Most dates for the 2021-22 season are set

Yesterday, Barcelona announced the official dates for most tournaments in the 2021-22 season after confirmation from the RFEF and UEFA. All details aren't exactly known, but there's information about some important games, so without further ado, let's look at them.

The league will start on August 14th, though the rival is unknown. The dates for El Clásico and the Catalan derby are yet to be known. There are no details for the end of the season either, though it probably will be in May as it's been on other occasions. For holidays, there won't be any games on December 24th/2th/26th, but there will be on New Year's Eve (December 31st).

For the Copa del Rey, the final will be played on April 23rd of 2022. And for the Supercopa de España, there hasn't been a date, but it's speculated that it will be on January like the previous tournaments. The rival in the semi-finals will be Real Madrid, while Atlético Madrid and Athletic battle in the other semifinal matchup.

For the Champions League, the draw for the group stage will be made on August 26th. These will be the dates for the group stage games:

First game: September 14th/15h

Second game: September 28th/29th

Third game: October 19th/20th

Fourth game: November 2nd/3rd

Fifth game: Novmber 23rd/24th

Sixth game: December 7th/8th

Then for the knockout stage games, the dates will be the following:

R16 (1st leg): February 15th/16th/22nd/23rd, 2022

R16 (2nd leg): March 8th/9th/15th/16th, 2022

QF (1st leg): April 5th/6th, 2022

QF (2nd leg): April 12th/13th, 2022

Semifinals (1st leg): April 26th/27th, 2022

Semifinals (2nd leg): May 3rd/4th, 2022

Final: May 28th, at Saint Petersburg Stadium.

And finally, for international breaks in 2021, the dates will be September 1st-8th, October 8th-12th, and November 11th-16th. For Conmebol qualifiers for the 2022 World Cup, the remaining dates are January 27th through February 1st and March 24-29th. The Inter-confederation play-offs will be June 2nd-7th.

That is all for today, so I hope you liked this entry, and as always, I'll see you in the next blog.

Messi's optimism for the future+ Messi training with Argentina

Yesterday, Messi posted on his social media a message of optimism and confidence for Argentina in the Copa América. His words were: "We are ready to compete and we will keep fighting to win every game. Let's go Argentina!🇦🇷". It got responded by a teammate (Di María) and an ex-teammate (Lavezzi), as well as popular Argentine tennis player Diego Schwartzman.

Also, he uploaded a video to his social media of him training with the national team. It was a 32 second long clip with Luz Delito from Wos playing in the background.

Hopefully, this confidence manifests on the pitch and Argentina manage some good performances. As the Copa América tournament plays out, this will be crucial. That is all for today, so as always, I hope you liked this entry and I'll see you in the next blog.

Barça launches the 2021-22 home kit and Messi's one is available

A few hours ago, Messi's Barça home jersey for the 2021-22 season got revealed. Before the revelation, Barcelona launched the new home kit yesterday, showing the entire team wearing the new shirt.

As always, it has the iconic Nº 10 with 'MESSI' above and 'unicef' below the number. These are written in white color. There appears to be numerous in stock too. The picture is this one:

This also confirms Messi's stay in Barcelona, which is important. Messi is yet to actually wear the shirt since he's currently playing the Copa América with Argentina, but after he returns to Barcelona, there will probably be a picture of him wearing the shirt not long after. That is all for today, so I hope you liked this entry and I'll see you in the next blog.

Argentina and Chile tie in the Copa América debut

Yesterday, Argentina tied 1-1 to Chile at the Olímpico Nilton Santos stadium, the first time Messi has played there. Messi opened the score with a fantastic free-kick to the top left corner, but Vargas equalized after a rebound from a penalty. Messi's stats were: 1 goal, 3 SoT (7 in total), 3 dribbles, 4 key passes, 3 crosses, 2 long balls, 6 SCA, 29/36 passes, 6/12 duels won, 2 fouls won, 1 tackle, 5 recoveries, 10 pressures (1 successful) and 66 touches. Winning him the official MoTM of the game.

His ratings were:

SofaScore: 8.4

Fotmob: 8.5

FootballCritic: 8.1

Infogol: 10

Tigo Sports: 9.5

This was his heat map:

This was his performance on video:

Here are some fun facts after the game:

• With this goal, he has become the top scorer of free kicks in the national team, with 7 goals, surpassing Riquelme who had 6.
• Messi has surpassed Ronaldo in free-kick goals (57).
• Messi has surpassed Batistuta in the most official goals with the national team (39).
• Messi is now in 4th place for most games played in the Copa America (28), tied with Máximo Mosquera.
• Messi has reached 10 goals in the Copa América, leaving him in 15th place (tied with 9 more).
• Messi has played his 6th Copa América, tying Tesoriere's record with 6 as well.
• Messi played his first game and scored his 1st goal at the Olímpico Nilton Santos stadium.
• Messi received his 10th official MoTM award for the Copa América (awarded since 2011).
• Messi has scored his 30th goal with Argentina in neutral games.
• Messi has reached 30 goals this year.

Argentina's next game will be against Uruguay, a tough challenge for the albiceleste. Messi will also face Suárez once again. I hope you liked this entry, and as always, I'll see you in the next blog.

The national team lands in Brazil + Messi's press conference

Yesterday, the Argentine national team landed on Brazil to play the Copa América. Specifically, they landed on Rio de Janeiro, and the team is now at the Hilton Barra hotel. After landing, Messi had a virtual press conference at 8 PM (Argentina time). The complete press conference can be seen here: Habló Messi, antes del debut de la Selección Argentina en la Copa América: "Es el momento de dar el golpe". Below is the English translation of what he said.

"We are worried about catching Covid-19. We try to take care of ourselves and keep doing everything they tell us, but it's not easy because then these things happen. We are playing against the other teams where there is also a risk of contagion. We will do everything we can to make sure it doesn't happen, but it doesn't always depend on us and it can happen".

"We came at a good moment, we had not been together for a long time and although it was difficult at the beginning, we played two good games. We were not able to get the victory but we kept growing. We are happy with the performance of the two matches but we have to win to keep growing".

"At no time did the national team depend on me. We always sought to build a strong group to achieve our goals. Little by little we became stronger as a team, we have been working for a long time with many of the same players and the same idea. We have already played in a Copa América and many of them already have the experience, we are still on the right path and we will try to achieve our goal".

"(About the upcoming game against Chile) We need an important victory. We have been doing things well, we have been growing but we need to win. Especially at the beginning of the Copa América, where it is important to start with three points because it gives you peace of mind for what is to come. We know it is going to be very difficult, that we are playing again against Chile, that we know each other very well. We know what a tough opponent we are going to face, but hopefully we can do it because it will be important for the whole group and it will give us peace of mind to start with the three points and then go on".

"Everything I get to play with the national team is always special, be it friendlies, Copa America or a World Cup. I never imagined I would play so many games with the national team. I try to live day by day, be present and give my best."

"(About De Paul) He has become very important since Scaloni's arrival, he is a very important player because of what he gives in the midfield, both with and without the ball. We always try to look for him, to be close to him because of my position, because of the way I play, because of the sector where I always move and he is the closest to me. Little by little we got to know each other and I feel very good playing with him".

"We already know what our idea is. Most of the team has been playing together for a long time now, although new players have arrived and are being incorporated, the idea and the way of playing of the National Team is quite clear and we already have it. It's time to make a big impact and this Cup could be the chance. We are ready. It is going to be a special Cup because of everything that is happening in the world, and soccer is not exempt, but we are ready to compete"

"I am always available to be with the national team and give my best. My biggest dream is to win a title with the national team. I was very close many times and unfortunately it didn't happen. I will try to keep looking for it until I can, until it happens, until the coach says that I can be there and contribute to the group and the team, I will always be there and fight for that dream. I was lucky enough to win everything at club and individual level, but it would be great to achieve something with the national team as well".

"We were left with a bitter taste because of the way the match with Colombia ended. I think that after the first half we played we deserved to take the three points, we had the chance to score the third on several occasions and to end up being tied in the last minute, it leaves you with an ugly feeling. We left a good image, although we have to correct many things to try to really fight because it is clear that this is not enough for us and we are willing and ready to keep growing and try to win tomorrow's match."

As a fun fact, Agüero sent a message in the live stream of Messi's press conference, saying "Greetings to all cracks! Except to the bobbins who insult🤪"

Today, Argentina will play against Chile for their debut at the Copa América. Messi will be playing his 6th Copa América, a record for Argentina alongside Tesoriere. That is all for today, I hope you liked this entry and I'll see you in the next blog.

When an 8 year old Messi stole the show

It was summer of 1996 in Argentina. In a rainy day, Gerardo 'Tata' Martino, one of Newell's Old Boys' biggest legends, was bidding his farewell from the club in their stadium. After the first half, and it was time for the 'Machine of 87'' to show up.

They had won a title last year, with Messi scoring 36 goals in 30 games, so they ran an Olympic lap across the stadium. After doing so, the team made a circle around the center of the pitch and put Messi in the middle, encouraging him to do something. And so, he did: He made some keepie-uppies and the crowd loved it, chanting 'Maradó! Maradó!' and some people doing a standing ovation, as Franco Casanova remembered it.

Messi and Gerardo Martino would later be reunited at Barça in the 2013/14 season when Tata was the manager, then they would meet up again in the national team which he managed from 2014-2016.

That is all for today, so I hope you liked this entry and I'll see you in the next blog.

Messi's photoshoot with the national team for the Copa América

Yesterday, Messi participated in Argentina's photoshoot for the Copa América. This was his photo:

And this was the video shown in the montage for the photoshoot:

Here's the Olé link for the backstage of the photoshoot: El divertido backstage de las fotos de la Selección

That is all for today, so I hope you liked this entry and I'll see you in the next blog.