SANJ

[MessiXtra @MessiXtraHQ]

🚨 𝗗𝗶𝗱 𝗬𝗼𝘂 𝗞𝗻𝗼𝘄: Leo Messi is the only player in history to never be eliminated in the group stage throughout his career. 🐐

[GOAT @GOA10T]

🚨🚨- 🗣️ لوكا مودريتش عن استحقاق ليونيل ميسي للكرة الذهبية في كأس العالم من فيفا:

“لا يمكن أن تقرر الفائز بالكرة الذهبية بناءً على مباراة واحدة فقط. هذا أمر محرج.

كان ميسي استثنائيًا طوال البطولة. وحتى رغم أن الأرجنتين لم تفز بكأس العالم، فإنه لا يزال يستحق الكرة الذهبية.

لقد حمل الأرجنتين على عاتقه، وصنع الفرص من لا شيء، وكان أفضل لاعب في الملعب في معظم المباريات. مباراة نهائية واحدة لا تمحو كل ما قدمه قبلها.

لقد لعبت في العديد من بطولات كأس العالم وشاهدت الكثير منها، لكن الطريقة التي يتم بها تقييم الأمر هذه المرة خاطئة تمامًا. لا يمكنك تجاهل أسابيع من التألق ثم تمنح الجائزة لشخص آخر بسبب مباراة واحدة فقط.

ميسي كان اللاعب الأبرز في هذه البطولة بفارق كبير. وإذا كان ذلك لا يكفي للفوز بالكرة الذهبية، فأنا حقًا لا أعرف ما الذي يكفي بعد الآن.” 🐐🏆

[SANJ @sanjavfc]

@Maxwell_43mk @FabrizioRomano Champions League is on a Tuesday and Wednesday. Chelsea don’t need to renew their passports this season as they won’t be going past Newcastle.

[ᜰ @markklfc]

Ronaldo Nazário on whether Lionel Messi should win the Ballon d’Or if Argentina win the 2026 FIFA World Cup.

🗣️ “Without hesitation yes. I don’t care whether he plays in Europe, South America or on the moon. The Ballon d’Or should reward the best footballer, not the league where he plays.”

“People keep saying, ‘He doesn’t play in Europe anymore.’ So what? Tell me who has been better than Lionel Messi at this World Cup. At 39 years old, he’s still dominating the biggest stage in football, deciding knockout matches and carrying Argentina to another World Cup final. That speaks louder than any domestic league.”

“If he lifts the World Cup again after everything he’s done in this tournament, I honestly don’t see how anyone else deserves the Ballon d’Or ahead of him. Football cannot ignore greatness simply because of geography.”

“The World Cup is the highest level of football. The pressure is greater than the Champions League, greater than any domestic title. Every player dreams of shining here, and Messi is once again proving why he’s different.”

“Against England, when Argentina were on the verge of elimination, who changed the game? Messi. Two extraordinary assists, complete control under pressure and another reminder that the biggest moments always belong to the biggest players.”

“The Ballon d’Or is becoming too focused on debates about leagues, statistics and narratives. Sometimes the answer is right in front of you. Watch the football. Watch the impact. Watch who decides the biggest games.”

“If Lionel Messi wins another World Cup at 39 years old after leading Argentina the way he has in this tournament, then there shouldn’t even be a debate. Give him the Ballon d’Or. If football can’t reward a player for doing something this extraordinary, then we’ve forgotten what the Ballon d’Or is supposed to represent.”

[Fabrizio Romano @FabrizioRomano]

Leo Messi’s letter to all Argentinians the night before the World Cup Final. 🩵🤍💌

“The most beautiful thing about all these years was 𝐧𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫 𝐣𝐮𝐬𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐭𝐢𝐭𝐥𝐞𝐬, 𝐛𝐮𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐫𝐞 𝐣𝐨𝐮𝐫𝐧𝐞𝐲”.

“Sharing day-to-day life with this group, competing together, picking ourselves up in the difficult moments, and 𝐞𝐧𝐣𝐨𝐲𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐲 𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐩”.

“Thanks to each one of my teammates, to the coaching staff, and to all the great people who work every day to keep this National Team as a 𝐟𝐚𝐦𝐢𝐥𝐲”.

“Whatever happens tomorrow, this group has already written 𝐚 𝐬𝐭𝐨𝐫𝐲 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐰𝐞 𝐰𝐢𝐥𝐥 𝐧𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫 𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐠𝐞𝐭 and that no one will be able to erase”.

“𝑽𝒂𝒎𝒐𝒔, 𝑨𝒓𝒈𝒆𝒏𝒕𝒊𝒏𝒂”.

[Aston Villa Statto @AVFCStatto]

Good luck to Emiliano Martinez tonight as Argentina take on Spain in the World Cup final in New Jersey❗

#AVFC

[SANJ @sanjavfc]

@FootballHQ He could go to Real/Barca and earn more. Does that mean he shouldn’t celebrate for his national team against Spain? Now that would be a lack of passion.

[FIFA World Cup @FIFAWorldCup]

Lionel Messi becomes the first player to score in seven consecutive #FIFAWorldCup games 🌟

[Roy Nemer @RoyNemer]

🗣 Lionel Scaloni on Lionel Messi: "He chose today to think about his teammates who are getting minutes rather than those numbers that so many people talk about to boost his record. That says a lot about what his teammates and the Argentina team mean to him." Via @okdobleamarilla

[IslamophobiaUK @uk_islamophobia]

Two Muslim men pulled an elderly couple and their grandson from a burning house in Leeds last Friday.

You probably didn’t hear about it.

Mohsin Qayyum. 22.
Mohammed Yusuf Iqbal. 20.

Both from Bradford.

They drove past the garden. They saw the fire. They ran straight in.

Sheila Robinson, the grandmother who was trapped inside, posted on social media:

"My family and I will be forever grateful to these young men."

Her granddaughter Kayla wrote:

"Drove past the garden, seen it, and ran straight in and made sure everyone was okay without a second thought."

Everyone got out. The house can be replaced. The family is alive.

Every outlet that covered it called them heroes.

They deserved every word.

But not one headline told you they were Muslim men.

We have seen this before.

Two weeks ago, a teacher was stabbed in the neck protecting his pupils from a knife in his Manchester classroom.

Maysum Abdullah. 27. Science teacher.

LBC named him a hero. So did the Independent, the Manchester Evening News, the Mirror, the Sun.

He ran towards the blade.

A hero in every paper. A Muslim man in none of them.

This is the pattern.

When a Muslim name appears in a crime, the faith leads the headline.

When a Muslim name appears in a rescue, it vanishes from the page.

Now look at who that erasure clears the path for.

Bradford, the same district these men come from, is now led by Reform as its largest party.

One of their candidates, Daniel Devaney, topped the poll in his ward after writing on Facebook that Muslims were "pure scum" and that he wanted to "blast [them] off the face of the earth."

He was not deselected. He was not suspended. He was elected.

They are loud about our religion when they want to call it a threat.

They are silent when that same religion sends two young men running into a fire.

The book they want to criticise is the same book that commands us to save a life.

"Whoever saves one life, it is as if he had saved all of mankind."
— Qur'an 5:32

Qayyum and Iqbal lived that verse on a Friday in Leeds.

Abdullah lived it in a Manchester classroom.

And the headlines recorded the act, but erased the faith that drove it.

When we are the suspect, our religion is the whole story.

When we are the rescuer, it is not worth a line.

Their names are Maysum Abdullah, Mohsin Qayyum, and Mohammed Yusuf Iqbal.

Muslim men.

Say both.

Sources first comment.

Report: https://t.co/D9amGp2yxO
Keep us alive: https://t.co/Z8H0Flg44Y
Substack: https://t.co/9x6sqmwMge
IG: @islamophobiauk

[SANJ @sanjavfc]

@BOOMBEEF No you can’t replace Ollie with £40m.

[SANJ @sanjavfc]

@talkSPORT @piersmorgan Uzbekistan world ranking 50, Austria 21, Algeria 28 yet Messi played joker teams 😂😂😂

[Fabrizio Romano @FabrizioRomano]

❤️‍🩹 Leo Messi: “I cried after the first goal, yes… but it was something completely unrelated to football”.

“I went through some difficult days, but I’m grateful to the entire delegation and my teammates because they were always by my side, giving me a lot of strength”.

[BeksFCB @Joshua__Ubeku]

After Messi was substituted, all the substitute seats were full. Thiago Almada asked him to take his seat, but Messi said it’s not a problem and sat on the ground. 😅

This man is too humble! LEADER! 👑

[Football Tweet ⚽ @Footballtweet]

Leo Messi with Riyad Mahrez's daughter after Argentina vs Algeria. 🇩🇿🇦🇷

[SethOfficial @UTD_Seth001]

🚨 Lionel Messi on his relationship with his dad as he is fighting for his life:

🗣️ “My father has always been my biggest support in life.

Everything I am today started with him believing in me, pushing me, and standing by me in every moment of my journey.

Right now, he is going through a very difficult health situation and fighting for his life.

It is not easy for me or my family, but we are staying strong together for him.

Football has given me everything, but family will always come first.

When I step onto the pitch, I carry my emotions with me, but I also try to stay strong for my country and for him.

That is why moments like scoring or playing at this level can become emotional for me.

Because behind everything, I am still a son before anything else.

We are praying, hoping, and believing for his recovery.

And I want to thank everyone around the world for their support and prayers during this very difficult time.”

{@BBCSport }

[SANJ @sanjavfc]

@futbolanal I find it odd people still hate on Messi, a good humble person who seems to treat everyone with respect. For me I get a buzz every time he touches the ball and I’m always excited to watch him. No footballer has given me more joy over such a long period. McGinn a close 2nd.

[𝗝𝗢𝗦𝗦𝗬 @JossyFCB]

🚨🎙️ Nicolás Otamendi on how Argentina treats Lionel Messi:

“People always ask if we treat Messi differently in the national team.

The answer is yes... and anyone who says otherwise is lying.

We're talking about the greatest player in history.

But it's not about giving him special privileges. It's about understanding who he is and what he means to Argentina.

When Messi speaks, everyone listens. When Messi is on the pitch, everyone runs a little harder. Not because he asks us to, but because he inspires it.

I've played with him for many years, and what surprises me most is his humility. A player who has won everything could act like a king, but Leo is one of the most normal people you'll ever meet.

That's why the dressing room protects him.

Not because he's Messi the superstar, but because he's Messi our captain, our teammate and the man who carried the dreams of an entire country for so many years.

Some teams have great players.

We have Messi.

And trust me, that's a privilege none of us take for granted."

[ᜰ @markklfc]

Riyad Mahrez on Lionel Messi meeting his daughter after Argentina vs Algeria:

🗣️ “After the match, I went over to Leo Messi with my daughter because meeting him had been one of her biggest dreams for years. She has watched his highlights, worn his shirts, talked about his goals, and imagined this moment so many times.”

“As a father, there are moments in life that mean more than football, more than victories, and more than anything that happens on a pitch. Watching your child experience pure happiness is something that cannot be described with words.”

“I told Leo that she had been dreaming of meeting him and taking a photo with him for such a long time, and immediately he stopped what he was doing, smiled warmly, and gave her his full attention.”

“She was so nervous that she could barely speak at first. Her hands were shaking, her eyes were full of emotion, and she looked like she couldn't believe the moment she had imagined for years was finally happening.”

“In that moment, there was no Argentina, no Algeria, no World Cup, no competition, and no rivalry. It was simply a little girl standing face-to-face with the person she had always looked up to.”

“What touched me the most was the way Leo handled the situation. He didn't rush, he didn't make it feel like an obligation, and he didn't act like a superstar. He made her feel special and comfortable.”

“He spoke to her, smiled for the photos, and treated her with so much kindness and respect. Those small gestures mean everything to children because they stay with them forever.”

“When we walked away, she couldn't stop smiling. She kept looking at the photo over and over again, almost as if she was checking whether the moment was real.”

“She kept saying, ‘Dad, I actually met Messi. I really met Messi.’ Hearing those words from my daughter was more emotional for me than people can imagine.”

“Football gives us unforgettable moments on the pitch, but for me, the most beautiful moment of the night happened after the final whistle when I watched my daughter's dream become a reality right in front of my eyes.”

[SANJ @sanjavfc]

@_onlyscott Raul, easy one.