List of All Articles with Tag 'a'

Barcelona have confirmed that club captain Sergio Busquets will leave on a free transfer this summer, with clubs in Saudi Arabia and the USA interested in his signature.

Midfielder Sergio Busquets will leave Barcelona this summer, ending an 18-year association with the club. The 34-year-old, who joined the Catalans’ youth team in 2005, made his first-team debut in 2008 but has decided to move on after turning down the offer of a new contract on reduced terms. “The time has come to announce that this will be my last season with Barca,” he said in a farewell video released by Barcelona. “It has been a unforgettable journey. I always dreamed of playing with this shirt and at this stadium and reality has exceeded all my dreams. “I wouldn’t have believed it you if you had told me when I arrived as a youth player that I would play 15 seasons at the best club in the world and surpass 700 matches. “It has been an honour, a dream, a source of pride and meant everything to defend and represent this badge for so many years. “Although it has not been an easy decision I think the time has come.” Busquet, whose 718 matches for Barcelona put him third on the club’s all-time list of appearances, has won eight league titles – soon to become nine – three Champions Leagues, seven Copas del Rey, seven Spanish Super Cups, three European Super Cups and three Club World Cups. Read More Charity boss speaks out over ‘traumatic’ encounter with royal aide Ukraine war’s heaviest fight rages in east - follow live

The Lakers take the lead for the first time in this season! What is their next move?

TOKYO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--May 10, 2023--

Nikola Jokić made history with a triple-double on Tuesday night to lead the Denver Nuggets to a comfortable 118-102 Game 5 win in their Western Conference playoff series against the Phoenix Suns.

While Erling Haaland experienced a quiet night on the Bernabeu pitch, the Manchester City striker’s father Alfie Haaland was escorted out of a Real Madrid hospitality box after a confrontation with the home fans. A viral video displayed Alfie Haaland having a discussion with a Real Madrid fan before goading others by cupping his ears and waving towards them while leaving the VIP area. The reaction came in the aftermath of Kevin de Bruyne’s equaliser in the 1-1 draw in the first leg of the Champions League semi-final. A number of security officers and police quickly escorted Alfie Haaland and another man away from the corporate box, with the Norwegian later clarifying the situation. “OK. Real Madrid was not happy we were celebrating Kevin de Bruyne’s goal,” Alfie Haaland confirmed on Twitter. “Other than that we had to move because Real Madrid fans not happy with 1-1.” Alfie Haaland, a former Manchester City player, now serves as his son’s agent and regularly attends City matches to offer his support. The result puts City in a strong position heading back to the Etihad for the second leg next Tuesday. And Jack Grealish insists Pep Guardiola’s side have learned from last year’s heartache. “We have a new team this year, different players,” the England midfielder told BT Sport: “We’ve learned so much since last year. Now we have the perfect balance of experience and a few youngsters who are just world-class. “I think we just have quality and I’ve never felt so confident going on to the pitch and having these players around me. “Within ourselves at the Etihad, we feel unstoppable there. We came here to try and win, but it shows our character to go a goal down – it’s always difficult to play at a place like this. “In the end I think it was a fair result. They had their chances, we had a few as well.” Read More Player ratings from Man City’s first-leg comeback against Real Madrid Manchester City’s treble bid coming of age with unbeaten run Is Vinicius the best player in the world right now? Real Madrid star’s brilliance has elevated the debate Analysing Man City ‘unstoppable’ form as they go for treble attempt The best player in the world right now? Vinicius brilliance has elevated the debate I know Pep Guardiola - and this is why Man City will win the Champions League

Liverpool remain interested in Real Madrid midfielder Aurelien Tchouameni and would like to sign him even if it were only on an initial loan.

Brighton will consider summer bids for Arsenal and Chelsea target Moises Caicedo.

Manchester City’s 1-1 draw at the Santiago Bernabeu in the Champions League semi-final first leg with Real Madrid took their unbeaten run to 21 games. Pep Guardiola’s side are unbeaten since early February, with 17 wins and four draws, as they peak in familiar fashion for the end of the season and a potential trophy treble. Here, we look at their seemingly unstoppable form. Treble chase City are chasing glory on three fronts, looking to emulate the feat of winning the Premier League, FA Cup and Champions League in the same season achieved by local rivals Manchester United in 1998-99. Thirty-seven points from the last 39 available have helped them haul in long-time league leaders Arsenal, leading by a point and with four games remaining to the Gunners’ three. They have beaten their title rivals twice in that time, 3-1 at the Emirates Stadium and 4-1 back home a fortnight ago. Improbably, relegation-threatened Nottingham Forest are the only side to take a point off them in that time after Chris Wood’s late equaliser. Aston Villa, Bournemouth, Newcastle, Crystal Palace, Liverpool, Southampton, Leicester, Fulham, West Ham and Leeds are their other victims, with 36 goals scored in those 13 games and 10 conceded. Their other draws have come in the away legs of their three Champions League ties, all 1-1 against RB Leipzig, Bayern Munich and Real. The home legs against the two Bundesliga sides saw Leipzig beaten 7-0 and Bayern 3-0, while in the FA Cup they beat former City captain Vincent Kompany’s Burnley 6-0 and two other Championship sides, Bristol City and Sheffield United, 3-0 to set up a Manchester derby in the final. Such form in the run-in is nothing new to City, who won last season’s league title by a point after finishing with a 12-game unbeaten run including nine wins and also won their last 14 in succession to pip Liverpool to the 2018-19 title – as part of a domestic treble. Hot-shot Haaland leads the way Erling Haaland is unsurprisingly City’s top scorer in the current run with 20 of City’s 61 goals. That includes back-to-back hat-tricks against Leipzig – with an astonishing five goals – and Burnley, helping him past a half century for the season while he has a record 35 for a Premier League campaign. Kevin De Bruyne’s stunner against Real was his seventh goal of the run while Haaland’s sometime deputy Julian Alvarez has six. There have been five apiece for Riyad Mahrez, who scored a hat-trick in the FA Cup semi-final against the Blades, Phil Foden and Ilkay Gundogan. Twelve City players in all have scored, in addition to an own goal from Bournemouth’s Chris Mepham. “We feel unstoppable” Winger Jack Grealish spoke after the draw at the Bernabeu of his confidence of reaching the Champions League final, based on City’s formidable home record. “Within ourselves at the Etihad, we feel unstoppable there,” the England international told BT Sport after playing his part in a feisty first-leg encounter. His view is borne out by the statistics, City winning all 11 home games in their current run with 40 goals scored and just five conceded. That sequence at the Etihad extends to 15 straight wins since their New Year’s Eve draw with Everton and 17 unbeaten since losing to Brentford in November. Away from home, since the Tottenham defeat, City have won six games and drawn four, scoring 21 goals and conceding eight. Read More ‘We feel unstoppable’: Jack Grealish bullish ahead of Champions League ‘final’ The best player in the world right now? Vinicius brilliance has elevated the debate Kevin De Bruyne is Man City’s man for the big occasion but has he met his match? Player ratings from Man City’s Champions League first-leg comeback at Real Madrid Perfect moments help Man City and Real Madrid set up thrilling encore Jay Rodriguez revels in ‘surreal’ promotion as Burnley celebrate title

Why Manchester City's equaliser at Real Madrid in their 1-1 draw during the first leg of their Champions League semi-final should have been ruled out.

If Real Madrid-Manchester City has become that most modern of Champions League fixtures, this latest meeting showcased a vintage European Cup quality. It is that moment of true quality that comes out of almost nothing and can change almost everything about a tie. Both teams suffered from it on Tuesday. Both teams benefited from it. It did feel telling that two goals of the highest level came as their sides were enduring their most difficult periods of the game, but in this case more about the players responsible than the teams. This competition is not just about deciding the champions of Europe, after all. That pursuit instead often elevates the greatest player in the world, and it was victory that for so long decided the Ballon d’Or. There is now an opening there as the Lionel Messi-Cristiano Ronaldo era fully comes to an end, and Vinicius Junior is clearly one of those most willing to fill it. And with full speed. This is a player who has added such a complete range of abilities to that devastating pace. The nature of that first goal was testament to that, another jaw-dropping moment that was also one of those which reflected a player moving to another level. This wasn’t just scorching through a defence to side-foot it past a keeper - if such brilliance can even be described in that muted way - in that way Vinicius marked his early career. It was a strike hit with full confidence and power, that showcased a player growing into his game and his true qualities. It was a little like when Messi went from beating defenders and sliding the ball past goalkeepers to suddenly smashing in all range of strikes, if that is obviously not to directly compare the Brazilian to probably the greatest player of all time. There is a greater question now of who compares to Vinicius. He may well be the most effective player in the world right now, if not the very best. Kylian Mbappe still feels like he has a pure football level beyond anyone else but, as a global audience experienced a moment like that, it’s hard not to again wonder if he feels he is wasting himself in a league that isn’t really watched. The French star at this point has a few relevant games a year. Vinicius is making people take note almost every week. There is then their counterpart in sky blue. This time, however, it wasn’t Erling Haaland. For all the focus on Norwegian’s goals, there have been moments this season where it has felt like he’s been in a mutually beneficial competition with Kevin De Bruyne to be City’s best player. This was most true in the 4-1 victory over Arsenal, but the Belgian clearly won here. The goal was one of those essential interventions that characterises the career of great players, that step-up with something above anyone when it is most needed. And at the most exacting stage. Haaland may have leapt above his teammate in those discussions, but this was one of those games where it can least be understood why people say he is a great goalscorer rather than necessarily a great player. That isn’t a criticism, or even to say it’s actually true, but he was more at the fringes of general play here in that way that can happen. Madrid will know not to get complacent on that, though. The truth is that David Alaba and Toni Rudiger had to work extremely hard to limit his impact. It just left that space for De Bruyne, which sets up the second leg. Guardiola described it as “a play-off” as well as a final, but indicated he will seek to do something different in terms of tactics. This was a rare game where, even though City of course had more of the possession, they didn’t have full control of the game and probably weren’t the better team. “We try to adjust something for the second leg to be a bit more fluid, play with a bit more rhythm,” Guardiola said. This has the feel of one that is going to be decided by those margins. Two of the best players already indicated that. Read More Perfect moments help Man City and Real Madrid set up thrilling encore Kevin De Bruyne is Man City’s man for the big occasion but has he met his match? Is AC Milan vs Inter on TV? Kick-off time, channel and how to watch Champions League semi-final AC Milan are back – but not as how you remember them The Milan derby crowns Serie A’s return - here is why it means so much more AC Milan vs Inter predicted line-ups: Team news ahead of Champions League semi-final

What the papers say Portugal striker Goncalo Ramos, 21, has emerged as a major target for Manchester United. The Daily Mirror reports the Old Trafford club have held talks with Benfica over a deal worth up to £100million, including add-ons. The Red Devils are also poised to join the race for England midfielder Declan Rice, 24, according to The Sun. United are ready to join Arsenal and Chelsea in the hunt for Rice, who impressed in their narrow 1-0 defeat to West Ham on Sunday. The Hammers are eyeing a move for Fulham boss Marco Silva if they part ways with David Moyes, according to the Daily Mail. The 45-year-old has a £6million release clause in his contract. Chelsea are keen to make Portugal forward Joao Felix’s loan from Atletico Madrid permanent. According to the Standard they are willing to offer striker Pierre-Emerick Aubamayeng, 33, and defender Marc Cucurella, 24, as part of a deal for the 23-year-old. Social media round-up Players to watch Viktor Gyokeres: West Ham are keen on a move for the 24-year-old Sweden forward from Coventry, reports the Daily Mirror. N’Golo Kante: The France midfielder, 32, could be persuaded to stay at Chelsea if Mauricio Pochettino is appointed as manager.