Sport
“Never Settle for Second Place” – Messi Tells Barcelona Players
Former Barcelona captain Lionel Messi has sent a strong message to the current Barcelona squad, urging them never to settle for second place in the ongoing La Liga title race.
Messi, who spent over two decades at the club, emphasized the importance of fighting for the top spot, particularly for a club of Barcelona’s stature.
Last season, Barcelona finished second in La Liga, losing out on the title to their fierce rivals, Real Madrid.
Despite their strong performance, they were unable to clinch the championship, and this left a sense of disappointment among the fans and players alike.
This season, however, Barcelona is sitting at the top of the La Liga standings, holding a four-point lead over second-placed Real Madrid.
Yet, Real Madrid still has a game in hand, meaning the race for the title remains close and intense.
In an interview with Mundodeportivo, Messi, who is now playing for Inter Miami, spoke about what it means to represent Barcelona.
He made it clear that the club’s players must always aim for the top, no matter the circumstances.
“You can never accept to be second if you’re wearing a Barça shirt,” Messi stated.
“This means you’re part of the biggest club in the world.”
Messi went on to stress that, even if the team doesn’t win, they must remain committed to competing until the very last match of the season.
“Even if you don’t win, at least you must compete for the title till the very end,” he said.
Super Eagles defender Calvin Bassey has opened up about a difficult period in his career, revealing that he almost stepped away from football.
Speaking during a recent interview, Bassey shared that he once made a personal promise to himself to quit pursuing football professionally if he failed to secure a spot at a professional club.
“I remember being 15 and going into my final year, and I told myself that if I didn’t get into a professional club, I would quit football. It was that simple,” he said.
“I would just stop pursuing it seriously and only play for fun. Thank God I eventually got a club, because I honestly don’t know where I would be otherwise.”
It has been reported that the Confederation of African Football (CAF) fined Egypt $5,000 following their clash with Zimbabwe for failing to manage post-match media obligations.
It was noted that after the match, the Egyptian players ignored the media. This action was said to be a violation of CAF’s media regulations, which led to the fine being imposed.
Head of the Super Eagles, Eric Chelle, shared that the big-name players on the team are not happy about being benched.
He recalled when he took out Samuel Chukwueze during the match against Tanzania.
“Yes, of course, we’ve in this team a lot of big names. They are competitors; they aren’t happy when they go to the bench,” Chelle said at his post-match interview.”
“My job is to make choices, and we’re playing a 4-4-2 diamond, and at this moment I feel we have to protect the wing.”
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