Football

Botafogo coach: "Today, with internet and everything, there are two kinds of football: the real-life kind and the Walt Disney kind. I met a fan and he told me that we should have beaten Atlético if we had been more offensive. I asked how many times he had seen Atlético this year and he said none."

LAFC have mutually parted ways with striker Olivier Giroud, the club announced Friday.

Giroud will reportedly soon sign with Ligue 1 side LOSC Lille, and is slated to play one last LAFC match on Sunday vs. Vancouver Whitecaps FC (9:30 pm ET | MLS Season Pass).

"Olivier has been an exemplary professional during his time at LAFC," said co-president & general manager John Thorrington.

"He brought humility and a winning mentality that helped elevate everyone around him. Olivier has been a tremendous ambassador for the club on and off the field. We are grateful for his contributions and wish him, his wife Jennifer, and his family all the very best in this next chapter."

Juan Bernabé had been the club’s official falconer for over a decade, ensuring the eagle Olympia mascot was able to fly around the Stadio Olimpico before kick-off in every home match, but also living with the bird at their Formello training ground.

He was fired in January after going on a radio show to discuss how a penile implant had improved his sex life, and posting pictures of the surgery on social media.

However, Bernabé refused to leave his rooms at Formello, insisting he had a medical note, sparking a legal battle that dragged on for six months.

It finally ended today, as Lazio released a statement confirming he had been evicted from the premises many months after his contract was terminated for “behaviour considered incompatible with the ethical values of the Club.”

But despite personal terms being agreed upon, Marca have reported that Williams has asked Barcelona to ensure that he will be registered with La Liga for the start of the 2025-26 season.

Barcelona must register Williams alongside already-signed Joan Garcia, who is expected to be the club’s starting goalkeeper next season. And while Joan Laporta has assured that there will no problems in this regard, La Liga have stated that the Catalans have not yet returned to the 1:1 rule, which would affect their chances of getting a deal done.

Barcelona need to sell players in order to guarantee that Williams can be registered, with the likes of Marc-Andre Ter Stegen, Andreas Christensen, Pablo Torre and Ansu Fati among those to have been identified as leading candidates to depart. But it is not certain that the club will be able to do the business required, and after the debacle with Dani Olmo and Pau Victor, it is understandable that Williams is seeking assurances.

Milan have officially released Joao Felix and Riccardo Sottil, returning the players from their loans to Chelsea and Fiorentina.

The Rossoneri brought both of the forwards in during the January transfer window on six-month loans.

Those contracts will expire on June 30 and there were no real attempts to negotiate any longer stays, let alone permanent transfers.

Klopp "Club World Cup is the worst idea ever implemented in football. People who have never had anything to do with day-to-day business are coming up with ideas. I fear that next season players will suffer injuries they've never had before. If not, then it'll happen at the World Cup or afterwards."

[FC Barcelona] FC Barcelona announce they have successfully refinanced over 40% of the Espai Barça debt. €424M of the original debt—previously due in 2028—into a new long-term structure. This new structure will begin repayments in 2033 and conclude in 2050, with an average interest cost of 5.19%.

Credits: https://old.reddit.com/r/soccer/comments/1ll1e2f/ive_collected_videos_of_every_lionel_messi_goal/

With the under 21 euros coming to a close soon, I believe it's fair to look at the players that participated in it and try to find out who might become a household name soon.

The Guardian made a solid list in my opinion. The first player on their list, Nick Woltemade, is apparently already linked with a move to Bayern Munich.

Which other players from the tournament are likely to move up to their senior teams or bigger club teams soon?

PARIS — Kylian Mbappé has accused Paris Saint-Germain of moral harassment in a legal filing, the Paris prosecutor’s office confirmed on Thursday.

The Real Madrid star is at odds with his former club, arguing PSG owes him 55 million euros ($61 million US) in unpaid wages.

Mbappé is also unhappy with the way he was treated by the Ligue 1 club when the France captain was sidelined before the 2023-24 season, following his decision not to extend his club contract.

Cristiano Ronaldo will remain with Al Nassr. The all-time soccer legend officially signed a new deal with the Saudi Arabian club through 2027 on Thursday.

"A new chapter begins. Same passion, same dream. Let’s make history together," the Portugal superstar posted on social media.

Sources with direct knowledge of the matter tell me that Como have offered €35m as a fixed transfer fee for the Milan pair, plus a possible €5m in add-ons.

Thiaw is considering the proposal from Cesc Fabregas’ side, while Milan and Como need approval from Galatasaray on the Morata front.

As far as I know, the Turkish giants are not entirely satisfied with the negotiations conducted between the two Italian clubs, as Morata’s loan spell in Turkey is set to end on December 31, 2025.

Nevertheless, Galatasaray are still expected to give their green light to Morata’s transfer as Milan and Como have already reached a full agreement.

Parma executive “We believe it’s the right choice to support a project that has short-term targets linked to results. However, we’ll also ask him and his staff to be well-integrated to help us build a club culture that incorporates the youth sector, not just the first team.”

Cuesta

“I want to thank President Krause and Arsenal for allowing me to be here. I thank Mr Fabio Pecchia and Cristian Chivu for the job they did, which laid the foundation for the present and future of Parma,”

“We’ll have a clear identity and a guideline, but you need to be versatile and ready for different solutions in football.

“I’ve felt a beautiful energy. I’ve found humble people who made me feel at home. I’ve heard nice things about the environment at the Tardini, and there are many things we want to see on the pitch. There is a desire to work, and the mentality and willingness to help one another will be fundamental in our approach to representing Parma in the best possible way.”

Cuesta has signed a two-year contract until 2027 with an option to extend for a further campaign.