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Centurion scorer Messi hungry for more success

At just 22, Lionel Messi just can’t stop making history and on Saturday his glittering career shone even brighter when he became the youngest player in Barcelona history to score 100 goals for the club.

It was the latest landmark for the Argentine star who has already won three league titles, two Champions Leagues and collected both the Ballon d’Or and FIFA World Player of the Year awards in 2009.

Messi scored twice in the final five minutes in Barcelona’s 4-0 home win over Sevilla on Saturday to mark his 100th and 101st goals in Barca’s colours and he has needed just 188 games to reach his century.

The Argentine has 68 goals in the league, 19 in the Champions League, 10 in the Kings Cup, two in the Spanish Super Cup and two in the World Club Championship.

Messi said he was happy to bring up his century but cherished the vital goals he scored in finals last season such as the header against Manchester United in the 2-0 Champions league final win and his goal in the World Club Championship victory.

“I remember the important goals, the ones in finals, more than the nice goals,” said Messi.

“Just like the other important things that have happened in the past this doesn’t hold too much importance and I don’t think about it. I am relaxed over the whole thing and just want to do more things.”

Barcelona coach Pep Guardiola heaped praise on the modest Messi and said the forward could go on to write many more new chapters in Barcelona history.

“You just have to congratulate him. It’s amazing at his age and it’s in his hands to break all the records,” said Guardiola.

“What we all like about him is his endless ambition. I can tell he wants more. The figures show what a great trajectory he’s had and he’s a great example for future generations.”

The two late goals from Messi against Sevilla made it five in his last two matches following a hat-trick at Tenerife last weekend and he now leads the goalscoring charts on 14.

Barcelona are now five points ahead of Real Madrid in the standings after their rivals lost 1-0 at Athletic Bilbao, but Messi called for caution with the season not even at the halfway point.

“It is an important advantage because five points is a decent lead but we know there are a lot of games to go and it is a long season,” said Messi. “There is the whole second half of the season left and Madrid will be up there.

“We don’t have anything to prove to anyone. We will continue with the same mentality as last season and we want to continue winning things and I think we have shown that.”

Barcelona crashed out of the Kings Cup to Sevilla on Wednesday so they won’t be able to match last season’s treble.

But they are unbeaten leaders in the league and are in the last 16 of the Champions League where they face VfB Stuttgart.

MADRID (AFP)

Tags: ambition, Argentine, ballon, Barcelona, Bilbao, champions league, champions leagues, championship victory, five minutes, five points, future generations, hat trick, important things, kings cup, league titles, lionel messi, MADRID, Manchester, pep, SEVILLA, stuttgart, Tenerife, trajectory, vital goals, world club championship

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Guardiola hails record-breaking Messi

Barcelona coach Pep Guardiola praised Lionel Messi after the Argentina superstar became the youngest player to score a hundred goals for the Catalan club.

The FIFA World Player of the Year and Ballon d’Or 2009 winner reached the milestone after scoring his side’s third goal as Barcelona clinched a 4-0 victory over Sevilla.

When asked about Messi after the conclusion of the match, Guardiola said, “I congratulate him. It’s outrageous to have done what he has at his age.

“It only depends on him to break all possible records. He has some very, very high numbers.

“What we like most is that his ambition has no limit. I feel that he wants more.

“He is a wonderful example to the future generations.”

Tags: ambition, Argentina, ballon, Barcelona, catalan, coach, conclusion, FIFA, fifa world player, fifa world player of the year, future generations, lionel messi, match, milestone, pep guardiola, SEVILLA, Superstar, victory, world player of the year

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Ronaldo: “I will win the Ballon d’Or in 2010 or 2011″

Cristiano Ronaldo has never showed any lack of self confidence. The Real Madrid attacker has recovered from an ankle injury and has revealed his target for next year: winning the Ballon d’Or.

The Portugal international relinquished the crown he won in 2008 to Barcelona star Lionel Messi who also took over the title of FIFA World Player of the Year in 2009 and won several trophies with Barca. Ronaldo has his sights firmly set on returning to being recognised as the best footballer on the planet.

“I’m going to win the Ballon d’Or back, this year or next,” he told Marca.

I have an ambition to become the best player in history.”

The 24-year-old also declared that his troublesome ankle, which kept him out of action for two months, is in good shape and will not require surgery.

“The ankle is fine and if not the Real Madrid doctors will see it right. I am sure I will not need an operation,” he noted.

Tags: ambition, ankle injury, attacker, ballon, Barcelona, best footballer, best player, doctors, good shape, lionel messi, MADRID, portugal, real madrid, ronaldo, self confidence, target, trophies, world player of the year

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Ibrahimovic volley gives Barcelona bragging rights

A Barcelona-Real Madrid game that veered from the brilliant to the banal, as is pretty much always the case in these contests, was settled 1-0 in favour of the Catalans by a great finish from Zlatan Ibrahimovic, following an even better pass from Dani Alves.

Real will go back to the capital content with their performance in all areas … apart from in front of goal. They will rue missing six or seven good chances to get something from a game that was pretty even, although that was partly to do with the sending-off of Busquets for a daft handball.

The result took Barcelona back top of La Liga but it obviously didn’t settle anything. What it did confirm is that Real have become a much tougher team to play against with all that new talent and that coach Pellegrini is on the right track. So they couldn’t get the ball off the Barcelona midfield at times? I can’t think of a single team that wouldn’t have had problems at Camp Nou against Iniesta, Xavi, Messi and the rest.

The Ballon d’Or will be announced on Tuesday and you can bet it will go to Messi, but after watching that match I was reminded that Iker Casillas and Carles Puyol deserve to be up there as well.

But what did you make of the game? And who do you think should be named Player of the Year?

PHOTO: Barcelona’s Zlatan Ibrahimovic reacts after scoring a goal during their Spanish first division soccer match against arch rivals Real Madrid at the Camp Nou stadium in Barcelona November 29, 2009. REUTERS/Gustau Nacarino

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Tags: arch rivals, ballon, Barcelona, barcelona real madrid, bragging rights, busquets, camp nou, camp nou stadium, carles puyol, Casillas, catalans, daft, division soccer, favour, gustau, MADRID, messi, midfield, pellegrini, reuters, spanish first division, volley, zlatan ibrahimovic

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Laporta: Inter wanted Messi

FC Barcelona president Joan Laporta has confirmed that he turned down a bid in the summer from FC Internazionale Milano for Lionel Messi.

Messi has recently extended his Barca contract to 2016, which has a buy-out clause of more than £200million.

But Laporta confirms that Inter chief Massimo Moratti did indeed try to sign Messi, a favourite to win the Ballon d’Or later this year.

When asked in Corriere dello Sport if Moratti had expressed an interest in buying Messi, Laporta said: “Yes he did.

“But there is nothing to talk about. Messi is not for sale, he (Moratti) must forget about it.

“Massimo is a very successful businessman, but for how he behaves, especially a gentleman.

“Between us is born a beautiful friendship from the first meeting because he speaks to me as a brother.

“He has great human values, listens to others, but is also appealing and full of humour. This have made easier the exchange between Ibrahimovic and Eto’o.”

Abhimanyu Rajput

Tags: abhimanyu, ballon, Barcelona, beautiful friendship, brother, Eto, fc barcelona, fc internazionale milano, first meeting, gentleman, human values, humour, Ibrahimovic, joan laporta, lionel messi, massimo, massimo moratti, messi messi, sale, Sport

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Argentine Messi headlines Ballon d´Or nominees

Barcelona’s Argentinian star Lionel Messi headlines the 30-strong list of nominees for the Ballon d’Or, or European Player of the Year award, released by the France Football magazine on Sunday. Ballon d’Or nominees

Messi is one of the main favourites for the award after scoring one of Barcelona’s goals in their 2-0 Champions League final win over Manchester United last season, and helping his country qualify for the 2010 World Cup.

Last year’s winner, Portugal’s Cristiano Ronaldo, and the English quartet of Steven Gerrard, Franck Lampard, Wayne Rooney and John Terry all made the list but there was not a single Italian player among the 30 nominees.

Manchester United’s veteran Welsh winger Ryan Giggs got the nod as well as Barcelona’s Thierry Henry after his omission last year – the first time since 2000.

The Ballon d’Or shortlist is compiled by France Football and is based on nominations from football writers around the globe. This year’s winner is to be announced on December 1.

PARIS (AFP)

Tags: Argentine, ballon, Barcelona, champions league, cristiano ronaldo, european player of the year, football writers, France, france football magazine, franck lampard, john terry, lionel messi, Manchester, manchester united, nod, omission, PARIS, portugal, ronaldo, ryan giggs, shortlist, Steven Gerrard, thierry henry, wayne rooney, winger

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Nedved checks out of Juve

ROME (AFP) – Czech veteran Pavel Nedved has announced his departure from Juventus in a statement released by the club on Saturday.

Nedved had said earlier in the season that he would retire from football when this campaign is over but this statement seemed to contradict that.

“After eight seasons with Juventus the time has come to say farewell to the fans, my team-mates and the club and thank them all for the support I’ve received over the years,” said Nedved.

“In Turin I have won four titles (actually two as two were annulled for match-fixing) and a Ballon d’Or.”

Nedved said that he was not leaving for economic reasons but with Juve having signed Brazilian Diego and with young Italian Sebastian Giovinco pushing for a more regular starting berth, he risked being pushed down the pecking order.

Far from clarifying his future he added that from Monday he would start thinking about what to do next, although back in February he had seemingly already made up his mind.

“I’m still enjoying playing but considering my physical and mental condition I understand that the time has come to make way for younger players – they deserve to play,” he said then.

“Maybe you think I’m still young but I’m almost 37. I will quit at the end of the season, no matter how well we do in the Champions League or Serie A.

“The decision is final and I don’t think I will change my mind – I don’t need to. It is the right time to quit.”

The 36-year-old joined Juve in 2001, as a replacement for the Real Madrid bound Zinedine Zidane, after five seasons at Lazio, with whom he also won a scudetto crown in 2000.

In 2003, the same year he won the Ballon d’Or, Juve reached the Champions League final but Nedved was suspended as the Old Lady of Turin lost on penalties to AC Milan.

For his country he earned 91 caps and played in the European Championship final in 1996 in the 2-1 defeat to Germany.

This season he has played in 31 league games, scoring seven goals while also playing nine times in the Champions League.

Tags: ac milan, AFP, ballon, berth, champions league final, Diego, economic reasons, eight seasons, farewell, five seasons, Germany, juventus, lazio, league games, MADRID, Milan, nine times, old lady, Pavel Nedved, pecking order, right time, ROME, sebastian giovinco, Serie A, team mates, turin, zinedine zidane

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Nedved announces Juve departure

ROME (AFP) – Czech veteran Pavel Nedved has announced his departure from Juventus in a statement released by the club on Saturday.

Nedved had said earlier in the season that he would retire when this campaign is over but this statement seemed to contradict that.

“After eight seasons with Juventus the time has come to say farewell to the fans, my team-mates and the club and thank them all for the support I’ve received over the years,” said Nedved.

“In Turin I have won four titles (actually two as two were anulled for match-fixing) and a Ballon d’Or.”

Nedved said that he was not leaving for economic reasons but with Juve having signed Brazilian Diego and with young Italian Sebastian Giovinco pushing for a more regular starting berth, Nedved risked being pushed down the pecking order.

Tags: ballon, berth, Diego, economic reasons, eight seasons, farewell, juventus, match fixing, Pavel Nedved, pecking order, ROME, sebastian, sebastian giovinco, Serie A, team mates, turin, veteran

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Messi is already the best, says Laporta

ROME (AFP) – Barcelona’s Argentina forward Lionel Messi is already the best player in the world, according to his club president Joan Laporta.

Speaking to the Gazzetta dello Sport newspaper, Laporta claimed his Barcelona star will win the Ballon d’Or as soon as his team wins something.

“It depends on the results of the team,” he said. “But Messi is definitely already the best player in the world because he’s a genius.

“Players like him only come around once every 30 years.”

Although Messi has been dazzling Spanish audiences and tormenting La Liga defences for several years, he has yet to be named the best player on the planet.

The consensus opinion is that for a player to win such an award, his team must also be successful.

Last year Manchester United’s Cristiano Ronaldo finished top in both the World Player of the Year and Ballon d’Or polls and the year before it was AC Milan’s Kaka — in both cases their team had won the Champions League while the year before that it was Italy’s World Cup-winning captain Fabio Cannavaro who scooped the top awards.

It is not only Messi who has supposedly been prejudiced by his team’s failure to win things: in Italy many think Inter Milan’s Zlatan Ibrahimovic would win if his team did better in Europe.

Ibrahimovic is a reported transfer target for Barcelona this summer and Laporta did nothing to dispell those rumours.

“I’m not going to talk about that out of respect for (Inter president Massimo) Moratti,” he said.

Tags: ac milan, ballon, best player, captain Fabio Cannavaro, champions league, club president, cristiano ronaldo, defences, Europe, fabio cannavaro, gazzetta dello sport, inter milan, Italy, joan laporta, kaka, LA Liga, Lionel, lionel messi, Manchester, manchester united, massimo, Milan, ROME, ronaldo, rumours, target, World Cup, world player of the year, zlatan ibrahimovic

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Beckham has surprised everyone, says AC´s Gattuso

ROME (AFP) – Injured AC Milan midfielder Gennaro Gattuso said on Wednesday that former England captain David Beckham has been a revelation at the club.

Gattuso faces several months on the sidelines after injuring his cruciate knee ligament in December but Beckham has come in to fill his place in the team and is quickly becoming a favourite for players and fans alike.

The former Manchester United and Real Madrid star is on a two-and-a-half month loan from his current club LA Galaxy.

"He’s surprised me in a positive way. He’s a great professional, he arrives at training two or three hours early," said the Italian midfield general.

"He’s not Kaka but he’s a great player. He’s playing in my position because I’m injured but we’re completely different.

"For sure he sets up more goals than I do but I win back more balls."

Gattuso also turned his attention to Kaka in an interview on Italia 1, and said he faced a similar situation in the summer when many thought he would leave Milan.

"Kaka is an idol, he had a good think about it (leaving) but everyone really wants him here," he said.

"He’s in a team that helped him to win the Ballon D’Or. Last year I also thought that my Milan experience was over and I would be going to Bayern (Munich) but then the club and I cleared things up."

Gattuso also spoke about homosexuality in football, a subject that came up in a magazine article last year when an unknown third division player claimed he worked as a gigolo on the side and had slept with many Serie A players, including some in the Italy team.

"I’ve never seen a gay on the pitch. I’ve got nothing against gays, I even know a few, but during my 14-year career I’ve never met one," he said.

"And as I said a while ago, as far as I’m concerned a man and a woman get married in church."

Written by: AFP

Tags: ac milan, ballon, Bayern, bayern munich, captain david, captain David Beckham, cruciate knee ligament, current club, David Beckham, England, england captain, general quot, gennaro gattuso, gigolo, homosexuality, kaka, la galaxy, MADRID, magazine article, man and a woman, Manchester, manchester united, midfielder, Milan, Munich, real madrid, ROME, Serie A, sidelines

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