Lionel Messi further cemented his legacy as one of the greatest of all time by becoming the second player to 100 Champions League goals on Wednesday.
The Argentina superstar was in phenomenal form at Camp Nou with two goals and an assist, as Barcelona beat Chelsea 3-0 win to secure a 4-1 aggregate triumph in the last-16 tie.
Unsurprisingly, only Real Madrid rival Cristiano Ronaldo can boast more goals in Europe s premier competition.
Below, we have used Opta data to crunch the remarkable numbers behind Messi s latest landmark.
02:08 Lionel Messi has scored the fastest goal of his career (Barcelona and Argentina). Ray.
— OptaJose (@OptaJose)
BATTLE WITH RONALDO
It remains to be seen if there will ever be a time when t…
Luis Suarez netted four times and set up three more to help Barcelona to an 8-0 win over Deportivo La Coruna at Estadio Riazor on Wednesday, ending the champions four-game winless streak in La Liga.
Luis Enrique men s desperately needed to respond after defeats at the hands of Real Madrid, Real Sociedad and Valencia had eroded their lead at the top of the standings, leaving them level on points with second-placed Atletico Madrid going into the match.
Suarez led his team all the way as he took his tally for 2015-16 to 49 goals in all competitions, equalling his season s best at Ajax in 2009-10.
The Uruguay international opened the scoring early on after a corner from Ivan Rakitic, before doubling Barca s lead after a sublime assist from Lionel Messi.
Suare…
Roberto Di Matteo has been in active management for less than four of the last eight years.
Aston Villa are close to appointing Roberto Di Matteo as their new manager, and the decision is being met with skepticism among supporters.
The Italian coach took MK Dons to the League One playoffs in 2009, before earning promotion to the Premier League with West Brom in 2010.
He would go on to win the Champions League and FA Cup with Chelsea in 2012, but has been inactive for a lot of time in between roles that sees his name under scrutiny. Questions also remain over playing style and longevity, which subsequently has many unconvinced that he’s the right pick.
Hardly active in the last few years
Roberto Di Matteo’s last job was with German Bundesliga …
Chelsea are interested in signing Antoine Griezmann from Atletico Madrid, according to . The report has noted that Griezmann has a release clause of €25 million in his contract at La Liga club Atletico, and that Premier League giants Chelsea are willing to trigger it.
Griezmann, who can operate as a forward or as an attacking midfielder, is 32 now. The France international did not have the best of times during his short spell at Barcelona, but he is now doing well again back at Atletico. The forward has scored eight goals and given one assist in 12 La Liga matches and scored four goals in four UEFA Champions League games this season.
Chelsea are 10th in the Premier League table at the moment with 16 points from 12 matches, 10 points behind London rivals and fourth-pla…
West Ham have announced the signing of full-back Pablo Zabaleta on a two-year deal.
The Argentina international will join the club on July 1, once his contract with Manchester City expires.
He is the first signing made by Slaven Bilic since the end of what was a difficult 2016-17 season, in which West Ham finished 11th in the table.
This is an absolute pleasure to be part of West Ham United Football Club, Zabaleta told West Ham TV, with the club also claiming that he rejected offers from top clubs in England, Italy and Spain.
I hope I can give you good moments. Of course, I come to the club to enjoy myself and hopefully we can have a very successful time.
— West Ham United (@WestHamUtd)
Sometimes a new challenge is all you …
Pierre Kalulu is set to stay at Milan until 2027 after the defender signed a two-year extension to his previous deal at San Siro.
The 22-year-old, who arrived just over two years ago from Lyon s reserve team, has emerged as a regular fixture in the Rossoneri s back-line and has been rewarded for his fine form.
Kalulu was originally contracted to Milan until 2025, but he has become the latest key man to commit his long-term future to the Serie A champions.
Milan is pleased to announce the extension of Pierre Kalulu s contract until 30 June 2027, read a brief club statement.
Pierre joined AC Milan in the summer of 2020 and has since made 75 appearances, carving out an important space in the Rossoneri defence.
Kalulu commits his long-term future t…
Market: Under 2.5 goals
Odds: 3/5 @
Two sides who will be desperate to pick up an early advantage on Saturday night, Girona will welcome Tenerife to the Estadi Montilivi for their play-off final first-leg.
Starting with the hosts, managing to edge their way past Eibar last weekend thanks to what was a nail-biting affair, Girona will be looking to build off of those positives. Eventually claiming an extra-time winner as they secured a hard-fought 2-1 aggregate victory on the road, the Blanquivermells are seeking one final charge. However, signing off their regular-season run with a 0-0 stalemate against Burgos, Head Coach Míchel has seen his side win just a pair of their last six matchups against second-tier opposition. Likewise, along with failing to bag more t…
Tite admitted he is struggling to get the most out of his players after Brazil s winless streak stretched to a third match with Thursday s 1-1 draw against Senegal.
Famara Diedhiou scored a penalty late in the first half of the friendly international to cancel out Roberto Firmino s ninth-minute opener at the Singapore National Stadium.
Brazil drew 2-2 with Colombia and lost 1-0 to Peru in last month s friendlies and are on their longest wait for a victory since 2013.
The Copa America champions nearly fell to back-to-back losses as Sadio Mane struck the post for Senegal, leaving coach Tite to accept the criticism aimed his way.
Imagens da partida da nesta manha de quinta! Firmino marcou o gol do Brasil na partida.
Time volta a campo no domingo, d…
Liverpool s ascent to become Premier League champions under Jurgen Klopp has given Mikel Arteta belief that he can plot a similar revival at Arsenal.
Manchester City s 2-1 loss to Chelsea on Thursday meant the Reds were confirmed as champions of English football for the first time in 30 years.
In the intervening period, Arsenal won four league championships and they finished above Liverpool in Klopp s first season in 2015-16.
However, the two have gone in opposite directions since, with the Reds having claimed twice as many points as the Gunners 43 from 31 games.
Arteta, only appointed as the Gunners head coach in December, admires how Klopp has transformed Liverpool and thinks it should serve as encouragement to his current squad.
They ve come…
When Gabriel Barbosa made his senior debut as a 16-year-old in Neymar s emotional Santos farewell in May 2013, it was anticipated an avalanche of goals and glory would follow.
Not many would have foreseen that expectation borne out six years later at Flamengo – Santos opponents that tearful day – who he will hope to inspire to Copa Libertadores glory against defending champions River Plate in Lima on Saturday.
There were trophies initially and, predictably for a player nicknamed Gabigol for his prolific finishing in the youth ranks, goals. Two Campeonato Paulista titles arrived before a pair of international campaigns of differing success; after a frustrating Copa America Centenario, he helped Brazil claim an eagerly awaited gold medal at the 2016 Olympics in Rio…