La Liga
Don’t Let Messi Go, Neymar Tells Barca
With only one year left in Lionel Messi’s current contract with Barcelona and the failure of the talismanic player to sign a renewal, there are fears that his days in the club may have been numbered.
But Barcelona forward Neymar has urged the club to secure Lionel Messi’s future by handing him a new contract. The Argentine international’s contract runs down in 2018 and the five-time Ballon d’Or winner is yet to put pen to paper.
According to a British online publication, International Business Times, the Brazil international has joined Luis Suarez, Sergio Busquets, Javier Mascherano and Ivan Rakitic in signing new deals with the La Liga giants. Messi and Andres Iniesta, who also has over one year left in his contract, are yet to commit their futures
Technical secretary Robert Fernandez revealed in April that he remains hopeful that the club’s star player and the World Cup winner with Spain would commit their futures to the Catalan club. However, the duo are yet to sign an extension and will have only one year left on this current deal in the summer.
“I have been here with Leo for four years, and I am learning every day: how to strike the ball, how to be alert during matches… Messi is from another planet,” Neymar told beIN Sports, as quoted by the Spanish publication AS.
“I hope that he renews, and that the people at Barcelona get to work so Leo (Messi) can continue with us.”
According to another report from AS, Messi will renew his deal with his current employers until 2022. The contract extension will see him earn a net wage of €30m (£25.3m, $32.7m) per year and will have a €250m (£210.2m, $272.4m) release clause in his contract.
Barcelona are leading the La Liga table with 84 points after 36 games. They are level on points with second place Real Madrid with goal difference separating the two sides. However, the Spanish capital club have an advantage of a game in hand.
Luis Enrique saw his side register a 3-2 victory over Real in the last El Clasico and that saw them reduce the gap at the top. Neymar, who was suspended for the clash, expressed his disappointment over not being involved in the fixture that saw Messi score the winner.
“It was the best image of the Clásico, something to go down in history. I was really looking forward to playing. After the game I called Messi, and they [the team] took photos while we spoke,” Neymar explained.
Kylian Mbappe has been given a rousing welcome at Real Madrid as a capacity crowd of fans attended the unveiling at the Santiago Bernabeu.
The club also lined out their 15 Champions League trophies to welcome the French Superstar.
Mbappe walked past Real Madrid’s 14 Champions League trophies as he took to the stage to speak© Provided by Daily Mail
He beamed as he spoke about joining the ‘club of his dreams’. Mbappe, 25, will take the number nine shirt after sealing his move from Paris Saint-Germain and ending one of football’s most protracted transfer sagas.
The forward was serenaded as the Bernabeu blasted out their iconic Hala Madrid anthem and paraded in front of fans booting footballs into the baying crowd. In imitation of Cristiano Roandlo at his unveiling, he kissed the badge.
His mother broke down in tears as he emerged and spoke of his pride to be joining the ‘biggest club in the history of world football
Mbappe’s parents, Fayza Lamari (R) and Wilfrid Mbappe (L), walked out in front of the fans © Provided by Daily Mail
‘My family are so happy. I can see my mum crying. It’s an incredible day for me. I’ve dreamed about this day since I was a kid. Being here today means a lot to me,’ he said in Spanish as the crowd persistently interrupted his speech with cheers.
‘Now I have another dream – and that’s the dream of living up to this club’s history and Madridistas’ expectations. I can promise that I will give my all for the club and this badge.
‘I’d also like a send a message to all the kids here today. I was once like you. If you have the passion, you’ll achieve your dreams.
The napkin on which Barcelona promised to sign Lionel Messi when he was a 13-year-old has been sold for 762,400 pounds ($969,000, auction house Bonhams said on Friday.
The napkin was signed in December, 2000 by Barca’s former sporting director Carles Rexach and transfer advisor Josep Minguella along with Argentine agent Horacio Gaggioli over lunch at a tennis club.
Messi became one of Barcelona’s greatest players, winning over 30 trophies and leaving the Catalan club as their all-time leading scorer with 672 goals.
He also won a record eight Ballon d’Or awards for the world’s best player and led Argentina to the World Cup crown in 2022. Messi now plays for U.S. club Inter Miami in Major League Soccer.
“Yes, it’s a paper napkin, but it’s the famous napkin that was at the inception of Lionel Messi’s career,” Ian Ehling, the head of fine books and manuscripts at Bonhams New York, said in a statement.
“It changed the life of Messi, the future of FC Barcelona, and was instrumental in giving some of the most glorious moments of football to billions of fans around the globe.”
-Reuters
Senegalese goalkeeper Cheikh Sarr has heard racial slurs directed at him from the stands before, but when a fan allegedly approached just to racially insult him during a Spanish third-tier league game last Saturday, he decided he’d had enough.
“I grabbed him and asked why he was insulting me. My attitude was not aggressive, I just wanted to ask him why,” the 23-year-old told reporters on Tuesday of the incident in Sestao, a working-class town in northern Spain, which led to the game being abandoned.
“Other times it could be seen as something playful or a joke. However, this was not the case on Saturday, as it was something horrible and I could not stop myself. It was a very sad and ugly thing what they were saying,” he added.
The match between Sarr’s Rayo Majadahonda and Sestao River Club was suspended in the 84th minute after the altercation first led to Sarr being expelled by the referee, who was too far to hear the alleged insults, and then his team mates leaving the pitch in protest.
Racism in sport has been a hot topic in Spain, especially after Real Madrid’s Brazil winger Vinicius Jr, who has suffered from several incidents of racist abuse and is part of a campaign against racism, last year called LaLiga and Spain racist.
On Saturday, he spoke out in support of those affected on social media again, citing “three despicable cases of racism” on that day alone, including Sarr’s.
Sevilla’s Argentina defender Marcos Acuna and coaching staff were also the target of “racist and xenophobic insults” from fans in a LaLiga game at Getafe, the club said.
Sarr said he was thankful that Vinicius had tagged him on social media showing support.
“If more players said no to racism like he does, they (racists) wouldn’t have the power they have now,” he said.
–Reuters
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