Zimbabwe knock Namibia out for 113 and win

ScorecardWesley Madhevere took three wickets and struck an unbeaten half-century•ICC/Getty Images

Namibia’s decision to bat backfired on them to such an extent that they began their innings losing two wickets in two overs and then were bowled out for 113. With the score on 4 for 46 in the 13th over, and Eben van Wyk gone for 24 – it would become the highest score of the innings – they shifted focus towards lasting the full 50 overs. Zimbabwe didn’t mind. They used eight bowlers, and all of them conceded less than 4.5 runs per over. Nkosilathi Nungu, Dion Myers and Wesley Madhevere picked up two wickets each.The chase began in exciting fashion with opener Gregory Dollar and No. 3 Myers falling before the score reached double-digits. But Madhevere put an end to the mini-slide, hitting 47 off 38 balls, with seven fours, and Zimbabwe got to their target with seven wickets and 183 balls to spare.

Man Utd Have Seen £60m Bid Turned Down For "Explosive" Ace

Manchester United have seen a sizeable bid turned down for a prolific top-five European league striker this window, according to recent reports.

How good is Randal Kolo Muani?

Randal Kolo Muani is a distinctive attacking force who would've added another dimension to Manchester United's final third. In his time at Eintracht Frankfurt, Kolo Muani, who has previously been labelled as "explosive" by his former youth coach Yann Lecoq, has enjoyed a meteoric rise to becoming one of Europe's most prolific marksmen, registering 25 goals and 17 assists in 48 appearances across all competitions, as per Transfermarkt.

randal-kolo-muani-frankfurt-tottenham-hotspur-transfer-gossip-harry-kane-postecoglou

Expectedly, he has started the new Bundesliga campaign in fine fettle, netting the opening goal in his current employers' 1-0 victory over Darmstadt in their first league fixture, as per Sofascore. The France international converted his goal from an xG of 0.91 and picked up a match rating of 7.2/10 for his exploits on the pitch for Eintracht Frankfurt.

According to FBRef, Kolo Muani ranks highly compared to his positional peers across Europe's top five divisions in successful take-ons and has managed around 2.24 per 90 minutes in the last 365 days, putting him in the 96th percentile.

What happened with United's bid?

According to L'Equipe journalist Loic Tanzi, via Sport Witness, Manchester United have had a bid in the region of €70 million plus bonuses (£60m) turned down for Eintracht Frankfurt striker Randal Kolo Muani earlier this window.

Ligue 1 giants Paris Saint-Germain are also looking to add to their star-studded squad and are keen to bring the France international to the nation's capital – they now hope to finalise his signature later this week.

As per L'Equipe, transcribed by The Mirror, Kolo Muani did not close the door on a move to Old Trafford and even confirmed his dream is to play for an elite-level club in an interview earlier this year, stating: "We talk about it a lot already, but I try to be focused on my club. We continue our performances and we will see this summer. Afterwards, I always dreamed of playing in big clubs. I thought I was going to need some time to adapt, maybe a year. But everything exploded. Either way, I’m ready for any challenge."

Foot Mercato claim that Paris Saint-Germain have agreed personal terms with the 24-year-old on a deal that would see him sign on for five years at the Parc des Princes. Tottenham Hotspur were reported to be keen on Kolo Muani earlier this summer, though their lack of Champions League football complicated any potential swoop, as per Sport Bild.

Manchester United now look to have found their solution to a long-standing striking problem in the form of Rasmus Hojlund, who joined the Premier League giants from Atalanta in a transfer worth £72 million, as per Sky Sports. Nevertheless, the Denmark international is currently out injured due to a back problem and it is unclear when he will come into contention to make his Red Devils debut, according to The Evening Standard.

Manchester United could've benefitted from having someone of Kolo Muani's unique abilities leading the line in 2023/24, though they will be excited to see how Hojlund settles in once his injury clears up.

Aston Villa Can Land Watkins Partner In £40m Ace

Aston Villa have provided Monchi and Unai Emery with funds to bolster the playing squad so far in the summer transfer window…

Who have Aston Villa signed this summer?

The Villans brought in Belgium international Youri Tielemans on a free transfer from Leicester City as their first signing ahead of the 2023/24 Premier League campaign.

They have since added Moussa Diaby for a club-record £51.9m deal from Bayer Leverkusen and central defender Pau Torres from Villarreal on a permanent basis.

Read the latest Aston Villa transfer news HERE…

There could be further business to come for Villa, though, as they have been linked with a swoop to sign Leeds United ace Wilfried Gnonto this summer, who would cost at least £40m.

How good is Wilfried Gnonto?

The 19-year-old dynamo is an exciting young talent who could come in as a player with long-term potential whilst also having the ability to make an immediate impact on the pitch.

Emery could land Ollie Watkins a dream partner in the final third as the Italian ace is a versatile gem who could either play out wide to provide service for the England international or through the middle as a striker partner for him.

The former Inter prospect produced two goals and four assists in 14 top-flight starts for the Whites as they were relegated from the division last term and could improve upon that tally as part of a better team, given that Villa finished seventh in the table and a whopping 30 points clear of the Yorkshire-based outfit.

Aston Villa striker Ollie Watkins.

Watkins scored 15 league goals for the Villans last season and he could help the Italy international, who struck ten times in 16 U17 matches for Inter, to find his feet as a goalscorer at the top level after signs of promise so far.

The Leeds ace scored 12 goals and assisted ten in 74 games for Zurich prior to his move to England, but it is his play in deep possession that has caught the eye during his time at Elland Road so far.

In the 2022/23 Premier League campaign, Gnonto ranked amongst the top 13% of his positional peers for progressive carries per 90 (4.39), which shows that the teenage ace is excellent at driving his team up the pitch by picking the ball up in a deep position before racing past players to eat up ground.

Watkins, on the other hand, ranked in the bottom half of players in his position for progressive carries per 90 (1.44) and this suggests that he would benefit from having the Leeds star as a strike partner to do that side of the game for him.

Gnonto could use his dynamism and ball-carrying ability to push Villa forward and Watkins can maintain his position through the middle as the starting number nine and concentrate on getting into goalscoring areas to punish teams at the top end of the pitch.

The £40m-rated ace, who was described as an "absolute nightmare" for defenders by talent scout Jacek Kulig, has not proven himself to be a lethal scorer but his four assists in 14 top-flight starts suggests that he also has the creativity to provide the English striker with chances to score from.

Therefore, they could form a dream partnership upfront for Villa and one that could have the potential to get even better with time as Gnonto, hopefully, develops.

Another Jose Mourinho feud! Renato Sanches removes Roma from Instagram bio after being left out of squad to face Napoli – less than a week after ex-Chelsea boss hooked midfielder off after 18 minutes

Renato Sanches has appeared to remove all links to Roma from his Instagram bio after being left out of the squad to face Napoli on Saturday.

Article continues below

Article continues below

Article continues below

Sanches left out of Roma squadMourinho's side beat Napoli 2-0Roma references removed from Instagram bioWHAT HAPPENED?

Following Sanches' snub by manager Jose Mourinho for the Napoli game, the Paris Saint-Germain loanee no longer has Roma references in his Instagram bio. His profile picture is relatively blank, the text beneath that merely states 'gamer', but he still has photos from his stint with the Italian side.

AdvertisementGetty ImagesTHE BIGGER PICTURE

Sanches' spell with Roma has not been a particularly happy one. The 26-year-old has played just nine times this season, although a hamstring issue has restricted his game time, too. The Portuguese international has been repeatedly criticised by manager Mourinho, who apologised just a week ago for taking the substitute off after just 18 minutes during the 2-0 loss to Bologna. His future at the club after this latest move may be more uncertain now.

DID YOU KNOW?

In Sanches' breakthrough season in 2015-16 at Benfica, he helped them them win the league and cup double, and was awarded the division's breakthrough player and the Golden Boy award in the process. He then joined Bayern Munich in the summer of 2016 for £30 million.

ENJOYED THIS STORY?

Add GOAL.com as a preferred source on Google to see more of our reporting

GettyWHAT NEXT?

Sanches will return to Serie A action on December 30 away to title chasers Juventus. The January transfer window opens in just over a week and it remains to be seen if Sanches will stay with Roma for the second half of the season.

Pollard fifty undone by Tridents' shoddy display

Their captain produced a fine half-century, but the Barbados Tridents kept shooting themselves in the foot against St Kitts & Nevis Patriots

The Report by Alagappan Muthu19-Aug-2017
Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsKieron Pollard’s measured half-century went in vain•Ashley Allen – CPL T20 / GettyAn error-strewn performance from Barbados Tridents cost them victory despite a highly mature half-century from their captain Kieron Pollard. Good as his unbeaten 63 was, it couldn’t paper over the mistakes of his top-order batsmen, and started becoming a footnote around the time his opening bowler Akeal Hosein started the chase by bowling five wides in a row.In the end, it was a happy (second) homecoming for Chris Gayle, playing his first game in Basseterre wearing a St Kitts & Nevis Patriots shirt. With rain ending a lopsided contest early, in favour of his team by 17 runs, he could even get to the party with energy to spare.The strangle
Three of the four totals above 200 in the CPL were made at Warner Park, and the pitch on Friday fostered thoughts of another. A little bit of moisture and even covering of grass ensured the ball came onto the bat. However, the Patriots denied that advantage to the Tridents by using their spinners for seven out of the first 10 overs. Samuel Badree bowled out, bowling over Dwayne Smith and Chris Barnwell in the process. Mohammad Nabi and Tabraiz Shamsi followed his lead, attacking the stumps on a fuller than good length, giving no room for the batsman to draw power from. As a result, the scoreboard reflected only 79 for 4.The power player
At the start of the 15th over, Pollard was 15 off 20 balls. He wasn’t even trying to hit the ball, with so much of his concentration in trying to stay till the end. Dinks and nudges and clips and dabs made up the first half of his knock, during a partnership of 27 off 32 balls with Shoaib Malik. Regardless of the run-rate, it was a crucial passage of play, offering the Tridents captain some sort of a foundation to take off from. A straight six, and a beastly pull, both for six, signalled the start of something special. And sure enough, Pollard’s full range of stand-and-deliver shots was put on show, with the front-foot bludgeons over long-on and midwicket hogging the limelight. Only one of the last six overs cost less than 10 runs.The many malfunctions
Earlier in the day, Kane Williamson was caught the next ball after hitting a six. Dwayne Smith committed the same mistake. Malik was half the player he usually is because he was battling a sore ankle. He could have been lbw for 9, but umpire Johan Cloete wouldn’t give in to the appeal. He could have been caught for 24, but countryman Mohammad Hafeez spilled a tough chance. He tried hard but 29 off 30 was not a good return for a batsman at No. 4.So, too, was packing 11 balls into the first over of a tight chase. Hosein, plying his left-arm spin into the hitting arc of Gayle, and perhaps told to cramp him on leg stump, kept pitching the ball too straight and watching it spin past the batsman. He was nervous. He was then hit for six. And somehow, he still found a wicket off a ball that would surely have been another wide had Evin Lewis chosen to leave it.The same script continued for the rest of the innings, with full tosses being whacked for boundaries, and simple run-out chances being missed. Gayle nudged Hosein to short fine leg and strode out of his crease thinking a single was on, and Shamar Springer at fine leg got to the ball quickly enough. But having done so, his throw was so wayward instead of going to the wicketkeeper, it wandered out to deep midwicket. The Patriots captain was on 27 at the time. He gathered 11 more runs before bad weather set in and eradicated all chances of further play.

Cremer rues absence of back-up plan against spin

The Zimbabwe captain was disappointed after a seven wicket defeat to Sri Lanka, saying his batsmen did not adjust to the change in the pitch on Sunday and play more straight-bat shots

Andrew Fidel Fernando02-Jul-2017Graeme Cremer conceded Zimbabwe’s batsmen may have been too eager on the sweeps and reverse sweeps during the second ODI on Sunday, even though those strokes had proved productive during Friday’s record chase. Sri Lanka’s best bowler Lakshan Sandakan, meanwhile, had come prepared for that tactic from Zimbabwe, which goes some way to explaining his match figures of 4 for 52.Zimbabwe had been 67 for 1 before the spinners came into operation in Galle, and prompted a collapse that cost the visitors five wickets in the space of 10.3 overs. Sean Williams, Sikandar Raza and Ryan Burl all fell attempting to sweep or reverse sweep.”Maybe with the wicket, we should have adjusted, should have hit the ball down the ground a bit more,” Cremer said after the seven-wicket defeat. “I thought the wicket was a little bit different from the pitch for the first game, and we didn’t adjust early enough. At one stage we could have batted off the overs – 230 could have been a decent score, but we lost too many wickets in the middle.”Sandakan, playing his first ODI since March, employed several strategies to counter Zimbabwe’s sweep-happy batsmen. Early in the innings, he overcame Hamilton Masakadza’s reverse sweep threat by firing deliveries on a leg-stump line. Later in the innings, the dip he achieved also made him a difficult bowler to play across the line.”We identified that they were sweeping us, and we tried to change the field, slow the ball up a bit and change our lengths,” Sandakan said. “We didn’t try too many changes, but length and pace was important and it worked for us today. We also bowled wicket to wicket – a little straighter – to stop some of those shots.”While Sandakan had made the more telling blows to the opposition innings, debutant legspinner Wanidu Hasaranga knocked out Zimbabwe’s tail with a hat-trick in his third over. After the match, captain Angelo Mathews said he had not known much about Hasaranga, which suggests Cremer and the Zimbabwe are likely to have been even less enlightened on the threat he posed.”To get a hat-trick on debut that something special,” Cremer said of Hasaranga. “He looked a little bit nervous when he started, which is understandable. But credit to him when he stuck at it, and credit to the skipper having faith in him to keep him on. To clean up the back end of the innings was excellent.”Sandakan also lauded the 19-year-old’s poise. “When someone is debuting, he is under pressure. He managed the pressure well and bowled his googlies, flippers and leg-spin nicely.”

Pitch, crosswind challenges for teams in Hambantota

With ODI cricket returning to Hambantota for the first time since 2015, the nature of the pitch for the third ODI between Sri Lanka and Zimbabwe remains a mystery

Andrew Fidel Fernando05-Jul-2017Match FactsJuly 6, 2017
Start time: 0945 local (0415GMT)Tendai Chatara’s discipline has earned him four of Zimbabwe’s eight wickets in the series so far•AFP

Big PictureOne comfortable pursuit of 317 for Zimbabwe, one crushing home victory set up by Sri Lanka’s spinners – not much about this series has been predictable, and the teams are now about to venture into more uncertainty. In the past two years, the ground at Hambantota has probably hosted more elephants than cricket matches, and no one is quite sure how the pitch will play after such a long hiatus. Will it tend to be on the faster, bouncier side, as it had been between 2011 and 2015? Or will it – as the hosts might prefer – take a little extra turn now?Mumba replaces injured W Masakadza

Zimbabwe left-arm spinner Wellington Masakadza has been ruled out of the series due to an ankle injury, and has been replaced by seamer Carl Mumba. Masakadza’s last ODI appearance for Zimbabwe was in 2015, and having made a return to the squad, he did not get a game against Sri Lanka. Mumba’s sole ODI match so far came against Sri Lanka in November last year.

There is also often a powerful crosswind to contend with, at the venue, which tends to favour the more adaptable side. In the past, batsmen who have chosen to base their innings around hitting with the wind have prospered in Hambantota: not only do their strokes carry further, the balls they hit into the air have also been notoriously difficult to catch. Sri Lanka, who have dropped no fewer than six chances across the first two games, may be especially vulnerable if the breeze picks up. Bowlers have also had highly contrasting experiences with the wind: it has helped boost the natural swing of some, and put others off their game completely.Whatever the conditions, appropriate use of the sweep shot is likely to have come up in Zimbabwe’s team discussions over the past 48 hours. They had lived by the stroke in the first game, then died by it in the second. They may aim to be more selective in their deployment of the stroke in Hambantota.Form guideSri Lanka WLLWL (completed matches, most recent first)
Zimbabwe LWWLLIn the spotlightAll through the Champions Trophy campaign there was wonderment in Sri Lanka as to why Lakshan Sandakan was not in the XI. Now that he has taken 4 for 52 upon his return, the head scratching has only intensified. For now, Sandakan is not a bowler who offers a lot of control, and perhaps on the less spin-friendly tracks in England, the selectors and team management felt he may become a liability. However, if any bowler has appeared as if he may correct Sri Lanka’s inability to take wickets through the middle overs, it has been Sandakan. The selectors might do well to now provide him with a secure place in the side, in order to determine if he can in fact fulfill that wicket-taking role, in the longer term.A longer run in the ODI side can help determine if Lakshan Sandakan’s potential, seen in his 4 for 52, can be fulfilled•AFP

Though batsmen’s handling of spin has dominated the series narrative so far, it is the skillful seam bowling of Tendai Chatara that has brought Zimbabwe half of their eight wickets in the series so far. There is no booming swing or searing pace for Chatara, but so far in the series, there has been a discipline to his bowling, and even on an unresponsive Galle pitch, he was one of the only quicks to glean some movement off the seam. If he can quickly modify his bowling to suit Hambantota’s unique conditions, Zimbabwe could again make an early breakthrough, as they have in each of the first two games.Team newsSpinner Amila Aponso and seam-bowling allrounder Lahiru Madushanka have been dropped from the squad for the last three ODIs, and in their place are seamer Lahiru Kumara and batsman Chamara Kapugedera (Suranga Lakmal was originally slated to be in the squad until he took ill). Unless the flu that has been making its way around the Sri Lanka side incapacitates another player on Thursday, the hosts may not wish to make a change to their winning XI, however.Sri Lanka (possible): 1 Niroshan Dickwella (wk), 2 Danushka Gunathilaka, 3 Kusal Mendis, 4 Upul Tharanga, 5 Angelo Mathews (capt.), 6 Asela Gunaratne, 7 Wanidu Hasaranga, 8 Dushmantha Chameera, 9 Lakshan Sandakan,10 Lasith Malinga, 11 Nuwan PradeepDespite the loss, Zimbabwe have a fairly settled outfit, and they may stick with the same XI. If any place is under scrutiny, it may be that of seamer Donald Tiripano. Chris Mpofu could potentially replace him.Zimbabwe (possible): 1 Solomon Mire, 2 Hamilton Masakadza, 3 Craig Ervine, 4 Sean Williams, 5 Sikander Raza, 6 Ryan Burl, 7 Peter Moor (wk), 8 Malcolm Waller, 9 Graeme Cremer (capt.), 10 Tendai Chatara, 11 Chris Mpofu/Donald TiripanoPitch and conditionsForecasts for this part of the country are notoriously unreliable, but the weather is expected to be dry and hot, with temperatures in the low thirties. How the pitch will play is anyone’s guess.Stats and trivia Sri Lanka have won seven and lost six of their 17 matches at Hambantota. 2017 is Chatara’s most successful ODI year so far, having taken 15 wickets in nine matches at 24.46.In addition to having become the third bowler to take a hat-trick on ODI debut, on Sunday, Wanidu Hasaranga became the first Sri Lanka spinner to claim a hat-trick in the format.Quotes”Assessing the conditions a little bit better is crucial. When the wicket is flatter like in the first game, you can play all your shots freely and chase down a huge score like that. In the second game it was probably not a wicket where you can go for your shots regularly. We need to do bit of work on that – assess conditions and stick to our plans.””Nuwan Pradeep has been our best bowler in the last three years in Test and ODI cricket, but for some reason he doesn’t pick up many wickets. He has improved his fielding too. He is one of the hardest working cricketers in the side.”

Man City Transfer News: Gvardiol Agrees Personal Terms

Josko Gvardiol has fully agreed personal terms with Manchester City and negotiations between the clubs over a fee are now very advanced as well.

How much will Gvardiol cost?

Gvardiol won't be cheap due to him showing outstanding ability at the highest level of the game at just 21-years-old. With a market value of €75million (£64.5m), even a deal on the low end of what RB Leipzig could ask for will require City chiefs to open their wallet.

While the higher reports have seen the German side asking for around €100m (£86m), a figure that would make him the most expensive defender ever, any sale would represent a huge profit on the €18.8m (£16m) which Leipzig spent on the Croatian in the summer of 2021.

It has previously been reported that Gvardiol is "keen to join" the treble winners according to journalist Rudy Galetti, and according to CalcioMercato, via Sport Witness, he is now a step closer to the move transpiring.

The report discloses that the versatile centre-back has a total "agreement" with the Blues over personal terms. Adding to this, all that is needed now is to complete the negotiations over a fee, which are said to be "already very advanced".

This likely means a transfer for Gvardiol should be expected sooner rather than later as Pep Guardiola looks to continue his incredible success for the blue side of Manchester.

How good is Gvardiol?

Being a young player who is already playing at such a high level, Gvardiol has had his flowers given to him multiple times already.

BBC Sport's Zach Lowy labelled Gvardiol as a "Rolls-Royce of a defender" at the World Cup last year, continuing: "20 years old and the best player on the pitch in a match that featured Kevin De Bruyne and Luka Modrić…sensational center back."

Josko Gvardiol

This wasn't the only example of high praise, with Gvardiol's national team boss Zlatko Dalic singing his praises throughout the winter tournament.

Dalic said: “Gvardiol is the best centre-back in the world. To play this maturely, it’s amazing. The way he plays, with what elegance he carries the ball.”

Meanwhile, football talent scout Jacek Kulig dubbed the 6 foot 1 Croatian as the "[Erling] Haaland of defenders", likely due to his mixture of physical dominance, technical ability, promising potential and already demonstrated his class at a high level.

Should City complete a deal for Gvardiol, he would definitely be of the required standard to slot in and improve Guardiola's champions – a scary prospect for the rest of the league.

PCB forms tribunal in alleged PSL corruption case

The PCB has formed a three-man tribunal to hear the cases of Sharjeel Khan and Khalid Latif, the two players provisionally suspended as part of an investigation into alleged corruption during the PSL

Umar Farooq06-Mar-2017The PCB has formed a three-man tribunal to hear the cases of Sharjeel Khan and Khalid Latif, the two players provisionally suspended as part of an investigation into alleged corruption during the Pakistan Super League (PSL).The pair responded to the official charges laid against them on Saturday, and denied some of the alleged code-of-conduct breaches they were accused of by the PCB’s anti-corruption unit. The pair was provisionally suspended last month after what the board said was an organisation’s attempts to corrupt the second season of the PSL.Sharjeel and Latif, who played for Islamabad United, were handed official charge sheets of their alleged misdemeanours on February 18, and were given two weeks to respond. They were charged for breaching various articles of Clause 2 of the code of conduct, which pertains to corruption. The charges covered specific ones to attempt to corrupt a game, but also misdemeanours such as failing to disclose suspect approaches.Both players, it is believed, admitted to at least one of the more minor charges but denied the other more serious allegations, which prompted the PCB to appoint Justice (retired) Asghar Haider (head of the tribunal and a former legal advisor to the board), former PCB chairman Tauqir Zia, and former wicketkeeper Wasim Bari. The tribunal must have its first hearing within 90 days of the players’ provisional suspensions.The PCB’s anti-corruption department believes it has built a strong case against the players, who, if found guilty, could face sanctions ranging from suspension of a few years to a lifetime ban. Had the pair admitted to all the breaches in the charge sheet, the PCB would have formed a one-man disciplinary panel to decide on an appropriate sanction on the players.The charges emanate from the opening game of this year’s PSL in Dubai. Islamabad won the game, against eventual champions Peshawar Zalmi, in which Sharjeel was dismissed for 1 off four balls and Latif did not play.The pair, along with team-mate Mohammad Irfan, was first questioned by the PCB’s anti-corruption unit right after that game. No action was taken againstIrfan, who stayed on for the team’s campaign until their loss in the knockouts. In the immediate aftermath of those developments, Zulfiqar Babar from Quetta Gladiators and Shahzaib Hasan of Karachi Kings were also questioned. Both were cleared and continued to play for their respective franchises.The investigation into the alleged attempts to corrupt the PSL also led to the arrests of former Pakistan opener Nasir Jamshed, and one other  man in the UK. Both men are currently free on bail. Jamshed was also provisionally suspended by the PCB, days after the board took the same decision against Sharjeel and Latif.

Neymar Says Goodbye To Lionel Messi After 2-season PSG Spell

Lionel Messi has called teammate Neymar a "beautiful person" in his goodbye message after the Argentine played his last game for Paris Saint-Germain.

What did Messi say to Neymar?

Having already sealed the Ligue 1 title, the 35-year-old took the pitch for the final time as a PSG player on the weekend – in a 3-2 loss at home to Clermont Foot.

His now former side confirmed the news on their official Twitter page, writing: "Paris Saint-Germain would like to warmly thank the seven-time Ballon d'Or, winner of a Trophée des Champions and two French championship titles wearing the Red & Blue colours."

Oddly enough, despite being universally loved for all his footballing achievements, the PSG fans actually booed Messi at his final game – apparently still unhappy with his performances in the Champions League and his recent unauthorised trip to Saudi Arabia (via Daily Mail).

However, it seems teammate Neymar still has the utmost respect for the World Cup winner as the Brazilian sent an emotional message on Instagram.

He wrote: "Brother… it didn't turn out as we thought but we tried everything. It was a pleasure to share two more years with you.

Good luck in your new stage and be happy. I love you."

To which Messi replied: "Thanks Ney! Beyond all that remains, that we enjoyed playing together and sharing the day-to-day. I wish you all the best. Besides being a crackhead, you're a beautiful person and that's all that matters at the end. I love you so much."

Where will Messi end up next?

Obviously, it catches the eye that Messi appears to call Neymar something which is interpreted as something derogatory in English but this is just a mistranslation as he writes "Aparte de ser crack". Crack is a phrase often used in Spanish as a compliment, so if you were saying someone is good at football, you might say: “Sos un crack en futbol”.

Of course, the Brazilian doesn't have the best reputation when it comes to his off-field behaviour. According to French paper Le Parisien (via The Sun), he has been throwing house parties this season that have "infuriated" his neighbours of late. And that same article claimed he threw a party that didn't finish until 5am after PSG sealed the Ligue 1 title last season.

But Messi isn't referencing any of this as he calls Neymar "a beautiful person" and points out that this actually matters more than anything he's done on the pitch.

All in all, it's quite a sweet interaction between the players, which is nice as they haven't quite achieved what they set out to in Paris – with the club still unable to win the Champions League.

The big question now is, though, where will Messi end up next? Barcelona, Inter Miami and teams in Saudi Arabia have all been touted.

Game
Register
Service
Bonus