By John Solomon
How the government's punishing of the exposure of official wrongdoing can linger for years
Lionel Messi's Barcelona season may be over because of a reoccurrence of a hamstring injury that has slowed him for more than a month.
Fresh off a second straight drubbing of the once-mighty Barcelona, Bayern Munich was voted the top team in the Associated Press global soccer poll for the sixth straight week.
After dominating the first legs of their Champions League semifinals, Bayern Munich and Borussia Dortmund lead the latest Associated Press global soccer poll.
Lionel Messi started for Barcelona despite injury worries but looked far from his best and was hardly a factor in the match. Barcelona had few chances, while Bayern used its size to outmuscle the Spanish side on set pieces.
In a brief statement, the club said Tuesday that "the player has been given the medical all-clear," and he was later named up front in the starting lineup.
Any professional soccer player who doesn't want to take on Manchester United should change jobs. United manager Alex Ferguson would surely say the same to any player of his who didn't relish the challenge of being part of the team that everyone wants, or should want, to beat.
Lionel Messi will miss Barcelona's Spanish league match this weekend because of a hamstring injury, but may play in the Champions League return leg against Paris Saint-Germain.
Lionel Messi came out of Barcelona's Champions League quarterfinal at Paris Saint-Germain at the start of the second half Tuesday night after injuring his right hamstring.
Lionel Messi has come out of Barcelona's Champions League quarterfinal at Paris Saint-Germain at the start of the season half because of an apparent leg injury after scoring his 57th goal of the season.
Barcelona received the maximum points in AP's global soccer rankings on Tuesday, with the team's striker, Lionel Messi, coming close to top marks.
No team copes with as much day-to-day drama as Barcelona. Think of the Yankees during owner George Steinbrenner's salad days in New York, then multiply all that tabloid attention worldwide.
Barcelona won 4-2 on aggregate after a spectacular second leg in the last 16, entering the record books as the first team to rescue a 2-0 first-leg loss without having scored an away goal.
Cristiano Ronaldo surged to the top of the AP's latest global soccer rankings on Tuesday, thanks to decisive goals for Real Madrid in La Liga and the Champions League.
Rafael Nadal wasn't too worried about playing on a hard court Monday night.
With nine goals in one week, Bayern Munich dislodged Barcelona from the top position in The Associated Press global soccer rankings.
"I will return soon, thankfully it was not so serious," Messi said on his Facebook page. "We are so sorry for Masche (Mascherano), we will give our support."
"I hope," he added, "Tuesday will be the day I can score my first goal against an Italian team from open play."
