Messi made his return to the pitch with Inter Miami and provided another masterclass performance from the bench… all for just a draw against the Rapids.
The Argentine captain reappeared for Inter Miami on Saturday against Colorado Rapids after suffering a hamstring injury that kept him off Gerardo Martino’s squad list for over two weeks.
The March international break recently finished which means it’s time for The18’s latest Copa América power rankings. The big tournament is only about three months out!
Two Concacaf teams secured the final two qualification spots with Canada and Costa Rica booking their tickets for this summer’s big event.
These rankings are based on recent performances and how we feel each team will perform in the tournament. After each person listed their top 16 teams, we aggregated the results into one official power rankings list.
Here’s our spring list for the 16 teams.
The question on many soccer fans’ minds these days is “when will Messi retire?” and the Argentina star has provided an answer (sort of).
Lionel Messi is still producing highlights on what feels like a weekly basis with Inter Miami but has given fans a clue about his retirement situation.
When speaking with Big Time Podcast the 36-year-old said that it’s not a certain age that will mark his retirement, but his play will be the determining factor.
When will Messi retire?
A World Cup winner’s jersey worn in the final and gold medal have been sold by his ex-wife after he refused to cover rent payments. Yes, this has happened.
The estranged wife of Bayer Leverkusen and Argentina player, Exequiel Palacios, has made headlines after incredibly selling his World Cup memorabilia to settle debts amidst a messy divorce.
The door is open for Lionel Messi to play at this year's Paris Olympics, Argentina's under-23 manager Javier Mascherano said.
Argentina secured their place at the Games after beating Brazil 1-0 on Sunday in the final four of South America's qualifying tournament.
ARGENTINA U-23 DEFEATED BRAZIL 1-0 AND IS GOING TO THE 2024 SUMMER OLYMPICS pic.twitter.com/t8eIYg6ppj
HONG KONG — Chinese sporting authorities have canceled next month's friendly international between Argentina and Nigeria amid a growing backlash against Lionel Messi's failure to play in an Inter Miami match in Hong Kong last week.
Argentina were scheduled to play Nigeria in the Chinese city of Hangzhou next month before facing the Ivory Coast in Beijing, but Messi's failure to take the field for Inter Miami in Hong Kong on Sunday caused widespread anger among fans.
Jerry World is hosting the biggest game in the world.
It was reported on Thursday that the Dallas Cowboys’ AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas, is set to become the host of the 2026 FIFA World Cup final.
The first place a match-worn soccer jersey usually goes is the washing machine, however that wasn’t the case for six Lionel Messi shirts worn at the 2022 World Cup. A Messi shirts auction saw six of the Argentine’s World Cup jerseys sold for a staggering $7.8 million.
Messi shirts auction
New York based auction house Sotheby sold the six jerseys for a price tag higher than nearly any other jersey in history. The most expensive in sports history was a Michael Jordan jersey from the 1998 NBA Finals that sold for $10.1 million.
The anticipation for Copa América 2024 continues to grow especially with the recent reveal of the group stage. In the months leading up to the tournament The18 will be doing power rankings and list our picks for the best 2024 Copa América teams.
The United States men’s national team will face Uruguay, Panama and Bolivia in Group C of the 2024 Copa América. The USMNT Copa América group is looking great.
The draw for the tournament took place on Thursday. It took 50 minutes until a ball was drawn, but the groups for the 2024 Copa América are now official.
2024 Copa América groups
The CONMEBOL Copa América 2024 draw is set