Lionel Messi put the ball down patiently, before taking three marked steps back. He wiped his brow and eyed the mass of players lined up jostling for position inside the penalty area a few yards away. He took a deep breath and around him, the ten thousand strong crowd at the Bangabandhu National Stadium all ... Read more
lionel messi
Messi mania grips Dhaka
The look of pure unadulterated joy in Mirza Ahmad’s face said it all. “Can I hug you? Can I?” he asked repeatedly to the beefy Argentinean team member who had kindly volunteered to reward Mirza’s vigil by getting superstar Lionel Messi to sign Mirza’s Argentina shirt. Mirza was the highlight of the fifty odd brave ... Read more
Messi in Dhaka
The Argentina national football team arrived in Dhaka Monday morning ahead of their international friendly against Super Eagle Nigeria scheduled for Tuesday. Led by superstar Lionel Messi, the Argentina team landed at the Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport around 11:00am, amid tight security
Match sure, all else up in the air
A lack of a decisive decision from the Celebrity Management Group (CMG), the Kolkata-based event management firm that is brokering the Argentina friendly match in Bangladesh is threatening to put the Bangladesh Football Federation (BFF) in a real mess. “At the moment the only thing that I can say is that the match between Argentina ... Read more
Messi still amiss
With only a week left for the scheduled FIFA friendly between Argentina and Nigeria in Dhaka, the football authorities here made little progress till yesterday in terms of the schedule of the two visiting high-profile teams. The Argentina team are expected to arrive here on September 3 while the Nigerians are scheduled to arrive two ... Read more
Kolkata all geared up
While it is still all very hazy here about Argentina’s arrival and their schedule thereafter, Kolkata is gearing up in full swing for the September 2 friendly between Argentina and Venezuela. Argentine football coach Alejandro Sabella and goalkeeper Estaban Andrada along with 15 officials arrived in Kolkata town yesterday morning heightening the football fever that ... Read more
Sakib can’t wait for Messi
While the entire country is gripped by the Lionel Messi fever with the arrival time of the Argentine superstar looming close, national cricket captain Sakib al Hasan is also not an exception. Sakib, currently Bangladesh’s biggest sporting icon, is a keen follower of Messi, so much so that he even recently switched his support to ... Read more
BFF ball-boys cherish the special occassion
Abu Bakar Siddique never thought he will get an opportunity to see Lionel Messi from so close let alone being involved in a game played by the Argentine superstar in some capacity. But his dream is all set to come true as Bakar, 14, is one of the 16 young footballers selected to work as ... Read more
Tight security for Messi & Co
Stringent security measures have been taken by the Bangladesh Football Federation to ensure safe stay of the Argentina and Nigeria teams in Dhaka during their September 6 FIFA friendly. Dhaka Metropolitan Police will co-ordinate the whole security programme with the help of the other related bodies like the BFF, CID, Civil Aviation, SWAT and
National footballers to welcome Messi & Co
Bangladesh national team players will receive the Argentina and Nigeria teams at the airport when they arrive in Dhaka next month for an international friendly, the Bangladesh Football Federation said on Saturday. The BFF has drawn up a detailed plan to welcome the high-profile international teams that boast some of the best known footballers, including ... Read more
Messi to lead team in Dhaka
Want-away Manchester City striker Carlos Tevez was on Friday dropped from the Argentina squad for friendly games against Venezuela and Nigeria by new coach Alejandro Sabella but magical striker Lionel Messi, Gonzalo Higuain and Sergio Aguero have been included in the friendly squads. The former world champions, to be captained by Messi, will play against ... Read more
‘Don’t compare Argentina with Barcelona,’ Messi says
It is a mistake to compare Argentina with Barcelona as the Spanish club have been working as a unit for a lot longer, Lionel Messi said on Thursday. Argentina have been pilloried by the media after drawing their opening two Copa América games before crushing Costa Rica 3-0 in their final group match, thanks largely ... Read more
Dhaka ready to welcome soccer giants Argentina and Nigeria
Dhaka is all set to welcome the titans of world soccer, the Argentinean and Nigerian national football teams, for the FIFA friendly international match to be staged on September 6, at the Bangabandhu National Stadium in Dhaka. Organised by the Bangladesh Football Federation (BFF), the match was titled ‘Beximco Football Fest’, as the country’s biggest corporate ... Read more
Deal is done to land Argentina
Bangladesh Football Federation finally signed a contract with the Celebrity Management Group (CMG) on Saturday which confirms Bangladesh as the hosts of Argentina’s friendly match against Nigeria scheduled for September 6. CMG, an Indian event management group, is the rights holder of the two matches Argentina
Messi hat-trick puts Barça 10 points clear
Lionel Messi’s brilliant hat-trick fired Barcelona to a 3-0 win over Atlético Madrid that set a record for consecutive La Liga victories of 16 and stretched their lead over Real Madrid at the top to 10 points. The Argentine World Player of the Year struck twice in 12 first-half minutes and again in the 79th ... Read more