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‘Formula 1’s Lionel Messi?’ Williams F1 Rookie Franco Colapinto Reacts To Comparison With Football Icon

admin — Fri, 30 Aug 2024 11:26:22 +0000

File image of Lionel Messi (left) and Franco Colapinto (right)© X (Twitter)

Rookie Franco Colapinto on Thursday brushed off talk of him being Formula One’s Lionel Messi as he prepares for his debut at the Italian Grand Prix. Colapinto will become the first Argentine driver to compete in F1 in over two decades this weekend in Monza after replacing struggling Logan Sargeant for Williams. His appointment delighted fans of the sport back home, but asked whether he felt like football icon Messi before the last World Cup, Colapinto said such talk was “crazy”.

“It’s very difficult to feel as Lionel Messi, I don’t know how it is to feel that,” Colapinto told reporters.

“But sometimes I see that they compare me and I’m like, you guys are crazy, like Messi is God, it’s like you cannot, how are you comparing me?”

Colapinto hasn’t set high expectations for his debut with Williams, who have a paltry four points in the F1 constructors’ championship.

“I am not expecting much… I just want to go step by step, I want to focus on myself,” he added.

“That’s the main thing I think. To be able to be focused on my job. To be able to do what the team expects. And I am, to be honest, more than sure that I can do it.”

The action gets underway at Monza on Friday with the first two of the weekend’s three practice sessions.

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Crew Ousts Lionel Messi-Less Defending Champ Inter Miami In Leagues Cup

admin — Wed, 14 Aug 2024 04:30:33 +0000

Diego Rossi’s two second-half goals launched the reigning MLS champion Columbus Crew over defending champion Inter Miami 3-2 to reach the Leagues Cup quarter-finals on Tuesday. The Uruguayan forward lifted the host Crew level in the 69th minute and netted the decider in the 80th to dethrone Miami, this season’s overall MLS season leader. Miami star Lionel Messi did not play, as he was still sidelined with a right ankle injury suffered a month ago in Argentina’s Copa America final win over Colombia.

With the victory, the Crew will play host to a Saturday quarter-final against New York City, who won 2-1 over Tigres.

Paraguayan midfielder Matias Rojas gave Inter Miami a 1-0 lead in the 10th minute and compatriot Diego Gomez doubled the margin with a goal in the 62nd before US striker Christian Ramirez answered for the Crew in the 67th, setting the stage for Rossi’s winning brace.

The tournament features MLS and Liga MX Mexican sides, with Messi leading Miami to last year’s inaugural crown shortly after arriving in Florida.

New York City rallied to reach the last eight.

Argentine midfielder Guido Pizarro, the Tigres captain, opened the scoring with a header in the 18th minute but New York City netted the equalizer in the 20th through another Argentine midfielder, Maxi Moralez.

Uruguayan Santiago Rodriguez scored the final goal in the 65th minute from the left side on a left-footed shot inside the far post to give NYCFC the victory.

In Cincinnati, Tai Baribo’s two goals lifted the Philadelphia Union to a 4-2 triumph over the hosts.

Philadelphia grabbed a 2-0 lead on goals by Danish forward Mikael Uhre in the 51st minute and Israeli striker Baribo in the 61st.

Czech midfielder Pavel Bucha answered for Cincinnati in the 66th minute and US defender DeAndre Yedlin netted an equalizer for the hosts in the 80th minute.

The Union responded on goals by Baribo in the 82nd and US substitute Quinn Sullivan in the 84th.

Mazatlan advances

Next up for Philadelphia will be a home quarter-final on Saturday against Mazatlan, which defeated Cruz Azul on penalties after playing to a 2-2 draw in Washington.

Mazatlan grabbed a 2-0 half-time lead on goals by Bryan Colula in the 40th minute and Panamanian midfielder Edgar Barcenas in the first minute of stoppage time.

Cruz Azul fell to 10 men in the fourth minute of the second half when Argentine defender Gonzalo Piovi was shown a red card.

Cruz Azul, however, was far from done as Uriel Antuna scored in the 84th minute and Colombia defender Willer Ditta added an equalizer in the opening seconds of stoppage time.

In penalties, Antuna, Ditta and Giorgos Giakoumakis failed to convert and Mazatlan won 3-1 to advance.

In later quarter-finals on Tuesday, Toluca was at Colorado with the winner set to face Mexican champions Club America or St. Louis in the quarter-finals.

San Jose was also at Los Angeles FC with the winner set to visit Seattle on Saturday.

All-time French goals leader Olivier Giroud is available for LAFC for the first time since the 37-year-old striker’s move from AC Milan in May.

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Lionel Messi Turns 37: Staggering Records, Accomplishments Of Argentinean Football Star

admin — Mon, 24 Jun 2024 07:53:11 +0000

The legendary Argentine footballer Lionel Messi, often called the ‘greatest footballer of all time’, celebrates his 37th birthday on Monday. Messi born in Rosario, Argentina, in 1987, recently, won his eighth Ballon d’Or, setting a new record. The next player is the Portuguese icon Cristiano Ronaldo, who has won five Ballon d’Or awards. At the age of 13, Messi’s family along with him shifted to Barcelona where the club assisted him in treating his growth hormone deficiency. The Argentinean began his career with FC Barcelona’s U14 squad. He moved up the ranks fast, leaving an impression on everyone with his extraordinary talent and skills.

He made his club debut as a senior at the age of 17 against Espanyol, and the Blaugranas (another name for FC Barcelona) relied heavily on him. The 37-year-old became the team’s youngest star to appear in the competition at the time.

Messi played for the Spanish club for 17 years, during which time he won 10 La Liga titles, 4 Champions League crowns, and 7 Copa del Rey medals. He has scored an astounding 474 goals in La Liga, making him the league’s all-time top scorer.

Messi stunned the whole world when he emulated Diego Maradona’s goal of the century in 2007. In a match against Getafe at Camp Nou during the first leg of the Copa del Rey semifinal, the footballer dribbled past six Getage’s defenders to score the goal.

In 2009, Messi won his maiden UEFA Champions League title. Barcelona defeated Manchester United in the final with a scoreline of 2-0. In the final, the Argentina national football team skipper scored a goal in this match through a header.

In a 3-0 victory for Barcelona over Real Valladolid in 2020, Lionel Messi scored his 644th goal. Messi broke the record for most goals scored for a single club by doing this. Pele, a legendary Brazilian who scored 643 goals for Santos FC, owned the previous record.

The Argentinean national player joined the French 1 League club Paris Saint-Germain and played for the club from 2021-2023. He played a total of 58 games where he managed to score 22 goals for the side.

In 2023, Messi joined the David Beckham-owned Inter Miami. So far he has played 18 matches where he has gone on to score 13 goals.

August 2005 was Messi’s first international appearance. He replaced an injured player against Hungary. However, his tragic international debut was short-lived as he was sent off minutes after hitting Vilmos Vanczak.

During the Beijing Olympics in 2008, Messi’s team, Argentina, took home the gold medal. To help La Albiceleste (another name for Argentina) win their second consecutive Olympic gold, Messi set up the game-winning goal. In the final, they defeated Nigeria 1-0.

In the 2021 Copa America final, Argentina defeated Brazil 1-0 while playing at the Maracana Stadium. With this win, Messi’s lengthy quest for his first significant international championship came to a conclusion.

The FIFA World Cup trophy that Lionel Messi won in Qatar in 2022 was the highlight of his career. In the championship match, Messi scored twice against France. After a 36-year break, Argentina became the world champions via penalty shootout.

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Lionel Messi And Inter Miami Eliminated From MLS Playoff Contention

admin — Sun, 08 Oct 2023 04:00:17 +0000

There will be no Hollywood ending to Lionel Messi‘s first season in Major League Soccer after his Inter Miami team were eliminated from contention for the playoffs after a 1-0 defeat at home to FC Cincinnati on Saturday. DC United also missed out on a spot in the post-season and immediately announced that their English manager, former Manchester United star Wayne Rooney, was leaving his post by “mutual agreement”. Messi returned from injury as a substitute in the 55th minute but Cincinnati, who have earned top seed in the playoffs, grabbed the win with a goal from Argentine Alvaro Barreal.

Messi made little impact on the field and although he had two free-kick opportunities within his shooting range, both his efforts sailed harmlessly wide.

“I could see that he was lacking football (game time),” said Miami head coach Gerardo Martino.

“The injury is fine, he doesn’t have any problems, but (his performance was) logical because in recent times he has played very little and it could happen that he is lacking in rhythm, which is also why he only played 32 or 33 minutes,” he added.

With other results going against Miami, Messi’s side were left next to bottom of the Eastern Conference, seven points off the last playoff spot with just two games remaining.

Messi had played just 37 minutes for his club since September 3, having returned with an injury from international duty with Argentina last month.

Without him Miami struggled, paying the price for their successful run to the Leagues Cup title in August when Messi lit up the tournament and collected his first trophy since joining the club in July.

Saturday’s loss was the second straight for Miami following their 4-1 crushing at Chicago on Wednesday and Martino’s team have won just once in their last six MLS games.

Messi had played in the only win in that stretch, coming off in the first half of their 4-0 win over bottom club Toronto.

After the Leagues Cup triumph in Nashville on August 19, there was talk of Miami adding two more trophies this season but, without Messi, they lost their US Open Cup final to Houston and then faded out of contention in the league.

“Honestly, I expected the season to be exactly the opposite of what happened,” said Martino, who took over just before Messi’s arrival.

“My expectations were to put the group together, shape it football-wise, not transcend too much in the Leagues Cup, compete well in the Cup (US Open Cup) and qualify for the playoffs, but it was exactly the opposite as it usually happens when a coach thinks something,” he said.

“Out of three possible tournaments we have won one, it is a very important fact for us because the league has 28 other teams. Houston and we won, whoever wins the league will be the third winner and there will be 25 others who will not have won. From that point of view, we’re happy,” he said.

Miami’s final two games are both against Charlotte with the last on the road on October 21. It remains to be see if Messi, who has been called up for Argentina’s upcoming World Cup qualifiers, will feature.

Rooney exits

Rooney’s DC United failed to quality despite beating New York City FC 2-0 in their final game of the season and within minutes the former Manchester United forward’s exit was announced.

“It’s the right time. I’ve done everything I can to get this club into the playoffs. It’s not a single thing that’s happened. It’s about timing,” said Rooney.

In the Western Conference, five-times MLS champions Los Angeles Galaxy failed to make the playoffs after a 5-2 defeat to Minnesota United.

Finnish striker Teemu Pukki scored four second half goals for Minnesota who had fired their English coach Adrian Heath on Friday.

Austin, beaten by Los Angeles FC in the Western Conference final last year, suffered another disappointment at the hands of LAFC with their 4-2 loss at home to the champions ending their post-season hopes.

Gabon international Denis Bouanga scored twice for LAFC to move clear as the league’s leading scorer with 19 goals.

US Open Cup winners Houston boosted their hopes of a top-four finish and home field advantage in the first round of the playoffs with Nelson Quinones grabbing a brace in a 5-1 thrashing of Colorado.

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Lionel Messi Could Return As Inter Miami Enter Major League Soccer’s Last Chance Saloon

admin — Sat, 07 Oct 2023 04:57:08 +0000

Lionel Messi could make his return to Major League Soccer action on Saturday with the Argentine hoping to give a boost to Inter Miami’s flagging playoff hopes. Messi has played just 37 minutes for his club since September 3 having returned with an injury from international duty with Argentina last month. His absence has been sorely felt, with Miami winless in their last three league games and losing the US Open Cup final to Houston. Miami crashed to a 4-1 defeat to Chicago on Wednesday without the seven-times Ballon d’Or winner but the following day he was named in Argentina’s squad for their upcoming South American World Cup qualifiers.

That prompted speculation that he might be in contention to face Eastern Conference leaders Cincinnati on Saturday and the optimism increased after he trained on Thursday and Friday.

But in keeping with the club’s approach throughout the injury saga, there was no clue from assistant coach Javier Morales about whether Messi would start.

“It’s more of the same. We have to evaluate him day by day. He trained yesterday, he will train today, and afterwards we will surely make a decision. But every day he is doing better,” he told reporters.

If Miami are to achieve what is now an unlikely goal of extending their season into the playoffs, they will surely need Messi to be on the field.

Gerardo Martino’s side are next to bottom of the Eastern Conference, five points behind the last playoff spot, ninth place, with three games remaining.

Although Miami have at least a game in hand on all but one of their rivals for that spot, their destiny is no longer in their own hands and they need other results to fall in their favor.

Cincinnati are the top ranked team in MLS having already won the Supporters’ Shield for the best regular season record and with it the top seed and home field advantage throughout the playoffs.

Having achieved their target, they rested several key players for Wednesday’s game against New York Red Bulls, suffering a 2-1 home defeat.

But with the international break coming up coach Pat Noonan will have to decide whether or not to recall his starters for the game in Fort Lauderdale.

“You have to… take what’s in the best interest of the individual player and their health so that we can go through the stretch with as many healthy bodies as possible,” he said after the Red Bulls game.

Saturday is the penultimate round of action for most teams in MLS with a few playoff spots still up for grabs and the chance for a top four finish and home field advantage in the first round of the post-season another key factor.

Two spots remain open in the East with three still to be claimed in the West.

In this season’s format, the eighth placed team in each conference will host a single game wildcard match against the ninth finisher.

The winners will then go into round one which features best of three series. The top four teams have home field advantage for the first and — if needed — third games.

Then the conference semi-finals, finals and MLS Cup itself are all single games.

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