Spurs target Nico Paz was asked about the noise surrounding his future after starring in Como's opening Serie A win of the season.
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England boss Thomas Tuchel has apologised to Jude Bellingham after describing some of his on-field actions while on international duty as 'repulsive.'
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GOAL picks the most magical and meaningful goals, assists and performances of the GOAT's international career
And now, the end is near, with Lionel Messi almost certainly set to bring the curtain down on his illustrious Argentina career at next summer's World Cup, which will be played in the United States, Canada and Mexico.
Of course, we thought that the Albiceleste captain would retire after leading his country to glory in Qatar in 2022 – but Messi had so much fun playing under Lionel Scaloni that he decided to continue.
However, it won't be long now before the diminutive No.10 walks away from the international arena, so as he prepares to play the final World Cup qualifiers of his illustrious career, GOAL has picked out Messi's 10 most memorable moments representing his country at senior level, from announcing himself on the world stage in 2006 to claiming the game's most prestigious prize 16 years later…
Liverpool might reportedly miss out on Marc Guehi again as five clubs are looking to take advantage of the Crystal Palace captain's contract situation. The Reds' frantic deadline day took a dramatic twist when their £35million pursuit of Marc Guehi sensationally collapsed at the final hurdle. The Crystal Palace skipper had been all set to complete his switch to Anfield, even undergoing medical checks, before the deal was ripped away at the eleventh hour.
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Florent Malouda has warned against hyping up Barcelona starlet Lamine Yamal, saying Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo comparisons are "too much".
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Juventus have reportedly joined Arsenal, Chelsea and Manchester United in the race for Victor Osimhen, but the English sides have a massive advantage.
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GOAL US takes a look at how Americans Abroad fared in the final fixtures of the 2024-25 season, with both Pulisic and McKennie in wins
It's all calmed down, at this point. A few months back, everything was on for Americans in Europe. Milan were still in the European hunt. Fulham could have squeezed into the Conference League. Bournemouth had a shot. Juventus were flailing.
Well, so much for the drama. Everything has sort of regressed to the most middling results possible. Milan faded late, and won't play European football, and most of the current conversation around Christian Pulisic is the fact that he's giving himself a summer off. Antonee Robinson's Fulham and Tyler Adams' Bournemouth ended up reflecting what they really are – slightly overperforming mid-table teams with not quite enough quality (or money) to make it into Europe.
Juve made it a bit more exciting on the final day, almost throwing away a Champions League spot before a loanee gave a penalty to his parent club and effectively gift-wrapped it for them. But even then, no Americans had any massive impact in that fixture, with both Weston McKennie and Tim Weah coming on as late subs.
It's not exactly tantalizing ahead of next season. But there's a Gold Cup to play in the meantime for some, and a Club World Cup for others.
GOAL US takes a look at how Americans Abroad fared in the final fixtures of the 2024-25 season.
Fast bowler will also not be granted an NOC to participate in any overseas league until June 30
Danyal Rasool15-Feb-2024The PCB has come down hard on fast bowler Haris Rauf, who made himself unavailable for Pakistan’s Test series against Australia late last year, by terminating his central contract. In a statement released by the PCB, the board said a hearing was conducted following Rauf’s decision to not participate in the three-match series, and that “the views of all stakeholders” was considered.Rauf will also not be granted an NOC to participate in any overseas league until June 30, 2024. ESPNcricinfo understands this punishment does not extend to Rauf being omitted from the national side; to the contrary, the PCB want him to be available for all international commitments during this time.The focus of the hearings concerned the lead-up to Pakistan’s tour of Australia, where they were scheduled to play three Tests. When chief selector Wahab Riaz announced the squad, he said Rauf had reneged on an earlier commitment to be available for that series, criticising him for going back on his word and saying it would “hurt Pakistan cricket”.Related
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ESPNcricinfo understands Rauf viewed that exchange very differently, claiming he had never confirmed his availability, and stating he wanted to take care of his body and prioritise white-ball cricket. However, it would appear that that argument did not cut through with the board in the hearing that followed.”The PCB management provided a chance for a personal hearing to Haris in compliance with the principles of natural justice on 30 January, 2024, and his response was found unsatisfactory,” the PCB said. “Playing for Pakistan is the ultimate honour and privilege for any sportsperson. Refusal to be part of Pakistan’s Test squad in the absence of any medical report or justifiable reason is a material violation of the central contract.”Pakistan did find themselves devoid of high pace during the series against Australia. Shaheen Afridi hasn’t yet recovered to hit the speeds he did before his knee injury in the final of the T20 World Cup in 2022, while Naseem Shah and Mohammad Hasnain were also out with long-term injuries over the winter. In the event, the difference between Pakistan and Australia’s fast bowlers’ pace was clear, and the visitors were clean swept 3-0.The decision to refuse Rauf an NOC till the end of June is more a rhetorical expression of the PCB’s dissatisfaction than a material disadvantage to the player. The PSL, which begins on February 17 – and which Rauf will play – extends till March 18, and Rauf would regardless not have been a part of the IPL, which follows the PSL.The T20 Blast in England does start in May, but Rauf’s commitments with the national side in England, where Pakistan will be playing a white-ball series, would have precluded his participation anyway. The T20 World Cup begins in June, and extends beyond the end of the month, when the restriction on Rauf’s participation in overseas tournaments lapses.It is not yet clear if Rauf has any avenues of appealing the decision. He has been approached by ESPNcricinfo for comment.
The American striker has opened up about his decision to join English side, leaving the MLS side where he started his career after MLS SuperDraft
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The India batter has a style of play and he wants to stick to it
Vishal Dikshit15-Jan-2024Shreyas Iyer is going to play attacking cricket whatever the situation. The India batter returned to Ranji Trophy after a gap of five years to prepare for the five-match Test series against England starting next week, and warmed-up with a run-a-ball 48 in Mumbai’s 10-wicket win against Andhra at home.Iyer batted at No. 5 in the only chance he got in the game, on the first day, and even though the Andhra quicks bowled “negative” to him by going around the wicket and pitching it short at times, he was not bothered. Iyer flicked the full deliveries, pulled the short ones and scored as many as 75% of his runs on the leg side and struck only one of his seven fours on the off side.”I’m going to play attacking irrespective of the situation,” he said after Mumbai’s win. “And also when you bowl negative, when you bowl safe and defensive at the start, you want to score runs and you need to take your team through up to a certain point. So that was my mindset and that’s why stuck with. Yeah, I was happy [with my knock] irrespective of the score.”[As] I said, they were bowling defensive and they didn’t let me play to my strengths. Even though they started with the short balls, I was able to execute them for boundaries and get a lot of runs out of it. Again, they were bowling negative so there was literally no scope to…other than leaving the ball I couldn’t have done much. I knew that leaving the ball would, to be honest, bore me. I would rather go and play some strokes. That’s what I considered at that point of time.”Was he pleased with his shots against the short ball? “I’m happy,” Iyer said succinctly.His strike rate of 101.27 in ODIs and 136.12 in T20Is speak to the way he likes to play, and it’s largely the same approach he has adopted in first-class matches too, by striking at 78.63 even though it reduces to 65.34 in Tests. Iyer could play a crucial role with his attacking game against the spinners if India and England play on turners in the upcoming Test series.Even though it was not a turning track at the BKC Ground in Mumbai, Iyer was content with his progress, fielding for long hours in the heat (there’s no winter in Mumbai), especially after a recurring back injury that kept him out of action for large parts in 2023. He was back in India colours in September and played a key role in the run up to the final of the ODI World Cup.Shreyas Iyer made scores of 0, 4*, 31 and 6 in the two Tests against South Africa•AFP/Getty Images
“It wasn’t a turning track, to be honest, he said. “I’m assuming that we would be getting turning wickets against England. But other than that, it was just for my match fitness, to stay on the field as long as possible, that’s what mainly I was focusing on because especially after my injury it has been tough for me to stick on the outfield for long. So this was great practice for me.”Iyer returned to domestic cricket because he was not picked for the ongoing home series against Afghanistan, India’s last T20 games before the World Cup in June. He isn’t worried about missing time with the national team. His focus is on what’s coming next.”See, right now I’m being in the present,” he said of being dropped from the T20I side. “I’ve finished the match which I was asked to play, I came, and I executed, so I’m happy with what I’m doing. Something that is not in my control, I can’t be focusing on that. Coming here and winning the match was my focus and that’s what we did today.”It’s important to take one match at a time, not think about five-match Test series. The team is only for the first two games. The motto would be to perform in the first two games and then look forward to the rest of the games.”After scores of 0, 4*, 31 and 6 in the South Africa Tests where both matches finished in under three days, Iyer could be competing for a middle-order spot with KL Rahul if India pick a specialist wicketkeeper instead of Rahul because of the challenges of keeping to spinners on turning tracks.”To be honest I just have to think about the three days,” he said in jest. “See, the last two Test matches we played in South Africa it finished in three days. The third day is always important so I just have to focus on the three days and fourth and fifth will follow if it has to.”When asked about the competition for places in the Indian middle order, he said: “It’s fun. I love competition, and when competition is there, you face more challenges. And that’s what I thrive on personally. So I enjoy having competition around because then you can go at each other and also against the opponents to show your talent and skills.”Iyer finished his day on the field by batting on the center BKC pitch for a couple of hours after the game with his coach Pravin Amre while the other players left the ground.Iyer has so far played 12 Tests after a glittering start to his career with a century and half-century on debut against New Zealand in November 2021. He has since struck four more half-centuries, and averages 39.27 from 20 innings.