Lionel Messi, the famous Spanish journalist close to FC Barcelona, accused Gerard Romero of lying, after the latter published news about the Argentine star’s meeting with the president of “Barca” on the sidelines of the Ballon d’Or ceremony.
Barcelona club president Joan Laporta was present yesterday, Monday, at the ceremony that witnessed Messi being crowned with the Golden Ball for the eighth time in his career, the Barcelona women's team winning the best team award, and Barcelona player Aitana Bonmatti also winning the women's Golden Ball.
Romero claimed that Messi, whose relationship with Laporta has been strained since the Argentine's "forced" departure from Barcelona in 2021, met with his former boss at "Barca" on the sidelines of the Ballon d'Or ceremony, and the president thanked Messi for his words, and searched for the best way to honor the player in the future. Camp Stadium, the home of FC Barcelona.
But Messi denied this matter, as he re-published the Spanish journalist’s post via the Stories feature on his account on the “Instagram” platform and wrote: “You are lying, again.”
Romero immediately apologized for what he wrote,
claiming that he had been given false information and saying that he had been deceived about something related to Messi again.
Messi and Romero have a long history of tension, especially during the past few years when “The Flea” was playing for Paris Saint-Germain before his move last summer to Inter Miami.
Then Romero reported that one of Messi's sons spent a "very bad time" in Paris, and this was the main reason why his wife and children made an "incredible effort" for Leo to return to Barcelona.
This report greatly upset Messi and Romero demanded that it be deleted.
It is noteworthy that Messi left Barcelona during the summer transfer period of 2021, after the Catalan club failed to renew his contract, due to financial problems and the restrictions of the Financial Fair Play Law applied by the Spanish League with regard to the ceiling of players’ salaries, so “Leo” joined Paris Saint-Germain after two seasons in the club. Paris joined his current team, Inter Miami, last summer.
FIFA President announces that the 2034 World Cup will be held in Saudi Arabia
FIFA President Gianni Infantino announced on Tuesday that the 2034 World Cup will be held in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
Infantino wrote on his official Instagram account: “Canada, Mexico, and the United States will organize the greatest show on Earth in 2026 in North America.”
He added: “The next edition will be held in Morocco in Africa, in addition to Portugal and Spain in Europe, with 3 celebratory matches being held in South America, Argentina, Paraguay and Uruguay in 2030.”
He continued: “In Asia, Saudi Arabia will organize the 2034 edition, so that the next three editions will be held on 5 continents across 10 countries that will host the championship matches, which makes football truly global.”
Bloomberg reported on Tuesday morning that the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia is about to host the 2034 World Cup.
This comes after Australia, which seemed to be the only potential competitor to Saudi Arabia, decided not to apply to host the tournament.