Pedro is looking forward to the challenge of facing former teammate Lionel Messi in the Champions League on Tuesday, but has cautioned that, while Messi might be the world’s best player, he is not invincible. “It’s difficult… he [Messi] is the best player in the world,” Pedro told the Independent. “But he’s not invincible. It’s probably a hard game for us, a massive game, but if the team are really focused on fighting together, you never know in football. “We’ll have possibilities to get through. But, obviously, it’s Barcelona. It’s Leo Messi. It’s very difficult to stop this guy because…
Author: David Folami
Juan Mata remains a supporter of the video assistant referee system despite it costing him a goal at the weekend. “A lot has been said about the goal that I scored and was disallowed by the VAR. It was my first time, a new experience for me (and for almost all of us, actually),” he wrote in his blog. “The truth is, once you have celebrated the goal you are surprised and disappointed (as you could see on my face), but this time, luckily, that goal was not needed to win. “As I said in a few interviews after the…
Jupp Heynckes will not waste time in making sweeping changes in the Champions League round-of-16 against Besiktas, but insisted “there is no A or B team, there is only FC Bayern.” Asked about the prospect of heavy rotation for the visit of the Turkish champions, Heynckes said: “It’s not easy to moderate as we have 21 top players. “I wouldn’t have found it funny either as a player if I wasn’t in the starting XI, but there is no A or B team — there is only FC Bayern. “However, there are far more benefits, everyone feels important and gets…
Cesc Fabregas has warned Chelsea to be careful with his old friend Andres Iniesta’s timeless “intelligence” ahead of Tuesday’s Champions League clash with Barcelona. “He’s still good; for this type of player age doesn’t really matter,” said Fabregas, of the 123-cap, 33-year-old Iniesta. “Once you have a talent, once you have the class that he and so many other ‘big’ players have, they can play until their late 30s. “Physically, it’s important, obviously because the game nowadays depends a lot on that. But when you have the quality, when you have the intelligence, it can sometimes compensate.” Asked if Iniesta…
Arjen Robben says he plans to extend his career by moving to a new club should Bundesliga leaders Bayern Munich fail to offer him a contract extension. “At the moment, I feel very fit, really good and I believe that I can still play at the top level for one or two more years — that’s my goal,” Robben told website sportbuzzer.de. “I have such an open and honest communication with all those responsible here (at Bayern) that I am not worried at all. “The club will have a plan. And then the club and I will have to decide…
Massimiliano Allegri warned against an obsession with the Champions League as be unveiled a revamped side for Sunday’s Turin derby against city rivals Torino. “The Champions League must not be experienced as an obsession, because when you have an obsession, you will not win anything,” said Allegri. “I say everyone around Juventus should be very proud, because we have become stable in the top 10 European clubs. “Our chances of progress are just the same as they were before the first leg,” he insisted. “We got a lot wrong in that game. Having said that, Tottenham have for years been…
Hector Bellerin has said that Alexis Sanchez’s demanding attitude could be “too much” for his teammates at times, but downplayed talk about a dressing room divide over the Chilean. “Alexis is an amazing player, for me one of the best players in the Premier League for sure. But he’s a player who always wants to win. He demands from everyone, and sometimes it can be quite too much,” Bellerin responded. “But the good thing about him, he just wants to win, it doesn’t matter who he’s playing for. At that time when he was playing for Arsenal, he just wanted…
Claude Puel has insisted the Riyad Mahrez drama should end with the reception the midfielder received from the Leicester fans on Friday night. He received warm applause from the home supporters when his name was announced before the FA Cup fifth round tie against Sheffield United, and a standing ovation when he was substituted late on. “It’s behind us,” said Leicester boss Puel. “Riyad came back with high quality and it is a good feeling for us of course. “It was good support from the fans to Riyad and important to remain a good feeling for the future. “I said…
Edinson Cavani netted twice as Paris Saint-Germain beat Strasbourg 5-2 on Saturday to relieve some of the pressure on the runaway Ligue 1 leaders following their Champions League defeat at Real Madrid. “The victory was important after the match on Wednesday. We win all our home matches,” said Emery, whose side last dropped points at the Parc des Princes in May. “We have to show we can maintain this level of play against bigger teams, without meaning any disrespect to Strasbourg.” He added: “We spoke about (the Madrid defeat) in the dressing room. Of course they remember the match from…
Jose Mourinho believes Video Assistant Referee (VAR) technology must be more reliable before being rolled out across English football after his Manchester United side saw a goal ruled out in Saturday’s 2-0 FA Cup 5th round win at Huddersfield. United, weren’t made to rue that decision, though, as Romelu Lukaku struck early in both halves to ease their passage into a quarter-final at home to Brighton. “I think our game is so beautiful that to change we have to change for the better,” said Mourinho, who had previously backed the use of VAR. “If they find a way in the…
Jose Mourinho faces an anxious wait to discover whether Paul Pogba can take part in Manchester United’s midweek Champions League last 16 trip to Sevilla after he missed their FA Cup victory over Huddersfield Town. Mourinho, whose relationship with club-record signing Pogba has been under close scrutiny in recent weeks, insisted he did not even know what the illness was or how long the France midfielder may be unable to play, having planned to play him in a 4-3-3 system that the player considers his favourite. “I don’t know,” said Mourinho when asked about the nature of Pogba’s illness after…
Michy Batshuayi has revealed his frustrating time at Chelsea, claiming he “did not have a good time” at the Premier League giants. “I did not have a good time at Chelsea, but I’m doing well here and I?ve been well received by my colleagues and supporters,” Batshuayi told Belgian network Sporza. “Sitting on the bench, scoring a goal and then being back on the bench is quite difficult to deal with for an attacker. “As a young player, you need a lot of playing time to evolve. It’s perfect here, and I’m trusted by everyone.” He is unconcerned about his…
Antonio Conte wants his selection headache ahead of a vital few weeks for the English champions after a much-changed side thrashed Hull City 4-0 to reach the FA Cup quarter finals on Friday. “Before an important game, against Barcelona, tonight I go to my house with many doubts in my mind, which is the best starting XI to start the game against Barcelona,” said Conte. “But it’s right to be so. We must take the right time to make the best decision to pick the best XI to start that game.” “We are talking about a massive game. But now,…
In the past, Phenom dazzled the Nigerian entertainment scene with his unique rap style and everyone fell in love with him. Although he was signed on to the defunct Knight House record label, that did not stop other record label owners like Wizkid, Olamide and MI to try to sign the young lad. Sadly, years down the line, nothing has been heard of the young man, who said that he quit music after his contract expired. He admitted that he probably would have been one of the most sought-after rap artistes if he had accepted some of those offers, but…
Genevieve Nnaji, has stunned fans with her new look after posting photos on social media. The star actress is seen rocking the new look to the premiere of the movie, Royal Hibiscus Hotel which held over the weekend. Fans have variously admired the way she looked classy in her Gucci dress paired with a Louboutin shoes and Chanel clutch. She is just amazing.
Top Nigerian artists including Kiss Daniel and Falz stormed Abuja on February 9 for the re-opening of one of Abuja’s popular Nite Club, ‘Switch Nightlife’. Chairman of the club, Kehinde Adegbite, popularly known as Mallam Yankee who made this known at a forum in Abuja today said the re-opening of the entertainment center will hold February 9 and 10, 2018. He said the programme would comprise both the reopening of the event place and unveiling of its new partners. He said, the club, situated at Aminu Kano Crescent, Wuse 2, has been offering skeletal services since October 2017, and would…
Chris Rock has revealed that Rihanna rejected his advances at a party in 2016. The comedian split from wife of 18 years, Malaak Compton-Rock, after repeatedly cheating on her, and was attempting to get back into dating following the divorce. He recalled the incident in his Netflix comedy special, ‘Chris Rock: Tamborine’, which debuted on Valentine’s Day. “After my divorce was final, I was at a party and I saw Rihanna,” he says, in the show. “I was like, ‘OK, let’s start this again. Let me say what’s up’, right?” And I’m like, ‘How you doing, Rihanna?’” “Rihanna looked at…
Twitter accounts belonging to Russian bots used trickle-down trolling to spread pro-Trump propaganda and misinformation amid the 2016 presidential campaign. Special counsel Robert Mueller on Friday filed conspiracy fraud charges against 13 Russian nationals and three organizations, including the so-called “troll farm,” Internet Research Agency. The company, funded by the Russian government, pushed propaganda on hundreds of thousands of Americans through Twitter accounts like @TEN_GOP and @America1st — but not without some help. Celebrities, politicians as well as media and news organizations were among the hundreds of thousands ofAmerican social media users duped into engaging with the phony accounts, often…
NBA All-Star Weekend is in full swing. The stars are out and there’s basketball to be played. While Quavo was out staking his claim on the NBA’s Celebrity All Star Game, another more hip-hop oriented game was going down. On Friday night, 2 Chainz and Snoop Dogg faced off in some lighthearted yet competitive hoops, which led to some memorable interactions and a no-holds-barred stream of consciousness from commentator Micheal Rapaport. To break it down, team Tity Boi boasted a stacked roster, including Quavo, Young Dolph, Machine Gun Kelly, Wale, YFN Lucci, Jadakiss, Trinidad James, Young M.A, Lil Bibby, Lil…
They’ve been engaged for four months. And love is clearly still very much in the air, as Cardi B, 25, took to Instagram on Saturday to show off a giant teddy bear given to her by her beau, Migos rapper Offset. The Bodak Yellow rapper captioned the post: ‘Thanks babe @offsetyrn but how imma get him to NY?’ In the post, the former stripper straddles the gigantic teddy bear while looking back at the camera. The reality TV star wears a blue knitted woolen skirt and top and towering white heels. There have been rumors the singer, whose real name…