FABREGAS WOULD LOVE MESSI TO JOIN CHELSEA

Mourinho:"Mourinho adapts to the players he has. What makes him so great as a coach is that he adapts to any situation and his teams can play in many different ways. It's a very intelligent way of managing".

Mou at Barça?:I'd say that Barça have a style that he has already experienced and understands perfectly. We play a very similar game: we want to be the protagonists, have possession and look to score. We may have a different system, but the philosophy is similar".

And if Mourinho went out to sign Messi?:"I wish! Why not? I'd love that to happen. I'd be all for it. As a Barça man, I believe that Messi deserves to retire at Barça for all that he has given the club. He is a legend that has changed Barça history. But, as his teammate and friend, without doubt I'd love to have Leo by my side. This season Barça are Messi and ten others. Messi has saved his team on many occasions".

Real, Champions League favourites:"Real have started well, but football is all about dynamics. They started by losing the Supercopa and hemorrhaging points in the league. Everyone said that after the exits of Xabi Alonso and Di María, it'd be a tough season for them, and then look what happened.

LIONEL MESSI - ALL 401 GOALS IN HIS CAREER

A player from another age - LIONEL MESSI

WONDER BOY

In the end, it was against Sevilla. By cruising past Telmo Zarra's 251-goal record, Lionel Messi has declared himself the highest goalscorer in la Liga in all its history.

In a little more than 10 years after making his debut at Barcelona, Messi has managed to better Zarra's record that took the mythical player 17 years to achieve. That said, Zarra hung up his boots with an average strike-rate that 'La Pulga' still has to better.

Another achievement that Messi has to equal is that of putting the ball in the back of the net six times in just the one match - something that Zarra acheived in 1950 against Lleida. The Barça forward's record while playing at Barça is four, which he has managed to do on three occasions.

Something that Messi beat Zarra at from an early age, was just that – scoring his first league goal at an early age. 17, to be precise, while Zarra broke his own personal duck at the age of 19.

What is quite clear is that the Messi goal-machine is showing no signs of stalling just yet. At 27, the pint-sized Argentine still has a lot of football in his boots and there doesn't seem anyone around that might give him a run for his money as far as this record is concerned. The player currently plying his trade in la Liga that comes near the Argentine is Cristiano Ronaldo, but he hasn't even reached the 200-goal mark yet. Messi would have to take his foot of the gas considerably to allow the Portuguese to catch up.

Messi hopes to clear the air with goal scoring record

 

time to respond

Lionel Messi is set to launch his fourth assault on La Liga's all-time top goalscoring record in the midst of the chaos caused by his recent controversial statements, rumours surrounding his future and his team's current run of form.

Messi dropped a bombshell earlier this week when he told Argentine newspaper 'Olé': "Although I've always said I'd like to stay there forever, sometimes things don't always turn out as you would like them to".

He added: "Things don't always go as planned, especially in football, where things are constantly changing and so many things happen. It's complicated, even more so with things the way they are right now at Barcelona".

One by one, all parties involved, expect the player himself, moved to play down his comments. Firstly, it was the player's father, Jorge Messi, followed by influential defender, Javier Mascherano and club president, Josep María Bartomeu.

Finally came the turn of Barcelona boss, Luis Enrique, who said: "There is no Messi debate".

Dozens of cameras will doubtlessly follow the Barça star during the game against Sevilla, closely scrutinising his every movement and gesture.

His position on the pitch is also under scrutiny, after both Luis Enrique and Argentina boss, Gerardo Martino moved him from his usual role in front of goal out wide to the right wing.

Ronaldo knows what it is to be unloved

messi feeling the pressure

Now it is Messi's turn to complain that his club is not backing him in his quest for the Ballon d'Or.

However, in relation to Cristiano Ronaldo, on other occasions it has been the other way round. Not long ago, it was the Portuguese complaining about the little support he was receiving from his club, while Barcelona bent over backward to ensure the Argentine won the Ballon d'Or, promoting the virtues of their star player at every turn.

At the awards ceremony, this imbalance was plain to see. While the Portuguese turned up accompanied by just one director and Emilio Butragueño, Barcelona arrived en masse. Next to Messi stood president Rosell and Pep Guardiola, together with various Barça directors and teammates.

This time round, all is quiet at Can Barça. Nobody is talking about Messi's chances of winning the award. In contrast, Real are constantly looking for people to come out in support of their candidate. There has been a complete about face over the past few years. Once it was Cristiano who felt unloved, now it is Messi's turn.

Is Messi 'Unbuyable'?

a rare breed

ANY DEAL WOULD COST UPWARDS OF 400M EUROS

Messi's recent statement in which he hinted at the possibility of him leaving the club has set off alarm bells at 'Can Barça'.

However, what he wants is one thing, and the realities of football are another.

Prising the Argentine away from Barcelona would be no easy feat, especially after he signed a new deal with the club this summer worth a cool 20m euros per season after tax. Any deal to sign the striker would depend on a number of factors, but would in any case cost upwards of 400m euros.

A deal would first have to be agreed with Barcelona, something unlikely given that the president who sold him would go down in club history, possibly for all the wrong reasons. A transfer fee could be agreed at around 150m euros, plus the player's salary. Leo costs 50m euros per season before tax, a total of 250m euros over five seasons. That's if Leo agrees to a change of scenery without a pay rise.

Very few clubs could offer that kind of money; in fact, only two.

Manchester City: It was never really on the cards and even less so now the Argentine has signed a new deal. Soriano isn't going to break the bank.

PSG: They are not short of money. Their problem would be not breaching FIFA Fair Play Regulations, especially after their problem over the summer.

Van Gaal: Messi and Ronaldo don't deserve Ballon d'Or

IS he right??

The Barcelona and Real Madrid stars are favourites to win the award, but the Manchester United manager feels one of Germany's World Cup winners should receive the honour

Louis van Gaal is expecting either Lionel Messi or Cristiano Ronaldo to win the Ballon d'Or but feels one of Germany's World Cup-winning squad would merit the award more.

The Barcelona and Real Madrid stars are favourites to be crowned on January 12, 2015, but the Manchester United manager feels the pair do not deserve the honour.

Messi, a four-time winner, was handed the Golden Ball at the World Cup after helping Argentina to the final while Ronaldo, a two-time winner, lifted the Champions League with Real Madrid.

But Van Gaal feels a member of the triumphant Germany squad would be more worthy victors, with Toni Kross, Philipp Lahm, Thomas Muller, Manuel Neuer, Bastian Schweinsteiger and Mario Gotze all nominated.

"Most of the time it is always the well known players [who win the Ballon d'Or]," he told MUTV.

"It is more for the football world and outside world than for other things I believe. I think it will be Ronaldo or Messi but I want to say that you have to win something.

"The best thing to win is the World Cup. I hope it shall be a German player because they deserve it.

"The level of the Bundesliga matches is also very high so I think it should be a German player."

Messi hints at Barcelona exit

The Argentine attacker says he is focused on winning trophies with the Catalan club this season, but admits he is no longer sure about his long-term future at Camp Nou .
Barcelona forward Lionel Messi has hinted for the first time that he could leave the Catalan giants in the near future.

The 27-year-old has long maintained his happiness at Camp Nou and always insisted that he would only move to join boyhood club Newell's in Argentina at the end of his career.

However, the attacker has endured some tough times over the last year in Catalunya due to injuries, a tax fraud case and troubles on the pitch as Barca won only the Supercopa de Espana in 2013-14.

"I'm just living the present," Messi told Argentine sports paper Ole in an interview. "I'm thinking about having a great year at Barcelona and about winning the titles we want to win at Barcelona. Nothing more.

"After that, we'll see. Football has a lot of twists and turns. I always said that I'd like to stay there forever, but things don't always work out as you want them to."

Asked if he would leave due to a personal decision or a club choice, Messi added: "I have said it many times - if it were up to me, I would stay forever. But like I said just now, things don't always turn out how you would like, especially in football, which is so changeable and in which so many things happen.

"It's difficult and more so in these difficult times that Barcelona are going through at the moment."

The Blaugrana have been hit by several scandals off the pitch this year, with the resignation of former president Sandro Rosell back in January, while back-to-back defeats in La Liga (including the Clasico at the Santiago Bernabeu last month) have seen Luis Enrique's side overtaken by fierce rivals Real Madrid at the top of the table.

"It's a very big club," Messi said. "And when you lose two games in a row, the problems start and there is criticism from all sides. It's a bit like what happens in the national team."A new coach [Luis Enrique] came in with new ideas and that takes time. We have more than enough great players to achieve important things this year, so I'm relaxed. This is just starting - there's a long way to go in La Liga and in the Champions League."