Paul Pogba has said he has struggled to focus following France’s World Cup win — but has insisted he can still lead the club despite being dropped from vice-captaincy duties. Pogba has reportedly fallen out with manager Jose Mourinho on various occasions this season, and that has coincided with a slow start to the season for United, who are eighth in the table, seven points off leaders Manchester City. And the former Juventus midfielder, who has scored twice and provided two assists in eight top-flight outings, said he has found it harder to motivate himself, having won the biggest prize…
Author: David Folami
The question would have seemed unthinkable this summer, whilst Romelu Lukaku was running riot at the World Cup for Belgium, but it has arisen all the same — namely, should he be dropped by Jose Mourinho? In the last few weeks, he has cut a frustrated figure, with crucial goals surprisingly eluding a player of his reputation. After a remarkable start to his career at Old Trafford, during which he even drew comparisons in some quarters with Ruud van Nistelrooy, his momentum has slowed a little. The Van Nistelrooy parallels were most accurate so far as they related to the…
The last time the German national team welcomed supporters to an open training session, they had just won the World Cup in Brazil. Four years later, Joachim Low and his men are anxious to avoid relegation in the Nations League after a 0-0 draw in their opening match at home to France. But that rather embarrassing sporting demise didn’t seem to dampen the enthusiasm in the German capital on Tuesday. Five thousand people turned up at Hertha BSC’s Amateurstadion to loudly cheer the Nationalmannschaft’s every shot and pass. Afterwards, players signed shirts and posed for selfies. The World Cup post-mortem…
Spain coach Luis Enrique says the absence of Gareth Bale in Thursday's international friendly against Wales will not change how his team approaches the contest. Bale, who has scored five goals and set up three more in his first seven appearances for Real Madrid this season, has been ruled out of the encounter in Cardiff due to muscle fatigue. "The Wales that we have analysed is one with Bale," Luis Enrique said in Wednesday's news conference at the Principality Stadium. "Bale improves two great qualities that Wales have which is speed and verticality. We shall see what type of national…
Alvaro Morata has said Eden Hazard will not force an exit from Chelsea but would be happy to move to Real Madrid if both clubs come to an agreement. Hazard said this week it remained his “dream” to play for Madrid and he wanted to “make it happen,” but made it clear he did not want to damage his relationship with Chelsea. Speculation that Madrid president Florentino Perez will move for Hazard followed, with 85 percent of fans polled by AS wanting a deal done in the January window. Marca’s front page on Wednesday morning claimed a transfer next summer…
Real Madrid are monitoring Raheem Sterling’s situation at Manchester City as the England forward’s contract runs down, sources have said. The 23-year-old is in the final two years of his contract with no sign of a new deal being agreed as yet. Sterling has also claimed he would be open to a move abroad at some point in his career. “Definitely, it would be nice to play abroad. It would be a great experience. Spain’s attractive. Anywhere the weather is nice really,” Sterling said in December 2017. However, reports has been told there is a willingness from both the club…
Cristiano Ronaldo’s Las Vegas-based attorney said his soccer star client “vehemently denies all of the allegations” made in a lawsuit filed last month, and he described the encounter in a Las Vegas hotel room in June 2009 as “consensual in nature.” In a lawsuit filed in Clark County (Nev.) District Court last month, Kathryn Mayorga detailed the alleged assault inside a suite at the Palms Hotel and Casino. Ronaldo issued a statement last week to “firmly deny the accusations being issued against me.” “Mr. Ronaldo has always maintained, as he does today, that what occurred in 2009 in Las Vegas…
Thiago Alcantara has brushed aside speculation Zinedine Zidane is being lined up to replace under-pressure Niko Kovac. Zidane, who left Real Madrid at the end of last season after guiding them to their third straight Champions League title, is reportedly a potential replacement for Kovac at Bayern if they dismiss him following a run of four league games without a win. Asked about the possibility of seeing Zidane at Bayern, Alcantara, in his sixth season at the Allianz Arena, told Cadena Ser radio: “It’s just rumours. Rumours are rumours. Fortunately, there are many veteran players at Bayern and we know…
Fred has told his Manchester United teammates the only way to ease the pressure at Old Trafford is to improve results. Jose Mourinho’s side have won just five of their first 11 games of the season and sit eighth in the Premier League table, seven points behind Manchester City, Liverpool and Chelsea. The disappointing start to the campaign has led to question marks over Mourinho’s position and Fred, a £47 million summer signing from Shakhtar Donetsk, insists the only way to fix the situation is to win games. “Manchester United is a huge team, so, if results are not coming,…
Paul Pogba will pay for NBA-style World Cup winning diamond-encrusted rings for France’s World Cup-winning squad, sources have said. French FA president Noel Le Graet said on Tuesday that it will pick up the bill of around €10,000 for the transportation of the rings from Los Angeles to Paris. The price of each piece has not been confirmed yet but they will be made of 11 carat diamonds with blue sapphires and red rubies. The idea was pitched to the squad by Antoine Griezmann and Pogba, who are both NBA fans and want to emulate the tradition in U.S. sports…
Fathia Williams, Liz DaSilva joined Dayo Amusa at the premiere of her new movie, ‘That Which Binds Us’ on Friday, October 5, 2018. The premiere held at the Silverbird cinema inside Ikeja City Mall with fans and colleagues of Dayo Amusa in attendance. Also spotted at the premiere were Funke Etti, Biodun Okeowo and Toyin Alausa. Dayo ‘s mum and her friend were also some of the guests that attended the movie premiere. It captures a family tale of betrayal, love, friendship, human weakness, individual deficiencies and sacrifice. The movie parades movie stars like Desmond Elliot, Uche Jombo, Mercy Aigbe,…
Cardi B dropped an epic performance at the 2018 American Music Awards held on Tuesday, October 9, 2018. On the night when Taylor Swift went home with three awards including the biggest honor of the night for ‘Artist of the year,’ rapper Cardi B, who was tied with Drake for the most nominations, and won the first award of the night for favorite rap/hip-hop artist stole the headlines on the night. The event which was held at the Microsoft Theater in Los Angeles had a number of performers that include Swift, Post Malone, Camila Cabello, but it was Cardi B’s…
RMD, Kate Henshaw would be leading several African movie stars to the 2018 Africa Movie Academy Awards holding in Rwanda. Scheduled to hold on Saturday, October 20, 2018, the award ceremony is billed to hold at the Intare Conference Arena in Kigali, the capital of Rwanda. Richard Mofe Damijo and OC Ukeje have been nominated for the AMAA 2018 Award for Best Actor in a leading role for their roles in ‘Cross Roads’ and ‘Potato Potahto’. Kate Henshaw’s role in Kunle Afolayan’s ‘Roti’ was also nominated for the AMAA 2018 Award for Best Actress in a leading role. Hosts of…
9ice has dropped the viusals to his latest single, ‘Mercy.’ The Alapomeji boss takes a journey down memory lane as the video opens with a roll of his past projects. 9ice, who goes by the name ‘Ancestor’ these days, reflects on his career with the video capturing clips of his early years of working in the studio with producer ID Cabasa, picking up awards, and images from his hit single ‘Gongo Aso.’ Mercy is 9ice calling out to God to help rediscover the form of his past successes, so he can silence his critics. The video was was directed by…
Genevieve Nnaji has signed a representation deal with United Talent Agency, UTA, the same agent used by Angelina Jolie and Johnny Depp. The Nigerian star actress inked the deal with UTA for representation in film, TV, and production recently, Deadline reports. The agency also represents Gwyneth Paltrow, Channing Tatum, Nicholas Hoult, Ewan McGregor, Kim Soo Hyun and Liv Tyler. The move, it is been rumoured, will see the filmmaker and actress getting more movie roles in Hollywood. The deal, it is also been suspected, will see the ‘Lion heart’ actress collaborating with top Hollywood filmmakers to produce movies from African…
Lai Mohammed has expressed sadness over the death of Moses Olaiya, popularly known as Baba Sala. Baba Sala died in his Ilesa hometown in Osun State on Sunday evening, October 7, 2018. In a statement on Monday, October 8, 2018, the Minister said the death has robbed the nation of an incomparable thespian and a colossus of his time. He described Baba Sala as a trail blazer, as he – along with his contemporaries – laid the foundation for the theatre and comedy that have now taken Nigeria’s creative industry by storm. ”Baba Sala’s sacrifices, contribution and commitment played a…
As hilarious as this might sound, Made Kuti, son of music icon, Femi Kuti has revealed some of the rumours he has heard about the Afrikan shrine which includes sacrificing people. The latest member of Postive Force Band (Femi’s band) recently granted an interview where he spoke about returning to Nigeria, religion and the shocking rumours he has heard about the shrine. “Growing up in the shrine, I can’t tell you different because I didn’t know different, it was normal. My first shock of the shrine was the stigma it had when I started going to high school. I have…
We can’t wait for the day Lilian Esoro and Ubi Franklin will come back together but for now, we are enjoying their positive vibes like the joke the actress chipped on a photo posted by music mogul. Ubi Franklin had taken to his Instagram page on Tuesday, October 9, 2018, where he shared a photo of his son, Jayden and himself. He went on to caption the photo with a quote that got Lilian Esoro triggered (Hey it wasn’t like she called him out! Calm down!). “That’s My Best Friend ♥️✌ ♥️ @jaydenfranklinofem,” he wrote. Lilian Esoro took to the…
The wait for Mr Eazi’s sophomore album, ”Life is Eazi Vol 2: Lagos to London” is almost over as he releases the tracklist of the project. The second studio project of Banku Music boss, Mr Eazi, may not have a definite release date yet, but with the album expected to drop anytime this October, the singer has now shared what looks like the official tracklist of the album. This he revealed via a post on his social media pages on Tuesday, October 10, 2018. The album looks to comprise of 13 songs in total with one skit. Previously released singles…
Former vice-president of Nigeria, Atiku Abubakar has joined the list of well-meaning Nigerians who have eulogised the late actor and comedian, Moses Adejumo also known as Baba Sala. In a tweet on Wednesday, October 10, 2018, Atiku described the late comedian as one of the pioneers of the entertainment industry in Nigeria. “Baba Sala belonged to a generation that pioneered Nigeria’s entertainment industry by investing to make high-quality home videos. He brought fun & laughter into our homes. It’s my prayer that he will find rest even as his family is comforted & strengthened,” he tweeted. The PDP presidential candidate…