While PSG fans criticize Lionel Messi and even blame Argentina for the elimination in the round of 16 of the Champions League, things are very different at FC Bayern Munich in Buenos Aires.
On Monday evening (20th), Messi went to dinner with his family at the Don Julio restaurant in Palermo, a traditional neighborhood of the Argentine capital. It didn’t take long for the news to spread and dozens of euphoric fans quickly surrounded the venue.
Messi attracted dozens of fans as he went out to dinner in Buenos Aires; see the video above Playback/Twitter
Videos that went viral on social media show the area surrounding the restaurant packed with people. As he left the venue, Messi appeared to be ‘swallowed’ by the crowd and needed help from security to get to his car. Nonetheless, Argentina’s No10 didn’t seem to mind and was receptive to the fans’ affection.
Messi, who won the World Cup with Argentina at the World Cup in Qatar, returns to wear the shirt of the selection at this Fifa date. The brothers face Panama and Curaçao on March 23 and 28 respectively. Both games will take place on Argentine soil.
End of an era! After 17 years, Rafael Nadal is not among the top ten tennis players in the world
After 17 years, 10 months and 24 days in the top 10 in world tennis, Rafael Nadal is “only” in 13th place. The Spaniard’s ATP position was this Monday (20th) after the end of the tournament in Indian Wells, USA announced, ending the longest streak in the history of a tennis player in the top ten positions
The Spaniard’s debut in the top 10 of the ATP rankings came in April 2005, three years after his professional career. At that time, the 18yearold tennis player had defeated the then world number one Roger Federer in the first duel between the two. Months later, in August, he won his first international title at the ATP 250 in Sopot, Poland.
In 2005, at the age of 19, the athlete started the best title sequence of his career, winning his first Grand Slam at Roland Garros. A year later, in 2006, he won another Major de France title. From 2007 to 2014 there were 11 more Grand Slam titles, Nadal’s end of the 2014 season was marred by injuries and surgery, as was the beginning of 2023. In November, “Touro Miúra”, the Spaniard’s nickname for his physical strength, underwent surgery for appendicitis and was eliminated from the Masters 1000 in Paris. In 2015, while still recovering from injuries, he did not win a single Grand Slam title.
The year 2022 inaugurated Nadal as the record holder of men’s Grand Slam titles. Earlier in the season, he won the Australian Open, his 21st career title, beating the record held by Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic, who held 20 Major titles. At Roland Garros, France, he defeated Casper Ruud to claim his 22nd Grand Slam title
In 2023, during the Australian Open, Nadal felt discomfort in his hip. After testing, it was confirmed that the tennis player had a grade 2 problem in the iliopsoas, the main muscle of the hip joint. The expectation was that the tennis player would return to courts between six and eight weeks. At the Australian Open, the ATP in Acapulco and the Masters 1000 in Indian Wells, the athlete lost 3,055 points, which cost him positions in the ranking
Rafael Nadal almost beat Roger Federer, who has held the record in the top 10 for weeks, at 968 weeks. On the other hand, the Spaniard holds the record for consecutive weeks in the top 10 with 934 weeks
As absent as Rafael Nadal is on the courts and outside of the ATP Top 10, his legacy in tennis lives on. Casper Ruud, beaten by Nadal in the 2022 Roland Garros final, has been training at the Rafael Nadal Academy since September 2018 and has the Spaniard as his idol. The idol has already praised the fan: “Casper is a pro. I think he has the right personality to play tennis. He is very relaxed and humble. He always has a positive attitude towards learning.”
Carlos Alcaraz has also been named as the new Rafa from Spain. The 19yearold tennis player won the US Open in 2022, earning the secondbest finish in the world. The young man is currently number 1 in the world, ahead of Novak Djokovic. He can keep the top finish if he wins the Miami Masters 1000 that started Sunday (19).