Tag: Manchester City – English

Man City thrashed 5-1 by Arsenal and Man United loses at home again in Premier League

After a recent uplift in their results, the pain returned for Manchester City and Manchester United in the Premier League on Sunday.

City conceded a goal inside two minutes and was overwhelmed in the second half in a 5-1 loss at Arsenal, which trimmed the gap to leader Liverpool to six points.

United lost again at home, 2-0 to Crystal Palace, and now has seven defeats in 13 league games at Old Trafford this season – something not seen since the 1890s.

The chances of City winning a fifth straight Premier League title are surely over – the champions are 15 points behind Liverpool with 14 matches remaining – and they must have felt humiliated by the end of the game at Emirates that again demonstrated the new-found hostility between Arsenal and City.

City arrived having won six of its last eight games in all competitions but all is still not right with Pep Guardiola’s team, which let in a sloppy opener when Manuel Akanji was dispossessed near his own area and Martin Odegaard scored.

Haaland was goaded after that goal by Gabriel in a hangover from the spiky 2-2 draw between the teams in September but responded by equalizing in the 55th. Arsenal went back in front in the 57th through Thomas Partey’s deflected shot and there were further goals from Myles Lewis-Skelly, Kai Havertz and Ethan Nwaneri as City fell apart in a similar fashion to the 4-2 loss at Paris Saint-Germain in the Champions League last month.

“How we played in the last 30 minutes is not acceptable. It’s not us,” City defender John Stones said. “I’m angry, upset.”

Arsenal reveled in the win. Lewis-Skelly, an 18-year-old defender, marked his goal by sitting down, crossing his legs and delivering a “Zen” celebration – one often used by Haaland. And when the final whistle sounded, the home team played Kendrick Lamar’s “Humble” loudly around the stadium – surely a nod to Haaland telling Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta to “stay humble” after the 2-2 draw in September.

“This is a thing that’s been building up over a certain amount of time,” Arsenal midfielder Declan Rice said. “With the Etihad at the start of the season and everything that went on there, you do have that fire in your stomach.”

Arsenal was alone in second place, three points above Nottingham Forest and nine above fourth-placed City.

Martinez sustains ‘serious’ injury in United loss

On the day locally born striker Marcus Rashford edged closer to a departure from Old Trafford, Manchester United lacked a cutting edge up front in the loss to Crystal Palace.

And there was more bad news Sunday for United with a tearful Lisandro Martinez carried off on a stretcher with a left knee injury – the latest injury to afflict the Argentina defender.

Jean-Philippe Mateta scored both goals in the second half for Palace to end United’s three-match winning run in all competitions – a streak coming after manager Ruben Amorim had called his team “the worst team, maybe, in the history of Manchester United.”

The Amorim era looks set to be without Rashford, at least until the end of the season, with the forward reportedly undergoing a medical examination at Aston Villa ahead of sealing a loan move with a view to a permanent transfer.

Even with striker Rashford absent, Amorim fielded a team with no out-and-out striker and failed to create many good chances against Palace, which picked off United on the counterattack. Mateta’s goals came in the 64th and 89th minutes.

United has lost seven of its first 13 home games in the Premier League this season and that hasn’t happened since the 1893-94 season, according to the competition’s statistic supplier, Opta. Five of those defeats have come in the last six home matches under Amorim.

“It is difficult to play here because we want to please our fans,” Amorim said. “This season is going to be like that, I said it since the first day.”

Relief for Postecoglou as Tottenham wins

United dropped to 13th in the standings and was just one place and two points ahead of Tottenham, which won 2-0 at Brentford to end a four-match losing run in the league and ease some pressure on manager Ange Postecoglou.

Vitaly Janelt scored an own-goal at a corner to put Tottenham ahead at halftime and Pape Sarr added the second goal in the 87th.

“We needed a big effort again today, a physical effort. We put that in,” said Postecoglou, who rested defender Micky van de Ven after the defender returned from injury in the midweek win over Elfsborg in the Europa League. “Outstanding effort by the players.”

The result was a huge boost for Tottenham ahead of arguably the team’s biggest match of the season, the second leg of the English League Cup semifinals against Liverpool on Thursday. Tottenham leads 1-0 from the first leg.

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February 2, 2025
Argentina men's national football team named AIPS Best Team of 2024

Argentina’s men’s national football team, which won back-to-back Copa America titles, has been named AIPS Team of the Year 2024, while the Paris 2024 Olympic Games took home the AIPS Best Press Facilities award. This is the result of the International Sports Press Association (AIPS) poll, in which a panel of 518 journalists from 111 countries voted.

Football dominated the fiercely contested Best Team category, in which La Albiceleste received 579 points to win the award for the third consecutive time, beating Euro 2024 champions Spain (552 points) and Real Madrid (532 points), winners of the Champions League, LaLiga, UEFA Super Cup, Spanish Super Cup and Intercontinental Cup in 2024.

The Paris 2024 Olympic Games scored a total of 1,507 points in the Best Press Facilities poll, followed by Euro 2024 with 714 points and Wimbledon with 321 points in third place.

In 2024, Argentina successfully retained its place as the number one ranked men’s football team in the world after producing a series of impressive performances to win a record 16th Copa America title and maintain its lead in the CONMEBOL qualifiers for the 2026 FIFA World Cup.

Thanks to an extra-time goal from substitute Lautaro Martinez, the reigning world champions ended Colombia’s 28-match unbeaten run in the Copa America 2024 final at Miami’s Hard Rock Stadium on July 15 to claim their third consecutive major title. Martinez was the tournament’s top scorer with five goals, while Emiliano Martinez was the best goalkeeper.

Two months later, La Albiceleste would see their own 12-match unbeaten run come to a dramatic end as Colombia secured a 2-1 World Cup qualifying victory. Despite suffering two defeats and a draw in the 2024 qualifying schedule, Argentina still sit comfortably at the top of the table with 25 points from 12 matches.

Here is the Top 10

1. Argentina men’s national football team – Soccer – 579

2. Spain men’s national football team – Soccer- 552

3. Real Madrid men’s football club – Soccer – 532

4. USA men’s basketball team – Basketball – 360

5. Barcelona Women’s Football Club – Soccer – 278

6. Italy women’s national volleyball team – Volleyball – 219

7. Boston Celtics – Basketball – 184

8. USA Women’s Gymnastics Team – Gymnastics – 172

9. Manchester City men’s football club – Soccer – 170

10. Denmark men’s national handball team – Handball – 165

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December 31, 2024
Late Ferran Torres double lifts Barcelona to second place in Champions League

Barcelona jumped into second place in the Champions League standings with a 3-2 win at Borussia Dortmund, with Raphinha and Ferran Torres, twice, scoring.

Ferran Torres came off the bench to inspire Barcelona to a fifth win in six games and push Dortmund, last season’s runner-up, out of the top eight.

Torres came on in the 71st to replace Robert Lewandowski, who had a quiet game against his former club. Just four minutes later, Torres scored a goal on the rebound from Dani Olmo‘s shot.

Pep Guardiola’s Fiery Encounter with a Fan After Liverpool Defeat

Serhou Guirassy‘s second goal of the game leveled the score at 2-2 but Torres scored again in the 85th off Lamine Yamal’s pass on the counter.

Raphinha gave Barcelona the lead before Guirassy equalized from the penalty spot. Raphinha and Guirassy are tied for second place in the scoring chart on six goals, behind Lewandowski’s competition-high seven.

The top eight qualify directly for the last 16 and the teams placed No. 9-24 go into a two-legged playoff.

Danger for City

Manchester City plunged deeper into trouble in the Champions League by losing 2-0 at Juventus on Wednesday, the latest setback in a scarcely believable run of poor results for the ailing English champions.

City dropped to 22nd place in the 36-team standings, with only the top 24 advancing. Progressing to the next round of the new-look format looked a certainty before the season for a team that was European champion in 2022 and has won the last four Premier League titles. But not anymore as City manager Pep Guardiola battles injuries and an apparent loss of belief among his players.

City has won just one of its last 10 matches in all competitions, with goals by Duan Vlahovi and Weston McKennie inflicting the latest defeat and igniting Juventus’ qualification hopes.

Manchester City’s head coach Pep Guardiola.LAPRESSE

In-form Julian Alvarez

Man City could sure do with Julian Alvarez at the moment.

With a brilliant curling finish to open the scoring, the Argentina striker helped Atletico Madrid beat Slovan Bratislava 3-1 and provide a timely reminder of what City is missing after selling him for more than $100 million in August. Alvarez has 12 goals for the season, with four coming in the Champions League.

Antoine Griezmann scored Atletico’s other two goals at Metropolitano stadium as the Spanish team climbed to 11th place after a 10th straight win in all competitions.

Arsenal beat Monaco 3-0 mainly thanks to two goals by Bukayo Saka to move into third place.

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December 11, 2024
Duel of the millionaires: Chiefs, Yankees, Lakers, Real Madrid and Barcelona vs City…

It has always been said that soccer is the ‘king of sports’ par excellence, and in terms of global following there seems to be little doubt. But what about money?Football giants such as Real Madrid and Barcelona face off against ‘mega franchises’ or state clubs that often have almost infinite capital. At this point it is necessary to unravel the reality of these two worlds in order to obtain a final result that dictates the place of each one in this ‘battle’.

On many occasions, news arrives about an NBA or NFL super contract of the fashionable player that breaks with all the molds and that seems to dwarf the rest of opponents. However, things are not as they seem.

Little fan shades Travis Kelce infront of NFL Star

In fact, soccer, and Real Madrid in particular, can look down on almost every team in world sport. If we take a close look at the club’s economy, we find figures that are capable of competing with and beating anyone who stands in their way.

Salary battle

To sketch out the truth of both, we focus on finding four variables: total salaries, average salary, highest paid player and lowest paid player. Once each of these premises is answered, it is possible to find an answer.

We start with football. Barcelona, City, Arsenal and Real Madrid are a good representation of the European bourgeoisie whose accounts can say many things. Unlike American sport, they are not public, so they are approximate.

We find four giants of the ‘Old Continent’ with impressive numbers. However, Barca is, despite the improvement of the last two years, a step behind in terms of total salaries. Lewandowski and his ‘old-time’ contract, which has given Laporta so many headaches, emerges as the best paid according to Capology.

In the rest of the variables, Real Madrid is the most buoyant team on the continent ahead of City, although the two teams can boast almost parallel economies in terms of spending on players (transfers are another matter).

The NBA flexes its muscles

We now put on the table two of the most powerful franchises in the NBA to see where they stand with respect to soccer teams. Two very different worlds face to face.

At first glance, we find some notable differences. Both the average salary and the earnings of the highest paid player are higher than those of European soccer teams. The 48 million euros of LeBron and the 49 million euros of Brown bring closer to what basketball stars receive.

Interestingly, the Lakers have the James as the best and worst paid in the squad. The King’s son has a rookie contract worth just over one million after being selected at number 55 in the last draft. Dad, on the other hand, enjoys almost 50 million at 39 years of age.

Both the Lakers and Celtics have a lower overall spend than Real Madrid or City thanks to the ability to have a much smaller roster than a soccer team, which helps improve the salary of the rest of the players on the team.

The mighty NFL

The good situation of basketball in the United States does not reach the enormous popularity of American football. The NFL is a machine for generating audiences and filling huge stadiums every week. But it so happens that not even they can compete with their neighbors with the orange ball.

The NFL pays well. Very well. However, each franchise faces the handicap of having huge rosters. More than 50 players per team means that there is a big difference between the highest paid and the lowest paid, and it also reduces the average salary.

Mahomes and Jackson, probably the two leading quarterbacks in the competition, are not among the highest paid in the league, but they will be when it is time to renew with the Chiefs and Ravens. In fact, they are far from the $60 million that Dak Prescott just signed with the Cowboys.

However, this freehand drawing of these two teams shows how each NFL franchise moves economically with relatively low average salaries because of their endless rosters.

Baseball holds strong

MLB remains the traditional family sport in the United States, so its incidence is still very important.

In recent years, the phenomenon ofShoei Ohtani has emerged, who has just signed the highest contract in American sport with an amount of $70 million per season. However, his decision to defer payment until 2034 (he will receive only two million until that date) will allow his team (LA Dodgers) to continue signing top players.

NHL, out of the race

The NHL, on the other hand, is the little brother of the four major North American sporting spectacles. A quick look at the economic variables of the main teams shows that they are far behind the rest of the sports.

An average salary that stays at two million and stars that move around ten. Certainly, we are talking about a step (or two) below.

Finally, and in terms of comparisons, we find two cases that are a great exception in two minor leagues such as MLS and the Saudi league.

Cristiano, out of competition

The arrival of Leo Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo has caused such a big bombshell that it is necessary to address the situation of Inter Miami and Al-Nassr who enjoy a very particular economic situation.

We are dealing with the two most important phenomena of the 21st century and their contracts, logically, have to be adapted to that status. If we talk about Ronaldo, the figures are out of this world. 200 million euros a year for the Portuguese, which represents more than 60% of the team’s salaries. A contract that is out of the market for a legend that contrasts with the 90,000 euros received by his teammate Marran.

Messi, on the other hand, decided to say ‘no’ to the Arab money and start a new experience in the United States. His contract is by far the highest in the entire competition, but it is a long way from the brutality of his former arch-enemy and allows him to enjoy the company of his former Barcelona teammates such as Jordi Alba, Sergio Busquets and Luis Suarez.

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November 18, 2024
14-year-old Cavan Sullivan signs deal with Philadelphia Union that will land him with Man City at 18

Cavan Sullivan shrugs off words like prodigy, phenom or even wonderkid, all things he’s been called at just 14.

But there’s no doubt Sullivan is talented. On Thursday, the Philadelphia Union formally announced that they’ve signed their academy prospect to a Homegrown contract that will eventually land him with Manchester City.

“I tend not to even listen to what they call me or what they say about me. It’s really just what I think of myself,” Sullivan said. “I don’t really listen to anyone, whether it’s good or bad. So it doesn’t really get to me whatsoever.”

The long-rumored deal – said to be the richest Homegrown signing in Major League Soccer history, although no details were released – allows the Union to continue to develop Sullivan and benefit in the short term from his ability, before profiting when he likely heads overseas to the Premier League. It also allows him to stay at home for a few more years.

Sullivan is considered one of the best young American players. In a match last April between the U.S. under-15 team and England in Spain, he scored both goals in a 2-2 draw that the Americans won in a penalty shootout.

He was named the best player at the CONCACAF under-15 championships. He had a pair of assists in the 4-2 victory over Mexico in the final.

Union coach Jim Curtin recently called Sullivan “a special talent, top talent not only in this country but in the world.”

Sullivan has already made his professional debut, coming off the bench for the Union’s MLS NEXT team last month and getting an assist on the game-winning goal. He’s made two appearances for the team, a step below the Union’s senior squad.

The teen hopes to make his Union senior debut this year. If he does, he’ll join his brother, Quinn, another academy product who has played for the team since 2021.

Sullivan (14 years, 224 days) is the fifth-youngest player to sign a first-team contract in MLS history. If he plays for the Union before July 29, he’ll become the youngest player ever to appear in a match. Freddy Adu was 14 years, 306 days old when he debuted for D.C. United in 2004.

“I think Jim Curtin was really integral in getting Cavan here, if I’m being completely honest,” said his dad, Brendan Sullivan. “He called us, he reached out to us, he said, `Look, I think he can play for me right away. With a little bit of a little bit of coaching, we think that he’s ready and we’re willing to take that on.’”

Sullivan, a Philadelphia native, is the youngest of four brothers. Quinn, 20, is the oldest. Brendan Sullivan played professionally in the A-League, which eventually became the USL First Division, a tier below MLS. His mother, Heike, played at Penn. Grandfather Larry coached at Villanova from 1991-2007.

Sullivan said he first started to get attention by clubs when he was just 10.

“I think that’s really when I thought, `This is happening.’ It didn’t feel real but definitely triggered something in my mind where I was like, `I can do this,’” Sullivan said.

Sullivan can’t play for Manchester City until he is 18. But he holds a German passport that could allow him to move to Europe and play for City-affiliated teams – like Girona in Spain or Palermo in Italy – when he turns 16.

Because of the collaborative transfer agreement with Manchester City, Sullivan’s deal is unusual. It signals that the Premier League club trusts that the Union can develop an elite player.

Sullivan isn’t looking too far ahead. In many ways he’s a typical teenager, albeit a very gifted one. He jokes: “I’m a pretty boring kid, to be honest.”

“I mean, you can see him. He’s a pretty even-keeled kid,” his mother said. “He really does that on his own. I’m sure we help keep him grounded, but I think he is already grounded, and I think he should get a lot of credit for that.”

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May 9, 2024
Pep Guardiola edges closer to FA Cup success as Manchester City beat Chelsea

The absence of Erling Haaland from Manchester City‘s 20-man squad dominated the pre-match build-up after the Norwegian was ruled out with injury following, but it mattered not as Pep Guardiola’s men beat Chelsea 1-0 to make another FA Cup Final.

Chelsea had the better and more numerous chances, but late on Bernardo Silva had the ball in the net to ensure City put the ghost of Real Madrid to bed as they reached another final.

Chelsea looked threatening on the counter in the early stages with Nicolas Jackson looking energetic with the ball at his feet and Cole Palmer playing alongside him.

But it was the treble winners who had the first genuine opportunity of the game when Kevin de Bruyne smartly breached the offside trap for Phil Foden, who tried to round Djordje Petrovic but the Serbian did superbly to get a hand to the ball and Marc Cucurella cleared.

Jackson also did the same after being sent through by Enzo Fernandez, but the Senegalese hesitated when going past Stefan Ortega and the chance went begging.

As they often do in games of high magnitude, City began to enjoy more possession in Chelsea‘s half with Jack Grealish and Kevin de Bruyne combining on a number of occasions.

Ian WaltonAP

Chelsea rue missed opportunities

Jackson continued to cause problems after the break and had two golden chances to break the deadlock, but the striker was left to rue some poor finishing in front of goal.

Gallagher won the ball high up the pitch and threaded it through to the 23-year-old, who saw his placed effort tipped wide by Ortega. A matter of seconds later, Palmer‘s cross found the striker at the far post after wrestling past Kyle Walker, but his weak header was saved confidently by the German stopper.

Chelsea felt they should have been awarded a penalty when Grealish appeared to handle the ball inside the box with 56 minutes gone. Replays showed the Blues may have had an argument as the England international’s flailing arm appeared to be in an unnatural position, but referee Michael Oliver gestured for a goal-kick after a brief VAR check.

Alastair GrantAP

Substitute Jeremy Doku immediately took things up a notch by creating chances from the left, but De Bruyne couldn’t find the target.

With still no breakthrough at the 75-minute mark, Mauricio Pochettino sent on $109million winger Mykhaylo Mudryk late on in search of a winning goal as the tension rose inside Wembley.

But out of nothing, City found the breakthrough with only six minutes to go. De Bruyne made a clever run in behind and his cross deflected into the path of Bernardo Silva at the far post, whose effort ricocheted off Cucurella and into the back of the net.

And City held on without much of a threat from their opponents as Guardiola can now look forward to either facing Manchester United or Coventry in the final.

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April 20, 2024
Champions League quarter-final draw: Date, teams, rules and conditions
With the round of 16 games now completed, these are the teams that have qualified for the Champions League quarter-finals.

Teams qualified for the quarter-finals
- PSG
- Bayern Munich
- Real Madrid
- Manchester City
- Barcelona
- Arsenal
- Atletico Madrid
- Borussia Dortmund
When is the Champions League quarter-final draw?

The date, time and venue of the draw for the 2023-2024 Champions League quarter-finals is already set, and it will take place on Friday, March 15 at 07:00 ET. It will be held at the House of European Football in Nyon (Switzerland).

What are the rules and conditions for the Champions League quarter-final draw?

The draw will feature the eight teams that have made it out of the round of 16, taking into account two new conditions: any team will be able to face the seven remaining teams in the draw.

From this stage onwards, teams from the same country and teams that have met in the group stage of the competition will be able to meet in the draw. The first ball to be drawn will be for the home team, while the second ball will be for the visiting club.

As has been the custom since the 2018-2019 season, the paths of the semifinals and the final will also be drawn here. That means the eight qualified teams will know the route needed to reach the final at Wembley on Saturday, June 1.

We will also know which side of the draw will lead to being the ‘home’ team in the final. The home team gets to wear their home shirt in the event of a clash of colors.

Dates of the Champions League quarter-final matches

The quarter-finals will be played on April 9th and 10th for the first leg, while the second leg will come one week later, on the 16th and 17th of the same month.

Real Madrid, Bayern, Manchester City and PSG already in the quarterfinals

Carlo Ancelotti’s side awaits an opponent in the Champions League quarter-final draw, to be held on Friday. Real Madrid beat Leipzig 2-1 in the Round of 16 after winning 1-0 in Germany and drawing at the Santiago Bernabeu.

Another European Cup heavyweight in Bayern already find themselves waiting in the quarter-finals after beating Lazio. Lazio left Rome with a 1-0 lead, but the Bavarians came from behind to win 3-0 at the Allianz Arena.

The third team in the quarterfinals is Manchester City. The reigning champions gave Copenhagen no chance with a 1-3 win in Denmark and a 3-1 win at the Etihad. Pep Guardiola’s men thus confirmed their candidacy to retain the European title.

PSG made it through without too much trouble against Real Sociedad.The Parisiens confirmed Luis Enrique’s theory that they have improved over the course of the season with a win against Real Sociedad with a 4-1 aggregate win (2-0 in Paris and 1-2 in San Sebastian).

Barcelona and Arsenal joined by Dortmund and Atletico

After a 1-1 draw in the first leg of their Champions League round of 16 match at Napoli, Barcelona turned on the style at home to comfortably win the match 3-1, ensuring a 4-2 victory on aggregate to secure passage into the last right of the competition.

Arsenal meanwhile won their second leg against Porto 1-0, but that was only enough for extra time and then penalties which saw Mikel Arteta’s men triumph.

Inter took a 1-0 lead over Atletico Madrid to the Spanish capital, but a late goal from Memphis Depay sent the match into extra time and before Jan Oblak saved two and Lautaro missed Inter’s decisive penalty to send Diego Simeone’s men through.

And finally, Dortmund‘s match with PSV was finely poised at 1-1 after the first leg, but Jadon Sancho and Marco Reus ensured the Bundesliga side made the last eight of the competiton.
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March 13, 2024
Erling Haaland and a fun penalty shootout challenge with Logan Paul and KSI

Logan Paul and KSI‘s energy drink Prime has a new ambassador: Erling Haaland, who on Friday graced the brand’s social media and influencers with a fun video testing his ball skills.

On its official Instagram account, Prime posted a poster with the Norwegian Manchester City striker in the foreground holding a bottle of the drink, while Paul and KSI do the same in the background.

They accompanied the post with the following message: “The future of hydration meets the future of football PRIME x @erling.haaland”. In just 9 hours the post accumulated 1,339,967 likes and any number of comments from fans and consumers of the product.

Beaten by Haaland

Meanwhile, Logan Paul shared a video on Instagram where he and KSI challenge Haaland to save a penalty each. To his misfortune, the former Borussia Dortmund man didn’t miss even with both of them in goal.

Erling even joked that Paul looked like a crab because of the way he positioned himself between the three posts.

Prime is betting big on football

It is worth mentioning that this is not the first time Prime has promoted itself in the world of football. Starting this season, it became the official drink of Barcelona, Arsenal and Bayern Munich.

They also sponsor other sporting disciplines such as the UFC and the Los Angeles Dodgers in the MLB.

Erling Haaland: how many club goals has he scored?

Since making his professional debut in 2016 at the age of just 15, Erling Braut Haaland has scored 189 goals in 240 club appearances.

With Norwegian side Molde FK he scored 20 goals, with Red Bull Salzburg 29, with Dortmund 86 and with Manchester City 54 so far.

Manchester City’s next match

The reigning UEFA Champions League holders visit Sheffield United at Bramall Lane on Sunday 27 August in the third round of the 2022/23 Premier League. Haaland is expected to start up front for the Citizens.

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August 26, 2023
Aymeric Laporte confirms Man City exit: He'll join Ronaldo at Al-Nassr

Aymeric Laporte has said his goodbye to Manchester City and its fans.

The center-back has agreed to a contract with Al-Nassr and is on his way to Saudi Arabia after five-and-a-half successful seasons in the Premier League, where he helped Man City win three consecutive league crowns and the UEFA Champions League for the first time in June.

Laporte shares emotional video

Laporte began his career at Athletic Club — where players have been known to spend their entire careers playing at San Mames. But in January 2018, Laporte surprised many by completing an eyebrow-raising move to England, signing for Manchester City in a record-breaking $71 million transfer.

The charismatic Laporte quickly became a fan favorite, owing to his strong defending and clean left-footed passing. He debuted for Spain in 2021 and played 120 Premier League contests for City, winning 13 trophies in all — including five league titles.

“This is now our history,” Laporte said in a tribute video posted on social media. “Thank you and see you really soon.”

The details of the deal

Laporte no longer found himself readily in Pep Guardiola‘s plans last season, when he made only 12 appearances in the league and 24 in all competitions. As such, he became a target for Saudi Arabia‘s riches, and he has now sorted out a move to Al-Nassr — where he will play behind attacking stars Cristiano Ronaldo and Sadio Mane.

Manchester City accepted a $30 million bid for Laporte, and the player accepted a three-year contract proposal from last season’s Saudi Pro League runners-up. The transfer should soon be made official.

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August 24, 2023
Guardiola sends out a warning: Haaland is much better than last season

Erling Haaland simply can’t get enough of scoring goals.

The Norwegian has returned from holiday with the same greed as before. Manchester City’s forward made an appearance against Yokohama Marinos, and scored a brace in his first club game since the Champions League final.

The former Molde, Salzburg and Borussia Dortmund man needed just two touches to score. What’s more, he came on at half-time, and within seven minutes had already found the net, much to Pep Guardiola’s delight.

“Compared to this time last year? He’s much fitter than when he arrived. He looks good, but he’s still far from his best, like everyone else,” said the City boss.

Haaland has already scored more goals (2) than he did in the first three games of last pre-season (1).

Guardiola pleased

“The most important thing for him is to score goals because in the last games of last season he didn’t manage to score,” Pep said,

This goes back to the fact that the Norwegian scored just one goal in his last eight games.

Even so, he ended the season with 52 goals in all competitions, 36 in the Premier League, a league record.

“The important thing is the rhythm and the principles we are working on. We know him and in a few weeks we will be in better condition,” Guardiola insisted.

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July 23, 2023