Lionel Messi makes first Barcelona appearance since transfer u-turn - in pictures


  • English
  • Arabic

Lionel Messi played the first half of Barcelona's pre-season friendly win against Gimnastic Tarragona on Saturday evening - his first appearance since deciding to stay at the club.

Messi, 33, spent much of the shortened off-season attempting to engineer a move away from the Camp Nou but ultimately decided to stay after the clause in his contract that would allow him to leave for free proved invalid.

The Argentine, who remains none too happy with the club's board and in particular president Josep Maria Bartomeu, has been quickly reintegrated into the team by new manager Ronald Koeman.

After returning to training last week, Messi started the 3-1 friendly win over Gimnastic at the Johan Cruyff Stadium.

Ousmane Dembele opened the scoring on his first appearance since November, before Antoine Griezmann and Philippe Coutinho, who was returning after his loan spell at Bayern Munich, each scored penalties either side of Javier Bonilla pulling one back for the visitors.

But Messi's return was perhaps the biggest plus for Koeman, who was taking charge of his first game since being appointed manager last month.

Messi, who has entered the final year of his contract, also led the team out wearing the armband after Barcelona had confirmed earlier on Saturday that he will continue as captain this season.

Both club and player appear keen to put on a united front, at least for now, ahead of their return to La Liga later this month.

The photo gallery above features all the best photos from Messi's appearance in the pre-season game against Gimnastic. To move on to the next slide, click on the arrows, or if using a mobile device, simply swipe.

Innotech Profile

Date started: 2013

Founder/CEO: Othman Al Mandhari

Based: Muscat, Oman

Sector: Additive manufacturing, 3D printing technologies

Size: 15 full-time employees

Stage: Seed stage and seeking Series A round of financing 

Investors: Oman Technology Fund from 2017 to 2019, exited through an agreement with a new investor to secure new funding that it under negotiation right now. 

Countdown to Zero exhibition will show how disease can be beaten

Countdown to Zero: Defeating Disease, an international multimedia exhibition created by the American Museum of National History in collaboration with The Carter Center, will open in Abu Dhabi a  month before Reaching the Last Mile.

Opening on October 15 and running until November 15, the free exhibition opens at The Galleria mall on Al Maryah Island, and has already been seen at the Jimmy Carter Presidential Library and Museum in Atlanta, the American Museum of Natural History in New York, and the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine.

 

F1 The Movie

Starring: Brad Pitt, Damson Idris, Kerry Condon, Javier Bardem

Director: Joseph Kosinski

Rating: 4/5