Lionel Messi embarrasses Gary Lineker in new advert as Barcelona greats fight over packet of cheese and onion crisps

• Lionel Messi stars alongside Gary Lineker in latest Walkers crisps advert
• Barcelona player shows off table football skills to embarrass presenter
• Messi joins likes of Lionel Richie and Spice Girls to appear with Lineker
• Lineker split with Danielle Bux last month after six years of marriage

Gary Lineker has starred alongside Lionel Richie, Paul Gascgoine and the Spice Girls during his 20-year love affair with Walkers.

But the Match of the Day presenter has surely landed his biggest ever co-star, fighting over a packet of cheese and onion with Lionel Messi. 

The world's best footballer appears in the latest advert from the crisp giant, marking their new sponsorship deal with the Champions League.

Lineker like Messi played for Barcelona during his successful career, spending three seasons at the Nou Camp and scoring 42 league goals.

But the Englishmen's achievements at the Catalan club are dwarfed by Messi, who has scored more than any other Barcelona player, netting 269 goals in La Liga alone.

Lineker does however hold the advantage over the Argentine in terms of World Cup goals, with 10 to Messi's five. 

The 55-year-old presenter ended his six-year marriage with Danielle Bux last month but the two still remain on good terms.

Lineker was spotted with the 36-year-old Welsh model on Holiday in West Hollywood and looked happy despite the split.

But the former Leicester and Tottenham striker has had a far longer union with Walkers, celebrating 20 years association with the crisp manufacturer last May which included meeting up with the cast of his first ever crisp advert.

Speaking at a celebration of the two-decade union Lineker said: 'Who would have thought that 20 years after the first ever ad, I'd be back in Leicester with some of the original cast.

'It was a great experience reminiscing about the day and recalling the questionable fashion and hairstyles!

Since 1995 Lineker has starred in more than 100 adverts for the crisp tycoons based in his home city of Leicester.

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Chelsea are open to discussing new deal with John Terry, confirms Guus Hiddink

Chelsea boss Guus Hiddink insists John Terry may still be offered a new deal to stay at the club with the Blues open to discussing a new contract with the 35-year-old.
The former England captain revealed last week that he was set to leave Stamford Bridge at the end of the season after the Blues intimated that they would not renew his contract.
Terry has won four league titles during his 18 seasons at the club and was a key figure during the Blues’ title-winning campaign last term.
And Hiddink, who is unsure whether he will extend his own stay at the club beyond this summer, has suggested that Terry could still be handed a new deal.

It was sad by John [the announcement],’ said Hiddink. ‘He is entitled to his decision after his contract ends – at the end of the season he can make up his mind.
‘On the other hand, and I don’t want to overvalue this, there is the club side who still wants to have the open dialogue and open door.
‘It was surprising that he did it. There was no specific decision made. It is early, you have to see what is going on with the transition of the manager as well.’

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Messi to meet Afghan fan, 5, photographed in plastic bag jersey

Five-year-old Murtaza Ahmadi was photographed wearing a homemade replica jersey of his favourite player made out of a striped plastic grocery bag and marker, a photo that sparked a social media storm.

CTVNews.ca Staff
It will be a dream come true for a little boy in Afghanistan who will meet his soccer idol, Barcelona player Lionel Messi, thanks to a plastic bag.

Five-year-old Murtaza Ahmadi was photographed wearing a homemade replica jersey of his favourite player made out of a striped plastic grocery bag and marker, a photo that sparked a social media storm.

Afterthe image went viral, the boy was located in the town of Jaghori, the Afghanistan Football Federation has confirmed they will arrange a meeting between the boy and his soccer hero.

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Wenger: No late Arsenal signings - unless Messi turns up!

The Gunners boss says he is "99 per cent sure" that his side won't bring in any new players on deadline day and has revealed that it is possible Mathieu Debuchy could leave\
Arsene Wenger is "99 per cent sure" that Arsenal will not make any last-minute signings in the transfer window - unless Lionel Messi becomes available.
The Gunners brought Mohamed Elneny to north London in January in what has proved to be an otherwise quiet transfer period for the Premier League club.
Wenger does not expect to be heavily involved on deadline day but admitted he cannot rule out last-minute deals should exceptional players suddenly become available.
"The whole period was much quieter than I expected," he told the media. "I'm one of the few who has done more business. I told you we'd do at least one transfer, I'd have been open to one more but there's a rarity of players on the market.
"A miracle can always happen. I'm 99 per cent sure [of no signings]. If Messi knocks at my door at ten to six, I won't say 'please go back to Barcelona'."
Wenger confirmed Mathieu Debuchy and Serge Gnabry could both still leave on loan deals, with the France international likely to stay in the Premier League and Gnabry poised for a move to the Championship.
"Debuchy is still a possibility but, at the moment, it doesn't look like it. It's impossible to conclude a permanent move now," he said
"We have to decide today [on Gnabry]. It's between two Championship clubs. I want to give him some competition because he didn't play at West Brom."
Wenger went on to refute rumours that Jack Wilshere has suffered a setback in his recovery from injury and says the England international could return within the next month, while Tomas Rosicky will undergo a scan on Monday.
"The only problem we have is Rosicky. It's a thigh problem - how deep it is we don't know, we'll know much more after the scan today. The situation is quite positive," he said.
"It's wrong. He's looking quite good, I must say," he added when asked about the Wilshere report. "Overall I had a short chat with [England manager] Roy Hodgson and reassured him he is progressing well. I'm a bit cautious but I would say four weeks."
Arsenal were thrashed 4-0 by Southampton in December and Wenger is looking for a response on Tuesday as they look to bounce back from a narrow defeat to Chelsea.
"They gave us a rough time at Southampton and we have an opportunity to put that right. It's a big moment in the season, every game is important. We want to take advantage of the fact that we play at home," said the 66-year-old.
"They were dominant in the duels and we came out of a very tough game with City. We were unlucky with three goals in terms of the decisions of the referee, but we don't have to look for an excuse. Our performance on the day was not good enough.
"The defeat against Chelsea was very unlucky. Our energy level, our commitment, our quality was very good. There were a lot of positives."

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Wenger Confirms Injured Arsenal Star Will Return In 4 Weeks + Welbeck Update

Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger dismissed reports suggesting Jack Wilshere has suffered another injury setback and claims the midfielder is set to return in around 4 weeks.
Wilshere is yet to make a single appearance this season after suffering a hairline fracture to his fibula just before our Community Shield clash with Chelsea at the start of August and was ruled out until the New Year following surgery.

A proposed comeback just before Christmas was postponed after the 24-year-old suffered a setback in training and Wilshere was subsequently ruled out until the end of February.
Fans were left fearing the worst when speculation on Monday suggested the midfielder had suffered yet another setback that supposedly put Wilshere’s entire season in jeopardy as well as his participation in this summer’s European Championships.
However, Wenger has played down those reports by insisting that Wilshere is progressing well and while the boss remains cautious over rushing him back too soon, he feels Jack should be back playing with the first team in four weeks.
One player who is a lot closer to making his comeback is Danny Welbeck after he returned to full first team training last week after finally recovering from a knee injury that he sustained way back in April 2015.
Wenger has confirmed that the attacker will play for the under-21 side this week in order to build up his match fitness before he’ll be in contention for a return to the first team squad.
Speaking at his pre-match press conference ahead of our game with Southampton on Tuesday night, Wenger is quoted as saying by Arsenal.com:

on Jack Wilshere…
He is looking good. I had a short chat with Roy Hodgson about him and reassured him that he is progressing well. I’m cautious but I will say four weeks [until he is back].
on Danny Welbeck…
Danny has not played since April 2015 and will have to go through a game or two with the under-21s, where we can monitor him and leave him free to play at his level of commitment. That looks to be very soon, maybe this week.

The Wilshere news will come as a huge relief as it would have been devastating for Arsenal, and of course the player himself, had he suffered another setback that could have ruled him out for the rest of the season.
If Wenger’s estimation is correct, then we could see Wilshere back at the end of February and if he makes good progress over the coming weeks, then there is a chance he could feature in our huge Premier League game against Manchester United on the 28th.
As for Welbeck, it looks as though he’ll turn out for the under-21′s this week and if all goes smoothly, we could see him finally make his return to the first team fold in early February.

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BARCELONA 2-1 ATLETICO MADRID: MESSI & SUAREZ SEE OFF TITLE RIVALS' NINE MEN

Koke capitalised on a strong start for Diego
Simeone's men but it soon fell apart as the Barca
duo struck for the lead and both Filipe Luis and
Diego Godin were sent off

Barcelona took a large stride towards the title as they
came from behind to beat the nine men of Atletico Madrid
2-1 and strengthen their position at the top of the Primera
Division table.
The visitors started strongly and took the lead through
Koke within the first 10 minutes but Lionel Messi equalised
on the half-hour mark by finishing off a sumptuous team
move.
Luis Suarez then picked up on a long pass from Dani Alves
just eight minutes later, expertly holding up the ball before
finishing cleverly through the legs of goalkeeper Jan
Oblak.
From there, it got worse for Atleti as Filipe Luis was
shown a straight red card for a dreadful tackle on Messi
before half-time even arrived and, though Antoine
Griezmann was inexplicably denied a goal by Claudio
Bravo just after the break, Diego Godin picked up a second
yellow midway through the half for an irresponsible
challenge on Suarez.
With Atletico thoroughly defanged, Barca probed in search
of further goals but were made to settle for what looks
like a significant victory in the Spanish title race

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ARSENAL 2-1 BURNLEY: CHAMBERS AND SANCHEZ SEND GUNNERS THROUGH

Arsene Wenger's men avoided an FA Cup shock
as they came through a tricky test to secure a
narrow victory at the Emirates

Goals from Calum Chambers and Alexis Sanchez saw
Arsenal progress to the fifth round of the FA Cup with a
2-1 win over Burnley.

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Liverpool transfer news: Shakhtar midfielder Alex Teixeira has a €70m release clause, claims Sergiy Palkin

Teixeira's future is set to be one of the central narratives of
the remaining days of the transfer window.

Shakhtar Donetsk general manager Sergiy Palkin has told
Liverpool that they are in no hurry to sell Alex Teixeira in
January and any club who are desperate for his services are
welcome to meet his release clause, which stands at €70m
(£53m, $75m). The club confirmed that Liverpool have
made a €32 (£24m, $35m) plus €4m (£3m) bid for the
midfielder which has already been rejected by the Shakhtar
board.
Liverpool chief executive Ian Ayre had flown all the way
down to Florida to initiate negotiations with Shakhtar, but
to no avail, as the Ukranian club stuck to their decision to
hold on to Teixeira until at least the end of the summer. The
Red Devils are likely to return with a new offer for the
Brazilian midfielder but Palkin's comments look ominous for
the Reds, who are yet to make a first team addition thus far
this window.

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Arsenal fans tricked into believing made-up player has snubbed Chelsea to join them

Arsenal fans would do anything to get a few
more deals over the line during predictably
quiet transfer windows.
In a cruel prank conducted by
talkSPORT, several Gooners were tricked into
believing their club had signed a made-up
player as the January window draws to a
close.
Supporters were even told that fictional
character ‘Fernando Wwirst’ had snubbed
bitter rivals to complete a move to the
Emirates.
To be fair to the gullible fans who fell for the
trick, many Chelsea supporters also fell hook
line and sinker for the joke before the two
London sides clashed on Sunday.
Rather depressingly, many were even filmed
taking selfies and getting shirts signed
by Fernando.

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Robin van Persie to Chelsea: Former Arsenal and Manchester United striker linked with Blues

Chelsea have been linked with an unlikely move to bring former Manchester United striker Robin van Persie back to the Premier League.

The 32-year-old, now with Fenerbahçe, scored 144 goals in England with Arsenal and United but has struggled to acclimatise to life in Turkey.

According to the Daily Express, the Blues have made Van Persie their second-choice target should the prospective loan move for Corinthians forward Alexandre Pato fall through.

The former Brazil international is expected to sign a six-month loan deal at Stamford Bridge before the FA Cup trip to face MK Dons on Sunday afternoon.

Loic Remy, meanwhile, is due to leave the capital on a short-term deal with Newcastle emerging as the leading candidates to sign the Frenchman after Crystal Palace elected to pluck Emmanuel Adebayor from the football wilderness. 

A free agent after leaving Tottenham in September, the Togo striker joins Alan Pardew’s men on a deal worth about £75,000-a-week.

The former Tottenham man said: “I was born playing football in Africa so it was hard not playing. I just have to get out there and enjoy myself again.

“Whatever the team want to achieve I will follow them - I want to help them win games and that’s what I’m here for. They’re not far from the top five and that’ll be difficult to reach as there are a lot of big games to play, but let’s get out there, have fun and enjoy ourselves. 

“Anyone will tell you that when I’ve had momentum I’ve always been laughing, so let me laugh and bring that into the dressing room and hopefully the team will follow and we will get on well together.”

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Man Utd to review Van Gaal on per-game basis amid mounting uncertainty

Manchester United manager Louis van Gaal’s position at the club is set to be reviewed on a game-by-game basis and the Dutchman will be in charge for the Red Devils’ FA Cup fourth round tie at Derby County on Friday, according to reports in the Guardian.

The scrutiny has increased on Van Gaal after another limp showing at the weekend against Southampton led to United slumping to their sixth defeat of the season which left them five points off fourth place, which is currently occupied by Tottenham Hotspur.

Van Gaal was allowed a two-day break after the Southampton game during which he reconsidered his position after it was understood the 64-year-old offered to resign in the immediate aftermath of the Saints loss. The Dutchman took training on Tuesday upon his return and also discussed his situation with the club’s executive vice-chairman, Ed Woodward.

Woodward – who previously twice rejected Van Gaal’s offer of resignation, the latest of which was after United endured their worst-ever December in the club’s 138-year history – is short of options to replace Van Gaal and is keen to wait until the summer to make an overhaul.

The have been noises regarding Jose Mourinho’s interest in the Man Utd job but the fact he has been ignored so far is a reflection of the fact Woodward doesn’t fancy the Portuguese. For now though, it appears Van Gaal will be in charge of the Derby game, and if the situation changed, assistant manager Ryan Giggs is expected to take over the reins for the short term.

A defeat to Derby would likely spell the end of Van Gaal’s tenure at the club, but if United manage to negotiate the tie and beat the Rams, Van Gaal’s position will then be reviewed after the Stoke City game in the Premier League next Tuesday. The lack of any outstanding candidate to replace Van Gaal at this stage of the season has been believed to be a key factor in the Dutchman still finding himself in the Red Devils dugout.

Among the candidates under Woodward’s consideration, only Mourinho and former Chile managers Jorge Sampaoli and Marcelo Bielsa are unattached, while the likes of Diego Simeone, Pep Guardiola, Mauricio Pochettino and Gary Neville are all under contracts.

Meanwhile, the players have been left in a state of limbo under the cloud of uncertainty over Van Gaal, and the sense is that the manager’s authority is receding with each limp performance. Whether they turn up at their 100 percent for the Derby game is the big question now, with a defeat almost certain to be Van Gaal’s final act at the club.

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Luis Enrique admits Barcelona were fortunate to win at Malaga

Barcelona coach Luis Enrique admitted his side were fortunate to take all three points from a difficult game at Malaga.

The coach gave a scathing assessment of his team's first-half display, even though Munir El Haddadi's close-range finish gave them the lead after just 64 seconds.

Juanpi levelled for the hosts later in the first half, while Lionel Messi volleyed in shortly after the break to give Barca a 2-1 win that temporarily takes them back to the top of the Primera Division.

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