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In his 17 seasons at Barcelona, Messi played 519 matches in Spain’s La Liga. And from 2009 through 2019, they won the Spanish league title eight times-despite the presence of Real Madrid, the world’s other richest club. They won the Champions League in 2009, 2011, and 2015. Messi’s Barcelona pretty much put an end to that discussion by saying, “We’re gonna keep the ball, forever.” Barca controlled possession to never-before-seen levels-against even the best teams in the world-thanks to a group of players and coaches that prized small-space skill and off-the-ball movement. Since the modern game was created in the 1800s, there’s been a philosophical argument about the ball: better to have it, or let them have it? It sounds absurd, perhaps, but teams that tried to keep possession would often fall prey to organized, counter-attacking sides that would sit back, draw their opponents forward, and then quickly exploit the space in behind when they regained the ball. The team itself redefined the way soccer was played at the absolute highest level. It’s the story you tell anything else hangs off the side. “Messi at Barcelona” is the history of modern soccer. And if it is, it’s also the end of the greatest stretch of athletic excellence we’ve ever seen-and probably ever will see. It’s possible something still gets worked out-soccer finances are part magic-but there’s a real chance this is actually the end of Messi in the red and blue stripes.
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On Thursday, FC Barcelona announced that Lionel Messi “shall not be staying on at FC Barcelona.” It was an abrupt announcement, prompted by the club’s lavish spending over the past half-decade and the contracting effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on revenues. Sixteen years later, it’s safe to say that Eto’o was right. “I told him”, Eto’o said, “one day it would seem like every player who came before Messi was playing a different sport.” He pointed across the pitch at a gnomish 18-year-old with a terrible haircut and translucent skin. Both Eto’o and Vieira were at the top of their craft, the 99.99th percentile of practitioners at their positions, but when Eto’o met up with his buddy before the match, he didn’t wanna talk about himself, didn’t wanna ask Vieira how things were going, none of that. At the time, Eto’o was coming off of his first season with Barcelona, where he’d scored 24 goals and led the Catalan club to their first La Liga title in six years.īarcelona and Juventus were about to contest the Gamper Trophy, an exhibition match Barcelona plays at the beginning of every season in honor of Joan Gamper, one of the founders of the club.
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He had the near-performative tenacity of a Duke point guard, but with world-class speed, top-tier strength, and elite ball control. Samuel Eto’o, meanwhile, had just started to make his case as the Vieira of strikers. Juventus's Patrick Vieira was the most dominant midfielder in the world: a gangly 6-foot-3 colossus, able to break up any attack that dares come near him and just as easily push play forward with the ball at his feet.
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You know, the one with the olive-green sunburst dial that has become virtually impossible to find since its release this spring? Of course, when you make $40 million a year, or are able to write a check for that much, in-demand watches are just a little bit easier to find.It was preseason, back in 2005. During the formal announcement of Messi’s contract, PSG president Nasser Al-Khelaifi could be seen wearing the new Patek Philippe Nautilus. Meanwhile, the soccer star’s Rolex wasn’t the only luxury watch on display on Tuesday. It retails for $27,300, which is no small sum, but then again Messi’s new two-season contract is believed to be worth roughly $40 million a year. It’s powered by the watchmaker’s new-generation 3225 automatic movement, has a 70-hour power reserve and a durable Oysterflex bracelet with a matching Everose safety clasp. It has a 40mm 18 karat Everose gold case that houses a black dial and is topped with a matte black ceramic bezel. 126655, is a true beauty that has been referred to as an “era-defining timepiece” by this magazine. Lionel Messi waves to PSG fans in Paris on August 10, 2021Īnd what a timepiece Messi chose for his first day.