International Football
Fever Over Ronaldo at El Clasico Miami
Soccer fans in Miami, US are hoping Cristiano Ronaldo will feature in Saturday’s highly anticipated El Clasico, a clash of the two Spanish giants, Real Madrid and FC Barcelona in Miami.
According to a report Sports Village Square has gathered from Miami Herald, the burning question on the lips of avid soccer followers had been: “Ronaldo show up?”
Until now, it was initially unclear if Ronaldo would be returning to Manchester United. But he has now confirmed he would be staying with the La Liga giants. Fans are awaiting another potential struggle for supremacy between Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo as their clubs clash in what is dubbed “El Clasico Miani” at Hard Rock Stadium.
The Madrid superstar, who has 107 million Instagram followers and many fans in South Florida, was not in Santa Clara, California, with his team on Sunday for their International Champions Cup opener against Manchester United.
Some speculated that his absence was either to avoid playing against his former club, Manchester United or he was preparing to return to the Premier League side. He is also not expected for Wednesday’s game against Manchester City in Los Angeles.
But ICC officials are in contact with Ronaldo and his handlers, and they remain optimistic that he will make it to Miami for Saturday’s game.
“We are doing everything we can to get him here,” said Daniel Stillman, the CEO of the ICC. “We are still hopeful that he will make it.”
Ronaldo, 32, has been on an extended summer vacation after a long season with Real Madrid, the June 8 birth of his twins, and a run to the June 28 semifinals of Confederations Cup in Russia with Portugal’s national team. He also is scheduled to testify July 31 at a tax fraud hearing in Spain, leading to rumors that he would not be able to fit El Clasico Miami into his schedule.
Ronaldo spent this past weekend in Asia, fulfilling commercial obligations. He was in Singapore on Friday meeting with friend and billionaire Peter Lim, who owns Spanish club Valencia and also owns Mint Media, which owns Ronaldo’s non-Real Madrid image rights. On Saturday, he went to Shanghai for an endorsement event, and also visited Beijing.
He was reportedly back in Madrid on Monday, but his plans the rest of the week are unknown. The Real Madrid and Barcelona teams and their entourages are due to arrive in Miami on Thursday, after playing games in California on Wednesday night. They will be staying within blocks of each other in downtown Miami.
The Barcelona roster for the U.S. tour includes Argentine megastar Lionel Messi (76.4 million Instagram followers), Brazilian star Neymar (who is being wooed by Paris Saint-Germain), Uruguay standout Luis Suarez, and Spaniards Gerard Pique and Andres Iniesta.
Among the Real Madrid stars due to be at the game Saturday are Costa Rican goalkeeper Keylor Navas, Wales star Gareth Bale, Crotian Luka Modric, Karim Benzema of France, and Toni Kroos of Germany.
A sellout crowd of 64,767 is expected at Hard Rock Stadium on Saturday for the match. A few thousand tickets remained as of Monday afternoon.
More than 40,000 are expected for Wednesday’s game between French club Paris Saint-Germain and Italian team Juventus. PSG has been based in Miami for a week, and held an autograph session Sunday at the Mandarin Oriental Hotel, which was attended by 300-400 fans, and open training session Monday morning at Barry University.
A crowd of 25,000-plus is expected at the stadium Friday night for Barcelona and Real Madrid training sessions, with tickets ranging from $20-$30. Barcelona is practicing from 6 to 7:30 p.m. and Real Madrid trains from 8 to 9:30 p.m.
Casa Clasico, a free fan fest at Bayfront Park downtown with live music and soccer interactive activities, is open Friday and Saturday from 11 a.m. to 11 p.m.
Well-travelled Portuguese coach Paulo Duarte has been named as Guinea’s new coach, less than a month before their next round of World Cup qualifiers.
Duarte, 56, has twice previously coached Burkina Faso and taken charge of Gabon and Togo, while also coaching at clubs in Portugal, France, Tunisia, Angola and Saudi Arabia.
Guinea’s football federation gave no contract details when they made the announcement on Monday, but said they would be looking for Duarte to “restructure their national team”.
Guinea trail leaders Algeria by eight points in their World Cup qualifying group with four games remaining, leaving them with only a slim chance of qualification.
They play Somalia away on September 5 and then Algeria at home on September 8 in their next two qualifiers although a stadium ban means Guinea have moved their home game to Casablanca, Morocco.
-Reuters
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Veteran coach Louis van Gaal says he has been cured of cancer and is keen for a return to the higher levels of the game.
The 73-year-old announced three years ago that he was suffering from prostate cancer, but told a Dutch television talk show, “I’m no longer bothered by cancer.”
When he announced his illness, Van Gaal was the coach of the Dutch national team, but he has not worked since the last World Cup in Qatar in 2022.
“Two years ago, I had a few operations. It was all bad then. But it all worked out in the end. I have check-ups every few months, and that’s going well. I’m getting fitter and fitter,” he said.
Van Gaal, whose career has included stints at Ajax Amsterdam, Barcelona, Bayern Munich and Manchester United, reiterated a lack of interest in returning to club management but said becoming the national coach of a top-tier country could tempt him back.
He now serves as a special advisor to Ajax.
-Reuters
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In a compelling twist of football destiny, Davide Ancelotti is stepping into his own spotlight as he begins his first head coaching role at Brazilian club Botafogo—just months after parting ways with his legendary father, Carlo Ancelotti, at Real Madrid.
The 35-year-old has been appointed as Botafogo’s new manager, the club announced on Tuesday, following the sacking of Renato Paiva. Davide, who has spent the last decade working alongside his father at some of Europe’s top clubs—including Bayern Munich, Napoli, Everton, and Real Madrid—has signed a one-year deal with the Rio-based team.
This marks a significant milestone for the younger Ancelotti, whose career has long been shaped by his father’s influence, but who now faces the challenge of carving his own identity on the touchline.
The move comes shortly after both father and son departed Real Madrid at the end of last season, with Carlo taking over the Brazilian national team. Now, in a poetic alignment, father and son find themselves on different paths within Brazilian football—one leading the Seleção, the other steering the fortunes of a storied domestic club.
Botafogo’s decision to appoint Davide follows a controversial parting with Paiva, who was dismissed just days after their exit from the Club World Cup. Though he oversaw a stunning win over Champions League holders Paris Saint-Germain, a 1-0 extra-time loss to Palmeiras in the round of 16 proved to be his final act after just four months in charge.
As Davide Ancelotti begins this new chapter, all eyes will be on whether the son of one of football’s most decorated managers can step out from his father’s shadow—and perhaps, in time, build a legacy of his own.
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