Lionel Messi only failed to score against eight of the teams he ever faced in competitive games for Barcelona – but can you name them? We’ve given you 10 minutes to try and have listed the country of each club he’s failed to score against, plus the number of times Messi has faced them. If this puts you in the mood for another challenge, why not try to name every team Messi has scored five or more goals against? If you haven’t already, sign up for a Planet Sport account to access hints for those tricky answers and to register your score on the leaderboard. Good luck, and don’t fo ..read more

Lionel Messi scored two more goals on a warm Saturday night in Massachusetts. He nearly scored a third. He assisted Inter Miami’s fourth. And he did it without producing anything remarkable, by his impeccably high standards. But Messi’s numbers thus far in his first full MLS season are; he has now scored nine times in six-and-a-half MLS games in 2024. Toss in seven assists, as per the MLS’s somewhat generous definition, and he’s averaging 2.5 goal contributions per 90 minutes. Which is quite absurd. Remember when Messi took America by storm last summer? It took him 731 minutes against MLS foes ..read more

Mauricio Pochettino lasted less than two years at Paris Saint-Germain. But what kind of legacy did the Argentinian leave at the Parc des Princes in terms of squad additions? Eight players were drafted in during Pochettino’s reign, which began midway through the underwhelming 2020-21 campaign. Appointed as Thomas Tuchel’s successor, the Parisiens ultimately ended that season as runners-up to surprise Ligue 1 champions Lille. PSG responded to finishing second by making a number of marquee signings in the summer of 2021. They went on to reclaim the Ligue 1 title in Pochettino’s one and only full ..read more

The Messifying of the United States continues with almost indecent haste – especially after the World Cup winner put on another clinic during Inter Miami’s win over Nashville. Messi continues to pull in huge crowds across the United States, with more than 72,000 spectators packing into Arrowhead Stadium for his recent MLS outing against Sporting Kansas City. A-list guests are flocking to watch him in action, including Hollywood actor Paul Scheer, who attended Inter Miami’s 1-1 draw with LA Galaxy in February that saw the mercurial No.10 net a 92nd-minute equaliser. And Scheer told the Off ..read more

A football player is worth what you pay for them, really.  Liverpool once paid £35million for Andy Carroll, whilst Robert Lewandowski joined Bayern Munich for a total of zero euros. Money isn’t real. Sometimes that’s just how the dice of life fall. Transfermarkt still slap a market value on all your favourite players, though. It’s basically impossible to predict and we have no idea what goes into their algorithm, so we’re not going to try and decipher it. What we can do is present to you the MLS’s top ten most highly valued footballers in 2024 according to Transfermarkt, and simply hope t ..read more

In March 2017, Barcelona completed one of the greatest comebacks in their history by defeating Paris Saint-Germain 6-1 in the second leg of their Champions League Round of 16 knockout clash. Unai Emery’s PSG had thrashed Barcelona 4-0 in the first leg in Paris and looked as though they’d be cruising to the last 16 as long as they averted a disaster in Catalonia. Barca came racing out of the traps, opening the scoring after just three minutes and opening up a three-goal lead to make the visitors sweat. But an Edinson Cavani strike on the hour mark gave the visitors a crucial away goal and appea ..read more

On the face of it, Lionel Messi and the Beatles don’t have too much in common – but both cultural phenomena have managed to crack America. In February 1964, the Beatles arrived in the United States and their televised performances on The Ed Sullivan Show were viewed by approximately 73 million people, cementing their instant popularity. Messi is achieving something similar; Inter Miami matches have consistently sold out since his arrival in the MLS in 2023, with legions of devotees and a smattering of star-struck curiosities paying top dollar to see the Argentinian genius in action. His latest ..read more

Lionel Messi’s incredible career has spanned over two decades. He’s made over a thousand appearances, scored over 800 goals, and during his time with Barcelona, PSG, Inter Miami and Argentina he’s been blessed to play with some truly world-class team-mates. From playing alongside Thierry Henry to Kylian Mbappe, Messi’s wonderful career has spanned different eras. But what about those trusty players that spent years and years by his side? We’ve taken a look at the player in every position that’s made the most appearances alongside Messi and compiled this outrageously good XI of his team-mates ..read more

History works in mysterious ways. Sometimes a tiny pebble drops into an ocean, making the smallest wave you ever saw, that little wave crosses paths with another little wave, forming a medium wave. That mid-sized wave meets another… you see what I’m getting it. Soon enough you have a tsunami and coastal cities are sh*tting their pants. Sometimes entire cliff faces plummet into the ocean and nobody is any the wiser. Lionel Messi’s move to Inter Miami was like a small planet smashing into ocean somewhere off the Eastern Seaboard, and the waves caused by that impact may reach far into the future ..read more

Former Liverpool, Barcelona and Real Madrid stars are among the 11 players who produced unbelievable individual seasons but ended the campaign trophyless. With Bayern Munich looking increasingly likely to end the season without a trophy, Harry Kane could be the next player to join this unfortunate list. Despite producing 50 goal contributions for the German giants, it could all count for nothing come the end of the campaign. Thomas Tuchel’s side have been off the pace in the Bundesliga, lost the DFL-Supercup final, are already out of the DFB-Pokal and a Champions League triumph seems ..read more