Messi

The game pitted Messi against his Barcelona teammate Luis Suarez, and it looked as though the Uruguayan had gotten the better of him as he scored one goal and set up another to give his team a 2-1 lead going into injury time. read more

His withdrawal will be a major concern for Barca, particularly given this was Messi’s first start of the season after just recovering from a niggling calf injury sustained at the start of August. read more

Van Dijk had earlier triumphed over Messi and Ronaldo to win the UEFA Best Men’s Player of the year. read more

Both Ronaldo and Messi have five Ballon d’Ors each but the Juventus forward read more

After re-joining his team-mates on Wednesday, the temptation will be to put Messi straight to work, to lift the mood and minimise the chances of what would be a disastrous second slip in La Liga. read more

Cristiano Ronaldo, whose influence at Real Madrid mirrored that of Lionel Messi at Barcelona before he left for Juventus, admitted that the pair have never socialised together. read more

Barcelona have been very active in the transfer market in recent years, with Bartomeu completing three of the top six most expensive transfers ever. read more

In a niggly and fractious match on Saturday, five-time Ballon d’Or winner Messi and Chile captain Gary Medel were given their marching orders eight minutes from half-time after tangling on the goalline. read more

The 32-year-old Barcelona star, who infamously quit international football after Argentina’s defeat in the 2016 Copa America Centenario final, said he had no plans to hang up his boots after a 2-0 semi-final loss to Brazil. read more

Paris Saint Germain winger Angel Di Maria was also included but there was no place for striker Gonzalo Higuain, who is on loan at Chelsea from Juventus. read more

Klopp could only smile after Messi’s curling shot nestled in the top corner but this result was harsh on his side. read more

Messi’s second goal was the 600th of his Barca career and he reached the landmark in stunning style, majestically curling a free-kick into the top corner. read more

The Argentine star struck his league-leading 34th goal of the campaign after coming off the bench for the second half to help Barca wrap up the title with three games remaining. read more

Lionel Messi started on the bench at Mendizorrotza on Tuesday in a move that made clear just how comfortable Barca are in this title race, its conclusion surely now only a matter of when rather than if. read more

Messi, meanwhile, extends his own hefty lead as the division’s all-time top scorer, which currently stands at 89 goals, ahead of Cristiano Ronaldo. read more