Jude Bellingham has named the player he considers Real Madrid’s “most talented,” and surprisingly, it’s not superstar duo Vinicius Junior or Kylian Mbappe. Despite a defensive injury crisis this season, Madrid’s squad remains stacked with stars, with much of the attention focused on Vinicius, Mbappe, and Bellingham, who has earned a reputation for scoring crucial goals in the dying moments of games. However, there’s another player in Madrid’s forward line who consistently impresses. After the 3-1 win over Manchester City in the second leg of their Champions League knockout tie, Bellingham praised the “very underrated” Rodrygo for his exceptional skills.…
Author: Oluwaseun samuel
Arsenal remain one of the few major European clubs yet to win the Champions League, but that could change by the end of May. The Gunners are aiming for their first-ever title in the competition and have made an impressive start in this year’s revamped campaign. Finishing third in the inaugural league phase after winning six of their eight matches, they secured a spot in the last 16. Having avoided the dreaded two-legged play-off, Arsenal will enter the next round in March with fresh legs, looking to progress to the quarter-finals for the second consecutive season. Here are the potential…
Darwin Núñez has pledged to give his all for Liverpool until his final day at the club after Arne Slot criticized his reaction to a glaring miss in the 2-2 draw against Aston Villa. The Reds missed the chance to extend their lead over Arsenal at the top of the Premier League, failing to secure a win for the third time in their last four matches. Núñez had a golden opportunity to secure all three points for Liverpool but blazed the ball over the crossbar with the goal gaping, as Axel Disasi sprinted across on the cover. However, it wasn’t…
For the second time this season, Real Madrid found themselves frustrated by the officiating standards in La Liga, particularly following Jude Bellingham’s red card in their 1-1 draw with Osasuna on Saturday. Bellingham was sent off after allegedly telling referee Jose Luis Munuera Montero “fk you,” but Madrid manager Carlo Ancelotti clarified that the Englishman actually said “fk off,” accusing the referee of misinterpreting the intent behind his words. Despite Madrid’s plans to appeal the decision, Bellingham has been handed a two-match suspension, meaning he will miss upcoming fixtures for the Spanish giants. Which matches will Jude Bellingham miss due…
Liverpool failed to extend their lead over Premier League title rivals Arsenal on Wednesday evening, drawing 2-2 with Aston Villa. The Reds took the lead early, capitalizing on a costly mistake by winter signing Andres Garcia. His misdirected pass was pounced on by Diogo Jota, who set up Mohamed Salah to score. However, Liverpool’s advantage lasted just nine minutes as Villa equalized through Youri Tielemans, who made the most of a weak header clearance by Dominik Szoboszlai to fire a shot past Alisson. In first-half stoppage time, Villa completed a dramatic turnaround when Ollie Watkins expertly converted Lucas Digne’s cross,…
Real Madrid booked their spot in the Champions League last 16 on Wednesday night, defeating Manchester City 3-1 in the second leg and 6-3 on aggregate in the knockout play-off. City’s hopes were already hanging by a thread after a disheartening first leg, where two late goals left them trailing by a single goal heading into the return fixture at the Santiago Bernabeu. Their situation worsened further with a poor first-half performance in Madrid. Kylian Mbappe fired Madrid into the lead just four minutes in, calmly lobbing Ederson. The French forward then doubled his tally just before the half-hour mark,…
Barcelona have made further progress towards improving their financial stability after La Liga confirmed an increase in the club’s salary cap for the second half of the season. Barcelona’s squad has been hit hard financially in recent years, with only a few high-profile players and the majority of the squad either brought in on low fees or developed from their youth academy. Last January, the club’s salary cap was slashed to €204 million, down from €270 million at the start of the previous season, while rivals Real Madrid were operating with a cap of €755 million. Under president Joan Laporta’s…
Manchester City’s hopes of securing a spot in the Champions League knockout stages have received a boost with striker Erling Haaland joining Tuesday’s training session. Haaland had appeared to injure his knee during City’s 4-0 win over Newcastle United at the weekend, raising concerns about his availability for Wednesday’s crucial second-leg clash with Real Madrid in their Champions League play-off tie. City are aiming to overcome a 3-2 deficit from the first leg and, based on footage from Tuesday’s session, it seems they will call upon their star striker, as Haaland was seen participating fully in team activities. In addition…
Aston Villa midfielder Boubacar Kamara is set to miss four key matches due to injury, including Premier League fixtures against Liverpool, Chelsea, and Crystal Palace. Kamara, who has recently been deployed as a center-back by Unai Emery due to a shortage of defenders, is also doubtful for the Emirates FA Cup fifth-round clash against Cardiff City. In the 16th minute of Saturday’s 1-1 draw with Ipswich Town, Kamara limped off the field, with Tyrone Mings—who was returning from an injury of his own—replacing him. Kamara is believed to be dealing with a muscular issue and is expected to be sidelined…
UEFA has appointed referee István Kovács to officiate the Champions League second-leg playoff between Real Madrid and Manchester City on Wednesday at the Santiago Bernabeu. This will be the fourth time Kovács has overseen a Real Madrid match in the Champions League. The Romanian referee previously officiated Real Madrid’s 5-2 victory over Borussia Dortmund in the 2024/25 group stage, as well as their 5-2 win over Liverpool in the 2022/23 Round of 16 first leg. Kovács also refereed the Los Blancos’ 4-3 win over Manchester City in the 2021/22 Champions League semifinals first leg. Clément Turpin was the referee for…