Messi closed the chapter with Argentina: 207 caps, 125 goals and one sentence that says everything

Lionel Messi announced he will no longer play for Argentina. Twenty years in the blue and white end with numbers that look like a typo: 207 appearances, 125 goals, 68 assists, plus the 2022 World Cup, two Copa Américas, a Finalissima, Olympic gold and an Under-20 World Cup. "I gave everything I had - I have nothing more to give," he wrote, admitting the decision "hurts and still hurts deep in the soul". He wrote the message back on 21 July, two days after the final defeat to Spain - then kept it in a drawer for six weeks. At 39 he was among the best players at that tournament, and on Saturday he scored four goals and added an assist for Inter Miami against Montreal. So he is not leaving because he cannot do it any more. He is leaving because he decided it was time - a rare privilege in a sport where most players are shown the door by somebody else.

Liverpool paid 106 million pounds for Barcola, and Salah's exit opened the account

Liverpool signed Bradley Barcola from PSG for an initial 106 million pounds (125 million euros), with up to 17 million pounds more in bonuses and a 4.3 million pound solidarity payment to Lyon. The contract runs five years. The 23-year-old Frenchman is the third most expensive signing in the club's history, behind Isak and Wirtz. The context is the interesting part: at PSG last season he scored 13 goals with 7 assists in 49 matches, but he was left out of the Super Cup squad and skipped over for the first three league rounds. In other words, Liverpool paid more than 100 million pounds for a player his own club had stopped picking. This is a market where the price has long since stopped reflecting minutes on the pitch, and started reflecting how urgently somebody needs a winger - and after Salah left, Liverpool needed one very urgently.

Platini wants Infantino out: "I always knew he loved money and power"

Former UEFA president Michel Platini has publicly called on Gianni Infantino to resign as head of FIFA. The complaints are specific: extra breaks in World Cup matches, a 30-minute half-time in the final, and lifting the suspension of American striker Folarin Balogun after an intervention by Donald Trump. On top of that comes the plan to let private investors take an ownership stake in part of FIFA. Platini says Infantino will not fall through sporting institutions: "If UEFA wants to bring him down, it will be through the courts." UEFA, together with CONCACAF and the Asian confederation, is preparing a complaint for "disloyal management" under Swiss law and is looking for a candidate for the March 2027 elections in Morocco. Is this a battle of principle or a settling of scores between two men with a long history? Platini himself was a candidate for the same post until fraud charges caught up with him - he was only cleared in August 2025.

Tikveš took a point off Vardar with ten men, and could have had more

In Kavadarci the reigning champions scraped a 1:1 against Tikveš, against a side that played more than an hour a man down. The hosts went ahead in the 21st minute, when Ibrahima Fall out-jumped everyone in the box and headed home. Four minutes later Laval caught Filip Najdovski with an elbow, VAR reviewed it and referee Grujoski produced a straight red. Vardar equalised in the 40th minute through captain Azer Omeragić, from a David Babunski cross. And that was that. In the second half with the extra man Vardar created no pressure - Tikveš were the more dangerous side, Besar Gudžufi hit the crossbar in the 57th minute, and Fall was blocked at the last moment in the 84th. Kavadarci grabbed a point with ten players and have every right to regret not taking three. This is round five of the first league and the champions are already dropping points on grounds where they cannot afford to.

Miovski on his way out of Rangers: Feyenoord and Gençlerbirliği want him

Macedonian international striker Bojan Miovski is on his way out of Glasgow Rangers. The club's message is clear enough without a statement: he did not make the squad at all for the last match. In the closing days of the window, Dutch side Feyenoord are interested and talks are already under way, while Gençlerbirliği have come in from Turkey. For a player who was among the sharpest finishers in the Scottish league at Aberdeen, the year at Rangers turned into a seat on the bench. The gap between the two offers is not small: Rotterdam means the Eredivisie and European football, Ankara means more minutes and less light. The Macedonian national team needs a striker who plays every week, not a striker with a good name and an empty statistical profile.