Lionel Messi does not need to win a World Cup to be classed as one of football s greatest players, according to Gaizka Mendieta.
The Barcelona superstar is viewed as one of the most iconic players to have graced the game but international honours have so far eluded him.
Messi has secured nine LaLiga titles, lifted the Copa del Rey on six occasions and is a four-time Champions League winner since making his Barca debut in 2004.
However, with Argentina the 30-year-old has a string of runners-up medals from major tournaments including four years ago at the 2014 World Cup.
Some critics have said Messi cannot be held in the same esteem as legendary names Pele and Diego Maradona until he tastes success with his country, but Mendieta disagrees.
Speak…
Manchester United have triggered an extension clause in Eric Bailly s contract to keep the defender at the club until the end of the 2021-22 season.
Bailly, who signed for United from Villarreal in 2016 for a reported £30million fee, has made 50 Premier League appearances across three-and-a-half injury-hit campaigns.
The centre-back is yet to appear at all for Ole Gunnar Solskjaer s side this season due to a knee injury, though he is nearing a comeback after featuring for United s Under-23s on January 10.
Omnisport now understands United have taken up the option to extend the 25-year-old s deal, which had been set to expire at the end of the campaign.
While Bailly will be staying put, United have allowed Ashley Young – who has been replaced by Harry Ma…
Verdict: Both teams to score – yes
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Hornets are locking horns with Seagulls at Vicarage Road on Saturday, looking to get their season off to a flying start and send an early message of intent to doubters and critics who believe Watford are destined for a drop.
Watford
Watford are preparing for what’s become their fourth consecutive campaign in the top flight of English football. Expectations are high within the camp as Watford head into the new season with the same manager who ended the last one. Javi Garcia is a rare anomaly at Watford who munched a great number of different tacticians since their return to the Premier League in 2015.
Garcia is hoping to bring further stability and consistency despite enduring a diffi…
Market: Fulham half-time/full-time
Odds: 7/4 @
Hoping to extend their buffer at the top of the Championship table this weekend, Fulham will welcome Blackpool to Craven Cottage on Saturday afternoon.
Starting with the hosts, while Fulham might have endured a tricky run of form when drawing a close to 2021, the Cottagers have really bounced back since opening the New Year. Putting in an action-packed display last weekend as they grabbed a 3-2 win away at Stoke, Marco Silva has been filled with praise for his side s recent performances. Tipped as a landslide pick to book an immediate Premier League return this season, the one-time Everton boss finds his side enjoying a five-match winning run across all formats. In fact, including back-to-back 6-2 victories against …
Real Madrid president Florentino Perez dreams of seeing the club s basketball team playing in the NBA.
Madrid are one of the dominant forces in European basketball, winning a record 10 EuroLeague titles. Their most recent success was in the 2017-2018 season, while they were losing semi-finalists earlier this year.
They have also won the Spanish league four years out of the last five, with Perez suggesting Madrid s players deserve to test themselves against the best by joining the Eastern Conference.
In basketball we play many insignificant games, Perez said. It s better to play less, but better.
We have explored the option of a European League and I have the dream of seeing Madrid in the NBA.
I have asked us to be included in the Eastern Con…
Zlatan Ibrahimovic has urged his Milan team-mate Rafael Leao to reject interest from other clubs and stay at San Siro in order to realise his scary potential.
Leao played a key role as Milan ended an 11-year wait to win the Scudetto last term, while no other Rossoneri player can match his tallies of six goals and four assists in Serie A this season.
The winger, who scored in Portugal s World Cup wins against Ghana and Switzerland, has been linked with the likes of Real Madrid, Paris Saint-Germain and Liverpool in recent months.
However, Ibrahimovic insists Milan is the best place for Leao to develop, highlighting the strides he has made since breaking into Stefano Pioli s team.
Of course, Milan is the right environment for him, Ibrahimovic told La Gazze…
Luke Shaw felt Manchester United were not all together in their defeat to Wolves, while he suggested his side having quality is not always enough to succeed.
United saw their undefeated start under interim manager Ralf Rangnick abruptly end on Monday as Joao Moutinho, aged 35 and 117 days, became the oldest player to score a winning Premier League goal at Old Trafford in a 1-0 victory for Wolves.
The defeat leaves United four points adrift of Arsenal in the final Champions League spot after failing to score in a fourth different home league game this season, already more than they did in the whole 2020-21 campaign (three).
And Shaw bemoaned his side s performance as he questioned the team s togetherness, explaining that the quality within the camp will only get …
Napoli grabbed two goals in the last 15 minutes to secure a 2-2 draw in their Serie A clash with Genoa at the Stadio Luigi Ferraris.
Strikes from Mattia Bani and Mateo Retegui looked set to seal a memorable win for the home side against the reigning champions, who looked toothless for long periods of the game.
But substitute Giacomo Raspadori lashed home to halve the deficit on 76 minutes before Matteo Politano produced an exquisite finish from Piotr Zielinski’s lofted pass to snatch a point five minutes from time.
90+5 | finishes 2-2
— Official SSC Napoli (@en_sscnapoli)
Napoli started with none of the urgency expected of a side looking to bounce back from their first defeat of the season, to Lazio two weeks ago, and clear-cut c…
Fiorentina have demanded clarity from Dusan Vlahovic amid ongoing transfer speculation but Viola director Joe Barone reiterated that no offers have been made for the striker.
Several of Europe s biggest clubs, including Juventus, Manchester City and Arsenal, are said to be interested in the Serbia international.
Reports in Italy suggest Juve are the 21-year-old s preferred destination.
Vlahovic has scored 17 times in 21 Serie A appearances this season, finding the net every 109.5 minutes on average and outperforming his expected goals tally of 12.2.
He also ended 2021 in impressive fashion, equalling Cristiano Ronaldo s 21st-century record for the most goals in the Italian top flight in a calendar year (33), set in 2020 – only Gunnar Nordahl in 1950…
Lionel Messi is the reason behind Argentina s glory in the World Cup final against France, Alexis Mac Allister believes, as he expressed his view that the forward is the greatest player of all-time.
Messi struck twice in a six-goal thriller to become the first player to score in every round of a World Cup tournament, with Argentina emerging as victors following a penalty shoot-out.
The Paris Saint-Germain forward was announced as the Golden Ball winner after the final whistle, while his appearance gave him the honour of featuring in the most World Cup matches in history (26).
Having added a World Cup to his trophy haul, Mac Allister believes the debate around who the greatest of all time is has ended.
It s always Messi, he replied when asked by ITV what …