..::Football IV::..

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Griezmann to confirm plans for his future 'this week'


Atletico Madrid and France star Antoine Griezmann confirmed he would announce his future in the coming days.

Griezmann, 27, continues to be linked with a move to La Liga champions Barcelona after another fine season at Atletico.The forward has been expected to confirm his future before the World Cup and said Saturday that was still the case.

"It's good that you're taking an interest," Griezmann said after France's 1-1 friendly draw with the U. S. national team ."There's a week to go. I think we will find out this week."Griezmann is contracted at Atletico – the club he joined in 2014 – until 2022, but Barcelona are reportedly prepared to trigger his release clause.

Reports Saturday suggested France coach Didier Deschamps had told Griezmann and Monaco midfielder Thomas Lemar to clarify their futures by the end of the week.

France begin their World Cup campaign against Australia June 16, before facing Peru (June 21) and Denmark (June 26).

 

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Austria 0 Brazil 3: Neymar, Jesus and Coutinho send Selecao to Russia in style

Neymar marked his first start since February with a dazzling goal as Brazil rounded off their World Cup preparations with a superb 3-0 win over Austria
Gabriel Jesus should have been penalised for offside when he converted expertly nine minutes before half-time at Vienna's Ernst-Happel-Stadion, but the Manchester City striker's 10th goal in 17 international appearances stood.

Paris Saint-Germain star Neymar has spoken of fears over his fitness holding up following a broken metatarsal in February and he was forced to withstand some robust challenges before a wonderful solo effort made it 2-0 in the 63rd minute - his 55th international goal sending him level with Romario in third on Brazil's all-time scoring chart.Philippe Coutinho got in on the act six minutes later and the Barcelona playmaker also crashed against the crossbar as Tite's side sounded a statement of intent ahead of Russia 2018.

Brazil begin their World Cup campaign against Switzerland in seven days, safe in the knowledge that star man Neymar, who lasted 84 minutes, and his esteemed supporting cast are in fine order.


There were brief fears for Neymar early on when Austria captain Julian Baumgartlinger trod on his ankle.Real Madrid midfielder Casemiro, operating behind Tite's impressive attacking ensemble, provided the first goal threat with a rasping 25 yarder that rippled the side netting.

Austria's attacks were generally focused on shifting possession quickly towards centre-forward Marko Arnautovic and, when David Alaba's cross evaded the West Ham attacker in the 19th minute, Alessandro Schopf was unable to slide home at the back post.

Reported Manchester United target Arnautovic then scuffed a shot into the turf and over from 10 yards after Schopf and Stefan Lainer picked apart an uncomfortable looking Brazil backline.Coutinho drilled a low, long-range effort that drew a fine save from Heinz Lindner and the Austria goalkeeper brilliantly denied Paulinho with his feet shortly after Thiago Silva planted a Neymar corner wide.

The pressure told in the 36th minute when Marcelo's speculative shot hit Casemiro and fell for Jesus, who finished with ice-cool precision despite replays suggesting he was fractionally offside.

A last-ditch sliding block from Aleksandar Dragovic prevented Willian from setting up Jesus for a second seven minutes after the restart.There was an altercation following that challenge and some further strong tackles – a crude clump from the already-booked Schopf on Coutinho coming immediately after Sebastian Prodl felled Neymar – sent tempers to boiling point.



Brazil took their frustrations out constructively and Neymar forced Dragovic to ground against his will, sitting centre-back down and coolly slotting home.The Selecao began carving Austria apart and, after Paulinho rifled a low effort too close to Lindner, Coutinho streamed on to a pass from Jesus' replacement Roberto Firmino and clipped in number three.

Lindner was a spectator as Coutinho sent one of his speciality strikes thumping against the bar, while his underworked opposite number Alisson tipped behind from substitute Stefan Hierlander in the 81st minute – preserving a fifth consecutive international clean sheet before Neymar departed late on to a warm ovation.

 

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'Lewandowski won't be sold' – Hoeness rubbishes 'nonesene' €200m price tag


Bayern Munich forward Robert Lewandowski will not be sold and reports of a €200 million (£176m/$236m) price tag are nonsense, club president Uli Hoeness said.Lewandowski, 29, is linked with a move away from the Bundesliga giants after his agent said last month the Poland international wanted to leave.Manchester United and Chelsea have emerged as possible destinations, while Real Madrid were initially reported to be interested.

Amid reports Bayern wanted at least €200m for Lewandowski, Hoeness rubbished those claims and said the forward was going nowhere.
"A €200m price tag is nonsense," he told Sky .

"Robert will not be sold and will play next season with us. Everything has been said about that." Lewandowski, who is contracted until 2021, has spent the past four seasons at Bayern, scoring 41 goals in 2017-18.

The forward will be in action for Poland this summer, with his country one of the favourites in Group H where they will face Colombia, Senegal and Japan.

 

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Jorginho on the brink of Manchester City move despite €50m rejection, says Napoli chief


Napoli midfielder Jorginho is expected to sign for Manchester City "in the next few days", according to the Italian club's president Aurelio De Laurentiis.

After previously claiming to have rejected a bid worth €50 million (£44m/$59m), De Laurentiis said City are moving closer to his valuation of Jorginho and gave a positive assessment of negotiations.Goal revealed back in April that City boss Pep Guardiola had identified the Italy international as a top target ahead of the summer transfer window, with the midfielder registering 133 Serie A appearances for Napoli since joining the club from Hellas Verona in 2014,

"I think the deal can be done in the next few days," De Laurentiis told Sun Sport .
"Everything is possible as we have a good relationship with Manchester City and their people but we must negotiate."We are still not in agreement over the price for the player, but we'll be near to the conclusion as they made an effort in the last few days."

 

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Messi: Valverde makes me feel spectacular


Lionel Messi is loving life under Ernesto Valverde at Barcelona and has praised the head coach's man-management skills.

Former Athletic Bilbao boss Valverde took over from Luis Enrique for the 2017-18 campaign and negotiated a turbulent start that included the shock sale of Neymar to Paris Saint-Germain and a Supercopa de Espana thrashing at the hands of bitter rivals Real Madrid.Inspired by Messi's relentless on-field brilliance, Barca shook off those setbacks and romped to a comfortable Liga triumph, also collecting the Copa del Rey thanks to a 5-0 demolition of Sevilla.

"With Valverde I feel spectacular because of the way he is," Messi told Sport."Because of the way he talks with the players. He is such a good person, sincere."

Messi ranks Luis Enrique alongside mentor Pep Guardiola among his former Barcelona bosses – somewhat surprisingly given rumours of the Argentina superstar being unhappy midway through the 2014-15 campaign that ultimately ended in treble glory. "I had great experiences with everyone," he said. "I am very grateful to [Frank] Rijkaard, who was the one who gave me the opportunity.

"He trusted me, he gave me my debut and he dealt with me me calmly and always gave me this calm. "Guardiola is one of the best, without a doubt. Luis Enrique is there at the same level."

As far as entering the dugout himself when his celebrated playing days come to an end, Messi does not see the attraction.However, the recent successes of a noted rival means he will never say never.

"Today I do not see myself as a coach [but] you never know what will happen," he added. "I heard [Zinedine] Zidane say that he was never going to be a coach and then he ended up biting and he was there. "I do not see myself there but I do not know what will happen."

 

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'Casemiro the world's best defensive midfielder' - Gilberto Silva


Gilberto Silva has pinpointed Real Madrid star Casemiro as the best defensive midfielder in world football, and believes he will be key to Brazil's chances of winning the World Cup in Russia.The Selecao face Switzerland, Costa Rica and Serbia in Russia, but their minimum expectation will be reaching the last four of the competition.

Casemiro is one of the more under-appreciated members of Brazil's squad, with the likes of Neymar, Philippe Coutinho and Gabriel Jesus all likely to garner more headlines in the build-up to the tournament.

Former Arsenal midfielder Gilberto Silva believes Casemiro is crucial to the side's gameplan, and expects him to excel under manager Tite.

"For me, Casemiro is one of the best, if not the best in the defensive midfield position," the former Brazil midfielder told Sky Sports."Since my retirement all the players that have played in this role for Brazil have played differently. With all respect to all of the other players that have played there, their style was completely different. At one point we had Paulinho playing with Ramires and they have the same style of play.

"Neither of them played in the holding midfield role. However, now, with Casemiro, they have someone who holds the position and protects the back four. It frees up the attacking players.

"It also frees up Paulinho. He can attack more and the combination between the two players works well. Casemiro's role gives Paulinho the freedom to move forward and that's good for Brazil because he's very good when he gets himself into the box to get on the end of crosses."

Casemiro made 48 appearances for Real in all competitions this season, and played the full 90 minutes in his side's 3-1 Champions League final victory over Liverpool.

 

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Messi: Barca need Griezmann for Champions League


Lionel Messi says signing Antoine Griezmann would be a "brilliant" boost to Barcelona's hopes of winning the Champions League.

The Atletico Madrid ace has long been linked with a big-money move to Camp Nou and has resolved to clarify his club future this week.Should he make the switch, Griezmann would add further star power to an attack that already includes Messi, Luis Suarez and Ousmane Dembele.

Messi is excited by the prospect of uniting with the 27-year-old and believes he would go a long way to helping Barca become European champions for the first time since 2015.

"I am in agreement that to win the Champions League again we need to have the best players. And Griezmann is one of them," Messi told Sport."If the club sign him, brilliant. I don't know if he's the priority. That depends on the signing committee and the coach. "I can only say that to win the Champions League you have to have the best players. And he is very good."

Barca cruised to a domestic double in their first season under Ernesto Valverde but those achievements were undermined by an ignominious defeat to Roma in the Champions League quarter-finals.Messi, though, is adamant the season was a success.

"No," he said when asked if he would trade the trophies for a continental triumph. "Winning La Liga and the Copa [del Rey] is really important. It's not easy."Despite what happened in the Champions League, the season was really good."We had a great year with the double. It's true that the Champions League excited everyone because of what it means to win it, but there's no need to take anything away from what we have done."

 

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Arsenal legend Vieira becomes new Nice boss


Patrick Vieira's departure from New York City to take over as head coach of Nice has been confirmed by the Ligue 1 club.Former France international Vieira, who was a key part of Arsenal's 'Invincibles' side of 2003-04, takes over from Lucien Favre, who left for Borussia Dortmund in May, but Nice have not disclosed the length of his contract.

Manchester City – part of the City Football Group that owns the New York club – announced the switch on Sunday, but it was not until Monday that the two clubs involved confirmed an agreement.Vieira says he is excited about the challenge offered to him on the Cote d'Azur.

"I was seduced by the project and by the people involved in it," he said. "I have talked a lot with [director general] Julien Fournier and the president [Jean-Pierre Rivere]."When I look at the squad, it makes me very envious. There is everything you need here to succeed.

"My playing career no longer counts for anything, it's part of the past. The important thing for me is to have a clear idea of what I want from the players, a precise game plan so that they can express themselves because the talent is there."

Among the elements of the team currently on the books of Nice is striker Mario Balotelli, whose future is unclear. He had previously expressed a desire to depart, but Vieira is hopeful he can talk the former Liverpool and Manchester City attacker into staying."I've wished Mario happy holidays and told him that I expect to see him at pre-season training on July 2," he said. "We've a lot to talk about."

Meanwhile, the ex-New York City FC boss is sad to have left the MLS side."After two and a half years as head coach of NYCFC, today will be my last day," Vieira wrote in a statement published on Twitter."I can honestly say that my time with the club has been absolutely perfect – both on the professional and personal level.

"I love New York, my family loves New York, and I will always have a NYCFC family here."I'm leaving New York with some wonderful memories and I will always be a fan of the club."

The 41-year-old has been in charge of New York City since 2016, having led the Manchester City reserves following his retirement from playing.Vieira, who made his professional debut at Cote d'Azur rivals Cannes, takes the helm of a Nice outfit that finished eighth in Ligue 1 last season – just a point outside the European places.

New York City also confirmed assistant coach Christian Lattanzio, performance coach Kristian Wilson and physical performance coach Matt Cook will join Vieira at Nice.

 

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Messi can't overtake Maradona as best footballer ever unless he wins World Cup - Pirlo


Lionel Messi can’t claim to be the best player of all time unless he wins the World Cup, according to Italy legend Andrea Pirlne of football’s biggest debates over the past decade has been whether Messi is superior to Argentine compatriot Diego Maradona.Maradona is regarded by many as the best footballer in history after virtually single-handedly taking a modest Argentina side to World Cup glory in 1986.

And Pirlo believes that Messi – despite winning five Ballons d’Or and breaking countless records for Barcelona – can’t overtake Maradona until he also lifts football’s biggest prize.

“It will be important for both Messi himself and for Argentina to win the World Cup in Russia,” Pirlo told Goal as he teamed up with Uber Eats ahead of Russia 2018.“Messi is always compared to Maradona but he needs to win the World Cup because if you don’t win the World Cup you can’t be up there with the very best.”

Argentina’s preparations for Russia 2018 have been fraught with difficulties. They were thrashed 6-1 by Spain in a recent friendly and had their last game against Israel cancelled.But despite all the doom and gloom surrounding Messi’s chances of finally winning the World Cup at his fourth and probably final attempt, Pirlo believes that Argentina can do well at the tournament.

“Argentina have had the time now to improve and find the right players for the World Cup and I think they are going to do well in Russia despite the big loss they had against Spain,” the Italian stated.“Argentina have a lot of good players and if their top players perform they are going to do well.”

Pirlo played in three World Cups during his legendary career, famously lifting the trophy in 2006, but his last appearance four years ago in Brazil was a disappointing one as Italy were eliminated in the group stage after a 1-0 loss to Uruguay.That game is best remembered for Luis Suarez biting Giorgio Chiellini, an offence that went unpunished during the match but would see the striker banned for four months from all football activity.

However, Pirlo explained that he holds no ill-will towards Suarez despite the incident being crucial in Italy’s elimination as the score was goalless at that time.“After the game, the Italy players and myself were just depressed by the result,” Pirlo recalled.

“The biting incident was something else but we were more down because we had lost and gone out of the World Cup.“It was an incident that can happen on the pitch and in this case the referee didn’t see it.”

Pirlo named Brazil as his favourites to win the World Cup in Russia, believing them to be the “most concrete” team in the finals while he also singled out England’s Harry Kane as a player he is looking forward to watching.

“My favourite England player is Harry Kane,” Pirlo said.“He’s really good and powerful, he’s scored so many goals in the last years and he is one of the players I am going to follow closely at the World Cup.”Finally, after Italy failed to qualify for the World Cup for the first time in 60 years, Pirlo revealed that he will not be cheering on any other team instead.

“As Italy are not there, I will not be supporting any team in particular. I’m going to watch all the games but I’m not going to support any teams,” he concluded.Andrea Pirlo will spend his first World Cup as a fan since 2002 at home with McDelivery from Uber Eats.

With more than 3.2 billion people expected to tune in to watch the World Cup at home this year, McDonald’s, the official FIFA World Cup sponsor has partnered with Uber Eats to offer McDelivery in 26 countries for the first time ever during a FIFA World Cup.

 

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Belgium 4 Costa Rica 1: Lukaku stars as Red Devils cut loose

Romelu Lukaku scored two goals and set up another as Belgium wrapped up their preparations for the World Cup with a resounding 4-1 win over Costa Rica in Brussels.

Roberto Martinez's side conceded for the first time in 2018 but fought back impressively in their final friendly before the tournament, in the process extending their unbeaten run to 19 matches.

Costa Rica went ahead at the King Baudouin Stadium when Bryan Ruiz capitalised on a poor clearance from Jan Vertonghen to volley home from the edge of the penalty area.


However, Dries Mertens grabbed an equaliser from close range before setting up a second for Romelu Lukaku, who volleyed home his team-mate's cross with his right foot.

The Manchester United striker used his head to convert substitute Nacer Chadli's delivery after the break and then unselfishly set up Michy Batshuayi for the home side's fourth and final goal.Yet victory potentially came at a cost for Belgium, with Mertens and Eden Hazard both leaving the field with injuries, a worrying sight ahead of their Group G opener against Panama on June 18.

Costa Rica took the lead with their only on-target effort of the first half when Vertonghen inadvertently teed up Ruiz – an unused substitute in the friendlies against Northern Ireland and England – in the 24th minute.

The Belgium defender's header as he back-pedalled towards his own goal dropped kindly to the waiting Ruiz, who sent a low, left-footed volley beyond the diving Thibault Courtois.Los Ticos' advantage lasted only seven minutes, though.Hazard's driven low ball from the right zipped across the face of the penalty area paid off to reach the late-arriving Mertens, who provided the finishing touch at the back post.

Mertens turned provider for Belgium's second before the break, sending in a right-wing cross that Lukaku – who had seen an earlier on-target attempt kept out by Keylor Navas' face – turned home.

It was Chadli who provided the centre from the same flank for Lukaku to score his second five minutes into the second half, though he surprisingly passed up the opportunity to grab a hat-trick soon after, instead squaring the ball across for Batshuayi to tap home.

Lukaku was withdrawn immediately after the goal by Martinez, who watched Hazard worryingly limp off with 20 minutes to play, spoiling an otherwise solid workout before they head to Russia.

 

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Belgium side ekath godak hodai.Hoda fight ekak dei meh sare​

 

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Zidane: I didn't leave Real Madrid to take France job


Zinedine Zidane has insisted he did not leave his Real Madrid post just so he could take over as France coach.

Zidane made the shock decision to resign as Madrid head coach just days after leading the Liga giants to a third straight Champions League title.The 45-year-old was quickly linked to taking over his nation, who under Didier Deschamps are considered among the World Cup favourites.

But Zidane said his decision to leave Madrid had nothing to do with potentially leading his country."The most important thing is to support the team of France," he told TF1."I didn't stop to want to take the team of France. I stopped to make a parenthesis."I'm behind the French team. We want it to bring back a second title."

Zidane claims to have made no decision on his immediate future as yet, with a welcome break being enjoyed after a stressful but successful period at the Santiago Bernabeu helm.Quizzed on what he has planned at a promotional event, the 1998 World Cup winner said: "I've got my feet up and am feeling good.

"I don't know what I'm going to do."The most important thing is the decision I've taken, the rest we'll see."France begin their 2018 World Cup campaign against Australia on Saturday before meetings with Peru and Denmark in Group C.

 

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Man Utd's early approach for £52.5m man Fred revealed by Shakhtar


Manchester United made their first move to land Fred back in April, Shakhtar Donetsk’s CEO has revealed, with the Red Devils eager to beat the competition to a £52.5 million (€60m/$70m) midfielder.The Red Devils now have a deal in place for the Brazil international, with the finishing touches being put on a move to England.

United appeared set to face competition for his signature at one stage, with arch-rivals Manchester City among the other sides to have been linked with the highly rated 25-year-old.

Jose Mourinho had, however, been working on a transfer for some time and Shakhtar were happy to do business with their counterparts from Old Trafford.

Shakhtar’s CEO, Sergei Palkin, told the club’s official website on how an agreement came about: “We conducted the negotiations with the representatives of Man United for over two months.“Since April, their scout had been constantly present at all our home games in Kharkiv.

“Jose Mourinho wanted to see Fred at Man United.“The negotiations were interesting, and, as I said earlier, we are fully satisfied with the agreement terms.“Fred has been at Shakhtar since 2013, he has grown seriously as a football player, deserving to continue his performance in a stronger league.

“I'm sure he will progress and improve his level. I wish him every success in the Premier League.“It's nice that our former players - Willian, Fernandinho, [Henrikh] Mkhitaryan, and Fred – will be playing in England for the top clubs competing for the top spot.”

Fred is leaving the Ukraine side after five years and 156 appearances.As pointed out by Palkin, he is set to become the latest former Shakhtar star to grace a Premier League stage.

Fellow Brazilians Willian and Fernandinho are title winners at Chelsea and Manchester City, while Mkhitaryan left United to link up with Arsenal in January.

 

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Manchester City move 'opportunity of a lifetime' for Jorginho - agent


Jorginho is happy to remain at Napoli but a move to Manchester City is an "opportunity of a lifetime" for the player, according to his agent.

The Italy international has been heavily linked with the Premier League champions, though media speculation has suggested Arsenal, Chelsea and Liverpool also hold an interest.

Having claimed to have already rejected a €50 million (£44m/$58m) offer from City, Napoli club president Aurelio De Laurentiis said in a recent interview that a deal could be done "in the next few days".

Joao Santos - who represents Jorginho - insists the midfielder is content to stay put, should a career-defining move to the Etihad Stadium fail to materialise.

"Jorginho is good at Napoli, but there are negotiations with Manchester City and this is why we do not talk about a renewal," he told TuttoMercatoWeb."We are talking about a lad for whom Manchester City represents the opportunity of a lifetime.

"But beware - he would not be sad if he stayed in Naples. In Naples the lad is well and is happy."After joining from Verona in January 2014, Jorginho has helped Napoli finish second to champions Juventus in two of the last three Serie A seasons.

Born in Brazil, the 26-year-old opted to represent Italy at international level. He made his debut for the Azzurri in March 2016 and has won eight caps to date.

 

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Poland 4 Lithuania 0: Lewandowski on song ahead of Russia


Robert Lewandowski appeared in ominous touch ahead of the World Cup as he scored twice in Poland's accomplished 4-0 win over Lithuania on Tuesday.

The Bayern Munich striker improved his tally to four goals in three international outings with a first-half brace that laid the foundation for 21-year-old David Kownacki and substitute Jakub Blaszczykowski to later put the result beyond doubt.

Adam Nawalka's men are likely to lean heavily on their star striker in Russia and Lewandowski, judging by his 45-minute effort in Warsaw, looks ready to handle the weight of expectation.






He notched the opener on 19 minutes by side-footing home at close range from a smart Maciej Rybus lay-off, before going it alone in the 32nd minute with a delightful free-kick that went in off the underside of the bar.Kownacki's first international goal arrived in simpler fashion in the 71st minute, the Sampdoria forward tapping home following a classy one-touch move on the edge of the area.

And the confidence-boosting result was capped off when the VAR spotted a handball against Algis Jankauskas with eight minutes remaining, Blaszczykowski converting from the spot to sew up a second win in three matches for the world's eighth-ranked nation ahead of their opening Group H clash against Senegal next Tuesday.

 

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'It's just a knock' - Mbappe eases World Cup fears after ankle injury


Kylian Mbappe was forced to leave France's training ground on Tuesday after a clash with Adil Rami, but he later took to social media to calm injury fears.

The Paris Saint-Germain forward crumpled to the floor after the challenge from Rami and remained on the ground for several minutes as the medical staff assessed the injury.There are no details thus far as to the extent of the injury, but the 19-year-old is expected to undergo tests after his early exit.

But Mbappe took to Twitter after the incident, saying: "I'm fine, it's just a knock so it doesn't matter but thank you for your messages."And leave my friend [Adil Rami] alone, it wasn't nasty."In another sign of optimism, Rami said his team-mate was fine when he asked Mbappe how he was in a video posted on the defender's Instagram page. Rami turned the camera to Mbappe and shouted from across the treatment room: "Hey, Kylian are you OK? Yes, yes!"

The incident comes just four days before Didier Deschamps' men begin their campaign in Russia with Saturday's clash against Australia. They will then face Peru and Denmark to complete the group stage.

If Mbappe is unfit to compete in Russia, Deschamps will have until 24 hours before Les Bleus' opening fixture to replace him in his 23-man squad and could call on Alexandre Lacazette or Anthony Martial from his reserve list to step in.

Mbappe has been a pivotal player for France over the last year and has started each of the last seven friendlies, getting three goals and four assists in that time.

The 19-year-old star enjoyed an excellent debut season at PSG, scoring 21 times and setting up 16 in 46 games in all competitions.

 

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'Ronaldo is irreplaceable' - Real Madrid star sets Portugal standard for Silva


Cristiano Ronaldo is irreplaceable, according to his Portugal team-mate Bernardo Silva.

With the World Cup looming, the Euro 2016 champions are gearing up for their first group stage game, a mouthwatering tie on Friday against Spain, regarded as one of the favourites to win the competition.Ronaldo will, of course, be pivotal to any chance Portugal may have in Russia and, with the Real Madrid superstar now 33, this may be his last chance at securing the trophy.

Silva, who enjoyed a solid first season with Manchester City, believes that Portugal have a squad deep enough to maintain their current level, but he accepts that they will not be able to merely replace Ronaldo, who has developed into a phenomenon since winning his first cap in 2003."It's important that people understand that he's irreplaceable," Silva said, per Marca .

"When he wants to leave, there will be a group with a very high level and I think we can maintain that. "I hope to be one of those players, I have ambition and obviously I will give my best to help.

"When Cristiano goes, we will lose the best player in Portuguese football."We will try to keep this level with the national team, but it doesn't worry me right now seeing myself in the role of the fan's idol."These things can happen or not, but they have to be natural."

While talk of Ronaldo's exit from the international stage may well prove premature, Silva insists that he and his team-mates are all trying to follow the example set by the former Manchester United attacker, who is refusing to rest on his laurels.

"Ambition is [Ronaldo]'s strong point," he added."He's a player that has five Ballons d'Or and five Champions Leagues, who has spent 10 years scoring more than 40 goals a season... All together it's tremendous.

"That he's managed to maintain that level gives you an idea of what he represents as a player. The majority with two or three Ballons d'Or want to relax and enjoy the easy life, he keeps pushing for a higher level.

"He's our reference point, an example for everyone and we hope that he's in his best form because only if he's good can Portugal hope to achieve big things."Portugal will also face Iran and Morocco in the group stage, as they bid to add the World Cup to their surprise European Championship triumph this summer.

 

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Iniesta warns Spain of Ronaldo danger at World Cup


Andres Iniesta has warned Spain of the danger of facing Portugal and Cristiano Ronaldo in their opening game at the 2018 World Cup.

Spain begin their tournament campaign against their neighbours on June 15 in Sochi and team captain Iniesta is wary of facing the Euro 2016 champions.Iniesta has faced Ronaldo many times in El Clasico, knowing exactly what the five-time Ballon d'Or winner has to offer for club and country.

The midfielder also urged his team-mates to be fully focused in all their games as he fears the matches will be tight affairs, particularly the opener with Portugal.

"Portugal is a team that takes a lot to defeat and we will have to perform at the highest level, in a World Cup any small thing can knock you out," Iniesta told Cadena Cope ."Cristiano is a fundamental player for any team he is in and for Portugal as well."

Iniesta called time on his Barcelona career this summer, leaving Camp Nou for Vissel Kobe after 16 seasons at the club. Despite turning 34 in May, he has not yet fully decided if he will hang up his boots on international football after this summer's World Cup.

However, he admits that it may be the right time to finish playing international football, especially as he will be playing in Japan from next season."I will never close one hundred percent the door of the national team after the World Cup, but everything indicates that this will be the case," he admitted.

During his time at Barcelona, Iniesta won 32 trophies, including four Champions Leagues and nine La Liga titles, playing 674 times for the Blaugrana.

He admits that leaving the club was very difficult for him, but he has enjoyed his last moments at Barcelona. Iniesta also believes that Barca president Josep Maria Bartemou hopes he can finish the season with another trophy - the World Cup - although thinks that if Argentina and Lionel Messi win instead, the club chief will still be pleased."These weeks of farewell have been very intense, emotionally very powerful, and I have tasted them to the fullest," he said.

"I understand that Bartomeu wants me to win with a national team that contains many Barca players. I suppose if Spain wins he will be happy, but if Argentina wins he will be happy too."

 

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Lopetegui appointed Real Madrid manager

Spain manager Julen Lopetegui will take over as Real Madrid coach after the World Cup, the club have confirmed.

Real had been heavily linked with a number of potential managerial appointments following the shock resignation of Zinedine Zidane, including Tottenham boss Mauricio Pochettino and former Spurs and Porto manager Andre Villas-Boas.However, they have now decided to appoint Lopetegui, who signed a new two-year extension with the Spanish Football Federation (RFEF) last month.

But following the conclusion of the tournament in Russia, which La Roja are considered one of the favourites to win, Lopetegui will transition into the role at Santiago Bernabeu.

A statement read: "Julen Lopetegui will be the coach of Real Madrid after the 2018 World Cup in Russia."Real Madrid CF announces that Julen Lopetegui will coach the first team for the next three seasons.

"Julen Lopetegui will join the club after the participation of the Spanish team in the World Cup, after two years leading the national team."Lopetegui will go head-to-head with Cristiano Ronaldo at the tournament, with Spain set to take on Portugal in their opening group game this Friday. They also play Morocco and Iran in the group stages.

Zidane resigned as manager following an unprecedented era of success that saw Real win three consecutive Champions League titles, most recently defeating Liverpool 3-1 in Ukraine to complete the treble.The France legend subsequently took the decision to step down, and a replacement has now been found, though expectations are unlikely to be any lower.

Lopetegui has endured a mixed managerial career thus far, but has history with Los Blancos, having managed the club's B team between 2008 and 2009.A trusted youth coach, he has also managed Spain at Under-19, Under-20 and Under-21 level, though he failed to win any silverware at FC Porto and was sacked.It remains to be seen if he will head to Real as a World Cup winner, though Spain's squad is stocked with exciting talent.

 

[Wolverine GTR]

Monaco reach agreement in principle to sell Lemar to Atletico Madrid


Monaco have announced they have reached an agreement in principle to sell attacking midfielder Thomas Lemar to Atletico Madrid.The Ligue 1 side said the two sides will "continue to work in the coming days in order to find a definitive agreement."The 22-year-old France international has been subject of interest from Arsenal and Liverpool among others, but he now appears destined for a move to La Liga.

The Guadeloupe-born attacker joined Monaco from Caen ahead of the 2015-16 season, and eventually established himself as one of Ligue 1's best left-sided players.Lemar broke through in the 2016-17 campaign, scoring 14 goals and adding 17 assists as Monaco won Ligue 1 and reached the Champions League semi-finals.

The France international could now be set to join up with his international team-mate Antoine Griezmann with the Rojiblancos — if the 27-year-old decides to stay put.

On Tuesday Griezmann revealed he has made a decision regarding a potential summer transfer to Barcelona, but isn't ready to make that decision public.Griezmann has called on Atletico to invest more in their squad, and Lemar's arrival is a sign the La Liga runners-up are taking their star's advice.

Lemar and Griezmann are a part of the France team that will begin their Group C campaign against Australia on Saturday, before facing Peru and Denmark in the group stage.