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Barcelona have completed the signing of Arturo Vidal from Bayern Munich after agreeing personal terms with the Chile midfielder over a £27m transfer. The 31-year-old, who moved to Germany in 2015 from Juventus for £32m, met Barça officials last week and passed his medical after being granted permission to leave by the new Bayern manager, Niko Kovac. Barcelona have already spent more than £100m this summer on deals for the French defender Clément Lenglet and the Brazilian pair Arthur and Malcom and had been in negotiations with Paris Saint-Germain over a move for Adrien Rabiot. But the French champions’ unwillingness to allow the 23-year-old to leave Parc des Princes led to them turning their attention to Vidal. Internazionale had been seen as the frontrunners for his signature but have now made an ambitious approach to sign Luka Modric from Real Madrid. Barça are also close to completing a move for the Senegal defender Moussa Wagué, who became the youngest African to scor...

The Frenchman was one of the causes for knocking out the Barcelona star from the World Cup in the Round of 16 stage as his nation won 4-3 on the day.Pogba was one of his country’s best performers, perhaps only being bested by PSG’s Kylian Mbappe who scored a brace and France will now face Uruguay next in the quarter-finals. Perhaps if the former Juventus man keeps up his good form on the biggest international stage he may be able to help his side go all the way. Messi on the other hand may still have one World Cup left in him in the future but there have been rumours that his frustrations have reached a boiling point and he may quit. According to ESPN, Paul said to TyC Sports: “We know that we are playing against probably the best player in the world. For 10 years now I have been watching him, learning from him. “He makes me love football more, always. We want to play against the best, and today we won against the best. I will always be united with him, world class p...

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...

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...

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...

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...

spain celebrates Cristiano Ronaldo's Portugal and 2010 winners Spain progressed to the World Cup knockout rounds on a Monday night of high drama dominated by VAR decisions, as Uruguay pipped Russia to top spot in their group. Spain ended up topping Group B by virtue of goals scored after an injury-time strike by Iago Aspas -- confirmed by the video assistant referee -- rescued a 2-2 draw against Morocco in Kaliningrad and will take on the host nation in Moscow on Sunday. Portugal, who finished level with Spain on five points, conceded a late penalty as Iran drew level at 1-1 and faced a heart-stopping moment as Mehdi Taremi put a shot inches wide -- a goal that would have sent the European champions crashing out. Ronaldo was at the heart of a series of VAR incidents in Saransk. First he had a penalty saved by Ali Beiranvand and was later saved by a review as Iran's players called for him to be sent off following an incident with Morteza Pouraliganji. Furious Iran coa...

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...

                          Cesc Fabregas has played down the contribution of Cristiano Ronaldo at the World Cup and said that Argentina’s struggles are not all Lionel Messi’s fault. Writing in a column for BBC Sport, Fabregas, who was left out of Spain’s squad for this summer’s tournament, said that Ronaldo’s four goals in two games, including a hat trick against La Roja, “have come from set-pieces, penalties or mistakes.” Fabregas also praised former Barcelona teammate Messi and bemoaned Argentina’s lack of quality as they have drawn with Iceland and lost to Croatia putting them on the brink of an early World Cup exit. “It was a similar story for Messi against Croatia, but it was not all his fault,” Fabregas said. “As I said in my TV analysis after Argentina’s defeat, they look like a broken team. “So it is has been really difficult for him. He does not have the quality in behind him, when he needs someone who can help him...

              Rebic seized on a Caballero blunder to open the way to victory for Croatia Modric and Rakitic then added to Argentina's misery to make the scoreline 3-0 Argentina face a struggle to reach the last 16 even with Messi in their ranks There was no magic and an excess of reality in the gruesome display by Argentina on the football field of Niznhy Novgorod against Croatia on Thursday night. Following a month of media hype that spread from Argentina to Russia, the Messi brand was hyped up while the man on the pitch remained as small, introverted and enigmatic as ever. If the first match against Iceland had left one gasping for air, a solitary point with a new burden for Lionel Messi to live with (the failed penalty), the second act saw him reduced even further. The shadow of Maradona may be a contributing factor to the tiny genius’ mental block when it comes to the national team, but he wasn’t even able to be a shadow of himself on the night the...

coutinho vs costa rica soccer dice football news Philippe Coutinho and Neymar broke down dogged Costa Rica in injury time on Friday, sealing a 2-0 win for Brazil that propels the five-time champions towards the World Cup last 16. The Central Americans looked likely to hold on for a hard-earned draw, particularly after Neymar had a penalty award chalked off by referee Bjorn Kuipers after he consulted the Video Assistant Referee. But Coutinho and Neymar finally broke through, scoring in the 91st and 97th minutes to put Tite's side on the brink of the knockout stages. At the final whistle, Neymar sat down on the grass and wept, with the emotion of victory hitting home after the tense Group E contest at the Saint Petersburg Stadium. Neymar started despite limping out of training on Tuesday with a hurt ankle, which the Brazilian FA said was sustained as a result of snapping Swiss defenders. After a ponderous start, Brazil enjoyed a gradual crescendo during the first period but their...