Fans let out a huge roar at the Rizal Memorial Stadium when at the 72nd minute, Schröck replaced Kenshrio Daniels to help close out Nepal as the Philippines hacked out a 2-0 triumph in the friendly match on Thursday, June 15.

In his 18-minute cameo, Schröck showed no signs of rust as he displayed the skills that mesmerized fans throughout his 11-year journey with the Azkals.

But Schröck had the crowd concerned at the 85th minute as he got clattered by a Nepal defender down the left wing and took a few seconds to get up and restart the play.

Returning head coach Hans Michael Weiss hopes Schröck, who begged off from the post-match interview, sustained no injury as the Filipino-German did not train for six months 

“With more fitness, he can be a game-changer in crucial game situations,” said Weiss. 

“I don’t consider him too much as a starter anymore, but he can help us for 30-45 minutes and maybe in big games also with his vision, with his feet, with his surprising moves, and you need players like this.”

Legendary midfielder

Weiss, who’s also back with the Azkals after a decade, shared how Schröck helped him get acquainted with the team again.

“Before coming here, he was the one mostly in contact with me and told me everything about the squad,” Weiss said of the 36-year-old  Schröck. 

“I knew most of the squad, but he helped a lot to bring me here and to help build up the squad, to train and give me advice on this, and this, and this because of course, nine years when you’re not here, even if you know the players, it’s different.”

Schröck’s name was surprisingly included in the official matchday team sheet of the international friendly match between world No. 136 Azkals and 174th-ranked Nepal.

Listed as a substitute, Schröck was then seen warming up with the players as soon as the team came out of their locker room minutes before the kickoff.

The anticipation of seeing the legendary midfielder increased when Schröck warmed up once again during the match.

‘Nothing is for sure’

Schröck’s on-pitch return came just a little over six months when he announced on January 1 this year that although “nothing is for sure,” he said, “99% this will be my last game.” 

But as the national men’s football team looks to reinvigorate its program, and the 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifiers also on the horizon, Weiss said he wants Schröck to still be involved with the team. 

“We were thinking that for the meantime, good to have him still there like a player, also coaching and supporting role, so this is Schröck’s position,” said Weiss. 

“He will build his body up, he still has the drive to play. I think maybe having me here now also [helped] him because he was a little bit tired.”

Overall, it was a triumphant comeback for Schröck as he was able to record another win with the national team and help kickstart the second era of Weiss’ leadership on a positive note.

Schröck, Weiss, and the Azkals will close out the two-match friendly window against Taiwan on Monday, June 19 at 7 pm, also at the Rizal Memorial Stadium. – Rappler.com

Fans immediately got their money’s worth when Argentina won the ball in Australia’s half in the second minute and Enzo Fernandez found Messi, who sidestepped two defenders before beating the keeper with a curling shot from outside the box.

Messi, who last week confirmed he wanted to move to American side Inter Miami, has now scored in seven straight games for Argentina and the country’s talisman has shown no signs of slowing down ahead of his 36th birthday next week.

“We always enjoy being with the national team,” Messi said. “It was complicated to play because of the heat and humidity, but beyond everything we continued with the same idea.”

Messi has been the focus of attention ever since he landed in Beijing last week.

The Argentina captain has legions of supporters in China where soccer is popular and fans often look further afield for teams to follow given the poor state of the men’s national side.

The areas around the stadium and the hotel where Messi and his teammates have been staying have been awash with people wearing replica Argentina jerseys in recent days.

Hundreds queued outside the hotel each day in the hope of catching a glimpse of Messi leaving for training.

Capacity crowd

A sea of blue-and-white had greeted the teams as they stepped out onto the pitch with an overwhelming majority of the 68,000 capacity crowd sporting Argentina colors.

“I can’t see any yellow shirts anywhere,” Australia coach Graham Arnold said before the match.

“I just really hope Lionel Messi gets a little percentage of the shirt sales because I’ve never seen so many Argentine number 10 shirts in my life!”

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Messi thrills Beijing as Chinese fans relish ‘remaining time’

Argentina doubled their lead in the second half when Rodrigo de Paul floated in an enticing cross into the box and substitute German Pezzella found space between two defenders to fire home a free header.

Just before the corner was taken for the goal, a fan in a Messi jersey ran onto the pitch and briefly hugged the bemused Argentine, dodged several flailing security personnel, ran to the center circle and high-fived goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez.

Roared on by the capacity crowd, he continued to outmaneuver and outpace stewards before running back to Australia’s box where they eventually got hold of him and took him away.

– Rappler.com

First-half substitute Jarvey Gayoso scored the only goal of the contest at the 49th minute as he poked home the ball from close range after a wild scramble inside the penalty box.

The opening win in the two-match friendly window at home now gives the Philippines plenty of confidence and momentum heading into the game versus Chinese Taipei.

“Very happy to help the team, but just like what coach Weiss said, it’s not perfect, but I think it’s very important to get the win,” said Man of the Match and goalkeeper Patrick Deyto as the Azkals look for a fresh start with Weiss.

“We talked about it in the meeting of the team that we need a good result to create momentum for the Azkals. We want to put more belief for our team so this is the first part and it’s a good first step so we have to, we will be better on the 19th against Chinese-Taipei.” 

After being away from Philippine football for almost 10 years, Weiss decided to return and help reinvigorate the men’s national football program following a coaching carousel the past years.

In Weiss’ first match back with the Azkals, he opted to mix in youngsters Sandro Reyes and Oskari Kekonen in the starting lineup alongside veterans Daisuke Sato, Kevin Ingreso, Mike Ott, and matchday captain Carlie de Murga. 

Longtime goalkeeper Neil Etheridge wasn’t available for the match. However, Stephan Schröck, who announced his retirement from international football earlier this year, was surprisingly listed as a substitute on the official matchday team sheet.

The Azkals started out the match well as they dominated the possession, kept Nepal scoreless, and had numerous chances to break the deadlock. 

Weiss, though, wanted more from his players as he changed things up and inserted forward Patrick Reichelt and defender Enrique Linares for Kekkonen and Martin Steuble.

Unfortunately for Reichelt, he only had a few minutes on the pitch as he sustained an injury and was replaced by forward Gayoso just before the halftime whistle.

The Azkals continued their offensive barrage after the restart and was awarded two consecutive corner kicks that resulted in Gayoso’s goal. 

On the other end of the pitch, the Azkals defense was momentarily broken down, but goalie Deyto produced an outstanding save at the 62nd minute to deny Nepal a crucial equalizer. 

Ten minutes later, the crowd of 3,250 had another moment to cheer for as Schröck removed his warm-up gear and entered the pitch for Kenshiro Daniels. 

The 36-year-old Schröck quickly showcased his flair and brilliance on the pitch as he dribbled past defenders and produced eye-catching passes during his cameo. 

Deyto, who filled in for Etheridge in the match, had another critical save at the 88’ mark as he denied an on-target attempt by Nepal to officially keep the clean sheet for the Philippines.

The Azkals will aim for back-to-back victories as they welcome Taiwan next on Monday, June 19, 7 pm, at the same venue. – Rappler.com

Zhang traveled from Shanghai to Beijing this week to join scores of other giddy Messi fans as the Argentina captain came to town to play a friendly against Australia.

“For Messi fans, you really have to cherish the remaining time,” said Zhang, who was still trying to get a ticket for Thursday’s game.

“It is just a friendly game, so there is not much competitive value in it. So why should I come to Beijing this time? But any opportunity to come here, to see him in a game, is valuable, precious, because you know there are not that many left.”

Messi has said that “in principle” last year’s World Cup would be his fifth and final appearance at global soccer’s showpiece event.

The 35-year-old forward led his country to a third World Cup triumph in Qatar last December, saying throughout the tournament that he would not be playing at another edition.

Messi done ‘in principle’

Messi was persuaded out of international retirement in 2016, however, and many of his compatriots were hoping he might be cajoled into going on to the 2026 World Cup in the United States, Canada and Mexico.

“I think not. This was my last World Cup,” Messi told Titan Sports ahead of Argentina’s friendly against Australia in Beijing.

“I’ll see how things go but in principle, I won’t go to the next World Cup.”

The seven-time Ballon d’Or winner, who recently announced a move from Paris St Germain to Inter Miami in the United States, also paid tribute to his former coach at Barcelona, Pep Guardiola.

Messi and Guardiola won two Champions League titles together at the Catalan club and Messi was delighted the Spaniard had finally clinched club football’s biggest prize with Manchester City last weekend.

“I talk a lot with Pep as we still maintain frequent contact. I am very happy about his achievement, winning the recent UEFA Champions League,” Messi told the Chinese sports paper in an interview.

“He is the best coach in the world, and although, in my opinion, he didn’t need to win this Champions League title to prove that, it further demonstrates that he is the world’s top coach, which is an achievement he deserves.”

Argentina play the Socceroos at the newly rebuilt Workers Stadium in the Chinese capital on Thursday.

Thrilled superfan

Messi arrived in Beijing on Saturday and received a fervent welcome.

This is the Argentina captain’s seventh visit to China and his first since 2017.

China has a huge soccer fan base despite the struggles of the men’s national team, who have played at the World Cup only once.

Some fans like Zhang got hooked at first sight, and in her case, at a Shanghai university dorm when she watched Messi make his World Cup debut as a teenager in 2006.

During the course of Messi’s glittering career she has watched hundreds of his matches on TV, often getting up in the middle of the night to see him play for Barcelona or Paris St Germain.

Zhang has traveled to Messi’s hometown in Argentina and to the last three World Cups to see him play.

She visited a monastery in Tibet ahead of the last year’s tournament to pray for her biggest wish to come true, for Argentina to win in Qatar.

And she watched all seven of his matches from the stands in Qatar, culminating in Argentina’s victory over France in the final.

“The feeling was then I no longer had any regrets in my life,” she said.

“It was definitely the highlight of my life after so many years, because not only I realized my dream, Messi also realized the dream. So I witnessed this double dream.”

Messi, at 35, is approaching the twilight of his career as he prepares to move to Inter Miami in the United States and Zhang hopes he will play on for as long as possible, even if she doubts he will be at the 2026 World Cup.

“One day he will retire, and I can only say that on that day, I can only slowly think back to his long years of playing football, which brought me so much happiness, so many happy moments, I will be especially grateful to him,” she said. – Rappler.com

Succeeding Barae Jrondi, Josep Ferré, Thomas Dooley, and Scott Cooper, Weiss is now the fifth head coach since the Azkals parted ways with Sven Goran-Eriksson in January 2019.

The surprising news came out a week before the Azkals welcome Nepal and Chinese Taipei at the Rizal Memorial Stadium for a couple of friendly matches on June 15 and June 19.

“I’m honored that the [Philippine Football] Federation has considered to reach out to me and then it was, for me, a no-brainer, it was clear,” said the 58-year-old Weiss, who returned after his departure in January 2014.

“When I had a chance to come here, mostly because of the quality of players, I know many people here and we never lost touch. It was clear that I would be very happy to come back.”

Leading the 26-man squad list for the friendlies against Nepal and Chinese Taipei is veteran goalkeeper Neil Etheridge, who plays club football for Birmingham City in England.

The 33-year-old Etheridge will be joined by Julian Schwarzer and Patrick Deyto as the team’s goalies.

Amani Aguinaldo, Jesper Nyholm, Carli de Murga, Martin Steuble, Santiago Rublico, Daisuke Sato, and Marco Casambre form the team’s defense at the back.

Making up the midfield are Dylan De Bruycker, Jared Pena, Oskari Kekkonen, Manny Ott, Mike Ott, Kevin Ingreso, Jesse Curran, Sandro Reyes, Hikaru Minegeshi, and Chester Pabualan.

The 37-year-old naturalized forward Bienvenido Marañon leads the attack and will be supported by Jarvey Gayoso, Patrick Reichelt, OJ Porteria, Kenshiro Daniels, and Andres Aldeguer.

Despite being away from Philippine football for almost 10 years, Weiss was full of praise for his players. “If you can get 70%-80% of this talent together and let them play, not only in one window, but in three, four, five windows, you will see a different team.”

“We are hard to beat, we will be hard to beat, but we must get them. We must make the right preparation, we must prepare them, we must prepare ourselves. You know, we have to give good conditions for these people to consider to come and play with the team.”

Sato, who has missed the last training camp, shared that he was “happy to be back” and is excited to embark on a “new journey” with Weiss. “We want to have a positive time this time, the last couple of years [have] been not the best time for the Azkals, but I’m looking forward for the new start.”

The 28-year-old defender believes that with the guidance of Weiss, the veterans and the youngsters can “achieve something together, really good things.”

Weiss had a magnificent initial stint with the Philippines as he guided the Azkals to 21 wins, 11 draws, and 12 losses in 44 matches that spanned from 2011 to 2013.

He was the head coach when the Azkals finished at third place in the 2012 Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Challenge Cup after holding off Palestine, 4-3, in the third place play-off.

Another semifinal appearance followed for Weiss and the Azkals as they finished second place in Group A of the 2012 AFF Championship to book a clash with eventual tournament champions Singapore.

Since his departure from the team in 2014, Weiss has coached the national teams of Mongolia (2017-2020) and Laos (2020-2023), and is confident that he is different from the first time he handled the Azkals.

“I’m a better coach now and I did a lot of research and studying as far as tactical approach is concerned.”

He added: “I will try to use a similar system here with, of course, more firepower upfront and with offensive oriented attractive pressing football, high up the pitch, and try to score. You know we have to bring excitement back, and you don’t get excitement when you sit deep and just wait for counters.”

Weiss will have an opportunity to immediately reintroduce his brand of football to Filipino fans on Thursday, June 15, 7 pm, as the Azkals take on Nepal in a friendly match at the Rizal Memorial Stadium. – Rappler.com

Mbappe, a World Cup winner with France in 2018, confirmed his decision in a letter to the club and could even be sold this summer as PSG will seek to avoid losing him for free, according to the local reports.

The forward would be free to negotiate and sign a pre-contract agreement with a new club from January should he decide to see out the remaining year of his deal at PSG.

The French club, owned by Qatar Sports Investments, have already lost Lionel Messi on a free transfer after the Argentina forward left at the end of his two-year contract to join Major League Soccer’s Inter Miami.

PSG have not responded to a request for comment.

Mbappe was widely tipped to join Real Madrid last season but rejected a move to Spain to sign a contract extension with PSG.

The 24-year-old has long been admired by Real, who had a bid reported to be as high as 200 million euros turned down in 2021.

Real, who have already agreed a deal to sign England midfielder Jude Bellingham from Borussia Dortmund, could step up their interest in Mbappe following striker Karim Benzema’s move to Al-Ittihad in Saudi Arabia.

Mbappe, one of the game’s finest talents who burst onto the scene as a teenager, has won five Ligue 1 titles with PSG but the Champions League trophy has remained out of reach.

PSG signed Mbappe from AS Monaco in 2017 in a deal reported to be around 180 million euros, making him the world’s second-most expensive signing after Neymar, who joined them from Barcelona for 222 million euros.

Mbappe became PSG’s all-time top scorer after netting 41 goals in 43 games in all competitions and helped the capital club win a record 11th French title.

He was named France captain after leading them to a second straight World Cup final in December, where he netted a hat-trick against Argentina before losing on penalties. – Rappler.com

Pre-match talk of a stroll to European soccer’s most-cherished crown was off the mark, however, and it took a precise Rodri finish after 68 minutes to crack Inter’s resistance.

Even then City’s massed ranks had their heads in their hands as Inter threatened to drag a cagey final into extra time with goalkeeper Ederson making two superb late saves.

An eruption of joy greeted the final whistle with City’s players sprinting towards their fans in the Ataturk Stadium.

“You have to be lucky… It was written in the stars. It belongs to us,” said City manager Pep Guardiola. “With this competition, the treble is so difficult.”

City not only won their first European trophy since claiming the now-defunct European Cup Winners’ Cup in 1970, they also became only the second English team to win a treble of Premier League, FA Cup, and Champions League, matching Manchester United’s sweep in 1999 when City were in the third tier.

Inter, bidding to lift the trophy for a fourth time, stifled Guardiola’s side with a superbly executed display of traditional Italian catenaccio, especially in the first half in which City’s Kevin De Bruyne went off injured.

City may have experienced a horrible sense of deja vu as chief playmaker De Bruyne also failed to finish the final two years ago when City fell short against Chelsea.

Even City’s Norwegian goal-machine Erling Haaland found himself shackled, but in the end Spanish midfielder Rodri, starting his 52nd game of the season, came to the rescue.

Living dream

“Emotional. A dream come true. All these guys around here waited I don’t know how many years. They deserve, we deserve,” Rodri told BT Sport as Guardiola hugged his players and City’s fans sang the name of Sheikh Mansour, whose takeover of the club in 2008 has turned City into serial trophy winners.

“It wasn’t easy. What a team we faced, the way they defend and counter-attack. Finals are like this. Emotions and nerves are there. We competed like animals.”

City have now won 17 trophies since the 2008 takeover, although there is a cloud on the horizon with the club faced with more than 100 charges of alleged breaches of Premier League financial regulations dating back to 2009.

On Saturday alongside the Bosphorous, that was the last thing City’s joyous fans cared about as they serenaded their side with club anthem Blue Moon a collection of hits by Oasis, whose brothers Noel and Liam Gallagher are staunch City fans.

In finally guiding City to the European Holy Grail after gut-wrenching near misses, Guardiola became the first manager to achieve two trebles in European football, having done the Spanish equivalent with Barcelona in 2009.

He has delivered 12 major trophies for City since 2016 and, with the Champions League jinx broken, any sense of inferiority they may have felt to established European royalty like Real Madrid, Bayern Munich and Liverpool has been swept away.

“We want more,” Rodri warned.

Players deliver

Guardiola’s side fluffed their lines in Porto two years ago against Chelsea. This time he and his players delivered, although it was never going to be straightforward.

Simone Inzaghi’s side disrupted City’s rhythm in the first half with their back three of Matteo Darmian, Francesco Acerbi, Alessandro Bastoni superb behind a tireless midfield guard.

Haaland had an effort superbly saved by Andre Onana, but Guardiola fretted on the touchline – even more so when De Bruyne was forced off in the 36th minute.

City were sloppy at times with passes going astray, one of which by Manuel Akanji playing in Lautaro Martinez who selfishly failed to pick out substitute Romelu Lukaku.

Inter’s fans grew increasingly vocal as City’s were silently consumed by nerves but all that changed when Bernardo Silva found space in the blue and black wall and he cut a pass back to Rodri who took a touch and drilled the ball home.

To their credit, Inter mustered one final effort and came agonizingly close to an equalizer when Federico Dimarco looped a header against the bar with Ederson beaten and his follow-up header hit Lukaku, who had replaced Edin Dzeko.

Lukaku went even closer when his point-blank header was somehow kept out by Ederson’s shin and the Brazilian made another save from Francesco Acerbi.

It was City’s night, and the celebrations will be long and loud, while for Inter there was no repeat of their surprise 2010 win over Bayern Munich.

It marked a hat-trick of defeats for Italian clubs in European club finals this season with Roma losing to Sevilla in the Europa League and Fiorentina beaten by West Ham United in the Europa Conference. – Rappler.com

Leading the charge in the squad set to be cut to a final 23 are captain Tahnai Annis, top scorers Quinley Quezada and Sarina Bolden, and highly touted Fil-Aussie defender Angie Beard, who is set for her Filipinas debut.

The 25-year-old Beard, who has represented Australia since the under-17 level, comes as another welcome boost for a Philippine team recently promoted by FIFA to an all-time high No. 46 world rank ahead of its historic Women’s World Cup campaign.

Here are the players and coaches list, as set by the Philippine Football Federation (PFF):

With its full pool finally set, the Filipinas are set to fly out soon for a monthlong training camp at the Western Sydney Wanderers Complex.

“We wish the players and staff the best for their final preparatory camp for the FIFA Women’s World Cup,” said PFF president Mariano Araneta. “We appreciate all their hard work and sacrifice for the country. They have our full support.”

The PFF is confident that the Filipinas’ prepared camps will be a big help as they take on the world’s best starting July 21, first against Switzerland.

“Nothing beats having experienced playing against quality opponents, and I think the Filipinas have done that over the past few months,” said PFF general secretary Edwin Gastanes. “It will certainly help them in the Women’s World Cup.”

Following their showdown with the Swiss in New Zealand, the Filipinas next face the Kiwi home team in Wellington on July 25 before traveling to Auckland to face Norway on July 30 to wrap up the group stage. – Rappler.com

Aside from top-caliber friendlies and scrimmages, head coach Alan Stajcic has warned the team to prepare for the most challenging part of their journey, and they are not expecting less. 

“We have to dig deep and find something within us that we never had to reach before to accomplish something that we’ve never done before,” said co-captain Hali Long. 

“It will be a new experience – the training – and we’re all excited. We’re excited to see how far we can push ourselves in training and how it’s going to translate on the field.” 

The Philippines, ranked No. 46, will be playing against host New Zealand, world No. 12 Norway, and world No. 20 Switzerland. 

After qualifying for a maiden berth in the FIFA Women’s World Cup in January last year, the Philippines achieved even more milestones. 

The Philippines ended a 37-year medal drought after winning the bronze-medal match against Myanmar in the Vietnam SEA Games in May 2022. Two months later, the Filipinas made history again by becoming the first Philippine team to win an AFF Championship, which was marked by crucial wins over Australia and Thailand. 

The Philippine women’s football team also reached its highest world ranking of all time at No. 46, eclipsing the previous rank of No. 53. 

Looking back at all that they achieved, the Philippine football team players never imagined that they are living out their dreams. 

“I haven’t seen the team go this far this quick. It’s been incredible,” said co-captain Inna Palacios.  

“We’ve gone through a lot of milestones that we had just imagined achieving then made it all come alive, it’s something that left all of us surprised.” 

While the Philippine team embraces its underdog tag on the big stage, the Filipinas aren’t fazed from their main goal of proving that they are not there because of luck and it will not be the last time Filipinos will see the flag in the World Cup.

“It starts from there. We have to prove to everyone in the world na hindi tsamba ang ginawa namin (it’s not just luck) and I think that takes a lot of consistency in the program and the grassroots here,” added Palacios. 

“Overall, we’re trying to develop a sport here in the country and we’ll take necessary steps to be able to do that.”

The Philippines will kick off its campaign against Switzerland on July 21 at 1 pm, Philippine time. The Filipinas will then go against host team New Zealand on July 23, 1:30 pm, and will cap off the group stage against Norway on July 30 at 3 pm. – Rappler.com 

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The great Argentine forward announced on Wednesday he had decided to join the MLS side and play for a club outside Europe for the first time in more than 20 years, though he told Mundo Deportivo and Sport newspapers the deal was not 100% done.

Snaring the record seven-time Ballon d’Or winner has the potential to be a huge lift for soccer in the US, where it trails the other four major North American men’s professional leagues in popularity.

Messi had wanted to go to a club where he could eventually have an ownership stake, a source with knowledge of the negotiations told Reuters this week.

That would see him follow a similar path to that of his new team’s co-owner David Beckham, who sent shockwaves through MLS when he joined LA Galaxy in 2007 after exiting Real Madrid, in a deal that gave him the right to a discounted franchise.

Beckham and his wife, Victoria Beckham of the Spice Girls, fitted in with the celebrity-drenched culture of Tinseltown and the move was celebrated as opening a new era for MLS.

Yet Messi’s move as a free agent after parting ways with French champions Paris St Germain could have greater significance.

“He is the most recognizable and the best soccer player on the planet at the same time,” said Eric Wynalda, a former US national player and soccer broadcaster who currently hosts a show on SiriusXM.

“Not only will it be about an attraction, it will also be about getting a chance to see greatness.”

The announcement falls short of the biggest shock in North American club soccer, when late Brazilian great Pele came out of retirement to sign for a little-known US club called the New York Cosmos in 1975.

But with North America set to host the World Cup in three years’ time, Messi’s arrival coincides with a period of far greater momentum for the sport and could accelerate the popularity of MLS, which has seen steady growth since its inaugural season in 1996.

“(MLS is) not going to become the equivalent of any of the European leagues overnight,” said Andrew Zimbalist, a professor at Smith College and co-author of National Pastime: How Americans Play Baseball and the Rest of the World Plays Soccer.

“Most true soccer fans in the United States when they want to see top level competitive soccer are going to tune into European soccer, they’re not going to move to MLS. But Messi will have an impact that will begin to change that.” 

‘League with fewer demands’

Messi had also received a “proposal” to return to his former club Barcelona. However, the Spanish champions had their hands tied due to LaLiga’s financial fair play rules.

“If Barcelona didn’t work out, I wanted to leave Europe, get out of the spotlight and think more about my family,” Messi said.

“I didn’t want to leave my future in the hands of others. I was looking forward to coming back, but in the end it didn’t happen.”

Barcelona wished Messi good luck, saying in a statement that Messi’s father and agent had informed the club on Monday of his decision to move to America instead of returning to Spain.

“Barcelona president (Joan) Laporta understood and respected Messi’s decision to want to compete in a league with fewer demands, further away from the spotlight and the pressure he has been subject to in recent years,” the LaLiga side said.

The club added that Laporta and Jorge Messi, Messi’s father, agreed to work together to promote a proper tribute from fans to honor the 35-year-old.

Messi was linked with a move to Saudi Arabia after playing his final game for Paris St Germain over the weekend. – Rappler.com