Black cat invades the pitch at Barcelona's season opener (VIDEO)

Lately invaders on the the soccer pitch have become an annoying part of the game. And, after a succession of hairy, naked idiots interrupting play, fans were bound to see another furry little critter taking his turn at 15 minutes of fame. 

But this little uninvited interloper was a black cat. 

During Barcelona's opening La Liga match versus Elche this adventurous black feline — a creature that many associate as being a bad omen — held up the game for over a minute.

And social media, as always, quickly reacted to the incident.

'4 | Er is beeld van de indringer. Vooralsnog heeft hij dit seizoen meer laten zien dan Messi. #barelc https://t.co/uSFG8knYMH
— 433LIVE (@433LIVE) August 24, 2014

There was no such bad luck for top cat Lionel Messi and Barcelona. His team won, 3-0.

Japanese researchers invent amazing air-hockey robot you can't beat

Researchers at Chiba University in Japan have developed an air-hockey-playing robot that's smart enough to recognize how you're playing it, adjust its game, then own you.

An explanation from the IEEE (Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers):

“Basically, the robot observes the speed and position of the player's paddle in relation to the puck. This data can be described by what is known as a Motion Pattern Histogram (MPH). The robot uses this data to estimate whether its opponent is playing aggressively or defensively. Over the course of the game, the robot can detect these MPHs in real-time and compare them with reference patterns to help it figure out what you're doing.”

I wonder how long it took these scientists to develop an arcade-bot with the defensive skills of Henrik Lundqvist and about as chatty as Bill Belichick.

Remember when the Japanese invented that robot goalie who shut down Lionel Messi?

Better hurry before they start invading your local Dave & Buster's.

Lionel Messi gets beat by robot goalkeeper (VIDEO)

Lionel Messi may seem like a machine on the soccer pitch but when it comes to facing Japanese technology, the world's greatest soccer player is merely human.

The Barcelona striker has been nearly unstoppable this season — as his 57 goals will attest — but Japanese computer geeks have come up with a goalkeeping robot that can apparently stop Messi in his tracks.

Messi took on the mechanized man (well... more like a giant flipper) on a game show broadcast on Japanese TV this weekend and couldn't wipe the wide smile off the bot's face.

The Argentine scoring machine took three penalty shots at the grinning goalie and was stuffed two times before the 82 mph kick on his third try deflected off the robotic goalie's hands and bounced into the net.



In Messi's — and Mankind's — defense, the first spot kick seemed to be wide and his second attempt hit the upright. Still, managers in La Liga would love to know this robot's secret of intimidation.

Artificial Intelligence 1.  Human race 0. And the Takeover continues.

Lionel Messi shows off new tattoo dedicated to infant son

Lionel Messi's left foot might be considered the the most expensive body part in the world of soccer. He  already has a $5.25 million solid gold replica of his foot for sale in Japan, but that's only a fraction of the worth to him of the two little hands the soccer star just had tattooed on his slightly less valuable left calf.

Messi — arguably the best soccer player in the world — showed off his new tattoo of what is assumed are the hands of his first-born child along with the four-month-old boy's name —Thiago

Yesterday, the Barcelona star tweeted photos of himself getting the ink job done in what looks like make-shift tattoo parlor in a high-rise building.

Maradona's infamous handled goal at the 1986 World Cup made the "Hand of God" famous but Messi, who has four Ballon d'Or titles, five La Liga titles and three Champions League winners' medals on his resume and is considered the greatest soccer player ever to play by many — now has his own Hands of God.

It might not have the drama or be as catchy as Maradona's phrase, but it probably wouldn't bother Messi.

Solid gold cast of Lionel Messi's foot goes on sale for $5.25 million

Lionel Messi already has a couple of Golden Boots lying around, so what better than to add foot to go along with the collection.  Well, someone finally has.

A pure gold, life-size replica of the Barcelona soccer star's left foot was unveiled in Tokyo Wednesday.  The 10-inch tall homage to the prolific scorer's foot weighs about 55 pounds and is valued at $5.25 million.

Dr. Scholl would be so proud.

In a video message, Messi said he was honored to have his foot cast with the precious metal.

Messi's brother, Rodrigo Messi, who attended the presser for the unveiling of the golden foot, called the replica remarkable.

"You can see each line on the foot," he marveled. "It's an impressive piece of work."

The gold foot was created by Japanese jeweller Ginza Tanaka who was inspired by the soccer star's achievements on the pitch.

Messi's foot was cast in Spain at the end of 2012 and brought back to Japan to pour the commemorative piece of art.

The foot — whose toes could buy every Odor Eater® ever manufactured — will go on sale Thursday, and will come with an official certification issued by the Leo Messi Foundation, which helps children at risk around the world.

No word if Rex Ryan is on the short list of buyers.

Argentina To Face Brazil In Soccer Match at MetLife Stadium

Argentina's national soccer team will play an exhibition game against Brazil at MetLife Stadium this spring.

The June 9 match-up pits Brazil— the sixth-ranked team in the world— against 10th-ranked Argentina which is led by Lionel Messi.

Yesterday, Messi was awarded the FIFA Golden Ball as soccer's best player in the world.  It was the third year in a row the Argentine player received the honor.  FIFA is the sports international governing body.

It is likely that Messi, who faced the U.S. with the Argentina team on March 26 at MetLife Stadium, will return for the game against Brazil.

Brazil faced the U.S. in a friendly in August 2010 after the World Cup.

Argentina will also play exhibitions against Saudi Arabia, Switzerland and Germany, according to the team's website.  A statement by the team did not say which players would participate in the matches.

International soccer matches at MetLife  Stadium have been huge draws in the tri-state area over the past few years.  This friendly should be unique and another big time attraction.

Mike Lamping, chief executive officer of the company that oversees MetLife Stadium, had no comment.

The East Rutherford, N.J. stadium is also hosting the Super Bowl in 2014.