Lionel Messi brought his Argentina international career to a memorable close by scoring a goal and providing two assists as the reigning world champions defeated Benin 3-0 at the Monumental Stadium in Buenos Aires on October 7.....KINDLY READ THE FULL STORY HERE▶

The friendly marked the end of Messi’s remarkable 21-year international career. The 39-year-old made his 208th appearance for Argentina in the farewell match, which also saw former Nigeria head coach Gernot Rohr lead the Benin side.

Messi played a decisive role in all three of Argentina’s goals. He delivered the corner that Nicolás Otamendi headed into the net in the 48th minute before setting up Nico Paz for Argentina’s second goal in the 61st minute.

The Inter Miami forward then completed the scoring from the penalty spot in the 71st minute, capping his final appearance for Argentina with an outstanding individual performance.

Inter Miami noted that Messi was “directly involved in each of Argentina’s goals,” ending his “final international appearance” with a goal and two assists.

More than 85,000 fans gathered at the Monumental Stadium to witness Messi’s final appearance for Argentina. He leaves international football as the country’s most-capped player and all-time leading goalscorer, with 208 appearances and 126 goals.

Speaking after the game, an emotional Messi admitted that it was difficult to put his feelings into words.

“There are a lot of emotions, a lot of things going through my head,” he said.

Reflecting on his lengthy international career, Messi said he was extremely proud to have represented Argentina for more than two decades.

“It was a huge source of pride for me to wear this shirt all this time, more than 20 years,” he said.

He added: “Playing for Argentina is the most beautiful thing that can happen to you.”

The match also brought Rohr face-to-face with Messi eight years after their previous encounter at the 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia. Rohr was Nigeria’s head coach at the time, when the Super Eagles suffered a 2-1 defeat to Argentina in the group stage.

Messi ends his Argentina career with an impressive collection of honours, including the 2022 FIFA World Cup and two Copa América titles. He also made history as the first Argentine player to appear at six different World Cup tournam

Galatasaray have received a major boost ahead of Friday’s Turkish Süper Lig encounter with Kasımpaşa, with Victor Osimhen returning to partial team training following a groin injury.....KINDLY READ THE FULL STORY HERE▶

The Nigerian striker joined his teammates during the opening stages of Wednesday’s training session at the Kemerburgaz Metin Oktay Facilities under manager Okan Buruk.

Osimhen took part in the warm-up, passing drills and initial team exercises before switching to an individual training programme under the supervision of Galatasaray’s medical staff.

The 27-year-old has been recovering from a right adductor injury sustained during Galatasaray’s 3-2 victory over İstanbul Başakşehir on September 4.

Osimhen scored in the encounter but was forced to leave the pitch in the 33rd minute after experiencing discomfort.

Subsequent medical examinations revealed an advanced-moderate strain with bleeding in the right adductor muscle group.

The injury kept the forward out of Nigeria’s Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers against Madagascar and Guinea-Bissau, as well as Galatasaray’s Champions League opener against Sporting CP and Süper Lig fixtures against Kocaelispor and Trabzonspor.

During the international break, Osimhen continued his rehabilitation in Lagos after Galatasaray’s medical team advised against him joining the Super Eagles.

Taiwo Awoniyi was subsequently called up to replace him in Nigeria’s squad.

Osimhen is now being assessed for a possible return when Galatasaray host Kasımpaşa at Rams Park on Friday, October 9.

Reports from Turkey suggest Buruk may ease him back into action by giving him around 30 minutes rather than immediately restoring him to the starting XI.

The cautious approach would allow Galatasaray to evaluate Osimhen’s match fitness while managing his workload ahead of another difficult assignment against Barcelona in the Champions League on October 13.

Osimhen had made an impressive start to the season before suffering the injury, registering six goals and two assists in his first four Süper Lig appearances.

Portugal manager Jorge Jesus has disclosed that he had not read Cristiano Ronaldo’s lengthy public statement addressing their recent disagreement when journalists asked him about it on Tuesday night.....KINDLY READ THE FULL STORY HERE▶

Speaking to reporters, Jesus explained that he had been watching Portugal’s Under-21 match instead of reading the statement released by the Al-Nassr forward.

“I didn’t read Cristiano’s statement, I was watching Portugal U21 game,” Jesus said. “I will now have time to read it.”

Jesus made the comments hours after Ronaldo, 41, published a detailed account of the events that led to his departure from Portugal’s training camp last week.

The five-time Ballon d’Or winner accused the manager of failing to honour two separate agreements they allegedly reached during the international break.

Ronaldo claimed Jesus had promised to give him approximately 30 minutes of playing time in Portugal’s UEFA Nations League match against Norway but left him on the bench despite allowing him to complete an extended warm-up.

He also accused the coach of failing to make agreed public clarifications during a subsequent press conference.

According to Ronaldo, he and Jesus had previously discussed a plan to manage his playing time during the international window.

The forward added that a subsequent meeting involving officials of the Portuguese Football Federation produced several points that Jesus was expected to address publicly. However, Ronaldo claimed the manager’s comments did not reflect the agreements reached.

Ronaldo apologised to his teammates and supporters over the circumstances surrounding his departure from the national team camp and acknowledged that he could face disciplinary action.

Despite the controversy, he did not rule out returning to represent Portugal in future international matches.

Jesus, who took charge of Portugal following the 2026 World Cup and previously worked with Ronaldo at Al-Nassr, has maintained that there is no fundamental crisis within the national team.

The manager has also insisted that the team’s rules apply equally to every player, regardless of their status or reputation.

Portugal remain unbeaten in their Nations League matches under Jesus this autumn.