Foreigner Football - Latest

PLANS   Barcelona ‘won’t be able to sign’ in the January transfer window as director Jordi Cruyff says the club ‘deserves a final hug’ with Lionel Messi over a return while Pep Guardiola can ‘choose his own destiny’ Barcelona sporting advisor Jordi Cruyff has said the club are unable to sign players in January, and discussed rumoured returns for Lionel Messi and Pep Guardiola. Cruyff, the son of Barca and footballing legend Johan, joined the Catalan club last year following the return of president Joan Laporta. The new presidential reign began with the low of announcing the club was in £1.2billion worth of debt, before financial manoeuvring saw a hectic summer in the transfer market. The club are now back at the top of LaLiga and were beginning to look revitalised, but a Champions League group stage exit  dealt a worrying blow . Much of Barcelona’s summer spending was predicated on them having deep runs into the lucrative competition, but after back-to-back early exits, their spending

HUGE   Cristiano Ronaldo ‘£173m-a-year’ deal with Al Nassr would see him overtake Lionel Messi as world’s highest paid athlete and dwarf sports stars LeBron James and Tom Brady Cristiano Ronaldo could soon find himself the richest sports star in the world should he sign for Al Nassr. The Portugual forward, currently without a club, is said to have  accepted an offer from Saudi Arabian side  Al Nassr that would see him earn a mouthwatering £173million-a-year. Ronaldo and Manchester United parted ways in November  by mutual consent following his explosive interview with TalkTV’s Piers Morgan. However, the 37-year-old could soon be turning out for the fifth club in his senior career. Should he make the switch to Saudi Arabia, Ronaldo would top the list of the world’s highest paid athletes based on  Forbes’ rankings in 2022 . The five-time Ballon d’Or winner is currently third on the list, with Forbes estimating he currently earns around £96million – at least he did before his contract was

BACKED   Mauricio Pochettino says ‘everyone’ wants Lionel Messi and Argentina to win World Cup and backs Harry Kane to finally score for England in Qatar Mauricio Pochettino has told talkSPORT that ‘everyone’ in Qatar is willing Lionel Messi on to win the World Cup. Argentina  were many people’s favourites to win the tournament after racking up a 35 match unbeaten streak in the build-up. Only for that to be ended by Saudi Arabia in the first group match to give them an uphill task of qualifying for the knockout stages. They beat Mexico 2-0 and they know that beating Poland on Wednesday will see them finish in top spot, unless Saudi Arabia thrash Mexico by a considerable margin. Speaking to talkSPORT in Qatar, former Southampton and Tottenham boss Pochettino told talkSPORT: “I can feel here that everyone, football people, wants to see  Messi  lift the World Cup trophy. Everything Messi has given to football is like football should reward Messi by giving him the trophy. “We need to wait,

SHOCKER   Football legends who predicted Qatar to knock England out end up looking silly as Samuel Eto’o, Cafu and Tim Cahill’s bold World Cup picks backfire Cafu, Samuel Eto’o and Tim Cahill have been left red-faced with their prediction that Qatar would knock England out of the World Cup. The trio of  Qatar 2022  ambassadors – all football legends in their own countries – were asked to guess how the tournament would unfold, and all three  had the hosts dumping England out  in the last 16 – but they won’t even be there. Qatar became the World Cup’s worst ever home nation with zero points, one goal and a minus-six goal difference, exiting Group A in last place as the Netherlands and Senegal progressed. Now, following  England’s 3-0 win against Wales , the Three Lions will take on Senegal in the last 16, with Qatar nowhere to be seen. It doesn’t come as a huge shock either, with England entering the tournament ranked fifth in the world by FIFA after their 2018 semi-final appearance. Mea

HOT WATER  England’s World Cup last-16 opponents Senegal under investigation by FIFA and set to be punished for breaking rules England’s upcoming World Cup opponents Senegal are under investigation by FIFA for breaking rules in Qatar . The African nation face the Three Lions in the Round of 16 on Sunday after  beating Ecuador 2-1  in their final Group A match. But  Senegal  have landed themselves in hot water ahead of their clash against Gareth Southgate’s side for not complying with World Cup regulations. Prior to their match with Ecuador on Tuesday, Senegal boss Aliou Cisse attended his pre-match press conference without one of his players. FIFA rules state that the manager must be accompanied by someone from his squad in one of the two press conference rooms at the main media centre in Doha. Cisse appeared with Monaco forward Krepin Diatta prior to Senegal’s opener against the Netherlands. Kalidou Koulibaly, who scored the winner against Ecuador in the 70th minute, then featured a

ADDITIONS Liverpool to add extra 2,500 rail seats to Kop End before Premier League season resumes but insists Anfield remains all-seater stadium Liverpool have announced they will add an extra 2,500 rail seats to the Kop before the resumption of the Premier League season. The decision comes following a positive reaction from fans to an initial trial that started in 2021. There are currently 7,800 rail seats spread between the Kop and Anfield Road stands but the club are adding more on crowd safety grounds. However,  Liverpoo l have stressed Anfield remains an all-seater stadium and does not have a ‘safe-standing’ area. “Following a review of the initial rail seating trial last season, we will now expand the trial and introduce rail seating in additional areas of the Kop to further address crowd safety and persistent standing in line with SGSA (Sports Grounds Safety Authority) guidance,” said managing director Andy Hughes. “The health and safety of our supporters when attending matches

“He’s really happy at Barcelona — it was his biggest dream to join Barça. Franck’s now adapting to a new football style, Barça & Xavi are happy with him”, tells @guarropas 🚨🔵🔴 #FCB “Kessié won’t leave in January - stories on AC Milan are fake”.

“We must not be guided by our emotions”, tells VI. ⚪️🔴 #Ajax “Bosz had to leave, same for ten Hag. I remember standing on a roundabout with 500 fans, some shouting Ziyech was no longer allowed to wear the shirt”.

BACKED  Mauricio Pochettino says ‘everyone’ wants Lionel Messi and Argentina to win World Cup and backs Harry Kane to finally score for England in Qatar Mauricio Pochettino has told talkSPORT that ‘everyone’ in Qatar is willing Lionel Messi on to win the World Cup. Argentina  were many people’s favourites to win the tournament after racking up a 35 match unbeaten streak in the build-up. Only for that to be ended by Saudi Arabia in the first group match to give them an uphill task of qualifying for the knockout stages. They beat Mexico 2-0 and they know that beating Poland on Wednesday will see them finish in top spot, unless Saudi Arabia thrash Mexico by a considerable margin. Speaking to talkSPORT in Qatar, former Southampton and Tottenham boss Pochettino told talkSPORT: “I can feel here that everyone, football people, wants to see  Messi  lift the World Cup trophy. Everything Messi has given to football is like football should reward Messi by giving him the trophy. “We need to wait

PHEW  ‘There is no emergency’ – Brazil legend Pele’s health concerns played down as daughter addresses ‘alarm’ in media Pele’s admission into hospital is ‘no emergency’, his daughter has confirmed on social media. The Brazil and World Cup legend , 82, is battling cancer and was  reported  to have been sent to hospital due to his condition ‘worsening’. However, that doesn’t seem to be the case, with Pele admitted so medical staff could regulate his medication. Writing on Instagram,  Pele’s daughter Kely Nascimento said: “Hi my friends. Lots of alarm in the media today concerning my dad’s health. “He is in the hospital regulating medication. Some of my siblings are visiting Brazil. “There is no emergency or new dire prediction. “I will be there for New Years and promise to post some pictures. “Really and truly, we appreciate the concern and love!!” Pele is widely considered to be one of the greatest footballers of all-time, scoring 1,000 career goals and winning the World Cup three tim

PASSION  Belgium boss Roberto Martinez calls Kevin De Bruyne and Jan Vertonghen’s dressing room bust-up ‘fake news’ and launches passionate defence of ‘Golden Generation legacy’ Belgium boss Roberto Martinez has ‘rarely been so angry and cynical’ after launching a defence of his team amid ‘fake news’ disruptions. The Red Devils have so far failed to live up to their No.2 FIFA ranking  at the Qatar World Cup , narrowly beating Canada 1-0 in a poor performance, before losing 2-0 against Morocco. That leaves the team needing a win in their final Group F game against Croatia, with any other result bringing a shock early exit. The loss to Morocco  saw riots back home in Brussels , while French outlet L’Equipe released a story claiming that former Tottenham defender Jan Vertonghen had a dressing room bust-up with Kevin De Bruyne and Eden Hazard in the aftermath, with Romelu Lukaku acting as peacemaker. Hazard and his Real Madrid teammate Thibaut Courtois  were forced to deny the claims  in

“It’s absurd, complete nonsense”. 🇷🇸 #Qatar2022    “It’s sad that I have to come here & explain myself. It’s invented by people who have nothing better to do with their life”.

WRONG  USA coach Gregg Berhalter says ‘that’s not who I am’ in response to rumour he forced Borussia Dortmund superstar Gio Reyna to ‘lie’ about being injured USA manager Gregg Berhalter has been forced to deny a story that he told star midfielder Gio Reyna to lie about being injured. Reyna has played just seven minutes at the World Cup, as a second-half substitute against England, a stark contrast to his impact at club level. The 20-year-old is one of the Bundesliga’s young stars for Borussia Dortmund, but hasn’t had the same impact yet for the US in Qatar. That seemingly agitated former international striker Eric Wynalda, who then made a startling string of allegations on a Twitter Spaces Chat. “With Gio Reyna out of the line-up right now, which has been a massive controversy within the team,” Wynalda said. “Even his own teammates are wanting him on the field and it seems to be [causing] internal strife with the [team] and manager Gregg Berhalter. “I don’t know how much I should com

"[Kane] is a very good player, but there are also other good players. We deal with many players. It’s not okay to talk about players who are under contract with other clubs."

"I miss it a bit, Inter and Italy will always be my home. All in all, Milan and your country are the places I’ve stayed the longest in my life as a footballer." On playing AC Milan in the Champions League with Spurs, Perisic added 🇭🇷🎙️:  "Well, a little, but I’ll be back soon and I’ll have something important to do. The Champions League against Milan awaits me."

“The situation as of today is that we can not register players next January”. 🚨🔵🔴 #FCB “Many things have changed and the issue of finding a space for Financial Fair Play has become more difficult”, tells @rac1.

CONCERN   Netherlands dealt blow ahead of World Cup last-16 clash against USA after Manchester United target Jeremie Frimpong limps out of training in tears with ankle injury Netherlands star Jeremie Frimpong limped out of training in tears with a suspected ankle injury ahead of Saturday’s Round of 16 tie against USA. The Bayer Leverkusen right-back is yet to feature at the  World Cup  in Qatar having been an unused substitute in all three Group A matches. And he is now a doubt to play this weekend in  Netherlands ‘ knockout clash after failing to complete Wednesday’s session. A video shared by  ESPN  shows the 21-year-old in a heap on the floor as he held his right ankle. The ex-Celtic defender appeared to be in tears as he covered his face with a bib while a member of the coaching staff looked at his knock. Frimpong eventually was filmed leaving training early as he limped off the pitch, with medics to now assess the severity of his problem. His possible injury will be of concern to 

Fabrizio Romano has revealed that Tottenham have not made a decision on whether to loan out Djed Spence yet, and that Antonio Conte will meet with the club hierarchy over the coming days to discuss the matter. Spence has made just  four appearances  as a substitute since making the move from Middlesbrough to Spurs in the summer transfer window. HOME FEATURED   'They are convinced' - Fabrizio Romano offers update on Djed Spence's future  November 30, 2022 Bharad Thirumalai Fabrizio Romano has revealed that Tottenham have not made a decision on whether to loan out Djed Spence yet, and that Antonio Conte will meet with the club hierarchy over the coming days to discuss the matter. Spence has made just  four appearances  as a substitute since making the move from Middlesbrough to Spurs in the summer transfer window. (Photo by Tottenham Hotspur FC/Tottenham Hotspur FC via Getty Images) The Times  reported last month the North London club might loan out the England Under-21 inter