Messi Sees Lack Of Support At Barcelona - Dani Alves

Former Barcelona right-back Dani Alves believes that Barcelona star  Lionel Messi is growing frustrated with the fact that he consistently has to lift the team.

The Argentine's exasperation came to the fore on Thursday night as he did the post-match interview after Barcelona's 2-1 defeat at home to Osasuna, which came on a night that Real Madrid became LaLiga Santander champions.

"He's a born winner, he doesn't like to lose and it's normal to get angry," Alves told Catalunya Radio.

"He wants to win every time, like me.

"He's been doing it for so long that you can tell when your team is giving [that feeling] and when it's not.

"That's why he said it, he's been at Barcelona for many years and he's aware of what he needs to be able to win and aspire to great things.

"He sees, what I feel, and that's a lack of support.

"Messi was the main course, but we were the perfect ingredients [in the past].

"He always wants to be on top and you need people to build that.

"The feeling now is that he always has to be doing everything for the team and he's only human."

So, does the Brazilian think that Messi could leave?

"No, I don't think so," Alves responded.

"He's the face of this club, of this team and it would be the biggest mistake the club would ever make [if he left].

"It would be a mistake for such a player not to retire there and change the name of Camp Nou to Leo Messi."

Neymar has been strongly linked with a return to Barcelona in the last couple of summers, and Alves admitted to trying to convince his compatriot to join the Catalan side once again.

"The only one I've tried to convince is Neymar to go to Barcelona," he explained.

"He had a very big offer from Real Madrid, and I told him that if he wanted to be happy he should come to Barcelona.

"It's the only time I've ever convinced anyone of anything.

"If I were him, I would come back without thinking about it.

"I never think that people make mistakes when they make a decision.

"Everyone knows that Ney can help Barcelona, Messi and the club to become a giant again in LaLiga, in Europe... and football is becoming more and more balanced.

"The team has 11 and with Messi you have 13.

"The team has 11 and with Neymar you have 13."

The 37-year-old departed in 2016 as he joined Juventus on a free, but he is not happy about the way his exit was handled.

"I'm not a selfish, spiteful person," Alves stated.

"Of course I miss Barcelona, and I always will, because it's my home.

"The other day I said to my people that I was at Barcelona for eight years and I basically left out the back door.

"That bittersweet taste of asking you what else there is to do remains.

"I felt hurt at the time because I was doing so much at Barcelona and they didn't want to give me a new contract.

"I had just had my best season. I did not feel valued.

"Real Madrid, and other teams, offered me double and I decided to go to Barcelona [when I left Sevilla]; I wanted to have the right to make the decision to leave [when the time finally arrived].

"I wanted to go out the front door.

"I was left with this situation that I didn't like.

"I'm not bitter, I'm a pure and clean soul.

"When I left, as I said on another occasion, my thought was to go and prove my worth elsewhere and then come back.

"That's why I dedicated myself double and even triple."

Alves ended up spending just one year at Juventus as he made the move to Paris Saint-Germain in 2017, again on a free, but there was some talk that he could have returned to Barcelona in the last few years, so was it true?

"Things were being talked about, but nothing ever came of it," Alves confirmed.

"I'm not bitter, but they are anyway [laughs]."

Xavi Hernandez has been strongly tipped to take charge at Barcelona, most likely depending on the results of the presidential elections in 2021, and Alves is excited about the Blaugrana's future is his former teammate takes charge.

"It will be Barcelona's 3.0 version," he noted.

"A team is not just 11, it's not just a coach... it's the conjugation of all those verbs.

"That's how you make a great team invincible: when it's in tune."

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Messi, Griezman, Suarez...... Barcelona Stars Return To Training

First-team players of Barcelona, led by the captain, Lionel Messi, arrived at the Esportiva in Sant Joan Despi on Friday to resume training. 

After testing negative in Wednesday's coronavirus tests, the players were able to resume individual training ahead of a potential La Liga return in June. 

Each player arrived in their respective vehicles with masks and gloves on, already dressing in their training kits, which had been given to them earlier this week in sealed bags. 

They headed straight to the training pitched without using facilities like the dressing rooms or the showers and headed straight back to their card after their individual sessions. 

Players began arriving from 09.30am, with the squad using different pitches, such as the Tito Vilanova pitch, Pitch 2 and Pitch 3, in order to respect social distancing protocol. 

Meanwhile, Luis Suarez continued with his recovery work with the hope of being given the green light to return to action as soon as possible. 

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After scoring against Slavia Praha, Argentine magician Lionel "Merciless" Messi has become the first player in Champions League history ever to score at least once in every 15 consecutive seasons in the European competition. 

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Messi Is World Best But Ronaldo Deserved Ballon d'Or

Rivaldo picks Lionel Messi as the world's best. The Brazilian International has had his say ahead of El Clasico this weekend in one of the biggest rivalries in world football.

Former Barcelona midfielder Rivaldo believes Lionel Messi is the best player in the world but has praised Real Madrid hitman Cristiano Ronaldo ahead of this weekend's El Clasico clash.

The two powers of Spanish football will lock horns on Saturday afternoon in another chapter of one of the world's most iconic sporting rivalries, with Barca playing catch up in the overall head-to-head rankings.

Real have come out on top in 72 of their 174 La Liga meetings with Barca and have a greater trophy collection than the Catalan outfit, though trail Ernesto Valverde's side in the table this term.

The tie will also see Messi and Ronaldo square up once again in what has now become a story within the tale of the Clasico.

Questioned on the pair - arguably the two finest players to have ever played the game - Rivaldo, who won two Liga titles whilst playing for Barca, admits that one is a cut above the other.

"I would like to play with Messi, it would be amazing. He is the best of the world, the one who makes more differences," Rivaldo told Betfair.

"Ronaldo? He is the most dangerous player at Real.

"It is hard to stop him, like Messi, because both score a lot of goals and you never know what is going to be the next thing they will invent for scoring."

Ronaldo collected his fifth Ballon d'Or trophy earlier this month, equalling a record previously set by Messi.

The rivalry has been a common sub-plot in previous Clasico derbies and a number of bodies associated with Barcelona have publically backed Messi as the best in the world following Ronaldo winning the award.

And while Rivaldo recognises the Portugal international's success, he believes that he may not have won the award if he was playing during the time of the Brazilian's peak.

"If Ronaldo won is because he deserved it," Rivaldo added. "In my time there were more players than today challenging for being the best in the world.

" I remember Figo, Del Piero or Totti, now you always hear about the same players and I am pretty sure I could challenge with Messi and Ronaldo because football was harder in my times.

"I am not here for controversy, I'll just say that both are very good players. However, in my time you could find more quality players than today, in which you only hear about Messi, Ronaldo and Neymar."

Pushed on picking a winner ahead of the weekend, he added: "In a Clasico there are no favourites, because Real have shown they are able to win at Camp Nou, while Barca know how to do that at Bernabeu

SOURCE: All Football

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Messi Eyes Three Points Over Real Madrid

Argentina attacker Lionel Messi received the Pichchi and Di Stefano awards at a gala in Barcelona on Monday night, but was already looking ahead to the league clash with Los Merengues at the Santiago Bernabeu on Saturday.

Barca have already opened up an 11-point lead over Real Madrid in the race for the Spanish Primera Division title, but Messi wants to make it 14 points and send the Blaugrana to their Christmas celebrations on a high.

"It would be important to win for what it means, it's always a special game," said Messi, as quoted by the Daily Star.

"Real Madrid, their stadium... winning is an important advantage.

"There would still be a lot of league games left, but it would be nice to be able to end the year with a victory and spend a happy Christmas."

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The players appear in an image released by the terrorist group with the message: "You will not enjoy security until we live it in Muslim countries."

Neymar and Lionel Messi are at the centre of the latest threat released by the terrorist group Islamic State (ISIS).

The footballers appear in an image seemingly depicting an execution, in which Messi is lying on the ground next to an ISIS flag, while a jihadi figher stands over a kneeling Neymar.

The photoshopped picture is accompanied by the message: "You will not enjoy security until we live it in Muslim countries."

The terrorist organisation has issued a number of threats in recent days as part of a seeming focus on instilling fear ahead of the 2018 World Cup in Russia.

Last week, it released an image of an ISIS fighter and a bomb carrying the group's flag in front of Volgograd Arena, which is one of the tournament venues.

Messi and Neymar are both set to feature at the World Cup for the Argentina and Brazil national teams, respectively.

Messi was already threatened in another ISIS poster earlier this week, while France head coach Didier Deschamps has also been targeted.

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