French Ligue 1
Neymar out for up to eight weeks after ankle injury in PSG win
Paris St Germain’s Brazilian forward Neymar faces six to eight weeks on the sidelines with an ankle sprain that he sustained in Sunday’s 3-1 Ligue 1 comeback victory at 10-man St Etienne, the French club said in a statement on Monday (Nov 29).
The 29-year-old twisted his ankle in the dying seconds of the match after treading on the leg of St Etienne’s Yvann Macon, which left him screaming in agony before he was carried off.
Neymar was later pictured leaving the Stade Geoffroy-Guichard stadium on crutches.
“The examinations carried out last night confirm that Neymar Jr suffers from a sprained left ankle with ligament injuries. An unavailability of six to eight weeks is to be expected,” PSG said, adding that his injury will be evaluated again in 72 hours.
Neymar had earlier said in an Instagram post that setbacks were part of an athlete’s life and vowed to “come back better and stronger”.
Argentina star Lionel Messi set up all three PSG goals in the game as they stretched their lead at the top to 12 points.
The hosts went ahead after 24 minutes when Timothee Kolodziejczak, set up by a superb Wahbi Khazri through pass, shot straight at goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma but Banga followed up and fired home from point-blank range.
The momentum swung towards PSG in a couple of minutes on the stroke of half-time.
Kolodziejczak was harshly shown a straight red card for bringing down Kylian Mbappe as the France striker charged towards goal and Marquinhos headed home Messi’s perfectly executed free kick.
Messi was at it again 11 minutes from time, whipping a fine pass behind the back of the defence for Angel di Maria, who finished with a curled effort into the far corner of the net.
Marquinhos headed home again from Messi’s cross in the last minute, three minutes after Neymar was carried off.
-Reuters
Paul Pogba has joined AS Monaco on a free transfer after signing a two-year contract, the Ligue 1 club said on Saturday, as the 32-year-old French midfielder looks to revive his career following a doping ban.
Pogba was handed a four-year doping ban in February 2024 after testing positive for DHEA, which boosts testosterone levels. The suspension was cut to 18 months after a successful appeal at the Court of Arbitration for Sport.
Italian club Juventus announced in November that they had mutually agreed to terminate his contract, which was due to expire in June 2026.
The 2018 World Cup winner had a disappointing second spell with Juventus due to injuries after returning to the Turin-based club following his departure from Manchester United on a free transfer in 2022.
Pogba was signed by United in 2016 for a then-world record fee of 89 million pounds ($122 million) but the four-times Serie A champion won only two trophies with the Premier League club — the League Cup and Europa League in his first season.
He last played for France in 2022 but knee surgery prevented him from appearing at the World Cup in Qatar.
Monaco finished third behind Ligue 1 champions Paris St Germain and Olympique de Marseille last season.
-Reuters
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After Morocco’s Achraf Hakimi signed a contract extension with French Ligue 1 side, Paris Saint-Germain, he became the World’s most-paid fullback.
The Moroccan international will earn a staggering €70 million in wages over his new five-year deal, cementing his status as football’s highest-paid defender.
He signed a contract extension with the French champions until 2029. The new deal adds three years to his previous contract, which was set to expire in 2026.
His net salary is increasing from €10 million to €14 million per season (€28 million gross).
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The 2024 Ballon d’Or nominee and Super Eagles winger, Ademola Lookman, is almost certain to leave the Serie A in the coming winter transfer window following interest from Premiership but the biggest interest is from Paris Saint Germaine.
The AFCON 2024 silver medal winner with Nigeria has been on the radar of the London side, West Ham United and three other sides from the league but all is more certain that the London club will find it difficult to compete for the signature of Atalanta star according to Football Insider.
Reports have suggested that the Irons are ready to swoop for the Nigeria international in the January transfer window.
However, sources say there will be “huge interest” from Europe in the 27-year-old ex-Everton star.
Paris Saint-Germain will be the frontrunner for the forward if he becomes available in the coming months.
Additionally, Lookman plays in the same area of the pitch as West Ham’s big-money summer signings Crysencio Summerville and Luis Guilherme.
The London-born has raised his stock with his displays for Atalanta since joining from RB Leipzig in 2022.
He finished 14th in the Ballon d’Or rankings this year after leading the Italian side to a Europa League title last term.
Lookman has already hit five goals and contributed five assists in 10 games across all competitions this term.
The forward, who is under contract until June 2026, hit 17 goals and notched 10 assists in 45 appearances last season.
West Ham are unlikely to have serious funds to spend in the January window after their lavish spending in the off-season.
Julen Lopetegui’s side started slowly and sat 13th in the Premier League after nine games.
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