Real Madrid coach Carlo Ancelotti said striker Kylian Mbappe will enjoy a “beautiful day” when he makes his home debut for the Spanish giants on Sunday in La Liga.

Los Blancos face Real Valladolid in their first match at the Santiago Bernabeu this season with supporters clamouring to see the French superstar in action.

Mbappe scored on his debut for Madrid in Warsaw against Atalanta in the UEFA Super Cup win but could not find the net in a 1-1 league draw at Mallorca.

“I think it will be a beautiful day for Mbappe, to play at the Bernabeu for the first time in a Real Madrid shirt,” Ancelotti told reporters Friday.

“The fans are very excited about him, and he will have a great game, because of the quality he has — the fans will enjoy themselves.”

Mbappe was linked with Real Madrid for several years while at Paris Saint-Germain and was finally able to make his dream move this summer at the end of his contract in France.

With Mbappe joining Vinicius Junior, Rodrygo Goes and Jude Bellingham in attack, Ancelotti has complained his team have lacked balance in their first two matches.

The coach said Bellingham suffered a knock in training and was being looked at by medical staff ahead of the Valladolid clash.

“We have prepared well for the game on Sunday… we know very well what happened against Mallorca and we have tried to fix it for this weekend,” said Ancelotti.

“I think facing Valladolid will be a good test… we lacked balance at times and we have to work on that.

“It’s not so hard to look for a solution when the problem is clear, there is also a clear solution.”

Vinicius, Mbappe, Rodrygo and to some extent Bellingham prefer to play coming in from the left.

“I won’t tell them we have to play on the other wing when in the last years we’ve won two Champions Leagues playing (from the left),” said Ancelotti.

Madrid lifted a Champions League and La Liga double last season and in 2022 under Ancelotti and after adding Mbappe to their ranks are firm favourites to triumph again in Spain this season.

Source: AFP

Former football star Thierry Henry has stepped down as head coach of France’s under-21 football team after his squad lost the final of the 2024 Paris Olympics to Spain. Henry cited ‘personal reasons’, according to the French Football Federation.

Thierry Henry has decided to step down from his role as coach of the France under-21 football team after guiding the side to a silver medal at the 2024 Paris Olympics, the French Football Federation (FFF) announced Monday.

The all-time leading goalscorer for Premier League giants Arsenal took over as coach of the French youth side last summer and was under contract until June 2025 but decided to step away for “personal reasons”, according to the FFF.

Earlier in July, former France international Henry oversaw Les Bleuets’ first run to the final of an Olympics men’s tournament since winning gold in the 1984 Games in Los Angeles.

His young side eventually went down 5-3 after extra time against Spain to end a promising run that had started inauspiciously after Henry was obliged to make several changes to his squad pre-tournament due to the refusal of certain clubs to release their players for the Games.

“I would like to thank the FFF and President Philippe Diallo for giving me this incredible opportunity,” said Henry, 47, in an FFF statement.

“Winning an Olympic silver medal for my country will remain one of the proudest moments of my life. I’m incredibly grateful to the federation, the players, the staff and the fans for giving me this magical experience.”

Federation boss Diallo thanked the 1998 World Cup winner for “all the work he accomplished as coach of the Espoirs (under-21s) and Olympic sides”.

“We obviously regret this decision, as Thierry Henry was able to achieve the objectives set for him by winning a silver medal at the Olympic Games in Paris,” he added.

“Having followed him throughout this campaign, I witnessed first-hand his great professionalism, his rigour and his love for the blue jersey.”

Source: AFP

Joshua Zirkzee made himself a Manchester United hero on his debut with a late winner to beat Fulham 1-0 in the opening match of the Premier League season on Friday.

Zirkzee, lacking match fitness after his £36.5m ($47 million) move from Bologna last month, came on only for the final half hour.

The Dutch international saved the Red Devils from a frustrating evening at Old Trafford when he poked in Alejandro Garnacho’s cross on 87 minutes.

“To win here in my first home game and to grab a goal, it couldn’t be better,” said Zirkzee.

“I’ve been told (scoring at the Stretford End) is one of the best feelings at Manchester United. I’m so thankful and blessed I could experience it in my first game. It’s an amazing feeling.”

United boss Erik ten Hag survived at the end of last season, despite finishing eighth in the Premier League, thanks to winning the FA Cup.

Whether that shock victory over rivals and English champions Manchester City in May could be a springboard remains to be seen after a performance that was eerily reminiscent of many last season.

“I have seen many spaces where we have to improve but that is normal,” said Ten Hag. “It (the win) is good to strengthen the belief.”

The Dutchman revealed on the eve of the game that his side were “not ready” for the new campaign with key players missing through injury or a lack of match fitness, and it showed.

Bruno Fernandes started in a centre-forward role in the absence of Rasmus Hojlund, while Zirkzee was on the bench after returning to pre-season late following Euro 2024.

Noussair Mazraoui was thrown straight into the starting line-up at left-back after joining from Bayern Munich this week.

But there was no place in the squad for Jadon Sancho even though the winger and Ten Hag appeared to have settled their differences.

Fulham won at Old Trafford last season for the first time in 20 years in February during a torrid campaign for United.

Little seemed to have changed in the opening 20 minutes as the visitors started confidently and Andre Onana did well to prevent Kenny Tete’s dipping effort finding the top corner.

But United grew into the game after a slow start.

‘Kill in the box’

Twice Fernandes missed huge chances by firing too close to Bernd Leno before the German goalkeeper spread himself brilliantly to this time deny Mason Mount a rare goal since his move from Chelsea just over a year ago.

“We created a lot of chances and we should have scored earlier,” added Ten Hag. “That is the only criticism of the team: kill in the box!”

Ten Hag turned to Garnacho and Zirkzee from the bench in the search of a winner.

In doing so United left themselves open and Fulham could have secured another famous three points at the Theatre of Dreams.

Andreas Pereira’s poor pass cost Alex Iwobi the chance to run clean through on goal.

Moments later Lisandro Martinez produced a goal-saving clearance from Pereira’s dangerous low cross.

Instead it was the home side that snatched all three points.

Garnacho’s ball from the right was not the best, but Zirkzee managed to get a toe on it to divert it beyond Leno into the far corner.

United should have had a second in stoppage time when Garnacho somehow skewed wide with an open goal to aim at from Marcus Rashford’s unselfish pass.

But United held on to give Ten Hag the winning start he badly needed.

Source:  AFP

Portugal veteran Pepe announced on Thursday in a video on social media he was retiring from football aged 41.

“I would like to thank you all,” said the centre-back as he cited the clubs he represented, as well as the Portuguese national team and his family.

“Everyone gave me the support I needed to leave with my mind at ease.”

Pepe joined Portuguese side Maritimo at the age of 18 and went on to play for Porto, Spanish giants Real Madrid and Turkish club Besiktas.

He spent a trophy-laden 10 years with Madrid, where he won three Champions Leagues, two Club World Cups and three Spanish league titles.

He also enjoyed two stints at Porto, between 2004-2007 and 2019-2024, winning a total of four Portuguese championships and five Portuguese Cups.

Although born in Brazil, the centre-back made his international debut for his adopted country of Portugal in 2007 and went on to earn 141 caps, winning the their first piece of major silverware at Euro 2016, as well as the Nations League three years later.

Pepe set a new record as the oldest player to ever play at a European Championship when he started Portugal’s opening game at Euro 2024, aged 41.

Portugal’s elimination on penalties at the quarter-final stage of the tournament against France turned out to be the final game of Pepe’s 22-year career at the top level of the game.

Portuguese football federation president Fernando Gomes labelled the defender “one of the greatest players of all time” and thanked him for his “extraordinary professionalism, dedication… and passion for football”.

Source: AFP

Former French Ligue 1 champions Bordeaux on Thursday said they will become an amateur club for the first time in almost 90 years after filing for bankruptcy.

They had announced earlier in the week that they would accept their relegation to the third-tier Championnat National by French football’s financial watchdog, the DNCG.

Bordeaux, based in France’s south-west, won the last of their six top flight titles in 2009.

They first turned professional in 1937.

The club needs to find 40 million euros ($43.6 million) to balance their books and had been in talks with the owners of Liverpool, Fenway Sports Group (FSG), before the American investors pulled out of negotiations earlier this month.

“On Tuesday, the club filed for bankruptcy with Bordeaux’s commercial court, to be able to begin necessary restructuring,” they said in a statement.

“The club had to give up asking to maintain its professional status” as it risked “heavy sanctions” if it presented a recovery plan to the DNCG that did not reflect its future financial reality.

Bordeaux were relegated to Ligue 2 in 2022, just 12 years after reaching the Champions League quarter-finals.

The town’s mayor slammed the decision by Bordeaux’s controversial owner Gerard Lopez, who has invested 60 million euros into the club since 2021.

“I’ve learnt with consternation the sudden and personal decision made by Gerard Lopez,” Pierre Hurmic told AFP.

“It confirms the risky management that has led our club in the space of three years from the elite Ligue 1 to the amateur level,” he added.

A host of well know players — past and present — have played for Bordeaux including World Cup winners Zinedine Zidane, Bixente Lizarazu and Christophe Dugarry, as well as Real Madrid midfielder Aurelien Tchouameni.

“I feel extremely sick like everyone who loves the club,” 1998 World Cup winner Lizarazu said on Instagram.

“What’s happing is unfortunately the result of disastrous football and financial management for many years,” he added.

One consequence to the move is that the club’s academy will close and a host of professional players will leave the outfit.

The new Championnat National season begins on August 16 with Bordeaux expected to play at their 42,000-capacity Matmut Atlantique home, France’s sixth biggest stadium, for the campaign.

Source: AFP

Erik ten Hag has signed a contract extension that keeps him at Old Trafford until 2026, the Premier League club announced on Thursday.

There had been intense speculation over the Dutchman’s future after a terrible 2023/24 Premier League campaign but United ended the season with shock 2-1 victory against Manchester City in the FA Cup final.

British media last month said Ten Hag, who has won two trophies in his two seasons at Old Trafford, would remain in his post following a performance review by club chiefs.

“Erik ten Hag has extended his contract as Manchester United men’s first-team manager until June 2026,” United said in a statement.

The former Ajax manager, whose deal had been due to expire in 2025, admitted there was work to be done to close the gap on United’s Premier League rivals.

“Looking back at the past two years, we can reflect with pride on two trophies and many examples of progression from where we were when I joined,” he said.

“However, we must also be clear that there is still lots of hard work ahead to reach the levels expected of Manchester United, which means challenging for English and European titles.

“In my discussions with the club, we have found complete unity in our vision for reaching those goals, and we are all strongly committed to making that journey together.”

Dan Ashworth, Manchester United sporting director, said: “With two trophies in the past two seasons, Erik has reinforced his record as one of the most consistently successful coaches in European football.

“While the club’s review of last season highlighted areas for improvement, it also reached a clear conclusion that Erik was the best partner for us to work with in driving up standards and outcomes.

“This group of players and staff have already shown they are capable of competing and winning at the top level — now we need to do it more consistently.”

Trophy drought

Ten Hag, 54, ended a six-year trophy drought for United in his first season by lifting the League Cup and finished third in the league, encouraging fans that they might launch a Premier League title bid in 2023/24.

But those hopes vanished quickly as the team struggled for consistency, hit by injuries and poor form.

United finished an embarrassing eighth in the Premier League — their lowest final position since 1990 — and crashed out of the Champions League at the group stage.

There were reports that Ten Hag would be sacked regardless of the result in the FA Cup final at Wembley but they ultimately proved wide of the mark.

British billionaire Jim Ratcliffe took control of football operations at Old Trafford following his purchase of a minority stake in the club earlier this year.

United have made sweeping changes to their backroom staff since then, including the appointment of Ashworth, who was previously at Newcastle.

Ten Hag is United’s fifth permanent manager since the end of Alex Ferguson’s trophy-filled reign in 2013, following David Moyes, Louis van Gaal, Jose Mourinho and Ole Gunnar Solskjaer.

United will launch the 2024/25 Premier League season with a home game against Fulham on August 16.

Source: AFP

A senior German politician has apologised for the way she worded a comment about the skin colour of members of the country’s football team, in which she praised them and asked what it would be like if there were only white players.

Green MP Katrin Göring-Eckardt, who is also the deputy leader of the German federal parliament, appeared to be referring to a recent survey that found 21% of respondents would prefer to see more white people in Germany’s squad.

“This team is truly exceptional. Just imagine if there were only white German players,” she wrote after Germany beat Hungary 2-0 in the Euro 2024 tournament. She also added three rainbow emojis.

But after criticism on social media, including from fellow MPs, Ms Göring-Eckardt deleted the post and apologised for the way it was phrased.

She later took to X, formerly Twitter, again to explain herself.

“It upset me that 21% of Germans would prefer it if there were more “whites” in the national team,” Ms Göring-Eckardt wrote.

“I’m proud of this team and hope that we can convince the 21% too.”

Ms Göring-Eckardt’s original post was quickly criticised, with some accusing her of racism despite the fact she was praising the team’s diversity.

“I find it really worrying when people in Germany are judged by the colour of their skin,” said Wolfgang Kubicki, the deputy leader of the Free Democratic Party (FDP), which is part of Germany’s coalition government alongside the Greens.

Manuel Ostermann from the centre-right Christian Democratic Union (CDU) party also commented.

“Are you judging people based on their appearance? According to your own definition, that would be racist,” he said.

The survey Ms Göring-Eckardt was responding to was commissioned by Sport Inside, which airs on German public broadcaster WDR.

It was part of a documentary on racial diversity within the national team and how it is viewed by the public.

Player Joshua Kimmich described the survey as “racist” when it was first reported earlier this month, while coach Julian Nagelsmann said it was “insane”.

“We play a Euro for everyone in the country and whoever plays top football is invited to be a national team member,” Mr Nagelsmann said.

“I hope I never have to read such crap polls again.”

Source: BBC