The Soccer Thread (Version 10)

He seems the guy you hire in a hurry when your manager has to resign for personal reasons. I guess Messi gave his blessing.

 

"Bayern are vulnerable when Mbappe and (Naymar I think he said) spread their legs."

Oh my...

 

Grab them by the Puskas.

 

Barcelona confirms Messi wants out. Man City? MLS? Some Chinese club that will pay him $1 billion?

 

Chinese clubs aren't splashing that kind of cash any more -- Xi Jinping and his government have been leaning on clubs to stop spending silly money and get more sustainable. My kneejerk reaction was someone in Qatar given its ties with Barcelona, Xavi having made his home at Al Sadd, and Messi making a natural spokesman for the 2022 World Cup. Given the budget cuts that are happening across the Middle East with the collapse in oil prices, though, justifying that kind of outlay for one guy seems dicey.

Messi is 33 -- definitely more to give, but there's a lot of wear on those tires. Would Argentina still give him a look if he's playing in MLS come 2022? The safe bet is probably a short-term deal at Man City, at which point the redtops work themselves into a frenzy over finally getting to see whether Messi can, in fact, do it on a wet Tuesday night in Stoke.

 

You want him to stay. But if not, it’s got to be Man City or PSG

 

Ligue 1 is starting to look like the American League circa 1920. The Yankees and everybody else in the junior circuit. The circuit is still junior. Enough said.

 

Watched the first episode of the Amazon Spurs documentary. The camera loves José.

 

The Messi situation is getting kind of . . . sloppy.