By Tim Stannard

1) Ginger beard / blonde hair combo not dampening Leo Messi's spirits as pre-season starts

The arm-twisting from the good people of Argentina to haul Leo Messi back into the international fold is going to have to be fairly severe by the looks of it. Little Leo appears as happy as a pig with a passport on the fields of Barcelona's training ground in England. 

Barca held their first session on Monday evening after flying in from the Catalan capital and are expected to undertake two training sessions on Tuesday, with Messi continuing to smile from ear to Argentinean ear with the knowledge that crushing sporting disappointment and overwhelming psychological pressure will only be with his club for the foreseeable future.

2) Andre Gomes in town to complete signing as tug-of-war begins for Vietto 

Back at Barca basecamp and the arrival mat for incoming Andre Gomes is being laid out. The Valencia midfielder is due to be formally put on display at the Camp Nou on Wednesday after coughing for the club doctor on Tuesday. 

The Portuguese playmaker's contract details have eked into ether and they include a $16m bonus to Valencia should the footballer ever win the Ballon d'Or. 

However, it's not all good news for the Catalan club as Barca have reportedly missed out on a transfer target. Atletico's Argentinean forward, Luciano Vietto, was rumored to be heading off to the Camp Nou for another year of bench-sitting. However Sevilla have swooped in and taken the striker on loan from the Rojiblancos with an option to buy.

Or have they? The Catalan press are reporting on Tuesday that Barcelona are making a last-ditch effort to convince the Argentinean that the Camp Nou bench can be very comfy indeed.

3) James hopes to return to Zizou's good books as Jese looks for exit 

Another footballer with blonde ambitions is set to make the news on Tuesday too with James Rodriguez due to join the Real Madrid training camp in Montreal, along with Sergio Ramos and Luka Modric. 

The Colombian midfielder is not exactly in Zinedine Zidane's good books having largely been a spectator last year - literally - however he is claiming manfully that he wants to work his way back into the Frenchman's circle of trust.

Although James looks set to stay at the Santiago Bernabeu barring a heck of a surprise - or the arrival of Paul Pogba - Jese is reported to be looking at his next destination after hints from the club that his main role next season would be as squad-filler, after the arrival of Alvaro Morata.

4) Gio longs for Mexico return as Hull City start urgent hunt for new boss 

Giovani dos Santos is missing those fun days in the international Mexico fold when El Tri get hammered 7-0 by Chile, and has declared that he would like a return one day. 

The LA Galaxy striker claims that it was his own decision to miss out on the Copa America Centenario but would like to return to the warm embrace of Juan Carlos Osorio. 

EPL outfit Hull City have begun the hunt for the replacement for Steve Bruce who resigned rather abruptly last Friday. Former Everton manager, Roberto Martinez, is said to top the short-list for the Tigers.

Gianni Infantino has already gotten a grasp on the world of football politics. The current FIFA president has declared that Africa would get at least two extra spots in the World Cup should his plans to expand the tournament from 32 countries to 40 come to fruition. 

The Italian is currently awaiting questioning from FIFA's ethics investigators after allegedly breaking the organization's code of ethics, a charge which apparently includes billing his laundry to FIFA. 

5) Last ditch efforts to ready Rio Olympic Village for start of games 

As is traditional in the days ahead of any major international sporting event, the news is rarely good. The latest concerns the state of the Rio Olympic village with the start of the 2016 games just days away. 

The Rio organizing committee has admitted that more than half of the buildings set to house the incoming athletes have yet to undergo safety tests.

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The life philosophy of Sports Burst is that if you are not upsetting someone, then you are not trying hard enough. SB is a daily trawl and troll through the morning's sports news to bring you fact-nuggets to make you both smile and swear. Hopefully at the same time.