Lionel Messi

Andy Cole not impressed with Antony; Mourinho explains Roma’s bad away form; a young debutant for Milan

The World Champions hand Brazil third straight loss after crowd violence delay in Rio

All in the game: Wrexham fans lay all their love on James McClean; and Liverpool player discusses ‘sick’ Erling Haaland

Aitana Bonmatí keeps the Ballon d’Or Féminin trophy in Barcelona and Spain for a third consecutive year

All in the Game: Pochettino not happy with Christmas fixtures; McCabe’s impressive record, Messi’s jetsetting

Television: New Disney+ documentary follows the faux-scandal but it’s nothing we haven’t seen before

Vigilant bodyguard Yassine Cheuko has become a minor celebrity in is own right as he constanly shadows Lionel Messi, even when the great Argentinian is in action on the pitch for Inter Miami

Inter Miami will flog a lot of shirts but the game in the USA is as big as it will ever be

Celebrities line out to see seven-time Ballon d’Or make eye-catching first game for MLS club

The World Cup winner’s pending arrival will be transformative, but Inter Miami must grow up fast

Never before has MLS given up so much to sign a player. But with the 2026 World Cup on the horizon, the move could end up being a wise one

Basketball wunderkind Victor Wembanyama, soccer players Lionel Messi, Ronaldo or GAA stars like Kerry’s David Clifford are all touched by greatness or potential for such exceptionalism

The Argentinian star moved to the French capital from Barcelona in 2021 on a two-year contract.

The ageing star being politically weaponised in two states’ soft-power games carries cautionary lessons for the Premier League

‘First of all, I want to apologise to my teammates and the club‘

Striker’s penalty in Sunday’s 2-1 victory at Fulham took the Norwegian to 50 goals for the season

The Argentine talisman scored a hat-trick against Curaçao

Forward claims 99th international goal from a free-kick sending crowd in Buenos Aires into raptures

Catalan Alexia Putellas, who won the Ballon d’Or last year, was named women’s player of the year

Superstar French team raised their game once Mbappé came off the bench but was not enough

Players such as Pelé and Lionel Messi have stood out by defying the norms of their different times

Having played his part in all three Argentina goals he then scored the first goal in the penalty shoot-out

My failure rate was far worse than random chance; it was as though some instinct was leading me unerringly to the exact opposite of the truth

From politics to entertainment and sport, Eoin Butler casts a critical eye over the heroes and the zeros of 2022

Previous record-holder was a photograph of an egg with 55.7m likes

Champions come back from Qatar with Buenos Aires in party mode since dramatic final victory

The Morning Sports Briefing: Keep ahead of the game with The Irish Times sports team

Qatar tournament in review - Mbappé's greatness; Morocco make history; infamous Infantino

A 4-3-3 line-up that includes three players from surprise semi-finalists Morocco

Argentina beat France on penalties after a gripping 3-3 draw after extra time in Qatar

Streets of central Buenos Aires are cacophony of yelling and horns after shootout victory

Captain and star player says he wants to enjoy a couple more matches being world champion

The Morning Sports Briefing: Keep ahead of the game with The Irish Times sports team

This was his cup; there has never been a story like this, a competition so centred around one man

France suddenly sprang into life in the second-half to create an extraordinary contest

Final for the ages is crowning glory that puts Messi on a par with Maradona’s effort in 1986

Co Mayo town, home to the founder of the Argentinian navy, celebrates historic win

Kylian Mbappé's scores stunning hat-trick to twice bring defending champions back into game

Follow all the action as France look to win back-to-back crowns while Messi looks for a maiden world title

And Gianni Infantino must have been reading some strange stuff before the World Cup