Latest news with #Scudetto
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Inter Milan – Rich, Resilient & Ready For The Fight?
Inter Milan just posted one of the best financial seasons in its recent history and paradoxically, one of the most emotionally frustrating ones for its fans. The club walked away with over €500 million in total revenues for the 2024–25 season, made it to the Champions League final (second time in three years), earned prize money from the FIFA Club World Cup. At the beginning of 2024 season Inter was valued about 1.2 billion USD and now it is the second most valued Serie A team. With an estimated enterprise value of €1.7 billion USD, a 20% increase compared to last year.… and yet, ended the season without a single trophy. After the brutal 5–0 defeat to PSG in the Champions League final, a humiliation that still hurts in fan's hearts, and a one-point miss in the Scudetto race to Napoli, Inter fans were left wondering: Can this team really deliver when it matters most? Now, with a new coach and new ownership, the question is not only if Inter can perform but if they can transform into the winning machine. Simone Inzaghi, who brought focus and tactical stability during turbulent times since Covid, left Inter. That is after winning a total of six trophies. He has taken a high-paying job in Saudi Arabia joining the Al-Hilal for two-year with a contract worth $50 million. The second highest paid coach in the world. Christian Chivu – Treble Hero Given Keys To The Inter Milan First Team SEATTLE, WASHINGTON – JUNE 21: Cristian Chivu, Head Coach of FC Internazionale Milano, looks on during the FIFA Club World Cup 2025 group E match between FC Internazionale Milano and Urawa Red Diamonds at Lumen Field on June 21, 2025 in Seattle, Washington. (Photo by) In his place steps Cristian Chivu, a club legend and youth team coach who is beloved but untested at this level. It's a bold, emotionally intelligent choice one that signals Inter's appetite for new risk and new paths forwards. Chivu knows the club, knows the pressure, and understands what it means to wear the Nerazzurri jersey. But sentiment won't be enough. Fortunately, Inter isn't walking into the new season empty-handed. Fortunately, Inter isn't walking into the new season empty-handed. According to Gazzetta dello Sport, Inter is willing to spend around €100 million on new signings this summer. A dramatic departure from the club's recent conservative transfer policy. For many fans skeptical of Oaktree Capital's arrival, this is the first tangible proof that the new owners are not just here to balance the books they're here to win. And they're already spending. Inter has invested nearly €70 million in four new players. These Include Ange-Yoan Bonny, Luis Henrique, Petar Sucic, and Nicola Zalewski. These are not superstar names at least not yet but they are hungry, athletic, and chosen with a purpose. This is a squad refresh, not just a facelift. Inter Milan Rebuild Under Oaktree Underway MILAN, ITALY – MAY 22: (L-R) CEO Corporate FC Internazionale Alessandro Antonello, Oaktree's Global Opportunities strategy Managing Director Katherine Ralph, Managing Director and Co-Head of Europe for Oaktree's Global Opportunities strategy Alejandro Cano, CEO Sport FC Internazionale Giuseppe Marotta attend a meeting between FC Internazionale new owners Oaktree and Club's Management on May 22, 2024 in Milan, Italy. (Photo by Guido) Importantly, the club now has the firepower to keep spending. From the FIFA Club World Cup, despite an early exit, Inter earned around €31.5 million in prize money, per FCInterNews. Add to that the nearly €100 million brought in from their Champions League run, and you begin to see the new financial engine that Oaktree has helped build. Inter's total revenues in 2024–25 surpassed half a billion Euros. A staggering figure for a club that not long ago was in deep financial disarray. But here's the paradox. Inter Milan is healthier than ever off the pitch, but it still needs to prove itself on it given the high expectations created. The fans want more than earnings reports and balance sheets. They want trophies. They want pride. And after coming so painfully close on multiple fronts last season, there's a quiet pressure building at the club. Ademola Lookman On The Way In? DUBLIN, IRELAND – MAY 22: Ademola Lookman of Atalanta BC bites their winner's medal as he celebrates victory after the UEFA Europa League 2023/24 final match between Atalanta BC and Bayer 04 Leverkusen at Dublin Arena on May 22, 2024 in Dublin, Ireland. (Photo by) The next steps will depend heavily on how quickly the new team members can gel. Whether Chivu can take the step up from youth football to the main stage. Furthermore, if the core squad can bounce back mentally from a year of near-misses. And weather some of the big names like Atalanta super star Ademola Lookman which can be acquired in time for the scudetto kick off. This is not a transition season it's a validation one. Chivu brings identity. Oaktree brings discipline and financial fire-power. The money is there, and so are the expectations. Now, Inter must prove that being rich and resilient isn't enough. It's time to be ruthless and invest with the fans! By: Andrea Zanon
New Straits Times
2 days ago
- Sport
- New Straits Times
Allegri vows to restore AC Milan, bets on Modric
SINGAPORE: Massimiliano Allegri vowed Monday to rekindle AC Milan's former glory as he returned as manager to the faltering Italian giants for a second spell. The Rossoneri had turned to serial winner Allegri after the club slumped to its worst league finish in a decade – leading to Sergio Conceicao's axing after five miserable months in charge. "The goal for this season is to return to the Champions League as a club like AC Milan has to play in Europe," Allegri told reporters in Singapore, where his team will face Arsenal on Wednesday in a pre-season friendly. "This is the sole objective for me from the get-go. These are the games the team lives for. We're not going to look back, but we are looking forward to the future now," added the 57-year-old Italian. Milan ended the 2024-25 campaign in eighth place – missing out on European qualification – and fell short in the Coppa Italia final against Bologna. In the aftermath, Allegri was brought in to replace Conceicao at the helm at the club, which he previously managed from 2010 to 2014. Allegri won the Scudetto in his first season in charge of Milan – the club's first since 2004 – before enjoying a dominant spell at Juventus, where he clinched five straight Serie A titles. "It has been more than a decade since I first took charge of Milan. The situation is obviously different now. A lot has changed, not just in Milan but in the world of football," he said. "But the overall goal remains the same, and that is to get this club back to where it belongs, and that is the Champions League," said Allegri. He said he will look to the recent signing of Luka Modric from Real Madrid to restore Milan's status among Europe's elite, where they are the seven-time European champions. At 39, the 2018 Ballon d'Or winner still has plenty to offer, and Allegri will be counting on his wealth of experience and leadership to inspire the team. "Modric is a proven champion who does not need any introduction. He is a role model not only from the discipline but technical perspective," said Allegri. - AFP
Scotsman
2 days ago
- Sport
- Scotsman
'Staggered': Billy Gilmour's Napoli future addressed as Man City claim made on Scotland star
Nevin believes Scotland star's impact on games goes unnoticed Sign up to our Football newsletter Sign up Thank you for signing up! Did you know with a Digital Subscription to The Scotsman, you can get unlimited access to the website including our premium content, as well as benefiting from fewer ads, loyalty rewards and much more. Learn More Sorry, there seem to be some issues. Please try again later. Submitting... Scotland midfielder Billy Gilmour has the skillset to play for Manchester City under Pep Guardiola - but he should stay at Napoli, according to Pat Nevin. Gilmour made the move from Brighton and Hove Albion in the English Premier League to Italian side Napoli last summer. Alongside fellow Scotland internationalist Scott McTominay, he went on to win the Serie A title - only the fourth Scudetto in Gli Azzurri's history. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Contracted to Napoli until the summer of 2029, any suitors would have to pay a significant fee for the Rangers academy graduate, who already has experience of playing in the EPL with Chelsea, Norwich City and Brighton. And while former Scotland internationalist Nevin reckons the 24-year-old would thrive at a possession-based club such as Man City, he is better off staying in Naples. Billy Gilmour has excelled since moving to Napoli. | Getty Images 'Billy was playing for Chelsea when he was 18, playing against Liverpool and looking like the best player on the field,' said Nevin. 'Then he doesn't get his chance. 'He moves to Norwich, a team that wasn't suited to him. Then he goes to Brighton, finally a place that suits him, and they loved him and he was doing really, really well. But he didn't suit the way they were buying and selling so they moved him again. 'Honestly I do think if you stuck him in the centre of Manchester City's midfield he'd be fine. He's good enough. He can do that technically with his quality. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Why leave Napoli? 'But why would you move back from Napoli? It is heaven over there for a player. If you're winning the scudetto, if you're getting lauded the way he and Scott McTominay are, I would be staggered (if he left). I think he'd look towards Spain if he were to move. I think that would suit Billy down to the ground. And I think he'd love them there. 'People that don't watch Napoli or Scotland sometimes roll their eyes and think it's just a Scottish guy. He plays against some of the best players in the world and he outshines them quite regularly.' Speaking to Nevin added: 'The downside is he's not going to score you any goals and he's not massively creative either. But he controls games. That control in games is massively important for certain types of teams.
CNA
4 days ago
- Sport
- CNA
Scugnizzo Cup sparks football passion in Naples prison walls
NAPLES, Italy :In the vibrant heart of Naples' historic centre, the thunderous sounds from five-a-side football matches resonate off the ancient stone walls of a former juvenile prison. Fuelled by Napoli winning the Italian Serie A title in two of the last three seasons, a passion for soccer is taking root across the city. More than 30 years had passed since the club's first two Scudetto crowns inspired by Argentina World Cup winner and Napoli icon Diego Maradona. The long-awaited success has reignited a deep passion for the sport and the fierce devotion Neapolitans are renowned for. Nowhere is this clearer than in the games in the former prison courtyard, abandoned for over two decades, which are drawing growing crowds and sponsorship. The Scugnizzo Cup, a grassroots tournament in its sixth year, is becoming one of the city's most popular sporting events. "It's a game this city loves deeply, almost viscerally, but one that is often tied solely to the passion for the city's professional club," volunteer Sergio Sciambra said. "At the same time Naples lacks sports facilities and parks, and it has become nearly impossible to play football in public squares taken over by cafes and tourism," The prison, known as Scugnizzo Liberato, which translates to liberated street boy in the Neapolitan dialect, has been transformed into a vibrant community space. "It's a tournament created for the people of the neighbourhoods, to build atmosphere and friendship," said organiser Giuseppe Pipino. "Naples is sometimes criticised for not being a good example, but the Scugnizzo Cup is for those kids who face more difficulties." The tournament brings neighbourhood and migrant teams together to play matches in a tight concrete courtyard. "The Scugnizzo Cup is the testament to a need felt by the city, to reclaim a sport that can no longer be just watched from the stands," volunteer Julian Foster said. "It shows us that you can still have fun without massive stadiums and football superstar, that there are other ways of being together, ways that have slowly been taken away or forgotten." During this year's final, the prison courtyard was up by with flares as Manchester City Napoli, named in playful tribute to their Premier League counterparts, crushed Inter Miami Quartieri Uniti 4-0 on Friday.
The Star
4 days ago
- Sport
- The Star
Soccer-Scugnizzo Cup sparks football passion in Naples prison walls
NAPLES, Italy (Reuters) -In the vibrant heart of Naples' historic centre, the thunderous sounds from five-a-side football matches resonate off the ancient stone walls of a former juvenile prison. Fuelled by Napoli winning the Italian Serie A title in two of the last three seasons, a passion for soccer is taking root across the city. More than 30 years had passed since the club's first two Scudetto crowns inspired by Argentina World Cup winner and Napoli icon Diego Maradona. The long-awaited success has reignited a deep passion for the sport and the fierce devotion Neapolitans are renowned for. Nowhere is this clearer than in the games in the former prison courtyard, abandoned for over two decades, which are drawing growing crowds and sponsorship. The Scugnizzo Cup, a grassroots tournament in its sixth year, is becoming one of the city's most popular sporting events. "It's a game this city loves deeply, almost viscerally, but one that is often tied solely to the passion for the city's professional club," volunteer Sergio Sciambra said. "At the same time Naples lacks sports facilities and parks, and it has become nearly impossible to play football in public squares taken over by cafes and tourism," The prison, known as Scugnizzo Liberato, which translates to liberated street boy in the Neapolitan dialect, has been transformed into a vibrant community space. "It's a tournament created for the people of the neighbourhoods, to build atmosphere and friendship," said organiser Giuseppe Pipino. "Naples is sometimes criticised for not being a good example, but the Scugnizzo Cup is for those kids who face more difficulties." The tournament brings neighbourhood and migrant teams together to play matches in a tight concrete courtyard. "The Scugnizzo Cup is the testament to a need felt by the city, to reclaim a sport that can no longer be just watched from the stands," volunteer Julian Foster said. "It shows us that you can still have fun without massive stadiums and football superstar, that there are other ways of being together, ways that have slowly been taken away or forgotten." During this year's final, the prison courtyard was up by with flares as Manchester City Napoli, named in playful tribute to their Premier League counterparts, crushed Inter Miami Quartieri Uniti 4-0 on Friday. (Writing by Tommy Lund in Gdansk, additional reporting by Antonio Denti, editing by Ed Osmond)
