Lionel Messi will celebrate his 600th start for Barcelona on Saturday in what his manager Ernesto Valverde hails as "a monstrous" achievement.
The five-time Ballon d'Or winner becomes only the third player to reach the milestone for the Catalan club after ex-playmaker Xavi Hernandez (767 appearances) and the current captain Andres Iniesta (642).
In his 599 games since 2004 theRead more
Barcelona coach Ernesto Valverde warned against snap judgements on his side and Juventus' Champions League aspirations despite losing key players in the transfer market.
The sides meet in their competition opener on Tuesday (1845 GMT) in a rematch of a quarter-final clash won 3-0 on aggregate by Juventus last season.
Barca are still coming to terms with the loss ofRead more
Barcelona star Lionel Messi shied away from making major promises for the coming season Thursday, pledging only to do his "best" under new coach Ernesto Valverde.
Messi said he was not familiar with Valverde's style, but voiced cautious hope.
"Well, I say the exact same thing I say all the time," he said at the team's celebration of a newRead more