Over the weekend, Messi, his bodyguard, Angel Di Maria, and a few of the seven-time Ballon d’Or winner’s friends flew into China on a private jet.

The group were traveling to meet up with the Argentina squad, as they get ready for their upcoming friendly match against Australia on Thursday.

However, there was chaos at the Beijing airport, where border force personnel halted Messi.

Local news in China claims that the problem stemmed from the use of a Spanish passport rather than his Argentinian documents.

Additionally, according to reports, Messi was permitted to enter Taiwan on his Spanish passport, leading him to assume that entering China would be easy.

The 35-year-old was quoted as saying: “Is Taiwan not China?”

There’s was passport issue with Messi’s arrival to China causing delay but look at De Paul continuing to body guard Messi, we all need a friend like that, don’t we?

Video Via @nextonemaybe

pic.twitter.com/XNN5ZyvhZd

— FCB Albiceleste (@FCBAlbiceleste) June 10, 2023

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Messi was reportedly held up for two hours before his Visa was granted and he was ultimately let through.

Messi and Di Maria naturally drew attention from locals when they were made to wait by guards, and pictures of the legendary forward posing with fans suggest that he was not too distressed by his border force ordeal.

Upcoming matches against Australia and Indonesia will give the Argentine the chance to add to his remarkable haul of 102 international goals.

He will then get an opportunity to rest and recuperate before embarking on a new challenge with Inter Miami in July.

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After being eliminated from the Champions League in the first half of the season, the Bianconeri will take on FC Nantes in the Europa League play-off round.

It was a disastrous campaign in Europe’s premier club competition for Juventus, who only picked up one win in a group containing Benfica, Paris Saint-Germain and Maccabi Haifa.

Speaking to La Gazzetta dello Sport, Emery explained why he thinks Juventus are one of the favourites for the Europa League title this season.

“Juve are Juve, they can do it, they have important players. Winning the Europa League is also training for the Champions League, think of the ride of my Villarreal…

“And then no club has the motivation of Juventus this year. Right now, Arsenal, Manchester United and Barcelona would qualify for the next Champions League because of their league positions.

“Juventus wouldn’t, because of the point deduction. But they have champions.

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“I think of Di Maria, whom I had the good fortune to coach at PSG. Angel is special and his teams usually lift trophies at the end of the season.”

Juventus’ 15-point deduction leave them 9^th in the Serie A table after 22 games, 12 points behind top four candidates Atalanta, Roma and Milan.

Finishing in the top four now looks unlikely for Massimiliano Allegri’s side, making Europa League victory their likeliest possible route to the Champions League.

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According to Messi, who has missed two games for his club Paris Saint-Germain due to a calf issue, players are always concerned about injuries prior to any major international tournament.

Di Maria has a hamstring problem that is expected to keep him out until early next month. Meanwhile, Dybala has a thigh injury that could rule him out of the tournament in Qatar.

What Did Messi Say?

Messi said the potential for injury so close to the World Cup was “scary.”

“It’s a concern because it’s a different World Cup, you play at a different time and we’re so close that any little thing that can happen to you can leave you out,” the 35-year-old told DirecTV Sports.

“Seeing these things is scary but thinking about it can be contradictory,” he added. “The best thing is to act normally as always, to play is the best way to be well.”

“I hope they both recover, they have plenty of time to get well for the World Cup. Hopefully, we can all get there in good health.”

Meanwhile, Messi himself has just been passed fit to play for PSG against Marseille in Ligue 1 on Sunday.

Galtier: “Leo Messi is available for Sunday.”

— PSGhub (@PSGhub) October 14, 2022

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Di Maria left the field in tears after suffering a muscle injury in Tuesday night’s 2-0 Champions League loss to Maccabi Haifa for Juventus.

In the 24th minute, the Argentine clearly felt some discomfort in his right thigh as he ran toward a ball and held his leg.

Aware of the consequences, the 34-year-old shook his head towards the dugout and emotionally limped off the pitch, wiping his eyes with his shirt.

However, according to a Juve update on his injury, he will only be sidelined for three weeks at most. Giving him plenty of time to heal in time for the World Cup.

He is however set to miss their remaining Champions League group games – against Benfica and PSG.

‘Angel Di Maria underwent diagnostic tests at J|Medical this morning, which revealed a low-grade lesion to the hamstring of the right thigh,’ Juventus said.

Medical Update | Angel Di Maria

— JuventusFC (@juventusfcen) October 13, 2022

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‘It will take around 20 days for the player’s complete recovery.’

The development will be welcome news for Argentina, who are already sweating on the fitness of Paulo Dybala after the Roma forward hobbled off the pitch early in the second half of his team’s 2-1 win over Lecce on Sunday.

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Lionel Messi’s long wait for an international trophy is finally over, with Argentina defeating Brazil 1-0 in the Copa America final to fill in the biggest gap of his fabled career.

Angel Di Maria, starting for just the second time in the tournament, struck the decisive goal midway through the first half, latching onto a phenomenal low long pass from the impressive Rodrigo De Paul.

After Brazil failed to clear their lines, the PSG attacker cushioned the ball with a fabulous first touch off the outside of his left foot, before he lobbed the onrushing Ederson with a deft strike.

When the match ended, a tearful Messi dropped to his knees and was mobbed by his Argentina team-mates before heading over to the smattering of his country’s fans in the stadium to lead the celebrations. The 78,000-seater Maracana was operating at just 10 per cent capacity for the match due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

Victory also snaps Argentina’s 28-year wait for a title, with their previous trophy coming in the 1993 Copa America.

Brazil piled on the pressure in an exciting second half but even with five strikers on the field they could not get an equaliser against an Argentine defence protected by the outstanding De Paul.

Messi finished the tournament’s joint top goalscorer with four goals and collected his individual honour for player of the tournament before getting his hands on the trophy itself.

But in truth, he was quiet throughout the final and uncharacteristically missed a golden opportunity to wrap the game up with just two minutes remaining.

After being picked out by De Paul, Messi had the ball and the game at his feet in the six-yard area but appeared to lose his footing and Ederson promptly smothered the opening. Fortunately for him, Brazil were unable to make him pay despite five minutes of time added on at the end.

And while Messi was subdued, the same can be said for Brazil talisman Neymar, who was left in tears by the result at the final whistle. He was central to his team’s play but he and they struggled to break down a stern and stubborn Argentina defence.

The victory was Argentina’s 15th Copa America triumph and means they draw level with Uruguay as the all-time leading winners.

Victory also caps a remarkable comeback on the international scene for Messi. He was so upset at losing to Chile on penalties in the Copa America final of 2016, exactly as he had done a year before, that he retired from international football.

He changed his mind a few weeks later and helped drag an inconsistent Argentina to the World Cup finals in Russia where once again they crashed out to eventual champions France in the last 16.

Messi failed to score in the knockout stages of the World Cup for the fourth time in a row, raising even more questions about his place on the all-time greats list. But with this win, all those doubts have finally been erased once and for all.

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The Ligue 1 club had edged a thrilling first-leg clash 3-2 in Munich, which proved decisive after Bayern could only secure a 1-0 win at the Parc des Princes on Tuesday night to lose out on away goals.

PSG were beaten by Bayern in the final of last season’s rescheduled tournament under former boss Thomas Tuchel where many of their superstars fell well below the mark.

There were no such worries this time round as the star-studded trio all came up big over the two legs and Pochettino was brimming with pride in their genius.

‘The quality is there, and they work so hard,’ Pochettino told BT Sport when asked to asses his side’s effort over 180 minutes in these two games.

‘Our job is to try to put these type of talents, they are geniuses, to work like a team.

‘With the ball they are of course fantastic.

‘To feel that we are a team, that is the challenge for us, and at the moment we are so happy about that.’

Pochettino feels the squad have come a long way in the short time he has been at the helm after the Argentine former Tottenham manager was appointed at the start of January.

‘It was a really tough match and I am really happy because the players deserve the credit. We are so happy for them, the club, the president,’ Pochettino added.

‘After three months working here we are enjoying the moment and if you qualify for the semi-finals then this is an amazing moment for us.

‘When you are on the touchline, close to the pitch, it is not easy to enjoy it, but I try enjoy it every time.

‘I am calm on the outside, but inside you are dealing with the stress of the competition, but that is the adrenaline of it that you love to feel and tonight was a fantastic game.’

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Di Maria went off injured in Argentina’s 5-0 win over Panama in their second group-stage match, consequently missing their next three fixtures – wins against Bolivia, Venezuela and hosts the United States on their way to back- to-back finals.

The Paris Saint-Germain attacker had been on course to face defending champions Chile in a rematch of the 2015 final on Sunday, but suffered an “evolution” of his initial injury.

Di Maria began training on Thursday before taking part in an informal kick- around with local youngsters, but was unable to complete the session.

The injury is a big blow for Argentina, who will also be without Ezequiel Lavezzi after he suffered a radial fracture of his left elbow, which will require surgery.

Argentina coach Gerardo Martino is also sweating over the fitness of Nicolas Gaitan and defender Marcos Rojo, while Augusto Fernandez looks set to miss out with a muscle problem.

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The Paris Saint-Germain star opened the scoring and set up the second as his side claimed a 2-1 victory over defending champions Chile in Santa Clara, California, on Monday.

Di Maria celebrated his goal with a t-shirt that had a message to his grandmother, who died recently.

In an emotional television interview post-match, Di Maria said he was eager to feature for his nation despite the circumstances.

“I wanted to play. It was a pride to my grandmother that I was in the national team,” he said, reduced to tears.

“I knew I was going to have a chance to make a goal and I send a big hello to my family.”

Di Maria struck in the 51st minute before setting up Ever Banega for the second in the Group D win.

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Ozil has enjoyed a sensational individual campaign in the top flight and has been at the forefront of creativity in the English game all year, providing some excellent outings to help the North London side to numerous wins.

The German has long led the assists charts in the Premier League this season, but was stuck on 18 since the beginning of March prior to the Gunners’ contest with Villa.

However Arsenal’s No.11 played a terrific ball back across the box on 78 minutes, which Giroud turned home to get his second and make the tie 2-0.

And that efforts means Ozil has got 19 assists this campaign, with no player in Europe’s top five leagues registering more.

Angel Di Maria of Paris Saint-Germain has also got 19 after his terrific campaign in Ligue 1, and the two will share the honour of being top of the rankings.

There will be mild disappointment for Ozil that he was unable to beat Thierry Henry’s record of 20 in a single campaign however, having looked a solid bet to doing to earlier this year.

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Louis van Gaal has hit back at Angel di Maria over allegations that he did not help Manchester United’s record £59.7million signing to settle at Old Trafford.

Di Maria moved to Paris Saint-Germain last summer after scoring just four goals in 32 appearances in an unsettled season at United, and the former Real Madrid star has blamed Van Gaal for playing him in a number of different positions.

However, the United boss says Di Maria should look at himself before blaming the manager, claiming the 28-year-old is just another example of players who refuse to be self-critical.

I have never seen players who look at themselves, who look to the way they have performed here, and that is always the fault of the manager,’ said Van Gaal.

 
‘So he is one of the players who are in the row of players who have no self-criticism. Unfortunately, it is also my life as a manager. It is always like that.’

 
Di Maria and United looked to be a match made in heaven when Van Gaal forked out almost £60m to entice the Argentina international away from Real Madrid.

 
However the 28-year-old’s big-money move to the Premier League proved to be a disaster with United having to cut their losses by selling him to Paris Saint-Germain for £44m just a year after breaking their club transfer record.

 
Di Maria, speaking to the BBC, said of his time in England: ‘It’s not nice to say certain things, but it’s more that they didn’t let me settle properly than I couldn’t settle.

 
‘I left and that team are still playing the same way. Out of the European competitions, far from being champions of the Premier League.

 
‘I don’t think it was my fault or the fault of my team-mates. Every time I was given the opportunity, I did all I could but it didn’t work out as I hoped.

 
‘So I decided to leave, not only to be happy but to win things. I started a game in one position then the next game in another. I scored goals playing in one position, then suddenly the next game I was picked to play in a different position.’

 
Di Maria, who helped PSG win their fourth consecutive league title this season, believes Van Gaal should have done more to help him acclimatise to life in England.

 
He added: ‘I think this also didn’t help me settle. It’s up to the manager to decide where and how every player should play, but I think that the player should be comfortable in that position and adapt to it.

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