Klopp’s last dance has one trophy and the Liverpool manager is targeting more

Liverpool's German manager Jurgen Klopp with the trophy following the English League Cup final between Chelsea and Liverpool at Wembley stadium, in London, on Feb. 25, 2024. (AFP)
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Updated 27 February 2024
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Klopp’s last dance has one trophy and the Liverpool manager is targeting more

  • References to Klopp’s last dance have started to trend on social media, likening his Liverpool farewell to Michael Jordan’s final season with the Chicago Bulls in 1998, when they won the NBA championship
  • The League Cup was his eighth trophy, among them a full set of major trophies including the Premier League and Champions League

LONDON: Jurgen Klopp’s last dance at Liverpool is off to the perfect start.

Klopp steps down as manager at the end of the season but he and Liverpool have locked up the first trophy of a possible four.

After a heavily depleted team defied the odds to win the English League Cup final by beating Chelsea 1-0 in extra time, Klopp is determined to win more silverware and the players are determined to help him.

“We just want to give our all for him. We always did,” defender Joe Gomez said. “But now when the finishing line is in sight it adds that extra emphasis. It’s special and hopefully it’s the first (trophy) of a few we can get.”

References to Klopp’s last dance have started to trend on social media, likening his Liverpool farewell to Michael Jordan’s final season with the Chicago Bulls in 1998, when they won the NBA championship. The season was documented in the Netflix series, “The Last Dance.”

Since Klopp was hired in 2015, he has transformed a sleeping giant into a force again. The League Cup was his eighth trophy, among them a full set of major trophies including the Premier League and Champions League.

And Liverpool might not be finished. They lead the Premier League, and are still in the FA Cup and Europa League.

“I couldn’t care less about my legacy. I’m not here to create one,” Klopp said on Sunday. “As a manager of a football club, you are there to do the job actually.”

But the League Cup final showed Klopp will leave the club in good shape. Seven of his players on the day were aged 21 or under. When Virgil van Dijk headed in the winner in the 118th minute, he had three academy players beside him.

“We don’t want to get ahead of ourselves but we are in every competition and we are going to try to win every game,” Gomez said. “That’s the target and we will go again.”

Beside the players, Liverpool fans are savoring their final moments with Klopp.

Supporters carried flags and banners with messages of thanks to their outgoing manager as they made the short walk from Wembley Park subway station to Wembley Stadium. Singing loudly, it was a party atmosphere long before kickoff and they are hoping for one long party before finally saying goodbye.

“It has been a bit sad for everyone, but I think everyone now thinks we’re going to push on and do even better than we would have done (this season),” Liverpool fan Nick Knight told The Associated Press.

His father, Andrew, added: “I think he means everything (to Liverpool). Within a few weeks or months of him arriving it was obvious they were a perfect fit and the type of football he played — high energy, playing to the final whistle — it was everything as a Liverpool fan you wanted to see.”

The fans showed their appreciation long after the final whistle as they serenaded Klopp and his players on the field.

“It’s not a problem if the manager leaves or whatever, (but) if these people would leave — our supporters — that would be a problem,” Klopp said. “But as long as they are the way they are, Liverpool Football Club will be fine and that’s the most important thing.”


Brazil coach tells Neymar to prepare well for World Cup

Updated 26 June 2025
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Brazil coach tells Neymar to prepare well for World Cup

  • “He must prepare well and he has the time to do that,” Ancelotti said
  • “He’s a very important player for us regarding the World Cup“

SAO PAULO: New Brazil coach Carlo Ancelotti considers Neymar “a very important player” and has urged the injury-prone star “to prepare well” for the 2026 World Cup.

“He must prepare well and he has the time to do that,” the Italian said in an interview with the South American football federation on Thursday.

“He’s a very important player for us regarding the World Cup,” Ancelotti added.

Neymar, 33, extended his contract with Brazilian side Santos to the end of the year this week.

Neymar’s career has been dogged by injury, and he has only played 12 matches in five months for Santos, scoring three goals.

Brazil’s top scorer with 79 goals was missing from Ancelotti’s first squad at the end of May.

With Neymar absent five-time world champions Brazil qualified for next year’s World Cup with a 1-0 win over Paraguay this month.


Dubai’s ISD Sports City partners with Real Madrid in landmark deal

Updated 26 June 2025
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Dubai’s ISD Sports City partners with Real Madrid in landmark deal

  • Real Madrid Foundation will bring its unique program that combines education and sports to ISD’s world-class facilities, including its state-of-the-art pitches

DUBAI: ISD Sports City has announced a landmark partnership with the Real Madrid Foundation to manage a new branch of the Real Madrid Foundation Educational Football Program in Dubai.

The deal was announced with a commemorative photograph taken with Daniels Petrovs, CEO of ISD Sports City, and the Real Madrid Ambassador Roberto Carlos, marking the official launch of the collaboration.

Real Madrid Foundation will bring its unique program that combines education and sports to ISD’s world-class facilities, already home to state-of-the-art pitches. These include the latest hybrid-generation football fields, with all-natural pitches slated for hybrid conversion by the end of the year, an upgrade that positions ISD as a premier destination for international teams and events.

“Dubai is increasingly becoming the global epicentre for sport and youth development,” said Petrovs. “Partnering with the Real Madrid Foundation allows us to elevate our football offering to high-quality standards while giving children across the UAE access to an unique experience and facilities.

“Our goal is simple: to build a center of excellence that sets the benchmark globally.”

Petrovs, who has led ISD for the past 15 months, brings his expertise in building modern sports facilities, including converting all pitches to hybrid surfaces and also embedding sustainability and performance into every inch of ISD’s infrastructure.


All 4 Brazilian clubs advance at Club World Cup, one is guaranteed to make the quarterfinals

Updated 26 June 2025
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All 4 Brazilian clubs advance at Club World Cup, one is guaranteed to make the quarterfinals

  • Flamengo and Palmeiras topped their groups — Flamengo stunned Chelsea 3-1 to be the first team to qualify for the knockout rounds
  • Botafogo, which shocked Champions League winner Paris Saint-Germain, and Fluminense qualified in second place

SAO PAULO: One clear and unexpected force has surged as the group stage of the Club World Cup comes to a close: Brazil.

Flamengo, Palmeiras, Botafogo and Fluminense — all Copa Libertadores winners in recent years — all advanced to the second round. All offered tough competition to the powerful European clubs, and all have excited tens of millions of fans at home.

There’s renewed hope for Brazilian fans after years of defeats against European teams in FIFA competitions.

Flamengo and Palmeiras topped their groups — Flamengo stunned Chelsea 3-1 to be the first team to qualify for the knockout rounds. Botafogo, which shocked Champions League winner Paris Saint-Germain, and Fluminense qualified in second place.

“Our first objective was the Round-of-16, but that isn’t the end objective,” Fluminense midfielder Jhon Arias said Wednesday after a 0-0 draw with South Africa’s Mamelodi Sundowns. All four clubs from Brazil have similar expectations for the knockout stage.

Botafogo and Palmeiras will face off Saturday, a game which guarantees at least one Brazilian club a spot in the quarterfinals. Flamengo take on Bayern Munich on Sunday and Fluminense will face Inter Milan on Monday.

Corinthians were the last Brazilian club to win the world club title, beating Chelsea in 2012. That tournament format was much smaller than the current 32-team competition which features clubs from five continents.

New optimism

Copa Libertadores champion Botafogo produced the biggest group-stage upset with the June 19 win over PSG. Before that encounter, Brazilian fans and soccer pundits expected the French club to bulldoze the carioca side, which have had ups and downs this year.

“Botafogo were the team that best defended against us in the entire season,” PSG coach Luis Enrique said. “They deserved it.”

Two factors have helped Brazilian clubs: they’re halfway through their season, unlike the European clubs which have finished, and they’re familiar with the kind of heat that has blanketed the tournament.

Still, Brazilian coaches, executives, players and fans weren’t showing much optimism before the tournament began. That has also changed, as Flamengo fans showed in Philadelphia by chanting “the time is coming” for Bayern Munich after the German club were confirmed as their next opponent.

“The cemetery of football is full of favorites,” Botafogo coach Renato Paiva said after victory over the European champions. “Almost nobody can openly face PSG. Could I try that? I could, but that was a big risk in a competition of this kind.”

Atletico Madrid’s late 1-0 over Botafogo was the only defeat for a Brazilian club in the group stage.

South American power

Brazilian teams are so competitive in South America that they have won the past six editions of the Copa Libertadores, including five all-Brazil finals. Their regional superiority can also be seen in this Club World Cup as their two Argentinian rivals in the tournament, Boca Juniors and River Plate, failed to get through the group stage.

Much of that success for Brazilians comes from talent of the rest of South America, as it has happened in the Club World Cup.

The Brazilian league attracts young footballers from across the region before they move elsewhere for money and more prestige. But some choose to stay and grow in a tough league outside of Europe, with up to six serious contenders for the trophy every year.

Flamengo playmaker Giorgián de Arrascaeta is Uruguayan. Botafogo’s key player is Venezuela’s Jefferson Savarino. Fluminense highly depend on Arias. Palmeiras are trusting more goals will come from Argentina’s Flaco López. And none of those have ever played in Europe.

“Many good things in all history that happen in football come from South America,” Manchester City coach Pep Guardiola said Sunday. “The greatest players come from there.”

Real Madrid coach Xabi Alonso said ahead of Thursday’s game against RB Salzburg that European teams will benefit from “seeing the competitive level from outside.”

“Adapting is important, but we can see teams that we don’t have to day-to-day and they are very good,” said Alonso, who mentioned the Brazilian teams and River Plate among those who caught his interest. “Before the start we said it was going to be in a way with the Europeans, and now we have opened our eyes.”

Brazil has also brought in several Portuguese coaches, with success. Paiva took over Botafogo from his countryman Arthur Jorge. And Abel Ferreira has won almost every title with Palmeiras since he joined the club in 2020. That has also made Brazilian clubs more competitive.

“I am very proud to be in Brazil. I had many chances to leave and I did not,” Ferreira said at the start of the tournament.

Asked how big the gap is between his team and European clubs, Ferreira said: “It is minimal. We have to compete.”

The knockout stage of the Club World Cup will tell whether he is right.


Ronaldo renews Al-Nassr contract until 2027

Updated 26 June 2025
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Ronaldo renews Al-Nassr contract until 2027

  • “Cristiano Ronaldo is staying at @AlNassrFC until 2027,” the club wrote in a post on X
  • Ronaldo later posted a message on his Instagram, confirming the extension

RIYADH: Cristiano Ronaldo inked a two-year extension with Saudi Arabia’s Al-Nassr, the club announced Thursday, following months of speculation over which team he would sign for next season.

“Cristiano Ronaldo is staying at @AlNassrFC until 2027,” the club wrote in a post on X.


Minutes before the official confirmation, the team posted a teaser video, with the 40-year-old Ronaldo walking along a beachfront and saying: “Al-Nassr forever.”

Ronaldo later posted a message on his Instagram, confirming the extension.

“A new chapter begins. Same passion, same dream. Let’s make history together,” read the post.

The Portuguese superstar arrived in 2023 in the kingdom to play with the club, heralding a rush of players in the latter stages of their careers to the Kingdom.

Last month, Ronaldo posted “This chapter is over” hours after the Saudi Pro League wrapped up with Al-Nassr finishing third and trophyless once again.

“Ronaldo’s presence is a key factor in developing the Saudi league in the last two years and a half. He opens the door for elite and young players to come to Saudi Arabia,” a source from the Public Investment Fund (PIF), a major investor in Saudi football, told AFP last month.

Ronaldo’s announcement in May came just months after Brazilian star Neymar ended his injury-plagued 18-month stay in January, after playing just seven times for Al-Hilal — on a reported salary of around $104 million a year.

Although Ronaldo was the Pro League’s top scorer with 25 goals, he has been unable to win a Saudi or continental trophy with Al-Nassr, who lost in the Asian Champions League semifinals last month.

Last year, the five-time Ballon d’Or winner said he could end his career with the Riyadh team.

Saudi Arabia has shaken up football by spending heavily on stars from Europe, starting with Ronaldo’s move in late 2022, and the desert nation will host the World Cup in 2034.

For the past two years, Saudi football fans could watch the likes of Ronaldo and Karim Benzema, with six Ballons d’Or between them, on any given weekend during the football season in the kingdom.


Mbappe files harassment complaint against PSG and judicial officials are investigating

Updated 26 June 2025
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Mbappe files harassment complaint against PSG and judicial officials are investigating

  • The Real Madrid star is at odds with his former club, arguing PSG owes him $61 million in unpaid wages
  • Mbappe stunned PSG in June 2023 by informing the club he would not take the option for an extra year

PARIS: Kylian Mbappe has accused Paris Saint-Germain of moral harassment in a legal filing, the Paris prosecutor’s office confirmed on Thursday.

The Real Madrid star is at odds with his former club, arguing PSG owes him €55 million ($61 million) in unpaid wages.

Mbappe is also unhappy with the way he was treated by the Ligue 1 club when the France captain was sidelined before the 2023-24 season, following his decision not to extend his club contract.

The prosecutor’s office said Mbappe is “denouncing the ‘lofting’ he claimed to have been subjected to at Paris Saint-Germain.” The word lofting is used in France to describe a practice that involves isolating a player from the main squad for sporting, administrative, or disciplinary reasons.

Mbappe joined Real Madrid last summer on a free transfer after scoring a club-record 256 goals in seven years at PSG, which won the Champions League without him this year.

Mbappe’s relationship with PSG ended amid deep tensions, and some fans booed him in his last home game at Parc des Princes. PSG felt let down by Mbappe after offering him the most lucrative contract in club history when he signed a new contract in 2022.

But Mbappe was frustrated because he felt promises to sign key players were not kept. When he signed that deal, he was paraded in front of fans holding up a jersey with 2025 on it. Mbappe was reportedly annoyed because the contract was until 2024 — with a player’s option for an extra season.

Mbappe stunned PSG in June 2023 by informing the club he would not take the option for an extra year. With his contract effectively into its final year, it put PSG in the position of needing to sell Mbappe to avoid losing him for nothing when the contract expired.

His PSG career could have ended that summer amid a tense transfer standoff.

After telling the club he would not extend, Mbappe was left off a preseason tour to Japan and South Korea and forced to train with fringe players. PSG said it would rather sell him than let the player leave for free in 2024, but he rejected a €300 million move to Saudi Arabia team Al-Hilal.

PSG left Mbappe out of the opening league game of that season but he soon returned to the lineup following talks.

Mbappe’s legal team said in April it would start an action against PSG for harassment because of the way he was treated at the time.