Tag: Argentina

Giant chinook salmon caught in Argentina a pending world record

The recent catch of a monstrous Chinook salmon in Argentina’s Caterina River is being considered as a world record.

The recent catch of a monstrous chinook salmon in Argentina’s Caterina River is being considered as a world record.

The International Game Fish Assn. on Sunday announced that the salmon caught last month by James Schmid measured 113 centimeters (44.5 inches) before it was set free.

“After recording proper measurements, he released the fish safely,” the IGFA stated via Twitter. “This record is currently pending + under review.”

Schmid is the current record holder in the same All-Tackle Length category for a catch in January of a 105-centimeter (41-inch) Chinook salmon, also at the Caterina River.

ALSO: Aggressive shark halts girls’ surfing competition in Hawaii

The All-Tackle Length category is for conservation-minded anglers who practice catch-and-release fishing.

It’s likely that Schmid’s latest catch will be approved because the angler, who has set 25 world records since 2011, clearly understands IGFA rules.

His records were set in five countries and involve 14 species.

Argentina, which didn’t qualify for the U-20 World Cup, is very interested in hosting the U-20 World Cup

The Albiceleste could secure a sneaky qualification for the showpiece event

Argentina has made a formal bid to host the U-20 men’s World Cup, FIFA president Gianni Infantino said on Thursday.

The day before, FIFA removed Indonesia as the U-20 World Cup host amid an ongoing dispute over Israel’s participation in the tournament.

The governor of Bali had called for Israel to be banned from the tournament, while there were also protests from local religious groups. Israel has no formal diplomatic relations with Indonesia, the world’s most populous Muslim-majority country.

FIFA said that a new host would be confirmed as soon as possible and the tournament’s current dates of May 20-June 11 will be maintained.

Infantino was in Paraguay on Thursday ahead of the upcoming CONMEBOL Congress, and confirmed Argentina’s bid.

“We all know Argentine football and surely it can host a competition of this level,” Infantino told a news conference.

“There are other countries that have also announced interest but as a candidacy, with the government’s guarantees and other details, Argentina is the first and we will make the decision in two or three days,” he added.

Argentina could qualify through back door

Though hosting a major international tournament is always a big honor, Argentina may have an ulterior motive here too.

One month after their senior team captured the World Cup in Qatar, Argentina crashed out of qualifying for the U-20 World Cup. Should Argentina be chosen as host for the event, it would presumably give their U-20s a second chance at participating.

It’s unclear if Indonesia will still keep the spot in the U-20 World Cup they had secured by virtue of being the tournament host. That place could, in theory, instead go to whichever country steps up in their place.

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Messi scores 100th goal for Argentina, then keeps scoring more goals

Stop, stop Messi, they’ve had enough!

Lionel Messi is having an eventful international break.

The Argentina icon capped off an unusual week by scoring his 100th international goal, then bagging two more as the World Cup champions ran roughshod over poor Curaçao.

So far in this FIFA window, Messi flew home and decided to grab a bite to eat upon getting into the country, only for roughly all of Buenos Aires to turn up outside the restaurant. He then faced a series of nightmare tackles from Panama, surviving with a bloody knee and his 99th goal for the Albiceleste in a 2-0 win.

On Tuesday, there were more goals and less danger. The Paris Saint-Germain man scored a stereotypical Messi goal, making it 100 for his country by feinting around a defender before shooting past screened Columbus Crew goalkeeper Eloy Room.

It was all downhill from there for Messi and Argentina. Nicolás González would add a second three minutes later, and Messi would snap another shot past Room in the 33rd minute to make it 3-0.

That sparked a barrage, with Argentina adding two more within a four-minute span. Enzo Fernández got on the scoresheet within two minutes (with an assist from Messi, because why not?), and then Messi bagged his 55th professional hat trick, making it 5-0 after getting in behind the Curaçao defense and fooling Room with a near-post shot.

Ángel Di María and Gonzalo Montiel would add two more on in the late stages, but the big story — even in a 7-0 win — was obviously Messi making history for the umpteenth time.

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Panama tried to murder Lionel Messi at his own World Cup party

Argentina just wanted to party, Panama wanted to maim the guest of honor

Argentina played Panama on Thursday in what was nominally a friendly, but really just an excuse to celebrate their World Cup title on home soil.

But nobody told the Canaleros they were there for a party, which was evidenced when they tried to maim the guest of honor in the first half.

Just 15 minutes into the match at Estadio Monumental in Buenos Aires, Lionel Messi was dribbling the ball 10 yards outside the box when Panama’s Jose Murillo went in for a challenge from behind.

Simultaneously, Panama defender Kevin Galván flew in with as reckless of a two-footer as you’ll ever see. 

Not that this challenge would ever be acceptable, but on this night, on this player? Read the room, Kevin!

Somehow, Messi escaped with just a bloody knee and Galván with only a yellow card.

Messi, as he usually does, would have the last laugh, scoring a picture-perfect free kick late in the game to mark his 800th career goal and cap off a 2-0 win.

The real scenes, though, took place before the game. Now this is how to celebrate a World Cup win.

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Lionel Messi went out to dinner and half of Buenos Aires showed up

Lionel Messi does not go out to dinner like the rest of us

Lionel Messi doesn’t go out to dinner like the rest of us. Especially when he’s in Buenos Aires.

Messi was already a pretty well-known and popular guy around town before he led Argentina to its third World Cup triumph in December. But his accomplishments in Qatar appear to have taken his popularity back home to a previously unimaginable level.

Take Monday night for example. Back at home ahead of Argentina’s friendly against Panama on Thursday, Messi went out for dinner with his family at Don Julio, a restaurant in the Palermo neighborhood of Argentina’s capital.

The word got out.

Hundreds of fans crowded outside the restaurant, hoping to catch a glimpse of the PSG star.

When Messi finally left around 1:45 a.m. he required a police escort, who had a major challenge just to get the superstar into his car.

Despite the outpouring of love, this all looks pretty stressful! Messi would no doubt love to go out to dinner like the rest of us, though at least he isn’t going to be waiting for a table like we all do.

He even seems to still be enjoying this. Clearly, the World Cup honeymoon period continues unabated.

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Messi also can’t believe Mbappe scored World Cup final hat trick and lost

Only two players have scored a men’s World Cup final hat trick — and only one has lost the game

Like the rest of us, Lionel Messi was blown away by Kylian Mbappé’s World Cup final performance.

The PSG teammates clashed in the 2022 final at Lusail Stadium, with Argentina defeating France on penalties after a thrilling 3-3 draw over 120 minutes.

Despite his country’s defeat, Mbappé made history as just the second men’s player to ever score a hat trick in a World Cup final. The treble saw Mbappé clinch the Golden Boot at the tournament with eight goals over seven games.

Messi, who also scored in the final, recounted the incredible match in an interview with PSG TV.

“It really was a breathtaking final. It was crazy how the match went,” Messi said. “Kylian scored three incredible goals, in a final! Not being able to be champion after that was crazy.

“But he’s already won it too, and he knows what it’s like to be world champion. So yes, it was a great final for the football world. And now it’s true that it’s nice to be able to play in the same team with him, and I hope we can do great things here in Paris.”

As Messi mentioned, Mbappé had already played and scored in a World Cup final before the 2022 showpiece. In 2018, the superstar forward lifted the trophy in Russia after a 4-2 win over Croatia.

By his standards, Messi’s debut season with PSG was far below expectations. But this season Messi has returned to form, saying that he needed time to adjust to a new team and new country in the 2021-22 campaign.

“Yes, it’s true that I feel very well,” he said. “The first year, I needed a little time to adapt to Paris for different reasons, but I started this season really differently, with a lot of desire.

“I feel more comfortable with the club, with the city, with everything that Paris means. And the truth is that I am really enjoying this season. I think my whole life has been like that.

“About dedication, work, effort and wanting more every day. I’ve arrived at a new club and I want to win the title with Paris, to be able to achieve the big goals we set ourselves at the beginning of the season.”

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Sony is developing an animated Lionel Messi series

The show will depict Messi as a child as he confronts obstacles while traveling in a video game

Sony Music Entertainment has announced it is developing an animated series featuring Lionel Messi.

The series, which is targeted toward young children and adolescents, will depict Messi as a child as he confronts obstacles while traveling throughout a video game.

Sony Music Entertainment will provide original music for the series, which will be available in English, Spanish and several other languages.

“Since I was a kid, I’ve always loved animated series and my kids are big fans of animated characters. Being able to participate in an animation project makes me happy, because it fulfills one of my dreams! I would like to thank Sony Music for joining this project and we hope that everyone will like the result, especially the girls and the boys,” Messi said in a release.

It isn’t yet known which platform the series will call home, with Sony Music’s Premium Content Division overseeing development and distribution.

“It is a privilege for Sony Music to collaborate with Lionel Messi on this project to showcase the power and lessons of sports in partnership with the greatest football player of all time and one of the greatest athletes in history,” said Fernando Cabral, executive vice president of business development, Latin-Iberia regional for Sony Music Entertainment.

“We look forward to bringing this heartwarming and humbling series to screens for audiences of all ages around the world.”

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Messi threatened after gunmen fire shots into family’s store

A threatening note was left after the incident in Rosario, Messi’s hometown

It might be a case of more trophies, more problems for Leo Messi.

Argentine outlet Clarín reported that in Thursday’s early hours, two gunmen fired 14 shots into Único, a grocery store in Rosario owned by the family of Messi’s wife Antonela Roccuzzo.

While no one was injured in the incident, the perpetrators were also alleged to have left a threatening note reading “Messi, we are waiting for you. [Rosario Mayor Pablo] Javkin is a narco, he is not going to take care of you,” at the scene.

Neither Messi nor his wife have offered public comment, but Javkin — who has been calling for more police enforcement amid drug-related violence in Argentina’s third-largest city — called the incident “treacherous.”

“What more important news can be generated if one wants to create chaos in the city?” Javkin said to reporters gathered in front of the store.

(Photo by STR/AFP via Getty Images)

Per ESPN, Rosario prosecutor Federico Rébola said an investigation was still in its earliest stages, and that Messi’s in-laws had never been targeted in this manner before.

There are disagreements as to how secure Rosario is at the moment. Javkin said that local and national police were not doing a good enough job, while Santa Fe provincial security minister Claudio Brilloni told reporters that the area had patrols “like every day.”

“It is a serious fact that we have to work on it not only in prevention but also in research,” added Brilloni.

Federal government security minister Aníbal Fernández was even less surprised, saying that incidents like this have been happening in Rosario “for the last 20 years.”

Messi is a frequent visitor to Rosario and owns a home in the city’s suburbs, but fortunately was nowhere near the city when the shooting took place. Paris Saint-Germain posted a photo of him at the team’s training session Thursday. However, he could be back in the country soon enough, as Argentina will host friendlies against Panama and Curacao later this month (though notably not in Rosario).

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Argentina goalkeeper Emiliano Martínez did a hilarious shimmy after a huge World Cup final PK save

Martinez was absolutely FEELING IT in this clutch moment.

As the 2022 World Cup Final — unquestionably one of the greatest championship games in sports history — reached its final tense moments in a penalty kick shootout, all eyes were on both goalkeepers for Argentina and France. The game would literally be decided on their gloves.

And in the end, it was Emiliano Martínez and Argentina prevailing largely thanks to his having made two key saves. After Martínez made his second PK save to put the Argentinians and the legendary Lionel Messi in position for a World Cup win — you wouldn’t have been able to tell the pressure was getting to him.

That’s because Martínez did a joyful shimmy to celebrate his clutch play:

A goalkeeper is in a seemingly impossible spot during a penalty shootout. They essentially have to make a really good guess just to have a chance at making a save. It doesn’t appear that these tall odds faced Martínez in the least, as he helped spur Argentina to an incredible World Cup win.

An emotional Lionel Messi was relieved after finally winning World Cup in legendary last game

The GOAT gets the fairy tale ending.

For nearly two decades, Lionel Messi has captivated the international soccer community as the arguably greatest player of all time. After a certain point,  some said he had achieved enough to stand alone above all the other legends of the game. To others, he still needed that elusive World Cup championship. That is no longer a gap in Messi’s resume.

After all the goals, incredible assists, and other titles, with Argentina’s win on penalty kicks over France in an instant classic 2022 World Cup Final — the legendary Messi can finally call himself a World Cup champion. And in his likely last World Cup game, too.

As Argentina celebrated its first Men’s World Cup championship since 1986, the man who took them there, Messi — the unquestioned Golden Ball winner for best player of the tournament — was understandably elated and relieved at climbing soccer’s highest mountain.

Just look at him celebrating this incredible moment with his kids:

And what about this scene and powerful hug with his mom? Man, someone, please stop cutting onions:

How can you possibly not be happy for this legend? And to do it under such thrilling circumstances, where Argentina blew a late 2-0 lead and another late 3-2 lead in extra time … but still won in Messi’s last-ever World Cup game.

We saw an all-time classic unfold in the World Cup Final. And, perhaps more importantly, we saw an all-timer in Messi get the crown he’s been chasing his entire life.