Real Madrid president Florentino Perez claimed comments where he allegedly criticised Iker Casillas and Raul have been taken out of the context .
Perez s controversial remarks came from an audio recording in 2006 that was leaked on Tuesday and published in Spanish newspaper El Confidencial.
At that time Perez had just left his position as Madrid president and in the audio he appears to at least partially link the influence held by the two players to his exit.
He is reported to have opined Casillas was not good enough to play in goal for Madrid while questioning the huge influence held by Raul.
Perez, who returned as Madrid s president in 2009, reckoned his support of the European Super League was the motivation behind the leaked audio.
In a stat…
Roma boss Jose Mourinho said Sevilla’s six previous Europa League trophy wins will count for little against his side in Wednesday’s final in Budapest.
Sevilla are bidding for a record-extending seventh triumph at the Puskas Arena, in a match the Hungarian media have dubbed ‘The Specialists against The Special One’.
Mourinho has yet to lose in five major European finals as a manager, while Sevilla have won all six of their Europa League finals.
It s a new final. It s new history.
José Mourinho
— UEFA Europa League (@EuropaLeague)
The Portuguese told a press conference: “History does not play. My colleague (Sevilla head coach Jose Luis Mendilibar) thinks otherwise, I have respect for him.
“He believes that history …
“She’s incredible about what she does,” he said. “I loved fighting with her – we fought every weekend and every season for those trophies.
“I think she’ll do an incredible job. I think if I was going to hire, I would’ve hired her because she’s the best in the women’s game by far.
“Her record speaks for itself but also her ability to manage, her knowledge of the game.
“I do believe you’ll see her in the men’s game at some point. That’s my opinion. I think she’s capable and I think in time people will see her capability.
“I think she’ll be successful in the US women’s national team and then she will have almost conquered the women’s game.”
Cushing is full of admiration and praise for Hayes, whose outstanding…
Ben Chilwell could leave Chelsea in the January transfer window, with Premier League rivals Manchester United showing interest in him, according to . The report has claimed that Chilwell is expected to part company with the Blues in the middle of the season, adding that a potential move to Old Trafford “could be one to watch as the Red Devils retain an interest in the England international as they’re keen to strengthen at left-back”.
Chelsea want to offload Chilwell in the summer of 2024. Manchester United were interested in the 27-year-old left-back at the time, but no move materialised. Chelsea head coach Enzo Maresca sent the full-back to train with the reserves, but he is now back with the first-team squad.
Chilwell has been on the books of Chelsea since 2020 …
Diego Simeone has overtaken Luis Aragones for the most LaLiga games managed as Atletico Madrid head coach.
Sunday s El Derbi with Real Madrid was Simeone s 408th league match in charge of Atletico since arriving from Racing Club in December 2011.
Simeone won 247 of his previous 407 games prior to the showdown with city rivals Real, with 95 ending as a draw and 64 in defeat.
The Argentinian has won eight trophies during his near 11 years in the Spanish capital, including LaLiga in the 2013-14 and 2020-21 campaigns.
Simeone
El técnico argentino alcanza los 408 partidos en dirigiendo al Atleti y supera a Luis Aragonés.
— Atlético de Madrid (@Atleti)
Long-serving midfielder Koke also hit a major milestone on Sunday a…
Olympiacos have confirmed that the contract of James Rodriguez has been terminated by mutual consent with immediate effect. The former Real Madrid, Bayern Munich and Everton star is now available on the market as a free agent. His services were reportedly of interest to Galatasaray in January, and it remains to be seen if this latest development brings up any other potential suitors.
Rodriguez joined Real Madrid as a bright prospect on the back of a fantastic World Cup with Colombia in 2014, but 18 months later, the club appointed Zinedine Zidane as the head coach and the former France star had tactical ideas which left Rodriguez being surplus to requirements. Things have steadily done downhill for him ever since.
Having played on loan for Bayern Munich and spent a year…
Robin van Persie has landed his first head coach role after being appointed the new boss of Eredivisie team Heerenveen.
Van Persie has agreed a two-year contract that will start at the end of the 2023-24 season, with the Dutch club confirming the deal on Friday.
Heerenveen missed out on European qualification this season and can finish no higher than 10th when the top-flight campaign concludes this weekend.
The club said in their statement they were convinced by the ambition and motivational skills of Van Persie, who starred for Arsenal and Manchester United in his playing career, winning the Premier League Golden Boot with both clubs, and the league title at Old Trafford.
That was as well as earning 102 caps and scoring a record 50 goals for the Netherla…
Milan coach Stefano Pioli still thinks his side can defend their Serie A crown despite their eight-point deficit to league leaders Napoli.
The Rossoneri beat rivals Inter in a title race that went down to the wire last season, taking a first Scudetto since the 2010-11 campaign.
But their hopes of a second successive triumph look to be under serious threat, with Napoli having romped away at the summit after 15 games.
Milan remain their nearest rivals, however, and Pioli argues his team can still turn it around, although he knows they must hit the ground running in 2023.
It is clear that we arrived at this prestigious [title] victory ahead of time, because the club s desire was to invest in players, especially young players, so maybe we expected to win a l…
Prediction: Borussia Dortmund to win 3-0
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Borussia Dortmund and Hertha Berlin will face each other in the Bundesliga this coming weekend. The match between Die Schwarzgelben and Die Alte Dame will be held at Signal Iduna Park and is scheduled to kick off at 4:30pm UK time on Sunday.
Borussia Dortmund
Borussia Dortmund are one of the biggest and most successful clubs in Germany. And while they have not won the Bundesliga title for years due to Bayern Munich’s dominance in Germany, this season, like in previous campaigns, they are competing for the championship. And, unlike in previous seasons, Bayern are looking fallible.
Dortmund are third in the Bundesliga table at the moment with 40 points from 20 matches. Edin Terzic…
Ange Postecoglou has sent a warning to the rest of the Premier League by claiming Tottenham captain Son Heung-min can be even more of a goal threat.
Son has enjoyed a superb start to the campaign, scoring eight times to sit joint-second in the goalscoring charts behind Manchester City forward Erling Haaland.
Last season proved challenging for Son with the South Korea forward only able to net 10 goals in the Premier League, but two years ago he won the division’s golden boot along with Liverpool’s Mohamad Salah and the 31-year-old has been backed to be in the race again.
Postecoglou initially played Richarlison in the middle of his front three, but switched Son into a central position against Burnley and it has helped the Spurs ace quickly move his overall Pre…