With Lionel Messi and Jude Bellingham starring at the World Cup, here are firsthand accounts from those who got an early ...

When the World Cup’s biggest superstars are not chasing glory on the pitch, they are at home chasing after their dogs, just like any mundane pet owner. It can be hard to relate to the soccer phenoms ...

The Argentine superstar is one of just four athletes to have joined the three-comma club while still active in their ...

Lamine Yamal was named the 2025–26 La Liga player of the season, breaking Jude Bellingham’s record as the youngest player in history to win the award. In a season where Barcelona were far and away the ...

The 2014 World Cup Final changed Lionel Messi forever and shaped the player who would later achieve football immortality.

As part of our buildup to the 2026 FIFA men’s World Cup in the United States, Canada and Mexico, we are publishing excerpted chapters from The Soccer 100, The Athletic’s definitive book on the 100 ...

Pablo Zabaleta shared his thoughts on the role he expects Lionel Messi to play for Argentina at the 2026 FIFA World Cup.

Lionel Messi is one of the world’s best soccer players and plays for Argentina at the 2026 FIFA World Cup. Read about his ...

Get to know the partners of the 2026 World Cup stars, including Lionel Messi's wife, Antonela Roccuzzo, and Cristiano Ronaldo ...

Who is the FIFA president, and what has he done since taking over from the disgraced Sepp Blatter a decade ago? Talking to ...