Caught up in their wave of delirium, Juventus are still coming to terms with the beguiling arrival of five-time Ballon d’Or winner, Cristiano Ronaldo. Yet despite concluding the best bit of business managed this decade, if not ever, there is still a lot of work to be done in the transfer market, opportunities left to exploit and financial concessions that need to be made. Concessions is the operative word. Juventus have bought Ronaldo to not only ensure sporting success but commercial success, too, and their priority is to construct a winning team around their star while still maintaining a healthy…
Author: David Folami
Jurgen Klopp has revealed his admiration for Christian Pulisic ahead of Liverpool’s clash with Borussia Dortmund in the International Champions Cup. Pulisic joined Dortmund in February 2015, just a three months before Klopp ended seven-year stay as manager at the Westfalenstadion. “He has a contract at Dortmund, no? That’s the first problem!” Klopp said, when asked if Pulisic was still on his radar. “I like Christian, I’ve known him since he was a kid and he’s still not really old. “He’s a fantastic player and it’s deserved that people think highly of him in America — in Germany it’s the…
Neymar has claimed that he is the subject of double standards when he plays for Paris Saint-Germain and Brazil. told Agence France Presse (AFP) at the Red Bull Neymar Jr’s Five (five-a-side) tournament at the Neymar Praia Grande institute that it added to pre-existing pressures. “No,” Neymar said when asked if the pressure was too much for him. “It is true that when it comes to me, there are double standards. I have been aware of this responsibility, not only for Brazil, but also in club football, since I was 17 or 18 years old. “I have prepared myself to…
Aymeric Laporte has admitted he was jealous watching France lift the World Cup from home with the option of a switch to Spain remaining a possibility. But Laporte, 24, could still play for Spain as he qualifies through residency after moving to Athletic Bilbao as a 16-year-old, despite representing France at junior levels. “It was jealousy to be honest,” he told reporters about watching France’s success. “The decisions were made and you just have to accept them. That’s how it is in football. “It didn’t come as a surprise to me that I wasn’t involved. I hadn’t been in the…
Mesut Ozil announced his retirement from international football Sunday at the age of 29, citing racism and lashing out at the president of the German football federation. he Arsenal midfielder finally broke his silence on the issue Sunday by posting a lengthy statement on social media insisting that he had done nothing wrong, before finally concluding that he was done playing for the German national team. “It is with a heavy heart and after much consideration that because of recent events, I will no longer be playing for Germany at international level whilst I have this feeling of racism and…
Jose Mourinho is facing his first injury scare of Manchester United’s summer tour after Antonio Valencia limped off against San Jose Earthquakes. Valencia, 32, lasted just seven minutes of United’s second preseason game at Levi’s Stadium on Sunday. It will be a worry for Mourinho who is already short of players after the World Cup in Russia. The United boss had already revealed his plan to start the Premier League season with a back four of Valencia, Luke Shaw, Eric Bailly and Chris Smalling. New signing Diogo Dalot, 19, is out until September with a knee injury while Phil Jones,…
Jose Mourinho has admitted he may not get the players he wants in this transfer window as he looks to close the gap with Manchester City. Asked directly at Levi’s Stadium whether there will be more signings, Mourinho told a news conference: “One thing is what I want and another thing is what is going to happen.” Anthony Martial’s future is also up in the air after his agent, Philippe Lamboley, said in June the Frenchman wants to leave. Mourinho, however, suggested it would not be the 22-year-old’s decision. “I would like to be in Los Angeles now and I…
Tottenham have named their 25-man squad for the International Champions Cup, with Vincent Janssen, Josh Onomah and Marcus Edwards the notable absentees. Dutch striker Janssen and 21-year-old midfielder Onomah spent last season out on loan with Fenerbahce and Aston Villa respectively. Edwards — once likened to a young Lionel Messi by manager Mauricio Pochettino — has been unable to add to his solitary first-team appearance back in September 2016, and a loan spell with Norwich City was cut short in April this year. Pochettino will provide an update on the absent players’ situations during Spurs’ tour of the USA and…
For a third straight week, Drake’s Scorpion holds at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 albums chart. The set earned 260,000 equivalent album units in the week ending July 19, according to Nielsen Music. Of that sum, 29,000 were in traditional album sales. Wiz Khalifa’s Rolling Papers 2 is the only debut in the top 10, as it starts at No. 2 with 80,000 units. The Billboard 200 chart ranks the most popular albums of the week in the U.S. based on multi-metric consumption as measured in equivalent album units. Units are comprised of traditional album sales, track equivalent albums…
Questions revolving Rick Ross’ alleged past as a cocaine trafficker intensify after we secured information confirming the rapper was, in fact, a correctional officer. After Rozay vehemently denied having worked as a correctional officer—which was originally spotlighted when Media Takeout posted images of the rapper graduating from the Department of Corrections as a 19-year-old—TSG served some definitive proof in the form of personnel records from DoC spokesperson Jo Ellyn Rackleff. In the records, we can see that Ross became a prison guard in December of 1995, at which point he was given a salary of $22,913.54. He resigned from his…
Nicki Minaj has lent her talents to the new song “FEFE” from rapper 6ix9ine, who is known as much for his technicolor hair and body-covering “69″ tattoos and swagger as a very long and very bad string of charges against him. Most recently, he was accused of choking a 16-year-old in a mall; in 2015, he pled guilty to using a child in a sexual performance, posting video of a 13-year-old girl performing sexual acts on another person and, at one point, according to the incident report, “making a thrusting motion with his pelvis and smacking her on her buttocks.”…
Kim Kardashian’s wedding guest style: Glittering and somewhat vintage. On Saturday, the Keeping Up With the Kardashians star and husband Kanye West attended the wedding of rapper Pusha T, the president of Kanye’s G.O.O.D. Music record label, and his longtime partner Virginia Williams in Virginia Beach, Virginia. Kim posted on Instagram videos of her and Kanye getting ready. In a mirror selfie, she is wearing a long sleeve, glittering gold Balmain mini dress and carries a matching Judith Leiber clutch in the shape of an ’80s brick cell phone. “I got the vintage Balmain look for Pusha’s wedding in Virginia,…
DJ Cuppy has gotten a brand new 2018 edition of Range Rover Sport valued at N24 million from her billionaire dad, Femi Otedola. The celebrity DJ made the announcement on Saturday, July 21, 2018 on her Instagram page with a picture of the new automobile. DJ Cuppy posed with the white automobile which has a special plate number CUP 9Y in the United Kingdom. She wrote, “Out with the old, in with the new! THANK YOU @FemiOtedola,” as caption for the picture. The new car is coming a month after Cuppy’s sister, Temi Otedola, got a brand new Range Rover…
Nollywood actor, Bolanle Ninolowo says he has no favourites amongst Nigerian actresses. In a chat with Punch, the actor said, “I enjoy working with many of them. I have never really seen anyone as special because we simply go and get the job done. I do not have a favourite.” The Picture Perfect star also confessed to have been turned on while filming with an actress. Bolanle didn’t reveal the actress he was acting alongside when he got turned on but said he had gotten turned on twice on movie sets. He said, “Believe it or not, it probably happened…
Kiss Daniel says CDQ co-wrote the song, ‘Wait’, off DJ Neptune’s recent album, ”Greatness”. In an industry where songwriting is usually looked down upon, and openly crediting another artist for writing your song is quite rare. The Flyboi Inc boss made this known in a post on his Twitter page. The singer also took to his Twitter page to announce that his second studio album is ready and will be released in September or October. Kiss Daniel had released his debut album, New Era on May 14, 2016 under his former label, G Worldwide Entertainment, he has since been involved…
Charly Boy and his wife, Lady Di didn’t accept the choice of their daughter, Dewy Oputa, being a lesbian so easily as many think. Dewy made this known in a chat with Punch six days after Charly Boy replied critics to defend her daughter’s choice of sex and relationship. “I can’t pinpoint the exact age I found out about my sexuality, but I was much younger. When I came out to my parents, it took them a while to adjust but my happiness comes first. I don’t feel bad about the negative comments my sexuality post has generated. I knew…
Basketmouth played a host to Femi Otedola, one of Nigeria’s billionaires and Chairman of Forte Oil, at his home in highbrow Lekki, Lagos. The comedian took to his Instagram page to share a picture of himself and his guest, who looked happy visiting the Okpochas. “Boss!!!! @femiotedola thank you so much for coming through sir, na man you be. #Ote$$$$$,” Basketmouth wrote as caption for the picture of himself and Otedola on Instagram. Reciprocating, Otedola posted the same picture and captioned it “Catching a laugh with @Basketmouth at his home.” In 2017, Baskemouth won a recognition in the Pan-African Comic…
Muhammadu Buhari has felicitated with renowned Pharmacist and community leader, Alhaji Dahiru Wali, who turns 83 on July 23. According to him, this has been lined with many years of achievements and recognitions for his contributions to knowledge and an extensive practice to ensure a healthy country. The president commended the exceptional brilliance of the pharmacist, whose training predated the Nigerian independence. He noted that Wali had maintained a rising influence in his field by working for a long period and setting up a pharmacy, Tsamiya, since the 70’s that had continued to cater for many with quality drugs. Buhari…
Senator Dino Melaye has issued a statement insisting that he was attacked by Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS) operatives. The Kogi police spokesman, DSP William Aya accused the lawmaker of twisting the facts. The Senator was also asked to report with the people in his convoy to the State Criminal Intelligence and Investigation Department, Lokoja. He said “The police stopped the vehicle of the civil defence corps, arrested them and suddenly opened fire on my vehicle, including my back- up vehicle. We all had to run for dear life as they continue to shoot at my SUV and, apart from the…
Lai Mohammed has said despite the killings resulting from clashes between herdsmen and farmers in the country, Nigeria is not at war. Mohammed who urged Nigerians in the diaspora to depend on only credible media outlets for news about happenings in the country cautioned them against relying on posts via the social media. “Most of what emanate from social media about the situation in Nigeria is fake news,” the minister declared. ”Despite such crises as the farmers-herders clashes and communal conflicts, Nigerians – for the most part – are living together harmoniously. Nigeria is not at war,” stated said. The…