Deportes

Jorge Messi, Leo Messi’s father, has passed away in Rosario after a long illness, according to the official X account of Newell’s Old Boys, the Argentine star’s original team. He was 68 years old. Husband of Celia Cuccitini and father of Lionel, Rodrigo, Matías, and María Sol, Jorge has been throughout his son’s football career his agent, advisor, and main support. The death of his father caught the footballer in Miami, where he had returned a couple of weeks ago to resume the season with his team, which has a match this Saturday.

Ferran Torres has already formally informed FC Barcelona that “he is willing to negotiate and reach an agreement” with PSG. The Valencian forward has decided to leave the Barcelona team after scoring the winning goal in the World Cup final, and he has made this known to Hansi Flick and Deco, according to sources from the Barcelona club confirmed to ‘La Vanguardia’ this Saturday morning.

One week after FIFA president Gianni Infantino decided to abort his plan to privatize part of the World Cup rights amid a flood of criticism against the project, the football leadership board remains just as unsettled. If Infantino intended to calm everything with his reversal, he has not succeeded. The expert leader is not alone despite the deafening noise generated around him, but he has lost much support. The federative chancelleries have divided and different positions remain with the horizon of the FIFA presidential elections, scheduled for next March. There are federations openly critical of Infantino, those that explicitly support him, and those that remain silent or hold more lukewarm positions one way or another. What follows is a kind of world map around the FIFA crisis.

Lightning operation by Ronald Araújo. The Uruguayan central defender of FC Barcelona will play one season on loan at Liverpool after an agreement reached between both clubs on Friday night. The pact has been approved by the Barcelona sporting director, Deco, and was revealed by the market specialist journalist Fabrizio Romano. Pending official confirmation, the Anfield team has reached a verbal agreement with Barcelona and the player and will take on the entirety of the Uruguayan central defender’s salary and reserves a purchase option for the end of the season.

Barça wants to close the signing of Rodri as soon as possible. In the offices of Camp Nou, they are aware of the strategic importance of bringing in the MVP of the last World Cup, leader of Manchester City for the past seven years, which is why the Barça sports management, led by Deco, began negotiations with Manchester City yesterday. There is no time to lose in trying to reach an agreement after the player stood up Real Madrid and firmly chose the Barça club.

When both teams face each other on the field, tension and excitement overflow, but the final whistle never means the end of the endless match that Barça and Real Madrid play at the highest level in all football sectors. The two giants also fight in the economic and social spheres, as well as recently in the judicial one, with the ultimate goal of succeeding in the sporting field. The transfer market, more intertwined than ever between the two, is the latest example of their eternal battle. Blaugranas and whites have been eyeing each other all summer, asking, raising prices, and even sabotaging operations of their fierce rival, such as the case of Rodri, who is heading to Camp Nou.

The last hours are bringing Rodri closer to Barça. His hypothetical arrival presents some uncertainties about the necessity of his signing. Among the cons is the reduction of the importance of a footballer with enormous potential like Marc Bernal or other Masia talents like Gavi, but there are also some strong pros that seem to convince Hansi Flick.

Past 1:00 a.m. on Thursday, in the early morning and still with emotions running high after the six medals at the European Championships in Paris (one gold), Iris Tió (Barcelona, 23 years old) led the Spanish delegation at El Prat. Smiling, proud, she spoke to the media and went with her grandmother to her home in Barcelona, a haven of peace where she can see the entire city. Time to sleep. She neither opened her phone nor responded to messages on her social networks. She had breakfast with her grandmother and got to work with the interviews to explain in words what she achieved with her dances in the pool of Saint-Denis, another unforgettable memory for her already extensive career.

It hasn’t even taken 72 hours for Real Madrid and Vinícius to reach an agreement after rivers of ink were spilled this summer, and podcasts filled, about the possible departure of the Brazilian to Arsenal. Finally, after a productive meeting in Valdebebas this Wednesday, both have reached an agreement that was made official this very afternoon: the Brazilian renews with Real Madrid until 2032, a contract for six more seasons.

This is getting exciting. When the eyes of the Barcelona fans were focused on Deco’s attempt to unblock the signing of Julián Álvarez and on witnessing Ferran Torres’ pressure maneuvers to negotiate a higher contract or leave, the unexpected plot twist arrives in the…