Ricky Alvarez has decided to retire from football.

Alvarez, still only 33 years old, will retire from football at the end of this season. Currently with childhood club Velez Sarsfield, he was part of the Argentina national team squad which made the final of the 2014 World Cup. He was substituted in for Lionel Messi where he played 18 minutes.

A career full of injuries, he joined Inter from Velez where he spent four years at the club, one of which was at Sunderland on loan. After that he would go to Sampdoria before joing Atlas and going back to Velez.

He now joins Martin Demichelis, Ezequiel Garay, Hugo Campagnaro, Ezequiel Lavezzi, Maxi Rodriguez, Jose Maria Basanta, Pablo Zabaleta, Fernando Gago, Javier Mascherano and Augusto Fernandez as retired players from that 2014 Argentina team.

Lionel Messi won a record 7th Ballon d’Or on Monday.

Messi continues to break records, this time breaking one of his own. The Argentine won his and all time record 7th Ballon d’Or as he edged out Robert Lewandowski to the award.

It was Luis Suarez who presented him with the award as the two friends hugged it out om stage. Messi won the Copa del Rey with FC Barcelona while also winning the Pichichi, the award given to La Liga’s highest goalscorer that season. With the Argentina national team, Messi won the Copa America while also being the top goal scorer and the best player of the Copa America. Here is what he said during his speech:

“Today I’m here in Paris. I am very happy, really, very happy, I really want to continue to fight and reach new objectives. I don’t know how many more years but I am really enjoying myself. I thank my team-mates at Barça, Paris & Argentina”.

He also mentioned Robert Lewandowski:

“Robert, you deserve your Ballon D’Or. Last year, everyone was in agreement to say that you were the big winner of this award.”

The Argentine also thanked the Argentina national team:

“I especially want to thank the squad and the coaching staff of the Argentina national team. I was able to achieve the dream I wanted so much. In the end, it happened and this award is in large part of what we did at the Copa America. This is part of them.”

Angel Di Maria spoke about playing centrally for PSG and Lionel Messi.

Di Maria has been at PSG since 2015 and often plays on the wing for the club. However, the Argentine has also played centrally for Real Madrid. Speaking in the interview with RMC, here is what he had to say when asked if he can play centrally:

“I believe I already showed that I could play in that position. It was my best year in 2014 with Real Madrid. The coach knows that I could play therre but they’re his decisions. He is there to decide and for us to do as well as we can on the pitch, anywhere, in the middle, up front or anywhere else.

“They are questions for him, the only thing I have done since arriving at PSG is giving my maximum when I am on the pitch. For sure I love to play with the ball at my feet. In 2014, I played in the middle and I felt very good, very happy. And with quality players at PSG like Marco, Leandro or Gana, it could be done too but those are decisions for the coach.”

On if he is ready to put in the effort to play in that position:

“Yes, obviously. I want to play and always be in the starting eleven. Sometimes I am, sometimes I’m not but the important thing is to always be on top and to do your best for the coach to have another option. And after that, it’s for him to decide with his coaching staff. They decide how to organize the team and my only objective is to be 100%.”

He was also asked if Lionel Messi deserves to win the Ballon d’Or:

“Yes, I believe he does. He had an important year in his career. Winning the Copa America with his country after having so many things happen to him with the national team, he finally won it. For that alone he largely deserves it.”