MADRID: Kylian Mbappé spoke Tuesday of his “immense pleasure” at finally joining Real Madrid and felt his time at Paris Saint-Germain came to a sad end.
Madrid have reached a widely expected deal with the France star, bringing together a prolific scorer and a record 15-time Champions League winner.
“Finally, it’s official, I am going to be a Real Madrid player for the next five years. It’s an immense pleasure, a dream coming true, a lot of emotions,” Mbappé said at a pre-match news conference in Metz where France hosts Luxembourg on Wednesday ahead of the European Championship.
“I’m very, very happy (and) relieved, very proud to be joining a club where I’ve always dreamed of being.”
Mbappé’s seven years at PSG came to a somewhat difficult end, and his final season started and ended amid tensions.
He was left out of a pre-season tour to Japan in July after not taking up the option of a one-year contract extension, and then initially left out of the squad as the club insisted he could not leave for free and would be sold.
Mbappe was dropped from the squad for the opening league game of the season and feared he would not be playing at all.
“I was told that, I was made to understand it, things were very clear. I was aggressively spoken to. I was convinced I would not play (that season),” said Mbappé, who praised the intervention of coach Luis Enrique and PSG’s soccer adviser Luis Campos on his behalf. “Without them I would never have played.”
Mbappé informed club president Nasser Al-Khelaifi in February that he was leaving at the end of the season. But when the player made it official that he would not sign another deal with PSG, he did so in a video posted on X and not through the club’s communications department.
There was no ceremony prepared by the club for Mbappé’s final home game against Toulouse, where he was jeered by some fans.
“I wasn’t unhappy at PSG, that would be to spit in the soup (to be ungrateful),” Mbappé said. “(But) some things and some people made me unhappy.”
Mbappé did not give names.
His relationship with Al-Khelaifi reportedly grew increasingly tense when it became clear Mbappé would not sign a contract extension, despite PSG offering him the most lucrative deal in the club’s history when he signed a new contract in 2022.
Although he scored 44 goals in 48 games and won the French league and French Cup double, Mbappé was not always at his best this season.
He was largely ineffective in the Champions League semifinal defeat to Borussia Dortmund, failing to score in both legs and trudging off the field after PSG went out.
“Someone who’s happy has more chance of playing well but there are no excuses for some of my performances,” Mbappé said. “It wasn’t as high as my usual standards. Yet just to play, to win trophies was my biggest pride. But next season I won’t be satisfied with a season like that.”
Although tensions at PSG affected him, Mbappé said that someone in his position should not complain too much.
“I’m very well paid to play soccer. There are a lot of people who are paid a lot less to work in a factory,” he said. “It would be inappropriate for me to complain to the world, when there are horrible things happening in the world. That’s how I’ve been brought up.”
Mbappé leaves PSG as its all-time record scorer with 256 goals and will captain France at the June 14-July 14 Euros.
Mbappé declares his ‘immense pleasure’ at joining Real Madrid after unhappy end to PSG career
https://arab.news/vquba
Mbappé declares his ‘immense pleasure’ at joining Real Madrid after unhappy end to PSG career
- “I’m very, very happy (and) relieved, very proud to be joining a club where I’ve always dreamed of being,” Mbappe said
- Mbappé informed club president Nasser Al-Khelaifi in February that he was leaving at the end of the season
Barca stumble at Monaco after early red card
MONACO: Barcelona fell to a 2-1 defeat at Monaco on Thursday in their Champions League opener, hindered by an early red card shown to Eric Garcia.
Hansi Flick’s side have started the season with a perfect record after five La Liga matches but struggled to find their best level against the Ligue 1 side.
After Garcia was sent off for pulling down Takumi Minamino as he ran through, Maghnes Akliouche fired Monaco ahead.
Starlet Lamine Yamal scored a fine equalizer for Barcelona but George Ilenikhena grabbed the winner for Monaco in the 71st minute.
Five-time winners Barcelona, last crowned European champions in 2015, have struggled in Europe in recent seasons, particularly away from home and were brought crashing down to earth in the French Riviera.
Monaco thrashed Barcelona in a pre-season friendly and had the Catalan giants’ number for much of the clash at the Stade Louis II.
They were significantly aided by Garcia’s dismissal after 11 minutes, for felling former Liverpool midfielder Minamino on the edge of the box.
A careless pass from Barcelona goalkeeper Marc-Andre ter Stegen put Garcia under immediate pressure and he tangled with the Japan international as he tried to stop him running in on goal.
Monaco soon took the lead after 17 minutes when Akliouche worked his way into the box and finished well under little pressure.
With Barcelona at a numerical disadvantage the hosts were on top and Raphinha squandered the visitors’ best openings despite his impressive domestic form of late.
Monaco had kept Spain’s Euro 2024 star Yamal quiet but he burst into life to level before the half-hour mark, cutting in from the right and drilling inside the near post.
The teenage made it look easy to score a goal out of nothing, becoming the second youngest scorer in Champions League history at 17 years and 68 days old.
The record-holder watched on from Barcelona’s bench — Ansu Fati, who netted in 2019 against Inter Milan at 17 years 40 days of age.
Alejandro Balde bundled off target for Barcelona but Monaco came closer, with Breel Embolo firing at Ter Stegen and Wilfried Singo having a goal disallowed for offside.
Monaco took the lead when the dangerous Vanderson played a long ball over the top which substitute Ilenikhena ran on to, with Inigo Martinez in his rearview mirror.
The 18-year-old Nigerian forward hit his shot hard and low and it flew into the net via a hand from Ter Stegen, who might have kept it out.
The German stopper achieved some redemption when he produced a superb save to keep out Folarin Balogun’s ferocious effort.
Monaco were awarded a penalty late on when Balogun tumbled to ground under pressure from Martinez, but the referee changed his decision after a VAR review.
Flick threw on Fati for his first Barcelona appearance since August 2023 in search of an equalizer but it was not forthcoming.
Ex-Man United striker Anthony Martial joins AEK Athens
- Martial will receive $3.9m per year, becoming the most expensive player in the history of the 13-time Greek champions
- “AEK was a chance for me and I want to give the best of myself to win trophies and bring joy to the fans,” the French player said
ATHENS: Former Manchester United forward Anthony Martial has penned a three-year deal with AEK Athens, the Greek first division club announced on Thursday.
Out of contract after nine years with the Premier League club, Martial will receive 3.5 million euros ($3.9m) per year, becoming the most expensive player in the history of the 13-time Greek champions, who are celebrating their centenary this year.
“I’m very happy. AEK was a chance for me and I want to give the best of myself to win trophies and bring joy to the fans,” the French player said.
The 28-year-old former Lyon and Monaco player signed for Man United in 2015, scoring 90 goals in 317 games and winning the Europa League in 2017 and two FA Cup trophies.
But he has never fulfilled his early promise after bursting onto the scene at Monaco as a teenager.
Martial was capped 30 times capped by France with two goals scored but his last selection was in the final of the Nations League in October 2021, though he did not appear from the bench in that match as France beat Spain 2-1.
AEK have also signed former Tottenham Hotspur and Sevilla midfielder Erik Lamela.
They are top of Super League Greece after four matches, but are not playing in European competition this season.
Man City and Inter Milan draw 0-0 in goal-shy Champions League. PSG score late to beat Girona
- Just 13 were scored in six games one day after 28 were fired on Tuesday, including nine by Bayern Munich alone
- A rare Thursday slate of Champions League games will see Barcelona go to Monaco, Atalanta host Arsenal and Bayer Leverkusen visit Feyenoord
GENEVA: Where did all the goals go?
The 0-0 draws between Manchester City and Inter Milan in their rematch of the 2023 final, after Bologna and Shakhtar Donetsk also could not find a goal, capped an untypically goal-shy evening for the Champions League on Wednesday.
Just 13 were scored in six games one day after 28 were fired on Tuesday, including nine by Bayern Munich alone.
How unusual was this? Two 0-0 draws after just 12 of 144 games to be played in the new league phase is already halfway to the total of four in 96 games one year ago in the group-stage format that is now abolished. The entire competition averaged three goals per game last season.
Paris Saint-Germain and Girona also were heading for a blank until a horrible 90th-minute error by the Spanish debutant’s goalkeeper, Paulo Gazzaniga — spilling a cross by Nuno Mendes through his own legs — gifted a 1-0 win.
“We won’t get to where we want to overnight,” Girona coach Míchel said. “It requires hard work.”
Borussia Dortmund needed late goals from substitutes Jamie Gittens, twice, and Serhou Guirassy with a stoppage-time penalty to win 3-0 at Club Brugge.
The new format has welcomed new faces and long-absent friends in European soccer’s marquee competition.
Sparta Prague rose to the challenge of their first game for 19 years at this stage of the Champions League by beating Salzburg 3-0.
Bologna waited 60 years to return and deserved more for their attacking ambition against Champions League veteran Shakhtar. The Ukrainian champion had a penalty saved in the fourth minute by Bologna goalkeeper Lukasz Skorupski.
Slovan Bratislava was overmatched in their first game since 1992-93, the first season of the Champions League rebrand from the old European Cup, and with Georgia defender Guram Kashia making his competition debut at age 37.
They could not keep out Celtic, who won 5-1 in Glasgow. Ireland internationals Liam Scales and Adam Idah, Japan forward Kyogo Furuhashi and Daizen Maeda, and Arne Engels of Belgium scored for the champion of Scotland.
“The quality of the goals was sensational,” Celtic coach Brendan Rodgers said after just a fourth win in 33 Champions League games for the 1967 European Cup winner.
A rare Thursday slate of Champions League games will see Barcelona go to Monaco, Atalanta host Arsenal and Bayer Leverkusen visit Feyenoord.
Six games on each of three straight nights are launching the new format. Now, 36 teams each play eight different opponents through January and are ranked in a single league table to decide which teams advance to the knockout phase.
Man City held in rare home shutout
There was nothing to separate the champions of England and Italy, 15 months after Man City beat Inter 1-0 in Istanbul to lift the European Cup trophy for the first time.
Ilkay Gundogan wasted two late chances for manager Pep Guardiola’s team, failing to convert two headed chances.
It was the first time City had failed to score at home in Europe’s elite tournament since being held 0-0 by Sporting Lisbon in March 2022, and just the second time at home in all competitions since then. The other was a 0-0 draw with Arsenal in the Premier League in March.
But the result saw City extend their six-year unbeaten home run in European games to 32, dating to a 2-1 loss to Lyon.
“I’m pleased with our performance, I liked everything,” Guardiola said.
Dortmund keep clean sheet, again, somehow
Dortmund’s defense had a Champions League-best six clean sheets last season on its way to the final, where Real Madrid found two late goals to take the title.
Somehow, goalkeeper Gregor Kobel kept out Brugge despite 18 goal attempts including a close-range shot by Hugo Vetlesen that rattled the cross bar in the 12th minute. Vetlesen’s effort ended a manic series of four shots in a matter of seconds from a corner including a diving save by Kobel.
The Switzerland ‘keeper’s five saves meant Dortmund did not pay for its own wastefulness in front of goal until taking the lead in the 76th from a Gittens shot that deflected off two defenders before looping past Simon Mignolet into the Brugge net.
Salzburg’s heavy load
Few clubs will play more international games this season than Salzburg, under their new coach Pep Lijnders, the former long-time assistant to Jurgen Klopp at Liverpool.
Salzburg had to advance through two Champions League qualifying rounds in August — because their 10-year title run in Austria was ended by Sturm Graz — and will play at least three more games in June at the Club World Cup in the United States.
Salzburg qualified among 12 European teams going to the relaunched FIFA club event because of its consistent results in the past four Champions League seasons, but was upstaged in Prague.
“A few of our players were playing their first game for the club,” Lijnders said. “It’s a new team we need to build it.”
Sparta came through three qualifying rounds, and six games already, to reach this stage and made a sharp start Wednesday scoring within two minutes to set the tone for an easy win.
Tottenham mounts late comeback to beat Coventry 2-1 in the English League Cup
- Brennan Johnson completed Spurs’ comeback with the winner in the second minute of stoppage time
COVENTRY, England: Tottenham avoided a shock defeat in the third round of the English League Cup after scoring two late goals to beat second-division Coventry 2-1 on Wednesday.
Djed Spence evened the score in the 88th minute at Coventry Arena after Brandon Thomas-Asante had fired the home team ahead in the 63rd.
Brennan Johnson completed Spurs’ comeback with the winner in the second minute of stoppage time.
Coventry had come agonizingly close to upsetting Manchester United in the semifinal of the FA Cup last season — losing on penalties after a 3-3 draw at Wembley.
And it was another heartbreak against Premier League opposition after Tottenham’s late rescue act.
“Coventry were outstanding with the energy they brought, we had to dig deep today and we found what we needed to win the game,” Spurs manager Ange Postecoglou said.
Elsewhere, Wolverhampton’s troubled start to the season continued with a 3-2 loss at Brighton that saw it eliminated from the competition.
Carlos Baleba and Simon Adingra gave Brighton a 2-0 lead at Amex Stadium and Goncalo Guedes pulled one back for Wolves before halftime.
Ferdi Kadioglu made it 3-1 in the 85th and Tommy Doyle scored a consolation for Wolves in the 90th.
Ronaldo’s Al-Nassr appoint former AC Milan boss Pioli
- The Italian replaces Luis Castro, who parted ways with the club on Tuesday after a slow start to the season, both domestically and in the AFC Champions League
- “Pioli is Nassrawi,” Al Nassr said a statement on social media platform X
RIYADH: Saudi club Al-Nassr announced Wednesday the appointment of Stefano Pioli as coach of the side headed up by Portugal star Cristiano Ronaldo.
The Italian replaces Luis Castro, who parted ways with the club on Tuesday after a slow start to the season, both domestically and in the AFC Champions League.
“Pioli is Nassrawi,” Al-Nassr said a statement on social media platform X.
“We welcome Stefano Pioli as our new coach.”
The 58-year-old was AC Milan boss from October 2019 to May 2024, and oversaw the club’s Serie A title-winning campaign in 2022.
Prior to his near five-year stint at the Rossoneri, Pioli coached Italian sides including Fiorentina, Inter Milan, Lazio and Bologna.
He started his managerial career in 2003 with Salernitana and had worked exclusively in his native Italy up until his appointment by Al-Nassr.
His Portuguese predecessor Castro was the third coach to depart Al-Nassr since Ronaldo’s groundbreaking arrival in early 2023 on a contract that was said to net him 400 million euros over two-and-a-half years.
The highly decorated Ronaldo is yet to win a Saudi trophy with the Riyadh club, with his sole silverware so far being last year’s Arab Club Champions Cup.
Al-Nassr, who finished a distant second in the last Saudi Pro League season, have drawn twice in three matches at the start of the new campaign and on Monday drew 1-1 with Iraq’s Al-Shorta in their AFC Champions League Elite opener.
