International Football
Neymar Rated Over Ronaldo Among FIFA 18 Top Dribblers
When a FIFA 18 EA Sports demo is released on Tuesday ahead of the formal release this month end, again, Barcelona star, Lionel Messi will top the list of the best dribblers.
According to 90 min, EA has been slowly releasing player cards over the last few weeks, and with the new game set to be released in the next few weeks fans will be raring to get started.
Lionel Messi has recently been dubbed the FIFA 18 dribbling king on Twitter with a dribbling rating of 95, while his La Liga rival Cristiano Ronaldo has a much lower dribbling rating of 90 despite boasting the best overall rating in the game.
In fact, new Paris Saint-Germain star Neymar, Chelsea’s Eden Hazard and Juventus forward Paulo Dybala are all rated better dribblers than Ronaldo.
Ronaldo’s fall from grace has been met with divisiveness from fans on social media, with the majority of whom claiming the Portugal international is an even worse dribbler than what’s he’s been rated, implying that EA have been generous on the 32-year-old.
Bayern Munich players dominate the spots behind fifth placed Ronaldo with Thiago Alcantara, Andres Iniesta, Arjen Robben, Frank Ribery and Bernardo Silva completing the top ten.
While fans on Twitter have found it hard to dispute the inclusion of the players in the list, many have bemoaned the exclusion of Real Madrid star Isco who failed to make the cut.
There were further suggestions that Manchester United’s Anthony Martial and Barcelona’s Ousmane Dembele should’ve featured in the top ten, while only one fan jokingly questioned the exclusion of Liverpool’s Dejan Lovren.
Despite Ronaldo receiving criticism for his supposed lack of dribbling quality, frustrated fans will have to deal with his unparalleled prestige in the upcoming game.
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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