Lionel Messi reached 699 career goals after he netted one for Barcelona in their 2-0 win vs. Leganes.
Messi scored Barcelona’s second goal, a well placed penalty kick at the first match back at the Camp Nou since La Liga resumed. The Argentina and Barcelona captain earned his team a penalty following a run only Messi could do. The number 10 received the ball in midfield and dribbled his way through the Leganes team before being taken down in the penalty area.
He has scored 629 goals in 720 games for Barcelona and 70 goals in 138 matches for Argentina.
Lionel Messi’s dazzling run before winning the penalty.
Argentina put on a masterclass of a performance on this day in 2006 when they won 6-0 vs. Serbia & Montenegro at the World Cup.
The best team goal scored at that World Cup and arguably of any World Cup, Jose Pekerman’s team completely put behind them their 2002 demons and played some of the best football you will ever see.
Maxi Rodriguez scored twice and in between them Esteban Cambiasso was at the end of a 24 pass goal, all this in the first half. The second half saw Lionel Messi and Carlos Tevez making their World Cups debuts.
Messi would assist Hernan Crespo for his goal off a quick Riquelme free kick. Carlos Tevez would dribble into the Serbia & Montenegro penalty area and slot one in for Argentina’s fifth of the match.
Lionel Messi would score his first ever World Cup goal, assisted by Carlos Tevez. A right footed finish would seal the win as Argentina would score 6 in one match.
This was the starting eleven:
Roberto Abbondanzieri, Juan Pablo Sorin, Gabriel Heinze, Roberto Ayala, Nicolas Burdisso, Luis Gonzalez, Javier Mascherano, Maxi Rodriguez, Juan Roman Riquelme, Hernan Crespo, Javier Saviola
On this day in 2014, Lionel Messi scored for Argentina in their 2-1 win vs. Bosnia-Herzegovina at the World Cup.
Argentina were looking to put behind them their humiliating exit four years earlier when they lost 4-0 to Germany in the quarter finals. Lionel Messi didn’t manage a single goal on African soil and the team was poorly managed in comparison to Alejandro Sabella’s squad in Brazil.
In Argentina’s opening group game, it was against Bosnia-Heezegovina and the two time South American champions had a star studded attack. Lionel Messi, Sergio Aguero, Gonzalo Higuain and Angel Di Maria formed the fantastic four with the likes of Ezequiel Lavezzi, Maxi Rodriguez and Rodrigo Palacio as choices off the bench.
Alejandro Sabella went with a five man back line to start the match, one which surprised many Argentina fans. Hugo Campagnaro started the match to complete the back five. Here was the starting eleven:
Marcos Rojo; Federico Fernandez, Hugo Campagnaro, Ezequiel Garay, Pablo Zabaleta; Angel Di Maria, Javier Mascherano, Maxi Rodriguez; Sergio Aguero, Lionel Messi
It would take just three minutes for Alejandro Sabella’s team to take the lead. Sergio Aguero would get fouled and Lionel Messi would take the free kick. The ball would land onto Kolasinac and it would go into the net as an own goal. Argentina would go into half time with a 1-0 lead.
Gonzalo Higuain would come on for Maxi Rodriguez and Fernando Gago for Hugo Campagnaro at half time.
Lionel Messi would finally score his first World Cup goal in nearly 8 years to the day. Messi would play a one-two with Gonzalo Higuain and the ball would get back to the Argentina captain. Two Bosnia-Herzegovina players would tumble on top of each other, Messi’s left footed shot would hit the post and go in. His bad luck from four years earlier had been erased.
The Maracana exploded. Lionel Messi had arrived. Argentina had arrived. The fans became more into the match, Angel Di Maria was doing his flicks and tricks and Argentina played with more confidence.
Lucas Biglia would come on for Sergio Aguero.
Romero would let one goal near the end of the match but Argentina were able to maintain their advantage and get the 2-1 win.
Nicolas Tagliafico spoke about the Argentina national team at the 2018 World Cup while also discussing his time with Ajax.
Tagliafico has been one of the world’s best left backs and has been linked with a to Barcelona and Chelsea. Speaking in an interview with 94.7 FM, here’s what the 27 year old had to say about the team at the 2018 World Cup:
“The Argentina national team is always a candidate but I don’t know if we would have been champions. We didn’t come fully prepared, we were missing some details to correct. There were tactical doubts and football doubts in the team. There were a lot of changes and there was negativity outside of the group.
“I tried to enjoy every moment, including the bad ones. It’s a memory I will have with me my entire life even if it wasn’t how we wanted it to go.”
About his time with Ajax:
“We placed the bar very high in the last Champions League. The club was back in Europe and now they looked at us differently. At Ajax, I learned a lot about their customs, their school is one of offensive football. They’re looking to score goals, not to defend.”
Argentina coach Lionel Scaloni commented on the possibility of Lionel Messi and Lautaro Martinez playing together at Barcelona.
Lautaro Martinez has been rumored to join Barcelona for a few months and the current coach of the Argentina national team mentioned that it would be good for the team. Speaking in an interview with TNT Sports, here’s what Scaloni had to say:
“The more Argentine’s that play together at the same club, the better it is for us because they would know each other more and it would really benefit us a lot because with the Argentina national team, we don’t have that much time to work with them.
“It would be really positive for Messi and Lautaro to be in the same team. Either way, it won’t be easy because Inter and Barcelona are great teams and are equal in the hierarchy in Europe. But if they play together, it’s much better because they’d accumulate more minutes.”
