"My condolences" - Lionel Messi sends message to Morocco's earthquake victims

Argentina captain Lionel Messi sent a message to the Morocco earthquake victims as he uploaded a photo on his Instagram story.

The African country has been struck by a shocking natural disaster and according to BBC, the death toll has risen over 2000. Messi has now sent his condolences to the victims, joining Cristiano Ronaldo, who has also sent a message on social media.

The Argentina captain wrote:

​

"My condolences to all the families of the victims of the schism in Morocco and all the strength to the injured and the people who were affected by the terrible catastrophe."

Lionel Messi is currently on international duty with Argentina. He scored in the previous game against Ecuador as La Albiceleste started their 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifying campaign with a win.

Joe Cole compares Arsenal's Bukayo Saka with Lionel Messi

Arsenal star Bukayo Saka is currently one of the best young players in European football. He has been simply phenomenal for the Gunners and is one of the main protagonists of Mikel Arteta's team.

Joe Cole recently compared the left-footed youngster with the likes of Messi and Mohamed Salah. After England's UEFA Euro 2024 qualifier against Ukraine, Cole said (quotes as per Metro):

"You can’t defend [against Saka] because he’s got this ability like Lionel Messi where he takes it backwards. So the defender, you can stop him but he takes it back and he’s still got the ability to whip it with so much power. There’s only a few [players] – Mo Salah’s got it, Lionel Messi’s got it and Bukayo Saka’s got it. When he gets in that position, he’s clinical."

Messi is the benchmark for any left-footed attacker in the world. For a youngster like Saka, it's possibly a massive honor to be compared to Messi.

​