International Football
Kylian Mbappe steps out of Lionel Messi’s shadow
Cameroon born French player, Kylian Mbappe may not have emulated his hero, Pele as back-to-back winner of the World Cup, he was a hero in the 2022 World Cup final with Argentina.
That was a match that will not easily fade from memory. Had France won, it would have been the first time in 60 years that a defending champion achived success.
Brazil in 1962 were the last successful defending champions.
All the same, Mbappe’s s great show in Sunday’s final match leaves many to desire as the young France striker continues his blossom career after the duo of Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo finally fades out.
Having been on the losing side in PSG’s final match of the UEFA Champions’ League to Bayern Munich three season ago, Sunday night at the Lusail stadium in Doha was another opportunity after a wonderful into the final match.
Lionel Messi and Neymar lighting up Ligue 1, the forward hasn’t been the club’s main superstar in the way he wanted to be and hasn’t been pleased with the role he’s been forced to play to facilitate the South American duo.
Things have been different with France though. Didier Deschamps has given him the status he wants on and off the pitch, and that had brought the best out of him in Qatar – prior to the final, he’d looked happier and better than ever.
Going up against Messi in football’s biggest game, Mbappe had the chance to firmly step out of his teammate’s shadow and cement his status as the world’s best, and while he may have ended up on the losing side, boy did he take it.
As has been the case at their club, Messi hogged the spotlight that Mbappe so craves heading into the final, with the fact that it was the Argentine’s last chance to win a World Cup overshadowing the fact that the Frenchman could win his second at the age of 23.
That remained the case when the ball get rolling with him having just five touches before the 35-year-old gave his team the lead from the penalty spot.
He then got on the ball just four more times before former teammate Angel Di Maria made it 2-0, giving the South American team a comfortable lead that they fully deserved.
Along with being in the shadow of Messi and Neymar, another thing that has upset Mbappe at PSG has been the fact that he’s been used as a lone striker rather than being given a role allowing him more creative freedom.
Given that, things went from bad to worse for him when Didier Deschamps made him Les Blues’ centre forward before the first half was over, taking off Olivier Giroud. The match that every player dreams of playing in was fast becoming a nightmare.
It looked more and more like that would be the story of his second World Cup final as the second half went on. And then he decided to write a new one.
He gave his country a glimmer of hope when he made it 2-1 from the spot with 10 minutes remaining and turned that glimmer into so much more with a moment of magic a minute later.
What says just as much about how obscenely good he is as his stunning finish is the fact that you could see it coming as soon as the ball fell to him on the edge of the box. There are precious few players that wouldn’t surprise you by scoring such a goal, and he’s already one of them.
Unfortunately for him, another plays for Argentina, and Messi looked to have broken French hearts when he got his second of the game, scoring what looked set to be arguably the most significant goal of all time.
Once again though, Mbappe had other ideas, staying remarkably cool when handed another penalty.
He then made it three from three when he stepped up to take the first in the shootout that followed. His job was done, and he now had to rely on his team-mates.
They couldn’t come through, with the two that followed him failing to score, but that didn’t take anything away from his own heroics.
On the biggest of stages, he went toe to toe with the greatest player of all time and was every bit as good, at the ripe old age of 23.
Messi is magnificent, but so too is Mbappe, and he’s only getting started.
International Football
Guinea names Portugal’s Duarte as new national coach

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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International Football
Veteran coach Van Gaal says he is cured of cancer

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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International Football
Like father like son, Davide Ancelotti becomes Brazil’s Botafogo manager

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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