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Lionel Messi is to give a press conference on Sunday at Camp Nou following his exit from Barcelona.

The Argentine's time with the Blaugrana looks to be at a close after he was unable to be registered in La Liga due to the club's financial restrictions.

But amid intense speculation over his future, he will now hold a media event this weekend, where he will be expected to clear up questions about his future.

What is Messi's press conference about?

There are numerous reasons why Messi could be calling a briefing amid the ever-developing saga of his future, with the forward likely to attempt to shed clarity on his situation.

The fact that he has chosen to hold it at the home of his former club however could yet suggest that his departure is not as much of a done deal as thought.

Messi was set to put pen to paper on a new five-year deal earlier this month after returning from holiday, at a significant wage reduction in order to help ease Barca's financial woes.

But when news broke on Thursday that the club would still be unable to register him, it appeared that he was destined to finish his career elsewhere, with Paris Saint-Germain and Manchester City both heavily linked.

Subsequent reports have suggested that a potential move to PSG was on the cards, but the sudden news that Messi will return to Camp Nou to address the media may indicate that there has been some form of resolution found to keep him in La Liga.

Conversely, his conference could be to offer him a final chance to say farewell to the club where he has spent his entire professional career to date, having joined as a youngster and helped forge them in his own image over the better part of two decades.

More to come...

Leicester City manager Brendan Rodgers has compared new signing Patson Daka to Jamie Vardy, insisting it was the reason he signed him.

The 29-year-old Zambian international joined the Foxes in a deal worth £23m signing from Red Bull Salzburg in June, and made an immediate impression at his new club with a goal against QPR in a pre-season friendly.

Ahead of their Community Shield fixture against Manchester City at Wembley on Saturday, Rodgers has revealed the freedom to choose when to deploy Vardy, who turns 35 in January, as the reason to sign the forward.

“That was the whole reason for bringing Patson in,” Rodgers said as quoted by the Guardian. “He is very similar to Jamie in his traits. He wants to run off the backline, he’s a great finisher, and all of those players – Patson, Jamie, and Kels [Kelechi Iheanacho]– we’re going to need all of them.

“It’s a long season, hopefully, lots of games, and there’s not one of them who’s going to play in every single game. You want to be able to maximise their talents, bring them on in games, start them in games. Bringing Patson in gives us that extra flexibility to do that.”

On whether Daka was the perfect signing for Leicester, Rodgers said: “As a player, he’s everything we thought. He wants to run in behind and he works his socks off, which is important in a team like ourselves.

“He presses, he runs and, as seen with his goal at QPR, as soon as the ball is in front of him he just becomes totally natural. There’s no hesitation, he just finishes.

“He’s fast but speed is also in the brain – that’s where you need it – and thankfully he is a thinker as well. Along with the other new signings [the midfielder Boubakary Soumare from Lille and defender Ryan Bertrand from Southampton], he is really going to help the team.”

Rodgers further feels having a strong striking force will help create competition which will be healthy for the team.

“Sometimes competition is the best coach,” Rodgers continued. “You can coach players to do certain things but sometimes the best coaches are the players themselves.

“Jamie’s a very unselfish player so he will look on [Daka] as someone to come in and support if the squad and team are to achieve what we want to achieve this season.

“Bringing in someone of that quality will certainly help Jamie but ultimately it will help the squad.”

Former Kaizer Chiefs winger Junior Khanye is “concerned” by coach Stuart Baxter's ability to “adapt his playing style and allow” new signings Keagan Dolly, Cole Alexander and Njabulo Ngcobo to thrive. 

The trio is part of nine players who were signed by Baxter ahead of the 2021/22 Premier Soccer League season.

But Khanye is worried Baxter’s game model might not be able to accommodate some of the new arrivals.

“Kaizer Chiefs have done a remarkable job in the transfer market by signing Dolly, Alexander and Njabulo Ngcobo,” Khanye wrote in his column in iDiski Times.

“These are really good players who can play football and perhaps help the club in their search for trophies.

"My concern is their coach Stuart Baxter. Is he going to emphasise transition football, or will he allow the players to express themselves? 

"Is he flexible enough to adapt his playing style to allow players to play? Only time will tell.

After being a sharp critic of the calibre of players turning out for Amakhosi, the former South Africa youth international is now satisfied by the players signed while revealing his admiration for Dolly.

“For the past five seasons, I have been saying that Kaizer Chiefs need quality players and in this transfer window they have shown intent and strengthened with the right kind of quality,” added Khanye.

“Kaizer Chiefs signing Keagan Dolly was a big story last week and I have to say that I did not expect it.

“Keagan is a star player, a very educated left foot and a player who has proven himself since his days at Ajax Cape Town and Mamelodi Sundowns.”

Baxter has indicated that Dolly might have to wait a bit longer to make his Chiefs debut due to fitness issues.

The coach says they are working on the former Sundowns star to trim a bit of his weight and Khanye tips the player to be back at his best once he overcomes those issues.

“There are concerns about his lack of fitness and game time, I believe that can be sorted out within a month and he will be back to full fitness,” Khanye continued.

“He is still 28 years old, a very good age where he can give Chiefs plenty of seasons of good performances. Dolly is a good signing for Kaizer Chiefs make no mistake, and I am looking forward to seeing him in Chiefs’ colours.”

Memphis Depay and Sergio Aguero appear to have been given their squad numbers at Barcelona, but No.10 remains up for grabs following the revelation that Lionel Messi will not be signing a new contract at Camp Nou.

A six-time Ballon d'Or winner, who has dropped into the free agent pool this summer, has been cleared to find another club as the Blaugrana cannot afford to tie him down on fresh terms as they seek to bring financial difficulties under control.

Fresh faces have, however, been added to Ronald Koeman's ranks, with a Dutch forward and another Argentina international striker among those to have been acquired in the latest transfer window.

Which numbers will Memphis and Aguero take?

Barca are in the process of finalising their plans for 2021-22, with the Liga giants having to move on without Messi, and are set to face Juventus in the Joan Gamper Trophy on Sunday.

Their squad list for that fixture, which could see them reunited with former Real Madrid foe Cristiano Ronaldo, has offered a nod towards the club's new number list.

Memphis, who has joined as a free agent from Lyon, is set to fill the No.9 jersey, with Martin Braithwaite being moved to 12.

Former Manchester City star Aguero, who had been hoping to line up alongside fellow countryman Messi in Catalunya, has taken No.19.

Any other notable changes for Barcelona?

Riqui Puig now fills the No.6 jersey at Camp Nou, while Ansu Fati is 17.

He is back to fitness for the start of another season, having seen his 2020-21 campaign decimated by injury, and his old number 22 now belongs to Emerson Royal - another new arrival.

Fati takes 17 from Francisco Trincao, who has been sent on a season-long loan to Wolves.

The rest of the squad list looks the same, with the likes of Antoine Griezmann, Miralem Pjanic, Philippe Coutinho and Samuel Umtiti still around despite generating plenty of transfer talk.

The only numbers not being used against Juve are 10 and 16, with there notable absentees to be found there.

It remains to be seen who will take Messi's iconic shirt, as he appears to close in on a move to PSG, while 16 will be filled by Pedri once he returns from Olympics 2020 duty with Spain.

Further reading

The Premier Soccer League top goalscorer award is known as the Lesley Manyathela Golden Boot.

It was named after the former Orlando Pirates striker who died in a car accident in August 2003 just after he had scored 18 goals to top the scorers’ chart.

Since the beginning of the PSL era in 1996/97 season, there have been intriguing battles to grab the most goals in the league.

SuperSport United’s Bradley Grobler is the current PSL Golden Boot winner after scoring 16 goals last season.

Goal takes a look at the outstanding scoring records in South Africa.

Who has the most Golden Boots?

He first claimed the gong during the 2004/05 season while he was at Kaizer Chiefs by finding the back of the net 25 times.

Those 25 goals remain the highest tally to be managed by a player in a single season.

After stints in the Premier League and Portugal, Mbesuma returned to the PSL and again top-scored at the end of the 2015/16 campaign but this time with Mpumalanga Black Aces, after netting 14 goals.
 
He remains the only player to have won the Lesley Manyathela Golden Boot award more than once.

The PSL's all-time top scorers 

Ex-Mozambique captain Maule ‘Tico Tico’ Bucuane struck 104 times while Mbesuma is just a goal behind with 103 strikes.

The hard-to-reach 20-goal mark

Since Nomvethe scored 20 league goals for Moroka Swallows during the 2011/12 season, no other player has reached the 20-goal-mark.

Other players who surpassed that figure include inaugural PSL era Golden Boot winner Wilfred Mugeyi who scored 22 goals for Umtata Bush Bucks.

Pollen Ndlanya had 21 goals for Chiefs during the 1998/99 season before Mbesuma’s 25-goal exploits later on.

PSL attackers appear goal-shy and the league hit an all-time low during the 2013/14 season when Bernard Parker top-scored with 10 goals.

Which country rules the Lesley Manyathela award?

South Africa have produced 15 golden boot winners, followed by Zambia who have five players.

Besides Mbesuma, former Pirates star Dennis Lota, Christopher Katongo, James Chamanga and Mwape Musonda have all topped the scorers' chart.

Zimbabwe has seen three players claiming this award through Mugeyi, Gilbert Mushangazhike and former Chiefs star Knowledge Musona.

Other interesting facts

Only three players have top-scored in a season their team went on to be crowned PSL champions.

These are Manyathela, the first time Mbesuma won the gong and Percy Tau during the 2017/18 term when Mamelodi Sundowns were crowned PSL champions.

Only Katongo and Grobler have scored 10 goals in the opening 10 league games to go on and claim this award.

In the past four seasons, all Golden Boot winners have ended the season with 16 goals. 

Real Madrid and Japan winger Takefusa Kubo is closing in on a second loan move to Mallorca after the Balearic outfit beat out rivals Real Sociedad for his services, Goal can confirm.

The 20-year-old first arrived in La Liga ahead of the 2019-20 campaign, and has spent his first two seasons in Spain elsewhere on a temporary basis at the behest of Los Blancos.

Now, he is set to spend a third campaign away from Santiago Bernabeu, with Los Piratas looking to have the edge in the hunt for his signature as he returns from Tokyo 2020 duty with his country.

What are the details?

As Kubo heads back to Spain in the wake of a fourth-place finish at the Olympics with the Samurai Blue, he looks poised to make his return to Mallorca, who are back in the top-flight after an immediate return from relegation.

Though the Palma-based outfit were condemned to the drop during Kubo's first year with them in 2018-19, he is thought to have enjoyed his time with the club, where he forged a strong connection with fans in the community.

With a return to his homeland already ruled out by Madrid - who wish him to remain in Spain - it seems logical that he may wish to return to the club now that they have achieved top-tier status once more, despite Sociedad's attempts to forge a deal themselves.

Kubo's Madrid career so far

Having swapped FC Tokyo for Europe as a teenager, Kubo is yet to leave his mark on Los Blancos, having failed to notch a senior competitive appearance for them to date.

He has, however, impressed when afforded the opportunity during his spells away with the club, arguably best during his first season at Mallorca, where he netted four goals in 36 games.

A subsequent loan to Villarreal was cut short after just half a season as he was mostly used from the bench - though he picked up a Europa League winners' medal with the club despite having left them five months prior thanks to their triumph over Manchester United late last term.

He spent the remainder of the 2020-21 campaign on loan with Getafe, where he helped the Azulones dodge the drop to the second tier with a 15th-place finish.

The bigger picture

Madrid - who have reunited with Carlo Ancelotti as coach following Zinedine Zidane's exit - are preparing for one of their biggest seasons in recent memory this term.

Having fallen short in their pursuit of major silverware last term - and with Sergio Ramos having left the club - Los Blancos are in the midst of a sea change in the capital.

They will be determined to dethrone cross-city rivals Atletico Madrid, who usurped them as title holders last term, and get their campaign underway against Alaves on August 14.

Further reading

In the final installment of our Olympic throwback series, Goal remember Africa - and Nigeria's - finest hour in the men's football tournament at the Olympic Games.

We've spoken to the people who were there, to get their memories and their recollections of the Dream Team's grandest moment.

In 1996, in Atlanta, Nigeria became the first African team to win Olympic gold in the football competition—and indeed, there has never been a side from the continent before or since who have surpassed this triumph in a major men’s competition.

Certainly, none of Africa's representatives in Japan came close to matching Nigeria's feat; while Ivory Coast and Egypt reached the knockout stages only to fall short against Spain and Brazil respectively, South Africa and Zambia's women's team were eliminated in the group stage.

It's a reminder of just how outstanding Nigeria's victory in 1996 proved to be.

In contrast to the 2021 teams, he Eagles’ performance in the United States will live forever in the memories of those who experienced it, not least because of those vibrant triumphs against Brazil and Argentina in the semi-final and final.

Names like Jay-Jay Okocha, Nwankwo Kanu and Celestine Babayaro will forever be remembered among Nigeria’s all-time greats, and their exploits will indelibly be emblazoned in the minds of those who witnessed their feats.

This week on Goal, we are delighted to speak with another one of the legends of that side—winger Tijani Babangida—as he sits down with Shina Oludare to discuss his memories of that remarkable triumph in Atlanta.

In part one of this series, the great Garba Lawal shared his memories of that glorious summer in the United States and then, in the second part of the series, defender Kingsley Obiekwu gave his take on Nigeria's finest hour.

This time, it's ex-Ajax winger Babangida, who shares his memories of that tournament, and puts the experiences of the Olympics in the context of his broader career.

Babangida also represented Nigeria at the 1998 World Cup in France, but had lost his place in the squad by the time the 2002 World Cup rolled around.

He featured over 30 times for the Super Eagles, establishing himself more effectively than some of his teammates from Atlanta, and was part of the Nigeria team that reached consecutive Africa Cup of Nations semi-finals.

Football Kenya Federation Premier League side Gor Mahia have lined up eight players to be signed during the 2021-22 transfer window, Goal can reveal.

A top source at the club has revealed Gor Mahia will bring on board a Malian goalkeeper, a player each from DR Congo and Cameroon, in order to bolster their playing unit.

The other players will be sourced locally and the target is to raid Wazito FC for new stars.

"The goalkeeper from Mali is Adama Keita," the source told Goal. 'As for the other players - from Cameroon and Mali - trust me, I will let you know their names in due time."
 
"This is the time to strengthen the squad and the fact we have a new coach Mark [Harrison], we will need to listen to his demands because the players already identified were selected before he came to join us.

"We will need to factor in his input because of his technical know-how and the fact that he is the one who will be working closely with the players.
 
"The exit of Charles Momanyi and Kenneth Muguna also was considered when the consideration for new players was being undertaken. We hope the identified players have something special - individually and collectively - that will help Gor Mahia grow even better."
 
The expected arrival of Keita - who featured in the Caf Confederation Cup with Djoliba before - will take the number of goalkeepers at the club to four.

Gad Mathews, Samwel Njau, and Caleb Omondi are the custodians already on the books of Gor Mahia. Boniface Oluoch's future at the club has remained in doubt since he was frozen out of the first team from early in the season.

Rodgers Ouma from Western Stima is the striker the local giants are considering signing. The former Kariobangi Sharks duo Duke Abuya and Ovella Ochieng are also on the radar of K'Ogalo according to the source.
 
Clifton Miheso - who is hesitant to extend his contract due to unpaid dues - is a player the club is keen on having beyond next season.

Paris Saint-Germain have denied that they have agreed terms with Lionel Messi after their owner's half-brother appeared to imply on social media that a deal had been completed for the Argentine.

The veteran attacker has been widely tipped over the past two days to join the Ligue 1 giants after his renewal with Barcelona broke down at the last hour to leave him seeking a new club.

On Friday, Khalid bin Hamad Bin Khalifa Al-Thani - half-brother of the Emir of Qatar, PSG's owner - indicated that a deal had been struck for Messi, but now the club has refuted such claims outright.

What has been said?

PSG's communications department has told Goal that Al-Thani's statements that a deal has been completed are false, with no such agreement in place between the club and Messi's entourage.

The 34-year-old had taken to Twitter amid reports of the Argentine closing in on a potential move to Parc des Princes to state that matters had been completed between the two.

"Negotiations are officially concluded," he had written. "Announce later."

The bigger picture

Despite PSG's denial, it appears that Messi is destined to make the French capital his new home next season, with few other realistic suitors thought to be in the race to sign him.

Manchester City have already denied that they will be making a move for the Argentine after their record-breaking capture of Jack Grealish and continued pursuit of Harry Kane, while a switch to Juventus to join Cristiano Ronaldo seems fanciful.

Instead, it seems Messi will line up alongside former Barca team-mate Neymar and France superstar Kylian Mbappe at Parc des Princes, as Mauricio Pochettino's side go in pursuit of long-awaited European glory once more.

Further reading

Ipswich Town have confirmed the signing of free-agent Sone Aluko, formerly of Reading.

The 32-year-old former Nigeria international has penned a one-year deal at Portman Road, with the League One club having the option to extend his stay by a further 12 months.

“Two in a day as Sone [Aluko] pens one-year deal,” Ipswich confirmed on their official website. “Aluko is Town’s 12th summer signing.

“The versatile forward has penned a one-year deal at Portman Road, with the club having the option to extend his stay by a further 12 months.

“The 32-year-old is also the Blues’ second signing of the day, following on from the arrival of Louie Barry on loan earlier this afternoon.”

The statement continued: “Sone, a former Nigerian international, progressed through the youth ranks at Birmingham City and had loan spells at Aberdeen and Blackpool while on the books at St Andrew's.

“After an impressive stint in Scotland, Sone opted for a return to Pittodrie and signed a permanent deal with Aberdeen in September 2008.

“He spent three years with The Dons before switching to Rangers in November 2011, where a highlight of his was scoring a hat-trick on the final day of the 2011/12 Scottish Premiership season as The Gers beat St Johnstone 4-0.

“Moves to Hull City, Fulham and Reading followed, including a loan spell at Beijing Renhe in 2019.

“He arrives at Portman Road with a wealth of experience and will look to apply that as Paul Cook’s side strives for promotion this season.”

On signing the deal, Aluko said: “I’m really looking forward to being a part of this project. I’m very excited.

“I’ve been fortunate enough to get promoted with other teams in my career, and I want to contribute to this team now.”

Ipswich coach Cook said on signing Aluko: “We’re putting together a squad that can hopefully compete at the top end of this division.

“Sone is a fantastic addition to that squad.

“He’ll be available for Tuesday night’s game and I’m sure our fans will get a glimpse of him very quickly.”

Sone will wear the number 23 shirt for Town but he will not be available for Saturday’s season opener against Morecambe at Portman Road.

Gor Mahia head coach Mark Harrison has revealed he made three changes against Kakamega Homeboyz because he was not impressed by the professionalism of some of his players.

It was Harrison's first game in charge since he was appointed as coach and he managed to pick a 1-0 Premier League win over Kakamega Homeboyz, but it was the changes he made that raised eyebrows.

Goalkeeper Samuel Njau was among the surprise inclusions in the first team. Fred Nkata played because Geoffrey Ochieng was out injured, while Joachim Oluoch was also drafted into the defensive line. 

Njau brought down Moses Mudavadi for Homeboyz's first penalty but Wanga did not score from it after the goalkeeper saved. He also saved a Francis Omondi penalty later.

"I have got to be honest, we made three changes before the [Kakamega Homeboyz] game because we had issues with the players. I was not happy with their professionalism. It is something I had to do because, as a coach, things happen like that in life," Harrison told the media ahead of Sunday's game against KCB.

"I am not going to elaborate more on that, but it is a situation that is understood. We are okay and we can move on now."

Harrison - drawing lessons from the Kakamega Homeboyz game - explained what he needs his boys to do going forward. 

"I was a little bit not completely impressed by the performance, but the boys gave everything," he added.

"They were massively competitive and gave their 100%. We can do much better on the ball and have complete control of the ball."

He further detailed how he will use the current season to prepare for the 2021/22 campaign: "This season there is nothing more to achieve because we have got three games or so to go. We will use them to build a platform, to help the players know each other and give them an idea of how I would like them to play," he added.

"In the new season, obviously, we will be challenging to win the league and push in the Caf Confederation Cup as far as we can, especially reaching the group stage, but to do that, we need to do a lot better."

The 1-0 win over Kakamega Homeboyz was a morale-booster for a side that had failed to pick up a victory in the last seven games.

Lionel Messi should head to Serie A and sign for Juventus in order to play alongside Cristiano Ronaldo, James Rodriguez has claimed, adding that it would be a "dream" pairing for football fans.

The Argentine is a free agent after his expected renewal with the Blaugrana failed to materialise, with Paris Saint-Germain thought to be his most likely new destination ahead of Manchester City.

But now Everton star Rodriguez has weighed in stating that the forward should instead switch to Turin and link up with the Colombian's former Real Madrid team-mate Ronaldo - arguably his only true peer for skill and success in the modern men's game.

What has been said?

"Messi should go to Juventus and play with Cristiano Ronaldo," James said on a livestream on Twitch ahead of the Toffees' final pre-season test against Manchester United.

"It would be a bomb. It's the dream of many fans to see those two play together.

"Messi managed 30 goals and 30 assists for Barcelona per year at least. Now they will have to look for other players to do that."

Rodriguez mulls Clasico sea change

The 30-year-old, himself linked with a move away from Goodison Park after manager Carlo Ancelotti departed to take charge of Madrid once more, also considered the state of La Liga amid a spate of transfers.

Aside from Messi's Barca exit, long-serving Blancos mainstay Sergio Ramos has also left the club for PSG, while other key faces could be moved on from Camp Nou and Santiago Bernabeu.

"Football has changed a lot, Messi leaving Barcelona confirms that," James added. "Who would have imagined that he would leave Barcelona or that Sergio Ramos would leave Real Madrid?

"El Clasicos in La Liga are going to be different. Before, the cameras were for Cristiano and Messi. Now people will still watch but it won't be the same."

The bigger picture

Had Messi renewed with Barcelona, he likely would have faced his old rival Ronaldo in his first game back, with the Blaugrana set to face Juventus in the Joan Gamper Trophy this weekend.

Instead, his next game - and for who - remains firmly up in the air, though PSG appear to be in the driving seat for his services.

The Argentine was previously courted by the French heavyweights, as well as Premier League champions City, before he looked to have locked in an extended stay at Camp Nou.

Further reading

Orlando Pirates assistant coach Mandla Ncikazi has given guarantees “a different” Thulani Hlatshwayo will be witnessed in the upcoming 2021/22 season.

Defender Hlatshwayo arrived at Pirates last season with a huge profile of being Bafana Bafana captain but struggled to live up to expectations.

But Ncikazi believes the defender will rise up again and return to his best.

“The first discussion I had with any player at the club was with Tyson [Hlatshwayo],” Ncikazi told Metro FM as per iDiski Times.

“Great human being, very intelligent. He is not a captain by mistake. History, how he grew up at Ajax… But I can guarantee you one thing, you will see a different Tyson, I can put my head on the block.   

“Wait for it, if we don’t go 10 games without a changed Tyson, phone me and I owe you something.  But I can guarantee you, we will see a different Tyson." 

At one stage last season, Hlatshwayo was relegated to the bench with Innocent Maela being switched from the left-back to centre-back position.

Now with a new central defensive addition in Kwanda Mngonyama, it is to be seen whether Hlatshwayo will enjoy regular football in the upcoming season.

He already faced competition for playing opportunities from captain Happy Jele, Ntsikelelo Nyauza and Maela.

Ncikazi says they found time to discuss Hlatshwayo’s performances with the player himself.

“We spoke. We spoke about a lot of things, about the team, his individual performances, where he wants to get this season, what he wants to achieve,” said Ncikazi.

It is also yet to be seen if Hlatshwayo will be able to get back to top form and reclaim his Bafana Bafana jersey as well as the armband.

He will begin that bid by helping Pirates get past Swallows FC in next Saturday’s MTN8 quarter-finals.

After that, Pirates kick off their quest for a first Premier Soccer League title in a decade when they host Stellenbosch on August 21.

Middlesbrough manager Neil Warnock has confirmed defender Sol Bamba will stay at the Championship outfit after winning his battle with cancer.

The 36-year-old Ivory Coast star has been training with Boro at Riverside to build on his fitness after undergoing treatment for non-Hodgkin lymphoma earlier this year.

Warnock, who has also coached Bamba at Leeds and Cardiff City, has confirmed he will keep the player around with a coaching role an option.

When asked if Bamba will stay, Warnock told media as quoted by Maldon Standard: “He will be, yes, in some capacity, unless he goes somewhere else.

“He’s an excellent coach with the youngsters, always giving advice, never shuts up, so I think it’s an opportunity for him.

“And if he can contribute on the field of play, then we’ve got to think about that because it does give us another option.

“He did really, really well for me at Rotherham, which was an awkward game. In a way, that helped me look at him because I never thought he’d get back to this kind of fitness if I’m honest when I was at Cardiff and the problems that he had.

“But all credit to him, he’s done remarkably well by working hard and overcoming things. I think he’s got things to prove. I think he was a little bit disappointed to leave Cardiff and he’s got something to prove now.”

On May 20, Bamba confirmed he was free from cancer after completing his chemotherapy and returned to action for Cardiff against Rotherham United on May 8 after receiving the all-clear to play football again.

“Hey everyone, just a quick message to inform you that I'm now cancer-free! It is of course incredibly heartwarming news for my family and me, we are over the moon right now,” Bamba said.

“I really want to thank each and everyone that has been supporting me, whether it has been with a comment, a message, a like, or whatever, that definitely gave me extra strength to go through this.

“Above all, I want to thank the family at the NHS who took such good care of me, I will always be grateful for your job.

“Thank you to all my family, my friends, and of course the club and everyone in the football industry that has helped me face this challenge. I wish you all a blessed day and will see you soon again on the pitch.”

Although born in France, Bamba represents his parents' nation of Ivory Coast and he played a huge role as Cardiff gained promotion to the Premier League in the 2017-18 season.

He was part of the Ivory Coast squad that reached the quarter-finals of the 2008 Olympic Games and won his first cap at full international level in a 2008 friendly against Israel.

In what came as shocking news for football fans across the world, FC Barcelona announced that their star Lionel Messi will not sign a new contract with the club.

The Argentine superstar, whose contract ended with the club after the 2020-21 season, was expected to sign a new contract but the club's announcement on Thursday, means that Messi will not don the famous blue and garnet this season.

After graduating from La Masia, FC Barcelona's youth system, Messi made his senior professional debut in 2004 and played for the Spanish giants for the last 17 years. He is Barcelona's most-capped player of all time appearing in 778 matches for the club. He is also the club's all-time highest goalscorer with 670 goals to his name.

Messi has won every trophy with Barcelona, which includes 10 La Liga and four Champions League titles. He has won the treble twice in his career - 2009-10 and 2014-15 seasons. 

Along with club titles, Messi has also won several individual accolades over the years, which includes a record six Ballon d'Or awards.

Trophies

Individual awards