I’ve dreamed about it so often: Lionel Messi

He has “dreamed of it so often,” he cheers on Instagram: The Argentine superstar Lionel Messi has overtaken the Brazilian soccer legend Pele as the record goal scorer in South America. In the World Cup qualifier against Bolivia in Buenos Aires on Thursday, Messi scored all three goals and now has 79 goals for the Albiceleste. League leaders Brazil beat Peru 2-0 (2-0) in Recife

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Messi returns to bercelona for weekened

Lionel Messi, who was left out of Paris Saint-Germain’s squad for their Ligue 1 encounter against Brest on Friday, has returned to Barcelona with his family, reported Spanish outlet Mundo Deportivo.
According to the report, Messi, who has spent most of his life in Barcelona since joining the Spanish club in 2000, went back to Catalonia to spend time in his home at

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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 2014 FIFA World Cup final,

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Messi’s family attacked during Copa final

Lionel Messi’s family were reportedly attacked while watching in the stands of the Copa America final on Saturday. As the 28-year-old Barcelona winger was playing for Argentina against Chile, reports say his brother Rodrigo was hit by a fan just as the first-half was coming to an end. Chile supporters were believed to have started a verbal exchange before things got

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Messi gets all three Bangladesh votes

Both Bangladesh national team coach Saiful Bari Titu and captain Mohammad Sujan voted for Lionel Messi for the FIFA Ballon d’Or award that was announced in Zurich on Monday.
Messi won the award for the record fourth time in a row receiving 41.60 percent of the votes cast by national team coaches and captains plus selected journalists

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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 definitely have been rewarded with screams of endearment that greeted his every touch. The

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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, waited at the lobby till late in the night for

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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

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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 a police officer

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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 to the VIP lounge with a distinct smile etched on his

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“Messi, Messi”

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 reciprocated.
Messi’s run-up was smooth, his delivery perfect. Inside the area, Nicolas Otamendi almost

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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 souls who tried out every perceivable trick in the

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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 and

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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 days later, with the marquee match slotted for

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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 has already

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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 Barcelona from English football giants Chelsea

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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 a ball-boys and flag-bearers at the Bangabandhu National Stadium during the September

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