Latest news with #LionelMessi-inspired
France 24
03-07-2025
- Sport
- France 24
Monaco's Pogba 'dreams' of returning to France squad
The 2018 World Cup winner boasts 91 caps for France, but has not represented Les Bleus since March 2022 due to injuries and an 18-month suspension for doping which ended four months ago. "It's the wish of every French football player to represent the France national team, but there are stages," said the 32-year-old. "Today I'm at stage one: coming back and performing well. "There are spots to be won and you have to earn them because it's a very, very good group, a great team," he added. In Pogba's absence, France reached the final of the 2022 World Cup but were beaten on penalties by a Lionel Messi-inspired Argentina. They also reached the semi-finals of the European Championship last year, before losing 2-1 to eventual winners Spain. Midfielder Pogba signed a two-year contract with Ligue 1 club Monaco on Saturday in a bid to relaunch his career. The former Manchester United player has made only 12 appearances across the last three seasons due to injuries, suspension and an extortion case in which he was the victim. Pogba failed a drugs test in August 2023 after a match for Juventus and has been free to return to football since March, although his contract at the Italian giants had been terminated last year. In 2024, his brother Mathias was sentenced to three years in prison, with two years suspended, for his role in a plot to extort 13 million euros ($15.3 million) from Pogba in 2022. Having won four Italian league titles with Juventus and the 2017 Europa League with English side Man United, Pogba will now play club football in his home country for the first time in his professional career.
Hindustan Times
10-06-2025
- Sport
- Hindustan Times
Club World Cup riches await four African challengers
The four African qualifiers for the revamped Club World Cup in the United States are set to become much richer, no matter how they fare in the 32-team tournament. The bonanza is the equivalent of Sundowns winning nine league titles in South Africa, the African country with the richest football prize money. A win in the group phase will add $2 million, a draw $1 million, and a top-two finish and qualification for the knockout phase $7.5 million. Winners of the premier African club competition, the CAF Champions League, receive $4 million for playing 14 or 16 matches. No side will play more than seven matches in the Club World Cup. Here, AFP Sport looks at the African contenders, all of whom have competed in the Club World Cup when it was an annual seven-club affair. Spaniard Jose Riveiro will make his competitive debut as coach of the Cairo Red Devils when they face Lionel Messi-inspired Inter Miami in the tournament opener on June 14. "The best way to contain Messi is to stop the ball reaching him, but we also have a plan for him when he does receive possession," said Riveiro. He left Orlando Pirates in South Africa in May after a three-season stint in which he won five domestic knockout trophies and reached the 2025 Champions League semi-finals. Ahly have been busy in the transfer market, signing former Aston Villa striker Mahmoud 'Trezeguet' Hassan from Turkish outfit Trabzonspor and winger Ahmed 'Zizo' Sayed from arch Cairo rivals Zamalek. The Blood and Gold from Tunis will be coached by one of their former stars, Maher Kanzari, after Romanian Laurentiu Reghecampf was axed in mid season having been in charge for only four months. Kanzari delivered a domestic league and cup double, but they made a timid exit from the Champions League in the quarter-finals. Esperance boast a star striker in Algerian Youcef Belaili, whose seven goals placed him second in the Champions League Golden Boot race. The four-time African champions have struggled in previous Club World Cup appearances, finishing fifth twice and sixth once. Sundowns are a club under a cloud after losing 3-2 on aggregate to Pyramids recently in a Champions League final they were expected to win. It was the second successive Champions League final loss for Portuguese coach Miguel Cardoso, who was in charge of Esperance when they lost the 2024 final to Ahly. Many Sundowns supporters were unhappy that Cardoso did not use fit-again veteran midfielder Themba Zwane in either leg of the title decider. Sundowns are captained by goalkeeper Ronwen Williams, who created history at the 2024 Africa Cup of Nations by saving four shootout penalties to take South Africa past Cape Verde in a quarter-final. The Casablanca outfit sacked South African coach Rulani Mokwena as the Moroccan season drew to a close after he failed to secure a 2026 Champions League slot for the three-time continental champions. He was replaced by local Mohamed Benhachem, who transformed a team that had drawn six consecutive domestic league matches into one that ended the campaign by winning three in a row. Wydad have signed Burkina Faso midfielder Stephane Aziz Ki from Young Africans of Tanzania and Dutch defender Bart Meijers from Bosnia and Herzegovina club Borac Banja Luka. They are the only African contenders who will not face a Brazilian club in the group phase, but are not expected to advance from a section including Manchester City and Juventus. dl/as
Kuwait Times
04-06-2025
- General
- Kuwait Times
Contenders eye ‘big titles' as Nations League final four kicks off
MUNICH: The Nations League semi-finals start on Wednesday with Germany, Spain, France and Portugal seeking to fine tune their sides with the World Cup just one year away. Tournament hosts Germany face Portugal in Munich on Wednesday and title holders Spain face France in Stuttgart a day later. The winners will face off in the Bavarian capital on Sunday. Created in 2018, the Nations League lacks the history and esteem of football's major international tournaments and has been criticized for adding to an already crowded calendar. But as Spain and France have shown in recent years, the competition can be a perfect launchpad to reach greater heights. France's Nations League triumph in 2021 came just over a year before their run to the World Cup final in Qatar, where they lost on penalties to a Lionel Messi-inspired Argentina. Spain, runners-up against France in 2021, beat Croatia on penalties to win the 2023 Nations League; a year later, the Spanish were crowned Euro 2024 champions. While some of the larger nations have fielded experimental line-ups, recent winners have used the tournament to develop and improve. The 'big titles' Of the final four, only Germany are yet to win a Nations League title, with Portugal's success coming in the opening tournament in 2019. Germany captain Joshua Kimmich will be handed his 100th international cap on Wednesday. The Bayern Munich midfielder is the 14th Germany player to reach the milestone, but will become the only member of the 100 club not to have won a World Cup. Kimmich said Monday he 'had a couple more chances' to correct the stat and said the Nations League would show how much progress Germany had made, after a disappointing decade. 'If it's enough for the really big titles, we don't know, it depends on a lot of factors.' World Cup winners in 2014, Germany crashed out of the following two World Cups at the group stage. Their best result since a Euros semi-final in 2016 was going out in the quarters to eventual champions Spain at Euro 2024. 'We want to go into the (World Cup) well prepared. We've said a few times that the preparation doesn't start two weeks before, rather it's already started,' Kimmich said. 'When we now compete in two internationals successfully, we can show we're still on a good path.' Kimmich's sentiment was echoed by coach Julian Nagelsmann on Friday, who said 'we would love to win titles and keep feeding our self-confidence. 'Even if it's only a small title, for us as a group it's very important... Confidence and trust are fragile elements that require constant nourishment.' 'Tiredness takes a back seat' Coming at the end of a long club season, each of the final four are nursing injuries. Already without Jamal Musiala, Antonio Rudiger and Nico Schlotterbeck, Germany lost Jonathan Burkardt, Nadiem Amiri and Yann Bisseck to injury over the weekend. France are missing first choice defenders Dayot Upamecano, William Saliba and Jules Kounde, along with Real Madrid midfielder Eduardo Camavinga, while six players will be involved after Saturday's Champions League final. Opponents Spain elected not to name Rodri in their Nations League squad, wanting not to rush the reigning Ballon d'Or winner as he returns from his cruciate injury. Veteran Portugal talisman Cristiano Ronaldo, 40, has been named despite missing three of his past six club matches for Al Nassr with muscle complaints. Four players will join the Portuguese squad after lifting the Champions League title with Paris Saint-Germain: Nuno Mendes, Vitinha, Joao Neves and Goncalo Ramos. Portugal midfielder Rubin Neves acknowledged the strain on top players, but told the Portuguese FA on Sunday 'when we reach this type of competition, at this level, tiredness takes a back seat. Tiredness is left behind and our main focus is to win the two games and win the Nations League. 'We have all the tools available to be at our best.' — AFP
France 24
03-06-2025
- Sport
- France 24
Contenders eye 'big titles' as Nations League final four kicks off
Tournament hosts Germany face Portugal in Munich on Wednesday and title holders Spain face France in Stuttgart a day later. The winners will face off in the Bavarian capital on Sunday. Created in 2018, the Nations League lacks the history and esteem of football's major international tournaments and has been criticised for adding to an already crowded calendar. But as Spain and France have shown in recent years, the competition can be a perfect launchpad to reach greater heights. France's Nations League triumph in 2021 came just over a year before their run to the World Cup final in Qatar, where they lost on penalties to a Lionel Messi-inspired Argentina. Spain, runners-up against France in 2021, beat Croatia on penalties to win the 2023 Nations League; a year later, the Spanish were crowned Euro 2024 champions. While some of the larger nations have fielded experimental line-ups, recent winners have used the tournament to develop and improve. The 'big titles' Of the final four, only Germany are yet to win a Nations League title, with Portugal's success coming in the opening tournament in 2019. Germany captain Joshua Kimmich will be handed his 100th international cap on Wednesday. The Bayern Munich midfielder is the 14th Germany player to reach the milestone, but will become the only member of the 100 club not to have won a World Cup. Kimmich said Monday he "had a couple more chances" to correct the stat and said the Nations League would show how much progress Germany had made, after a disappointing decade. "If it's enough for the really big titles, we don't know, it depends on a lot of factors." World Cup winners in 2014, Germany crashed out of the following two World Cups at the group stage. Their best result since a Euros semi-final in 2016 was going out in the quarters to eventual champions Spain at Euro 2024. "We want to go into the (World Cup) well prepared. We've said a few times that the preparation doesn't start two weeks before, rather it's already started," Kimmich said. "When we now compete in two internationals successfully, we can show we're still on a good path." Kimmich's sentiment was echoed by coach Julian Nagelsmann on Friday, who said "we would love to win titles and keep feeding our self-confidence. "Even if it's only a small title, for us as a group it's very important... Confidence and trust are fragile elements that require constant nourishment." 'Tiredness takes a back seat' Coming at the end of a long club season, each of the final four are nursing injuries. Already without Jamal Musiala, Antonio Rudiger and Nico Schlotterbeck, Germany lost Jonathan Burkardt, Nadiem Amiri and Yann Bisseck to injury over the weekend. France are missing first choice defenders Dayot Upamecano, William Saliba and Jules Kounde, along with Real Madrid midfielder Eduardo Camavinga, while six players will be involved after Saturday's Champions League final. Opponents Spain elected not to name Rodri in their Nations League squad, wanting not to rush the reigning Ballon d'Or winner as he returns from his cruciate injury. Veteran Portugal talisman Cristiano Ronaldo, 40, has been named despite missing three of his past six club matches for Al Nassr with muscle complaints. Four players will join the Portuguese squad after lifting the Champions League title with Paris Saint-Germain: Nuno Mendes, Vitinha, Joao Neves and Goncalo Ramos. Portugal midfielder Rubin Neves acknowledged the strain on top players, but told the Portuguese FA on Sunday "when we reach this type of competition, at this level, tiredness takes a back seat. "Tiredness is left behind and our main focus is to win the two games and win the Nations League.
NDTV
03-06-2025
- Sport
- NDTV
Contenders Eye 'Big Titles' As Nations League Final Four Kicks Off
The Nations League semi-finals start on Wednesday with Germany, Spain, France and Portugal seeking to fine tune their sides with the World Cup just one year away. Tournament hosts Germany face Portugal in Munich on Wednesday and title holders Spain face France in Stuttgart a day later. The winners will face off in the Bavarian capital on Sunday. Created in 2018, the Nations League lacks the history and esteem of football's major international tournaments and has been criticised for adding to an already crowded calendar. But as Spain and France have shown in recent years, the competition can be a perfect launchpad to reach greater heights. France's Nations League triumph in 2021 came just over a year before their run to the World Cup final in Qatar, where they lost on penalties to a Lionel Messi-inspired Argentina. Spain, runners-up against France in 2021, beat Croatia on penalties to win the 2023 Nations League; a year later, the Spanish were crowned Euro 2024 champions. While some of the larger nations have fielded experimental line-ups, recent winners have used the tournament to develop and improve. The 'big titles' Of the final four, only Germany are yet to win a Nations League title, with Portugal's success coming in the opening tournament in 2019. Germany captain Joshua Kimmich will be handed his 100th international cap on Wednesday. The Bayern Munich midfielder is the 14th Germany player to reach the milestone, but will become the only member of the 100 club not to have won a World Cup. Kimmich said Monday he "had a couple more chances" to correct the stat and said the Nations League would show how much progress Germany had made, after a disappointing decade. "If it's enough for the really big titles, we don't know, it depends on a lot of factors." World Cup winners in 2014, Germany crashed out of the following two World Cups at the group stage. Their best result since a Euros semi-final in 2016 was going out in the quarters to eventual champions Spain at Euro 2024. "We want to go into the (World Cup) well prepared. We've said a few times that the preparation doesn't start two weeks before, rather it's already started," Kimmich said. "When we now compete in two internationals successfully, we can show we're still on a good path." Kimmich's sentiment was echoed by coach Julian Nagelsmann on Friday, who said "we would love to win titles and keep feeding our self-confidence. "Even if it's only a small title, for us as a group it's very important... Confidence and trust are fragile elements that require constant nourishment." 'Tiredness takes a back seat' Coming at the end of a long club season, each of the final four are nursing injuries. Already without Jamal Musiala, Antonio Rudiger and Nico Schlotterbeck, Germany lost Jonathan Burkardt, Nadiem Amiri and Yann Bisseck to injury over the weekend. France are missing first choice defenders Dayot Upamecano, William Saliba and Jules Kounde, along with Real Madrid midfielder Eduardo Camavinga, while six players will be involved after Saturday's Champions League final. Opponents Spain elected not to name Rodri in their Nations League squad, wanting not to rush the reigning Ballon d'Or winner as he returns from his cruciate injury. Veteran Portugal talisman Cristiano Ronaldo, 40, has been named despite missing three of his past six club matches for Al Nassr with muscle complaints. Four players will join the Portuguese squad after lifting the Champions League title with Paris Saint-Germain: Nuno Mendes, Vitinha, Joao Neves and Goncalo Ramos. Portugal midfielder Rubin Neves acknowledged the strain on top players, but told the Portuguese FA on Sunday "when we reach this type of competition, at this level, tiredness takes a back seat. "Tiredness is left behind and our main focus is to win the two games and win the Nations League. "We have all the tools available to be at our best."
