Lionel Messi continues to rewrite football history, taking his extraordinary career tally to 937 goals and 428 assists after delivering a goal and an assist in Inter Miami’s 2–1 victory over New England Revolution.

The Argentine superstar once again demonstrated his remarkable influence, playing a decisive role in Inter Miami’s comeback victory on November 1.

According to football transfer expert Fabrizio Romano on X, “Lionel Messi reached 937 career goals and 428 career assists by delivering a goal and an assist for Inter Miami overnight.”

Messi provided the assist for Germán Berterame’s equaliser in the 69th minute before finding the back of the net himself in the 83rd minute to complete the turnaround and secure all three points for Inter Miami.

The performance added another remarkable chapter to the 39-year-old’s legendary career, taking him closer to the historic 1,000-goal milestone.

With 937 career goals already to his name, Messi is now just 63 goals away from reaching 1,000, while his 428 assists further underline his extraordinary contribution as both a goalscorer and a creator.

Even at this stage of his career, the eight-time Ballon d’Or winner continues to deliver decisive performances and demonstrate why he remains one of football’s greatest-ever players.

At 937 goals and counting, the question is no longer whether Messi has achieved greatness, but just how many more records he can break before calling time on his remarkable career.

Source: punchng.com

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China’s state broadcaster CCTV has refused to air a Real Madrid match despite an apology from French striker Kylian Mbappé over his controversial remarks about the late Chinese leader Mao Zedong, according to the BBC on Monday.

The decision came on Sunday as Real Madrid faced Racing Santander in a La Liga fixture, which they won 3-0, with Mbappé, Jude Bellingham and Yan Diomande finding the net.

China Media Group (CMG), CCTV’s parent organisation, had announced last Tuesday that it would suspend broadcasts of Spanish La Liga matches following widespread backlash over Mbappé’s comments.

The controversy erupted after the French forward reportedly said during an appearance on French talk show, The Bridge, that the meme that made him laugh the most was one showing his face superimposed on the image of a Chinese dictator resembling Mao.

His remarks sparked anger across China, where Mao remains a highly sensitive historical and political figure.

Mbappé later apologised, admitting that his comments were ill-judged and acknowledging that they had hurt many people in China and Chinese communities around the world.

China’s foreign ministry said it took the apology seriously, while Real Madrid and La Liga also issued apologies over the incident.

CMG had previously demanded apologies from Mbappé, Real Madrid and La Liga, describing them as an absolute prerequisite for resolving the controversy.

Although the broadcaster has acknowledged the apologies, it has yet to announce when La Liga coverage will resume.

The incident has also reportedly led to several Chinese brands dropping Mbappé from their promotional campaigns.

Mao, who founded the People’s Republic of China in 1949 after leading the Communist Party to victory in the civil war, died in 1976. His rule included the Great Leap Forward and the Cultural Revolution, periods associated with mass famine, political persecution and widespread violence.

China has previously taken similar action against international sports organisations over political controversies.

In October 2019, Chinese broadcasters suspended NBA coverage for about a year after Houston Rockets general manager Daryl Morey expressed support for Hong Kong protesters in a social media post.

Morey later sought to clarify his remarks, saying he had listened to other perspectives and had never intended to offend Chinese fans or sponsors.

The latest dispute highlights the potential commercial consequences international sports figures and organisations can face when their public comments clash with China’s political sensitivities.

Source: punchng.com

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Barcelona have been handed a €602 fine by the Spanish Football Federation (RFEF) following a formal complaint from Atlético Madrid about the Catalan club’s handling of interest in striker Julián Álvarez.

As reported by Fabrizio Romano on X on Wednesday, the sanction, confirmed on Tuesday, was imposed under Article 133 of the RFEF’s disciplinary regulations for failure to comply with orders, instructions, agreements or regulatory obligations.

It is classified as a minor infringement. Spanish rules require any club seeking to negotiate with a contracted player to first notify the player’s current club in writing.

Atlético alleged Barcelona approached the Argentina international without properly fulfilling that requirement.

Álvarez, 26, remains under contract at Atlético until June 2030 after joining from Manchester City in 2024.

Interest from Barcelona intensified during the summer transfer window, fuelled in part by the player’s public comments expressing a desire to fulfil a long-held dream of playing for the Blaugrana.

No deal materialised, and Álvarez stayed in Madrid.

Atlético also lodged a parallel complaint with FIFA, which ruled it had no jurisdiction over a dispute between two Spanish clubs and left the matter with the RFEF.

The federation opened an extraordinary disciplinary file in late July and has now resolved it with the maximum fine available under the relevant light-infringement clause.

The amount has been widely described as symbolic or “irrisoria.” It closely mirrors a 2019 case in which Atlético complained about Barcelona’s approach for Antoine Griezmann and the resulting fine was just €300.

Barcelona intend to appeal. Club sources and reports from outlets including Marca and El Chiringuito indicate the decision is being challenged on principle rather than over the modest sum.

Barcelona maintain they informed Atlético of their interest and conducted themselves correctly throughout the process.

Meanwhile Álvarez has been working to repair relations with Atlético supporters.

He has faced some booing this season but scored the decisive goal in Saturday’s win over Deportivo La Coruña, after which he publicly apologised for the timing and manner of his earlier comments about wanting to leave.

The fine closes the formal disciplinary chapter of a tense summer saga between two La Liga rivals, though Barcelona’s planned appeal means the matter is not yet fully settled.

Source: punchng.com

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