Ange Postecoglou’s future in charge of Tottenham continues to be called into question after a picture going viral online hinted his fate may already be sealed.
A poor domestic campaign has seen the North London side drop to 14th place in the Premier League while they are eliminated from both local cup competitions, in what has been a campaign to forget for the Aussie manager.
The Europa League is currently Spurs’ only chance at silverware this campaign and it is widely believed he will be sacked if they fail to lift the trophy.
However, a recent photo circulating online has raised the question of whether Postecoglou could be headed out the door irrespective of whether or not Spurs go all the way in the European competition.
A picture circulating online suggests Ange Postecoglou could be set to be axed. Image: Getty/Football Classified on XSource: Supplied
A picture of Tottenham owner Daniel Levy sharing a coffee with former Spurs manager Mauricio Pochettino has sent social media into a spin.
When the photo was taken remains unclear. It is yet to be verified whether it is a new photo or whether it was taken when Pochettino was in charge of Spurs.
What has thrust the image into the spotlight, regardless of timing, is recent comments from the Argentinian who said he hopes to return to the North London club in the future.
“When I left the club I always remember one interview I said I would like one day to come back to Tottenham,” he told Sky Sports last week.
“I am in the USA, so I am not going to talk about that now – but what I said then I still, after six years or five years, feel in my heart. Yes, I would like one day to come back.
“Not because of my ego, it’s because my feeling is I would like one day to win with Tottenham.”
Pochettino was in charge of Tottenham between 2014 and 2019 — the most stable reign for any Spurs manager in recent history.
Since leaving the club in 2019, Spurs went on to hire four full-time managers: Jose Mourinho, Nuno Espirito Santo, Antonio Conte and Postecoglou.
Mauricio Pochettino could be brought in to replace Ange Postecoglou at Tottenham. (Photo by Dan Mullan/Getty Images )Source: Getty Images
53-year-old Pochettino enjoyed a relatively successful time at the helm despite failing to bring the club any silverware. He led the team to the 2015 EFL Cup final, a 2019 Champions League final and a second-place finish in the 2016-17 Premier League season.
But while many fans are calling for Postecoglou to be removed and Pochettino to return, BBC Sports reports it would come at an almighty cost.
The news outlet reports if Levy were to sack Pochettino he would be required to pay the US “one of the biggest compensation fees in football history”, with the sum suggested to be close to $40 million.
Regardless of Pochettino’s availability, Postecoglou remains in a scrap to save his job with a crucial quarter final tie against Eintracht Frankfurt from April 11 crticial.
Former Spurs scout Mick Brown said Spurs simply must regain regular winning form fron now until May for Postecoglou to stand any chance.
“Tottenham, unless they put a run together from now to the end of the season, you would think that things might happen [to Postecoglou] there in terms of the sack for the manager,” he told Football Insider.
He added that Spurs sources have told him that Fulham boss Marco Silva is “top of the pops” to replace the Australian.
Brazilian superstar Neymar has left sections of the football world in meltdown with an announcement about his return to boyhood club Santos expected to be made within days.
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Saudi giant Al Hilal on Monday night released a statement to confirm the club had reached a mutual agreement to release the former Barcelona star from his mega-contract.
The Champions League winner shared a message on Tuesday night, saying goodbye to his Saudi Pro League fans.
“To everyone at Al Hilal, to the fans, Thank you,” he posted on X.
“I gave everything to play and I wish we enjoyed better times on the pitch together.
“To Saudi, thank you for giving me and my family a new home and new experiences I now know the real Saudi and have friends for life. I always felt your love and passion for the game. I will be following your journey ahead as a club and a country towards 2034.
“Your future will be incredible, special things are happening and I will always support you.”
Al Hilal’s Brazilian forward Neymar warms up. Photo by AFP.Source: AFP
Neymar’s deal was reported to have been worth a staggering $215 million (£129m) per-year, The Sun reports.
And after leaving following 18 months at the club, it meant he earned £193.8m in total.
That breaks down to an outrageous $4.1 million (£2.5m) per-week.
Combined with his transfer fee, Al-Hilal effectively paid $452 million (£271m) for Neymar’s single goal and three assists in seven matches.
Al Hilal’s nightmare isn’t even over yet.
Neymar will still pocket $87 million (£51.9m) of the wages he was owed for the remainder of the season, agreeing to give up just 15 per cent – which works out to $13 million (£8m).
That means by the end of the season, his single goal will have cost over $554 million (£322m), while each appearance will have been worth £46m.
If all that wasn’t enough, Neymar also raked in a cool £136m from commercial income, separate to his wage from Al-Hilal.
The former Paris Saint-Germain winger played just seven times since joining the club in August 2023.
Neymar was the subject of what is still the biggest transfer in football history when he joined Paris Saint-Germain from Barcelona in 2017 for a fee of 220 million euros.
He followed fellow superstars Cristiano Ronaldo and Karim Benzema to the lucrative Saudi league.
But two months after his arrival in Riyadh, he ruptured a cruciate ligament in his left knee while playing for Brazil in a World Cup qualifier in October 2023, which kept him on the sidelines for a year.
He returned for Al Hilal with two brief appearances in October and November but injured a hamstring and has not played since.
Club’s blunt Neymar statement as boyhood fairy tale nears
Al-Hilal’s statement confirming Neymar’s exit was short and sweet.
“The club expresses its thanks and appreciation to Neymar for what he has provided throughout his career with Al-Hilal, and wish the player success in his career,” said a club statement posted on social media.
The decision to release Neymar came after boss Jorge Jesus admitted the player was no longer capable of the required physical demands.
He said: “Neymar can no longer perform at the level we are used to.
“Things have become difficult for him, unfortunately.”
While Neymar had been courted by MLS teams in the United States, reports in Brazil said Santos, the club where Neymar made his name, was in talks for him to return to his homeland.
A return to Brazil would likely be the last chance for a player who is his country’s all-time leading scorer with 79 goals in 127 matches.
Neymar scores for Brazil at the 2022 World Cup. Photo by Justin Setterfield/Getty Images.Source: Getty Images
Club president Marcelo Teixeira took to Instagram to deliver the message to Neymar on Tuesday night but did not officially confirm the 32-year-old’s return to the club where he first broke through in 2009.
“The time has come, Neymar. The time has come for you to return to your people. To your home, to our beloved club,” said Teixeira.
“Welcome back, Ney boy!… Come and be happy again in the sacred jersey. The Santos nation awaits you with open arms.”
Earlier in January, Neymar said he was aiming to play the 2026 World Cup, to be hosted in the US, Canada and Mexico.
“I know this will be my last World Cup, my last shot, my last chance and I will do everything I can to play in it,” he told CNN.
At the start of his career he was cast as the heir to Pele.
After scoring 107 goals in 177 appearances for Santos, he joined Barcelona in 2013, becoming the young star of a team that also featured Lionel Messi and Luis Suarez, which swept to the Champions League title in 2015 by beating Juventus 3-1 in the final in Berlin.
A year later he scored the winning penalty in a shootout as Brazil won the men’s football gold medal at the 2016 Rio Olympics.
In 2017, Qatar-owned Paris Saint-Germain prised him away from Barcelona with what is still a world-record transfer fee of 220 million euros ($230 million).
He won five Ligue 1 titles and he and prolific French forward Kylian Mbappe led PSG to the final of the Champions League in the Covid-blighted 2019-2020, but they lost to Bayern Munich.
PSG reunited Neymar with Messi in the French capital, but the trio with Mbappe failed to gel as personal rivalries got in the way and he was pushed to the exit, and to Saudi Arabia, by the Parisian management in 2023.
Eight years ago, England were sent packing from the first hurdle of the knockout stage at Euro 2016 by a nation with a population of just 300,000.
That fateful day, Roy Hodgson’s side could not find a way past a resolute Iceland for 72 minutes after Wayne Rooney had opened the scoring in the fourth minute from the penalty spot.
It is one of the darkest chapters in England’s football history.
Yet that catastrophe was on the brink of being surpassed.
Gareth Southgate was about to have his Iceland moment.
For 70 painstaking minutes, England could not find a way to break down Slovakia, the world No. 45, after Ivan Schranz had put the underdogs ahead midway through the first half.
But then Jude Bellingham happened, with the $166m superstar scoring a bicycle kick in the 95th minute to jolt English hearts and break those of the Slovakians.
Harry Kane then struck in the first minute of extra time to put England ahead and subsequently lock up a spot in the quarterfinal.
How Southgate must’ve breathed a heavy sigh of relief, even if he declared after the match he “never felt like tonight would be the end of our tournament.”
The England boss, along with his players, might’ve been the only ones who still believed they would pull a rabbit out of the hat.
However, Manchester United great Gary Neville believes Southgate must surely recognise he flew perilously close to the sun against Slovakia and was minutes away from becoming public enemy No. 1.
“Relief is the word of the day,” Neville told ITV.
“We’ve been very lucky and we should thank our lucky stars.
Neville added: “I’ve played with Gareth Southgate and I know him. He’s a great guy and he’s got massive integrity, but he will realise tonight that he was so close to the edge. Very close to the edge.”
It was as dire a performance as they come, with The Athletic’s Jack Pitt-Brooke noting “it was as bad as they (England) had played all tournament, even worse than Denmark and Slovenia.”
Once again, England lacked rhythm going forward, so much so that Bellingham’s stoppage time equaliser the team’s first shot on target.
Southgate has proven he is an excellent man-manager, especially for England.
For so long, players had become shrinking violets when wearing the iconic white strip but Southgate built an environment that lifted the weight of expectation off their shoulders.
It may not have been the sexiest of football, but you could tell the players stepped onto the pitch without feeling the pressure from the supporters and enjoyed a sense of freedom on the pitch.
But now that the pressure is creeping in and Southgate’s man management skills are not working like they used to, we’re starting to see the England boss’ many limitations, especially tactically.
Southgate has proven to be an excellent man-manager, but what about his tactical acumen? (Photo by Adrian DENNIS / AFP)Source: AFP
And yes, you can tell the players are feeling the pressure given Bellingham’s comments in the post-match press conference, where he hit out at the “rubbish” being spoken by pundits.
“The fans expect a lot from us regardless of what happened in recent tournaments years and years ago,” Bellingham said.
“People talk a lot. You do have to take it personally a little bit. We work so hard at this game.
“We come in every day, we work hard to put on a performance for the fans, sometimes it doesn’t go well and sometimes it feels like there’s a bit of a pile on, it’s not nice to hear.
“But you can always use it and for moments like that, it’s nice to throw it back to some people.”
Regardless of how poor England may have been at Euro 2024, they live to fight another day.
For Southgate, it means he has made the quarterfinals at every major tournament since he took over before the 2018 World Cup.
It is a testament to Southgate that England have enjoyed this level of consistency and he deserves all the plaudits for doing so.
Teams rarely get rewarded for playing an attractive brand of football at tournaments because it’s win at all costs.
Perhaps we will all be praising Southgate even more highly when it’s all said and done because history won’t remember how England played, only how they ended Euro 2024.
Bellingham and Kane ensured England would live to see another day at Euro 2024. (Photo by Richard Pelham/Getty Images)Source: Getty Images
It’s not out of the question to say it could end in triumph given how the draw has opened up for the Three Lions.
England will face a tricky Switzerland side in the quarterfinals, a team that looked slick and well-drilled in their 2-0 win over Italy in the Round of 16.
Win that and one of Austria, the Netherlands, Romania or Turkiye awaits in the semi final.
But to spend even a second thinking about what could lay ahead is exactly the arrogant mentality which almost cost England so dearly against Slovakia.
It’s now up to Southgate to ensure that same arrogance doesn’t penetrate the walls he worked tirelessly to build around this team before they take on the Swiss.
Bellingham’s comments prove that cracks are appearing, but there’s no better man than the England boss to seal them.
In the northeastern tip of Spain lays a small city named Girona, an hour from the French border. It is known for its medieval walls and historic Jewish quarter, so quaint that Game of Thrones even filmed there.
The population is just a touch over 100,000, dwarfed by their Catalan neighbours Barcelona an hour down the road. For decades, too, its football team – Girona FC – has been in the long shadow of European giants Barcelona FC.
No longer. From playing in the fifth tier of Spanish football just 24 years ago, Girona has experienced a meteoric rise. Now the virtual unknowns sit second on the ladder in Spain’s top flight, only behind Real Madrid on goal difference – despite Real Madrid’s squad costing 14 times more in transfer fees.
In December, they beat Barcelona for the first time ever – at the famed Camp Nou – to announce their arrival as a legitimate contender in the title race.
And now they sit well clear of Barca and Atletico Madrid, who they beat 4-3 in a thrilling victory last week.
After Leicester City stunned the Premier League by winning the title in 2016 on a shoestring budget, Girona are living their own fairytale.
The team is a cobbled-together squad of rejects, former Premier League players and loanees, assembled under the masterful leadership of the brother of Manchester City’s legendary coach Pep Guardiola, and financially backed by Man City’s Abu Dhabi owners, the City Football Group.
Here’s the remarkable story of the Blanquivermells – the white and reds – rose to the vertiginous heights of battling for the top of La Liga.
Girona coach Michel is being chased by heavyweight clubs like Bayern Munich and Newcastle United after masterminding a stunning rise at the Spanish minnows.Source: Getty Images
THE HISTORY – AND THE LONG YEARS OF PAIN
Looking at the 93-year-history of Girona FC, you won’t find major titles or European trophies. They’ve never won the Spanish league or a national cup – far from it. From 1959 to 2008, the team never competed in so much as Spain’s second division. The club was mired in financial struggles for much of the latter decades of the century. And in Girona itself, the team was mostly an afterthought.
“Girona citizens were mainly Barcelona, Real Madrid or even Espanyol fans,” Girona president Delfi Geli told The Athletic recently. “This was our reality and the closest we could get to the elite. The city once had a basketball team in the national top flight, but football … you had to look elsewhere.”
The team’s stadium, Estadi Montilivi, is the smallest in Spain’s top flight, holding around 14,000 fans. But go back to 1999 and the stadium would usually play host to just 200 supporters as the team competed in the fifth level of Spanish football, almost exclusively playing other Catalonian teams.
When it comes to Girona, the town has long been renowned for its restaurants including El Celler de Can Roca, one of the world’s finest establishments and boasting three Michelin stars. Football has always been something of an afterthought.
But things began to change in 2006-07 and the following season, when they earned back-to-back promotions to return to the second division for the first time in 49 years. An ownership takeover was completed in 2010, which founded a reserve team and improved training facilities. Suddenly the team’s financial woes were behind them, though they were still operating on a shoestring budget.
The side stabilised in the second tier and soon pushed towards promotion – missing out in the play-offs in 2014-15 and the following season. At the third time of asking, they made it in 2016-17 by finishing second in the Segunda Division.
For the first time in the club’s 87-year history, they were in La Liga.
THE LEGEND’S BROTHER BEHIND THE RISE
It was after their first push for promotion in 2014-15 that a key figure arrived who would revolutionise the club – slowly but surely, step by painful step turning them into a side capable of not just competing in the top flight, but potentially even winning it.
Guardiola. Not Pep, the coach of Manchester City who broke records at Bayern Munich and Barcelona before taking England by storm. No, Pere – Pep’s brother, his junior by five years.
After retiring from playing, Pere had played a key role in developing Nike’s football footprint – including managing the deals with Ronaldo and Ronaldinho, before working in marketing with Barcelona and the Spanish and Portuguese national teams.
In 2009 he co-founded his own agency and became one of the most influential agents in global football. His clients included his brother – of course – as well as superstars like Andres Iniesta and Luis Suarez.
In 2015, when a French company bought out Girona, Pere was brought in as an influential adviser and deal-maker. Under his leadership and canny negotiating skills, Girona were emboldened in the transfer market and developed into a more professional club from top to bottom.
Pep Guardiola with brother Pere.Source: Supplied
THE TAKEOVER THAT TURNED THINGS AROUND – AND RAISED EYEBROWS
And two years later, just after Girona were promoted to the top flight, Pere Guardiola bought a 44.3% stake in the club – while Manchester City’s owners, the City Football Group, bought an equal stake. The total cost of the 88.6 per cent sale was reportedly just 7 million euros ($A11.4m), effectively pocket change in City’s budget.
It wasn’t the first franchise bought by the City Football Group (largely owned by billionaire Sheik Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan of Abu Dhabi) – but it was the first in Europe.
It was a significant moment in the growing trend of mega-money ownership groups taking charge of multiple clubs.
According to a SportBusiness and CIES Sports Intelligence report, as of November 2023, there are now 124 entities worldwide which own two or more clubs, with a staggering 301 clubs part of multi-club operations.
One key problem is that multiple clubs with the same owners could face off in the Champions League, for example.
“There is more and more interest for this multi-club ownership and we shouldn’t just say no [to] the investments, and for multi-club ownership,” UEFA president Aleksander Ceferin said in March. “But we have to see what kind of rules we set in that case, because the rules have to be strict.”
In 2017, UEFA launched a landmark investigation into Red Bull Leipzig and Red Bull Salzburg, who have close ties through their Red Bull owners.
But UEFA found the clubs had enough operational independence, and both were allowed to compete in the 2017/18 Champions League. The next year, they were even paired in the same group in the Europa League.
However, because City Football Group (CFG) are not the majority owners of Girona (they currently own 47 per cent), UEFA’s multi-ownership rules do not apply – and Girona last year were granted UEFA approval to compete in continental competitions should they qualify.
Reds too good for Gunners in the FA Cup | 00:54
Nevertheless, Girona have clearly benefited from close ties to Man City and the wider City network.
CFG’s chief executive, Ferran Soriano, is from Catalan – and was previously vice-president of Barcelona FC. Their director of football, Aitor ‘Txiki’ Begiristain, learned Catalan while playing for Barcelona alongside Pep Guardiola and under the coaching of the legendary Johann Cruyff. It was his decision, as Barcelona’s director of football, to hand Guardiola the coaching reins of the senior side instead of Jose Mourinho. At that time, Guardiola had coached Barcelona’s reserve team for a season.
“He trusted me when I wasn’t anyone in football management. He could have chosen many managers at that time. My gratitude is eternal,” Guardiola once said.
The pair – and Sorriano – turned Barcelona into one of the greatest teams in club football history – and they have done the same at Man City.
After taking over at City, Guardiola emphasised just how important Begiristain is, saying: “If Txiki worked for Chelsea, I would probably have called Chelsea.”
The trio’s strong Catalan links – never mind the brotherly connection between Pep and Pere Guardiola – made buying Girona far more than just a smart business decision. It was personal.
Ferran Soriano (L), with Pep Guardiola and Khaldoon Al Mubarak of CFG.Source: Getty Images
HOW MAN CITY STRENGTHENED THE GIRONA CHARGE
There’s no doubt that the City connections have been a key factor in developing Girona into surprise Champions League contenders.
After Pere Guardiola took a role at the club in 2015, he immediately began to secure loan deals for fringe City players or talented youngsters in need of match minutes to develop into world-class stars – something that has remained a major source of Girona players down the years.
In 2015/16, four players were loaned from Man City to Girona. In 16/17, it was three and in 17/18 it was a whopping five. The next season it was three, in 2020/21 it was four, then three last season – including one from another CFG-owned club, New York City.
For Manchester City, the loan connection with Girona provides a place to develop young players or signings that are not quite at the first-team level with the Premier League club.
But many CFG players will never reach the ultimate goal of playing for Man City’s first team – and that’s where Girona looms as an opportunity for CFG to send players to boost their transfer value.
“We haven’t seen too many instances of players coming from CFG-owned clubs into Manchester City,” Shiv Jhangiani, head of Strategy and Mergers & Acquisitions at sports consultants Sportsology, told ESPN last year. “But they have been able to generate returns from players that have come into their clubs and moved on externally to other clubs in the market and made a pretty significant return.
“Player trading has become a very robust revenue stream for clubs that are able to operate it well.”
Many teams, Chelsea most notably, have been accused of stockpiling vast numbers of players and sending them out on multiple loans to increase their transfer value before selling them for a profit – effectively treating them as a commodity.
It is something that FIFA and UEFA have cracked down on in recent months, limiting squad sizes as well as the number of players that can be loaned out by a club.
But over the years, signing multiple players on loan from Man City has provided a valuable mechanism for Girona to strengthen their squad without spending money on transfer fees.
That includes Catalan native Pablo Maffeo, who was loaned there from City for three seasons in a row – and was later named by Lionel Messi as the toughest man-marker he had played against. VfB Stuttgart splashed out a then-club-record fee for him – and then loaned him back to Girona (for a FOURTH time) one season later.
Pablo Maffeo (L) was loaned from Man City to Girona in three different seasons.Source: Getty Images
It includes the likes of Douglas Luiz, who could not receive a work permit when signed by Man City in 2017 for £10m. He was loaned to the Spanish side for two seasons in a row, before being sold for £15m to Aston Villa in 2019. He has since played 179 times for Villa.
The network of CFG clubs – and the system of loaning Man City players to other clubs to develop them – has raised plenty of eyebrows.
Are Girona being controlled by Manchester City, merely being used for the benefit of City’s squad-building and profiteering? Or do they boast unfair advantages through their links to CFG?
The answer, according to those at Girona, is a definite no. They have their own independent scouting and football departments, and while they have connections with City Football Group leaders like CEO Ferran Soriano and director of football Txiki Begiristain, they are not dictated to by them.
Instead, Girona believe they are simply being smart in nabbing some of the best young players from Manchester City on loan – and they have also made an impressive habit of signing City rejects on permanent deals.
The perfect example of that is Aleix Garcia, an extremely talented Villareal youngster who was signed by City in 2015. But after two years at City saw him make just nine appearances, he was loaned to Girona in 2017-18 and again the following season.
He would eventually return to Girona – then in the second tier – on a permanent deal in 2021.
Another is Yangel Herrera, who was signed in the off-season by Girona after he spent last season on loan there from Manchester City.
The Montelivi stadium is tiny – but its 14,000 fans have had plenty of reasons to celebrate this season.Source: Getty Images
HOW THEY FELL OUT OF LA LIGA – AND CAME BACK STRONGER
Girona’s first year in the Spanish top flight was utterly remarkable. They beat reigning Champions League winners Real Madrid in October and finished a lofty 10th, defying all expectations of a relegation battle.
But the next season, in 2018/19, they finished 18th and were relegated right back to the second tier. There were real improvements, however, like the academy being redeveloped, and the pitch at Montilivi re-laid – though the stadium itself remains tiny!
All that remained was the right coach to take them back into La Liga – and they found him in 2021.
Michel Sanchez had been sacked by Huesca in January of that year, with the team bottom of La Liga – largely due to Michel’s refusal to waver from his all-out-attacking principles.
In many ways, he was the perfect coach for Girona and for CFG, given they want all clubs in their network to play an attacking and attractive brand of football.
And while he was born in Madrid – and was a Rayo Vallecano legend as a player – he began Catalan lessons straight away.
It took just one season for Michel to lead the team back to the top flight. And last year, they finished 10th in the first division – having scored 58 goals (fifth most in the league) but conceded 55 (also fifth). Simply put, you were guaranteed goals when watching a Girona game.
Finishing 10th was impressive for a newly-promoted team. But this year, they took things to a whole new level despite losing a host of their star players in the off-season.
Girona’s Spanish coach Michel celebrates a stunning win over Atletico Madrid last week.Source: AFP
THE PERE GUARDIOLA TRANSFER MASTERCLASS
They lost midfield star Oriel Romeu (formerly of Chelsea and Southampton) to Barcelona. Then they lost centre-back Santiago Bueno to Premier League side Wolves for €12m, their best winger Rodrigo Riquelme, and topscorer Taty Castellanos.
Girona had been gutted. But then Pere Guardiola masterminded an incredible transfer window to reshape and strengthen the team yet again.
They turned a loan deal for 32-year-old goalkeeper Paulo Gazzaniga (from England second-tier team Fulham) into a permanent deal for free.
In another free deal, they landed 33-year-old centre-back Daley Blind from Bayern Munich.
Both Gazzaniga (Southampton and Tottenham) and Blind (Manchester United) were former Premier League players.
It wasn’t the only veteran they picked up for a bargain, bringing back 31-year-old winger Portu for just €1.5m – a player they sold in 2019 for €10m.
As always, Girona raided CFG clubs for young talents – turning a loan deal for Man City reject Yangel Herrera into a permanent move, and poaching 19-year-old Brazilian winger Savio on loan from Troyes in France (another CFG club). They also landed Barcelona’s 22-year-old centre-back Eric Garcia on loan.
Then they smashed their transfer record for Ukrainian international striker Artem Dovbyk for a reported €7m.
Girona’s Ukrainian forward Artem Dovbyk (L) has been a revelation this year.Source: AFP
All up, the team spent just €4.35m more than they earned in sales (ten teams in La Liga had a bigger net spend).
Yet they had built a squad of veterans and youngsters, loanees and rejects. In total, Girona has spent just €33.75m in transfer fees on the entire squad – the sixth-cheapest squad in the league.
Compare that to Real Madrid, who spent €573m on their squad, while Barcelona spent €371.4m and Atletico Madrid €361.1m (all figures per Transfermarkt).
The massive gap between the Spanish giants and Girona in spending is also reflected in their salary caps for wages, coaches and reserve and youth teams.
Real Madrid’s expenditure limit this season is €727.5m, Atletico Madrid €296.4m, Barcelona €270m, while Girona is limited to just €52m, the eight-lowest in the league.
When it comes to spending, Girona might have backing from the City Football Group, but they are operating on a fraction of the budgets of their rivals – and well and truly punching above their weight.
The squad is an interesting mix of Premier League rejects and young loanees.Source: Getty Images
THE SEASON
The season began with a comeback 1-1 draw with Real Sociedad, who were also competing in the Champions League after finishing fourth in the league last year. There were plenty of promising signs, including Dovbyk scoring on his league debut.
The minnows would win their next six games on the trot, roaring into first place on the ladder for the first time in their 93-year history.
“We know this isn’t normal,” said Girona player Aleix García.
The streak included a 3-0, a 4-2 and a 5-3, with goals flowing from all over the park.
That has been a hallmark of Michel’s coaching – a flexible and freewheeling attack that relies on pace and rapid passing. The wingers and fullbacks are constantly on the move and regularly confuse defences by changing which channels they use down the flanks – if a winger cuts inside, the fullback overlaps; if the winger hits the sideline, the fullbacks run through the middle.
Even when they lost to Real Madrid in September – still their only loss of the season after 19 games – they went toe-to-toe with the giants, never backing down despite being outclassed.
They finished with more possession and 13 shots to Los Blancos’ 14, despite losing 3-0.
“This is a team that knows it goes forward,” Michel has said.
Villareal star Ramon Terrats said: “They’re the team that play the best football in primera division.
“It’s lovely to see them play. It’s hard when you’re against them but they’re nice to watch.”
Girona are in dreamland this season.Source: AFP
The defeat was a setback, but Girona were already scaling vertiginous heights on the ladder. And they rebounded by winning the next five games in a row, including two more massive scorelines – a 4-2 and a 5-2.
Then, in early December, came the result that announced Girona to the world – beating Barcelona for the first time ever.
Ahead of the game, Girona manager Michel had said: “If we win at Barcelona, this club will indeed enter a new dimension.”
They did just that, a famous 4-2 victory that humbled their neighbouring giants.
Girona were back on top of the table, two points clear of Real Madrid and seven ahead of Barcelona.
“For some people it’s a surprise that Girona are co-leaders with Real Madrid, but for us, no,” Barcelona coach and legendary former player Xavi said afterwards.
“Michel is a great coach, with a system very similar to ours. Excellent, just congratulate them! They’re playing with a spectacular flair. They can fight for the title. They are brave and that’s what has put them there.”
It was high praise. Michel, meanwhile, downplayed Xavi’s call that his team could challenge for the title – but couldn’t shy away from what a magnificent performance it was.
“It’s not our target to win La Liga and I don’t want to compare our team to anyone, but we play really, really well,” the 48-year-old said.
“It was a great advert for La Liga, two teams wanting to attack and score goals. Any football fan watching this will have ended up feeling more sympathy for Girona. I don’t know if we can win La Liga, but tonight I realised we can beat any opponent.”
And not just beat any opponent, but do so playing in a style reminiscent of Guardiola’s Barcelona, of Manchester City. A thrilling, rollercoaster of attack – even if it means conceding plenty of goals at the other end.
That was summed up perfectly in their second historic victory this season, beating Atletico Madrid 4-3 in stoppage time last week. It was, just like against Barcelona, the first time Girona had ever beaten Atletico.
That victory was their 15th from 19 games, with just three draws and one loss (to Real Madrid). The minnows sit level on points with Los Blancos (both 48) on top the ladder, second only on goal difference – but remarkably, having scored six more goals than the Madrid giants this season.
They are seven points clear of Barcelona, and ten ahead of Atletico Madrid and Athletic Club de Bilbao.
As Michel termed it, the club is well and truly in a ‘new dimension’.
BUT CAN THEY WIN THE LOT?
But the 48-year-old is doing his level best to dampen expectations that they’ll be able to keep up their surprise title bid in the second half of the season.
“We cannot keep up with Madrid’s rhythm, we don’t want to put that label on ourselves (of challengers),” the Spaniard said.
“To talk about bigger things, like the Champions League, we have to get to the last 10 matches … then I’ll be ready to talk about our next objective.”
“(Winning the league) is not the objective, the objective is first to think game by game, and try to reach Europe, which would already be a success for us,” he added.
And that’s perhaps the most surprising thing about this remarkable rise. Girona were never meant to be in the hunt for the title.
They themselves set the target at the start of the season of reaching European football. The top four teams qualify for the Champions League, fifth the Europa League, and sixth the Europa Conference League qualifying stages. Even finishing sixth, for Girona, would be a remarkable success.
But now, the fans at the tiny Montelivi stadium are dreaming of higher honours. On a minuscule budget, with a hodgepodge team of discards and loanees, they could become just the third team outside of the Spanish ‘big two’ of Barcelona and Real Madrid to win the league this century.
And for once, Pere Guardiola might just outshine his brother.
For the past two decades, the battle for the Ballon d’Or – the top individual award in football – has been dominated by two names: Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi.
With Ronaldo now 38 years old and Messi 36, and with neither playing in Europe, this year is almost certainly the last time either player hoists the most precious and prestigious solo trophy.
It is the end of an era – but the future is bright.
On the back of his World Cup heroics in Qatar last year, where Messi scored seven times including twice in the final as he captained Argentina to glory, the diminutive genius now leads his great rival eight Ballon d’Or trophies to five.
It might just be the final blow in the debate over which player is the GOAT – the greatest of all time. Always subjective and able to spark debate among fans both hard-core and casual, there will never be a definitive answer to that question.
As far as international trophies go, both have a continental title (Copa America for Messi, European Championship for Ronaldo) – but Messi boasts the ultimate prize, the World Cup trophy. Of course, both players could still win another continental title (particularly Messi at next year’s Copa America) or even the World Cup in 2026.
When it comes to club trophies, Messi trails his rival 5-4 in Champions League titles, but has more league crowns (12-7) and domestic cups (7-6).
Ronaldo has more career goals on both the domestic and international stages, while Messi has more assists in both departments.
But the major difference, statistically at least, is that Messi has played over 100 fewer games than his rival – not a surprise given he is two years younger than the Portuguese icon.
And when it comes to goals or assists per game or per minute, Messi boasts a superior record.
Goal contributions, trophies or records at the international and domestic arenas add weight to arguments over which player is superior, but they cannot truly deliver an answer.
What cannot be debated, however, is that the rivalry is one of the greatest in football history, where their duels on the field and their records off it were equally brilliant as they drove each other to ever greater heights.
Make that EIGHT titles. Top row (L-R): 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012. Bottom Row (L-R): 2015, 2019, 2021, 2023.Source: AFP
The consistency of the two players is particularly remarkable.
Ronaldo was nominated for the Ballon d’Or for 19 years in a row from 2004 to 2022 before missing out this year, while Messi has been nominated every year from 2005 onwards except for 2022.
Ronaldo first won the award in 2008 and Messi in 2009. Since then, only twice has the award gone to a different player – Croatia’s Luka Modric in 2018 and France’s Karim Benzema in 2022.
But the pair’s stranglehold on the game’s greatest individual gong looks set to finally come to an end, with 2023 likely to herald the end of their two-man tussle for the golden ball.
While the giants of the game are both still performing at a remarkably high level, neither competes in the upper echelons of European club football.
Ronaldo captains Saudi Pro League side Al Nassr after departing Manchester United in January. The Portugal great is still firing in goals – 25 in 26 league games this calendar year, to go with eight assists. In all competitions, he has a remarkable 28 goals and 10 assists in 33 appearances.
Messi, meanwhile, has started strongly at Inter Miami after moving from Paris Saint-Germain in July, tallying 11 goals and five assists in 14 appearances across all competitions.
The numbers for both players are impressive – as good as anyone in the world, to be fair.
Messi speaks after receiving the award in Paris.Source: Getty Images
But Ronaldo is highly unlikely to add to his record 19 nominations for the award, while Messi’s 15th nomination this year is also likely to be his last.
That’s because the standard of the competitions in which they feature is lower than the elite European leagues. And even if they do get nominated again, not since Igor Belanov in 1986 has the award gone to someone playing outside of Europe’s five biggest leagues (England, France, Germany, Italy, Spain).
“I am not thinking about the long-term future. I am just enjoying the day to day at the moment,” Messi said
Next year, there’ll be a new player writing their name into the history books as the winner of the 70th Ballon d’Or.
Nestory Irankunda: Australia’s Wonderboy | 02:04
THE HEIRS TO THE THRONE
Messi might have won the trophy again, but it was surely a close-run thing.
Erling Haaland finished second after his unbelievable goalscoring exploits for Manchester City.
The Norwegian striker bagged 52 goals in 53 games for his club in the 2022/23 campaign, guiding them to a first-ever treble, and topscored in both the Premier League and Champions League.
He added four goals for Norway in as many games, but wasn’t able to showcase his skills on the biggest stage after the nation missed out on World Cup qualification for Qatar.
Speaking before the awards, Haaland’s Manchester City coach Pep Guardiola joked that Messi’s alien-like achievements meant he should be given a separate category in the Ballon d’Or.
“I always said that the Ballon d’Or had to be two sections: one for Messi and one for the others,” Guardiola quipped.
“But of course, Messi, if you tell me the worst season of Messi it is the best for the rest of them. Both deserve it.”
Guardiola, who previously coached Messi at Barcelona, added: “Egotistically I would say I want Erling (to win the trophy) because he helped us to achieve what we achieved. I would love it but I won’t tell you it’s unfair if Leo wins.”
Manchester City’s Norwegian forward Erling Haaland gestures on stage as he receives the Gerd Muller Trophy for Best Striker during the 2023 Ballon d’Or France Football award ceremony.Source: AFP
Messi’s former PSG teammate Kylian Mbappe was third after another fantastic campaign, winning another Ligue 1 title as well as the World Cup golden boot as France made the final – where he lost to Messi’s Argentina despite scoring a hat-trick.
He scored 54 competitive goals for club and country, falling just two short of Haaland’s tally that saw the Premier League goal machine today win the Gerd Muller award.
With Mbappe 24 years old and Haaland 23, the stage is set for the two to duel for top honours for years to come – both in terms of scoring and Ballon d’Or awards.
In his acceptance speech, Messi said: “Haaland and Mbappe will win the Ballon d’Or one day.
“Erling deserved it very much too, he has won the Premier League, and Champions League while being the top scorer of everything.
“This award could have been yours today too. I’m sure in the next years you will win it.”
City dominate United in Manchester derby | 01:27
But Haaland recently told France Football – who founded the Ballon d’Or award back in 1956 – that he doesn’t view his relationship with Mbappe like the Messi-Ronaldo duel of the last two decades.
“That’s what everyone thinks, but you have to emphasise just how crazy the things Messi and Cristiano have done,” said Haaland. “You also have to remember that they’re still doing it, even if they’re getting older. They’re still fantastic players.
“But I never talk about myself being against other players, it’s not my way of seeing things. I focus on myself, I only try to be better every day, to continue enjoying what I do and being the best version of myself.”
Manchester City’s midfield conductor Kevin de Bruyne was fourth and figures as another contender in the years to come.
But Mbappe and Haaland’s biggest threat to winning the top trophy in 2024 might just be Jude Bellingham.
Messi and Mbappe at the ceremony.Source: AFP
The 20-year-old England star won the Kopa Trophy for the best season by a player under 21, having scored 14 times in 42 games for Borussia Dortmund in his final season in Germany before moving to Real Madrid. He also starred for England in their quarter-finals run at the World Cup in Qatar.
But this season he looks set to reach even greater heights, scoring 13 goals in his first 13 games in Madrid, including a dazzling brace in the weekend’s El Clasico win over Barcelona.
Speaking on CBS Sports after the game, he revealed that team trophies were his priority, but that he had dreamt of winning the Ballon d’Or in the future.
Told that Gary Lineker predicted him to win the Ballon d’Or in 2028, Bellingham replied: “It wasn’t me, was it? Ah, well, that’s very nice of him. For me, it’s all about the team awards but it is definitely one you think of when you are a kid.”
Bellingham won the Kopa award for the best player under 21.Source: Getty Images
Bellingham looms as a key player for England at the upcoming European Championships in Germany, where Mbappe’s France have also qualified.
Haaland’s Norway are struggling in qualification, but may still make it to the tournament proper through the play-offs.
And Cristiano Ronaldo has also declared he has ‘something to prove’ and wants to lead Portugal at the Euros in June-July, with the nation also having secured qualification.
At the same time, Lionel Messi will be in action at the Copa America tournament in the United States.
The Argentine and Ronaldo might be long odds to win another Ballon d’Or – or even be nominated – but they’re still shining at club level and on the international stage.
Their stranglehold on the individual trophy might be ending, but the golden era of their greatness isn’t finished quite yet.
And when you look at the next generation of stars, the future is bright.
Matildas stars Sam Kerr and Hayley Raso have been nominated for the prestigious Ballon d’Or, marking the first time two Australians have made the shortlist for football’s most coveted individual award.
Kerr has been nominated every year since the female award was introduced in 2018 and has finished in the top 10 in each vote, coming third in 2021 and 2022.
Her nomination comes after a spectacular season in which the Matildas captain spearheaded Chelsea to a domestic double last season with 29 goals in 38 appearances.
Hayley Raso scored three goals at the World Cup. Picture: Alex Grimm – FIFA/FIFA via Getty ImagesSource: Getty Images
Raso’s nomination comes after her stunning World Cup where she scored three goals and played a key role in the Matildas’ run through to the third-placed playoff.
She had limited minutes for Manchester City last season and made a big move to powerhouse club Real Madrid.
The Australian duo are among 30 players short-listed for the award that Spain’s rising star Aitana Bonmati is the top choice to win.
Bonmati was named the best player in the World Cup as she guided Spain to its first victory in the tournament.
The Netherlands set up a Women’s World Cup quarter-final with Spain after ending South Africa’s historic run with a 2-0 victory on Sunday.
Jill Roord scored after nine minutes to put the Dutch on their way in Sydney and Lineth Beerensteyn grabbed a second midway through the second half after a goalkeeping error.
With the win Netherlands, who are ranked nine in the world, avoided becoming the latest big-name casualty when they ended 54th-ranked South Africa’s fairytale.
The second goal to Beerensteyn came after a shocking howler from Kaylin Swart, who seemingly had the shot covered only for the ball to slip through her hands.
While the Netherlands won, they will be without Daniëlle van de Donk after she was awarded a yellow card for a challenge on Andile Dlamini.
Van de Donk came into the game with a yellow, so her latest indiscretion means she will miss the next game against Spain.
Netherlands vs South Africa live blog!
USA PREPARE FOR SWEDEN TEST
All eyes will turn to Melbourne later on Sunday when the holders and Sweden battle for the right to face an impressive Japan in the last eight.
After Germany’s group-phase exit, the top-rated Americans and Sweden, third on the FIFA list, are the two highest-ranked teams left standing.
Vlatko Andonovski’s USA have looked unconvincing, squeezing into the knockout phase with a 0-0 draw against debutants Portugal and also being held by the Netherlands.
“The fact we are in, we are lucky, but we are moving on,” said Andonovski. “Now we will do everything possible so that same situation doesn’t happen again. We are doing everything we can to provide success and meet the expectations for everyone.” The United States and Sweden are familiar foes, having met six times before at World Cups, but never in the knockout stages.
The USA won their last World Cup encounter 2-0 in 2019 on their way to the title, but Sweden were 3-0 winners when they last met at the Tokyo Olympics.
Coach Peter Gerhardsson said history will mean nothing when they meet and is confident the underperforming champions can be beaten.
“It’s not something I look at, historical facts, I’m rooted in the present,” he said.
“There are a lot of new players in both line-ups so history is less important.
“(The Olympics) was two years ago, it’s all about the physical and mental shape we are in now,” he added.
“I have great confidence in the squad. We believe in this, believe we can win.”
Japan will be awaiting the winner after another impressive display in defeating Norway 3-1 on Saturday.
Spain — thrashed 4-0 by Japan in the group phase — were also convincing winners as they turfed out Switzerland 5-1.
AMSTERDAM — For 30 years, when you heard the abbreviation FIFA, you probably didn’t think of the sometimes ethically questionable organisation – you thought of a video game.
The connection between game developer EA’s long-running football series and the governing body was immense; and yet it only took one strange decision to sever it.
A little under two years ago, the New York Times reported FIFA wanted around $US1.2 billion ($AU1.75b) for every four-year World Cup period – for the name, the logo and to reproduce the tournament digitally.
It was an enormous jump from the existing $US150 million per year rights deal, trying to double what was reportedly the biggest single agreement for FIFA’s coffers.
It’d be wrong to say the decision for EA was simple; the brand name had incredible cut-through in the market. But the financial benefits are obvious.
“It is a massive own goal by FIFA and will cost them about $221AUD million a year for doing very little,” Peter Moore, a long-time gaming executive including the former head of EA Sports, told The Times.
“It’s perhaps the most expensive own goal in football history, and they were pushing to get a lot more money that they neither justified nor deserved.
“That was placing EA in a position where they were saying, ‘Do we need this – what do they provide for us?’ They already had all the deals the fans look for – Premier League, La Liga, Bundesliga, UEFA. You only get the World Cup every four years – fans care about clubs and players.
“FIFA at that point completely and utterly miscalculated.”
FIFA asked for a huge cash boost from EA Sports – and no longer is linked to the popular football game series.Source: FOX SPORTS
Given EA still has an enormous list of rights deals with teams, players and leagues, it has effectively just rolled into the new era – with some twists to the old formula – by officially unveiling EA Sports 24 this past week in Amsterdam. (Foxsports.com.au was flown across for the event.)
While the World Cup is no longer part of the game, with superstars like Erling Haaland, Ronaldinho and Didier Drogba in attendance, the message was clear – we’re still one of the biggest games on the planet, with or without the name.
“Certainly it (the decision) made for a lot of intense conversation,” EA Sports’ senior vice president of brand Andrea Hopelain told Foxsports.com.au.
“And there was a there was a camp (inside EA making the call) that was very, very bullish, and a camp that was quite conservative, as you might expect.
“And I think that the more and more we thought through it, the more confident we felt in our ability to do it. And when we saw that our partners were all on board with us, it really was a needle mover for us.”
Financially for EA, it’s not just the money saved by not paying for the license, but the doors opened simply by removing FIFA’s shackles.
As seen during any World Cup, the organisation is very specific about who it partners with, and what it permits. EA had limitations to work within; it’s not as if the video game of the same name could team up with a rival company – Pepsi instead of long-time World Cup sponsor Coke, for example.
So it’s safe to say, with a heavy Pepsi presence in Amsterdam, EA is happily telling major corporations it’s now open for business.
“As you look around the event tonight, you know, you’ll see things like Pepsi, Gatorade – so partnerships is a big opportunity that it opens up for us to work with the breadth of partners,” Hopelain said.
“Not just football partners, but brand partners around the world that want to celebrate and elevate and push the game forward with us. And so that’s just the start.”
The danger with such a major change is confusing players, who may not understand or care about the business side, and just want the game they’ve always known.
Safe to say that won’t be a problem. Major sports games are always iterative, taking minor steps forward to make improvements – whether that be through gameplay, graphics or available features – along with the new season’s fresh rosters and jerseys.
EA is presenting FC 24 as a major leap forwards for the series – though those who aren’t following it closely won’t see an enormous difference – with new technology enabling greater realism.
Erling Haaland features on the cover of EA Sports FC 24.Source: FOX SPORTS
Previously the way players were animated would have to be done by hand, or by getting athletes into a motion capture suit – you might’ve seen someone in a black bodysuit with fuzzy white balls around their body in a behind-the-scenes clip over the years – to track exactly how they move and emulate that in the game.
Now a system called HyperMotionV attempts to streamline the process, capturing footage from over 180 men’s and women’s professional matches and then machine generating the animations of the players involved. For example, your virtual character could pull out the aforementioned Haaland’s famous aerial goal against his former side Borussia Dortmund in last season’s UEFA Champions League.
There’s also even more detail in the player and clothing designs, so a tackling defender’s shirt and shorts will wobble in just the right way, along with a new system called PlayStyles which adds special traits to certain superstar players.
These are not revolutions; they are refinements. And that’s the point.
“It would not have been bright of us to make a massively material change that for players and fans would feel like EA Sports jumped the shark,” Hopelain explained.
“They wanted to know that we still had all of the clubs, all of the players, and the authenticity of the game that we’ve always delivered. And they expect us to deliver innovation to the game on an annual basis.
“And so our investment in the trinity of technologies that you saw tonight, with HyperMotionV, PlayStyles – all of that are some of the leaps forward that you’ll start to see us deliver.”
Max Laughton travelled to Amsterdam for the launch of EA Sports FC 24 courtesy of EA.
Matildas coach Tony Gustavsson has rolled the dice on multiple stars under injury clouds as he named his 23-player squad for the Women’s World Cup on home soil.
Headlined by Sam Kerr with the skipper’s armband, Gustavsson’s troops will now prepare for a final friendly against France on July 14 before departing for camp in Brisbane the following day.
Unlike the Socceroos squad for the Men’s World Cup, Gustavsson named a 29-player provisional squad so Aussie football fans already had a solid idea of who was going to make the final cut.
However, that didn’t spot the Swede from springing a number of surprise inclusions into his final team as they gear up for what will be a memorable World Cup campaign.
Foxsports.com.au breaks down the squad in Matildas Winners and Losers!
Kyah Simon missed out on the 2019 Women’s World Cup in France after being unable to prove her fitness to then-coach Ante Milicic in brutal circumstances.
However, the 111-cap veteran ensured there would be no such repeat despite rupturing her ACL last October for club side Tottenham Hotspur.
Simon’s inclusion is a major gamble from Gustavsson considering she has not played a competitive match since the injury, but her reputation precedes itself.
If the 32-year-old partakes in the Matildas’ World Cup opener against Ireland on July 20, it will have been a staggering 291 days since her ACL injury.
Of course, Gustavsson made a point during the official squad announcement press conference that he can make changes to his squad up to 24 hours before the Ireland game.
So, if Simon is unable to be fully match fit, the Swede can dip into his reserves for a replacement.
But he has rolled the dice on the veteran forward who scored the goal that sealed Australia’s first and only knockout win at a World Cup in 2015.
Kyah Simon is a surprise inclusion in the Matildas World Cup squad. (Photo by Cameron Spencer/Getty Images)Source: Getty Images
Lydia Williams and Clare Polkinghorne
Granted, Lydia Williams was basically a guaranteed inclusion within the goalkeeping department.
As for Clare Polkinghorne, she wasn’t a certainty having missed action for Swedish side Vittsjo GIK since April due to a lower-leg injury.
But Polkinghorne’s veteran presence both on and off the park — Sam Kerr essentially described her as the team’s mum — will be pivotal in a tournament that will draw plenty of eyeballs.
The duo’s selections are not necessarily what makes them winners in this analysis.
Rather, it is the fact it will be both Williams and Polkinghorne’s fifth appearance at a World Cup, the most of any male or female Australian in history.
That is no feat to be sniffed at.
Williams and Polkinghorne, who have 102 and 156 caps for the Matildas respectively, began their World Cup journeys in 2007 and have never looked back.
The former is likely to struggle for game time with West Ham goalkeeper Mackenzie Arnold likely to be the preferred option between the sticks.
Yet Polkinghorne could have a big role to play in the heart of the backline with her calming presence provided she is fully recovered from the leg injury.
Polkinghorne’s veteran presence will be vital throughout the Matildas’ World Cup campaign. (Photo by Matt King/Getty Images)Source: Getty Images
Australia
If it hasn’t sunk in yet, then the announcement of the Matildas’ World Cup squad should surely do the job.
Yes, Australia has had World Cups of several sporting disciplines over the years.
The Rugby World Cup in 2003. The men’s Cricket World Cup in 2015. The men’s T20 World Cup in 2022. The women’s T20 World Cup in 2020. The men’s Rugby League World Cup on several occasions.
But none of those will have the global pull quite like the Women’s World Cup.
And it’s all happening on our very shores.
Hayfever is officially out, and World Cup fever is in.
Australia, get keen.
‘Pressure is a privilege’: Sam Kerr | 02:11
LOSERS
Chloe Logarzo
It was only going to be bad news for a group of six Matildas and unfortunately for Chloe Logarzo, she was one of them.
The midfielder made the 29-player cut despite a foot injury which restricted her to only a handful of appearances for A-League Women’s side Western United throughout the season.
Logarzo’s omission was made all the more brutal by the fact she had recovered from an ACL tear which had threatened to derail her World Cup plans in the first place.
The 28-year-old has plenty of energy between boxes and given the inclusion of other players who remain under injury clouds, Logarzo can certainly feel hard done by.
Logarzo would no doubt have been told by Gustavsson to keep fit in case one of the current crop of midfielders goes down with injury prior to the tournament.
But for now, she must stomach the brutal news.
Unfortunately for Logarzo, she missed out on World Cup selection. Pics Adam HeadSource: News Corp Australia
Larissa Crummer
Despite featuring in every one of Gustavsson’s squads for the past 12 months, Brisbane Roar forward Larissa Crummer was another omission from the final 23-player squad.
Gustavsson has previously stated his admiration for Crummer’s remarkably pressing ability but based on his other selections, speed is the quality the Swede has valued most within his forwards.
To even get to this point for Crummer is remarkable considering she seriously feared for her playing future after a sickening injury in 2019 in which she broke her leg in two places.
But sadly it was not to be for the 27-year-old who recently secured a move to Norwegian side Brann.
Crummer was a constant presence in Matildas squads over the past 12 months. (Photo by Matt King/Getty Images)Source: Getty Images
Canada, Ireland and Nigeria
You bet the Matildas’ Group B rivals are losers in this piece.
Why?
Well, they’re the ones who will have to play out of their skins to stop the host nation from overcoming the first major hurdle.
And, with a squad brimming with fresh talent in terms of World Cup debutants and several veterans of multiple iterations of the tournament, this is a Matildas squad that has plenty of stars at the peak of their careers.
Ireland has the tall task of taking on the Matildas in their World Cup opener in front of a sellout crowd at Accor Stadium on July 20.
Then it’s down to Melbourne on July 27 where a clash against Nigeria awaits.
The Matildas then round out their Group B experience against Canada in Brisbane on July 31.
With Gustavsson’s squad now locked in, the three rival nations know exactly what lays ahead.
Lionel Messi could be looking at easily the biggest contract in football history to move to Saudi Arabia, which would once and for all answer the sports’ GOAT debate.
Just last year, Cristiano Ronaldo signed a deal believed to be worth more than 200 million euros (A$314m) per season until June 2025 to join Saudi Arabian club side Al-Nassar.
It was a deal that made him the highest paid player in history.
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The deal pushed Ronaldo to the top of the Forbes Rich List on a reported $US136m ($A203m), ahead of Messi at $US130m ($A195m).
French captain Kylian Mbappe was third on $US120m ($A180m), with LeBron James on $US119.5m ($A179m) the first non-footballer on the list in fourth.
But this could rapidly change with The Telegraph reporting cashed up Saudi Arabian interests could offer Messi an earth-shattering $A600m a season deal.
“Talks with Messi’s representatives, led by his father Jorge, are underway for when the player becomes a free agent at the end of June upon the expiration of his Paris Saint-Germain contract,” The Telegraph report said.
“There are discussions that the whole package could be worth $US400 million annually (£320m) that would exceed even the £165m that Cristiano Ronaldo is being paid annually to play in Saudi until the summer of 2025.
“The conventional process for signing the world’s top talent, as with Ronaldo in December, has been for the deal to have State involvement before a final destination club is decided.
“Ronaldo joined Al-Nassr, currently second in the league behind leaders Al-Ittihad. Al-Nassr’s traditional rivals are Al-Hilal and placing Messi with that club, historically the nation’s most successful, would recreate the rivalry the pair had for nine years with Real Madrid and Barcelona.”
It would be quite the offer for Messi. Photo by DAMIEN MEYER / AFPSource: AFP
It’s believed Messi is unhappy at Paris Saint-Germain after he was suspended by the club after travelling to Saudi Arabia without permission.
A source with knowledge of the disciplinary procedure told AFP that Argentina’s 35-year-old World-Cup winning captain, who is out of contract at the end of the season, would be sidelined for “several days”, while various media in France reported that he would be suspended for two weeks.
“He cannot train, cannot play, and will not be paid while disciplinary measures are in place,” the source added.
Another source, also speaking on condition they were not identified, indicated that the seven-time Ballon d’Or winner would “probably” be sidelined for a fortnight, noting that “nobody is more important than the club”.
Messi played the whole game in PSG’s 3-1 home defeat by Lorient in Ligue 1 on Sunday.
He then travelled to Saudi Arabia to fulfil commercial commitments in his role as a tourism ambassador for the Gulf state.
The disciplinary measures make the prospect of Messi staying in the French capital after his two-year deal expires at the end of this season even more remote.
Cristiano Ronaldo is set to have around half the deal Messi would earn. Photo by AFPSource: AFP
Having at one point looked set to extend his stay for another year, a source close to the club told AFP last month that he was now “much more likely” to depart.
Despite having scored 31 goals in 71 matches, Messi was jeered by a section of the PSG support, who see him as a symbol of all the club have done wrong in focusing on superstar signings while failing to build a genuinely competitive team.
Messi and Ronaldo were widely believed to have been playing for football’s “Greatest of all-time” tag in last years’ World Cup, with the Argentinian superstar coming away with his first title.
To go with his impressive resume of seven Ballon D’ors, four Champions League trophies, 10 Spanish league titles, Olympic gold and even his breakthrough 2021 Copa America, the World Cup triumph even saw FIFA tweet that the “GOAT debate was settled”.
It’ll be even harder to argue if he landed the most mind-boggling contract in sporting history.
