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.
Former English Referee Mike Dean reacts to Arsenal’s penalty in the Premier league match against Everton.
Speaking to the press, the former referee shares his thoughts on the penalty given to Arsenal.
“There’s a bit of contact outside and there’s a little bit of contact inside. I think it’s a soft one. It’s probably not wrong, but it’s a soft one.”
“I don’t know why Lewis-Skelly doesn’t go to attack it… Harrison gets the wrong side of him. I think this is awfully soft, but it’s gone to VAR…
“I can see why it was given in real time. But watching it again, there’s hardly a touch.”
Chelsea manager Enzo Maresca has explained his decision to leave Cole Palmer and Nicolas Jackson out of the starting lineup for Sunday’s match against Brentford. Fans were surprised when the team sheets were released and both players were named on the bench.
Maresca made several changes from the side that won 1-0 against Tottenham on Thursday, including leaving out Pedro Neto, Marc Cucurella, and Levi Colwill, likely to manage player fatigue with the upcoming Conference League quarter-final first leg against Legia Warszawa in mind.
“It’s part of the game plan. I believe the players starting today are the right choices for this match,” Maresca said in his post-match comments to the BBC.
Chelsea is aiming for a win to boost their chances of climbing back into the top four spots in the league.
Vinicius Jr. has hit a major career milestone by matching Brazilian legend Ronaldo Nazário’s goal tally at Real Madrid. The 23-year-old forward netted his 104th goal for the club during their 2-1 loss to Valencia, drawing level with his idol.
Despite the disappointing result, Vinicius expressed pride in the personal achievement. Speaking after the game, he called it a special moment and reflected on the influence Ronaldo had on him when he first arrived at the club.
“It means a lot to me to reach the same number of goals as Ronaldo,” he said. “He was my role model when I joined Madrid as a kid. This was a tough match, but at Real Madrid, we never stop fighting.”
Earlier in January, Vinicius had mentioned that he was just a few goals shy of matching Ronaldo’s record. Now that he’s done it, he’s setting his sights even higher and hopes to keep scoring more for the club.
The defeat to Valencia, however, dealt a blow to Madrid’s title hopes, with the team needing to bounce back quickly in the coming fixtures.
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