It was an odd sight to see Lionel Messi hold the jersey of a Spanish club other than Barcelona with his name and number on the back.

Lionel Messi scored one goal and laid on another for Lautaro Martinez as Argentina defeated Angola 2-0 in a friendly in Luanda on Friday that marked 50 years of the independence for the hosts. Messi’s pinpoint pass into the box from the right on 43 minutes was drilled into the back of the net by Martinez for his 36th international goal to give the visitors a halftime lead.

Argentina play just one fixture during November. Their final match of the calendar year comes against minnows Angola in a friendly on Friday, Nov. 14, with the fixture seeing them travel to the Estádio Nacional 11 de Novembro in the city of Belas. Kick-off time is 11 a.m. ET (8 a.m. PT).

Barcelona president Joan Laporta closed the door on a possible comeback of Inter Miami star Lionel Messi to the Spanish club, after the Argentinian striker made a surprising visit to the Spotify Camp Nou over the weekend for the first time since he left the city in the summer 2021.

All eyes are on Lionel Messi as the world awaits his confirmation of whether he’ll play in the upcoming 2026 World Cup. The soccer legend has now given a bittersweet update on his potential participation in the tournament,

Argentina defeated Angola 2–0 with a goal from Lionel Messi, who scored for the first time in Africa with his national team.

Messi strikes first for @InterMiamiCF! // Audi MLS Cup Playoffs pic.twitter.com/TJyxbLvK9T Nashville are a side that Messi enjoys facing as the Argentine has now scored 15 goals in his 10 appearances against them -- a number that would rank 12th in Messi's goals scored against La Liga clubs in league play during his illustrious Barcelona career.

Barcelona president Joan Laporta has downplayed the possibility of Lionel Messi returning to the club, calling it unrealistic, following the Argentine's surprise visit to the revamped Camp Nou, where he spent 21 years of his glittering career.

Lionel Messi and Inter Miami are three wins away from an MLS Cup title. Messi scored two goals and added two assists, leading Inter Miami to a 4-0 victory over Nashville SC on Saturday night.

Inter Miami's Lionel Messi hopes to one day return to Barcelona, where he spent the majority of his soccer career, he wrote Monday on Instagram.

Instead, Barcelona are taking a long-term approach to Messi’s eventual homecoming. A tribute event is expected to be held once Camp Nou’s renovations are complete but, in the meantime, Laporta is keen to erect a statue to immortalize the club’s greatest-ever player.