World Cup winner Lionel Messi is set to return to work at Paris Saint-Germain next week, his club coach Christophe Galtier said on Tuesday.

Messi, 35, was the lynchpin of the Argentina side that won the World Cup in Qatar nine days ago, scoring twice in the final against France which finished in a penalty shoot-out victory.

He then returned to Argentina with his teammates to celebrate their third World Cup triumph.

“Leo had a very big World Cup with his victory,” said Galtier on the eve of PSG’s meeting with Strasbourg as Ligue 1 kicks off again on Wednesday after the World Cup break.

“He had to return to Argentina for the celebrations and we decided that he was going to be off until January 1.

“He will come and join us either on the second or third (January) to pick up the season with us.

“He will have had between 13 and 14 days of recovery.”

Messi looks likely to miss two Ligue 1 matches and the French Cup match at Chateauroux, possibly making his return at home against Angers on January 11.

He is also expected to sit down with PSG president Nasser Al-Khelaifi and other top club officials to pen a one-season extension to his current deal in the French capital which expires in the summer.

PSG’s other World Cup players, notably Kylian Mbappe and Neymar “will be available for the match tomorrow (Wednesday)”, said Galtier.

Mbappe could even start, having returned to training just three days after the disappointment of losing the World Cup final, in spite of his hat-trick.

“We made sure to manage on a case-by-case basis,” said Galtier. “After talking with him, Kylian wanted to join us fairly quickly.”

Source: AFP

Former Uruguay international midfielder Fabian O’Neill, once hailed by Zinedine Zidane as “the most talented player” he’d ever seen, died Sunday after a long battle with alcoholism. He was 49.

“Goodbye Wizard,” tweeted O’Neill’s formative club Nacional after he passed away due to chronic cirrhosis in a Montevideo hospital where he had been rushed on Saturday suffering from a hemorrhage.

“The most talented player I’ve ever seen,” was how French World Cup winner Zidane, a teammate at Juventus, described O’Neill.

After making his debut for Nacional at the age of 18 in 1992, O’Neill was transferred to Cagliari in Italy three years later.

In 2000, he moved to Juventus but after playing for the Turin giants for just one season, he was farmed out to Perugia.

He then returned to Nacional before quitting in 2003.

O’Neill earned 19 caps for Uruguay and scored two goals.

He was part of the squad that was eliminated in the first round of the World Cup in South Korea and Japan in 2002 although he did not feature in any of the group games due to injury.

“Uruguayan football is in mourning. One of the best players to emerge in recent decades and who knew how to shine on the field with his talent and magic has left us,” wrote the El Pais newspaper.

El Observador said that “Fabian O’Neill was one of those great talents wasted…. his career was marked by alcohol and excesses.”

Source: AFP

Brazilian football great Pele will spend Christmas in hospital, his medical team and family said Wednesday, as he receives treatment for worsening cancer as well as kidney and heart problems.

The 82-year-old “requires greater care related to renal and cardiac dysfunctions,” said the Albert Einstein Hospital in Sao Paulo.

It also reported a “progression” of his cancer, but said Pele was not in intensive care.

Considered by many to be the greatest footballer of all time, Pele was hospitalized in Sao Paulo on November 29 for what his medical team called a re-evaluation of his chemotherapy treatments, which he has been receiving since having surgery to remove a colon tumor in September 2021.

Doctors have also diagnosed Pele — whose real name is Edson Arantes do Nascimento — with a respiratory infection.

Earlier this month, Pele’s daughters Kely Nascimento and Flavia Arantes sought to reassure fans about his health, denying reports that Pele had been placed in end-of-life care as supporters held a vigil outside the hospital.

They said Wednesday on Instagram that they would be spending Christmas with their father at the hospital.

“Our Christmas at home has been suspended,” they wrote.

“We decided with the doctors that, for various reasons, it would be better for us to stay here with all the care that this new family at Einstein gives us!!”

Accompanied by a picture of them smiling, the sisters thanked Pele’s fans for their support and wished them a happy festive season.

“We are going to turn this room into a Sambodrome (just kidding), we will even make caipirinhas (not kidding!!),” they joked, referencing Brazil’s famous cocktail.

The siblings promised an update next week.

‘The King’

Pele dazzled from an early age and took the 1958 World Cup by storm when he was 17 years old, netting a hat trick in the semifinals and two more goals in the final, catapulting his own career and launching the soccer dynasty of the Brazilian national team.

Pele scored more than 1,000 goals in one of the most storied careers in sport. He is the only player in history to have won three World Cups (1958, 1962 and 1970).

In recent years, the man dubbed “The King” has faced deteriorating health and his public appearances have grown rare.

He has dealt with his ailments with trademark good humor, remaining active on social media.

Pele posted regularly during the Qatar World Cup, including a message of congratulations to captain Lionel Messi after Argentina took the top prize.

“Congratulations to Argentina! Diego (Maradona, who died on November 25, 2020) is probably smiling now,” he wrote.

Pele also watched from hospital as star player Neymar equalled his goal record of 77 with the “Selecao.”

Pele has received messages from well-wishers all over the world, also recently from French striker Kylian Mbappe who called on fans earlier this month to “pray for the King.”

It was with Mbappe that Pele made one of his last public appearances, in April 2019, in Paris, for a promotional event.

World Cup host nation Qatar also showed its support for Pele, lighting up buildings with a “Get well soon” message.

Source: AFP

Argentina’s World Cup heroes had to abandon an open-top bus parade in Bueno Aires on Tuesday as millions of ecstatic fans flooded onto the streets and brought the city to a standstill, with Lionel Messi and his team mates whisked into helicopters to complete the celebrations.

The players who were triumphant in Sunday’s World Cup final in Qatar were unable to reach the central Obelisco monument as planned because the route was completely blocked by the heaving crowd, estimated by local media at four million people.

With social media footage showing some fans trying to jump onto the team’s bus when it passed under a bridge, the scheduled eight-hour journey was cut short due to security fears. The players were transferred from their parade bus and into helicopters.

“The world champions are flying over the entire route in helicopters because it became impossible to continue on land due to the explosion of joy,” presidential spokeswoman Gabriela Cerruti wrote on Twitter.

Television images showed people all over the city, including those waiting around the Obelisco and on surrounding highways trying to catch a glimpse of their returning champions.

“It’s crazy, it’s incredible, it’s the best thing that can happen to you in life,” said 25-year-old metalworker Matias Gomez.

“It is an enormous joy to see all these happy people, all together, one with the other, holding hands, giving each other hugs, kisses. We are all one today.”

The team had arrived in the early hours of Tuesday at Ezeiza airport. Despite it being around 3am local time (0600 GMT), thousands were waiting with banners, flags and flares and howling with joy after Messi and his team mates ended the country’s 36-year wait to win the World Cup.

By around midday millions had already congregated in downtown Buenos Aires, with major roads shut down for the parade. People held up banners of Messi and late icon Diego Maradona, played instruments or climbed lamp-posts or bus stops.

Roads started to clear after the players took to the sky in helicopters, with some people left disappointed not to see the team.

The Argentine capital has been in party mode since the dramatic victory over France in Sunday’s final in Qatar, which has helped mask economic woes in the South American nation battling one of the world’s highest inflation rates.

The penalty shootout victory made the country world champions for the first time since Maradona hoisted the trophy in 1986 and the third in total.

The government made Tuesday a national holiday to allow fans to celebrate the win.

‘I can’t cry and more’

As the open-top bus snaked through the city, players danced and cheered with fans who circled the bus. Police were having to hold people back to allow the vehicle to move forward on its slow journey towards the centre of town.

But eventually they could go no further.

“They don’t let us get to greet all the people who were at the Obelisco. The security agents that escorted us won’t allow us to move forward,” tweeted Chiqui Tapia, president of the Argentine Football Association (AFA).

“A thousand apologies on behalf of all the champion players.”

Messi, 35, has burnished his reputation as one of the world’s greatest ever with the win as Argentina beat France 4-2 on penalties after a scintillating 3-3 draw after extra time.

He has said it was his last match in the World Cup, though he plans to play a few more games for the national side.

At times it has felt that the whole country has been partying through the night from Sunday onwards in the southern hemisphere summer, the joy of victory infecting everyone with cars regularly blaring their horns in celebration.

“There are people lying on the floor who came straight from the last party to get up and keep partying,” said Elio Maisares, 25, as he celebrated in the city where everyone and everything was covered in the white-and-blue of the “Albiceleste”.

“Just look at all this, look at everything that is painted in light blue and white. Along the roads, the highways, all the people are rooting for Argentina,” he said.

“It’s really impressive, it’s unique, what a way to cry. I cried this morning, yesterday, the day before yesterday, I can’t cry anymore, it’s incredible!”

Source: REUTERS

France are disappointed they could not successfully defend their World Cup crown after losing to Argentina on penalties in Sunday’s final but leave Qatar with heads high having fought until the end, players Raphael Varane and Hugo Lloris said.

France fought back twice through Kylian Mbappe, who erased Argentina’s 2-0 lead in 97 seconds in normal time before scoring a third in extra time to level it at 3-3.

But the South Americans won 4-2 on penalties.

“We are very disappointed of course, we gave everything. We had to face a lot of obstacles during the competition, we gave up nothing,” Varane said.

“For an hour we were not in the game. We could have won too. I’m very proud of this group and of being French. We keep our heads high. We came back in this game when it was complicated.

“We pushed and we believed until the end. We almost turned the game around, which was not going well… There was mental strength in this group, a lot of heart. That allowed us to come back in this game. We’re disappointed but also proud.”

Argentina were the better team in the first half and stormed into a 2-0 halftime lead before Mbappe brought them level with goals in the 80th and 81st minute of the contest which France skipper Lloris described as a “boxing match”.

“The Argentines got off to a great start, being aggressive, using all facets of the game. We were a bit reactionary all night,” the goalkeeper said.

France had also come into the final after several players missed training sessions due to illness over the past week, but Lloris refused to use that as an excuse.

“We’re not going to make excuses, we gave everything,” he added. “You have to congratulate the guys because we didn’t give up until the end.”

Source: Reuters

Qatar’s ruler said Sunday that the Gulf state had delivered on a vow to hold an “exceptional” World Cup.

Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani, who gave Argentina captain Lionel Messi a traditional Arab cloak after his side won the trophy, paid tribute to the finalists and fans in a Twitter statement after the match.

“We have fulfilled our promise to organize an exceptional championship by Arab countries, which provided an opportunity for the people of the world to learn about the richness of our culture and the originality of our values,” the emir said.

Qatar spent more than $200 billion on stadiums and new infrastructure ahead of the first World Cup in an Arab nation, which FIFA leader Gianni Infantino has said was the “best ever”.

But the Gulf state has faced relentless criticism over its rights record and the treatment of foreign labourers.

Qatar’s leaders said the attacks were an attempt to cast doubt on the Arab world’s right to hold such big events.

Messi was prominently pictured wearing a ‘bisht’ traditional cloak that the emir presented the Argentina icon before he lifted the World Cup trophy.

Source: AFP

Plans for a new 32-team men’s Club World Cup have been confirmed by FIFA president Gianni Infantino.

The current format of the tournament involves seven teams competing for the title, with Chelsea the current holders after victory over Palmeiras in the United Arab Emirates in the a delayed 2021 edition held in February.

Infantino, speaking at a press conference ahead of the World Cup final between Argentina and France on Sunday, said the 2022 tournament would continue in its current format and be held in Morocco from February 1-11, 2023.

But Infantino announced that a much wider competition would take place from June 2025, saying: “It will go ahead, making it like a World Cup”.

The FIFA boss said it would feature the “best teams in the world” but added that competition details and the location of the first expanded edition were still to be decided.

FIFA had originally planned to introduce a 24-team tournament in 2021, before the COVID-19 pandemic thwarted an anticipated inaugural edition in China, but an even bigger competition has now been scheduled from 2025 and will take place every four years.

The international match calendar will be altered from 2025, with one extended break taking in four matches in late September and early October replacing two separate windows in September and October. The governing body said that the other windows — in November, March and June — would remain unchanged.

FIFA also confirmed plans to launch friendly tournament called FIFA World Series to take place in even years and “increase the possibilities for teams from different confederations to play each other”.

Currently the top teams of every continental competition as well as the hosts’ national champion battle it out for the Club World Cup title.

European champions Real Madrid, South American champions Flamengo and Seattle Sounders, the first CONCACAF Champions League winner from the United States, will compete in Morocco.

Infantino said FIFA’s ruling council had also approved the creation of a new Women’s Club World Cup and a new FIFA Futsal Women’s World Cup, as well as the expansion of the Olympic women’s football tournament from 12 to 16 teams.

Culled from The Athletic

After a dazzling run of wins captivated the footballing world, Morocco crashed out in the semi-finals after France’s solid attacking display gave them a 2-0 win. Les Bleus will now take on Argentina in Sunday’s final, after the genius Lionel Messi powered them to a resounding win over Croatia.

This wasn’t the stylish, thrilling march to the final that saw France’s rivals Argentina vanquish Croatia 3-0 on Tuesday. But it was a clinical, decisive performance, with an early goal from Theo Hernandez and a late strike from Randal Kolo Muani giving them a solid 2-0 win.

Despite a recurrence of France’s occasional defence errors, Les Bleus gave Argentina a lot to worry about with that performance. Kylian Mbappé was dazzling as ever with his lacerating pace and cool ingenuity under pressure – especially when he kept the ball when surrounded by Morocco defenders to set Kolo Muani up with that second goal. But arguably the greatest performance tonight was from Antoine Griezmann, who not only linked midfield to attack with those lovely passes, but also tracked back to basically play in centre-half position when Morocco offensives rattled France in the second half.

There will be tears aplenty, though, for Morocco after that ended a remarkable series of victories which saw them become the first ever African team to reach the World Cup semi-finals.

Source: France 24

Mbappé’s France faces off against Hakimi’s Morocco at 8pm Paris time in the semi-final of the World Cup on Wednesday. The winner of the match will meet Argentina in the final, who resoundingly beat Croatia 3-0 on Tuesday.

Defending champions France know victory against surprise package Morocco would leave them just one win away from becoming the first team in 60 years to successfully defend the trophy.

Didier Deschamps’ France are heavy favourites to win at the Al Bayt Stadium but face a team that have conceded just once in their extraordinary run to the semi-finals.

Morocco are the first African side and the first Arab nation to reach the semi-finals of a World Cup.

It was a richly deserved win for Argentina, who played with tremendous spirit to reach the final. Lionel Messi fired home his penalty in his trademark calm yet joyous style. Then Julian Alvarez’s remarkable solo goal almost stole the show from Messi, as he just kept running from the halfway line, exploiting some terrible Croatian defending, to tap it in from close range. The third goal came from Messi just being magnificently, inimitably Messi, keeping the ball under enormous Croatian pressure in the tightest of spots to carry on with his run and set it up for Alvarez to tap home.

Croatia, by contrast, looked stifled throughout the whole match. Luka Modric orchestrated some nice midfield passing for much of the game, but it never came close to producing anything. Modric came off with ten minutes to spare, a sad end to the 37-year-old’s illustrious World Cup career.

But all eyes now will be on Lionel Messi and his attempt to cap off his long and dazzling World Cup career by seizing the trophy in Sunday’s final.

Source: France 24