Kevin Darmawan

People judge us with decisions we made but they don't know the options we had.

[Kevin Darmawan @kade_27]

@FabrizioRomano 🤯

[Kevin Darmawan @kade_27]

@NealGardner_ The comment section 😂🔥🔥

[Football Talent Scout - Jacek Kulig @FTalentScout]

Xavi Espart won 10 of his 14 duels against Elche - more than any other player on the pitch.

And had an assist.

All that while playing as a left-back, not even his secondary position.

Such an intelligent, high-quality, and versatile player.

La Masia did it again. 🔵🔴

[Fabrizio Romano @FabrizioRomano]

🚨🔵🔴 EXCLUSIVE: RODRI TO BARCELONA, HERE WE GO! 💥

Deal agreed for Spanish midfielder to join Barça from Man City, all done for the former Ballon d’Or.

Green light from Man City to last Barcelona bid.

More follows. 💣

[FC Barcelona @FCBarcelona]

Your FC Barcelona World Champions. 🏆

📸 @FIFAWorldCup

[Neal 🇦🇺 @NealGardner_]

Whatever happens in the final, the narratives tonight are beautiful for Barça fans lol.

[Fabrizio Romano @FabrizioRomano]

🚨💣 EXCLUSIVE: Barcelona agree deal to sign Karim Adeyemi, HERE WE GO! 🔵🔴

Deal agreed club to club for €22m plus €7m add-ons based on title winning and also appearances.

Adeyemi only wanted Barça and will sign a five year deal in blaugrana. 💥🇩🇪

[Extra Time Indonesia @idextratime]

Sebuah perbedaan

🇦🇷🐐 We, we, this group, we

vs

🇵🇹🐫 I, I, I, me, I

[Neal 🇦🇺 @NealGardner_]

On Argentina: this side absolutely has its flaws, many of them, but they’re certified winners, especially when faced with adversity.

Thinking back to the sheer amount of times they’ve beaten the odds under Scaloni - from winning that first Copa America vs Brazil, to winning the World Cup after a matchday 1 defeat against Saudi, to everything we’ve seen at this World Cup.

There’s a ‘dog’ in them not many have. And when it comes down to simply putting their head down and grinding out results, no one does it better.

[Sage @Sage_FCB]

Roy Keane blast Hossam Hassan's(Egypt's Manager) on claim that Argentina were favoured because of World Cup marketing:

🗣️ "That's the sort of excuse you expect from supporters after a bad night, not from a national team manager. If your team throws away a 2–0 lead late in the game, the first place you should be looking is in the mirror.

Every time Messi wins, people start talking about conspiracies instead of football. It's lazy. Accept the defeat, analyse what went wrong, and improve your team.

Blaming referees and claiming the tournament is a marketing scheme doesn't change the fact that your side couldn't see the game out. That's not the mentality a national team manager should have. Leaders take responsibility,they don't look for excuses."

[Barça 1899 Stats @barca1899stats]

Looking back, my biggest criticism is that Cristiano repeatedly changed the standards whenever Messi matched or surpassed him.
When Ballon d'Ors mattered, Messi won more. When Golden Boots became the preferred argument because they were "not voted on," Messi responded by winning three consecutive European Golden Boots and eventually finished ahead overall (6-4). When Cristiano desperately wanted to reach six Ballon d'Ors after they were tied at five each, Messi went on to win eight. Every new benchmark that was presented by media as the deciding factor somehow ended up favoring Messi in the long run.

The years after Argentina's losses in multiple international finals also became filled with criticism directed at Messi. Then everything changed. Messi won three consecutive major international trophies with Argentina and was named the best player in two of those tournaments.

The biggest difference between the two, in my opinion, is that Messi always looked like someone who's greatest dream was winning something meaningful for Argentina. Individual awards seemed secondary. He wanted the World Cup because of what it meant for his country and not as individual glory.

Cristiano, on the other hand, has always openly emphasized individual achievements and records alongside team success. There's nothing wrong with ambition, but I've always felt that personal recognition played a much bigger role in his mindset. That's why, for me, Messi's World Cup triumph felt like the perfect ending to his international career.

After watching both players throughout almost two decades, not through highlight videos, but week after week, I have no doubt that Messi is the greatest footballer I've ever seen. Cristiano Ronaldo belongs among football's all-time legends. His goals, longevity and achievements guarantee that.

But when it comes to complete football ability, goals, playmaking, vision, dribbling, creativity, decision-making and overall influence on matches, Lionel Messi stands alone and its never close.

[Kevin Darmawan @kade_27]

@TheHateCentral 🤣🤣🤣

[Appie Culé @appiecule]

I’m going to take my time with this one. If you’re busy, save this post and read it later. If you’re a night owl like me, this is a good late-night read.

Do you know the worst thing about Cristiano Ronaldo?

It’s that he set the standards for what defines a legend… and in the end, he couldn’t even live up to the standards he created himself.

After winning Euro 2016, Ronaldo said:

“You can’t become a legend until you win a trophy with your national team.”

It was an obvious dig at Messi.

Argentina had just lost the 2014 World Cup final to Germany, and Messi was going through the toughest period of his international career. Those words only added fuel to the fire.

Where was the respect for a rival, Ronaldo?

The surprising part was that social media completely embraced that narrative. Messi was labeled a bottler, while Ronaldo was declared the winner of the rivalry—at least in the media, not on the pitch.

Then Messi retired from international football, came back, won the Copa América, and suddenly they were level in major international trophies.

What happened next?

Ronaldo fans started saying that one Euro is worth more than a hundred Copa Américas, claiming there was no competition in South America. Not true—but that became the excuse.

Then Messi went on to win the World Cup.

This time, the excuses changed again.

They claimed FIFA had fixed the tournament for Messi. That the World Cup was scripted in his favor. They simply didn’t know what else to say.

Then Ronaldo himself came out with one of the strangest quotes imaginable:

“A legend’s career can’t be defined by just seven games.”

At first glance, it sounds reasonable.

But beneath it was another attempt to diminish what Messi had achieved.

Before the World Cup, they insisted it would be Ronaldo’s tournament. On paper, Portugal had a fantastic squad. If the manager couldn’t get the best out of them, that’s Portugal’s problem—not Ronaldo’s.

Yet that same Portugal squad wasn’t any weaker than the Argentina team Messi led to the 2014 World Cup final—the same team people mocked Messi for not carrying to the title.

Just a couple of days ago, Ronaldo said:

“The World Cup doesn’t define my career, whether I win it or not.”

A statement that directly contradicts what he had said years earlier, when he admitted that winning the World Cup would make him feel completely fulfilled.

Now you’re 41 years old, Cristiano.

By your own standards:

* You have 5 Ballon d’Ors, not 8.
* You have one European Championship, not two Copa América titles.
* You never won the World Cup.
* You have four European Golden Shoes, while Messi has six—even though you’re an out-and-out striker.

So what now?

Will you keep playing until the next World Cup and become the first player to appear in one at 45, hoping to finally win it?

If we judged you by the standards you created, you wouldn’t qualify as a legend.

Of course, nobody actually judges you that way. Everyone still recognizes you as one of football’s greatest legends.

The real mistake was comparing Ronaldo to Messi in the first place.

That rivalry was exaggerated from the beginning by the media and figures like José Mourinho.

Messi conquered every major trophy available to him, shattered records that once seemed untouchable, and at 39 years old he’s still competing with Kylian Mbappé and Erling Haaland—the stars of the next generation—for the Golden Boot. And honestly, he could still win it.

What made Messi beloved by so many fans is that he never tried to diminish Ronaldo’s achievements.

Ronaldo, on the other hand, repeatedly made comments that many interpreted as attempts to downplay his greatest rival’s accomplishments—and that’s never an admirable trait.

Cristiano helped create a generation that thinks belittling other people’s achievements while constantly glorifying your own is a way to establish dominance.

Good bye. Ronaldo.

[Neal 🇦🇺 @NealGardner_]

We’re a not far off this fella saying the AFC Champions League is as good as the UEFA Champions League.

[Kevin Darmawan @kade_27]

@NealGardner_ Its basically tuchel' haramball vs mexico' cross and inshallah ball

[Neal 🇦🇺 @NealGardner_]

I believe this is a great illustration as to why Ferran Torres is so wildly inconsistent. He’s just such a confidence player, and the moment things go wrong, it’s very obvious that it REALLY gets to him.

Trust me, part of what makes the best *the best* is their abilty to compartmentalise the negatives and back themselves unrelentingly. You cannot be truly elite without learning how to fail.

[Kevin Darmawan @kade_27]

@TrollFootball 😂😂😂😂😂

[Fabrizio Romano @FabrizioRomano]

🚨💣 BREAKING: Anthony Gordon to Barcelona, here we go! Official bid accepted now by Newcastle board and Saudi owners.

€70m fixed fee plus add-ons to bring final package over €80m for #NUFC.

Gordon set to travel this week for medical and contract signing at FCB. 🔵🔴✈️

[Neal 🇦🇺 @NealGardner_]

Look at this man, beautiful. Just a few months ago, it felt almost impossible that Gavi would make it to the World Cup.

But if anyone could bounce back against the odds and do the unthinkable, it’s him.

I’m incredibly happy for the lad!!!