La Liga
Barca Guns For Nigerian-Born Dele Alli to Replace Neymar
The reality of losing Neymar has dawned on FC Barcelona as they have started head hunting for possible replacement for the Brazilian. The club has narrowed the hunt to three English Premiership players.
Among them is the Nigerian-born Dele Alli of Tottenham Hotspur, the prodigy that the 2017 Soccerex report picked as the world’s most valuable player for this year.
Alli was impressive last season in the English Premiership scoring 28 goals. He was once linked with a possible move to Real Madrid.
Other players that Sports Village Square gathered are in Barcelona radar are Philippe Coutinho who was earlier nominated by Neymar, and Chelsea star, Eden Hazard.
Barcelona is believed to see Brazil’s Coutinho as a potential long-term successor to club captain, legend Andres Iniesta in a deeper role than Neymar has occupied.
Sports Village Square gathered that the shortlist is being drawn in preparation for the imminent departure of Neymar.
The exit of the Brazilian will leave a big gap in the Barcelona team, but that is cushioned by the large sum of money the club will get in return.
With the expected inflow, Barcelona can afford at least two of its three targeted players.
Despite Neymar’s silence at making any pronouncement, either publicly or even privately to the FC Barcelona officials, it is clear, the Brazilian’s heart is no longer with the club.
He even stormed out of training in anger on Thursday after a burst-up with new comer, Nelson Semendo.
French publication, RMC, reports that Neymar has accepted the contract offer from Paris Saint-Germain, with only tax implications left to consider as the six-time French champions actively look to formally trigger a €222m release clause and cut Barcelona out of the negotiations.
The deal is more than double the world transfer record set by Manchester United last summer.
Kylian Mbappe has been given a rousing welcome at Real Madrid as a capacity crowd of fans attended the unveiling at the Santiago Bernabeu.
The club also lined out their 15 Champions League trophies to welcome the French Superstar.
Mbappe walked past Real Madrid’s 14 Champions League trophies as he took to the stage to speak© Provided by Daily Mail
He beamed as he spoke about joining the ‘club of his dreams’. Mbappe, 25, will take the number nine shirt after sealing his move from Paris Saint-Germain and ending one of football’s most protracted transfer sagas.
The forward was serenaded as the Bernabeu blasted out their iconic Hala Madrid anthem and paraded in front of fans booting footballs into the baying crowd. In imitation of Cristiano Roandlo at his unveiling, he kissed the badge.
His mother broke down in tears as he emerged and spoke of his pride to be joining the ‘biggest club in the history of world football
Mbappe’s parents, Fayza Lamari (R) and Wilfrid Mbappe (L), walked out in front of the fans © Provided by Daily Mail
‘My family are so happy. I can see my mum crying. It’s an incredible day for me. I’ve dreamed about this day since I was a kid. Being here today means a lot to me,’ he said in Spanish as the crowd persistently interrupted his speech with cheers.
‘Now I have another dream – and that’s the dream of living up to this club’s history and Madridistas’ expectations. I can promise that I will give my all for the club and this badge.
‘I’d also like a send a message to all the kids here today. I was once like you. If you have the passion, you’ll achieve your dreams.
The napkin on which Barcelona promised to sign Lionel Messi when he was a 13-year-old has been sold for 762,400 pounds ($969,000, auction house Bonhams said on Friday.
The napkin was signed in December, 2000 by Barca’s former sporting director Carles Rexach and transfer advisor Josep Minguella along with Argentine agent Horacio Gaggioli over lunch at a tennis club.
Messi became one of Barcelona’s greatest players, winning over 30 trophies and leaving the Catalan club as their all-time leading scorer with 672 goals.
He also won a record eight Ballon d’Or awards for the world’s best player and led Argentina to the World Cup crown in 2022. Messi now plays for U.S. club Inter Miami in Major League Soccer.
“Yes, it’s a paper napkin, but it’s the famous napkin that was at the inception of Lionel Messi’s career,” Ian Ehling, the head of fine books and manuscripts at Bonhams New York, said in a statement.
“It changed the life of Messi, the future of FC Barcelona, and was instrumental in giving some of the most glorious moments of football to billions of fans around the globe.”
-Reuters
Senegalese goalkeeper Cheikh Sarr has heard racial slurs directed at him from the stands before, but when a fan allegedly approached just to racially insult him during a Spanish third-tier league game last Saturday, he decided he’d had enough.
“I grabbed him and asked why he was insulting me. My attitude was not aggressive, I just wanted to ask him why,” the 23-year-old told reporters on Tuesday of the incident in Sestao, a working-class town in northern Spain, which led to the game being abandoned.
“Other times it could be seen as something playful or a joke. However, this was not the case on Saturday, as it was something horrible and I could not stop myself. It was a very sad and ugly thing what they were saying,” he added.
The match between Sarr’s Rayo Majadahonda and Sestao River Club was suspended in the 84th minute after the altercation first led to Sarr being expelled by the referee, who was too far to hear the alleged insults, and then his team mates leaving the pitch in protest.
Racism in sport has been a hot topic in Spain, especially after Real Madrid’s Brazil winger Vinicius Jr, who has suffered from several incidents of racist abuse and is part of a campaign against racism, last year called LaLiga and Spain racist.
On Saturday, he spoke out in support of those affected on social media again, citing “three despicable cases of racism” on that day alone, including Sarr’s.
Sevilla’s Argentina defender Marcos Acuna and coaching staff were also the target of “racist and xenophobic insults” from fans in a LaLiga game at Getafe, the club said.
Sarr said he was thankful that Vinicius had tagged him on social media showing support.
“If more players said no to racism like he does, they (racists) wouldn’t have the power they have now,” he said.
–Reuters
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