A month after Russia thrashed Saudi Arabia to open the World Cup, France took advantage of its chances and was crowned world champions for the second time. Those high-scoring matches bookended a tournament in which there were 169 World Cup goals. With 12 of those resulting from own goals, there were 157 goals where the celebration wasn't marred by an untimely mistake.
After Cristiano Ronaldo’s $117 million transfer to Juventus FC on July 10 and with the constant meme flow of Neymar “Flop Master Crash” Jr. during the World Cup, the Portuguese and Brazilian are no strangers to harsh criticism. So in lieu of that, let’s pit the two buggers against each other and see who survives the fan warfare. This is Ronaldo vs Neymar.
For those of you who think this is unfair, other than crying us a river, what’s wrong with a little playing with fire every now and then? Metaphorically, please don’t play with actual fire.
Neymar da Silva Santos Júnior, commonly known as Neymar, is one of the most popular footballers on the planet. As an adolescent, his passion for the sport blossomed, and his skills developed quickly. But how has Neymar family life impacted the footballer's every decision?
French champion Paris Saint-Germain bid the equivalent of just over $316 million for Barcelona’s Philippe Coutinho, as reported by Mundo Deportivo. The world-record bid was sought through Coutinho’s agents as a mediator with Barcelona. The 26-year-old Brazilian does have a $470 million release clause in his contract with Barcelona.
As recognized by his 2017 Golden Boy award and current standing as the second most expensive player ever, 19-year-old French phenom Kylian Mbappe is the most exciting talent in world football. He’s the youngest-ever French goalscorer at the World Cup and the second teenager to score two goals in a World Cup match, joining Pele in that regard.
Neymar transfer rumors have circulated almost since he stepped foot on the training ground at Paris Saint-Germain. Such is the nature of European soccer, with its escalating transfer fees and dueling ownership groups. Although for a time it appeared that Real Madrid would replace Ronaldo with Neymar, it now looks increasingly likely that Neymar will stay at PSG for at least another season.
Paris Saint-Germain signed former Juventus goalkeeper, Italian football legend and the real Terminator Gianluigi Buffon on a free transfer on Friday. At 40 years old and after 17 years of service with Juventus, for which he played 656 times, Gigi is back in the game.
The nine-time Serie A champion was rumored to step into a managerial spot for Juve but instead signed a one-year contract, with a one-year renewal option with French champion PSG.
Although the announcement video is just lazy, it’s worth watching because Buffon and reasons.
The World Cup has less than two weeks left, and I’m just about ready to curl up in a ball and cry in the corner for the next four years until Qatar 2022 rolls around. But alas, noone can stay away from the sport for that long. After the World Cup ends (sad, I know), the attention then becomes on the club scene again, particularly the International Champions Cup schedule.
European teams travel all over the globe for some preseason training camps and friendlies. The biggest set of friendlies, however, often happens in the United States.
How fast is Kylian Mbappe? That was the question preying on everyone’s mind after the 19-year-old French phenom tore away from three Argentina players before threatening to do the same to Marcos Rojo, causing the defender to take him down in the box for an early penalty to France. Mbappe is frighteningly quick. He eats distances in the blink of an eye with his flowing stride, and he’s as capable of tearing off on a thundering run in the 90th minute as he is in the first. He’s non-stop.