After becoming the highest goalscorer in the history of FC Barcelona, with 234 goals in official matches, we take a look at Messi’s journey through the Club’s youth teams with commentary from his old managers
الجمعة، 28 نوفمبر 2014
Manchester United icon Ryan Giggs has voiced his admiration for Barcelona midfielder Xavi and has compared his to a chess player for his quick thinking.
The ex-Spain international drew level with Giggs on 151 Champions League appearances including qualifying rounds following Barca's 4-0 win over APOEL on Tuesday and the Welshman feels honoured to share the record with Xavi.
"It is never nice to lose a record, but the fact that I'm now sharing it with someone of Xavi's calibre makes it a bit less bad," Giggs told Mundo Deportivo.
"Xavi is a bit like a chess player. He is always two or three steps ahead of everybody else. For me, he is one of the greatest players ever who played for one of the best teams ever.
"What surprised me most about him whenever I played against him was the way he protects the ball. He always keeps it far away from his opponents. He always seemed to make the perfect decision.
"He is a very intelligent player and always remains humble. He reminds me a bit of Paul Scholes."
Xavi has made the most appearances in the Champions League without qualifying rounds since the new format was introduced back in 1992. He has played 145 matches, one more than Real Madrid goalkeeper Iker Casillas.
Fernando Llorente says he is not going to cry over his continued exclusion from the Spain squad, insisting his sole concern is on helping Juventus win their Champions League group decider with Atletico Madridnext month.
The towering striker has not been summoned by Roja coach Vicente del Bosque for a year - despite a fine debut campaign in Serie A last season.
Llorente has found goals more difficult to come by this term but he netted the opener in Wednesday night's 2-0 win at Malmo, which has left Juve needing only a point at home to Atletico on December 9 to progress to the last 16 of the Champions League.
However, the Bianconeri would claim top spot if they were to beat Atletico by two clear goals, given they were defeated 1-0 by the Spanish champions at the Vicente Calderon on matchday two.
The game in Turin clearly represents an excellent opportunity for Llorente to impress before a Spanish television audience, which will most likely include Del Bosque, but the former Athletic Bilbao forward says his primary focus is on victory.
“I’m not going to cry if I don’t get into the national team," Llorente told Sky Sport Italia.
"I don’t know if I have the confidence of the coach. I only know that I have to continue working well with my club.
"We have to win against Atletico and we will try to clinch first place in our group.”
However, Llorente admitted that he is happy with his recent form, having netted three times in his last three outings in all competitions.
"I am working well and I think it shows on the pitch," the 29-year-old stated.
Llorente, who joined Juve on a free transfer from Athletic last year, has netted seven times in 24 previous appearances for Spain.
Basel have been charged by Uefa over a pitch invasion during their Champions League match against Real Madrid on Wednesday.
A number of supporters made their way on to the pitch in the closing stages of the encounter at St Jakob-Park, which the visitors won 1-0 courtesy of a 35th-minute goal from star forward Cristiano Ronaldo.
Uefa announced on Thursday that disciplinary proceedings had been opened in relation to the incident, explaining that Basel had been charged with breaching security regulations related to fans entering the field of play.
"The case will be dealt with by the UEFA Control, Ethics and Disciplinary Body on December 11, 2014," read a statement released by the European game's governing body.
Basel are currently in pole position to join Group B winners in the last 16 of the Champions League, with the Swiss side currently second in the standings, two points clear of both Liverpool and Ludogorets.
However, Paulo Sousa's men must travel to Anfield on matchday six, meaning they will have to avoid defeat in order to progress to the knockout stage.
| Players | Nationality | Position | Age | Games | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 | 1 | M. ter Stegen | Goalkeeper | 22 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
 | Jordi Masip | Goalkeeper | 25 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
 | 13 | C. Bravo | Goalkeeper | 31 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
 | 21 | Adriano Correia | Defender | 30 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
 | 3 | Piqué | Defender | 27 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
 | 15 | Bartra | Defender | 23 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
 | Martín Montoya | Defender | 23 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
 | 16 | Douglas | Defender | 24 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
 | Jordi Alba | Defender | 25 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | ||
 | 22 | Dani Alves | Defender | 31 | 5 | 0 | 2 | 3 | 0 | 0 | |
 | 24 | J. Mathieu | Defender | 31 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
 | T. Vermaelen | Defender | 29 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
 | 6 | Xavi | Midfielder | 34 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
 | 8 | Iniesta | Midfielder | 30 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
 | 26 | Sergi Samper | Midfielder | 19 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
 | 20 | Sergi Roberto | Midfielder | 22 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
 | 4 | I. Rakitić | Midfielder | 26 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
 | Busquets | Midfielder | 26 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
 | 12 | Rafinha | Midfielder | 21 | 4 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | |
 | J. Mascherano | Midfielder | 30 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | ||
 | 29 | Sandro Ramírez | Attacker | 19 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
 | 31 | Munir El Haddadi | Attacker | 19 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
 | 11 | Neymar | Attacker | 22 | 4 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
 | L. Suárez | Attacker | 27 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
 | Pedro | Attacker | 27 | 4 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | ||
 | 10 | L. Messi | Attacker | 27 | 5 | 7 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| Manager | |
|---|---|
 | Luis Enrique |
Everton manager Roberto Martinez basked in a "perfect" display as his side beat Wolfsburg 2-0 to top Group H in the Europa League.
A 1-1 draw between Lille and Krasnodar earlier on Thursday ensured progression for the Premier League side, irrespective of the result at the Volkswagen Arena in Germany, but the Toffees built on it in style, soaking up significant spells of pressure in between Belgium international duo Romelu Lukaku and Kevin Mirallas netting on the counterattack.
"It was a perfect away performance," Martinez told reporters. "Our counterattacks were lethal and I thought we were outstanding.
"Big credit must also go to the back five because keeping a clean sheet here is a fantastic achievement."
It was a night to remember for Everton's travelling support and Martinez thanked them for their vocal backing.
"The celebrations were incredible - there were Evertonians everywhere," he enthused. "We've had phenomenal support again."
The downside of the evening for Martinez was midfielder James McCarthy suffering a recurrence of a hamstring problem.
The Republic of Ireland international will be assessed over the next 24 hours and his manager is keen to find a lasting solution.
Martinez told the club's official website: "It's been a recurring problem with James's hamstring and we need to get to the bottom of it.
"He's such a high-intensity player that his soft tissue suffers a lot. He's a sprinter and we hope he didn't hurt himself too much. We'll assess him and see how quickly we can get him fully fit."
Real Sociedad coach David Moyes has appointed compatriot Billy McKinlay as his assistant at the Liga club.
Former Scotland international McKinlay has been out of work since being sacked by Championship side Watford after only two games in charge.
The 45-year-old will now link up with new Real boss Moyes, who took over in San Sebastian earlier this month and secured a goalless draw in his first game in charge against Deportivo La Coruna last weekend.
McKinlay was employed as assistant coach of Northern Ireland before taking over as Watford manager. He also spent time on the coaching staff at Fulham and was appointed as joint caretaker manager of the London club before Roy Hodgson took over at Craven Cottage.
Moyes faces La Liga's second-bottom club Elche on Friday in his first home game in charge of his new side.
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