Arsene Wenger has said Mesut Ozil did not appear to be himself while playing for Germany at the World Cup, and that the midfielder was negatively affected by the uproar at home over his photo with the Turkish president. Ozil has been subjected to criticism at home following Germany’s exit in the group stage in Russia as the defending champions lost to both Mexico and South Korea. He had also been at the centre of a controversy in Germany before the tournament after the Arsenal star and Manchester City’s Ilkay Gundogan posed for a photo with Turkey president Recep Tayyip…
Author: David Folami
Arsene Wenger has compared Jack Wilshere to both Lionel Messi and Kylian Mbappe after the former Arsenal midfielder moved to West Ham. Wilshere turned down the offer of a new Arsenal contract after Wenger stepped down at the end of last season, saying he had not been guaranteed regular playing time by new boss Unai Emery. Wenger, who is working as a pundit for beIN Sports during the World Cup, still hailed the midfielder as an “exceptional talent” and compared him to two of the biggest names in the game. “Jack Wilshere is a playmaker,” Wenger said. “He is a…
Patrick Vieira hopes to be “a mix” of former bosses Jose Mourinho and Arsene Wenger as the new Nice coach prepares for his first season in charge of a European club. During his playing career, Vieira established himself as one of the world’s foremost midfielders during nearly a decade at Arsenal under Wenger while he later played for Mourinho at Inter Milan. “Arsene gave us quite a lot of freedom and Mourinho went more into detail about opponents, what he saw in the players, unlike Arsene, whose philosophy was different,” Vieira told L’Equipe. “It’s important to give information to the…
Eden Hazard criticised France’s playing style after Belgium’s 1-0 defeat in a World Cup semifinal on Tuesday, saying he would rather lose with Belgium than win with France. “I prefer to lose with Belgium than win with France,” Hazard told reporters after the game. “We play most beautifully. That’s more my style.” Umtiti scored in the 51st minute when he leaped ahead of Marouane Fellaini following Antoine Griezmann’s corner and found the back of the net. “The little black spot is of course that goal from a set-piece,” Hazard said. “But we know Deschamps’ France. We expected that, but we…
If Harry Kane leads England to World Cup glory, he’ll be given a knighthood before the plane home touches down. Should Kylian Mbappe score the winner in Moscow, he’ll be France’s boy king, feted for life. If Eden Hazard is the man who lifts the trophy on July 15, he’ll never again have to pay for another strong Belgian beer. But if the leader of the winners happens to be Luka Modric, then it might not be quite so straightforward. Modric is, to say the least, not universally popular in Croatia; in fact, he’s actively disliked by large swathes of…
Cristiano Ronaldo’s exit has no bearing on Gareth Bale’s future at Real Madrid, with talks still required with the Bernabeu hierarchy, the Wales international’s agent has said. Zidane’s exit, then Ronaldo’s €100 million departure for Juventus, could see Bale now taking a more central role in both the team and the club’s overall project — although club president Florentino Perez could move to sign a new high-profile replacement such as Neymar, Kylian Mbappe or Eden Hazard.” Amid all this upheaval, Bale’s agent, Jonathan Barnett, has told ESPN FC that the reported Manchester United target’s thinking over his future is not…
Eden Hazard has said he still dreams of playing for Real Madrid despite Zinedine Zidane having left his position as coach but added that “for the moment nobody has made me an offer.” Despite Zidane having been replaced by Julen Lopetegui, Hazard told beIN SPORTS his thinking had not really changed. “Does Real make me dream less without Zidane? Zidane is someone special, it’s true, but I think Real is everyone’s dream,” he said. “Zidane or no Zidane, the white jersey is special but the blue jersey [of Chelsea] suits me well so it does not bother me if I…
The chairman of the Central Council of Muslims in Germany, Aiman Mazyek, has said that German FA (DFB) president Reinhard Grindel and Germany general manager Oliver Bierhoff should resign after their statements on Mesut Ozil after the team’s shock World Cup elimination. Ozil was embroiled in controversy ahead of the tournament when he and Germany teammate Ilkay Gundogan, both of Turkish origin, had their picture taken with Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdogan. While the DFB said in the buildup to the World Cup that the situation was not a problem, Grindel has since urged Ozil to explain his meeting with…
Rio Ferdinand has said Lukaku is making World Cup competition look like playground football with his power and pace Romelu Lukaku “shouldn’t be allowed to play”, says Rio Ferdinand, with the Manchester United striker making World Cup competition with Belgium look like playground football. The burly frontman headed to Russia this summer on the back of a debut campaign at Old Trafford which delivered 27 goals. With his confidence high, the 25-year-old has proved to be an inspirational presence for the other Red Devils that he represents. Lukaku has netted four goals so far, while it was his surging run…
Willian does not know if Barcelona want to sign him this summer but says now is not the time to talk about his future as he prepares for Brazil’s World Cup quarterfinal against Belgium on Friday. However, there are unlikely to be any developments until Brazil’s participation in the World Cup is over. “People speculate a lot and we see a lot of things on the Internet but this is not the time to talk about this,” Willian said in a news conference. “I’ve not received any information about whether [Barca’s interest] is true. I’m trying to focus on the…
Luka Modric moved to Tottenham Hotspur in 2008 England had endured a summer without tournament football, having missed out on the European Championships. The Croatia midfielder would spend four seasons at White Hart Lane and it was a period in which he had a close-up view of the travails of the England team; the angst, anger and division that characterised the feel of it. England would qualify for the 2010 World Cup and Euro 2012 but there was little to write home about from either. They flopped at the former, with one of the low points being Wayne Rooney’s on-camera…
Victor Lindelof has dismissed claims of him experiencing a turbulent season and insisted he learnt a lot from Jose Mourinho. The Swede didn’t have the best debut campaign in comparison to some of his teammates such as Romelu Lukaku or Nemanja Matic but wasn’t as poor as others either. Despite the excitement of United fans when Lindelof was signed, it quickly became clear that he would need a year to adjust to his new surroundings. However, the centre-back grew in stature as the season went on and has impressed with his nation so far at the World Cup, gaining plaudits…
Fabinho has said that he was “never close” to joining Manchester United as the Brazilian revealed his keenness to move to Liverpool once their firm interest was known. “I was never close to signing for Manchester United, no,” Fabinho said. “I heard things said about it, but the truth is it was never a strong possibility. “I won’t deny there were a few conversations about my situation with Monaco, but there was never an official offer from United.” He continued: “I was sad to leave Monaco, a club that gave me a lot of great moments, but in football sometimes…
Antonio Conte took charge of Chelsea’s preseason preparations with a double session at Cobham on Monday, sources have said. The Blues players not involved in the World Cup reported to the club’s training base on Saturday and Sunday for fitness tests overseen by one of the club’s sports scientists, but sources said that Conte intended to begin working with those present on Monday unless he was sacked before then. Chelsea’s coaching situation remains uncertain. They have been attempting to extricate Maurizio Sarri from his contractual obligation to Napoli for more than a month without success, while Conte is refusing to…
Joe Hart was among a handful of big names back at Manchester City for their first day of preseason training on Monday. City boss Pep Guardiola returned to the Etihad Campus without the vast majority of his senior players due to their World Cup commitments. Hart, who has spent the last two seasons on loan, firstly at Italian side Torino and last year with West Ham, was back at City after being left out of Gareth Southgate’s England squad. The 31-year-old has 12 months remaining on his contract and sources have said that he is seeking a permanent move away…
Zlatan Ibrahimovic has hailed Sweden’s World Cup campaign, writing on Twitter that “every player should get a Golden Ball in Sweden.” Sweden’s run ended when they were beaten 2-0 by England in the quarterfinals on Saturday, but former captain Ibrahimovic said Janne Andersson’s side had enjoyed a memorable tournament. “Every player should get a Golden Ball in Sweden,” he wrote.”What they did will be remembered forever. Thank you for the show.” Sweden’s defeat meant Ibrahimovic lost a bet with David Beckham, meaning he must watch an England game at Wembley with him. Beckham had said he would buy Ibrahimovic whatever…
Among the many Manchester United players to have enjoyed a fine World Cup, happiest must be Romelu Lukaku and Paul Pogba, who will be in opposition Tuesday when Belgium and France meet in St. Petersburg in the first semifinal. For England, Ashley Young, Jesse Lingard and Marcus Rashford have all starred. Among the others, while we should pass on David De Gea’s displays for Spain, Victor Lindelof was exceptional for Sweden, Marcos Rojo’s round-of-16-place clinching winner vs. Nigeria was the high point of Argentina’s troubled tournament and Belgium’s Marouane Fellaini has showed why managers like him, even if so many…
A Brazil elimination in a World Cup is never an ordinary event. With a Selecao exit comes an avalanche of grief, soul-searching and copious amounts of drama. Few other top footballing nations would have a famous commentator ranting on about the political and economical situation of the country — like TV Globo’s Galvao Bueno did after Brazil’s 2-1 defeat to Belgium on Friday night — in the process of analysing what went wrong on the pitch. “Our country is going through serious problems, and a World Cup victory wouldn’t make it better. It’s a sad moment, but no 7-1.” Ah,…
Yul Edochie is now the Senior Special Assistant to the governor of Anambra state on creative and entertainment media. The actor made this known on his Instagram page on Friday, July 6, 2018, According to the former governorship candidate in Anambra state, he is full of thanks to Gov Willie Obiano of Anambra state for trusting in him and he won’t let his people down. “I thank His Excellency Chief Dr. Willie Obiano(Akpokue Dike) Executive Governor of Anambra State for appointing me SSA to the Governor on Creative & Entertainment Media. Thank you, sir, for seeing the zeal in me…
Several Nigerian celebrities assembled on Sunday Night for the premiere of “Lara and the Beat.” The star-studded premiere held on Sunday, July 8, 2018, at Intercontinental Hotel, Lagos, Nigeria. The event was attended by the cast and crew including Seyi Shay, Vector, Somkele Idhalama, Chioma Akpotha, Biola Alabi, Lala Akindoju, Saidi Balogun, Folu Storms and Deyemi Okanlawon. Others at the event were Joke Silva, Bisola Aiyeola, Wale Ojo, Tope Tedela, Beverly Naya, Bolanle Olukanni , Sound Sultan, Lagos State Commissioner for information, Steve Ayorinde, Ufuoma McDermott, Toyin Aimakhu, Tosin Odunfa among others. “Lara and the Beat” is a coming of…