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The 22-year-old was a surprise inclusion in Argentina’s starting XI for their dramatic World Cup clash with France on Saturday, getting the nod over Sergio Aguero and Gonzalo Higuain as the Albiceleste were beaten 4-3 and knocked out. And now Spanish media outlet AS have reported that the Gunners tabled a €30m (£27m) bid back in the winter window and remain interested in bringing Pavon to the Emirates while reports in Argentina indicate chelsea have also join the tussle for the Argentine international. It is expected more clubs will join the race to sign him after the World Cup, but Boca Juniors are in no rush to sell. Right-footed and often deployed on the right wing for Boca, Pavon can also play on the left side of the attack, cutting inside onto his stronger foot. The player has made over 60 league appearances for the legendary Argentine club since making his debut in 2014 and scored 17 goals in that time. He signed a new deal last summer and is contracted until June 2...

On the back of this years world cup in Russia, Many had expected things to boil down to two of the most talked after people on world football; Leo Messi And C. Ronaldo as both players already in the latter stages of their playing careers were hugely expected to battle for who would win the piece of silver ware for himself to complete his trophy haul. But now, confirmation has almost certainly arrived that neither man will win a World Cup. Ronaldo will be 37 in four years' time and Messi — who has history of prematurely retiring from the Argentina side and is tipped to do so again in the aftermath of this tournament — will be 35. Neither has scored a goal in the knockout stages of the World Cup in their careers. Messi has played in one final, Ronaldo one semi-final, but this major honour, the medal that was supposed to rule all medals and definitively end the debate once and for all, has eluded the both of them. They will be crushed by that. But for us, the regular footbal...

Lionel Messi was understandably distraught following Argentina's defeat by France in the last-16 of the World Cup on Saturday. The Barcelona legend notched an assist on the day, but was unable to inspire a victory, as Les Bleus ran out 4-3 winners over the two-time champions of the tournament. Antoine Griezmann opened the scoring from the penalty spot for France, after man of the match Kylian Mbappe was pulled down in the box by Marcos Rojo. Angel Di Maria leveled the scores with a wonder strike before Gabriel Mercado latched onto a Messi shot to beat Hugo Lloris in the France goal, and put Argentina in front. Benjamin Pavard then netted a wondergoal of his own to level the scores once more before an Mbappe double won the match for France. Sergio Aguero bagged a late consolation, reducing the deficit to a single goal, but it was too little too late for Argentina. After the match a number of Argentina players burst into tears on the pitch. Paul Pogba was then see...

The 1998 champions won 4-3 and looked a totally different side from the one that struggled to find their cutting edge in the group stage, pouring forward with pace and purpose to stretch the ageing Argentine defence in Kazan. Antoine Griezmann gave France the lead from the penalty spot but the South Americans levelled with a sweet hit from Angel Di Maria and edged ahead shortly after half-time through Gabriel Mercado. But defender Benjamin Pavard equalised with a thunderous strike to pull France level and once more change the complexion of the game. That set the scene for 19-year-old Mbappe, who netted two goals in four second-half minutes to become the first teenager to score at least twice in a World Cup match since Pele in 1958. Sergio Aguero gave Argentina late hope but they ran out of time and head home after a rollercoaster ride in Russia that ultimately ends in bitter disappointment for the two-time former champions. "I'm very happy, and it's flatt...

The World Cup knockout stages get underway as heavyweights France and Argentina go head-to-head at the Kazan Arena. Argentina scraped through to the knockout stages following a dramatic victory over Nigeria in their last group match, finishing as runners-up to Croatia. Les Bleus, meanwhile, came top of Group C after two wins and a draw. Today could be the final time we see Lionel Messi on the World Cup stage, unless the maestro can mastermind a win against one of the pre-tournament favourites. The winner of today’s bout will play either Uruguay or Portugal in the quarter-finals on Friday July 6 at the Nizhny Novgorod Stadium. LATEST FRANCE 4 - 3 ARGENTINA - GRIEZMANN (13) DI MARIA(41) G. MERCADO (48) PAVARD (57) MBAPPE (64',68') AGUERO (90+3) France XI: Lloris, Pavard, Varane, Umtiti, Hernandez, Kante, Pogba; Mbappe, Griezmann, Matuidi, Giroud. Argentina XI: Armani, Mercado, Otamendi, Rojo, Tagliafico, Mascherano, Enzo Perez, Banega, Pavon, Messi, Di Ma...

"Leo has such clear vision when it comes to football that he allows us to see things that, sometimes, only a true genius sees," said Sampaoli. "It's often difficult to be at the level of such a great player. He's a shining light for us all and we have to do our very best to all try to be at his level." Messi’s campaign has been as bipolar as the rest of the Argentina team. He missed a penalty in the 1-1 draw with Iceland in the opening Group D game. He was as absent as the rest of the side during the 3-0 loss to Croatia in the second game in Nizhny Novgorod but was menace incarnate during the 2-1 defeat of Nigeria which led to qualification for the last 16. Sevilla midfielder Ever Banega claimed Messi had hit his stride. "It's only normal - he wasn't relaxed. We didn't start the tournament as well as we should have. "Now, I see him a lot more comfortable now. He helped us win, and that makes a big difference." Samp...

Argentina scraped through to the knockout stage following a dramatic victory over Nigeria in their last group match, finishing as runners-up to Croatia. Les Bleus, meanwhile, came top of Group C after two wins and a draw but both countries have failed to light up the tournament so far. Already qualified, France played out arguably the worst match of the competition so far - and the only 0-0 draw - against Denmark but all three group performances led to criticism in some quarters. And Tottenham goalkeeper and French captain Lloris accepts his team will now have to raise their game in Kazan if they are to reach the quarter finals. “This is going to be a big match, and a difficult one, we are going to have to step up our level,” he said at a press conference, broadcast by FIFATV on YouTube. Pavon “This is going to be a big match, and a difficult one, we are going to have to step up our level” Hugo Loris “We should go beyond our limits, have to be full of energy, bet on ou...

Paul Pogba and Lionel Messi take centre stage as the World Cup shifts into high gear at the weekend with the start of the knockout matches in the loaded top half of the draw. Football heavyweights France, Argentina, Portugal and Brazil are all clustered in one section of the competition, with only Spain among recent winners in the other half. The unbalanced nature of the knockout phase increases the chances of an unlikely team reaching the semi-finals -- and of the big guns cancelling each other out. That scenario sparked debate ahead of Thursday's England-Belgium group match -- was it better to win and enter the tougher side of the draw or lose and face potentially easier fixtures down the line? In the event, third-ranked Belgium won 1-0, adding even more firepower to the top half, while if England can get past Colombia they will fancy their chances of reaching a potential semi-final against 2010 winners Spain. The first phase in Russia featured just one goalless draw an...

Bests of all time Victory in football's biggest tournament would play a huge role for either player's legacy, particularly in the long-term, and it looks incredibly likely that the 2018 edition will be the final attempt for both men. As a result, there was always going to keen interest in exactly how Ronaldo and Messi fare. And, well, three games in and their form is diametrically opposed. Ronaldo is in the running for the Golden Boot after scoring four goals in his opening two fixtures, including a stunning hat-trick against a hotly fancied Spain team. MESSI VS RONALDO DEBATE Meanwhile, Messi just found the back of the net in Russia only in his last outing vs Nigeria and missed a vital penalty in the 1-1 draw with Iceland. These developments led to a spike in support for Ronaldo to be considered the greatest of all time, with this summer exemplifying his brilliant form over the last few years. BALAGUE has some answers One of the most interesting tweets, t...

With the Albiceleste on the verge of elimination, the scene before them horribly familiar, songs dying in thousands of throats and the final three minutes beginning, the Manchester United defender arrived to guide a wonderful volley into the corner and send them through to the last 16. Their progress comes at the cost of Nigeria side who had come from a goal down to make it 1-1 and might have won, missing chances and appealing for a penalty. Instead, at the last, there was life for Argentina, delirious celebration, players in tears. Jorge Sampaoli once said that the World Cup is a revolver held against Lionel Messi’s head. Russian roulette is a game that must eventually end badly, but Argentina had hoped it would last longer than it looked like it was going to here. Javier Mascherano was the man who seemed to have pulled the trigger until Rojo rescued them. Messi had brilliantly given Argentina the lead but a penalty gifted Nigeria an equaliser, left them on the edge of elimination. ...

Lionel Messi scored his first goal of the 2018 World Cup against Nigeria on Tuesday as La Albiceleste booked their place in the last 16 of the competition. It was yet another landmark strike for Messi as he bagged the 100th goal of the competition in Saint Petersburg. He also surpassed a Diego Maradona record during the win over Nigeria, as shown by Opta. View image on Twitter OptaCan ✔ @OptaCan 107 - Lionel Messi has passed Diego Maradona (105) and become the player with the most dribbles completed in World Cup history since 1966 (107). Inspiration. # WorldCup 9:09 PM - Jun 26, 2018 751 556 people are talking about this Twitter Ads info and privacy Next up for Messi is a clash with France which will see him take on Barcelona team-mates Samuel Umtiti and Ousmane Dembele.

Nigeria captain John Obi Mikel was left fuming with the referee and the VAR system after his side were denied a penalty and later defeated by Argentina in Saint Petersburg. The Super Eagles were tied with the Argentines and poised to progress from Group D, when defender Marcos Rojo headed the ball onto his own arm in the penalty area. Nigerian appeals instantly went up causing referee Cuneyt Cakir to consult VAR for a definitive verdict, before ruling against a spot kick. I don't understand how that wasn't a penalty,' said Nigeria skipper John Obi Mikel. 'For me, it was a clear handball. If you look at the game yesterday, Portugal, that wasn't even close to this. This was even worse - very open. He headed the ball and it hit his hand. 'Maybe the referee has given the first penalty, he doesn't want to give the second one. But a penalty is a penalty. If it's a penalty, you can still give a penalty. 'We've seen it again in the dre...

messi goal move Argentina head coach Jorge Sampaoli believes making captain Lionel Messi "feel secure" is key to his side's chances at the World Cup. Messi scored the opening goal as a late Marcos Rojo volley earned Argentina a decisive 2-1 win over Nigeria in St Petersburg on Tuesday to set up a last-16 clash with Group C winners France. Sampaoli used his third different tactical setup of Russia 2018 in a bid to get the best out of Messi, who drew blanks in a 1-1 draw with Iceland and a 3-0 loss to Croatia, missing a penalty in the former match. And the Argentina coach, who has been strongly criticised by former players including Diego Maradona, makes no excuses for building his team's attacking threat around Barcelona superstar Messi. "When Leo came and hugged me it made me very proud and happy, because he knows I am passionate every single day," Sampaoli said. "I have had the opportunity to travel with him and share moments with him. He knows me ...

Lionel Messi said that he had never suffered as much as he did in St Petersburg, but insisted that he never feared Argentina being knocked out of the World Cup because God would not allow it. Messi scored a superb opening goal to give Argentina a 1-0 lead and put them in a position to progress to the Round of 16 but a second half penalty from Victor Moses left them on the verge of elimination until Manchester United defender Marcos Rojo volleyed in a dramatic 87th minute winner. At the final whistle, Argentina’s players collapsed, some in tears. After a week of tension and accusation, coach Jorge Sampaoli talking about a “disaster”, Argentina finally found a way through and will now face France in Kazan. “I knew that God was with us and would not leave us out [of the competition],” Messi said. “I don’t remember having ever suffered so much, because of the situation and because of what was at stake. It was a huge release for all of us. Marcos Rojo’s late goal seals Argentina’...

Nigeria coach Gernot Rohr is hoping Ahmed Musa will again step up to the plate in their deciding match against Argentina on Tuesday, but is quick to admit that the Super Eagles forward is no Lionel Messi … yet. The Leicester City man proved the difference as Nigeria beat Iceland 2-0 at Volgograd Arena on Friday evening, scoring twice in the second half as his pace wreaked havoc for the defenders. Iceland looked a lot more comfortable against Messi in their opening game, but Rohr has warned not to get carried away by Musa’s performance. “Musa is not Lionel Messi yet,” the German told kicker. “Somebody said ‘Lionel Musa’ yesterday, but he’s not there yet. I hope he can do it one day.” Rohr will need Musa firing on all cylinders in St Petersburg, and has warned that his players are in for a serious challenge as Argentina look to save face after a 3-0 humiliation against Croatia. “Argentina have one more day to prepare. That’s an advantage for them,” he added. “But it could be t...

Nigerian Boss Promises Messi Will Lose Leonel Messi In tears Super Eagles Technical Adviser, Gernot Rohr, has warned that there will be no mercy for Lionel Messi on Tuesday night as Nigeria takes on Argentina in a win or burst last Group D clash of the ongoing 2018 FIFA World Cup here at the St Petersburg Stadium in Russia. Rohr insisted yesterday here in St Petersburg that the Super Eagles will not wait to be rolled over because Messi was playing in his last World Cup. Speaking shortly before Eagles took to the St Petersburg Stadium turf for the final work out before confronting Argentina for the sixth time at the World Cup, Rohr, revealed that his wards have trained very well ahead of the crucial match and are not bothered by the quality of the South American nation.“There will be no mercy for Messi even if we love him so much. We are not in Russia to watch Messi play. Super Eagles want to play to win. We are here to qualify for the next stage and will not allow Messi and his...