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BREAKING NEWS! WORLD CUP WINNER, NIGERIA ’99 HERO IKER CASILLAS, SUFFERS HEART ATTACK

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World Cup winning goalkeeper Iker Casillas has on Wednesday suffered a heart attack while training with Portuguese clubside, Porto.

The 37-year-old goalkeeper, who won football’s greatest prize with Spain  in 2010, was taken to hospital and is reportedly in a stable condition.

Casillas was also in goal for Spain during the 1999 World Youth Championship in Nigeria. Spain won the competition.

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Iker Casillas

According to reports from British Daily Mail, had been working at Olival, Porto’s training facility, in preparation for their league encounter with Aves this weekend.

According to Portuguese radio station RTP, Casillas suffered a myocardial infarction – colloquially known as a heart attack – at Porto training, but was treated quickly and is not in immediate danger.

He remains in hospital and is not expected to feature again for Porto in the remainder of their Primeira Liga season. 

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Porto confirmed the worrying news on Twitter, with the message: ‘Always together! Strength, Iker!’, along with an image of Casillas with fans at his unveiling after signing for the club.

Casillas burst onto the scene when he made his debut for boyhood club Real Madrid as a teenager in 1999. He remained at the Bernabeu for the following 16 years. 

During his club career he has won the Champions League three times – with Real in 2000, 2002 and 2014. He also won five La Liga titles and two Copa del Reys.

His crowning achievement came in 2010 when he became the first Spanish captain to lift the World Cup, after they beat Holland 1-0 in the final in South Africa.

Playing every minute of Spain’s seven games, Casillas conceded just twice, and kept clean sheets in all four of their knock-out matches. 

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He was central to the dominant Spain side of the era, winning both Euro 2008 and Euro 2012. He is his country’s record appearance holder, with 167 caps. 

Casillas moved to Porto in 2015 and helped them win the Portuguese league title last season. He remains their No 1 goalkeeper and played both legs of the Champions League quarter final defeat to Liverpool last month.

Tributes and well-wishes have been sent from around the world of football, including by one of his successors as Real goalkeeper, Thibaut Courtois. 

His former Real team mate, Sergio Ramos, tweeted three praying emojis, while fellow goalkeeper Loris Karius said he was ‘shocked at the news’. 

Pepe Reina, who was a team mate of Casillas in the Spain 2010 World Cup squad, tweeted a picture of the two goalkeepers embracing.

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He wrote: ‘With that heart so big I have no doubt that everything will be OK brother. Much courage!’, along with a heart emoji.

Casillas is married to Spanish sports journalist Sara Carbonero. They have two children – Martin, five, and Lucas, two. 

Kunle Solaja is the author of landmark books on sports and journalism as well as being a multiple award-winning journalist and editor of long standing. He is easily Nigeria’s foremost soccer diarist and Africa's most capped FIFA World Cup journalist, having attended all FIFA World Cup finals from Italia ’90 to Qatar 2022. He was honoured at the Qatar 2022 World Cup by FIFA and AIPS.

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German Thomas Tuchel becomes 3rd foreign manager for England

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 - Bayern Munich v VfL Wolfsburg - Allianz Arena, Munich, Germany - May 12, 2024 Bayern Munich coach Thomas Tuchel looks on before the match REUTERS/Angelika Warmuth/File Photo

Former Chelsea manager Thomas Tuchel has been named the new head coach of the England national team, the country’s Football Association said in a statement on Wednesday.

The German, who is England’s third foreign manager, after Sweden’s Sven-Goran Eriksson and Italian Fabio Capello, will be assisted by Englishman Anthony Barry, the statement added.

“We are thrilled to have hired Thomas Tuchel, one of the best coaches in the world and Anthony Barry who is one of the best English coaches to support him,” FA CEO Mark Bullingham said.

Tuchel replaces Lee Carsley, England’s under-21 manager, who has been in temporary charge since the resignation of Gareth Southgate after England’s defeat by Spain in the Euro 2024 final in July.

-Reuters

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Factbox on England head coach Thomas Tuchel

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Champions League - Bayern Munich Training - Santiago Bernabeu, Madrid, Spain - May 7, 2024 Bayern Munich coach Thomas Tuchel on the pitch during a walk around REUTERS/Juan Medina/File Photo

German Thomas Tuchel has been appointed head coach of the England national team on Wednesday.

Born: Aug. 29, 1973 in Krumbach, Germany.

PLAYING CAREER

* Tuchel played for his local club TSV Krumbach, before moving to FC Augsburg’s academy at the age of 15.

* He never played for Augsburg’s senior side and joined German second division team Stuttgarter Kickers in 1992.

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* After eight league appearances for Kickers, Tuchel moved to fourth-tier SSV Ulm.

* Tuchel made 69 league appearances for Ulm as a central defender before he was forced to retire in 1998 at the age of 25 due to a knee injury.

COACHING CAREER

* Tuchel began his coaching career with a youth team role at VfB Stuttgart in 2000, working with future Germany internationals Mario Gomez and Holger Badstuber.

* He returned to Augsburg and took charge of their reserve team for the 2007-08 season.

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* Tuchel was appointed Mainz 05 manager in 2009, replacing compatriot Juergen Klopp.

* He guided Mainz to Bundesliga stability during his five-year stint at the club, gaining plaudits for his team’s high energy, attacking style of play.

* Tuchel took over from Klopp as Borussia Dortmund coach in 2015.

* He led Dortmund to a 2-1 victory over Eintracht Frankfurt in the 2017 German Cup final. He was sacked by Dortmund three days later.

* Tuchel joined Paris St Germain in 2018 on a two-year contract, replacing Unai Emery.

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* He won two Ligue 1 titles, including a domestic quadruple in his second season, and guided the club to their first Champions League final, where they lost 1-0 to Bayern Munich.

* Tuchel was sacked by PSG on Christmas Eve in 2020, despite the club finishing top of their Champions League group and sitting third in the Ligue 1 table.

* He was named Chelsea manager in January 2021 on an initial 18-month contract following the dismissal of Frank Lampard.

* Tuchel revived the team’s Premier League season and guided the London club to the Champions League final, where they beat Manchester City. Chelsea also won the Super Cup and Club World Cup.

* Chelsea sacked Tuchel in September 2022 following a shock 1-0 defeat at Dinamo Zagreb in their opening Champions League group game.

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* Bayern Munich appointed Tuchel to succeed Julian Nagelsmann in March last year.

* Bayern decided to let Tuchel go at the end of the 2023-24 season despite a contract until 2025. Tuchel steered Bayern to the Bundesliga title in 2022-23, but they finished the last campaign without any silverware for the first time in more than a decade.

* Tuchel will become England’s third foreign manager after Sweden’s Sven-Goran Eriksson and Italian Fabio Capello.

* Tuchel will take over the team in January ahead of the qualification campaign for the 2026 World Cup.

-Reuters

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Portugal call up same player named in England Under-18 squad

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Mateus Mane in England's colour

Wolverhampton Wanderers forward Mateus Mane has become hot property after Portugal named the 17-year-old in their Under-18 squad on Friday, one day after England included him in their squad.

Mane was called up for a second successive England youth camp by coach Liam Bramley before the team travel to Marbella for a four-team tournament this month.

Mane is eligible for both teams having played for the Portugal Under-17 side last season. As the Under-18 team is a non-UEFA age group, both nations are entitled to call the player up.

He made his England international debut last month against the Portugal Under-18 side who have named Mane in their squad for a four-nation tournament this month.

With both tournaments running concurrently, Mane can only play for one team and Wolves and England confirmed he would feature in Bramley’s side.

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Reuters has contacted Portugal’s football association for clarification.

While players with multiple nationalities have played for more than one country if they are eligible, they are not allowed to switch allegiances at senior level – unless they have played only in friendly matches for the first country.

-Reuters

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