Latest news with #ElClasico
Ammon
a day ago
- Sport
- Ammon
Marcus Rashford to Become Only the Second English Player at FC Barcelona in 100 Years
Ammon News - Only one Englishman has played competitive football for Barcelona in the last 100 years. When Gary Lineker arrived at the Nou Camp in 1986, he had just won the World Cup Golden Boot and was about to finish runner-up in the Ballon d'Or. He would go on to score a hat-trick in El Clasico, lift a European trophy and win the Copa del Rey. Barcelona don't tend to sign English players. And they don't tend to sign chumps. So the fact that Marcus Rashford is about to become only the second Englishman in the modern era to play at the spiritual home of the beautiful game is perhaps the most intriguing move of the summer. Rashford, the member of Manchester United's unwanted 'bomb squad'. Rashford, whose form has fallen off a cliff. Rashford, whose once-saintly reputation has fallen from the clouds. During the pandemic, Rashford earned an MBE for his campaigning work against child poverty and hunger. Back then, he was lauded as the unofficial Leader of the Opposition. Yet this January, Ruben Amorim claimed Rashford's attitude was so poor that he would rather select his 63-year-old goalkeeping coach Jorge Vital as a United sub. And now here is Rashford joining the champions of Spain, signing for the club where Johan Cruyff and Pep Guardiola elevated football into an art form. Earlier in the summer, Rashford had been openly touting himself for a move to Barca. The Sun
The Irish Sun
2 days ago
- Sport
- The Irish Sun
Marcus Rashford to Barcelona is most intriguing move all summer – leaving Manchester goldfish bowl could save his career
ONLY one Englishman has played competitive football for Barcelona in the last 100 years. When Gary Lineker arrived at the Nou Camp in 1986, he had just won the World Cup Golden Boot and was about to finish runner-up in the Ballon d'Or. 10 Marcus Rashford's move to Barcelona is the most intriguing in recent memory Credit: Getty 10 Rashford will be only the second Englishman to play for Barcelona in over 100 years, following Gary Lineker Credit: Getty 10 Rashford has a chance to reignite his career at the spiritual home of the beautiful game Credit: Getty He would go on to score a hat-trick in El Clasico, lift a European trophy and win the Copa del Rey. So the fact that Marcus Rashford is about to become only the second Englishman in the modern era to play at the spiritual home of the beautiful game is perhaps the most intriguing move of the summer. Rashford, the member of Manchester United's unwanted 'bomb squad'. READ MORE SPORT STORIES Rashford, whose form has fallen off a cliff. Rashford, whose once-saintly reputation has fallen from the clouds. During the pandemic, Rashford earned an MBE for his campaigning work against child poverty and hunger. Back then, he was lauded as the unofficial Leader of the Opposition. Yet this January, Ruben Amorim claimed Rashford's attitude was so poor that he would rather Most read in Football CASINO SPECIAL - BEST CASINO BONUSES FROM £10 DEPOSITS And now here is Rashford joining the champions of Spain, signing for the club where Johan Cruyff and Pep Guardiola elevated football into an art form. Earlier in the summer, Rashford had been openly touting himself for a move to Barca. Marcus Rashford says he wants to play with Lamine Yamal at Barcelona in transfer plea He was talking up the prospect of playing alongside Lamine Yamal, the most thrilling teenage footballer in the world. And it all sounded like wishful thinking, like some weird shisha-pipe dream. So news that Barca After Amorim's damning public comments, Rashford sealed a loan move to Aston Villa, where he performed pretty well, playing in a Champions League quarter-final against Paris Saint-Germain - assisting the goal which won Villa the second leg but still left them a goal shy of winning the tie. There was enough in that Villa loan spell to prompt Thomas Tuchel to select Rashford in his first England team in March and to persuade Barca that Rashford is worth a punt, on loan with an option to buy next summer. There is a feeling that Rashford could benefit from being out of the Manchester goldfish bowl, yet playing for Barca brings extreme demands. Before Jude Bellingham's first Clasico appearance for Real Madrid in 2023, Lineker told me: 'We think Premier League footballers operate under a lot of pressure, and they do, but it's nothing compared to playing for Barcelona and Real Madrid. 'When I was at Barcelona, it was a middle-class crowd - most working-class people couldn't afford to go. 'The Socios, who owned shares in the club, formed a lot of the crowd and for them it was like going to the opera or ballet - they sat back and expected to be entertained. 'In a bog-standard Spanish league game it could be very quiet and if you started badly, after 15 minutes they could get on your back and start whistling at you. While things have changed a little, it's still largely true.' 10 So Rashford hasn't taken an easy option here. He has also taken a 15 per cent cut on his £320,000 weekly United wage. This is a man still determined to prove himself at the very top. Joining Barcelona, even on loan, is a significant step up from United - who will play no European football this coming season. A Rashford's infamous sicknote after a And he is widely said to have knuckled down while at Villa. But will Rashford start regularly for Barca, with Yamal, Robert Lewandowski, Raphinha and Ferran Torres already vying for places in Hansi Flick's front three? Rashford is most effective cutting inside from the left flank, which is where former Leeds man Raphinha has been operating with great success. 10 Teaming up with Lamine Yamal is an exciting opportunity for Rashford Credit: Getty Still, this is a remarkable opportunity for Rashford to revive his career with LaLiga's champions - and he may even get to grace the revamped Nou Camp, should it actually re-open at some point this season. And on October 26, he has the chance to play in the greatest club fixture on Earth, against Real in the Bernabeu in the first Clasico of the season - a match which may also feature his England team-mates Bellingham and Trent Alexander-Arnold. Just two years ago, Rashford was one of United's few reliable players and a regular England starter. At the age of 27, his peak may still be to come. There would be no greater place to realise his full potential than at Barcelona. But, as the only Englishman to have played for Barca in the last century has warned, there are few tougher places to win over your audience. WALES FAILS THERE were no Welshmen in the British and Irish Lions' matchday squad for Saturday's victory over Australia in Brisbane. There were no Welshmen teeing off among a 156-strong field at the Open Championship at Portrush. There were no Welshmen playing regularly for the top six clubs in last season's Premier League table. And as for the Welsh women, they were sent home from the Euros with nul points, having shipped 13 goals in three games. Whatever happened to a once-great sporting nation? 10 What has happened to the once-great sporting nation that is Wales Credit: Shutterstock Editorial BRIT OF A DOWNER FROM a British perspective, it would have been lovely to have seen Rory McIlroy claim the Claret Jug in his native Northern Ireland at the weekend. And for Daniel Dubois to have become the undisputed heavyweight champion of the world. Yet sometimes you simply have to marvel at those sportsmen who come remarkably close to achieving perfection in their field. Scottie Scheffler and Oleksandr Usyk are two of those rare beasts. And given that the bear-like Scheffler weighs in at just above the 14st 4lb cruiserweight limit, perhaps he's the man to give Usyk a decent fight? 10 Scottie Scheffler could be the man to take on Usyk Credit: AFP 10 Daniel Dubois lost his big fight against Oleksandr Usyk on a frustrating weekend for British sports fans Credit: EPA BIG SAM'S BIG MURAL A TEN-FOOT-HIGH mural of Sam Allardyce has appeared on a wall in the big man's hometown of Dudley. Allardyce is depicted eating orange chips - a spicy, battered black country delicacy. But given Big Sam's claim to fame as the shortest-lived manager of England, shouldn't he have been immortalised in paint while drinking a pint of wine instead? 10 Sam Allardyce has been immortalised in a bizarre mural in Dudley, with the ex-England boss eating local delicacy 'orange chips' Credit: PA WHAT A MAVERICK DURING Open week, I often like to amuse myself by finding the weirdest American names in the field. Among the previous winners of my imaginary comedy-name claret jug have been Fred Funk, Fuzzy Zoeller, Curtis Strange, Duffy Waldorf and Bo Van Pelt. This year it wasn't even close, thanks to Maverick McNealy. Discover your own American golfer name by simply adding your favourite Top Gun character to the name of a salad or a genre of popular music. 10 Maverick McNealy won this year's 'weirdest American name at The Open' award for 2025 Credit: Getty
Scottish Sun
2 days ago
- Sport
- Scottish Sun
Marcus Rashford to Barcelona is most intriguing move all summer – leaving Manchester goldfish bowl could save his career
Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window) Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) ONLY one Englishman has played competitive football for Barcelona in the last 100 years. When Gary Lineker arrived at the Nou Camp in 1986, he had just won the World Cup Golden Boot and was about to finish runner-up in the Ballon d'Or. Sign up for Scottish Sun newsletter Sign up 10 Marcus Rashford's move to Barcelona is the most intriguing in recent memory Credit: Getty 10 Rashford will be only the second Englishman to play for Barcelona in over 100 years, following Gary Lineker Credit: Getty 10 Rashford has a chance to reignite his career at the spiritual home of the beautiful game Credit: Getty He would go on to score a hat-trick in El Clasico, lift a European trophy and win the Copa del Rey. Barcelona don't tend to sign English players. And they don't tend to sign chumps. So the fact that Marcus Rashford is about to become only the second Englishman in the modern era to play at the spiritual home of the beautiful game is perhaps the most intriguing move of the summer. Rashford, the member of Manchester United's unwanted 'bomb squad'. READ MORE SPORT STORIES FEARS FOR GAZZA Paul Gascoigne rushed to intensive care after being found collapsed at home Rashford, whose form has fallen off a cliff. Rashford, whose once-saintly reputation has fallen from the clouds. During the pandemic, Rashford earned an MBE for his campaigning work against child poverty and hunger. Back then, he was lauded as the unofficial Leader of the Opposition. Yet this January, Ruben Amorim claimed Rashford's attitude was so poor that he would rather select his 63-year-old goalkeeping coach Jorge Vital as a United sub. CASINO SPECIAL - BEST CASINO BONUSES FROM £10 DEPOSITS And now here is Rashford joining the champions of Spain, signing for the club where Johan Cruyff and Pep Guardiola elevated football into an art form. Earlier in the summer, Rashford had been openly touting himself for a move to Barca. Marcus Rashford says he wants to play with Lamine Yamal at Barcelona in transfer plea He was talking up the prospect of playing alongside Lamine Yamal, the most thrilling teenage footballer in the world. And it all sounded like wishful thinking, like some weird shisha-pipe dream. So news that Barca had struck a season-long loan deal with United was an extraordinary reminder that there used to be a very decent player in Rashford. After Amorim's damning public comments, Rashford sealed a loan move to Aston Villa, where he performed pretty well, playing in a Champions League quarter-final against Paris Saint-Germain - assisting the goal which won Villa the second leg but still left them a goal shy of winning the tie. There was enough in that Villa loan spell to prompt Thomas Tuchel to select Rashford in his first England team in March and to persuade Barca that Rashford is worth a punt, on loan with an option to buy next summer. There is a feeling that Rashford could benefit from being out of the Manchester goldfish bowl, yet playing for Barca brings extreme demands. Before Jude Bellingham's first Clasico appearance for Real Madrid in 2023, Lineker told me: 'We think Premier League footballers operate under a lot of pressure, and they do, but it's nothing compared to playing for Barcelona and Real Madrid. 'When I was at Barcelona, it was a middle-class crowd - most working-class people couldn't afford to go. 'The Socios, who owned shares in the club, formed a lot of the crowd and for them it was like going to the opera or ballet - they sat back and expected to be entertained. 'In a bog-standard Spanish league game it could be very quiet and if you started badly, after 15 minutes they could get on your back and start whistling at you. While things have changed a little, it's still largely true.' 10 So Rashford hasn't taken an easy option here. He has also taken a 15 per cent cut on his £320,000 weekly United wage. This is a man still determined to prove himself at the very top. Joining Barcelona, even on loan, is a significant step up from United - who will play no European football this coming season. A link-up with Yamal will be interesting, off the field as well as on it - especially given that the boy wonder has only just turned 18 but has already developed a penchant for partying with Only Fans models and dwarves. Rashford's infamous sicknote after a booze bender in Belfast - which seriously dented his relationship with Amorim's predecessor Erik ten Hag - took place 18 months ago now. And he is widely said to have knuckled down while at Villa. But will Rashford start regularly for Barca, with Yamal, Robert Lewandowski, Raphinha and Ferran Torres already vying for places in Hansi Flick's front three? Rashford is most effective cutting inside from the left flank, which is where former Leeds man Raphinha has been operating with great success. 10 Teaming up with Lamine Yamal is an exciting opportunity for Rashford Credit: Getty Still, this is a remarkable opportunity for Rashford to revive his career with LaLiga's champions - and he may even get to grace the revamped Nou Camp, should it actually re-open at some point this season. And on October 26, he has the chance to play in the greatest club fixture on Earth, against Real in the Bernabeu in the first Clasico of the season - a match which may also feature his England team-mates Bellingham and Trent Alexander-Arnold. Just two years ago, Rashford was one of United's few reliable players and a regular England starter. At the age of 27, his peak may still be to come. There would be no greater place to realise his full potential than at Barcelona. But, as the only Englishman to have played for Barca in the last century has warned, there are few tougher places to win over your audience. WALES FAILS THERE were no Welshmen in the British and Irish Lions' matchday squad for Saturday's victory over Australia in Brisbane. There were no Welshmen teeing off among a 156-strong field at the Open Championship at Portrush. There were no Welshmen playing regularly for the top six clubs in last season's Premier League table. And as for the Welsh women, they were sent home from the Euros with nul points, having shipped 13 goals in three games. Whatever happened to a once-great sporting nation? 10 What has happened to the once-great sporting nation that is Wales Credit: Shutterstock Editorial BRIT OF A DOWNER FROM a British perspective, it would have been lovely to have seen Rory McIlroy claim the Claret Jug in his native Northern Ireland at the weekend. And for Daniel Dubois to have become the undisputed heavyweight champion of the world. Yet sometimes you simply have to marvel at those sportsmen who come remarkably close to achieving perfection in their field. Scottie Scheffler and Oleksandr Usyk are two of those rare beasts. And given that the bear-like Scheffler weighs in at just above the 14st 4lb cruiserweight limit, perhaps he's the man to give Usyk a decent fight? 10 Scottie Scheffler could be the man to take on Usyk Credit: AFP 10 Daniel Dubois lost his big fight against Oleksandr Usyk on a frustrating weekend for British sports fans Credit: EPA BIG SAM'S BIG MURAL A TEN-FOOT-HIGH mural of Sam Allardyce has appeared on a wall in the big man's hometown of Dudley. Allardyce is depicted eating orange chips - a spicy, battered black country delicacy. But given Big Sam's claim to fame as the shortest-lived manager of England, shouldn't he have been immortalised in paint while drinking a pint of wine instead? 10 Sam Allardyce has been immortalised in a bizarre mural in Dudley, with the ex-England boss eating local delicacy 'orange chips' Credit: PA WHAT A MAVERICK DURING Open week, I often like to amuse myself by finding the weirdest American names in the field. Among the previous winners of my imaginary comedy-name claret jug have been Fred Funk, Fuzzy Zoeller, Curtis Strange, Duffy Waldorf and Bo Van Pelt. This year it wasn't even close, thanks to Maverick McNealy. Discover your own American golfer name by simply adding your favourite Top Gun character to the name of a salad or a genre of popular music.
Hindustan Times
6 days ago
- Sport
- Hindustan Times
Real Madrid's Jude Bellingham set to be out of action for 3 months
Real Madrid attacking midfielder Jude Bellingham is likely to be out of action for three months after he was required to undergo surgery for his dislocated left shoulder sustained on November 5, 2023. Jude Bellingham of Real Madrid(Getty Images via AFP) "Our player Jude Bellingham has undergone successful surgery for a recurrent left shoulder dislocation," said Real Madrid in a statement. "Bellingham will now begin a period of rehabilitation prior to his return to recovery work." Bellingham, when playing against Real Vallecano in La Liga, collided with a defender in the second half of the game and landed awkwardly on his left arm. This caused his shoulder to pop out of place, causing him discomfort for one and a half years. He chose to carry on without surgery. He had been able to play while wearing a brace. Bellingham played at the Club World Cup in finishing his second season with Madrid after joining from Borussia Dortmund. It was never speculated how long Bellingham would miss out on Real Madrid's games, but many Spanish outlets have reported it to be around 10-12 weeks or 3-4 months. The England Midfielder held off surgery until his last game against Champions League winners PSG in the Club World Cup semi-finals, which Madrid lost 4-0. The 22-year-old is set to miss seven games for Real Madrid, including a fierce match against city rivals Atletico Madrid and the possibility of missing the first El Clasico of the season on 26 October. Madrid opens its La Liga campaign on August 19 against Osasuna. He is also expected to miss some Champions League games and likely England's World Cup qualifiers against Andorra and Serbia in September. "I've got the point where... I'm fed up with the brace, and having to tug on it and having (other) players tug on it, and it rearranging all the time," said Bellingham during the Club World Cup.
The Sun
7 days ago
- Sport
- The Sun
Jude Bellingham out for 12 weeks after shoulder surgery
REAL Madrid midfielder Jude Bellingham is set for a lengthy spell on the sidelines after undergoing successful surgery for a recurring shoulder injury. The club confirmed the procedure but did not specify a recovery timeline, though Spanish media reports suggest he could miss up to 12 weeks. Bellingham has been managing discomfort since dislocating his shoulder in a La Liga match in November 2023. Despite playing with a protective brace, the 22-year-old opted for surgery after delaying the procedure to participate in the Club World Cup. The England international will now begin rehabilitation, ruling him out of key fixtures. He is expected to miss the La Liga clash against Atletico Madrid in late September, as well as Real Madrid's opening two Champions League group-stage matches. His return is anticipated in time for the season's first El Clasico against Barcelona in late October. Bellingham expressed frustration with the injury during the Club World Cup, stating, 'I've got to the point where... I'm fed up with the brace, and having to tug on it and having (other) players tug on it, and it rearranging all the time.' Additionally, he will be unavailable for England's World Cup qualifiers against Andorra and Serbia on September 6 and 9. - AFP
