The Nation Newspaper

Tag: Lionel Messi

  • Police seize $85m cocaine haul with Lionel Messi photos

    Police seize $85m cocaine haul with Lionel Messi photos

    Peru law enforcement on Wednesday seized 1,417 kilos of cocaine, much of it adorned with logos that bear the photo and name of Barcelona star Lionel Messi. The haul was found wrapped in containers of squid fillets and destined for Belgium.

    The drugs were worth an estimated $85 million in street value, Peru officials said in a news release.

    Many packages of the drugs bore Messi’s likeness and name, while the rest was wrapped in black packaging with a logo saying “King” with a likeness of the king of Spain.

    A spokesperson for the Peruvian National Police’s Anti-Drugs Office (Dirandro) said that no one has been arrested or detained yet.

    “Most of the 1,288 packages of drugs were camouflaged as squid filets and had a label that said ‘Messi’ along with a picture of the Argentina player Lionel Messi wearing the shirt of the Spanish club Barcelona,” the news release said.

    The logos are used to guarantee the purity of the drugs by the gangs who traffic them, the official said, as well as guaranteeing that drugs, which are packaged in bricks, remain sealed.

    The shipment was found over the weekend after arriving in Lima over land, headed west with a final destination as the port of Callao.

    This is the second major police intervention this year, the news release said.

    In January, Peruvian police found more than 4,508 pounds of cocaine worth $174 million in street value, hidden in packages of asparagus destined for Amsterdam. The group arrested was part of an international drug-trafficking network that shipped cocaine to European countries, Reuters reported.

    Peru is believed to rival Colombia as the world’s largest producer of coca leaves, from which cocaine is made. Dirandro officials said they believe cartels from Mexico operate in their country and use their distribution networks to send the drugs to Europe and the United States.

  • Messi arrives Egypt for anti-Hepatitis campaign

    Messi arrives Egypt for anti-Hepatitis campaign

    Argentine footballer Lionel Messi arrived in Cairo on Tuesday to promote a new treatment for Hepatitis C virus, a source at Cairo International Airport told newsmen.

    “The visit was deemed as part of “Tour n’ Cure” international tourism initiative launched under the slogan of “For a World Free of Virus C,’’ it said.

    The source also noted that Messi arrived at Cairo West International Airport, making him stay near the Pyramids of Giza and close to the nearby Mena House Hotel where he would show up for a ceremony.

    The soccer superstar, who plays for Spanish club FC Barcelona, or “Barca,” was scheduled to arrive in Egypt last week but the trip was delayed after his team suffered an overnight massive 0-4 loss to Paris Saint-Germain.

    Reports say that the Egyptian Ministry of Tourism pins hopes on Messi’s “historic visit” to be one of the steps towards enhancing the tourism sector in Egypt that has been suffering recession over the past few years.

    “Such visits by international public figures, undoubtedly, pour in favour of Egypt and serve its tourism sector significantly,’’ the Egyptian ministry said in a previous statement.

  • Messi signs new Adidas deal

    Messi signs new Adidas deal

     

     

    Lionel Messi’s contract negotiations with his club have been ongoing for months, but it seems he has much less trouble when it comes to signing a deal with his favoured boot manufacturer.

     

    While he continues to work out terms with Barcelona, Messi has reaffirmed his commitment to adidas and will continue to wear their footwear while performing his skills on the pitch.

     

    The five-time Ballon D’Or winner confirmed the deal in a post on his official Facebook page.

    Along with a picture of a smiling Messi putting pen to paper was a message which said: ‘Happy to be able to continue working with adidas many more years!’

    One contract he has not yet signed is an extension on his deal at the Nou Camp, which runs out at the end of next season.

    Barcelona manager Luis Enrique will want his star forward to sign a new deal as soon as possible, as speculation will only grow the longer the Argentina star does not extend his contract in Catalonia.

    The 29-year-old has spent his entire professional career with Barcelona, scoring 487 goals in 564 games, including 31 in as many matches so far this campaign.

    As well as the five awards for being the world’s best player he has scooped individually, while with Barca Messi has won four Champions League trophies, eight La Liga titles, four Copa de Rey finals, and three Club World Cups.

  • Messi’s sculpture destroyed by Vandals

    Messi’s sculpture destroyed by Vandals

     
    Argentina captain Lionel Messi’s bronze statue has been destroyed by vandals. The statue was cut in half less

    than a year after it was unveiled in Buenos Aires, Argentina.

    The sculpture of Messi was unveiled in June last year, just days after the Barcelona star had announced his retirement from the international game following Argentina’s defeat in the 2016 Copa America final, per BBC News.

    As reported by Goal’s Daniel Edwards, a statement from the Buenos Aires city government did not reveal the identity of any known suspects but stated that the statue would be repaired:

    “The statue of Lionel Messi fell victim to an act of vandalism that left the footballer’s sculpture without its top half. The City Government is now working on its repair.”

  • Messi, other Barca stars snub FIFA’s ‘The Best’ award

    Messi, other Barca stars snub FIFA’s ‘The Best’ award

     Lionel Messi and some other  Barcelona players will not be at the presentation of FIFA’s ‘The Best’ award in Zurich on Monday in a move that will be seen as a snub to the game’s governing body.

     iniesta

    The Dailymail reported that Gerard Pique, Andres Iniesta, Luis Suarez and Lionel Messi were all due in Zurich having been named in the team of the year but when Cristiano Ronaldo picks up the award for FIFA player of the year there will be no Barca players joining him on stage.

     Barcelona president Josep Maria Bartomeu will be present but after a dressing-room meeting on Monday morning it is understood that players decided that they would not make the trip just 48 hours before a now crucial second-leg last-16 Copa del Rey game against Athletic Bilbao.

  • Ronaldo wins 2016 Ballon d’Or award

    Ronaldo wins 2016 Ballon d’Or award

    Cristiano Ronaldo has tonight been crowned the Ballon d’Or winner for the fourth 
    time in his illustrious career.
    The Real Madrid and Portugal forward enjoyed an outstanding 2016 to beat
    Barcelona rivals Lionel Messi and Neymar to the individual award.
    Ronaldo’s latest triumph, which is voted for by 173 journalists from around the
    world, takes him to within one title of Messi’s total of five.
    Ronaldo has scored a total of 102 goals in 110 appearances for club and country
    throughout the calendar year.
    The 31-year-old’s efforts helped Madrid win the Champions League in May as
    Zinedine Zidane’s side edged out city rivals Atletico Madrid courtesy of a penalty
    shoot-out.
    And Ronaldo added another trophy to his cabinet in July as Portugal triumphed
    over host nation France to win Euro 2016.
    Ronaldo did not attend tonight’s ceremony in Paris as he is currently on Club
    World Cup duty with Madrid in Japan.
  • FIFA Best Player award: Ronaldo, Messi lead 23-man shortlist

    FIFA Best Player award: Ronaldo, Messi lead 23-man shortlist

    Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi lead the contenders on the 23-man shortlist for The Best FIFA Men’s Player 2016 award, with three members of Leicester City’s title-winning squad also in contention.

    Jamie Vardy, Riyad Mahrez and N’Golo Kante, who has since joined Chelsea, have been named on the shortlist in recognition of their roles in Leicester’s shock Premier League title success last season. Claudio Ranieri is also a leading contender for the top coach award.

    Top names on the list include Portugal captain Ronaldo — who enjoyed success in the Champions League and Euro 2016 this year — and Real Madrid teammates Gareth Bale, Toni Kroos, Sergio Ramos and Luka Modric, plus Barcelona’s Messi, Luis Suarez, Neymar and Andres Iniesta.

    Atletico Madrid and France forward Antoine Griezmann, a finalist in the Champions League and European Championship, is another contender, along with international teammate Dimitri Payet.

    FIFA announced this week that its rebranded “The Best” awards will be decided by a combination of votes from national coaches and captains, journalists and fans. Voting for the player and coach awards, in both men’s and women’s football, closes on Nov. 22.

    The 23-man list is due to be reduced to three candidates on Dec. 2 ahead of the Jan. 9 ceremony.

    Messi and Ronaldo have dominated FIFA’s annual award, formerly known as the Ballon d’Or and World Player of the Year, since 2008. Messi has won five times and Ronaldo three.

    Ronaldo was seen as favourite under the old voting rules to win for 2016 because Portugal won the European Championship and Real Madrid won the Champions League. Messi and Argentina lost to Chile in the Copa America final.

    The Best FIFA Men’s Player 2016 shortlist:

    Sergio Aguero

    Gareth Bale

    Gianluigi Buffon

    Cristiano Ronaldo

    Kevin De Bruyne

    Antoine Griezmann

    Zlatan Ibrahimovic

    Andres Iniesta

    N’Golo Kante

    Toni Kroos

    Robert Lewandowski

    Riyad Mahrez

    Lionel Messi

    Luka Modric

    Manuel Neuer

    Neymar

    Mesut Ozil

    Dimitri Payet

    Paul Pogba

    Sergio Ramos

    Alexis Sanchez

    Luis Suarez

    Jamie Vardy

     

     

  • Messi returns to Argentina squad

    Messi returns to Argentina squad

    Barcelona superstar, Lionel Messi, on Friday said he will return to the Argentina national team.

    Messi quit international football following another heartbreaking defeat to Chile in the final of the Copa America in June, Goal reports.

    After speaking with the new Argentina manager, Edgardo Bauza, the five-time World Player of the Year, decided to represent his country again.

    “I see there are lots of problems in Argentine football and I do not want to create another,” Goal quoted Messi as saying in a statement on Friday.

    “I do not want to cause any harm, I have always tried to do the opposite and help wherever I could.

    “We have to fix a lot of things in Argentine football, but I’d rather do that from the inside and not criticizing from the outside.”

     

  • Messi gets jail term for tax fraud

    Messi gets jail term for tax fraud

    Barcelona star Lionel Messi has been handed a 21-month prison sentence for tax fraud but is unlikely to serve time in prison.

    Any sentence under two years can be suspended under Spanish law, meaning Messi is expected to avoid spending a day behind bars, according to widespread reports.

    Messi, one of the world’s highest-paid footballers, was tried alongside his father, Jorge, for deceiving Spain’s tax authority of 4.1m euros (£3.19m) between 2007 and 2009, Goal reports.

    The forward, who recently announced his retirement from the Argentina national team, has also been fined six weeks’ wages worth £1.7 million.

    The 29-year-old was accused of creating a number of fake companies in Belize and Uruguay to avoid taxation on his lucrative image rights.

    Messi claimed he never suspected any wrongdoing about his financial affairs, but a court has found him and his father guilty in the crime.

    The player’s father has also been given the same sentence and both can appeal through the Supreme Court.

  • Messi wins fifth FIFA Ballon d’Or

    Messi wins fifth FIFA Ballon d’Or

    Argentina maestro, Lionel Messi, on Monday night won the 2015 FIFA Ballon d’Or award for the planet’s top soccer stars.

    In a colourful ceremony held in Zurich, Switzerland, the Barcelona superstar brushed aside competition from Portugal and Real Madrid hitman, Cristiano Ronaldo and his Nou Camp teammate, Neymar, to win the biggest individual prize in world football for a record fifth time.

    Messi also won the award in 2009, 2010 2011 and 2012.

    United States striker, Carli Lloyd, won the Women Player of the Year award, while Brazilian Wendell Lira went home with the Ferenc Puskas award for the best goal scored in 2015.