Paris Saint-Germain FC

Lionel Messi may be coming to MLS, but his agent denied a report suggesting it will certainly happen.

According to Alex Candal of DirectTV Sports (h/t Front Office Sports), the Argentina star will purchase 35 percent of Inter Miami in 2023 when his contract expires with Paris Saint-Germain as part of a deal that will see him play for the team as well.

The stake in the team is said to be worth more than $200 million.

However, Messi's agent told Le Parisien (h/t TMZ Sports), "Leo has not yet decided on his future. And if Leo Messi has crossed paths with David Beckham in the last few hours, it is only as part of PSG’s stay in Doha where the former English midfielder plays a role as an ambassador for the next World Cup in Qatar."

That Beckham, who starred for Manchester United, Real Madrid and England's national team before joining the Los Angeles Galaxy in MLS, was mentioned is notable since he is one of Miami's co-owners.

Beckham increased his ownership stake with the franchise in 2021.

Other international stars who have played in MLS in the latter portion of their careers include Wayne Rooney, Thierry Henry and Zlatan Ibrahimovic.

Yet Messi would be the biggest name of all as arguably the greatest soccer player in the sport's history.

The 34-year-old's resume includes seven Ballons d'Or, four UEFA Champions League titles, 10 La Liga titles, two FIFA Men's Player of the Year awards and two UEFA Men's Player of the Year awards.

He played for the Barcelona first team from 2004-05 through 2020-21 before financial issues at the Spanish club led to him leaving as a free agent and joining PSG for the 2021-22 campaign on a two-year contract.

He has won the league title in his first year in Paris but fell short of winning the club's first Champions League title, which was likely its primary aim in bringing Messi to the club.

Tom Sanderson of Forbes noted Messi said in 2020, "I always had the dream of being able to enjoy and have the experience of living in the United States, experience what the league there is like."

Inter Miami would immediately become one of, if not the biggest draw in the league with the star power of Messi.

Paris Saint-Germain has resigned itself to losing star striker Kylian Mbappe, according to ESPN's Julien Laurens.

David Ornstein of The Athletic reported Monday that Mbappe, who's due to be a free agent this summer, agreed to a contract with Real Madrid. The deal hasn't been signed, though, leaving PSG with a sliver of hope about him reversing course and remaining in the French capital.

A last-minute change of heart always seemed unlikely because Mbappe would've surely re-signed with PSG by now if he had wanted to stay where he is.

The 23-year-old told RMC Sport (h/t CBS Sport's Jonathan Johnson) in October he had asked to leave when the summer transfer window was open. Real Madrid had lodged a nine-figure transfer bid but was rebuffed by Paris Saint-Germain. 

Still, Laurens reported the Ligue 1 champion was "confident of Mbappe staying as recently as last week."

"They offered Mbappe a huge new deal, promised him a better squad for next season, offered him the captain's armband and 100 percent of his own image rights, according to sources," per Laurens.

With the three-time Ligue 1 Player of the Year now set to depart, the question is whom PSG will identify as a replacement.

Lionel Messi scored just six league goals in his first year at the club, with the legend beginning to show his age (34). Neymar has averaged roughly 18 Ligue 1 appearances per season since signing with PSG in 2017. Mauro Icardi isn't good enough to be the No. 1 option for a side with ambitions of winning the Champions League.

Borussia Dortmund star Erling Haaland was the most obvious successor to Mbappe, but he's on his way to Manchester City.

PSG has a bottomless well of money it can use to attract marquee names, but signing a striker approaching Mbappe's level might be easier said than done for sporting director Leonardo.

Real Madrid have agreed to personal terms on a contract with Paris Saint-Germain star Kylian Mbappe, according to The Athletic's David Ornstein.

Ornstein reported Mbappe has yet to officially sign the deal, however, with PSG still hopeful he will remain in the French capital.

On May 5, Mbappe's mother refuted rumors he had signed an extension with the Ligue 1 champion.

Many expect the 23-year-old will be a member of Real Madrid when the 2022-23 season kicks off.

His contract with PSG is due to expire, and he has long been linked with a move to the Santiago Bernabeu. Real Madrid was prepared to bid $211.7 million to sign him last August but had their pursuits rebuffed by Paris Saint-Germain.

The Frenchman is coming off another prolific season. He had 25 goals and 18 assists in 34 Ligue 1 matches and another six goals and four assists in the Champions League.

Alas, Mbappe has probably achieved all he can in his native country. PSG's round-of-16 exit in the Champions League was another sobering assessment of where it stands compared to the rest of the European elite. 

Real Madrid is a different challenge and also presents him with an opportunity to feature for one of the most historically significant clubs in world football history.

For Madrid, this transfer likely represents a sort of succession plan for Karim Benzema. The 34-year-old striker might be on his way toward a Ballon d'Or after scoring in 27 La Liga goals and almost single-handedly carrying Los Blancos to the UEFA Champions League final.

But Benzema is clearly approaching his twilight years. He and Mbappe can line up together for now, and when it's time for the former to move on, the latter will be the lead attacker on the forward line.

That's to say nothing of the financial boon Mbappe's presence will have for Madrid and La Liga for what could be the next decade or more.

A 2014 Panini Lionel Messi World Cup Gold Prizm card sold for $522,000 at auction Saturday, a record for the Argentine superstar.

The card was graded GEM MT PSA 10, per Goldin, and is the crown jewel for any Messi collector.

Per the auction site, the set "was the first ever major release of a soccer product in the United States. This first Prizm set includes a depiction of Messi in his national Argentina kit. It is not hyperbole to write that this limited-edition piece rarely becomes available on the market. This gem is serial-numbered '02/10' on the back."

A 2002-03 Panini Sport Mega Craques Cristiano Ronaldo also sold for $218,400 on Saturday, per Goldin.

Paris Saint-Germain star Neymar said Monday that he would like to come to the United States and play in the MLS one day.

During a podcast appearance (h/t ESPN's Adriana Garcia), Neymar suggested that while a return to play in his native Brazil may not be in the cards, a move to the United States could be: "I don't know. I have some doubts about that. I don't know if I'll play in Brazil again. I'd love to play in the U.S., actually. I'd love to play there at least for a season."

Neymar expanded on his desire to play in the U.S. by saying that since the MLS season is shorter than the European season, he would get "three months' vacation." Neymar also said jokingly that the schedule would allow him to play "many more years."

The 30-year-old Neymar is under contract with PSG until June 2025, meaning he will be 33 when he becomes a free agent.

When asked about when he plans on retiring, the dynamic forward said: "I joke with my friends that I will retire when I'm 32. But it's just a joke. I don't know. Honestly, I will play until I'm mentally tired. If my mental health is OK and my body as well. ... Physically, I think I'll still last a few years. But my mental health is the most important thing."

Neymar made his professional debut at the age of 17 and has accomplished a great deal since then.

He notably spent four seasons at FC Barcelona from 2013-17 before making the move to PSG, which is where he has spent the past five campaigns.

Neymar won two La Liga titles and a UEFA Champions League title with Barca, and so far at PSG, he has won three Ligue 1 titles, although he is still in search of a Champions League triumph at the club.

Across all competitions, Neymar has scored 333 goals for Santos, Barcelona and PSG over the course of 14 seasons.

He has also scored 70 times in 116 appearances for the Brazilian senior national team, plus he helped lead Brazil to a silver medal at the 2012 Summer Olympics and a gold medal at the 2016 Summer Games.

If Neymar does eventually go to the United States, he will follow in the footsteps of many of the all-time greats.

Chief among them is Brazilian legend Pele, who played for the New York Cosmos from 1975-77.

Other notable players to make the leap from Europe or South America to the U.S. and specifically MLS include David Beckham, Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Thierry Henry, Wayne Rooney, Kaka, Frank Lampard and David Villa, meaning Neymar would be in good company.

For nearly 94 minutes, Paris Saint-Germain knocked and knocked and knocked at the door to no avail.

Then Kylian Mbappe finally broke through with a goal in the 94th minute, giving PSG a 1-0 win over Real Madrid in the first leg of their Champions League round-of-16 matchup.

From start to finish, it was a dominant effort from a PSG team determined to make good on its preseason hype. PSG outshot Real Madrid 21-3 and held its opponents scoreless as the Paris crowd impatiently waited on their team to break through.

PSG had seven different tries on corner kicks, spent most of the evening deep in attack mode and even sent Lionel Messi to the box for a 62nd-minute penalty try.

Nothing worked.

Thibaut Courtois played a stellar game in net for Madrid, highlighted by his correct read of Messi to block the penalty try and keep PSG at bay. With PSG once more on the attack in stoppage time, Courtois seemingly saved the game one final time with a stop of an Idrissa Gueye attempt from outside the box.

But as the desperation rose in the closing minutes, Mbappe took a pass from Neymar and found the left bottom corner of the net on a stellar shot.

PSG will now travel to Madrid in a little over three weeks, hoping to close things out and advance to the quarterfinals.

While there are few positives to take from the loss aside from Courtois' play, Madrid avoided disaster in what could have—and arguably should have—been a blowout. 

Thanks to the elimination of the away-goals rule, Madrid only has to worry about winning on aggregate goals when they play March 9—or in the event of a tie, during extra time or on penalty kicks, as needed.

Paris Saint-Germain teammates Lionel Messi and Kylian Mbappe headline the FIFA 22 Team of the Year, which was announced Thursday.

EA Sports showcased the full group with a little help from Manchester United legend David Beckham:

The FIFA Team of the Year was selected by fan vote after an initial list of 80 finalists from the groups of attackers, midfielders, defenders and goalkeepers.

Players chosen for TOTY will now receive special items in FIFA Ultimate Team, which will feature "some of the highest ratings of the season to celebrate each player's status as the best in the world," according to the game's official website.

PSG dominated the voting with defenders Marquinhos and Achraf Hakimi along with goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma joining Messi and Mbappe to give the French giants nearly half of the starting XI.

Manchester City (Kevin De Bruyne, Joao Cancelo and Ruben Dias) and Chelsea (Jorginho and N'Golo Kante) also received multiple selections.

Bayern Munich forward Robert Lewandowski rounded out the starting XI after finishing second to Messi in 2021 Ballon d'Or voting.

The players may also hold the distinction as the last FIFA Team of the Year honorees.

In October, EA Sports announced it was "exploring the idea of renaming" its soccer video games without FIFA branding. Tariq Panja of the New York Times reported the sides had "hit the wall" in discussions about a contract extension for the partnership.

So, barring a last-minute deal, it appears a rebrand is on the horizon for the popular EA Sports title, including the lucrative FIFA Ultimate Team mode.

Argentina head coach Lionel Scaloni didn't select superstar forward Lionel Messi for the national team's upcoming World Cup qualifiers as he continues to recover from COVID-19.

ESPN's Adriana Garcia reported Messi will remain with Paris Saint-Germain as La Albiceleste, who've already clinched a berth in the 2022 World Cup, face off with Chile on Jan. 27 and Colombia on Feb. 1.

Messi hasn't played since a Ligue 1 draw against Lorient on Dec. 22. He tested positive for COVID-19 on Jan. 2 during the league's winter break.

The 34-year-old Argentine posted an update on Instagram last week, saying a full recovery took longer than he expected but also confirmed he'd resumed training.

Messi is tentatively "expected to return" when PSG hosts Reims at the Parc des Princes, per Garcia.

The seven-time Ballon d'Or winner is off to a solid start to his Les Parisiens career with six goals and four assists across 16 appearances between Ligue 1 and the Champions League.

He signed with the French giants in August after his storied Barcelona tenure came to a close because of the Spanish club's financial situation.

With Argentina having already punched its ticket to Qatar for the World Cup, which kicks off in November, the national team may give him the international breaks to rest and recover for the remainder of the 2021-22 club term.

The next qualifiers are scheduled for March and then La Albiceleste are scheduled to face Italy in a clash between the Copa America and Euro champions on June 1.

Winning a World Cup is one of the few boxes Messi hasn't checked off on his career resume, so being at full fitness and in peak form come November is surely a major focus in the months ahead.

With his absence, Angel Di Maria, Lautaro Martinez and Paulo Dybala are among the players who will be called on to help lead the Argentina attack in the next set of qualifiers.

While many expect to see Kylian Mbappe in a Real Madrid shirt this summer, Paris Saint-Germain are "growing confident" he'll sign a short-term contract to stay at the club, according to ESPN's Julien Laurens.

Laurens reported PSG had "positive" meetings with Mbappe's family, which has led to increased optimism about his willingness to remain in the French capital.

Mbappe is due to be a free agent in the summer, and the signs have pointed to a move to Madrid. The Spanish giants reportedly had a €200 million ($227.3 million) bid rejected in August.

In an interview with RMC Sport in October (h/t Reuters, via the Guardian), the 23-year-old acknowledged that he told PSG he wanted to leave while last summer's transfer window remained open since it would have allowed the club to bring in a massive fee. Instead, he could depart on a free transfer.

However, Laurens reported Paris Saint-Germain has already reached out to Zinedine Zidane to serve as manager from next season. The presence of the football legend could entice Mbappe to stay a little longer.

In addition, discussions are ongoing with representatives for Paul Pogba and Franck Kessie, per Laurens. Their arrivals would be partially in service of Paris Saint-Germain holding on to its brightest young talent.

Mbappe is on pace for another prolific season. He has scored 10 goals and registered nine assists in 19 Ligue 1 appearances. He has another four goals and four assists in the UEFA Champions League.

Whether it's re-upping with Les Parisiens or heading abroad, football fans around the world eagerly await his next move.

PSG, meanwhile, is 11 points clear of Nice for first place in Ligue 1. The first leg of the club's round-of-16 tie against Real Madrid in the Champions League awaits Feb. 15. Easily dispatching the 13-time winner of the tournament would certainly send a message to Mbappe.

Paris Saint-Germain star Neymar announced he is joining Facebook Gaming as an exclusive streamer of content.

Neymar's first live stream with Facebook will begin at 2 p.m. ET Friday. 

“I’m very happy to partner with Facebook Gaming on my livestreams!” Neymar said in a statement. “The gaming world has always been one of my greatest passions after football, and I can barely wait to hang out and have fun with everyone who also shares this passion.”

Neymar has over 254 million followers on Facebook and Instagram, making him one of the most popular people in the world on both platforms. 

The announcement says Neymar plans to stream multiple times per month and will do so with another content creator one time per month.

Facebook has been working on expanding its foothold in the streaming space in recent years as a competitor to services like Twitch. 

Neymar is also set to debut a Netflix documentary, Neymar: The Perfect Chaos, in January 2022. The film is produced by LeBron James' SpringHill Co.