Lionel Messi surprises former Man United youngster Angel Gomes with shirt swap request

Former Manchester United captain Gary Neville has stressed the importance of the club getting their next managerial appointment correct, insisting they must source somebody that can offer "belief" to the players.

Conor McGregor admitted he felt very “horny” after realising he had topped Forbes’ list as the highest-paid athlete for 2021.The UFC legend reportedly received a mammoth total earning of $180million (£133million) last year, comfortably beating the likes of Lionel Messi (£96million) and Cristiano Ronaldo (£88million) in second and third, respectively.The 32-year-old also edged NFL’s Dak Prescott and NBA superstar LeBron James, who completed the top five, while tennis star Naomi Osaka was the highest-paid female athlete in 12th.And while being that wealthy could trigger a number of different emotions, a prideful McGregor took to Twitter to bizarrely announce the news evoked other feelings.McGregor initially posted a cryptic tweet without any context which left fans understandably baffled.He simply wrote: “Guys, I’m horny”.The Irishman then elaborated, tweeting: “I’m the number 1 highest paid Forbes athlete this year. I horn.”McGregor is known for being a shrewd business mogul, capitalising on his popularity as a UFC fighter through trash-talking and launching various enterprises.Do you think Conor McGregor is a better businessman than he is a fighter? Let us know in the comments section.Want to be on the ball with all of the latest football news?Well then sign up for the brilliant Daily Star football email newsletter!From the latest transfer news to the agenda-setting stories, get it all in your email inbox - don't miss a thing.It only takes a matter of seconds.Simply type your email address into the box at the top of this article and hit 'subscribe'.And that's it, job done.

Manchester United chief Richard Arnold is reportedly eyeing Ajax’s Erik ten Hag as the next permanent manager. United have been linked with a wide range of different managers since Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s sacking in November, with former Tottenham boss Mauricio Pochettino being one of the most prominent candidates.

Kylian Mbappe delighted Paris Saint-Germain fans as he scored a late winner against Rennes on Friday night - but replays showed how frustrated Lionel Messi was in not receiving the ballThe former Barcelona player brilliantly sent the striker through down Les Rennais’ right-hand side and Mabppe finished with aplomb to give PSG all three points. Indeed, at the Parc des Princes, the 23-year-old netted in the 93rd minute, netting past Dogan Alemdar from a tight angle.But replays showed how Messi did not immediately go to join his teammates in celebration, and evem appeared quite annoyed at not getting the ball back in what he deemed to be a more advantageous area.

Paul Scholes and Glen Hoddle have suggested Ralph Hasenhuttl should be in the frame to be the next permanent Manchester United manager.

Social media is becoming an important tool for footballers, and gives players a large platform to communicate with their fans across the world. Some use their platform to achieve good, such as Marcus Rashford and his Twitter campaign to end child hunger, whilst others may use it in a more negative way, such as Joleon Lescott “pocket tweeting” a picture of a new car just hours after his side lost 6-0. Footballers are increasingly addicted to Instagram, and the top players in the world have built up followings bigger than the clubs they play for.

Mauricio Pochettino will target a sensational move for England striker Harry Kane if he is appointed as Manchester United manager this summer - according to reports.

A number of supporters have reacted to the news that members of the Manchester United first-team squad want the club to install Paris Saint-Germain chief Mauricio Pochettino as their next permanent manager.

Cristiano Ronaldo's mother Dolores Aveiro gifted the Pope a shirt of his son's after a visit to the Vatican City. The Manchester United star’s mum met the head of the Catholic church on Wednesday morning.

Manchester United players want Old Trafford bosses to step up their pursuit of unsettled Paris Saint-Germain boss Mauricio Pochettino.The Express report several senior members of the United squad are understood to be keen on working under the former Tottenham manager. And while interim boss Ralf Rangnick remains a fan of Ajax’s Eric Ten Hag and will have the biggest say in the recruitment of the next manager, the players’ views have been noted.

Ralf Rangnick at the end of this season, along with Mauricio Pochettino and Brendan Rodgers.

Cristiano Ronaldo and Mauricio Pochettino could trade places this summer as Manchester United and Paris Saint-Germain brace themselves for some serious changes.United will need to appoint a new permanent manager in the coming months with interim head coach Ralf Rangnick's temporary deal set to expire at the end of the season, and Pochettino has been the frontrunner for some time.Meanwhile, reports suggest that Ronaldo already wants out of Old Trafford despite only returning to the club in August, with a move to Paris now looking likely.The French giants are preparing for life without Kylian Mbappe, who has reportedly agreed to join Real Madrid in the summer, and are considering replacing him with Ronaldo, according to the Mirror.The switch would see the 37-year-old lining up in the same team as eternal rival Lionel Messi for the very first time.Speculation surrounding the Portugal international's unhappiness in Manchester has intensified ever since the Red Devils were dumped out of the FA Cup on penalties by Championship side Middlesbrough on Friday.Ronaldo missed a number of chances during the game, including a penalty, and has now failed to find the back of the net in four matches, and is now one game away from his longest goal drought in over a decade.With United out of the Carabao Cup and trailing league leaders Manchester City by 19 points, the only piece of silverware Ronaldo can now hope to pick up this season is the Champions League.Which club would benefit most from this swap? Let us know what you think in the comments section below...As for Pochettino, United made an approach for him in November following the sacking of Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, but prying him away from PSG mid-season was always going to be tough

Lionel Messi after claiming that winning FIFA's The Best award is "more important" than winning the Ballon d'Or.Messi narrowly pipped Lewandowski to a record seventh Ballon d'Or title back in November despite a sizeable proportion of fans believing the Polish striker had done enough to win.Instead, Lewandowski was crowned FIFA's The Best Men's Player last month, with Messi coming in second."I have been thinking lately and I have come to the conclusion that the FIFA award is more important," the Bayern Munich star told a Polish magazine, as per Marca."Only journalists vote for the Ballon d'Or, there is no clear verification.

Chelsea star was not selected for the Atlas Lions' recent African Cup of Nation squad due to an ongoing dispute with national team head coach Vahid Halilhodzic.The North African nation tumbled at the quarter-final stage of the competition, losing 2-1 after extra-time to a Mohamed Salah-inspired Egypt.When quizzed on where it all went wrong, Morocco's manager stood by his decision to snub Ziyech, categorically ruling out any chance of the wing wizard returning to the national team fold."The players I have selected are the best in the country," Halilhodzic told reporters in the aftermath of Morocco's AFCON exit. "I don't select a player who can unbalance the group."Not even if his name is Lionel Messi.

Manchester United target Declan Rice has revealed he preferred Liverpool legend Steven Gerrard over United great Paul Scholes.

Manchester United's search for a new head coach is continuing as the season progresses, with Ralf Rangnick assuming control of the team in the meantime.

Talk centred around who will be Manchester United’s next manager continues to dominate discussions.

Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi have secured their legacies as two of football’s greatest-ever players. But when it comes to free-kicks, the superstar duo cannot claim to have the same level of dominance.A statistical ranking of the top goalscorers from direct free-kicks has revealed that neither of football’s global icons have made it into the top three, although Ronaldo and Messi are as close as ever in terms of their contributions.Ronaldo has scored just one direct free-kick from his last 90 attempts, dating back to the 2017-18 season when he was at Real Madrid.Barcelona legend Messi, now at Paris Saint-Germain, has been more prolific with a dead ball situation, scoring eight times since the start of the 2019-20 campaign.Seven-time Ballon d’Or winner Messi, 34, can hang his hat on the half-century of free kicks he has whipped over the wall in his illustrious career.

Lionel Messi was finally able to don his iconic No.10 shirt for the first time since his summer switch to PSG on Monday night.The French giants faced off against OGC Nice in a Coupe de France clash on Monday night.And with competition rules stating that all players in the starting XI have to line up in shirts numbered between 1 and 11 with substitutes not permitted to wear a shirt number over 25.That bizarre rule, plus Neymar's absence, opened the door for Messi to wear his favoured digits once again.But his joy was short-lived after PSG were sent crashing out of the competition on penalties in a humbling defeat.Mauricio Pochettino's side were unable to find a way past Nice, with the scores level at 0-0 in Paris.Messi did, at least, notch his penalty to fire PSG into an early lead in the shootout.

Mauricio Pochettino has already told close friends of his what his intentions are ahead of the summer. That is amid reports that Manchester United have made the Paris Saint-Germain boss their top target to come in and take the job at the end of the season.

Manchester United's pursuit of highly-rated youngster Endrick could be at risk after the Brazilian's latest admission.