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In total there are 275,012 classic motorcycles, defined as bikes over 30-years old, on UK roads, with an additional 349,793 motorcycles declared as Sorn (Statutory Off-Road Notification), for a total of 624,805. Honda tops the list of makers with 35,894 registered bikes. British manufacturers complete the podium places with 28,713 BSAs and 26,142 pre-1992 Triumph motorcycles. Norton and Velocette are the other British makers making the top-ten with 10,441 and 6189 on the road respectively with the big three Japanese makers and BWM taking the remaining places. It was the C90 from Honda’s historic line-up that is the most prevalent classic model with 1278 scooting about. It is also the most likely classic to be Sorned with 4035 of them squirrelled away in garages across the country. Triumph’s iconic Bonneville is the runner-up with 891 examples with the Lambretta GP 150 taking third with 659 running bikes.

Music Title: Leyth - Vestibule Signer: Adam Sahel Release Date: 11 Apr 2021 Official YouTube Link: nformation About the Signer: Your Opinion About the Track (Music Video):

Today I'm te Birthday of my friend AND good modertor @Toji HAPPY BIRTHDAY BRO ❤️🥰🎁

Music Title: ISSAM - Babylone (Official Audio) Signer: ISSAM Release Date: 6 May 2021 Official YouTube Link: Information About the Signer: - Your Opinion About the Track (Music Video): -

While universities in the United States might be the first to include courses and units on popstar Taylor Swift’s legendary lyrics, Europe is swiftly catching up with the University of Ghent in Belgium launching its own Taylor Swift-inspired literature course. The course titled “Literature: Taylor’s Version” — a reference to the singer’s re-recorded album titles — will be taught by British professor Elly McCausland. Due to start in the fall, it will be added to the master’s degree in language and literature. McCausland, who is also the author of the blog “Swifterature”, which compares the popstar’s themes, imagery and use of language to prolific writers like Sylvia Plath, Charles Dickens and William Shakespeare, told The Guardian that she has never received so many emails from excited students asking if they can take the course. “And actually, non-students as well, people who are not part of the university and who want to participate in some way,” she said. The professor pitched the idea of a Swift-centered elective — first of its kind in Europe — after the singer’s lyrics drew a parallel with the English literature she had long studied. “Highly prolific and autobiographical in her songwriting, Swift makes frequent allusions to canonical literary texts in her music,” the class syllabus explains. “Using Swift’s work as a springboard, we will explore, among other topics, literary feminism, ecocriticism, fan studies, and tropes such as the anti-hero. Swift’s enduring po[CENSORED]rity stems, at least in part, from the heavily intertextual aspect of her work, and this course will dig deeper to explore its literary roots. ” Freedom Sale In Swift’s song The Great War McCausland saw a resemblance to how Plath spoke about war and battle to convey her pain in the poem Daddy, while the singer’s Mad Woman and the story it tells about patriarchy and mental health saw echoes of Charlotte Perkins Gilman’s short story The Yellow Wallpaper. “What I want to do is show students that although these texts might seem inaccessible, they can be accessible if we look at them from a slightly different angle,” McCausland told the outlet. “So, Shakespeare, in some way, is actually addressing a lot of the same questions as Taylor Swift is today, which seems crazy. But he is.” But Swift isn’t the first pop star to attract the attention of academia. Before this, Beyoncé’s visual album “Lemonade” and its relationship to Black feminism was unpacked by the University of Texas in an English Literature course. The University of Copenhagen too began offering “Beyoncé, Gender and Race”. However, McCausland’s course has not been received well by everyone, with critics calling it frivolous and silly. But, in general, the atmosphere has been cordial with many people enthusiastic about it. “There’s been only a couple of outright critical voices, and that only really reaffirms what I’m trying to do — even the hate mail I find quite wonderful, to be honest! I mean, don’t print that quote as in ‘send more hate mail’ please,” she told CNN. https://indianexpress.com/article/lifestyle/life-style/taylor-swift-inspired-literature-course-belgian-university-8894922/

Music Title: Diib - Rocks D Xebec (Prod. Trxxble) Signer: Diib Release Date: 13 Oct. 2021 Official YouTube Link: Information About the Signer: - Your Opinion About the Track (Music Video):

Artist: STORMY Real Name: STOR Birth Date /Place: May 31, 1997 Age: 24 Social status (Single / Married): - Artist Picture: Musical Genres: TRap Awards: - Top 3 Songs (Names): Moonlight , DO YOU BELEIVE , Can't Let You Go Other Information: Ali Gatie, who is managed by SAL&CO since May 2020 [3] started pursuing a music career at the age of 18 and started to record in 2016. This decision later caused him to drop out of university where he was studying business.[2] In 2017, he won an online RhymeStars competition hosted by Joe Budden. After releasing a string of singles in 2018, he was signed by Warner Records.[4] The song "Moonlight" would turn out to be his first commercial success, garnering nearly 14 million views on YouTube. However, the release of "It's You" in June 2019 would become his mainstream breakthrough;[5] an "explosive streaming story", as of December 2019, it had exceeded 650 million streams.[6][7] On 8 November 2019, Gatie released his debut EP, You. A 12-minute film accompanied the release, which included seven new songs.[8] A snippet of Gatie's next single "What If I Told You That I Love You", released on the video-sharing social networking app TikTok, went viral, amassing over 20 million engagements. Released in January 2020, the single was described by Rolling Stone as "a breezy, springtime-fresh midtempo track" and peaked at number 36 on Billboard's Hot Canadian Digital Song Sales Chart. In 2021, he was nominated for three Juno Awards for Artist of the Year, Album of the Year and Juno Fan Choice. The awards are due to be held on June 6, 2021.

Grand Army is an American series created by Katie Cappiello, adapted from her 2013 play Slut. The series follows the story of five high school students as they struggle with sexual, racial and economic politics and fight to succeed and become somebody. "Five students at the largest public high school in Brooklyn take on a chaotic world as they fight to succeed, survive, break free and seize the future."

Liverpool have completed a £35m deal to sign midfielder Alexis Mac Allister from Brighton on a five-year contract. The fee could rise to £55m for the Argentina playmaker, who helped Brighton finish sixth in the Premier League this season to qualify for Europe for the first time. The 24-year-old scored 20 goals in 112 appearances for the Seagulls and helped Argentina win the 2022 World Cup. "It's a dream come true and I can't wait," said Mac Allister. "I wanted to be in [from] the first day of pre-season, so it's good that everything is done. I'm looking forward to meeting my team-mates. "It was a fantastic year for me - World Cup, what we achieved with Brighton - but now it's time to think about Liverpool and try to be a better player and a better human being every day." 'He never hides' - new Liverpool signing Mac Allister Get Liverpool news notifications Listen to the latest The Red Kop podcast Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp is looking to reinforce his midfield with James Milner, Naby Keita and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain all leaving Anfield this summer. They were priced out of a move for Borussia Dortmund's England teenager Jude Bellingham, who looks set to join Real Madrid after the clubs agreed a 103m euro (£88.5m) fee. Mac Allister joined Brighton from Argentinos Juniors in January 2019 and immediately went back to the Buenos Aires club on loan. He has played 16 times for Argentina and emerged as a key player during their third World Cup triumph in December. Having sat out their opening defeat by Saudi Arabia, he started the next six games and starred in the final against France. "Since I won the World Cup, I said that I want to win more trophies and I think that this club will help me to do that," said Mac Allister. "That's the aim and when you are in a big club like this one you have to win trophies. I can see how big this club is - the players we have, the staff, everyone. I'm really pleased and looking forward to playing for this club." Mac Allister thanked Brighton on Instagram, writing: "It's time to say goodbye to the club that opened the doors for me and gave me such amazing moments. "I never thought I was going to live what I have lived in these three and a half years, but this club gave me that opportunity and I'll be forever grateful. "I don't have any doubts that this team is going to achieve many important things, because they have the football skills and human quality to do it. "I'll always watch you and support you. Thanks a lot Seagulls, you will always have a special place in my heart!" 'Another smart and impressive deal' - analysis Mandeep Sanghera, BBC Sport Liverpool have been renowned for pulling off some impressive deals and this looks like another one. They have brought in a player who was key to helping Argentina win the World Cup and who has gone from strength to strength in the Premier League with Brighton - helping the south-coast club into the Europa League. Mac Allister was Brighton's leading scorer in the top flight this season and his ability to play in all positions across midfield, along with his game intelligence, were big factors in the Reds moving for the player. Liverpool are also starting what should be a summer rebuild of their midfield. A number of players in that position are leaving and adding in a high-quality addition like Mac Allister will excite fans and bodes well for the future as the Reds look to bounce back from a disappointing season. Julian Ward, who is leaving as the club's sporting director this summer and being replaced by Jorg Schmadtke, led on securing the deal for Mac Allister with the football operations team. Ward has now handed over to Schmadtke, who will take the lead on all transfers. https://www.bbc.com/sport/football/65842033

Music Title:ISSAM - babylone Signer: Issam Release Date:6 mai 2021 Official YouTube Link: Information About the Signer: - Your Opinion About the Track (Music Video): -

Nick Movie: Fate ; Sniper the white raven Time: July 1 2022 Netflix / Amazon / HBO?: Netflix Duration of the movie: - Trailer:

1. Mierea nu expiră niciodată. 2. Meduza Turritopsis Nutricula este singurul organism nemuritor de pe Pământ. 3. Inima balenei albastre este atât de mare încât oamenii pot înota prin arterele sale... 4. ...Şi totuşi, gâtul balenei nu este mai mare decât un crenvust. 5. Fiecărei persoane din lume îi sunt repartizate 1,6 milioane de furnici, iar greutatea totală a tuturor furnicilor din lume este egală cu greutatea tuturor oamenilor de pe planetă. 6. Caracatiţele au câte trei inimi. 7. La origine, Feng Shui-ul era arta de a alege un loc potrivit pentru înmormântare. 8. Pe Saturn şi pe Jupiter plouă cu diamante. 9. Aşa ar arăta cerul văzut de pe planeta noastră dacă Saturn s-ar afla la aceeaşi distanţă de Pământ precum Luna: http://www.ziaruldeiasi.ro/data/_editor/terra%20saturn.jpg 10. În corpul uman se găsesc de 10 ori mai multe bacterii decât celule. 11. Probabilitatea ca în apa pe care o bem să existe încă o moleculă de apă care a fost băută cândva de un dinozaur este de aproape 100%. 12. Frankenstein era numele creatorului, nu al creaţiei. 13. Pisicile de mare au 27.000 de papile gustative, de patru ori mai multe decât fiinţele umane. 14. Aşa arată nisipul văzut la microscop: http://www.ziaruldeiasi.ro/data/_editor/nisip%20la%20microscop.jpg 15. Bolurile în care sunt ţinuţi peştişorii aurii sunt, de fapt, cele mai nocive locuri pentru aceştia. 16. Lectura în lumină slabă sau la lumina făcută de ecranul calculatorului nu are, de fapt, efecte negative asupra vederii. 17. Universitatea din Oxford este mai veche decât Imperiul Aztec. 18. În Cipru, Moş Crăciun se numeşte Basil. 19. Nimeni nu a reuşit vreodată să îmblânzească un elefant african. 20. În imaginea din stânga apare o lumânare care arde pe Pâmânt, iar în cea din dreapta este o lumânare care arde în lipsa gravitaţiei, văzută la staţia spaţială Mir: http://www.ziaruldeiasi.ro/data/_editor/lumanare.jpg 21. Lipsa somnului ne face să vedem inamici peste tot în jurul nostru.

Like other animals in the Costa Rican jungle, Pardo the ocelot was in a car accident. This is how the local community responded to help him. On the roads of Costa Rica, animals travel just like cars. Completely unprotected by the public infrastructure that invades their territory, especially where the main road from Nicaragua to Panama converges with an important biological corridor, they become victims of urban advance on protected natural areas. It was there that Pardo, the ocelot, received a severe accident. In April 2022, an emergency call was received at the Alturas Wildlife Sanctuary veterinary clinic, where an ocelot (Leopardus pardalis) had been seriously injured by a vehicle, abandoned in the middle of the road. The team followed the rescue protocols to receive it: they named it "Pardo", and they prepared the ocelot for its rehabilitation, since it had a serious head injury. The rescue center has a special enclosure, totally isolated in the jungle, separated from humans so as not to establish abnormal connections. The juvenile ocelot entered at an early age of six months; orphaned and injured, various tests had to be complied with to determine the natural health and corresponding behaviors of a predator in order to decree its release into the wild. That's why he had to be under supervision for almost a year. A team effort has been made in complete union: from the veterinarian with the medical tests, the animal caretaker with the behavior protocols, to the supervisor with the coordination of the entire program. Nearly 2 thousand rescued animals Despite the fact that almost 2,000 animals have been rescued since it opened in 2014, the percentage that has been able to be monitored has been minimal, since the monitoring equipment and tracking tools are highly expensive. Being a non-governmental organization, funds are not guaranteed and the center is highly dependent on donations to continue research for long-term projects. Cristina Azzopardi is a specialist in environmental sciences and biodiversity conservation. As the person in charge of managing operations at Alturas Wildlife Sanctuary, she emphasizes the urgency of monitoring species affected by human conflict: "IN THE FIRST INSTANCE, IT GIVES US NEW PERSPECTIVES ON THEIR BEHAVIOR: WHAT THEY ARE DOING, WHERE THEY ARE MOVING, WHAT THEY ARE AVOIDING... WE CAN EFFECTIVELY PROTECT THEIR ENVIRONMENT, ATTACK LEGISLATION AND TRY TO IMPROVE CERTAIN ASPECTS", EXPLAINS THE SPECIALIST IN AN EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW FOR NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC IN SPANISH. Threatened animals that enter the facilities of the Alturas Wildlife Sanctuary, in southern Costa Rica, generally arrive badly injured. Specifically in the tourist area of Bahía Ballena, the main causes are: Run over (37%) Electrocutions (8%) Orphaned animals (12%) Attacks by pets (11%) Confiscations (17%) Others (15%) When establishing an evaluation overview with all the different scenarios, it is essential to determine the critical points and causes where the largest number of injured animals are found. 'Pardo', the ocelot: symbol of rehabilitation and hope for wild cats In order to ensure the safety and fullness of Pedro Pardo, the help of different organizations was needed. One of them being Osa Conservation, which focuses its projects on research and conservation of endangered species such as the protection of sea turtle nests, monitoring of king vultures and tapirs. Both organizations pooled their knowledge and experiences to achieve deeper, broader and more efficient results, as well as investigate the most appropriate and safe area for their release. These cats need tracts of land from 2 to 43 square kilometers, far from civilization and roads to avoid conflicts with human beings. Being the first time that a rehabilitated wild cat, previously close to death, has been tracked, Pedro Pardo means a world of opportunities for future research on its behavior, distribution ranges and the discovery of its unique role in the jungle ecosystem. From his tracking, information was collected through the GPS collar, connected to a location program to process essential information. “MONITORING THE OCELOT IS A PILOT CASE, BECAUSE IT IS THE FIRST TIME WE HAVE MONITORED AN ANIMAL WITH GPS. BY HAVING EVERYTHING ON RECORD, WE WILL BE ABLE TO COMMUNICATE THAT INFORMATION WITH OTHER ORGANIZATIONS SO THEY MAY HAVE THE TOOLS TO CONTINUE WITH THESE PROTOCOLS. IN THE END, WE ALL HAVE THE SAME PURPOSE: TO PROTECT WILDLIFE,” EXPLAINS THE SPECIALIST IN AN EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW FOR NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC IN SPANISH. 4 keys to restore endangered species According to the WWF 2022 “Living Planet” nature report, there has been a 69% decline in po[CENSORED]tions of species – mammals, reptiles, birds, fish and amphibians – in animal trends monitored since 1970. Different types of conservation efforts are needed to halt the continued loss of biodiversity. In the same study, the researchers emphasize observing them with different technologies (radio tracking, camera traps, GPS collars) to devise solutions to the complex problems they encounter. Not all animal releases are success stories, until results of their survival are obtained, even if they have received the necessary medical treatment and rehabilitation. Based on the information collected with these tracking techniques, the Osa Conservation team of scientists has been able to calculate with more precision the indicators of success on survival and different perspectives on the incorporation back into the wild, depending on the species. Generally, success is measured by the following parameters: Feeding Reintegration into his herd or group, being a social animal reproduction in the wild Caring for the young until they reach adulthood From a rehabilitative point of view, the affirmation of progress or possible complications is necessary to conclude that the efforts have been worthwhile. In this way, rehabilitation protocols and future releases can be complemented and adapted to continue conserving different species. “THE KEY IS IN COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT AND EDUCATION. PEOPLE ARE INTRIGUED AND INVOLVED WITH LEARNING THE IMPORTANCE OF CONSERVATION; ESPECIALLY BECAUSE THESE UNFORTUNATE SITUATIONS CAN BE PREVENTED FROM THE START”, CONCLUDES AZZOPARDI. Alessandra de Zaldo is a Mexican photographer based in Budapest. She studied at the Active School of Photography. She was an intern at Alturas Wildlife Sanctuary for over a year, and there she confirmed her passion for the conservation of endangered species. She is now a regular contributor to National Geographic en Español. https://www.ngenespanol.com/animales/pardo-el-ocelote-que-habla-por-su-especie/

ghghghghghghghghghgh Chkoon Bèal a w9 Matnssaniche ana 😉

Lionel Messi: The evolution of the greatest footballer of all time The way his first coach tells the story, the kid wasn’t even supposed to be on the pitch. It was his older brother’s game. They were a player short. Salvador Aparicio looked over at the stands and saw a small boy playing by himself, in private communion with the ball. When he asked his mother if he could borrow him, she said he didn’t know how to play football. The first time the game came his way, sure enough, the kid stood stock still and watched the ball roll by. Moms make the best scouts. But the second time — Aparicio remembered this many years later — the ball hit his left leg and something happened. Picture lightning shooting up a tiny spinal column, if you want. Unplumbed regions of the brain glittering like fireworks in the dark. Choirs of angels cranking a heavenly spotlight to shine on this one particular patch of dirt in a working-class neighbourhood in Rosario, Argentina. Whatever makes it make sense to you: the gift was just there. “He controlled the ball and took off diagonally across the middle of the pitch, dribbling,” said Aparicio. “He dribbled past anyone in his path.” There’s a video of the coach telling this story as an old man, fluttering his hand like a fish whipping through water. Then he stops talking and pulls a face that can only be described as a kind of shrug, as though even at the end of his life he was still struggling to accept the cosmic logic of what came next. “I was screaming, ‘Shoot! Shoot!’” Aparicio said. “But he couldn’t do it. He was too small.” The greatest player ever to kick a ball wasn’t ready to do the thing he was put on this Earth to do. The gift was there even before his left foot was. The Dribbling Winger It’s not just that he blows through four or five opponents straight from kick-off. It’s the quick, choppy steps, the light kiss of the ball with the outside of his left boot to send a defender sprawling in the dirt before skipping around him. He’s running at the speed of the ball, letting it roll under his body so that every little half-stride is a threat to slice sideways or burst forward. The style is unmistakable. Even back then, he refused to go down. Most dribblers will stop and start, lean, lunge, twist, turn and, sooner or later, get knocked off balance. The better the dribbler, the more risks they take in tight spaces; the greater the risk, the harder defenders punish them for it. Messi just kept running. He stayed low to the ground, using those quick little steps for control and windmilling his forearms for balance. By age 12, he was dragging would-be tacklers behind him like an NFL running back. You know who else dribbled like that? Diego Armando Maradona, the manic Argentine god of football mischief, the most beloved player ever to wear his country’s blue and white. Off the pitch, the shy kid from Rosario couldn’t have been more different from the brash Buenos Aires idol, but on it their similarities were uncanny: two short, sturdy, left-footed dribblers with shaggy hair and the same driving style, the delicate close control, slaloming through thickets of violence to create impossible goals. In the 1986 World Cup quarter-finals against England, the year before Messi was born, Maradona scored a goal that’s widely considered the best ever. He picked up the ball in Argentina’s own half, just outside the centre circle, and finished some 70 yards and five humiliated opponents later when he rounded the goalkeeper and tapped the ball into the open net. Any football fan can close their eyes and run the tape: the spin move, the long dash, the weaving in and out, the shot a split-second before his legs were swept out from under him. A fever dream of a goal. Nobody had seen anything like it. And then, improbably, everyone did. In the spring of 2007, Messi — still a teenager but already a star, enjoying a breakout season with Barcelona — pulled off a goal against Getafe that felt like a shot-for-shot remake of the Maradona original. He eviscerated two defenders in his own half. Took off at a dead sprint without ever losing control of the ball. Cut inside, swerved outside, rounded the ’keeper, the whole shebang. Imagine picking up a paintbrush one weekend and accidentally recreating the ceiling of the sistin chaper. Aparicio, the youth coach who once borrowed a boy from the stands and witnessed his first miraculous dribble, watched him come of age on TV. “The other day I saw him score this goal — they say it was like Maradona,” he told an interviewer. “I think he is better.” He looked away for a moment and his voice started to quaver: “When I watch him play like that, I cry. You understand?”. The False Nine Some players are born to score goals. Others set them up. Most play further back, passing and moving to help get their team upfield. Every once in a while you’ll see a prodigy who can do it all, dreaming up attacking moves they are good enough to construct and finish themselves. Check the back of that player’s shirt and chances are they’ll be wearing the No 10. Back when football squad numbers were first assigned by position, the No 10 belonged to the inside left forward — the natural slot for a right-footed playmaker. Formations evolved over decades, but the No 10’s role stayed more or less the same: he worked behind the striker, between the opponent’s lines, creating and scoring in the most crowded part of the pitch. Due to the sheer difficulty of the job, the shirt itself came to be a sort of honour. Pele wore it by accident, after Brazil forgot to assign kits at the 1958 World Cup, but he helped seal the No 10’s association with greatness. Maradona, with Argentina, refused to wear anything else. Messi didn’t get the No 10 when he joined Barcelona. That belonged to the reigning best player on the planet, Ronaldinho, a Brazilian playmaker who lined up as a winger but led the attack with so much verve and imagination that it would have felt wrong to see the shirt on anyone else. The teenage Messi’s job was to be a dribbling, goalscoring gremlin on the opposite wing, the electric guitar punctuating Ronaldinho’s lead vocals. His first professional goal came from an ingenious Ronaldinho scoop over the back line that Messi brought down in the box, then lobbed over the goalkeeper’s head to complete a double rainbow. In 2008, the summer Messi turned 21, Ronaldinho left Barcelona and a new coach named Pep Guardiola gave the No 10 shirt to his young right winger. It was a turning point in Messi’s career. Otherworldly highlights wouldn’t be enough anymore — he needed to be the star around whom the whole system would spin. At first, Messi interpreted the playmaker role as the wing-like Ronaldinho did, cutting inside behind the centre-forward Samuel Eto’o to undo defences. He had a stellar first season under Guardiola, scoring and assisting more goals than all but two players in Europe’s top five leagues — and one of those two was Eto’o, enjoying a career year thanks to Messi’s largesse. Messi and Eto’o were told to start in their regular positions, but eight minutes into the game they would switch places: the centre-forward out wide to the right, the playmaker into the middle. The idea was to scramble Real Madrid’s central defenders, who couldn’t just sit deep to protect the goal but would now have to decide when to follow Messi into midfield. This unusual attacking role — neither a traditional No 9 in the box nor a No 10 behind a striker — was known as a “false nine”. The gambit worked better than anyone could have hoped. Messi assisted Barcelona’s first goal in that Clasico by luring a centre-back out of the back line and shovelling a pass to Thierry Henry in the space behind him. He scored two more himself and generally terrorised the Madrid defence up the middle en route to a 6-2 win. Guardiola was so pleased that he tried the position swap again a few weeks later in the Champions League final against Manchester United, and Messi — the shortest player on the pitch — secured the trophy with a striker’s header in the box. His false-nine era had begun. As he gradually became a full-time centre-forward over the next few years, Messi went supernova. We’re talking absolutely bonkers. In the first eight decades of La Liga to that point, its record for goals scored in a season was 38, shared by Telmo Zarra in 1950 and Hugo Sanchez in 1990. From 2009 to 2013, Messi averaged — averaged! — more than 40 league goals per season, peaking at 50 in 2011-12, while at the same time assisting the second-most goals in the top five European leagues. He won the Ballon d’Or, the award for the best player in the world, four years running. After taking home every trophy they competed for in 2008-09, Barcelona won La Liga three out of the next four seasons, topping things off with another Champions League in 2011. Sir Alex Ferguson, the legendary Manchester United manager unlucky enough to go up against Barca in both those Champions League finals, called them the best side he’d ever faced. The secret to all this success was that Messi was holding down two jobs at once. Barcelona’s “tiki-taka” possession game was led by a telepathic midfield trio — Xavi, Andres Iniesta and Sergio Busquets — who had been practising the same pass-and-move principles since childhood in the club’s academy. When Messi dropped off the front line, he made a natural fourth midfielder at the tip of a diamond, just as intuitive as the other three at pinging short passes around in tight spaces. Together, these four outnumbered and outclassed opposing midfields, passing their way straight up the heart of the pitch and swarming to recover lost balls so quickly that it felt like the other team were just there to watch. The reason most teams don’t use their centre-forward as a spare midfielder, of course, is that they need them to be in the box, scoring goals. Messi’s genius was that he could do both. He played like a midfielder in the build-up, accounting for eight per cent of Barcelona’s pass attempts in open play, but somehow always found a way to finish moves around the penalty spot, scoring up to 50 per cent of the team’s open-play goals at his false-nine peak. He scored every way you can imagine, plus a few you probably couldn’t, but two finishes in particular became signatures during Messi’s false-nine years. One was the running chip, which usually happened when he dropped off and centre-backs pushed up behind him, leaving naked grass in front of goal. One way or another — sometimes on the dribble, sometimes running in behind for a through-ball — Messi would break free and run right up to the goalkeeper, waiting for him to get low to try to smother the ball before flipping it insouciantly over his head and running off with two fingers pointed to the sky.

Today is a special day for our friend @WiZzArD! I hope you have a good time on this special day for you and your family. And Keep Dawn Smoking Cannabis ❤️