Copa Amerika (suku akhir) : Peru,Brazil,Colombia & Argentina ke semi

 Peru 3(4) - Paraguay 3(3)    |    Brazil 1 - Chile 0

Uruguay 0 (2) - Columbia 0 (4)     |    Argentina 3 - Ecuador 0

Ballon D’Or Awards WINNER 2019 - Lionel Messi

Leo Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo have now won 11 of the past 12 Ballon d’Or awards

UCL : BAYERN menang mudah | BARCA x kasi can

Willian has been directly involved in 4 goals in 7 #UCL games for Chelsea (3 goals, 1 assist).

Messi kahwini kekasih zaman kanak-kanak

WAJAH bahagia Lionel Messi dan Antonella Roccuzzo dalam majlis perkahwinan mereka di City Centre Complex, Rosario, Argentina semalam. AFP

PEMAIN prolifik Barcelona, Lionel Messi menamatkan zaman bujangnya dengan gadis pilihan yang dikenali sejak zaman kanak-kanak, Antonella Roccuzzo dalam majlis perkahwinan berlangsung di kampung halaman masing-masing di pusat bandar Rosario, Argentina semalam.

Majlis tersebut yang diberi jolokan ‘perkahwinan abad ini’ dihadiri kira-kira 260 tetamu termasuk bintang Barcelona seperti Neymar dan Luis Suarez, selain bekas pemain iaitu Xavi, Carles Puyol, Cesc Fabregas dan Samuel Eto’o.

Neymar posts a photo with the groom and former Barcelona team-mate Dani Alves

Antara bintang bola sepak lain yang turut hadir ialah penyerang Manchester City, Sergio Aguero dan Gerard Pique yang turut diiringi pasangannya Shakira, penyanyi pop terkenal Colombia.

Majlis tersebut juga diserikan dengan persembahan kumpulan pop Uruguay, Rombai dan Marama selain penyanyi Karina Tejeda yang juga teman wanita Aguero.

Dalam majlis perkahwinan yang diadakan secara tertutup itu, kedua-dua pasangan tersenyum lebar ketika berjalan di atas permaidani merah.

Roccuzzo tampil dengan gaun putih ala ikan duyung hasil rekaan Rosa Clara yang juga pereka fesyen kepada pelakon terkenal Amerika Syarikat, Eva Longoria dan Permaisuri Letizia dari Sepanyol.

Menjelang perkahwinan tersebut, majalah selebriti telah menamakan Roccuzzo sebagai ‘wanita pertama bola sepak’.

Roccuzzo merupakan sepupu kepada salah seorang rakan Messi pada zaman kanak-kanak dan mereka mengenali antara satu sama lain pada usia lima tahun.

Messi, 30 dan Roccuzzo, 29, saling berhubung meskipun pada ketika itu penyerang tersebut terpaksa berhijrah meninggalkan Rosario selepas menyertai Barcelona pada usia 13 tahun.

Media Argentina melaporkan, kedua-dua mempelai itu bercinta hampir tujuh tahun sebelum mengakhirinya dengan perkahwinan.

Selain menerima hadiah perkahwinan, pasangan itu juga memohon kepada tetamu untuk memberikan sumbangan kepada badan amal kanak-kanak.

“Mereka berdua saling melengkapi. Leo (Lionel Messi) tidak pernah berubah.

“Biarpun pelbagai pencapaian telah diraih, dia masih seperti kanak-kanak yang lebih mengutamakan kesederhanaan,” kata salah seorang sahabat Messi, Diego Vallejos, yang turut menghadiri majlis perkahwinan tersebut.

Bapa Roccuzzo, Jose, adalah pemilik rangkaian pasar raya, Unico dan bekas presiden persatuan rangkaian pemilik pasar raya serantau.

Dia juga dikenali sebagai peminat Newell’s Old Boys, iaitu kelab bola sepak Argentina yang disertai Messi ketika zaman kanak-kanak di Rosario.

Messi menempa nama di Barcelona dengan memenangi pelbagai anugerah berprestij termasuk Ballon d’Or sebanyak lima kali sehingga melonjakkan namanya sebagai pemain terhebat dunia.

“Seorang rakan yang kurus, yang pernah membesar bersama saya. Sukar untuk saya terangkan perasaan ini. Saya adalah rakan dan juga peminat Leo,” kata Vallejos lagi.

Messi dan Roccuzzo tinggal di Barcelona namun masih kerap pulang ke Rosario untuk bercuti.

Seminggu gaji dah mampu beli

CRISTIANO Ronaldo hanya perlu bermain bolasepak lima jam untuk membayar Bugatti Veyron manakala pemain Manchester City Jesus Navas mampu membeli sebuah Nissan Micra setiap 11 minit.

Ronaldo yang dianggap pemain terbaik planet ini sekarang memilih salah salah kereta paling laju dan mahal untuk membawanya dari A ke B iaitu kereta Bugatti Veyron Grand Sport Vitesse bernilai £1.8juta (RM9.9j).

Bintang Barcelona Lionel Messi pula memilih Ferrari F430 Spider yang memiliki 503 kuasa kuda (bhp) dan mampu mencapai kelajuan 320 km/h.

Kelajuan itu sedikit perlahan dibandingkan Bugatti dengan kelajuan 402 km/h tetapi pada harga £173,000 (RM950,000) kereta Ferrari Messi menawarkan nilai lebih baik.

Pemain Argentina itu hanya perlu bermain 31 minit dan 32 saat untuk membeli Ferrari itu dan bermakna dia mampu membeli tiga kereta Ferrari untuk setiap 90 minit perlawanan.

Secara perbandingan Ronaldo mesti bermain lima jam 15 minit untuk keretanya yang dianggap begitu unggul apatah lagi dengan pendapatan £365,000 (RM2j) seminggu di Real Madrid.

Pemain bolasepak elit tidak pernah mengecapi kekayaan sebagaimana sekarang.

Gaji terus meningkat secara mendadak dengan pemain tidak perlu menunggu lama untuk mendapat satu juta pound (RM5.4 juta) seminggu.

Dengan jadual sibuk dan mempunyai banyak wang dalam bank, pemain bolasepak seperti biasa lebih suka membuat pelaburan dalam kereta berprestasi tinggi dan mewah.

Dalam satu kajian menerusi Carspring, ramai pemain tidak masalah mendapatkan kereta mahal malah George Boyd dari Burnley pun mampu melangsaikan kereta berharga £750,000 (RM4.1j) dalam tempoh satu musim saja.

Penjual kereta atas talian pertama Eropah itu turut melakukan beberapa penyelidikan serta pengiraan untuk melihat tempoh diperlukan oleh 256 pemain bolasepak berpendapatan tinggi untuk membayar kereta pilihan mereka.

Kajian membabitkan lima liga elit Eropah termasuk Liga Super China yang kaya raya.

Navas yang baru dilepaskan oleh Manchester City menduduki senarai teratas 256 terbabit kerana dia memilih untuk memandu Nissan Micra yang hanya berharga £11,800 (RM65,000). Dia mampu membeli lapan Micra setiap perlawanan dan hanya memerlukan masa selama 11 minit dan 17 saat.

Carlos Tevez mengekori rapat dengan 11 minit dan 35 saat atas sebab berbeza.

Pemain Argentina itu yang menerima pendapatan £635,000 (RM3.4j) seminggu di Shanghai Shenhua memandu Porsche Panamera Turbo S di China bernilai £115,100 (RM632,000).

Itu sudah tentu terlalu kecil dengan nilai pendapatannya.

Pemain Terbaik PFA N'Golo Kante juga memandu kereta sederhana iaitu Mini Cooper SD manakala bintang Swansea Fernando Llorente memacu Fiat Punto untuk menandu di selatan Wales.

Penjaga gol Juventus Gianluigi Buffon membuktikan semangat jati Itali memandu kereta klasik Fiat 500 yang dibeli dengan hanya beraksi 19 minit dan 48 saat di atas padang.

Penyerang Spurs, Harry Kane memandu Jaguar F Pace.

LA LIGA : BARCA menang besar lagi

Luis Enrique: "We made use of the space and we were switched on from the start"

Barça win 5-1 away at Leganés: Messi (2), Suárez, Neymar and Rafinha the scorers for Barça

Gerard Piqué: "With a three man defence they put pressure on us high up, but we are Barça and we have to assume risks"

Leganes’ goalkeeper Jon Ander Serantes is unable to save the penalty from Messi. Photograph: Pedro Armestre/AFP/Getty Images

Neymar is crowded out by the Leganes’ defence. Photograph: Juan Carlos Hidalgo/EPA

Luis Suarez celebrates after tapping in the second. Photograph: Gonzalo Arroyo Moreno/Getty Images

Rafinha: "With these three players up front it's almost always going to be a goal."

Argentina tunjuk taring dgn blasah Usa 4-0

Lionel Messi and Argentina played like the best player and team in the world, leaving the Jurgen Klinsmann's side looking over-matched in Houston.

HOUSTON — It was always going to take a perfect performance by the U.S. national team and a shaky one by Argentina for the Americans to pull off the Copa America semifinal upset on Tuesday night.

What we saw instead as Argentina at its captivating best and the U.S. at its over-matched worst, resulting in a dominating rout that was even more lopsided than the 4-0 final scoresuggested.

The Americans simply weren't ready, and as much as Jurgen Klinsmann can carry some blame with his lineup choices, the reality is many first-choice players simply didn't come to play.

Chris Wondolowski's inclusion in the starting lineup was a shocker, given the fact he had played just 18 minutes all tournament and the fact he hasn't seen much time with the national team in recent years. That didn't stop Klinsmann for giving the 2014 World Cup scapegoat a shot at redemption.

Redemption never came. Instead, Wondolowski looked terribly over-matched. Rather than finding the goal to write the perfect story to bookend his miss against Belgium, Wondolowski turned the ball over and eventually committed the foul that Lionel Messi turned into a masterful free-kick goal.

Tuesday's loss wasn't about Wondolowski starting or about Christian Pulisic or Darlington Nagbe not starting. In the end, it was about one supremely talented team thoroughly outclassing a lesser-talented team that didn't even play to its potential. As bad as Wondolowski was, it was the poor showings of other regular starters that made the match even more lopsided than it needed to be.

You can start with Michael Bradley, who endured one of his worst showings in a big U.S. match in his career. He apeared skittish and unsure at times, turning the ball over far too frequently, looking nothing like the dominant force we saw shine for the U.S. as recently as a year ago. On a night when the U.S. needed its best players to play their best and set the tone, Bradley simply wasn't up to the task.

Bradley was far from alone in disappointing. Goalkeeper Brad Guzan was shaky early on, as was DeAndre Yedlin. Even Fabian Johnson struggled to deal with Argentina's attacking waves, though many times it was the poor play of his teammates that left him in bad spots.

Klinsmann will take his place at the top of those to blame for Tuesday's bloodbath. He talked of wanting to attack Argentina, but set out a lineup that wasn't one that ever looked capable of really attacking Argentina. He basically aknowledged his mistake at halftime, when he brought in Pulisic for Wondolowski, who probably played his last national team match on Tuesday.

There were very few bright spots for the Americans, as Argentina so thoroughly outclassed them that the U.S. saw little of the ball and rarely put together any truly threatening chances of their own.

One bright spot for the Americans was Gyasi Zardes, who played with no fear and went after Argentina, making plays and never backing down. He played with the fearlessness that Klinsmann talked about his team needing if it was going to beat a team like Argentina.

Unfortunately for the U.S., there simply weren't enough American players who showed up on Tuesday truly ready to play with no fear, to play with confidence and to try to go at Argentina.

Instead, the U.S. looked nervous and overwhelmed, and as much as many will want to blame Klinsmann for it happening, no lineup he would have used would have made the final outcome different. Sure, maybe a squad with Nagbe and Pulisic instead of Wondolowski and Graham Zusi may have made things a bit closer, but with so many American players failing to perform, Argentina was always going to leave NRG Stadium with a victory and ticket to the Copa America final.

There is no shame in losing to the best team in the world, but Klinsmann and his team need to do some soul-searching and accept that they didn't give their best on Tuesday, which is a much bigger crime than losing to a team like Argentina.

Hat-trick hero Messi happy to be back

Argentina captain Lionel Messi returned from a back injury to score three goals in 30 minutes against Panama in Group D on Friday.

Lionel Messi was very happy to make his return from injury with a second-half hat trick, though the Argentina captain was quick to praise his teammates as they advanced to the Copa America Centenario quarterfinals.

After sitting out as an unused substituted in Argentina's opening win over the defending champion last week due to a niggling back problem, Messi made a breathtaking return to the pitch, scoring three goals in 30 minutes to inspire Friday's 5-0 rout of 10-man Panama in Chicago.

The 28-year-old skipper, whose hat trick was highlighted by a stunning 78th-minute free kick now has 53 internationals goals to his name, closing to within three of Argentina's all-time record.

Speaking after the Group D encounter at Soldier Field, man-of-the-match Messi said: "I am grateful for all this support. It was great to be here, especially because of the public. I am very grateful.

"I lost the pain gradually. Then, I managed to make my first goal. It was a team effort, in a tense game, with very tall grass, dry. It was tricky, but we got where we wanted."

Argentina has two wins from as many matches as the 14-time Copa America champion looks to end the 23-year wait for a major title, following the penalty shootout loss to Chile in last year's tournament.

Messi, who scored within eight minutes of introduction in the 68th minute, continued: "We are doing a good job, growing little by little. By winning the first two games, it is very good."

La Liga : Barca menang Messi 300

Barcelona's Lionel Messi scores 300th La Liga goal against Sporting Gijon

Lionel Messi scored his 300th La Liga goal for Barcelona against Sporting Gijon on Wednesday night.

Messi, 28, netted his first La Liga goal almost 11 years ago and has gone on to hit 299 more in 335 appearances.

Messi cut onto his left foot just outside the box and curled a shot into the bottom corner through a forest of defenders' legs in the 25th minute.

Although Gijon levelled almost immediately, Messi scored his 301st goal in the 31st minute to put Barca back in front.

Lionel Messi celebrates his 300th goal with Adriano

The five-time Ballon d'Or winner turned down the chance to reach his 300 milestone in the 6-1 win over Celta Vigo from the penalty spot when he passed to Luis Suarez to score instead.

Barcelona have not lost in a club-record 30 matches and have a three-point lead at the top of the Spanish table, with a game in hand over second-place Atletico Madrid.

Messi terlepas aksi Copa del Rey

BARCELONA – Bintang penyerang Barcelona, Lionel Messi mungkin terlepas perlawanan separuh akhir kedua Copa del Rey menentang Valencia hari ini kerana menjalani pemeriksaan buah pinggang, semalam.

Barcelona mengesah­kan Pemain Terbaik Dunia itu menjalani ujian lanjutan ekoran masalah buah pinggang yang dihadapi sebelum ini, selepas menjalani ujian pertama pada Di­sember lalu.

Pemain Argentina itu sebelum ini terlepas kejohanan Piala Dunia Kelab akibat masalah kolik (rasa ketidakselesaan perut yang biasa­nya disebabkan oleh batu karang).

 Media di Sepanyol semalam melaporkan Messi mungkin terpaksa melakukan pembedahan kecil untuk membetulkan masalah tersebut, yang didakwa telah berlarutan sejak beberapa minggu lalu walaupun pemain berusia 28 tahun itu hanya terlepas satu perlawanan pada 2016 setakat ini. Barcelona dalam satu kenyataan berkata, ujian perubatan mengambil masa selama dua hari minggu ini dan menjangkakan penyerang itu akan kembali berlatih bersama pasukan pada Khamis. 

“Messi akan dihantar untuk menjalani beberapa ujian pada Selasa dan Rabu untuk menilai perkembangan masalah buah pinggang yang dialaminya pada Disember lalu. “Pemain itu akan kembali berlatih bersama kesebelasan utama pasukan pada Khamis ini,” menurut kenyataan Barcelona yang disiarkan dalam laman web rasmi mereka semalam. Dalam perlawanan separuh ­akhir pertama Copa del Rey pada 4 Februari lalu, Barcelona mem­belasah Valencia 7-0 di Stadium Mestalla. Mereka boleh dianggap sudah se­belah kaki menjejak ke final. – AGENSI