AS EXPECTED, MESSI MAKES FIFA SHORTLIST

It was not surprising that Paris Saint Germain (PSG) superstar Lionel Messi was named on the three-man shortlist for The Best FIFA Men's Player of the Year award. The Argentina skipper was one of the three players who made the shortlist. Apart from Messi, Bayern Munich star Robert Lewandowski and Liverpool forward Mohamed Salah were also named on the shortlist.

2021 was not the best year for Messi in terms of goals and assists, but it was the year that the petite magician finally managed to win an international competition for Argentina. He was the star man as Argentina ended their long wait for a major title by winning the Copa America tournament last summer. Argentina beat hosts Brazil 1-0 in the final to win the tournament with PSG attacker Angel Di Maria getting the only goal of the game for the two-time world champions.

Eden Hazard hails Lionel Messi as the 'greatest ever'

Chelsea playmaker Eden Hazard has hailed Lionel Messi as the 'greatest ever' ahead of Tuesday night's Champions League last-16 tie versus Barcelona. The Blues are due to host the Catalan giants in the first-leg and Hazard is relishing the prospect of putting in a strong performance to help his side progress further in the competition.