Kick Off: Messi prefers to be a Barca substitute; Xhaka 'refusing to apologise'

Welcome to All Football's Kick Off, we bring you all important news in the past 24 hours. Make sure you do not miss out.

TOP HEADLINES

Barca 5-1 Valladolid: Messi's 2 goals & 2 assists hand Catalans La Liga top spot

Barcelona went top of LaLiga after crushing Real Valladolid 5-1 on Tuesday, with Messi having a hand in four of the goals.

Man City 3-1 Southampton: Aguero & Otamendi fire Citizens into EFL Cup last 8

Southampton managed to restore some pride following their dismal defeat to Leicester City, but were still no match for Manchester City.

Brescia 1-2 Inter: In-form Lautaro & Lukaku send Conte's side to top of Serie A

Lautaro Martinez and Romelu Lukaku gave Inter a much-needed victory at the Rigamonti, despite a Brescia comeback.

THESE THINGS HAPPEN

Landmark! Messi scores 50th career free-kick, 44 for Barca & 6 for Argentina 💫

Lionel Messi scores his 50th goal from a direct free kick for club and country in all competitions.

Man Utd fans demand Depay return after his stunning solo goal for Lyon

Manchester United fans have demanded the return of Memphis Depay after the Dutch ace scored a stunning solo goal for Lyon at the weekend.

Modric returns to Madrid squad vs Leganes, Bale, James & Vinicius out

Real Madrid announced their La Liga squad against Leganes as Modric returns, Bale, James, Vinicius & Nacho not included.

Xhaka changes his Instagram profile photo after outburst in Crystal Palace draw

Arsenal captain Granit Xhaka has deleted a picture of himself in an Arsenal kit from his Instagram page amid his toxic row with fans.

VOICES

Guardiola: If Messi runs like in my 1st season he'd be injured every 3 months

Manchester City coach Pep Guardiola admits the hardest part of coaching is managing "a legend over 30".

Emery claims Ozil could be made Arsenal CAPTAIN for Liverpool clash

Arsenal boss Unai Emery has incredibly hinted he could name Mesut Ozil as CAPTAIN for the EFL Cup clash against Liverpool.

'I won't take this game lightly' - Lampard sends warning message to Man Utd

Chelsea boss Frank Lampard has warned Manchester United ahead of Wednesday's EFL Cup meeting: "I won't take this game lightly."

Xhaka 'refusing to apologise to Arsenal fans' and facing punishment

Granit Xhaka is allegedly refusing to apologise to Arsenal fans despite Unai Emery phoning him to convince him to do so, according to reports.

Messi: I’d rather be a Barca substitute than be replaced

For the Argentina international star, the quality of the playing time is more important than the quantity.

Solskjaer admits Chelsea's youngsters are ahead of Man Utd's

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer admits that Chelsea’s youngsters are ahead of Manchester United’s as they prepare to meet in the Carabao Cup at Stamford Bridge on Wednesday night.

Hazard confesses to Chelsea fans secret meeting behind Real Madrid transfer

Eden Hazard has revealed that he spoke with Real Madrid president Florentino Perez a year before he secured a move to the Bernabeu from Chelsea.

AF COLUMN & ANALYSIS

Longest unbeaten home runs in Europe's top 20 leagues: Anfield only No.3

Salzburg in Austria top the ranking of longest home runs in Europe's top 20 leagues with a 51-game unbeaten run. Liverpool hit a 45-game unbeaten run at Anfield to rank 3rd in the shortlist. 

All Football Power Rankings (Oct 29): Man City overtake Juve, Man Utd return

Hello again! We organize clubs of Europe's top leagues into an order that reflects the up-to-the-minute hierarchy every Tuesday. 

Chelsea new icon! Captain America Pulisic named All Football Player of the Week

Chelsea winger Christian Pulisic has been named All Football Player of the Week.

Social media giant, goal machine... 5 Ronaldo feats that are in Guinness records

The Guinness World Records is easily one of the most recognizable books in the world. Let's be honest here; all of us in our childhoods dreamed of getting our names inscribed into that book, imagining ourselves doing some super wacky antics.

VIDEO OF THE DAY

'Hola Espana, I'm coming back' - Zlatan hints he will continue career in Spain🎥