Ligue 1
Former France goalie Bruno Martini passes on
Former France goalkeeper and deputy director of Montpellier’s training centre, Bruno Martini, has died at 58. The Ligue 1 club made this known in a statement on Tuesday, stating that Martini was hospitalized after suffering a cardiac arrest at the training centre last week. “Today, French football mourns one of the greatest goalkeepers in its history and one of Montpellier’s most loyal servants, on and off the pitch. “He lives the image of a good man, always ready to help, and who never missed the opportunity to distill a kind word to each of his interlocutors,” the statement said. Prior to his death, Martini spent majority of his career at Auxerre and Montpellier and also played 31 times for France. Following a memorable 18-year career, he became a goalkeeping coach with the France squad ...
Biggest Football Boot Sponsorships
Modern football is a hugely lucrative business, with the top players able to earn staggering amounts of money during their careers. With regards to overall earnings, Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo continue to be the highest-paid football stars in the world. The pair have dominated the sport for more than a decade now and are extremely well rewarded for their on-field efforts. A significant proportion of their income comes from endorsements, with big brands eager to associate themselves with two of the greatest players of all-time. Read on as we take a look at how their biggest sponsorships compare with other money-spinning deals in the sport. Neymar – Paris Saint-Germain & Brazil Neymar is currently third on the list of highest-earning footballers behind Messi and Ronaldo, but he i...
Michaël Cuisance: OM’s Deadline Day Coup
Cuisance possesses a playstyle reminiscent of his former Spanish teammate Thiago. There is a large emphasis on progressive passes through or over top opposition back lines, and a sublime first touch and technique that allows him to run with the ball through opponent’s midfield with ease. Cuisance’s first thought is always to look for the ball forwards that will directly lead to a goal-scoring opportunity. He is capable of changing directions with the drop of a shoulder or picking out a run of a winger exploiting an opposition defender who has momentarily switched off. At 1.81m, Cuisance is a robust and agile player, who is able to hold his own defensively, however, this is still a facet of his game that needs to improve. He is also a threat in the final third, showcased in his long-range s...
Thiago Silva not at Chelsea to ‘visit tourist sites’
Thiago Silva is eager to point out that he is not at Chelsea to “visit tourist sites” and “go through the motions”, with the Brazilian defender determined “to win” with the Blues. The 36-year-old centre-half has made a habit of doing that throughout his career to date. Stints with AC Milan and Paris Saint-Germain delivered Serie A and Ligue 1 titles, while Confederations Cup and Copa America glory has been savoured with his country. Silva is now taking on a new challenge at Stamford Bridge after forming part of a serious squad refresh by Frank Lampard in west London. He is still finding his feet in new surroundings, with a costly error made on his Premier League bow against West Brom, but the intention is to become a commanding presence for the Blues. Silva told Chelsea’s official matchday...
Gianfranco Zola hails Victor Osimhen’s ‘important qualities’ ahead Parma vs Napoli
Getty Images Gianfranco Zola is in awe of Victor Osimhen’s talent, suggesting that the Nigerian attacking ace has important qualities with which he can help Napoli to succeed this new season. Napoli will kick-start their 2020/21 Serie A campaign against AC Parma at the Ennio Tardini Stadium on Sunday, September 20, and Zola believes Osimhen can continue his fine pre-season form. The Super Eagles striker since joining Napoli earlier this summer from Lille for a fee of 70 million euros has scored six goals – two hat-tricks, in three pre-season games. Zola, ex-Napoli and Parma striker told Radio Kiss Kiss: “Napoli with Gattuso has found equilibrium. it will be an open game. Napoli has grown a lot with Gattuso. “He will be among the protagonists if Osimhen also enters immediately, he has impor...
Nigerian striker tests positive for coronavirus
Few days after opening his goals account for the season, Nigerian forward David Okereke has tested positive for coronavirus. Okereke’s Belgian team Club Brugge in a short statement on their official website on Tuesday confirmed the positive status of their Nigerian forward. The club wrote: “Attacker David Okereke took a positive Corona test this morning. The attacker was immediately quarantined and will be retested next week.” Okereke has thus become the third high-profile Nigeria player to test positive for Coronavirus. Paul Onuachu of Genk and Samuel Kalu of Ligue 1 club Bordeaux also tested positive for Covid-19, but the duo have since recovered and already back in action for their respective team. Get more stories like this on Twitter You Deserve to Make Money Even When you are looking...
Paris Saint-Germain sign Alessandro Florenzi on loan from Roma
Paris Saint-Germain have completed the signing of Alessandro Florenzi from Roma, with the defender arriving on a loan deal with an option to buy. The 29-year-old has been contracted to Roma throughout the duration of his career however he spent the second half of last season on loan with Valencia in the Primera Division. The 36-time Italy star will team up with international team-mate Marco Verratti in the French capital. “I’m especially proud and happy to become a PSG player,” he said in a statement on the club’s official website. “It’s one of the biggest clubs in Europe today, as was confirmed with their run to the Champions League final last month. “I’ve got the desire to give my maximum for PSG and the supporters of the club. There are enormous challenges ahead of us this season. It wi...
Plateau United coach seeks financial support to achieve Champions League Semi final target
Plateau United coach Abdu Maikaba has stated that they need the required support to meet the target of semi-finals of the 2020/2021 CAF Champions League. The former Akwa United coach admitted the 2017 NPFL champions will require even more backing and hard work to realize their last-four ambition in the competition – a feat which was last achieved by a Nigerian club – Sunshine Stars in 2012. “They (Plateau State Government) gave us enough support, but actually, we have to work very hard to achieve that target,” he said. “Getting to the semi-finals (of the CAF Champions League) is not an easy task, and we have to work very, very hard. We have to be given all the necessary support to get there. “In terms of personnel, like the replacement of players, I have to get the support to make the repl...
Eduardo Camavinga profile: the making of the 17-year-old sensation
Eduardo Camavinga is perhaps the most exciting teenager in world football, with top clubs across Europe making plans to sign him either this transfer window or next year. Camavinga himself though, is still focused on becoming a better player, and in that light his callup to the French National team was a special moment: a childhood dream, even though I’m still a child! With that callup, he became the youngest player to be included in Les Blues’ senior squad since René Gérard in 1932. 17 – Eduardo Camavinga (17 years and 9 months) could become the first minor to play for France since WWII and the first player born in the 2000s to appear with Les Bleus. Precocity. pic.twitter.com/3p7ROnCCNG — Optajean (@OptaJean) August 27, 2020 The call up, along with his stellar perform...
Lyon return empty-handed with prospect of losing key players
Had Olympique Lyonnais’ Memphis Depay and Karl Toko Ekambi found the back of the net in the opening 16 minutes against Bayern Munich on Wednesday, the Champions League may have had its first ever all-French final. Instead, Paris St Germain will now face the German champions while Lyon return home empty-handed and without the opportunity of righting those wrongs next season after they failed to qualify for Europe’s premier club competition. Ligue 1 was the only top-flight league from the ‘Big Five’ to prematurely end its season due to the COVID-19 pandemic, leaving Lyon in seventh place on a points-per-game basis — thereby missing out on the Europa League as well. The 3-0 scoreline flatters Bayern as Lyon had their chances but playing in only their second semi-final on the big stage, their ...
PSG confirm Keylor Navas will miss Champions League semi-final
PSG have confirmed that goalkeeper Keylor Navas has been ruled out of the Champions League semi-final clash with RB Leipzig on Tuesday. The 33-year-old went off with a thigh injury during the 2-1 quarter-final win over Atalanta and will not make it back in time for the meeting with the Bundesliga side. Thomas Tuchel could also be without Marco Verratti and Idrissa Gueye with the latter being deemed “very uncertain” to make the semi-final in a statement released by the club. However, there has been positive news on the injury front for the Ligue 1 champions. Both Thiago Silva and Layvin Kurzawa both resumed training and are in contention for the clash. Get more stories like this on Twitter You Deserve to Make Money Even When you are looking for Dates Online. So we reimagined what a dating s...
Odion Ighalo takes decision on leaving Manchester United for PSG
Odion Ighalo is not interested in leaving Manchester United for Paris Saint-Germain, according to MEN Sport. United are understood to have no intention of cutting his loan spell short, and the player himself has insisted there is “no truth at all” behind the speculations. Reports in France initially suggested the Ligue 1 champions were looking to snap up Ighalo, as replacement for Edinson Cavani who leaves as a free agent. Ighalo only extended his loan spell with the Red Devils until the end of January next year. And any summer departure would require the mutual termination of his current deal. The Nigerian striker has netted five goals in 18 appearances since moving to Old Trafford in January 2020 and is delighted to be representing his boyhood club. He is part of Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s s...
