely figure of Nacho Monreal.
With Sanchez absent ahead of his expected move to Manchester United, Monreal put Arsenal in front in their Premier League match against Crystal Palace with a simple header before adding another two assists in the first 15 minutes.
The left-back set up Alex Iwobi for Arsenal s second and diverted the ball to his defensive colleague Laurent Koscielny to tap in a third Gunners goal.
Unfortunately for Monreal, after Alexandre Lacazette added a fourth for Arsene Wenger s rampant side, he limped off in the 34th minute due to an injury.
Our left back in the first 13 minutes of :
5th minute: Goal…