Barcelona midfielder Frenkie de Jong has revealed that he does have the occasional conversation with captain Lionel Messi outside of the playing field. The Argentine has been in splendid form for the Blaugrana for yet another season and he recently scored a quadruple during the 5-0 drubbing of Eibar at the Camp Nou.
Former Argentina international Pablo Sorin has described Lionel Messi as an alien and feels the Barcelona star deserves to win a trophy with the national side before stepping down from the game. The 32-year-old has won numerous accolades with the Blaugrana at the club level and he recently secured a sixth Ballon d’Or crown for his consistent performances through the 2018/19 season.
Despite the laurels, Messi has not achieved any silverware success with Argentina with the best result being the country’s run to the 2014 final where they lost to Germany in added extra-time. Time is certainly running out for the South American star to win something at the international level but Sorin remains hopeful that the once La Masia graduate can win something big with his nation.
Very few players in this world have had the privilege of playing with Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo. However, Carlos Tevez is one among them. The Argentine forward played with Ronaldo during his days at Manchester United, while he has been a teammate of Messi at international level. Hence, he has had the experience of seeing both individuals from close up and providing a proper comparison. The insight provided by Tevez reveals two different personalities who have been able to achieve top levels due to different reasons.
Boca Juniors were outplayed in the Super clasico game with River Plate in the Copa Liberta dores. This was a surprise outcome considering that Boca Juniors came into the game with hope of reaching the final of the Copa Libertadores but this defeat has made everyone sit up and take notice. The two teams had played out a stubborn goalless draw in the league only in the first week of September. Hence, the expectation was for a dull encounter at the Estadio Monumental Antonio Vespucio Liberti. However, Rafael Borre was able to provide the opener after just seven minutes while Ignacio Fernandez doubled the advantage for the hosts in the second-half.
Manchester City legend Shaun Goater believes Gabriel Jesus has the quality to match the exploits of Sergio Aguero this season. The Brazil international has often played as the back-up striker behind Aguero and that has remained the change during the current campaign with the Argentine once more favoured for a starting role in the Premier League.
Manchester City legend Shaun Goater believes Gabriel Jesus has the quality to match the exploits of Sergio Aguero this season. The Brazil international has often played as the back-up striker behind Aguero and that has remained the change during the current campaign with the Argentine once more favoured for a starting role in the Premier League.
BeIN Sports pundit Gianfranco Zola has recalled the crazy incident last season where Kepa Arrizabalaga refused to be substituted during the League Cup final against Manchester City. The Spaniard was asked to come off the field to be replaced with Willy Caballero before the penalty shoot-out but he declined to do so much to the frustration of manager Maurizio Sarri and assistant Zola.
Manchester United legend Dimitar Berbatov is doubtful whether Paulo Dybala can succeed in the Premier League. The Argentina international has been fancied to join the Red Devils in a swap agreement involving Romelu Lukaku but so far, he has yet to agree to personal terms with the Old Trafford outfit.
Speaking to TalkSPORT, Berbatov said that he is an admirer of Dybala, who has excelled in the Serie A with his technical ability. However, he is concerned whether the Argentine can adapt to the physical demands of the Premier League with his small stature, he told: “I am a fan of Dybala. You can see his football intelligence.
BeIN Sports pundit Gianfranco Zola has recalled the crazy incident last season where Kepa Arrizabalaga refused to be substituted during the League Cup final against Manchester City. The Spaniard was asked to come off the field to be replaced with Willy Caballero before the penalty shoot-out but he declined to do so much to the frustration of manager Maurizio Sarri and assistant Zola.
When asked to recall on the incident, Zola acknowledged that he was surprised with the reaction from the goalkeeper, who was deemed to be carrying a minor injury, he said: "We were going to make the change, he explained. It wasn’t pre-arranged but we saw the day before he was injured, so we thought it was the injury coming back and we saw an opportunity because Caballero knows the Manchester City players so he can also be a good thing; simple as that. It was obviously not an easy situation to deal with. We could not believe it, we were speechless, we kept telling him to come off but he didn’t come."
Argentine legend Javier Zanetti has predicted a bright future ahead for Lautaro Martinez, who has recently become a regular feature with the national team. The 21-year-old was a regular starter for the nation during the recent Copa America tournament where he contributed two goals from four appearances.
In a report covered by ESPN, Zanetti said that he was impressed with the performances of Martinez at the Copa America and believes the 21-year-old could evolve into a crucial figure for the country in years to come, he told: “I liked the Copa America that Lautaro had. Let’s not forget that he’s still only 21 years old and we are talking about an Argentina future which involves Lautaro and other kids who did really well. We get the feeling that we have a positive future.”