TOKYO: Barcelona star Lionel Messi on Thursday expressed hope for improved fortunes under new coach Ernesto Valverde after a disappointing year for the Catalan club.
“Whenever I start a new season there is a very clear-cut goal, which is that Barcelona would do its best,” said the Argentine wizard, who recently agreed a three-year contract extension at Barca.
“Personally I am very happy and looking forward to starting the new season,” added the newly wed Messi as Barcelona celebrated a new sponsorship deal with Japanese e-commerce firm Rakuten at its Tokyo headquarters.
“It’s a new beginning. Everything will be new (under Valverde). We are hearing a lot about his very good reputation so we will just do our best.”
While Messi avoided making bold statements for the new campaign after fierce rivals Real Madrid stormed to the La Liga and European Champions League titles last season, Barca teammate Arda Turan said: “It’s important that we are going to win all the titles this year — we can do it.”
They were joined by Neymar and Gerard Pique for the media event with Rakuten founder and chief executive officer Hiroshi Mikitani.
“The objective is always to win, whether or not I score goals,” said Neymar.
“We are a team,” added the Brazilian. “If I can score goals obviously I’ll be happy, but with Pique and Messi, and the other players score goals that’s also good. As long as the team wins I’m happy.”
Valverde replaces Luis Enrique, who stepped down at the end of a successful three-year spell in charge of Barca.
Rakuten’s four-year sponsorship deal, worth €55 million ($63 million) a year, will last through June 2021, with the option of a one-year extension.
The e-commerce giant replaced Qatar Airways, Barcelona’s shirt sponsor since 2013.
Rakuten signed the deal as it seeks to expand overseas.
The company already owns J-League side Vissel Kobe and professional baseball team Rakuten Golden Eagles.
Messi seeks fresh start under new Barca coach Valverde
Messi seeks fresh start under new Barca coach Valverde
Pakistan face arch-rivals India today in blockbuster T20 World Cup clash in Colombo
- Cricket contest takes place amid surging political tensions between India and Pakistan after their May 2025 clash
- Indian skipper Suryakumar Yadav says team will decide whether or not to shake hands with Pakistani cricketers
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan take on defending champions and arch-rivals India today, Sunday, in Colombo in a highly anticipated T20 World Cup 2026 clash between the two sides.
The Group A fixture between the two sides will not just be important for the on-field cricket action but also because of the political tensions between the neighbors. India and Pakistan engaged in a brief military confrontation in May 2025 which came to a halt after Washington brokered a ceasefire.
However, political tensions spilled over onto the cricket field when Indian skipper Suryakumar Yadav opted out of shaking hands with his Pakistani counterpart before the toss at their Asia Cup encounter last year in September. The Indian team refused to shake hands with their Pakistani counterparts in all three matches of the tournament, triggering a strong protest from Pakistan.
Tensions surged again after Pakistan’s government announced earlier this month it would not allow its team to play against India in the World Cup in solidarity with Bangladesh. The South Asian country was replaced with Scotland after it refused to play its matches in India due to security reasons. Pakistan criticized the move and announced boycotting the Feb. 15 match against India. However, Islamabad later took back its decision to boycott the match after negotiations with the International Cricket Council.
“The game should be played in real spirit, the way it has been played since it started,” Pakistan captain Salman Ali Agha said at the pre-match press conference on Saturday. “The rest is up to them (India), what they want to do.”
Indian skipper Suryakumar Yadav did not commit whether his team will shake hands with Pakistan or not on Sunday.
“Why are you highlighting that?” Yadav asked reporters. “We are here to play cricket. We will play good cricket. We will take all those calls tomorrow. We will see tomorrow.”
Political and military tensions have meant the two teams have not played a bilateral series for years.
India has not traveled to Pakistan since 2008 and Pakistan visited India for the 50-over World Cup in 2023 but has since played ICC tournaments at neutral venues.
India has defeated Pakistan 12 times in the 16 T20 games they have played. They also have an impressive 6-1 record in the eight T20 World Cup matches since the first edition in 2007, with one being tied.
“We don’t have a good record against them in World Cups,” Agha admitted. “But whenever you come to play a new match, it’s a new day and you have to play good cricket to win.
“You can’t change history. You can learn from it. We learned from it and we’ll try to do a good performance tomorrow and win the match.”
Both sides have won their two fixtures so far, with India beating the USA and Namibia while Pakistan have defeated the Netherlands and the USA as well.
The top two teams from each group will qualify for the Super Eight stage of the World Cup.
The match is scheduled to begin at 6:30 p.m. Pakistan Standard Time.
