Tag: Ligue 1

Messi breaks Ronaldo’s goal record in Europe’s top five leagues as PSG wins Ligue 1

Messi made it 496 goals between Barca and PSG

It has to be said: Lionel Messi loves a big occasion.

Messi scored his 496th goal in a top five European league, pushing him ahead of Cristiano Ronaldo as the most prolific scorer in those leagues ever. The goal, in a 1-1 draw at Strasbourg, happened to be the one Paris Saint-Germain needed to assure themselves of yet another Ligue 1 trophy.

PSG, despite a season that has among other debacles has seen fans protesting at Neymar’s house and Messi being suspended, ended any potential for last-day drama by pushing four points clear of Lens, who beat Ajaccio 3-0 to keep the pressure on.

However, Lens’ hopes of a shock Ligue 1 triumph ended Saturday as Messi made more history. With PSG and Strasbourg deadlocked in the 59th minute, Kylian Mbappé feinted his way into an opening on the edge of the box, teeing up a sprinting Messi for an angled finish.

Messi’s 17th goal of the campaign allowed him to pass Ronaldo, who headed off to Saudi Arabia this winter with 495 goals scored in the Premier League, La Liga, and Serie A. Messi, meanwhile, has piled his goals up in La Liga with Barcelona and now at PSG in Ligue 1.

PSG has now won Ligue 1 in nine of the last 11 seasons, with only Monaco (2016-17) and Lille (2020-21) able to interrupt their total dominance in France.

The goal may also be a farewell for Messi, who has been strongly linked with a move away from Paris. MLS commissioner Don Garber has openly admitted the league would be willing to change its rules to get Messi to sign with Inter Miami, and Barcelona would love to bring him back. That said, all indicators are pointing towards him following Ronaldo to the Saudi Pro League, presumably to break his goal record there and/or make unfathomable amounts of money.

Watch Messi’s record-breaking goal for PSG

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Kylian Mbappe wished Victor Wembanyama well on his way to San Antonio

The PSG striker is ready to share the stage with another French sports superstar

Kylian Mbappé is ready to share the stage with another French sports superstar.

Mbappé was in attendance on Tuesday as the much-hyped Victor Wembanyama played his final regular-season game with Paris-based side Boulogne-Levallois.

Wembanyama, 19, is widely considered the best basketball prospect since LeBron James came into the NBA 20 years ago. At 7-foot-4, Wembanyama is nearly impossible to guard with an unheard-of combination of skills for a player his size.

Mbappé arrived just before tipoff at Palais des Sports Marcel Cerdan, watching on as Wembanyama scored 22 points in a 93-85 win against Paris Basketball.

Following the game, Mbappé and Wembanyama got a chance to connect before the NBA Draft lottery that would determine where Wembanyama will play next season.

Later on Tuesday night the San Antonio Spurs were the lucky team to win the rights to the first overall pick in next month’s draft, during which they are certain to select Wembanyama.

The Spurs are a fitting destination for the newest French basketball star. Tony Parker starred for the Spurs for 17 seasons, and became the first Frenchman to be inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame.

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Ligue 1 anti-homophobia campaign ruined by anti-anti-homophobia

This is one way to undermine your message of support

This past weekend in Ligue 1 was supposed to be a demonstration of unity against homophobia, but any goodwill toward the LGBTQ+ community was vaporized by a sudden onset of anti-anti-homophobia.

Ahead of Wednesday’s International Day against Homophobia, Transphobia and Biphobia, Ligue 1 and Ligue 2 teams donned rainbow numbers during matches, with coaches wearing rainbow armbands among other initiatives.

But there was pushback against the campaign from Toulouse FC, which saw several players excluded from Sunday’s game against Nantes over a refusal to wear the rainbow numbers.

“Some players of the professional squad have expressed their disagreement regarding the association of their image with the rainbow colors representing the LGBT movement,” Toulouse said in a statement Sunday.

“Although respecting the individual choices of its players, and after numerous exchanges, the Toulouse Football Club has chosen to exclude these players from the game,” the club added.

Toulouse FC did not name who was excluded, but Moroccan international Zakaria Aboukhlal confirmed he was one of the players who refused to take part in the match.

“First and foremost, I want to emphasize that I hold the highest regard for every individual regardless of their personal preferences, gender, religion or background. This is a principle that cannot be emphasized enough,” Aboukhlal said on Twitter.

“Respect is a value that I hold in great esteem. It extends to others, but it also encompasses respect for my own personal beliefs. Hence, I don’t believe I am the most suitable person to participate in this campaign.”

Nantes striker Mostafa Mohamed also said he refused to play in the match, with the club subsequently issuing the player a fine.

“I don’t want to argue at all but I have to state my position,” the Egypt international tweeted.

“I respect all differences. I respect all beliefs and convictions. This respect extends to others but also includes respect for my personal beliefs.

“Given my roots, my culture, the importance of my convictions and beliefs, it was not possible for me to participate in this campaign. I hope that my decision will be respected, as well as my wish not to argue about this and that everyone is treated with respect.”

Ligue 1 relegation race impacted

Toulouse and Nantes would draw Sunday’s match 1-1, which saw Nantes climb to within one point of safety with just three games remaining.

Eric Roy, whose Stade Brestois side is right in the thick of the relegation battle, expressed his dismay with the timing of the anti-homophobia campaign.

“The programming of this day against homophobia is catastrophic,” the head coach said after his side beat Auxerre on Sunday.

Brest’s French head coach Eric Roy looks on while wearing a rainbow colored LGBTQ+ armband during the French L1 football match between Stade Brestois 29 (Brest) and AJ Auxerre at Stade Francis-Le Ble in Brest, western France on May 14, 2023. (Photo by DAMIEN MEYER / AFP)

“You can see that there are players who have a problem with it. Everyone is free to express their opinions. Personally, I have no problem with it. But there are players who may have a problem with it.

“Then you should not schedule this campaign at that time when you know some players are fighting to avoid relegation. You could do it in December, September.”

We can, however, confirm that wins, draws and losses are worth the same amount of points in December and September as they are in May.

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Breaking: Lionel Messi to play soccer

Huge gamble from PSG in starting the best player ever

Lionel Messi’s suspension is over at Paris Saint-Germain, and no one is happier than the club itself.

PSG manager Christophe Galtier told reporters that Messi “will be a starter” for Saturday’s home match against Ajaccio. “I spoke with him on Tuesday to see what his mindset was and I found him very determined to play.”

Messi’s return comes a week early after he was initially suspended two weeks for an unauthorized trip to Saudi Arabia, where he’s a paid spokesman for the country’s tourism board. Messi apologized, maintaining that he was under the impression the team had off, but in the meantime PSG defeated Troyes 3-1 without the Argentina star.

Despite notching a win without Messi — who seems all but certain to leave the club this summer — PSG is not quite over the line in terms of winning Ligue 1. Recent home losses to Lyon and Lorient have kept the door ever-so-slightly open for Lens, who trail the defending champions by six points with four matches still to play.

“He’s very eager to win that title,” Galtier said of Messi. “With him in the team, we’ll have to adjust compared to what we did against Troyes. Leo is Leo. I’m not going to go into statistics but when he’s with us, we have to strike a different balance.”

The latest in a strange season for Messi

Messi returning to the PSG starting 11 is not all that much of a surprise, given that he is Messi. However, the fact that Galtier felt compelled to announce it speaks to the strangeness at PSG in general, and in Messi’s life since finally winning his first World Cup last year.

Despite PSG being poised to win the league while carrying a long list of injured players, Messi was jeered at the Parc des Princes after that aforementioned loss to Lyon, and just a couple weeks later, fans called for him to leave the club outside PSG’s headquarters.

Meanwhile, the news outside of France seems only marginally better. On one hand, MLS and Barcelona are openly courting him, the Saudi Arabian offers to bring him there could end up being the most lucrative in sports history, and the adulation he receives in Argentina is at an all-time high…save for gunmen shooting up a grocery store owned by his relatives and leaving a threatening note specifically naming him.

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Lionel Messi apologizes for Lionel Messi’s Day Off in Saudi Arabia

The Argentine superstar said he thought he had the day off

Lionel Messi has released a statement of apology over an unauthorized trip to Saudi Arabia that has seen PSG suspend him for two weeks.

Following Sunday’s defeat to Lorient, Messi jetted off to the gulf state on Monday for a paid promotional trip.

PSG players are typically given the day off after games if they win, but the club trained on Monday after a poor performance in a 3-1 defeat to the mid-table side.

Absent from that training was Messi, which reportedly rubbed several PSG players the wrong way.

In a video posted on Instagram, Messi said that he believed he had the day off — though he also said the trip to Saudi Arabia couldn’t be cancelled after it had previously been postponed.

“I wanted to make this video after everything that’s going on. First of all, I apologize again to my teammates at the club. I honestly thought that we were going to have the day off after the game as we had done before,” Messi said.

“I had organized this trip to Saudi Arabia, which I had previously cancelled and I couldn’t go. Once again, I apologize for what I did. So here I am, waiting to see what the club wants to do, nothing more.”

Messi will miss PSG’s next two games, against Troyes on Sunday and against Ajaccio on May 13. He won’t be paid or train during that timeframe, and there has been speculation he may never play another game for the Ligue 1 side.

The 35-year-old’s contract will expire at the end of the season, and the World Cup-winner is widely expected to move on after two seasons in the French capital.

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PSG to fans: Don’t go to Neymar’s house to yell at him

Things are getting worse and worse at PSG

Things have gotten truly ugly at Paris Saint-Germain, with fans taking their ire at the club’s superstars to a new level this week.

Despite PSG being five points clear atop Ligue 1 and on course to win a fifth straight French title, the latest chapter involves supporters setting up protests outside of club headquarters and telling players to leave the team.

Possibly more than 100 fans joined that demonstration, chanting that players like Lionel Messi and Marco Verratti are no longer wanted. A subset of those fans took things even further, heading to Neymar’s house in the suburbs to chant “Neymar, get lost!” from just outside his gate. Neymar’s bemused neighbors captured the scene on video.

Neymar hasn’t even been available for PSG since early March, when he underwent ankle surgery that is expected to keep him out until sometime in June.

PSG on Thursday issued a club statement saying that it “most strongly condemns the intolerable and insulting actions of a small group of individuals that took place on Wednesday. Whatever the differences of opinion, nothing justifies such actions. The club gives its full support to its players, its staff and all those targeted by such shameful behavior.”

Sour times at PSG

The protests are just the latest in a long series of messes at PSG. Messi has already gotten a taste of how the club’s fans have turned on the squad, being relentlessly booed during a loss to Lyon last month. On Monday, Messi was suspended by the club for two weeks after jetting off to Saudi Arabia without getting club permission.

In April, head coach Christophe Galtier denied allegations of racism dating back to his time in charge at Nice, while the club disappointingly crashed out of the Champions League in the round of 16 in March. Just before that, defender Achraf Hakimi was investigated by police after being accused of rape.

Even basic soccer matters have gone wrong. PSG has been dealing with a lengthy list of injured players all season long, and three of the last four teams to visit the Parc des Princes have beaten their hosts. The club’s poor form has given Marseille — who haven’t lost since PSG beat them 3-0 in late February — a slight chance of completing an unthinkable comeback in the Ligue 1 standings.

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PSG suspends Messi two weeks for unauthorized Saudi Arabia trip

Messi’s jaunt to Riyadh caused plenty of strife within PSG’s locker room

Paris Saint-German has made the eye-opening decision to suspend superstar Lionel Messi two weeks without pay for his unauthorized trip to Saudi Arabia, per reports from RMC Sport and L’Equipe.

As first reported by L’Equipe, PSG manager Christophe Galtier told his players that they could have Monday and Tuesday off should they defeat Lorient on Sunday.

However, PSG lost 3-1 to the mid-table side in a dismal effort at Parc des Princes. After that defeat, however, Messi went ahead and flew to Saudi Arabia anyway on Monday without asking for permission.

Meanwhile, back in Paris, PSG’s squad trained on Monday without Messi.

Messi is a paid spokesperson for Saudi Arabia’s tourism board, and made an appearance with his family in Riyadh on Monday.

The Argentinian will now miss PSG’s next two games, against Troyes on Sunday and against Ajaccio on May 13.

According to multiple reports, Messi’s unauthorized trip caused tension within PSG’s locker room, with several players feeling as though the Argentine superstar was getting preferential treatment.

That, in part, led club president Nasser Al-Khelaifi to make the extraordinary decision to suspend one of the game’s all-time greats.

Messi’s contract at PSG expires at the end of the current season, with his next destination subject to plenty of speculation. This latest strife between Messi and his club would seem to make it more likely that the 35-year-old will leave Paris after two seasons following the conclusion of the current campaign.

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PSG coach Galtier ‘shocked’ by racism allegations

Galtier said he was prepared to take legal action

PSG head coach Christophe Galtier has said he’s “shocked” by recent allegations of racism and has vowed to take legal action to clear his name.

Earlier this week, reports in France quoted a leaked email from Nice’s former director of football Julien Fournier, in which he told the club’s owners Galtier said there were too many black and Muslim players in the squad.

Galtier, who coached Nice from 2021 to 2022, had the chance to respond on Friday in his pre-match press conference.

“I have been extremely shocked by the allegations that some people have irresponsibly made and relayed,” Galtier said while reading a written statement. “These allegations hurt me in the deepest part of my being.

“I am a child who grew up in a council estate, in a melting pot with values of sharing and respect for others, regardless of their origins or religion. All my life and career has been guided by the the wellbeing and sharing with others.

“I cannot accept that my name and my family could be tarnished in this way. So I have decided to take legal action against anyone damaging my reputation. I trust our legal system and I also welcome the start of a legal proceeding this morning with serenity. I will not make any more comments on this matter.”

Before Galtier spoke, a PSG spokesperson read a statement of support for the coach, saying: “The club supports Christophe Galtier in the face of the many and unacceptable threats he has received, and now hopes that this matter will be dealt with by the courts.”

Nice prosecutor Xavier Bonhomme has announced that a preliminary investigation has been opened into possible “racial or religious discrimination.”

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PSG fans put charm offensive on Messi by booing him mercilessly

Perhaps not the best way to convince your star player to sign a new contract

Lionel Messi has a big decision to make at the end of this season.

The Argentine superstar’s contract at PSG is set to expire this summer, and he seems to have three pretty clear options for now: re-sign with the Paris side, complete an emotional return to Barcelona (who may not be able to actually afford him), or take his talents to South Beach and sign with Inter Miami.

Option number one looked like a safe bet a few months ago amid widespread reports that the World Cup Golden Ball winner had verbally agreed to a new deal.

But nothing has yet been signed and this weekend, PSG fans didn’t exactly do their utmost to show Messi he’d be welcomed back for another run at Parc des Princes.

Instead, at least some sections of the home support booed Messi throughout Sunday’s dismal 1-0 loss to Lyon.

Messi was not at his best in the game against Lyon, nor, more importantly, over a two-leg defeat to Bayern Munich in the Champions League last 16.

But for head coach Christophe Galtier, who admitted Messi wasn’t at his best against Lyon, those whistles were still harsh.

“Leo Messi tried very hard,” Galtier said. “It is not just about Messi and Kylian Mbappé. There were some technical mistakes in his [Messi’s] link-up play, but I think the whistles are hard to listen to because Leo Messi gives so much. He has got goals and assists in 2023, but it is also down to his teammates in terms of doing more to create more danger in the opposition penalty box.”

Asked if he had considered benching Messi, Galtier added: “When it is a difficult period and you need to turn a situation around and score goals, Leo Messi is a decisive player who is capable of coming up with a moment of magic that can be decisive for scoring goals. He has scored goals in 2023, he has got assists. I have never thought about taking him off or not playing him. He is an important player in our attacking lineup.”

Even after four scoreless games in a row, Messi has 18 goals and 17 assists in all competitions this season.

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This is not a drill: Folarin Balogun is (probably) in Orlando

Balogun to the USMNT confirmed? Not so fast!

Folarin Balogun playing for the U.S. men’s national team just became quite a bit more plausible.

Either that, or he really wants to visit Disney World.

That’s because the in-demand striker has been spotted in Orlando — the city where, as it happens, the USMNT is stationed right now ahead of its upcoming CONCACAF Nations League matches.

After posting his annoyance about not getting called into England’s senior national team (or maybe about something else entirely), Balogun was called up by England’s U-21 side, only to withdraw on Tuesday with what the FA said was an injury.

The next day, the striker posted a couple pictures of himself and an unidentified man on Instagram.

https://www.instagram.com/p/CqGb27cOMLy/?hl=en

No big deal, right? But wait, what does that wall behind them say?

“Here to chase tail.” That sure looks like the wall of a bar called Pups Pub in, yes, Orlando!

If there were any lingering doubt as to Balogun’s locale in the photos, the building behind him in the first picture is also very much located in Orlando.

So Balogun to USMNT confirmed? Well, not so fast.

First off, there is no confirmation the pictures are necessarily from the past 24 hours. Balogun was actually in Orlando with Arsenal last summer when the club played in the preseason Florida Cup against Chelsea.

Shortly after, Balogun joined Reims on loan, where he’s scored 17 goals to put himself among Ligue 1’s top scorers this season.

If the pictures are recent, there is also a chance that Balogun is visiting the USMNT not as a commit but as a recruit, looking to get a feel for the team and atmosphere before making a final decision on his international future.

Or he just wants to ride Space Mountain.

On Wednesday, Matt Turner was asked about Balogun after the USMNT goalkeeper and the striker were teammates during Arsenal’s preseason.

“I knew going into [preseason] that he had some roots in the U.S.,” Turner said of the New York-born forward. “So him and I developed a relationship pretty quickly.

“We check in on each other here and there. He’d be a great addition to our national team. He’s done really well for his club on loan and we’ll see — the decision has to come from the heart.

“It’s not necessarily an easy task always to come and play in these CONCACAF games. And it’s a tough region at times. So for us, we’d be really grateful to have him but his heart needs to be in it.”

In any event, we have reached out to U.S. Soccer for comment, and will update this post with any response.

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