Messi an ICON spirit

A day after it was learnt that Barcelona superstar Lionel Messi did not ask for a pay rise akin to the deal Cristiano Ronaldo recently signed at Real Madrid, the Argentine ace was at his sensational best nevertheless.

Lionel Messi celebrates one of his goals against Ajax on Wednesday. Pic/AFP

On Tuesday, when Barcelona boss Sandro Rosell was asked if Ronaldo’s contract renewal (he signed a five-year deal with Real worth 90 million euros) making him the Spanish League’s best-paid player, would affect Messi’s contract, he said: “Does Ronaldo’s renewal affect Messi’s contract? Messi hasn’t said anything to us. He’s happy here and he’s at the best club in the world.”

A day later, Messi simply went about his job in the best possible way he knows – by scoring goals! Messi moved into second place on the all-time list of Champions League goalscorers with his 27th career hat-trick as Barcelona beat Ajax 4-0 at the Nou Camp on Wednesday.

The four-time World Player of the Year now has 62 Champions League goals to his name as Barca cruised to victory in the first ever competitive meeting between the two sides. Messi opened the scoring on 22 minutes with a sensational free-kick and made the game safe 10 minutes after half-time with a typically cool left-footed finish.

Gerard Pique added a third when he headed Neymar’s cross past the stranded Kenneth Vermeer before Messi rounded off the scoring 15 minutes from time. And the visitors were even denied a consolation when Valdes saved Kolbeinn Sigthorsson’s penalty 13 minutes from time after Javier Mascherano had upended Thurani Serero.

“In the first-half we found it a bit difficult because they played well, but in the second we moved the ball much better and controlled the game,” Messi told Canal Plus. “In general I think we played a very good game. The more variety we have the better.

There are games where we need to manage the ball, control the game, and others which are more difficult where we will need to do a bit more.” Messi took time to lend his support to coach Gerardo Martino, who flew back to Argentina yesterday to attend his father’s funeral. “It was a special game. It’s is a shame what has happened and he is suffering, but we are all with him in this moment.”

Champions League top scorers

71
Raul Gonzalez

62
Lionel Messi

56
Ruud van Nistelrooy

53
Cristiano Ronaldo

50
Thierry Henry

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Lionel Messi makes 'corrective payment' in tax case

Lionel Messi clears on Tax case

Barcelona's Lionel Messi, the world's greatest soccer player, is a bit poorer after he and his father, Jorge, paid $6.6 million to Spanish authorities who had charged the pair with filing false tax returns.

The Messis, who were facing the possibility of jail time, deposited the "corrective payment" last month, said a court in Gava, near Barcelona, according to Reuters.
The Messis, who are Argentine, are still due to appear at a hearing on Sept. 17, although their lawyer had asked for it to be postponed as he had another commitment that day, the court statement added. Both men, who denied wrongdoing, allegedly hid more than $5.25 million by filing incomplete returns for the years 2006 to 2009.
The sale of Messi's image rights had been hidden using a complex web of shell companies in Uruguay, Belize, Switzerland and the United Kingdom, according to the prosecutor's office for tax crimes in Catalonia said.
"I never take care of that stuff myself and neither does my father," Messi, a four-time world player of the year, said in July. "We have our lawyers and our wealth managers to take care of that and we trust them and they will sort this out. The truth is that I don't have a clue about all this and that is why we have people taking care of it."
Messi has been resident in Barcelona since 2000 and gained Spanish citizenship in 2005.

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Messi stars in Messi and friends 9-6 win over Rest of the World | Highlights

Lionel Messi scored a lovely opening goal as his ‘Messi & Friends’ team beat a Rest of the World XI 9-6 in Colombia.

The Barcelona star staged the match to raise money for charity and brought a host of stars with him to the Atanasio Girardot stadium in Medellin, including the likes of Javier Mascherano, Pablo Aimar and Florent Malouda.

Brazil star Robinho was leading out the Rest of the World XI but they could do nothing to stop Messi and his friends running away with the victory.

Messi curled home the opener from just inside the area and was substituted with 20 minutes remaining to a standing ovasion.

Watch all the goals from the Lionel Messi & Friends v Rest of the World XI below...

love u leo-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

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Messi's new boots revealed

Well looky here at what was waiting on Pies’ doormat this morning: Lionel Messi’s new signature line of Adidas F50 boots in what we’re told is a “Turbo, Blast Purple and White” colourway that “represents the way Messi lights up every pitch he plays on.”

Turbo and Blast Purple we can get on board with, but “white” is a bit boring and perfunctory. How about “Extreme Milk” or “All The Wavelengths Of The Visible Spectrum” or “Albino Polar Bear’s Chuff”?

Anyway, Messi’s new F50s will first be worn during the ‘Messi and Friends’ tour this coming Saturday and  you can stay in the loop by joining ‘Team Messi’ at Facebook.com/TeamMessi and/or @TeamMessi on Twitter should you wish.

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Lionel Messi father concludes that they are clear

Lionel Messi's father has reaffirmed that he and his son have done nothing wrong following their court summons as part of an inquiry into alleged tax fraud.

Jorge Horacio Messi claims the Barcelona forward has been part of a media-led witch-hunt.

It was announced yesterday that the pair had been summoned to a Gava court on September 17 to face questioning over an alleged scheme to avoid tax on the player's image rights, therefore defrauding the Spanish tax authority of 4million euros (£3.4million) between 2007 and 2009. Messi and his father have both denied the allegations.

Messi senior pointed out that his son pays substantial amounts in tax each year and also hinted that he may seek legal action against media organizations he claims have defamed him and his son once the legal dispute with the Spanish public prosecutor is over.

He told radio station Cope: "I can assure you that what (Lionel) pays every year is an eight-figure sum. We are relaxed because we have never missed a payment to the tax authority.

"It's normal that there's a difference in opinion between the authorities and our advisers, because there always is with people who pay a lot of tax.

"We know that there will be an agreement, but we are angry because certain sections of the media have conducted a slur campaign and tried to whip up hate. It's very cruel, but we will know what to do when this is all cleared up."

The four-time Ballon d'Or winner's lawyers also lamented the role played by the media in the situation and reiterated his innocence in an official statement published in Spanish newspaper Sport, which read: "We respect and will obey the judicial decision and put ourselves at the disposition of the judiciary to help resolve this case and establish the truth.

"We declare our confidence in being able to clear up the disparity of criteria and regret that the honor of our client has been put in doubt, because he has always scrupulously complied with Spanish law.

"We declare that our client will pay the final amount that is agreed upon, but we are convinced he has already paid everything he has legally been required to.

"We firmly believe in the innocence of our client and trust that the judicial investigation can be resolved in the shortest time possible. This case has left our client in a helpless situation with regards to the media, which we profoundly lament."

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Messi: World Cup absence makes me sad

The Argentine craves international success with his country more than another Ballon d'Or award and revealed that he is not quite the footballing superstar back at home

Barcelona star Lionel Messi has expressed his anguish at being without a World Cup winners' medal in his trophy cabinet.

The Argentina forward, who turns 26 on Monday, has won four Ballons d'Or in a row but he stressed that what he really craves is the greatest prize in international football to add to his silverware collection.

"Between a fifth Ballon d'Or and a World Cup with Argentina, I'd want the latter, without a doubt," he told Corriere della Sera. "I'm missing a World Cup; it makes me sad."

Despite widely being considered as the best footballer on the planet right now, Messi's record-breaking antics fall on deaf ears at home with his wife Antonella, and the Blaugrana star admitted that he does not watch much of the sport he excels at.

He added: "I never watch football on television. Antonella gets bored with it. I come home and tell her I scored two or three goals, and she doesn't even hear me!"

Messi is currently recovering from a hamstring injury that saw him only appear intermittently in the final two months of Barcelona's Liga-winning 2012-13 campaign.

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Messi surpassed Maradonas record with hat-trick

Lionel Messi overtakes Diego Maradona with hat-trick to become third-highest goal scorer for Argentina

Lionel Messi scored a hat-trick in Argentina’s 4-0 victory over Guatemala to take his goal record to 35 and surpass Diego Maradona’s international tally.

The Barcelona forward appeared as a substitute in the recent World Cup qualifiers against Colombia and Ecuador, but he was given a starting berth alongside many fringe players in what was a second-string side for the Argentinians.

Messi opened the scoring in the 15th minute with a left-footed shot from outside the penalty area, and he got an assist when Augusto Fernandez got onto the end of his cross to head in and double their lead in the 35th minute.

Just four minutes later it was 3-0 after Messi converted a penalty to level his record with Maradona’s, and he completed his third hat-trick for his country just four minutes after halftime when Ezequiel Lavezzi crossed the ball low into the box from the right for the Balon d’Or winner to side-foot in.

His previous hat-tricks came last year against Switzerland and Brazil, and he departed in the 67th minute in third on the all-time Argentinian goal scorers list behind Hernan Crespo and record-holder Gabriel Batitusta, who has 56 international goals.

“That was the least important thing,” Messi said when speaking to TyC Sports when asked about overtaking Maradona. “We wanted to play well in this friendly. The team’s attitude was right.”

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Lionel Messi admits he was not fit against Colombia

Lionel Messi admitted that he was not fit to play in Argentina's goalless draw with Colombia in their World Cup qualifier at the Estadio Monumental.

Messi, who had not played since May 12 due to a thigh injury, was introduced by Argentina coach Alejandro Sabella in the 55th minute Thursday, reports Xinhua.

"I'm not well. Today I could play a little but I wasn't sure how my leg was going to respond," Messi said after the match.

"We spoke about it before the match with the coach and decided that it would be best to come on for a while in the second half."

The Barcelona striker criticized the decision to rule out Sergio Aguero's 72nd-minute striker for off side, which came after Messi was deemed to have interfered from an illegal position.

"I didn't make my run too early and nor did I threaten to do so. It wasn't offside. I told the referee (Marlon Escalante) but he said he had already allowed the goal."

The 25-year-old admitted he wasn't sure if he would be fit to play in Argentina's next South America zone qualifier against Ecuador in Quito Tuesday.

"I don't know, I haven't played for a long time," he said. "Playing at altitude takes a lot out of you. Even if I don't play, the team will be going out to win."
Lionel Messi admitted that he was not fit to play in Argentina's goalless draw with Colombia in their World Cup qualifier at the Estadio Monumental.

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