Monday, October 21

Tag: Real Madrid

Kylian Mbappe’s transfer status: Free to talk to clubs, Real Madrid’s deadline, PSG’s stance
2Jan By adminNo Comments
Sports

Kylian Mbappe’s transfer status: Free to talk to clubs, Real Madrid’s deadline, PSG’s stance

Today, as we begin 2024, Kylian Mbappe enters the final six months of his contract with Paris Saint-Germain (PSG), which means he will be able to negotiate with clubs who are interested in signing him on a free transfer at the end of that deal.Aged 25, Mbappe is already a World Cup winner, runner-up and Golden Boot winner, and widely recognised as one of the finest football players on the planet. His future has also been the subject of frenzied and protracted speculation with the Frenchman frequently flirting with Real Madrid and falling out with PSG.At some point in the near future, Mbappe will have to decide whether to extend his contract in Paris (something he declined to do last summer), sign for Madrid (something he came mightily close to doing in the summer of 2022) or move somewher...
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One year of Cristiano Ronaldo in Saudi Arabia
31Dec By adminNo Comments
Sports

One year of Cristiano Ronaldo in Saudi Arabia

It was one of those rare days when nothing comes off for Cristiano Ronaldo and he cannot conceal his rising frustration.An offside flag denied him a goal and a VAR intervention denied him a penalty before he sent a wild shot and two headers off target in the closing stages of a crucial game. At one stage, he wrestled an opponent to the ground and was perhaps lucky to avoid a red card. As the game slipped away, he kept grimacing, looking to the heavens in disgust, as if to ask what he had done to deserve this.It was another blow for Al Nassr’s Saudi Pro League title hopes and, walking off the pitch at the final whistle, Ronaldo heard mocking chants from the jubilant Al Hilal supporters. “Messi, Messi,” they shouted, trying to taunt him with the name of his great rival.Grinning, he twice gr...
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Champions League draw: Man City thrilled, Barca-Napoli dream tie, quarter-final predictions
20Dec By adminNo Comments
Sports

Champions League draw: Man City thrilled, Barca-Napoli dream tie, quarter-final predictions

The draw for the last 16 of the Champions League was made in UEFA’s Nyon headquarters this morning and Europe’s big guns will have largely liked the outcome.England’s two remaining representatives, Arsenal and Manchester City, were handed kind draws in Porto and Copenhagen, while Real Madrid were paired with RB Leipzig.Of the more established big guns, Barcelona face arguably the toughest task, having been paired with last season’s Italian champions Napoli.Here, our experts cast their eye over the draw and what could happen next.Which game are you most excited about?Oliver Kay: Napoli vs Barcelona. Both clubs are experiencing hangovers from last season’s title success, but what better than a tie like that to get them going? In terms of individual talent, tactical intrigue and the atmosphe...
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How they carved SC Braga’s stadium into a granite hillside
26Oct By adminNo Comments
Sports

How they carved SC Braga’s stadium into a granite hillside

The most significant of Braga’s many hilltops is the Sanctuary of Bom Jesus, a UNESCO World Heritage Site and place of pilgrimage for Christians who climb the white and gold zig-zag staircase to its doors.Six kilometres west, planted upon Monte do Castro as if a piece of Lego, sits another monument that is both incongruous yet completely natural in a way that suggests the divine played a part here too.But SC Braga’s Municipal Stadium was designed, engineered and built by man — and on Tuesday, it will host one of the greatest club sides in the world, Real Madrid.Braga will become the 152nd different club Real have played in 68 years of continental football, but never will the 14-time European champions have played at a stadium with a backdrop quite like this.At the end of the spiralling ro...
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Xabi Alonso and why everyone wants Bayer Leverkusen head coach
1Oct By adminNo Comments
Sports

Xabi Alonso and why everyone wants Bayer Leverkusen head coach

From the relegation zone to being level on points with Bayern Munich at the top of the Bundesliga, Xabi Alonso has led Bayer Leverkusen on quite the ride in his 12 months as manager. Some sort of rebound was almost inevitable given the team’s talent, but the complete change in the team’s attitude under the Spaniard has been nothing short of remarkable.Ever since the club acquired the unwanted “Neverkusen” moniker following three runners-up spots in 2002, Bayer had been a byword for underachievement and lack of resilience. Now though, they are coming back from a late goal away to serial champions Bayern to score an even later equaliser and generally play with a swagger that befits the most balanced, confident team in the league.Sporting director Simon Rolfes makes no effort to underplay th...
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