Lionel Messi got off the mark for PSG with a typically spectacular goal against Champions League rivals Manchester City, but there was another image from Tuesday night which fans say summed up the Argentine icon.
Messi swept home a superb left-footed strike from the edge of the box in the 74th minute at the Parc des Princes after charging up the pitch and exchanging passes with Kylian Mbappe.
The crowd exploded at the sight of the six-time Ballon d’Or winner bagging a first goal in PSG colors, and in a fashion seen so many times before during Messi’s days at Barcelona.
JUST LISTEN TO THE ROAR THAT COULD BE HEARD ALL OVER PARIS
Notice how Messi instantly points to Mbappé who provided the brilliant assist pic.twitter.com/aa5n6FAtaq
But while the goal summed up Messi’s enduring brilliance – also putting PSG out of sight at 2-0 up in the match – there was another image which fans pointed to as showcasing the Argentine’s humble genius.
As the visitors lined up a free-kick towards the PSG goal in injury time, Messi was seen lying on the ground behind his team’s wall, adopting a position that has become fashionable in recent years as a way of stopping shots sneaking in under the wall.
It was an unusual sight to see Messi stretched across on the Parc des Princes turf, and fans and pundits reacted by claiming it encapsulated the 34-year-old’s willingness to do the dirty work for his team.
“Humility is what makes greatness,” wrote one fan.
“Here’s the greatest footballer of all time rejecting the chance to wear his friend’s number 10 and is wearing jersey number 30 and now he’s lying on the ground to defend PSG’s lead! That’s what legends are made of!”
Referee: Why are You lying down? Messi: Do you have any problem? Referee: But you are a GOAT. Messi: Team first pic.twitter.com/bQA22m4ez4
Some joked that Messi was simply hiding from PSG manager Mauricio Pochettino in order not to be substituted, after their tense exchange when the star was taken off in a league game against Lyon earlier this month.
Elsewhere, former Manchester United and England defender Rio Ferdinand said he would be happy to lie down in place of Messi, claiming it was “disrespectful” to make the icon get his kit dirty.
“The moment Mauricio Pochettino asked him to do that at the training ground, someone should’ve gone in there and said, ‘No, no, no, no, no, no,’” Ferdinand said on BT Sport.
“This doesn’t happen to Leo Messi. It’s disrespectful, I wouldn’t have it.
“If I was in that team, I’d have to say, ‘Listen, I’ll lay down for you.’
“Sorry, I couldn’t have him laying down like that. I can’t see it.
“He don’t get his kit dirty, that’s not what Messi does.”
Although the behind-the-wall blocking tactic has been around for some time, fans claimed that Messi’s own free-kick threat was part of the reason why teams often adopted it as an extra line of defence.
How ironic Messi he's one of the reasons why free kicks are defended like this. pic.twitter.com/s4u2S3DLIs
And of course, comparisons with Messi’s perennial rival Ronaldo were unavoidable, with some fans claiming the Manchester United star would never do the same for his team (even though Ronaldo tends to be among those standing in the wall due to his 6ft 1in frame).
The Portugal icon’s infamously poor attempt at defending a free-kick for Juventus against Porto last season was also dragged up.
Jokes aside this really shows how humble Lionel Messi is and how he’s willing to do anything to help his team…I just can’t imagine Cristiano Ronaldo doing this pic.twitter.com/Y9q5A8xLzj
UFC icon Jon Jones has issued a first public message since his arrest in Las Vegas, after police said the 34-year-old fighter had headbutted a vehicle while Jones’ fiancée was found with blood on her clothing and face.
In a message posted on Instagram Stoties, Jones showed himself doing a weight training session, adding a series of messages in relation to his arrest last Friday – which came just hours after he had been inducted into the UFC Hall of Fame.
“I have way too much trauma to consume alcohol,” Jones wrote, accompanying the clip with the Randy Newman song ‘You’ve got a friend in me’.
“My brain simply can’t handle it anymore. I will leave alcohol in my past forever,” Jones added.
“Now is the time to work harder than ever.
“Turn this nightmare into the best thing to ever happen in my life.
“What the devil means for bad, God means for good.
“Get right back on my horse.”
The former long-time light-heavyweight champion was arrested for misdemeanor domestic battery and felony tampering with a vehicle by Las Vegas police, with disturbing details of the incident emerging on Tuesday.
According to a police report, officers had been called to an alleged domestic disturbance at Caesar’s Palace. Jones was not at the scene but was detained while walking nearby.
The MMA star is said to have been emotionally unstable while in police custody, alternating between periods of calm and anger.
That included Jones “smash[ing] his head into the front hood of the patrol vehicle, leaving a medium size dent as well as chipping of some of the paint on the vehicle,” according to the report.
The concerning details also stated that Jessie Moses – who is the mother of Jones’ three children – was found by officers with blood on her clothing and face.
When asked if Jones had been physical with her, Moses is quoted as replying “a little bit, yeah,” before clarifying: “He touch[ed] the back of my head and pulled my hair a little bit but he did not hit me or anything.”
Jones has denied that he was violent towards his partner but admitted that the pair had been enduring difficult times.
The star is said to have headed out earlier in the night while Moses remained at the hotel room, only for Jones to return and say he was taking $10,000 to visit a strip club, which allegedly triggered a row.
The initial call to police came when a bloodied and tearful Moses approached the security desk at Caesar’s Palace asking for a key to her room, while one of her children asked: “Can you call the cops?”
Jones was released from custody on Friday after posting bail and is due to appear in court on October 26.
Jones has had numerous run-ins with the law down the years, including a hit-and-run in 2015 which left a pregnant woman with a broken arm, and resulted in the fighter being stripped of his light-heavyweight title.
The former UFC king has not fought in the octagon since defending his title against Dominick Reyes in February of 2020.
Jones vacated his title amid a pay row with UFC boss Dana White over a step up to heavyweight to face Cameroonian powerhouse Francis Ngannou.
Jones has recently signaled that he is still planning make the move up in 2022. His only defeat in 28 fights remains a disqualification for illegal use of elbows against Matt Hamill in 2009.
An amateur football clash in the Russian North Caucasus concluded in a mass brawl as furious players attacked match officials, resulting in a spate of lengthy bans being handed out to the perpetrators.
Meeting earlier this month in the lower leagues of the Russian Southern Federal District/North Caucasus Federal District, the top-of-the-table contest between Energetik of Prokhladny and Angusht of Nazran witnessed mass violence from players and fans at the end of a 2-1 victory for the home team.
According to reports, serious trouble began brewing in the 88th minute when referee Sergey Smirnov awarded Energetik a free-kick.
Angusht’s Bekkhan Aliyev vented his fury with a tirade of abuse at the official, for which he was given his marching orders.
Leaving the field, Aliyev is said to thrown a bandage removed from his hand at the assistant referee.
Not done there, the match saw even more explosive scenes after the final whistle.
Officials were surrounded by Angusht players who started to attack them after a short verbal exchange.
Angusht number 4 Magomed Balayev is said to have hit the referee twice in the face, while teammate Ruslan Zyazikov reportedly launched a series of kicks and punches.
Meanwhile, the dismissed Aliyev allegedly knocked assistant referee Vitaly Naumov to the ground before violently kicking him after he had stumbled back to his feet.
The carnage was captured on camera and showed mass chaos engulfing the pitch as players, staff and fans clashed.
Police had initially appeared to quell the unrest although Angusht substitute Safarbek Markhiev sparked more conflict with the rival team, prompting an all-out brawl to break out.
The local football union has moved swiftly to punish those behind the unsavory scenes, hitting Aliyev with a two-year ban while teammates Balayev and Zyazikov each received a one-year suspension.
Elsewhere, Angushta’s Markhiev and Energetik players Alan Aslanuko and Artem Orsayev will all be forced to sit out six matches for their roles in the melee.
In addition, Energetik were fined 10,000 rubles for the participation of their fans in the brawl, with the home team being hit with a two-game stadium ban.
As of September 28, Energetik stand top of the division with 13 wins from their 16 games, five points ahead of Angusht.
Polarizing UFC superstar Conor McGregor has divided opinion on social media yet again. Out in Miami, where he received the ‘Key to the City’, the star also uploaded a photo and video of himself getting a shoeshine.
Continuing to recover from a leg break suffered in his last outing in the octagon – a first round doctor stoppage loss to Dustin Poirier at UFC 264 – the Irishman has spent time in numerous big US destinations this year.
In Los Angeles over the summer, he headed to Chicago last week where his exploits throwing out the ceremonial first pitch at Wrigley Field for a Cubs baseball game were widely mocked.
Putting that episode behind him, the 33-year-old has ventured south to the Sunshine State of Florida and its largest metropolis of Miami, where he enjoyed quality family time in a nice restaurant for “Sunday dinner” while also showing off a luxury timepiece.
Yet it is the last two slides of the post shared with his 42 million followers on Instagram that have caused the biggest stir.
Posing for one photo of the act, the snap is followed by a video of McGregor dressed up to the nines with a cane and receiving a shoe shine from a man on the streets of the Magic City.
The clips prompted uproar in some quarters, with observers accusing McGregor of unnecessarily uploading the clip.
“An embarrassing video – wrong in so many ways,” balked one critic.
“That video is disrespectful. How are there still people cleaning shoes? And especially in America,” claimed someone else.
“Something so Victorian about that. Why film it?” another party asked, and said McGregor was akin to “the guy that won the lottery and can’t keep it classy or quiet.”
Another comment from that line of thought came in the form of: “Hurry, record me giving money to someone so it looks like I’m a good person.”
Not everyone was so up in arms, however, pointing to the fact that McGregor “made the shoeshiner’s night” with his $100 offering.
“A good family outing filling up the bellies followed by a polished shoe shine with a grateful tip. That’s first class,” claimed one supporter.
“I was never a Conor fan but what he did is acceptable, paying money for people’s service is just normal,” started off one unoffended individual.
“Why are you all saying it’s disrespectful? It’s that man’s job and [there’s] nothing wrong with that. If he recorded while he ordered food and there was a waiter and he tipped $100, you wouldn’t all be saying that. And that man is fine when seeing the camera.”
“If this guy was white you wouldn’t raise so much of a stink about it,” it was said to the naysayers.
Yesterday, McGregor took to the same platform to post a photo of mayor Francis Suarez giving him freedom to his Latino-dominated hub.
“The Mac with The Key to The City of Miami!” began his caption.
“Thank you Mayor Suarez for bestowing this great honor upon me and with my family present to witness. A very proud moment for me in my life.
“Thank you! Your hospitality and care for my family and team will be forever remembered. God Bless you and this great city! May the spirit of Miami live within us all,” McGregor finished.
NBA star LeBron James has finally confirmed he received his Covid vaccine after ‘doing his research’. But why should we care what he thinks, and do we really need to take our cue from him and other sports stars as vaccine sages?
The man has at long last spoken.
After being hounded by reporters since the spring, and refusing to come out explicitly to say whether he had or hadn’t, we can all sleep easy now knowing that LeBron James has indeed had his jabs to protect him against Covid with the new season fast approaching.
“I know that I was very (skeptical) about it all but after doing my research. I felt like it was best suited for not only me but for my family and my friends,” James said at a media day on Tuesday.
LeBron James explains his decision to get vaccinated, but wanting to respect others for whether they decide to get it pic.twitter.com/khPH3NePAX
First of all, let’s cut James some slack for a change.
A divisive character who seemingly has an opinion on everything, James has promoted freedom of choice in a league where vaccination rates stand at 90% but getting jabbed technically isn’t mandatory (even though restrictions are tightening against the unvaccinated).
“Everyone has their own choice — to do what they feel is right for themselves and their family and things of that nature,” James said.
“We’re talking about individuals’ bodies.
“We’re not talking about something that’s, you know, political or racism or police brutality.
“So I don’t feel like, for me personally, I should get involved in what other people should do with their bodies and their livelihoods.”
Quite right.
I’m glad he is vaccinated. That will have a good impact, hopefully. But did his own research?? Really? He’s better at research than the CDC? ♀️
As preachy as he can get (and sometimes, ironically, he even seems to incite racial hatred rather than quell it), we can look to James to teach us about the black experience and what it is like to grow up as an African-American in the inner-city US.
But must we turn to him as an authority on a subject like Covid and taking the vaccine? What does James have to add to the argument on such an important issue?
Have we learned nothing from the adoration of Bill Gates, who was seen as the all-knowing sage and whose words were imbued with all kinds of preposterous authority at the onset of the pandemic?
Even LeBron himself pretty much admits that people should make their own minds up and that he is out of his depth.
Why was he hounded to such an extent, as though his word would be make or break, and why are sports stars in general?
Hey get the vaccine now! LeBron James announced today he did his research and decided to get one. I know a lot of you didn’t ask your Doctor 8 months ago you were waiting for a basketball player to do his “research” #WTF@DrsMeenapic.twitter.com/JoVrVoKPTB
Furthermore, what possible research could LeBron have done himself which shifts people one way or another?
“Hey get the vaccine now!” as one punter on Twitter sarcastically pointed out.
“LeBron James announced today [that] he did his research and decided to get one. I know a lot of you didn’t ask your doctor eight months ago, you were waiting for a basketball player to do his ‘research’.”
I like Lebron James. But “after doing my research”—come on. Did he fund a private study? Maybe he & Nikki had matching lab coats? Damn this celeb trend of not listening to the damn experts *LIKE THE CDC* in the first place. https://t.co/RNdnDyhKJa
— ndweiss, Brokedown Palace, Diabolical Jezebel (@11tulips) September 29, 2021
The same logic could be applied to the two biggest stars in the world’s biggest sport, football icons Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo.
Certain corners are clamoring for them to say something, to make a post to their hundreds of millions of followers on social media with their thumbs up and vaccine card in hand, accompanied by a carefully PR team-written caption.
Why should they push an agenda one way or the other?
In football’s English Premier League, the authorities are apparently going to great pains (and unsurprisingly struggling) to get big names to sign up to campaigns that encourage fellow professionals to get their jabs done.
If like LeBron they are in favor of freedom of choice, just let them be.
Leave them to do what they do best.
And, again as with James, leave us to make our own choices and judge which genuine, qualified experts we should listen to.
If anyone, it is the latter party’s words that should take preference. Not those from moneyed stars of courts and pitches.
By Tom Sanderson
The statements, views and opinions expressed in this column are solely those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of RT.
