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Category: Football

  • ‘I could have signed for Barcelona’ – Cristiano Ronaldo

    ‘I could have signed for Barcelona’ – Cristiano Ronaldo

    Portuguese superstar Cristiano Ronaldo has said that he came close to signing for Barcelona before heading to Manchester United.

    “I believe I am the best player in football history, no one has been better,” Ronaldo said in an interview with Spanish TV show La Sexta.

    The forward, who has five Ballon d’Or honours, turns 40 on Wednesday.

    “The numbers say I am the most complete footballer that has ever existed. People can like Messi, Maradona, Pele… and I respect that, yes, but I am the most complex and the numbers say that,” stated a confident Ronaldo.

    “In the history of football, I haven’t seen anyone better than me. I tell the truth from the heart,” the Portuguese, who has netted an incredible 923 competitive goals in his career, added.

    Ronaldo also listed his strengths. “I’m fast, strong, I score goals with my head or my left foot, no one has ever been more complete than me. I am the best player in history. I really believe that.”

    The Al Nassr striker has also donned the jerseys of Sporting, Manchester United, Real Madrid and Juventus during his prolific career.

    Admitting he could have headed to Barcelona before moving to England, he said: “I could have played for Barca. They tried to get me when I was at Sporting. They wanted me, but a year later Manchester United came along.”

  • ‘I loved playing at Barcelona despite the boos’ – Cristiano Ronaldo

    ‘I loved playing at Barcelona despite the boos’ – Cristiano Ronaldo

    Portugal captain Cristiano Ronaldo has revealed that he enjoyed playing at Barcelona’s Nou Camp.

    The 39-year-old told Spanish TV show La Sexta that he relished playing at the famous Nou Camp despite the boos from fans.

    “I believe I am the best player in football history, no one has been better,” he said.

    The forward, who has five Ballon d’Or honours, turns 40 on Wednesday.

    “The numbers say I am the most complete footballer that has ever existed. People can like Messi, Maradona, Pele… and I respect that, yes, but I am the most complex and the numbers say that,” stated a confident Ronaldo.

    “In the history of football, I haven’t seen anyone better than me. I tell the truth from the heart,” the Portuguese, who has netted an incredible 923 competitive goals in his career, added.

    Ronaldo also listed his strengths. “I’m fast, strong, I score goals with my head or my left foot, no one has ever been more complete than me. I am the best player in history. I really believe that.”

    The Al Nassr striker has also donned the jerseys of Sporting, Manchester United, Real Madrid and Juventus during his prolific career.

    Admitting he could have headed to Barcelona before moving to England, he said: “I could have played for Barca. They tried to get me when I was at Sporting. They wanted me, but a year later Manchester United came along.”

    At Real Madrid, Ronaldo’s rivalry with Lionel Messi at Barcelona became pronounced.

    He, however, said he enjoyed the matches against the Blaugranas.

    “I loved playing at the Camp Nou. They booed me, they insulted me and I loved it!” He said.

    Ronaldo also commented on the recent announcement of the prestigious winner.

    “Vini (Vinicius Junior) deserved to win the Ballon d’Or, but I’m not surprised… it lacks credibility,” Ronaldo said, before adding words of praise for the Brazilian: “He won the Champions League and scored goals.”

  • Winners and losers from the Premier League transfer window

    Winners and losers from the Premier League transfer window

    Nico Gonzalez’s transfer to Manchester City and Mathys Tel’s loan move to Tottenham were the major deals of an otherwise quiet transfer deadline day for the Premier League’s cash-rich clubs.

    AFP Sports looks at the winners and losers of the window with plenty still to play for between now and the end of the season.

    Winners
    Man City

    A shadow of their former selves this season, the English champions were the biggest spenders with a £170 million ($210 million) splurge to mend some of the glaring issues in Pep Guardiola’s squad.

    Guardiola has admitted his side of seasoned winners have grown old together and there was a focus on youth to bring some energy back into their play.

    City’s season arguably never recovered from the moment Rodri went down with a serious knee injury in September.

    Gonzalez arrives from Porto in a £50 million deal to provide cover for his Spanish compatriot and more bite to City’s midfield ahead of a blockbuster Champions League tie against Real Madrid this month.

    Omar Marmoush, who scored 20 goals for Eintracht Frankfurt this season, provides a much-needed goal threat to lessen the load on Erling Haaland.

    Abdukodir Khusanov endured a nightmare debut against Chelsea last month but the 20-year-old Uzbek and Brazilian defender Vitor Reis have been bought with one eye on the future.

    Aston Villa

    Villa cashed in on Jhon Duran, who headed to Saudi club Al Nassr for a reported £64 million and set about transforming Unai Emery’s forward options.

    Marcus Rashford and Marco Asensio are the big name arrivals on loan deals from Manchester United and Paris Saint-Germain respectively, while Donyell Malen signed earlier in the window from Borussia Dortmund.

    Crucially, Villa also held off interest from Arsenal in Ollie Watkins.

    Tottenham

    Spurs took their time to recruit the help that manager Ange Postecoglou said his injury-ravaged squad was desperately in need of, but got there in the end.

    Antonin Kinsky arrived at the beginning of January as cover for injured goalkeeper Guglielmo Vicario.

    Tottenham then hijacked Wolves to sign centre-back Kevin Danso from Lens.

    Initially it appeared their bid to bring Tel to the Premier League had failed as the player turned down a permanent move despite the clubs agreeing a £50 million deal.

    However, the highly-rated French under-21 international has joined on loan to the end of the season in a major boost with Spurs still alive in four competitions.

    Losers
    Man Utd

    Ruben Amorim stressed the Red Devils are determined not to “make the mistakes of the past” by being panicked into splashing out on expensive deals.

    Danish defender Patrick Dorgu joined from Lecce for a reported £25 million but was the first and sole new recruit for Amorim to work with.

    The Portuguese started Sunday’s 2-0 home defeat to Crystal Palace without a recognised striker as he left both Rasmus Hojlund and Joshua Zirkzee on the bench.

    Despite Rashford’s departure and Antony’s move to Real Betis on loan, United still did not look to add a forward and look desperately short on goal threats for the final months of the campaign.

    Arsenal

    The Gunners may also live to regret not adding a striker if they end up finishing second in the title race for a third consecutive season.

    Mikel Arteta’s men were rampant as they thrashed City 5-1 on Sunday but no Arsenal player has yet reached double digits for Premier League goals this season.

    Watkins could have been the perfect fit had they acted earlier in the window to tempt Villa before Duran’s departure.

    Instead a huge amount rests of Kai Havertz’s form and fitness with Gabriel Jesus ruled out for the season due to a knee injury.

    Newcastle

    Newcastle headed into the window as one of the Premier League’s form sides but their chances of a top-four finish have been rocked by home defeats to Bournemouth and Fulham.

    Despite being backed by the wealth of the Saudi sovereign wealth fund, the Magpies have consistently had their hands tied in the transfer market by profit and sustainability rules.

    That led to the sales of Miguel Almiron and Lloyd Kelly without Eddie Howe being afforded the chance to add to his squad.

    “It’s not ideal for us in this moment,” said Howe. “I’ve got no problem dealing with what I know and trying to make the best of the situation.”

  • Lewandowski earns Barcelona win over Alaves to preserve title hopes

    Lewandowski earns Barcelona win over Alaves to preserve title hopes

    Robert Lewandowski’s second-half strike helped Barcelona beat Alaves 1-0 on Sunday to cut the gap on La Liga leaders Real Madrid down to four points.

    The Catalans, third, capitalised with a narrow victory after the champions slipped up across town at Espanyol on Saturday.

    Barcelona trail second place Atletico by three points before the Rojiblancos face Real Madrid in a tasty derby clash next weekend, which could allow Hansi Flick’s side to make up more ground.

    Lewandowski netted from a Lamine Yamal cross to settle a hard-fought match in which Alaves largely frustrated the hosts.

    “Before the game we knew we had to win,” Lewandowski told Movistar. “For us it’s a moment in which we have less points than Atletico and Real Madrid, (but) first it’s important that we win and later we can think about their points.

    “We have to play well, win and then we can look at the league table and see how many points we have exactly.”

    Flick’s team struggled to get going in the early afternoon sunlight at the Olympic stadium.

    The Catalans created barely anything of note in the first half as Alaves resisted stubbornly.

    One mazy Lamine Yamal dribble got home fans excited but there was little else to raise the pulse.

    Gavi and Tomas Conechny were both taken off after an ugly collision of heads.

    – ‘Patience’ pays –

    Lewandowski scuffed a shot narrowly wide and a low Pedri effort was comfortably fielded by Alaves goalkeeper Jesus Owono.

    Flick brought on Frenkie de Jong and Eric Garcia at half-time to try and speed up Barcelona’s game in possession and the team looked sharper as a result.

    Lewandowski sent a glancing header agonisingly wide of the far post soon before he broke the deadlock.

    The veteran Polish forward produced a poacher’s finish from close range after Yamal sent a cross-shot spinning towards him at the back post after 61 minutes.

    It was Lewandowski’s 18th goal of the league campaign, stretching his lead on Real Madrid’s Kylian Mbappe as the division’s top scorer to three.

    “A game like today is very important,” said Lewandowski.

    “We can’t always win with four, five or six goals, sometimes teams like this come along who defend deep and well, but we have a chance if we play with patience, and in the end we scored one more goal than them so we’re very happy.”

    Barca substitute Ferran Torres’s curling effort was pushed away by Owono at full stretch as the Catalans tried to make the game safe.

    Flick’s team could not produce a second but Alaves, who barely threatened Wojciech Szczesny’s goal throughout, were not able to mount a comeback.

    Later Sunday fourth-place Athletic Bilbao visit Real Betis among other matches.

  • Man United slump 0-2 to Crystal Palace at Old Trafford

    Man United slump 0-2 to Crystal Palace at Old Trafford

    Man United slumped to another meek home defeat as Crystal Palace won 2-0 at Old Trafford on Sunday, while Tottenham eased the pressure on Ange Postecoglou by beating Brentford 2-0.

    Jean Philippe-Mateta was Palace’s hero with both goals in the second half as Man United suffered a fifth defeat in their last six home league games.

    Victory takes the Eagles above the Red Devils in the table as Oliver Glasner’s side climb to 12th.

    Three consecutive wins for United had lifted the mood around Old Trafford but it was back to square one for Ruben Amorim after another home display lacking in creativity and riddled with defensive lapses.

    Amorim’s decision to start without a natural striker backfired with both Rasmus Hojlund and Joshua Zirkzee left on the bench.

    Midfielder Kobbie Mainoo started in a centre-forward role after scoring in a 2-0 victory over Romanian side FCSB in midweek.

    The England international’s scuffed strike came back off the post in Man United’s best effort of a bright opening before their attacking threat fizzled out.

    Crystal Palace have lost just one of their last seven league games to recover from a miserable start to the season.

    The visitors missed the creative spark offered by Eberechi Eze for the first hour as an injury meant he was only fit enough for a cameo appearance off the bench.

    But Eze made an instant impact as from his free-kick Maxence Lacroix’s header came back off the bar and into Mateta’s path to fire home.

    Worse was to follow for Man United as Lisandro Martinez had to be stretchered off with what appeared a serious knee injury.

    Crystal Palace showed no mercy to secure the three points when Daniel Munoz charged through the middle of the home side’s defence and unselfishly squared for Mateta to knock in his sixth goal in five games.

    – Spurs ease relegation fears –

    Spurs eased fears they could be dragged into a relegation battle as Postecoglou’s injury-ravaged side kept a rare clean sheet to see off Brentford.

    The Bees were left to rue a number of missed chances against Tottenham’s makeshift defence with Micky van de Ven and Cristian Romero again absent.

    Brentford also lent the visitors a helping hand with the opening goal.

    Hakon Valdimarsson flapped at Son Heung-min’s corner and Vitaly Janelt headed into his own net on 29 minutes.

    Yoane Wissa’s header came off the bar as Brentford pushed for an equaliser.

    But Spurs picked them off on the counter-attack when Pape Sarr prodded through Valdimarsson’s legs from Son’s pass.

    Victory lifts Tottenham to 14th and 10 points clear of the relegation zone.

    Second-placed Arsenal start the day nine points adrift of league leaders Liverpool ahead of their blockbuster clash against defending champions Manchester City at the Emirates in the 1630GMT kick-off.

  • Slot urges Salah to sign new Liverpool deal after Saudi links

    Slot urges Salah to sign new Liverpool deal after Saudi links

    Arne Slot has urged Mohamed Salah to sign a new contract with Liverpool, advising the Egypt star against a lucrative move to Saudi Arabia.

    Salah has been in sensational form this season but is out of contract in June, with speculation persisting that the Saudi Pro League could be a possible destination for the Egyptian superstar.

    Saudi sports minister Prince Abdulaziz bin Turki Al-Faisal was asked whether the forward was the “big prize” for the Middle East nation in an interview on the Piers Morgan Uncensored YouTube channel on Thursday.

    “Definitely, because if he ticks all the right boxes, even for us, we’d love to have him,” the sports minister said.

    “We feel like we are one with the Egyptians, from our culture and our history and so on.”

    The 32-year-old Salah, who tops the Premier League goalscoring charts with 19 goals this season, said at the end of December he was still “far away” from reaching an agreement over a new deal at Anfield.

    Liverpool manager Slot reiterated at his pre-match press conference on Friday that the club want to keep hold of their talismanic striker, who joined the club in 2017.

    “We want him to extend, of course, as well,” he said. “That is clear, but I’m not surprised that Saudi wants him, I’m also not surprised if other countries want him as well.

    “He’s old and wise enough, he’s done so many smart things in his career that he will make the right decision for himself and hopefully for us as well.”

    Referring to the Saudi links, the Dutchman added: “He’s done so well without my advice for a long time, so he can probably keep doing what is best for his career, even without my advice.

    “But my advice to him would be different from the one you just mentioned.”

    Liverpool captain Virgil van Dijk and England defender Trent Alexander-Arnold are also out of contract at the end of the season, giving the Premier League leaders a headache.

    Slot, whose team face in-form Bournemouth on Saturday, said it “would be ridiculous” if he did not speak to his players about the future, but he refused to be drawn on the progress of contract talks.

  • UCL: Real Madrid vs Man City now a derby – Guardiola

    UCL: Real Madrid vs Man City now a derby – Guardiola

    Pep Guardiola has likened Man City’s upcoming Champions League clash with Real Madrid to a derby, as the two European giants prepare to face off for the fourth consecutive season.

    This is just as the Spaniard fears Man City’s bid to knock holders Real Madrid out of the Champions League will be hampered by the gruelling demands of the Premier League schedule.

    After beating Club Brugge on Wednesday to scramble into the knockout stages, Guardiola’s side were pitted against the 15-time European champions in Friday’s play-off round draw.

    Man City will host Real in the first leg on February 11 or 12 before travelling to Madrid for the return leg a week later.

    It is part of a brutal period for City, who travel to Arsenal in the Premier League on Sunday and have top-flight matches at home to Newcastle and Liverpool either side of the second leg.

    They also have an FA Cup fourth round trip to Leyton Orient and a league game at Tottenham in February.

    “Well it looks like a derby already, four years in a row facing Madrid,” Guardiola told reporters on Friday.

    “The draw could have been nicer? Yes. Bayern Munich was extremely difficult. Real Madrid difficult, we know that.”

    With City battling to qualify for next season’s Champions League, as well as trying to win this year’s tournament, Guardiola will have difficult selection decisions to make throughout the crucial period.

    While other European leagues adjust their fixtures to give clubs in the Champions League more time to prepare, the English top flight maintains a hectic schedule throughout the season.

    “Normally in the Premier League they always put toughest schedules for teams in Europe,” Guardiola said.

    “Schedule the most difficult ones because it is tough to play against Real Madrid or Bayern Munich, but the problem is in the middle is Newcastle.”

    – Fixture pile-up –

    Pressed on whether the Premier League champions deserve more help from domestic authorities over the schedule, Guardiola said: “Are you asking me this daft question after many years? Come on. Don’t ask me to say something impolite.

    “Always for many years it has been like this. I remember Alex Ferguson, Jose Mourinho and Arsene Wenger made the same complaints.

    “Do you think it is going to change? The broadcasters decide, they don’t ask me what is better to play.

    “I’m not complaining because we won trebles and had incredible success doing that.

    “I would love (more time) absolutely. But if you don’t like it, go to another country, don’t be Manchester City manager.”

    The draw sets up the fifth two-legged tie between City and Real in the past six seasons.

    Real ended City’s Champions League campaign in the quarter-finals last season but City beat Real in the 2022/23 semi-finals on their way to winning the Champions League for the first time.

    Guardiola’s hopes of repeating that triumph would be significantly boosted by the return of Rodri.

    City have struggled badly without the Spain midfielder, who was initially ruled out for the season after suffering a cruciate ligament injury against Arsenal in September.

    But the 2024 Ballon d’Or winner has made good progress and believes he can be back before the end of the season.

    “He is positive. But ACL is ACL for every football player and every athlete. You have to respect the human body,” Guardiola said.

    “To win one month and after have setbacks for the next season is not intelligent. Of course he wants to play tomorrow, I know that. It is going really well. Step by step we respect that.”

  • Roma to face Porto in Europa League knockout phase playoff [Full Fixtures]

    Roma to face Porto in Europa League knockout phase playoff [Full Fixtures]

    Former winners Porto were drawn Friday to face Claudio Ranieri’s Roma in the standout tie of the Europa League knockout phase playoff, while Manchester United and Tottenham Hotspur were among the clubs to discover their potential opponents in the last 16.

    Porto, who won the Europa League in 2011 as well as its predecessor, the UEFA Cup, in 2003, will be at home in the first leg on February 13 with the return in Italy a week later.

    Other notable play-off round ties will see Jose Mourinho’s Fenerbahce come up against Anderlecht and Ajax play close neighbours Union Saint-Gilloise of Belgium.

    The eight winners from the play-off round will go through to the last 16, where they will join the top eight teams from the league phase.

    Lazio finished on top of the standings, just ahead of Athletic Bilbao, with United and Spurs coming third and fourth respectively.

    With the draw for the last 16 based on a pre-determined bracket, the two Premier League sides know they will face either the winners of the play-off tie between AZ Alkmaar and Galatasaray, or that between Midtjylland of Denmark and Real Sociedad.

    Spurs have already played AZ and Galatasaray in the league phase, beating the Dutch club 1-0 at home and losing 3-2 to the Turkish giants in Istanbul.

    United played Galatasaray in the Champions League group stage last season, taking just one point from a possible six.

    Real Sociedad are familiar opponents for the Old Trafford club: they met in the Champions League group stage in 2013/14, in the Europa League last 32 in 2021, and in the Europa League group stage in 2022.

    Rangers, the 2022 Europa League runners-up, scraped into eighth place in the league phase and can face FC Twente of the Netherlands, Norwegian champions Bodo/Glimt, Fenerbahce or Anderlecht in the last 16.

    The draw for the last 16 will take place on February 21, with the ties being played in the first half of March.

    This season’s Europa League final will be played in Bilbao on Wednesday, May 21.

    Europa League Knockout Playoff Draw

    FC Twente v Bodo/Glimt

    Union SG v Ajax Amsterdam

    AZ Alkmaar v Galatasaray

    Ferencvaros v Viktoria Plzen

    Fenerbahce v Anderlecht

    PAOK v Steaua Bucharest

    Midtjylland v Real Sociedad

    Porto v AS Roma

    Dates for fixtures

    Playoff first leg: Feb. 13

    Playoff second leg: Feb. 20

    Last 16 draw: Feb. 21

  • Champions League playoff draw: Man City to face Real Madrid, Celtic meet Bayern [Full Fixtures]

    Champions League playoff draw: Man City to face Real Madrid, Celtic meet Bayern [Full Fixtures]

    Reigning champions Real Madrid will face 2023 winners Manchester City in the play-off round of this season’s Champions League, following Friday’s draw.

    It is the fourth year running in which the sides have been drawn against each other in a knockout tie, with Real emerging victorious in a penalty shoot-out in the quarter-finals last season.

    Celtic will face six-time European champions Bayern Munich in the play-off round of this season’s Champions League, following Friday’s draw for the start of the knockout phase.

    The Scottish champions are into the knockout stage for the first time in 12 years and last faced Bayern in the group phase in 2017/18, losing home and away.

    Champions League play-off draw: Full Fixtures

    Paris Saint-Germain vs Stade Brestois

    Benfica vs AS Monaco

    Juventus vs PSV

    Feyenoord vs AC Milan

    Real Madrid vs Manchester City

    Bayern Munich vs Celtic

    Club Brugge vs Atalanta

    Sporting CP vs Borussia Dortmund

    When is the knockout playoff round fixtures

    Following Friday’s Champions League draw, the fixture schedule are as follow:

    First legs: February 11-12, 2025

    Second legs: February 18-19, 2025 Each team will play one match on a Tuesday and the other on a Wednesday.

  • Champions League knockout draw: Date, time, potential fixtures

    Champions League knockout draw: Date, time, potential fixtures

    The draw for the knockout playoff round of the revamped UEFA Champions League is here.

    This stage marks a critical juncture in the competition, shaping the path teams must take to advance further.

    But which teams are involved? Why do league phase rankings matter? And when is the next draw? Here’s everything you need to know.

    When is the Champions League Draw for the Knockout Playoff Round?

    The draw is scheduled for Friday, Jan. 31, at 6 a.m. ET / 12 p.m Nigeria time at the House of European Football in Nyon, Switzerland.

    Clubs in the Champions League Draw for the next rounds

    Only the 16 teams that finished between 9th and 24th place in the league phase are involved in this draw.

    The top eight teams have already secured direct entry into the Round of 16 while teams finishing 25th to 36th are eliminated from the competition.

    Does where you finished in the league phase matter in the draw?

    The final league standings determine the knockout matchups, unlike previous seasons where open draws were used. The new seeding system ensures that the highest-ranked teams do not face each other until the latter stages, preserving competitive balance.

    For example:

    Liverpool and Barcelona, having finished first and second, cannot meet until the final.
    Arsenal and Internazionale, placed third and fourth, cannot play against Liverpool or Barcelona until the semifinals.
    Unexpected placements—such as Manchester City (22nd), Paris Saint-Germain, and Real Madrid finishing lower than expected—have led to early heavyweight clashes.
    Man City (22nd) must face either Real Madrid (11th) or Bayern Munich (12th).
    PSG could meet Barcelona or Liverpool in the Round of 16 if they progress.
    The knockout playoff draw: how does it work?

    The draw will follow a structured pairing system:

    Teams are paired based on their final positions (e.g., 9th vs. 10th, 11th vs. 12th, and so on).
    Each pair is drawn into opposite halves of the knockout bracket.
    Example: Real Madrid (11th) and Bayern Munich (12th) cannot meet until the final.
    Paired teams have two possible opponents before the draw.
    Example: Real Madrid and Bayern Munich will face either Celtic (21st) or Man City (22nd).
    Unseeded teams (17th-24th) are drawn first, determining their place in the bracket.
    Seeded teams (9th-16th) are drawn next, ensuring that a lower-ranked team faces a higher-ranked team.
    The higher-seeded teams play the second leg at home.
    Will there be country protection?

    No. Clubs from the same country can face each other starting from this round. For instance, PSG could face AS Monaco or Brest.

    Teams may be drawn against an opponent they already faced in the league phase, including their most recent Matchday 8 rival.

    When is the knockout playoff round fixtures
    First legs: February 11-12, 2025
    Second legs: February 18-19, 2025 Each team will play one match on a Tuesday and the other on a Wednesday.
    What happens to the top eight clubs?

    Once the knockout playoff round is complete, the top eight league finishers will still have four possible opponents for the Round of 16.

    Example: Liverpool and Barcelona could face PSG, Benfica, Monaco, or Brest.
    These teams will be assigned based on the outcomes of the playoff round, ensuring fair distribution across the bracket.
    When will the draw for the round of 16 hold?
    Date: Friday, February 21, 2025
    Format: The top eight teams will be drawn into the bracket, ensuring that Liverpool and Barcelona remain in separate halves.
    Schedule:
    First legs: March 4-5, 2025
    Second legs: March 11-12, 2025
    The knockout bracket will then be locked through to the final.