🚨🏆 Cristiano Ronaldo: “I’ve won Euro 2016 and for me it has same dimension as the World Cup”.
“That remains forever. Tomorrow is a new day, and we go”.
🚨 BREAKING: Cuti Romero says that half of the team was injured during the World Cup 🤯
"We arrived at the tournament right at our LIMIT. I wouldn’t call it a miracle, but we struggled physically throughout the entire competition. Too many players came into the tournament barely fit enough to play, myself included.
"Throughout the tournament, we dealt with several injuries. Paredes had a fractured rib that nobody talks about. After the match against England, I couldn’t even train because of my tendon injury. Lisandro was in the same situation, Molina too, and Tagliafico was barely fit.
"I think Enzo was the healthiest one of us all! Even Dibu played with a broken finger.
"We gave absolutely EVERYTHING we had, right until the very last minute.”
"In the final, all conditions were against us, one less day of rest, playing at 2PM in intense heat. Obviously it was the same for both teams, I'm not making excuses. I think Spain played a great match, deserved to be champions, and that's it." @losedul
Btw, a 39 year old Lionel Messi ended up finishing 5th in the Ballon d’Or rankings, competing with the stars of today.
Not to forget his astonishing World Cup campaign.
Longetivity at its peak.
🚨🗣️ @DiarioOle: "Why Lionel Messi should be the one who wins the Ballon d'Or 👇✨
"The pain of losing a World Cup final shifted the focus of the debate when FIFA awarded Rodri the Player of the Tournament award. Argentina had surrendered their world title to an overwhelming Spain, but Messi had not lost his throne.
"The Ballon d’Or is not an award handed out by an institution, but rather the result of a vote, and that vote will say whatever it says. But looking at the candidates, Leo deserves this distinction more in 2026 than in some previous editions he won, when perhaps he could have missed out.
"Of course, the sporting achievements of players’ clubs and national teams matter, and in a World Cup year, the tournament carries enormous weight. If that were the only criterion, the debate would be limited to Messi, Lamine, and Rodri.
"Yamal looks destined to become a megastar, but that wasn’t the version we saw at the 2026 World Cup. Spain played so well that they lifted the trophy with a fairly ordinary Lamine. So would Rodri, already chosen as the best player of the World Cup, be a stronger candidate? Even though he didn’t finish the final on the pitch? Would his outstanding performance in the semifinal be enough?
"If we broaden the perspective, Mbappé maintained his remarkable goalscoring efficiency, putting up record-breaking numbers, but his overall level and influence on France’s play were a step below. Dembélé, because he won the Champions League? The World Cup outweighs the Champions League. Kane? Seriously, Kane, who was completely outplayed and effectively knocked out of the tournament by the Argentine captain?
"Of course, the shirt matters. It influences how we see things from this side of the world. Perhaps it’s simply the desire to keep seeing Messi on his eternal pedestal. Maybe there are thousands of more “scientific” and less emotional reasons than those presented in this column.
"But that is precisely what football is about. It’s what the game makes us feel beyond the result. That infectious energy, that hat-trick, those tears, that amateur spirit, that self-assist, that superhero cape he put on to turn around a story that seemed destined to go wrong, time and time and time again. That cross with his supposedly “weaker” foot.
"That amateur spirit captured in his tears, in that clenched fist, in that impossible cross from a 39-year-old kid who should be collecting his ninth Ballon d’Or in London."
Felicitats, Leo Messi, pel Premi Princesa d’Astúries dels Esports 2026
Un reconeixement ben merescut al teu talent extraordinari que ha deixat una empremta inesborrable dins i fora del camp, convertint-te en un referent mundial del futbol per la teva excel·lència, el teu compromís amb l’esport i la teva solidaritat.
Una trajectòria plena d’èxits en què el FC Barcelona ha estat una part fonamental de la teva vida i de la teva història. Un vincle inseparable que forma part del llegat del Club i del qual sempre serà un orgull que en continuïs formant part.
Felicidades, Leo Messi, por el Premio Princesa de Asturias de los Deportes 2026.
Un reconocimiento más que merecido a tu extraordinario talento, que ha dejado una huella imborrable dentro y fuera del campo, convirtiéndote en un referente mundial del fútbol por tu excelencia, tu compromiso con el deporte y tu solidaridad.
Una trayectoria llena de éxitos en la que el FC Barcelona ha sido una parte fundamental de tu vida y de tu historia. Un vínculo inseparable que forma parte del legado del Club y del que siempre será un orgullo que sigas formando parte.
Felicitaciones, capitán, por recibir el Premio Princesa de Asturias de los Deportes 2026. 🩷🔟 Tu talento hace historia. Tus valores dejan una huella que va mucho más allá del fútbol.
🐐 Lionel Messi recibió el premio Princesa de Asturias de los Deportes 2026.
🥇 Tus galardones se transforman en alegría para todos los que te admiramos 🤩
📰 https://t.co/rkE2Ziqu5K
Congratulations Leo Messi for the 2026 Princess of Asturias Award for Sports.
Richly deserved recognition for your outstanding talent, which has left a lasting impact both on and off the pitch, making you a benchmark in world football due to your excellence, commitment to sport and solidarity.
A highly successful career during which FC Barcelona was a key part of your life and story. An inseparable bond that forms part of the Club’s legacy and for which your involvement will always be a source of pride.
📸 @fpa
🚨 Pedri: "I’ve always had a soft spot for the Argentina national team because of Leo Messi.
"I’ve supported Messi since I was a kid, and whenever Spain got knocked out of a tournament, I would start supporting Argentina because of him.”
• Do you support any club in Argentina?
Pedri: “Yes, Newell’s Old Boys, because of Leo.” @DSports ❤️🇦🇷