Lionel Messi and Argentina stalk Copa America title as world turns its attention to Euro 2020

Argentina's Lionel Messi gestures during the Conmebol 2021 Copa America football tournament semi-final match against Colombia, at the Mane Garrincha Stadium in Brasilia, Brazil, on July 6, 2021. (File/AFP)
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Updated 10 July 2021
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Lionel Messi and Argentina stalk Copa America title as world turns its attention to Euro 2020

  • But should his unquestioned legacy still be tied to winning an international title?

It would have been a sweeter win had it happened in 1959 or 1962. Or even 1968.

But it would take a while longer.

In 1987, at the age of 62, Paul Newman won his one and only Oscar for Best Actor — on his seventh attempt and for his role in “The Colour of Money.”

Not in “The Hustler.” Not in “Cat on a Hot Tin Roof.” And not in the peerless “Cool Hand Luke.”

No doubt, Newman was still a formidable actor, and he would go on to be nominated two more times, once for a supporting role.

But it felt a touch too little, too late. A year after winning an Academy Honorary Award, which is never an encouraging sign, this award felt even more valedictory.

Above all, his greatness was in no way enhanced by this award.

And so, obviously, to Lionel Messi.

It’s one of football’s most tedious debates that only in winning an international title can he be considered the greatest player of all time. Win a cup with Argentina, Leo, or you’ll forever remain in Diego Maradona’s shadow. Or worse, Cristiano Ronaldo’s.

Messi’s well-documented tragi-comedies with Argentina are the stuff of legend and no little gloating by his critics. His time has passed, we’ve been assured.

But while the world has been preoccupied with the mesmerizing Euro 2020, Messi and Argentina are just one match away from claiming their first Copa America win since 1993. Beat hosts Brazil in Sunday morning’s final and, in many people’s eyes, Messi will, overnight, suddenly become worthy of the title of greatest footballer of all time.

For those of us on the other side of the world, the timing of the Copa America matches couldn’t be more inconvenient. But while most fans have slept through it, Messi and Argentina have inched their way toward what would be an unexpected triumph.

The symbolism of a win, for many, will reignite the pointless debates. But just where would it rank in among Messi’s achievements?

International football trophies are not handed out like Oscars of course, but winning this sleepy tournament, as much as it will mean to a man desperately coveting a title with his country, will have a bit of a lifetime achievement award feel to it. A bit “The Color of Money.”

The truth is, of course, that Messi does not need to win this Copa to validate his greatness, just as he did not need to win the 2014 World Cup or the 2015 and 2016 Copa America titles, which were both lost on penalties to Chile.

Perhaps a more appropriate comparison to an Oscar as a barometer for individual greatness would be the Ballon d’Or, of which Messi has just the five. But that’s not good enough for some people.

How about the four Champions League medals, 10 La Liga titles, seven Cop del Rey wins, and absurd goal records?

Why deeds in summer international football should outweigh his weekly acts of the unimaginable remains unexplained by football’s very own flat-earthers.

But while winning the Copa America 2021 couldn’t possibly make up for losing the 2014 World Cup, try telling that to 34-year-old Argentina captain, who has said he’d give up all his Ballon d’Or awards for a single trophy with his country.

Something strange has happened at Copa America 2021. Messi, often seemingly carrying the weight of the world, not to mention his other 10 teammates, on his shoulders, looks happy playing for Argentina.

There have been four goals and five assists and, against Ecuador in the quarterfinal, two stunning passes and a trademark freekick goal.

Seven years on from the disappointment of losing the World Cup final to Germany at the Maracana in Rio, Messi looks determined to right that wrong.

Just before Maxi Rodriguez scored Argentina’s winning penalty against the Netherlands to take Argentina to that 2014 World Cup final, television footage showed Messi drifting alone, nervously, seemingly lost in his own world, separated from the rest of his teammates.

In the early hours of Wednesday, as Argentina won the semi-final penalty shootout against Colombia, Messi stood front and center — furious, encouraging and celebrating in a way you’d more associate with Georgio Chiellini or Sergio Ramos.

This was a reborn Messi for Argentina, one that we thought we’d never see again.

It helps that, for once, some of his teammates have stepped up, rather than been struck by the paralysis of playing alongside him. And none more so than the hero of the shootout win over Colombia, the extraordinary Emi Martinez.

Messi’s joyful reaction at the end, as he sought out the mobbed Aston Villa goalkeeper, was touching even for a player who has seen and done it all before. Or, almost all.

Perhaps it was the realization that this, alongside Qatar 2022, really is it for him at the international level, and perhaps the last chance to get the Maradona monkey off his back.

It should not have come to this, of course, and maybe Messi’s international career will always leave many questions unanswered.

Why should the profligacy of Gonzalo Higuain, Rodrigo Palacio and others in the 2014 World Cup final have any bearing on Messi’s greatness? Would he be any more of a player had the seemingly jinxed Higuain scored in stoppage time of the 2015 Copa America final?

And how does the result of Sunday’s final retrospectively shape how Messi’s career is conceived? If you are, somehow, still not convinced by his otherworldliness, of his sheer genius, would a Copa America win be some kind of deus ex machina for his legacy?

If you don’t already think he’s the greatest player of all time then, clearly, you never will.

Messi doesn’t need to win the Copa America to prove anything to anyone.

But it would be sweet.


Slot not surprised by flying start at Liverpool

Updated 08 November 2024
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Slot not surprised by flying start at Liverpool

  • Slot appeared to have a tough ask to follow Jurgen Klopp
  • The Dutch coach has won 14 and drawn one of his 16 matches in charge

Liverpool: Arne Slot said he is not shocked by a stunning start to life in charge of Liverpool as the Reds have stormed to the top of the Premier League and Champions League.
The Dutch coach has won 14 and drawn one of his 16 matches in charge in all competitions as the holders have also progressed to the League Cup quarter-finals.
Slot appeared to have a tough ask to follow Jurgen Klopp.
But he has built on the solid foundations left by the German after Liverpool finished third in the Premier League behind Manchester City and Arsenal last season.
“Surprise isn’t the right word I’d use because I knew the quality of our team. But quality is one thing, to be consistent is a second thing,” said Slot at his pre-match press conference ahead of hosting Aston Villa on Saturday.
“From the moment I started working with them I saw how much energy they put in on a daily basis and that is I think the reason you can be consistent.”
Liverpool were inspired by the power of the Anfield crowd to come from behind to beat Brighton 2-1 last weekend to move two points ahead of City at the top of the Premier League.
A similar atmosphere helped blow Bundesliga champions Bayer Leverkusen away 4-0 in the Champions League on Tuesday.
Slot is keen to keep his players’ feet on the ground but is happy for the fans to get excited about the possibility of just a second league title in 35 years.
“If the end result of them being excited is to bring the atmosphere of the second half against Brighton and the whole game against Leverkusen, I am hoping they will keep being excited because that atmosphere helped us a lot,” added the former Feyenoord boss.
Diogo Jota remains sidelined but should return after November’s international break.


Pakistan’s Muhammad Asif wins IBSF World Snooker Championship in Qatar

Updated 08 November 2024
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Pakistan’s Muhammad Asif wins IBSF World Snooker Championship in Qatar

  • Asif defeated Iran’s Ali Ghareghozlou 5-3 to clinch the title for 3rd time
  • PM Shehbaz Sharif promises to set up world-class facilities for sportsmen

ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has congratulated Pakistani cueist Muhammad Asif for winning the International Billiards and Snooker Federation (IBSF) World Snooker Championship in Qatar for the third time, Pakistani state-run media reported on Thursday.
Asif defeated Iran’s Ali Ghareghozlou 5-3 to clinch the title in a thrilling final on Nov. 6. He outclassed Ali 5-3: 70-25, 7-87(84), 82(56)-8, 106(106)-08, 82-12, 43-91(58), 0-118 and 93(80)-4.
“Asif made the entire nation proud by winning the international championship for the third time,” PM Sharif was quoted as saying by the Radio Pakistan broadcaster. “The talented youth of Pakistan are highlighting the country’s name in the fields of sports.”
The IBSF, founded in 1971, is the governing body for billiards and snooker worldwide. It represents 85 member countries and is recognized by the World Confederation of Billiard Sports and the International Olympic Committee.
Asif, 42, first won the IBSF World Snooker Championship in 2012 and went on to win it again in 2019. His victory ties him with India’s Pankaj Advani who has also won the World Snooker Championship thrice.
The Pakistan prime minister said Asif’s family and coach also deserved recognition, adding that providing quality facilities to Pakistani players was top priority of his government.
“The government is making all possible efforts to provide international standard facilities to the players,” he added.
 


Raphinha’s evolution into a more versatile scorer is a big part of Flick’s great start at Barcelona

Updated 08 November 2024
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Raphinha’s evolution into a more versatile scorer is a big part of Flick’s great start at Barcelona

BARCELONA: Raphinha knew he would have a hard time getting off Barcelona’s bench with the soccer world enthralled by teen phenom Lamine Yamal and the club eyeing to sign another hot prospect in the attack.

Instead of pouting, he evolved.

While the entire Barcelona team improved under new coach Hansi Flick, no player has made such a leap forward this season as Raphinha.

His 12 goals and team-leading 10 assists across all competitions are a big part of why Barcelona is playing its best soccer since the exit of Lionel Messi more than three years ago.

But if one player looked to be on the out when the season started, it was the Brazil forward.

Raphinha seemed destined to become a second-choice right-side winger after 17-year-old Yamal helped Spain win the European Championship in dazzling style. To make matters worse, the club was heavily linked to a possible transfer bid to pry Spain left-side winger Nico Williams away from Athletic Bilbao.

That move never materialized for Williams, but Raphinha was still left with either playing in a new position or being a backup to Yamal.

And when Flick gave him the chance to have a new role, he made the most of it.


England gives call-up to more new faces in final squad before Thomas Tuchel takes over

Updated 08 November 2024
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England gives call-up to more new faces in final squad before Thomas Tuchel takes over

LONDON: Southampton defender Taylor Harwood-Bellis and Newcastle left-back Lewis Hall were called up to the England squad for the first time on Thursday as interim coach Lee Carsley made his final selection before Thomas Tuchel takes charge.

Tuchel does not start until January after being hired to lead the national team’s bid to win the 2026 World Cup.

Carsley will oversee England’s final Nations League games against Greece and Ireland and has continued to look toward a new generation of players, having already handed debuts to Angel Gomes, Morgan Gibbs-White and Noni Madueke since taking over on a temporary basis from Gareth Southgate in August.

Carsley said had not discussed his selection with Tuchel.

“He hasn’t had any influence on the squad selection. I’ve spoken to him by text, but it’s literally congratulations,” he said. “I think he’s highly respectful of the job that not only myself, but the staff are doing.

“We’ve been left to it, like we always have.”

England plays Greece in Athens on Nov. 14 and Ireland at Wembley on Nov. 17.

Carsley will resume his role as England Under-21 coach after those games.


Man City seek to end mini-slump as Liverpool soar

Updated 08 November 2024
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Man City seek to end mini-slump as Liverpool soar

  • Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City have become so accustomed to success that three straight defeats feels like a major crisis
  • Ruud van Nistelrooy takes charge of his final game as interim manager of Manchester United and winless Wolves play fellow strugglers Southampton

LONDON: Injury-hit Manchester City are desperate to snap their losing streak in their final Premier League game before the international break as Chelsea aim to deepen Arsenal’s misery.

Elsewhere in the English top flight, Ruud van Nistelrooy takes charge of his final game as interim manager of Manchester United and winless Wolves play fellow strugglers Southampton.

Here are some of the key talking points ahead of the action this weekend.

Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City have become so accustomed to success that three straight defeats feels like a major crisis.

Last week City, who face Brighton on Saturday, were ousted from the League Cup by Tottenham.

Their 32-match unbeaten run in the Premier League came to an end at Bournemouth before Sporting Lisbon beat them 4-1 in the Champions League — ending another long unbeaten stretch.

Guardiola’s men, gunning for a fifth consecutive Premier League title, are just two points behind league leaders Liverpool but will be wary of losing further ground.

Midfielder Bernardo Silva says the club’s multiple injury worries are not an excuse for their poor form but he admits the international break, which starts after the weekend, comes at a good time.

“At the moment with the injuries that we have and the psychological part as well, it will be good to have that rest, but before that we have a big game again,” he said.

One positive for City in their defeat to Sporting was the return of Kevin De Bruyne, who came on as a late substitute after seven weeks out of action.

If results go against them, Arsenal could find themselves eighth in the Premier League by the time they kick off against London rivals Chelsea on Sunday.

Mikel Arteta’s men have picked up just one point from their past three league games and lost their midweek Champions League clash against Inter Milan 1-0.

Arteta was upbeat despite the defeat at the San Siro, where captain Martin Odegaard made a welcome return to action after being absent since late August.

But defeat against in-form Chelsea plus a win for Liverpool would leave Arsenal, runners-up in each of the past two seasons, 10 points off top spot.

Thierry Henry said on CBS Sports that if Liverpool and City win at the weekend and Arsenal lose, his former side could be out of the title race.

“It would be extremely difficult because you (would) have too many teams to catch... I don’t see two teams collapsing,” he said.

Arne Slot has won 14 of his first 16 games in charge of Liverpool in all competitions.

The club had a relatively kind fixture list at the start of the season but they show no signs of letting up — taking seven points from games against Chelsea, Arsenal and Brighton in recent weeks and boasting a perfect record in the Champions League.

Liverpool have also beaten two Premier League teams, West Ham and Brighton, on their way to the League Cup quarter-finals.

Former Feyenoord boss Slot brushed off a question about whether he was finding his new job “easy” after Liverpool’s thumping 4-0 win against German champions Bayer Leverkusen this week.

“Every team that plays against us is in the top of their game,” he said. “And if you want to win that, you always have to be consistent in your intensity, and that’s not always easy but that is what’s needed.”

Liverpool have a tough run of fixtures coming up, starting with Aston Villa at home on Saturday, but so far they have proved they have what it takes.

Fixtures

Saturday (1500 GMT unless stated)

Brentford vs. Bournemouth, Crystal Palace v Fulham, West Ham vs. Everton, Wolves vs. Southampton, Brighton v Manchester City (1730), Liverpool vs. Aston Villa (2000)

Sunday (1400 unless stated)

Manchester Utd vs. Leicester, Nottingham Forest vs. Newcastle, Tottenham vs. Ipswich, Chelsea vss. Arsenal (1630)