La Liga
‘Let Me Go’, Neymar formally Tells Barca
After many days of silence and speculations, the Brazilian star of FC Barcelona, Neymar Jr has finally broken his silence on Wednesday.
After he was granted permission to skip the day’s training session, Neymar, accompanied by his father and agent formally communicated his desire to leave the club.
FC Barcelona therefore made an official statement regarding the future of the player, insisting that the €222 million due to it as stated in the contract must be paid in full before he would be formally released to join Paris Saint-Germain.
The club’s statement reads:”The player Neymar Jr, accompanied by his father and agent, has informed FC Barcelona this morning of his decision to leave the club in a meeting held at the club’s offices.
“Faced with this position, the club has informed them they refer to the buy-out clause of his existing contract which as of 1 July totals €222m which will have to be deposited in its entirety.”
Neymar was reportedly due a loyalty bonus from the club at the start of this week and FC Barcelona has addressed that as well: “In reply to the claim for the contract extension bonus, the club has once again made it clear that the amount remains deposited with a notary until the case is resolved.”
According to media reportsin France, Neymar is expected in Paris on Thursday morning and an official announcement is likely to follow that evening or on Friday.
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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