The 2026 FIFA World Cup is rapidly approaching with Lionel Messi and Argentina’s trophy defense a main talking point of the tournament.

It was an odd sight to see Lionel Messi hold the jersey of a Spanish club other than Barcelona with his name and number on the back.

In the wake of Lionel Messi making a surprise visit to Camp Nou this week, Barcelona president Joan Laporta hopes to honor the icon with a statue at the stadium.

Barcelona president Joan Laporta closed the door on a possible comeback of Inter Miami star Lionel Messi to the Spanish club, after the Argentinian striker made a surprising visit to the Spotify Camp Nou over the weekend for the first time since he left the city in the summer 2021.

Lionel Messi is still refusing to confirm his 2026 World Cup plans, with the all-time great leaving Argentina and the rest of a global audience guessing on whether he will form part of a global title defence from the reigning champions next summer.

Argentina play just one fixture during November. Their final match of the calendar year comes against minnows Angola in a friendly on Friday, Nov. 14, with the fixture seeing them travel to the Estádio Nacional 11 de Novembro in the city of Belas. Kick-off time is 11 a.m. ET (8 a.m. PT).

Barcelona president Joan Laporta plans to erect a statue of Lionel Messi at the Camp Nou as part of a tribute he wants to give to the legendary player.

If there was any curiosity about how Lionel Messi feels about Barcelona after his dramatic exit back in 2021, the World Cup-winning superstar has cleared it up.

Mbappe broke through the 400-goal barrier during France’s World Cup qualifying win over Ukraine, slotting home a rebound to score his second goal of the night. It made the Real Madrid striker the quickest player in history to net 400 career goals, smashing Gerd Muller’s pre-existing record by 113 days.

Inter Miami's quest for the 2025 MLS Cup might have already fizzled out if it weren't for Lionel Messi, who's already scored five goals in the first playoff series alone.