Messi signs deal at PSG
Lionel Messi finally signed his eagerly anticipated Paris Saint-Germain contract on Tuesday night to complete the move that confirms the end of a career-long association with Barcelona and sends PSG into a new era.
The French club said in a statement that the 34year-old Argentina star signed a two-year deal with the option for a third season.
“I am excited to begin a new chapter of my career at Paris Saint-Germain,” Messi said. “Everything about the club matches my football ambitions. I know how talented the squad and the coaching staff are here. I am determined to help build something special for the club and the fans, and I am looking forward to stepping out onto the pitch at the Parc des Princes.”
No salary details were given, but a person with knowledge of the negotiations earlier told The Associated Press that Messi is set to earn around 35 million euros ($41 million) net annually. The person said on condition of anonymity before the contract was signed.
“I am delighted that Lionel Messi has chosen to join Paris Saint-Germain and we are proud to welcome him and his family to Paris,” PSG chairman Nasser Al-Khelaifi said. “He has made no secret of his desire to continue competing at the very highest level and winning trophies, and naturally our ambition as a club is to do the same.”
It is symbolic that Messi will wear the No. 30 jersey – the same number he wore in his first two seasons with Barcelona before switching to No. 19 and then the prized No. 10, which Neymar keeps at PSG.
COLLEGE BASKETBALL
The Wisconsin men’s team is set to open the 2021-22 season Nov. 9 against visiting St. Francis Brooklyn.
UW officials released the team’s 11-game nonconference schedule Tuesday. The schedule features seven home games, three neutral-site games and one road game.
The Badgers host UW-Green Bay on Nov. 12 and then host Providence, as part of the 2021 Gavitt Tipoff Games, on Nov. 15.
UW then plays three games in the Maui Jim Maui Invitational.
The Badgers open the tournament against Texas A&M at 1 p.m. (Central) on Nov. 22. They then play either Butler or Houston on Nov. 23, with the time to be determined. They face Oregon, Chaminade, St. Mary’s or Notre Dame on Nov. 24.
After returning home, UW gets a break before facing Georgia Tech on Dec. 1 in Atlanta in the Big Ten/ACC Challenge.
UW’s final nonconference games are all at home. The Badgers face Marquette on Dec. 4, Nicholls State on Dec. 15, Morgan State on Dec. 23 and Illinois State on Dec. 29.
The Big Ten schedule has not been set, but UW has games home and away against Indiana, Michigan State, Minnesota, Nebraska, Ohio State, Purdue and Rutgers; home games only against Iowa, Michigan and Penn State; and road games only against Illinois, Maryland and Northwestern.
NFL
New Orleasn Saints cornerback Patrick Robinson is retiring despite being a candidate for a starting job.
Robinson was a 2010 first-round draft choice by New Orleans and turns 34 in September. He left New Orleans in 2015 and won a Super Bowl with Philadelphia during the 2017 season before returning to the Saints in 2018.
He’d been getting first-team snaps, with the Saints trying to fill a vacancy created when they allowed Janoris Jenkins to become a free agent in a cost-cutting move.
Coach Sean Payton said Tuesday he wasn’t expecting Robinson’s decision but understands when veterans decide during training camp they’re ready to retire.
NHL
Tony Esposito, the pioneering Hall of Fame goaltender who played almost his entire 16-year career with the Chicago Blackhawks, has died following a brief battle with pancreatic cancer, the team announced Tuesday. He was 78.
Esposito debuted with Montreal during the 196869 season and appeared in 13 games. He was then left unprotected with the Canadiens deep in goalies and taken by the Blackhawks in an intraleague draft for $25,000, an investment that paid dividends for a team that finished last in its division.
Esposito helped lead the Blackhawks to first place, showcasing his butterfly style to post a 2.17 goals-against average and 15 shutouts, still a modern record for an NHL goalie. He won the Calder Trophy as the NHL’s rookie of the year as well as the Vezina Trophy given to the top goaltender. He also won the Vezina in 1972 and 1974.