File photo of Lionel Messi© AFP

Brazilian striker Neymar said Thursday that former Paris Saint-Germain teammate Kylian Mbappe became “jealous” of his relationship with Lionel Messi when the Argentine superstar joined the club in 2021. Speaking on a podcast hosted by former Brazil striker Romario, Neymar blamed a clash of egos for the failure of the three stars to gel during their spell together at the French club. The 32-year-old Neymar, who left PSG for Saudi club Al-Hilal in 2023, said he initially got on well with Mbappe when the France international joined him at PSG in 2017. “I had my issues with him, we had a little fight, but he was a boy who at the beginning, when he arrived, was fundamental,” Neymar said of Mbappe. 

“I always told him, I joked with him, that he was going to be one of the best, I always helped him, I talked to him. 

“He came to my house, we went out to dinner together.”

But Neymar said Mbappe’s behavior changed when Messi arrived from Barcelona in 2021. Neymar already had a relationship with Messi from their successful stint as teammates at Barcelona between 2013 and 2017.

“We spent some good years together, but then, when Messi arrived, I think he got a little jealous,” Neymar said. 

“He didn’t want to share me with anyone and then the fights began, the change of behavior,” he added. 

Neymar added that a lack of teamwork lay behind the failure of PSG’s superstar trio to fully realise their potential.

“You have to realise that you don’t play alone. You have to have the others on your side: ‘I’m the best, OK’, but who’s going to give you the ball? You have to have good people who give you the ball,” Neymar said.

“It was everyone’s ego…so it couldn’t work. Nowadays, if nobody runs, if nobody helps each other, it’s impossible to win,” he added. 

Meanwhile, Neymar declined to give clues about his future amid recent speculation he may seek a move back to Brazil or Major League Soccer. Neymar has struggled with injuries in Saudi Arabia and played only a handful of games in 16 months.

Neymar said although he remained happy in Saudi Arabia, “in six months, everything can change.”

Lionel Messi in action© AFP

2024 is perhaps the first year of football in a long time where it’s hard to pick out one singular standout moment of the year. 2023 saw Manchester City lift the treble, 2022 was Lionel Messi‘s ascent to immortality, 2021 was Italy’s Euro triumph, and before that, we did not have to look past Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo to find a standout. But in 2024 – for the first time in years – the standout thing was that there wasn’t a standout moment.

And perhaps the best way to signal the fact that there wasn’t a standout was the fact that neither Messi nor Ronaldo made it into the Top 30 of the Ballon d’Or nominees. The award they couldn’t stop winning at one point had finally moved on for good.

Football in 2024 saw surprises. Perhaps more than we’re used to. Bayern Munich no longer won the Bundesliga, dark horses Spain won the Euros, and a defensive midfielder won the Ballon d’Or. For good heavens, Ivory Coast won the Africa Cup of Nations after sacking their manager mid-tournament!

And what a ride that was. Ivory Coast barely scraped through to the knockouts in an AFCON on home soil. Their manager was sacked midway and the collapse couldn’t look more calamitous. Neither could the comeback look more glorious than it ended up being. ‘The Elephants’ beat everyone in the knockouts, including then-defending champions Senegal, to claim a historic AFCON in their own territory.

What about Bayer Leverkusen? Not only did they dethrone the seemingly undethronable, they went invincible. Zero losses in 34 Bundesliga games. Zero losses in the German Cup. And were it not for a freak Europa League final defeat, it’d be zero losses all season. Xabi Alonso at the wheel, Florian Wirtz in the hole, Leverkusen were the team of the year.

Let’s come to Spain. Before Euro 2024, England were heavyweights. People fancied Germany on home soil. France are always favourites. But one team beat them all. Spain. They didn’t boast the best team, but undeniably played the best football.

Rodri was a metronome. His hype took away the shine from midfield partner Fabian Ruiz who was arguably better. Nico Williams was a tear on the flanks, and his wing partner? Phew. Superlatives fall short when one tries to describe what Lamine Yamal is doing at 17.

It’s hard to live up to the words ‘The Next Messi’. But Lamine Yamal may very well just do it.

He finished 8th in the Ballon d’Or. At 17!

Perhaps the Ballon d’Or, and the fickle nature of individual awards, does not deserve the debate it gets. But it must certainly be discussed to celebrate the best individual players. The sweetest cream of the crop. And in 2024, there were three. Jude Bellingham, Vinicius Jr and Rodri.

Bellingham flew at Real Madrid, and was decisive whenever the occasion demanded it. El Clasico winner? Check. Champions League in your first season at Real Madrid? Check. Bicycle-kick 95th minute equaliser at the Euros? Check.

His teammate Vinicius was stratospheric. If footballers were superheroes, no one would be feared more than Vinicius in the current scenario. Without a shadow of doubt, the player in world football most capable of turning a game on its head with the click of a finger.

But the golden ball went to Rodri. In a game that typically needs you to have a goal tally to challenge for the big honours, Rodri was crowned for being the ticking heartbeat of Manchester City and Spain. Just look at how worse off his club is, now that he’s injured. Rodri was so good that a people needed to sit up and realize that a defensive midfielder may just be the most important player in the world.

Football in 2024 was uncertain. It was diverse. It had no singular standout. It saw Pep Guardiola lose eight out of 11 games. It saw Kylian Mbappe finally join Real Madrid. It was a call back to the pre-Messi and Ronaldo era. And it’s time we embrace it.

Lionel Messi and Inter Miami will kick off FIFA’s new 32-team Club World Cup when the Major League Soccer side take on Egypt’s Al Ahly in the June 15 opener, the draw for the tournament revealed on Thursday. Brazilian team Palmeiras and Portugal’s Porto complete Group A alongside Argentina World Cup winner Messi, whose Miami team were handed a spot by FIFA after finishing top of the regular season standings in MLS. Messi’s former Barcelona team-mate, Brazilian Neymar, will have a reunion with La Liga rivals and European champions Real Madrid in Group H.

Twelve European clubs will feature in the tournament with Manchester City facing Juventus in Group G of a tournament which FIFA president Gianni Infantino said would “start a new era in club football”.

Paris Saint-Germain were drawn in a tough group with Atletico Madrid, Copa Libertadores winners Botafogo of Brazil and Seattle Sounders.

FIFA has had to deal with some scepticism over the need for the tournament and the chances of it capturing the imagination of fans but there was plenty of support for the competition among those at the draw.

Club officials and former players gathered for Thursday’s draw and US President-elect Donald Trump sent his best wishes in a video message before the ceremony, which took place during a 90-minute live broadcast from a television studio in Miami.

“The event is going to be incredible,” said Trump in his message where he praised Infantino as a “winner”.

“We’ve known each other a long time and I’m so honoured to have this kind of relationship because soccer is going through the roof as everyone knows,” he added.

The USA will co-host the 2026 World Cup with Mexico and Canada.

Clubs supportive

Trump’s daughter Ivanka took part in the draw which was presented by former Juventus and Italy forward Alessandro Del Piero and featured celebrities such as model Adriana Lima.

The final of the tournament will be held at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey on July 13.

FIFA had struggled to find sponsors and broadcasters for the new tournament but on Wednesday announced a global deal with streaming company DAZN, who will show the games for free.

The world governing body has faced opposition from some in the game over the new tournament.

FIFpro and the European Leagues body filed a joint complaint to the European Commission against FIFA over the introduction of the tournament into the international match calendar.

Opponents of the new tournament have said it adds further congestion to an already crowded schedule and increases the workload of players.

But there was little but backing for the competition from the clubs and leagues who will be represented next year.

“We are very supportive of this tournament, We are excited,” said PSG president Nasser Al-Khelaifi, who is also chairman of the European Clubs Association.

Al-Khelaifi said the tournament was a better way for clubs to perform in the USA than in pre-season friendly tours and would help PSG to spread their brand.

There was also support from Don Garber, commissioner of Major League Soccer and vice-chair of the World Leagues Association.

“The tournament took time to generate all the interest that you are seeing here today,” said the American.

“Good things come to those that sort of put in the work and FIFA put in the work and we’re going to have lots of our stadiums involved, 

“There are 100 million fans who follow what we call league (club) soccer and they’re going to be interested to see MLS teams and Mexican teams and see teams from all Europe, South America and the rest of the world, so I’m excited about it, I really am,” added Garber.

A magnificent volley from Lautaro Martinez was enough to give world champions Argentina a 1-0 win over Peru while Brazil were held to a 1-1 draw at home to Uruguay in South American World Cup qualifying on Tuesday. Argentina remain on top of the CONMEBOL standings with their qualification for the 2026 tournament surely just a matter of time. It was far from a vintage performance from Lionel Scaloni’s team, but a moment of magic from Inter Milan’s Martinez proved decisive at the ‘Bombonera’ stadium in Buenos Aires. Lionel Messi floated in a cross from the left and Martinez leapt into the air, leaning back as he cracked a thundering left-footed volley past Pedro Gallese.

Argentina’s eighth win from 12 games leaves them on 25 points at the top of the table, five points ahead of Uruguay who earned a valuable point at Brazil.

Five-times World Cup winners Brazil laboured for long stretches of the game in Salvador and fell behind to a fine finish from Uruguay’s Real Madrid midfielder Federico Valverde in the 55th minute.

LIONEL MESSI WITH AN INSANE ASSIST, LAUTARO WITH AN INSANE GOAL

pic.twitter.com/8CrgijjXYH

— MC (@CrewsMat10) November 20, 2024

But seven minutes later Brazil equalised when a headed clearance fell kindly to Gerson who smashed home a perfectly-struck volley.

Gabriel Martinelli went close to a winner when he showed a deft touch to switch feet before a volley which brought a fine save out of Sergio Rochet.

The draw leaves Brazil in fifth on 18 points, a point behind fourth-placed Colombia who suffered an upset 1-0 home defeat to Ecuador in Barranquilla.

Veteran striker Enner Valencia stunned the home crowd with an outstanding solo effort in the seventh minute, the former West Ham United forward breaking away from three Colombian defenders and powering into the box before slotting home.

Colombia forward Jhon Cordoba then missed a golden opportunity to level the score, stumbling off balance and missing from point blank range after being set up by James Rodriguez.

Cordoba was central to the 34th minute incident that left Ecuador short-handed for the rest of the game.

The gangly striker raced clear and rounded Ecuador keeper Hernan Galindez before going down as Piero Hincapie closed in on him.

The referee ruled that Hincapie had tripped the forward and despite lengthy appeals and a VAR review the decision stood.

Galindez was then alert to keep out the resulting free-kick from Rodriguez and the keeper then had a busy end to the half as Colombia peppered his goal.

Liverpool winger Luis Diaz headed a Daniel Munoz cross against the post and Galindez did well to smother Cordoba at close range.

Colombia grew increasingly frustrated as Ecuador’s defence held firm in the second half with Galindez parrying to keep out substitute Jhon Duran and the unfortunate Cordoba blasted the loose ball high and wide from a tight angle.

Elsewhere Tuesday, Paraguay earned a 2-2 draw at Bolivia with the home side going ahead in the 15th minute with a confident strike from Ervin Vaca.

Newcastle United forward Miguel Almiron levelled for Paraguay in the 71st minute with a clinical finish after a smart passing move across the box.

Bolivia restored their lead nine minutes later with a Miguel Terceros penalty after Gustavo Gomez brought down Lucas Chavez in the box.

Both benches got involved in protests and Bolivian sub Adalid Terrazas and Paraguay’s Diego Gomez, who had been substituted, were both shown red cards.

Paraguay grabbed a point in stoppage time in some style with a magnificent solo effort from Julio Enciso who dribbled from deep before unleashing a thundering drive from 20 yards out.

Ninth-placed Chile have a lot of work to do if they are to make one of the six automatic qualification spots but boosted their faint hopes with a 4-2 thrashing of Venezuela.

File photo of Lionel Messi© AFP

On-fire Lionel Messi scored his second hat-trick of the week and Luis Suarez scored twice as Inter Miami beat the New England Revolution 6-2 to smash MLS’s regular season points record. Miami’s win, in their final game of the regular season, took them to 74 points – one more than the previous record, set by New England in 2021. Messi, who came off the bench in the 58th minute and led the late flurry of goals, has now scored 20 goals in 19 appearances in MLS with his former Barcelona team-mate Suarez also notching 20, from 27 games.

The challenge of breaking the record added some spice to the final game of the regular season with Inter having already secured the Supporters’ Shield for the best record in the regular season to stamp themselves clear favourites in the MLS Cup playoffs which start next week.

¡Messi aplastante!pic.twitter.com/X1lLki6t8B

— MLS Español (@MLSes) October 19, 2024

Miami had trailed 2-0 before Suarez scored twice before half-time to send Gerardo Martino’s team in level at the interval.

Goals from Argentine Luca Langoni and Colombian Dylan Borrero in the 34th minute had the home crowd chanting for Messi’s introduction from the bench but it was Uruguayan Suarez who began the comeback.

A firm left-foot finish from the former Liverpool and Barcelona striker, pulled one back, after good work from David Martinez.

Then Suarez levelled with a fine solo finish, making space for himself and switching to his right foot before drilling home.

Messi, who had scored a hat-trick for Argentina against Bolivia on Tuesday, came off the bench in the 58th minute and immediately helped put the team ahead finding Jordi Alba who set up Benjamin Cremaschi for a tap-in.

New England thought they had drawn level with a goal from striker Bobby Wood but the effort was disallowed for handball following a VAR review.

Messi then made it 4-2, collecting a back-heeled pass from Suarez before brilliantly blasting into the far bottom corner.

The Argentine was on target again when he latched on to a superb pass from Jordi Alba and made no mistake and then he completed his hat-trick in the 89th minute when he met a volleyed cross from Suarez with a precise first time finish.

Messi’s three goals came within an 11-minute spell and after his two month injury absence after the Copa America he now looks back to his best.

“After the major injury we had to be very careful with his recovery and reintegration into the team and both the national team and ourselves here were very careful with that issue,” said Martino.

“I have the feeling that we have him in an ideal situation to face the most important part of the year,” added the Argentine.

Martino said that while Miami needed to cut out some of their errors, the squad head into the playoffs on a high after breaking the points record.

“For the team this is another boost of confidence. These 74 points were not something we had planned, or had as a goal when the season started, but when it was in front of us we tried to go for it,” he said.

At the post-game celebration of the Supporters Shield success, club co-owners David Beckham and Jorge Mas were joined by FIFA president Gianni Infantino who announced that the Shield had earned the team a place in the 2025 Club World Cup.

Elsewhere in the last round of the regular season in MLS, Montreal clinched a place in the playoffs with a 2-0 win over New York City.

The victory secured eighth place in the Eastern Conference and the Canadian side will play ninth-placed Atlanta United in the wildcard round on Tuesday for a chance to play Miami in the first round.

Atlanta took the final spot in the East with a 2-1 win at Orlando City.

Lionel Messi in action for Inter Miami© AFP

Lionel Messi grabbed the equaliser as a misfiring Inter Miami were held to a 1-1 draw at home against Charlotte FC in Major League Soccer on Saturday. Elsewhere, the Seattle Sounders, Houston Dynamo, New York Red Bulls, New York City, LAFC and Orlando City all secured their places in the playoffs. Despite the setback of a third straight draw, Miami — already assured of a place in the playoffs — remain top of the Eastern Conference and the Supporters Shield regular season standings.

Charlotte, coached by former Aston Villa boss Dean Smith, took the lead in the 57th minute when a low shot from Brandt Bronico deflected off Karol Swiderski and beat Miami keeper Drake Callender.

The goal added some needed urgency to Miami’s approach and Jordi Alba found his former Barcelona team-mate Messi with a cross from the left, but the Argentine’s header was straight at goalkeeper Kristijan Kahlina.

The Croatian keeper then did well to keep out a Messi drive from the edge of the box.

Moments later Messi, just outside the area, carved out just enough space for a shot and buried his left-foot drive into the bottom corner for his 15th goal in as many games this season.

Miami thought they had won a penalty in the 77th minute when Diego Gomez went down under challenge from Charlotte’s French defender Adilson Malanda and referee Ramy Touchan pointed to the spot.

Malanda received a second yellow card but he and his team were saved by the VAR, who ruled he had played the ball.

Deep in stoppage time, Miami had a great chance to take all three points when Alba headed across goal, but Luis Suarez under pressure from Kahlina fired over the bar from a yard out.

Miami are on 65 points with three games remaining, champions Columbus Crew have 57 and Cincinnati 56 in the East.

Miami can clinch the Supporters’ Shield with a victory or a draw away to Columbus on Wednesday and head coach Gerardo Martino said that frustration with another draw should be kept in perspective.

“We were a team that habitually lost for years, and now, we are a team that habitually wins, and that raises expectations,” he said.

“We have worked very hard to change the perception of this team, and we’ve done it having to use many different line-ups due to injuries and national team duty.

“Yes, we are frustrated with three draws in a row… but it’s not like we did not have chances to win,” he added.

In the ‘Hudson River derby’, New York City romped to a 5-1 win at the New York Red Bulls with two goals from Alonso Martinez as the visitors led 4-1 at half-time.

The win secured NYCFC a place in the playoffs and other results meant the Red Bulls had the consolation of also getting into the post-season.

Orlando City are also in the mix for a run at MLS Cup after an impressive 3-1 win at FC Dallas and LAFC, beaten by Columbus in last year’s final, booked their place in the playoffs with a 2-1 win at FC Cincinnati.

Results in other games meant that Seattle and Houston were sure of their place in the post-season even before their game later on Saturday.