Carlo Ancelotti must have been considering it. He must have been thinking that this would not be Vinicius Junior s night.
The hour mark was approaching, the Brazilian boy wonder had barely made an impact on this Champions League final, and on the bench there was semi-final hero Rodrygo, straining for a chance.
Heck, there was Eden Hazard too, and even Isco and Gareth Bale. For old time s sake, did they ever cross Ancelotti s mind.
There had been a first-half flicker from the 21-year-old Vinicius, when he got the better of Liverpool s Ibrahima Konate with a stealthy piece of skill in the penalty area, but Jordan Henderson read the danger and gladly conceded a corner.
But that had really been the first and last time in the first 58 minutes of play that Vini…
Dusan Vlahovic has targeted scoring 30 goals and leading Juventus to the Serie A title in his first full season in Turin, as he bids to become the first player to win the Capocannoniere (top scorer award) and the Scudetto in the same campaign since 2008-09.
Not since Zlatan Ibrahimovic top-scored with 25 league goals for Jose Mourinho s Inter 13 years ago has Serie A s top scorer played for the title winners, leading Massimiliano Allegri to joke recently he hopes Vlahovic does not win the award next term.
Vlahovic scored 24 Serie A goals last season – seven after leaving Fiorentina for Juventus in January, a tally only bettered by Lazio s Ciro Immobile (27).
Since making his Serie A debut in September 2018, Vlahovic has hit 51 goals in just 113 appearances…
Neymar is the latest star name to take his talents to the Saudi Arabian Pro League after completing a move to Al Hilal.
The 31-year-old has joined from Paris St Germain in a deal that could go up to 100 million euros (£86.3m).
The Brazil forward add to the list of stars of world football to turn his back on a major European club, following the likes of Cristiano Ronaldo, Karim Benzema, Riyad Mahrez, Ruben Neves, Sadio Mane and N’Golo Kante to the Middle East.
“I am here in Saudi Arabia, i am HILALI ”
— AlHilal Saudi Club (@Alhilal_EN)
The move ends a six-year stay at PSG, who he joined from Barcelona for a world-record £200m fee in 2017.
He leaves the Parc Des Princes having scored 118 goals in 173 matches and won five Ligue 1…
Lionel Messi and Luis Suarez are expected to feature when Inter Miami host St. Louis City in MLS on Saturday, with the Herons looking to bounce back from a midweek defeat.
Miami saw a 10-match unbeaten run in league play halted on Wednesday, as they were beaten 3-1 by Atlanta United.
That result came despite Messi and Suarez returning to Gerardo Martino s lineup, having both missed a 2-1 win over the Vancouver Whitecaps last weekend.
According to assistant coach Javier Morales, both players will be fit and available for this week s match as Miami target a return to winning ways.
Everyone is optimum to play, Morales said. Today we will train, and the coaching staff will watch players but there is no physical problem.
Afterwards we will talk to t…
“The way we went out was disappointing, but you take confidence in the fact that you can go toe-to-toe with one of the better teams in Europe.
“It stands you in good stead when you know there’s not many better teams on paper – you’d like to think – that are better than us.
“So, you take that confidence and you take the experience that we’ve gained from the last few.
“The goal is always to try and win it. That should be the goal for all of us going into it and that’s what we’ll try and do.”
Bellingham does not lack confidence and nor should he given England’s performances in Qatar.
A narrow defeat to eventual finalists and Euro 2024 favourites France did for Southgate’s side in the desert, where the midfielder says their…
Group C at the Euro 2016 contains 2014 World Cup winners Germany, who are widely regarded as hot favourites for the first place, but they will not have an easy job against the likes of Poland, Ukraine and Northern Ireland.
Die Mannschaft have experienced some problems in the aftermath of the World Cup triumph and they are no longer as relentless as they have been in previous years. Injuries to important midfielders Ilkay Gundogan, Sami Khedira and Bastian Schweinsteiger are creating additional problems.
Nevertheless, taking into account team’s huge experience and quality in all areas as well as the fact that they rarely disappoint at major competitions, Germany look a good bet to win Group C, even though the odds on that happening are less than impressive.
Hav…
Pep Guardiola said Manchester City had been provoked into a war with Arsenal after the two sides drew 2-2 at the Etihad Stadium in a drama-filled clash.
City players John Stones and Kyle Walker suggested the Gunners used the dark arts as they sought to defend a 2-1 lead in the second half with 10 men.
Mikel Arteta s men had just one shot and 12.4% possession following the break, after Leandro Trossard had been sent off just before half-time.
While Stones salvaged a point with a late equaliser, Arsenal’s defensive approach led Guardiola to call into question what had previously been a cordial relationship with former protegee Arteta.
Gabriel [Magalhaes] said it perfectly in the press after the match, so this is a war. We have to provoke the opponent, to…
Arsenal are interested in signing Dusan Vlahovic from Juventus in the summer of 2025, according to . The report has claimed that the Gunners are planning a move for the Serbia international striker at the end of the season and are confident of getting a deal done.
Vlahovic has been on the books of Juventus since 2022 when he joined from Serie A rivals Fiorentina. The 24-year-old has done relatively well for the Bianconeri and is one of the better strikers in Serie A. Vlahovic has socred two goals in five league matches and scored 16 goals and given four assists in 27 league starts last season.
Arsenal are fourth in the Premier League table at the moment with 11 points from five matches, two points behind leaders and defending champions Manchester City. Meanwhile, Juvent…
Former Chelsea forward Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink believes aspiring black managers are not taking their coaching badges because they do not believe they are given ‘a fair chance’.
The ex-Netherlands international has reunited with former Middlesbrough team-mate Gareth Southgate earlier this year when he joined the England boss’ staff in March ahead of the Euro 2024 qualification campaign.
Burnley’s promotion to the Premier League ensured the top flight would have one black manager this season – Vincent Kompany – but once again highlighted the disparity between the number of black players and bosses, a problem that extends beyond the pitch.
Asked on the latest episode of the Matt Haycox Show podcast, to be released on Wednesday, if football was moving in …
French Football Federation (FFF) president Noel Le Graet has lauded UEFA s wise and pragmatic decision to postpone Euro 2020 by 12 months amid the coronavirus pandemic.
Following a video conference including all 55 member associations on Tuesday, UEFA confirmed its decision to suspend the upcoming Euros and set a new start date of June 11, 2021.
The postponement allows extra time for Europe s domestic seasons to conclude – if possible – after almost all leagues were put on hiatus to combat the spread of COVID-19.
In an FFF statement, Le Graet said: The French Football Federation fully supports UEFA s decision to postpone Euro 2020 to 11 June 2021 and to adapt the formats for European competitions accordingly.
The international matches planned for Mar…