Sunday, November 17, 2024

Messi refuses to accept Copa America best player award

After initial speculation on Sunday morning’s broadcast, reports from Argentina suggest that the Copa America’s best player of the tournament award was removed from the stage and not awarded after Messi turned it down following his country’s penalty shootout defeat to Chile. There was criticism and cynicism after Messi won the Golden Ball at the ... Read more

What good will Messi do?

As Lionel Messi and his Argentina team amble back into the daily drudgery of club football they leave behind in their wake an adoring crowd of Bangladeshi supporters hopeful for another visit of football’s most famous star. If Messi had even had half an ear open during most of the game on Tuesday, he would ... Read more

Messi, Mikel bid bye

Nazia of Banani could not believe her own eyes as she met Lionel Messi in person on Tuesday night at the Ruposhi Bangla hotel’s lobby. The Argentina captain, who is usually very shy, was in jovial and friendly mood after he guided his side to victory over Nigeria. Some twenty to twenty-five fans, mostly young, ... Read more

Messi rocks big bowl

Lionel Messi dazzled in an otherwise under-whelming Argentina performance which still proved enough to negotiate an ultimately comfortable 3-1 victory over Nigeria in their international friendly match held at the Bangabandhu National Stadium (BNS) in Dhaka yesterday. Real Madrid striker Gonzalo Higuain claimed two of the goals, at least one of which was

Messi says…

“Se grande problemo.” Lionel Messi uttered the phrase on way to his room after having lunch on the ground floor at the Ruposhi Bangla Hotel yesterday as the enthusiastic fans, photographers and cameramen gathered to capture his photo whenever he is seen in the lobby. The sensational Messi’s conversation with his teammates was interpreted by ... Read more

Messi! Messi!! Messi!!!

Fans, players and organisers alike were awestruck by the sight of the inimitableLionel Messi as the two-time world player of the year set foot on Bangladeshi soil with his Argentina team on Monday. The magical marksman was received with more than a dozen garlands at the Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport as he made his way ... Read more

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

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