ANAN WORLD OF FOOTBALL

 UEFA Champions League, PSG vs Bayern Munich Match Today Highlights: Paris Saint-Germain’s dismal form continued as it lost 1-0 at home to Bayern Munich on Tuesday in the first leg of their round-of-16 Champions League clash. A third straight loss made it five defeats in 11 games this year for PSG coach Christophe Galtier’s team. ayern winger Kingsley Coman volleyed home inside the penalty area from Alphonso Davies’ left-wing cross in the 53rd minute. The Paris-raised Coman, who PSG sold to Juventus when he was 18, held his hands up to show he wasn’t celebrating scoring against his former club — again. When Bayern won the last of its six Champions League titles in 2020, it beat PSG 1-0 with Coman heading home the winner. World Cup superstar Kylian Mbappé made an unexpectedly quick recovery from injury and had two would-be goals disallowed for offside after coming on in the second half. The return leg is on March 8. PSG was eliminated by Real Madrid in the last 16 last season. ...

Lionel Messi signed his first Barcelona contract on a paper napkin Almost everyone uses a paper napkin, throws it away, and forgets about it, right? Barcelona were definitely not throwing this paper napkin away after use, though. On December 14th 2000, they had just formally signed 13-year-old Lionel Messi. This was an on-the-fly decision by ex-Barcelona player and then-Barcelona executive Carles Rexach, at a restaurant with Josep Maria Minguella, a player agent who had brought some players to Barcelona, Joan Gaspart, president of Barcelona at the time, and Messi’s contact in Spain, Horacio Gaggioli, threatened to offer the Argentine to Real Madrid, who were also interested. So Rexach used a paper napkin that was handed to him by a waiter and wrote: “In Barcelona, on December 14, 2000 and in the presence of Messrs. Minguella and Horacio, Carlos Rexach, Technical Secretary of F.C.B. is committed under his responsibility and despite some opinions against signing the player Lionel Messi a...

 Cancelo made 16 league starts for City this season but has not played for the club since their derby loss to Manchester United earlier this month, missing the last three games. He started only three of 10 games after the World Cup break and lost his place to Nathan Ake while 18-year-old Rico Lewis also emerged as an option for manager Pep Guardiola this season. “We’ve signed him on loan now and have the possibility of signing him permanently in the summer,” said Bayern’s sports director Hasan Salihamidzic. “Joao is a player we’ve been thinking about for a while now because we very much appreciate his qualities. He’s the optimal fit in our system with his attacking style of play and dynamism, and his mentality and experience fit very well in our team.” Cancelo has been instrumental for City since his arrival in 2019, winning two league titles, while he was also named in the Premier League Team of the Year in the past two seasons. The versatile 28-year-old has predominantly played a...