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After yet another international break, the Premier League returns this weekend, and Arsenal can continue their title charge.

Mikel Arteta’s side sit four points clear atop the table and will be desperate to make up for dropping points away to Sunderland last time out.

The Gunners weren’t necessarily poor at the Stadium of Light, but aside from a few players, they certainly weren’t at their best.

With that said, one of the starters who played well was Leandro Trossard, although if reports are to be believed, Arsenal might be set to sign someone who could be an upgrade on him.

Arsenal target Trossard upgrade

If you were to ask Arsenal fans who their best players have been this season, you would likely get a lot of the usual suspects, like Declan Rice, Gabriel Magalhães and Jurrien Timber.

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Mega money deals, controversial moves and big-name flops. This is the home of transfer news and opinion across Football FanCast.

However, one player who has at least entered that conversation as of late is Trossard, who, unlike last year, is starting to influence games on a more regular basis.

For example, if he didn’t score that thunderbolt against the Black Cats, there is every chance the Gunners might’ve gone into the international break on the back of a defeat.

However, even though the Belgian has been a key contributor in the last month or so, the club appear keen on signing someone to compete with, or possibly replace him.

At least that is according to a recent report from Spain, which claims Arsenal have maintained their interest in Antoine Semenyo.

The report has revealed that, alongside the likes of Chelsea, Manchester City and Liverpool, the Gunners are vying for the Bournemouth star.

While the competition is far from ideal, the good news is that, according to another story from The Athletic, the Cherries star has a £65m release clause in his new contract, which will be active for part of January.

It could be a complicated transfer to get over the line, but given Semenyo’s immense talent, one worth fighting for, especially as he could be an upgrade on Trossard.

How Semenyo compares to Trossard

As they still produced the best defence in the league last season, Arsenal’s biggest problem, at least domestically, was their diminished goal threat.

Therefore, the first thing to compare between Trossard and Semenyo should be their output, as that is ultimately what a winger is judged on these days.

For his efforts so far this year, the Bournemouth star has scored six goals and provided three assists in 12 appearances, which comes out to an average of a goal involvement every 1.33 games, and helps to justify Chris Waddle’s claim that he’s currently “the best winger in the country.”

The Belgian, on the other hand, has racked up four goals and four assists in 14 appearances, which works out to a less impressive tally of a goal involvement every 1.75 games.

Unfortunately for the former Brighton & Hove Albion star, he still comes out as a distant second best when looking at their output last season.

For example, he produced 20 goal involvements in 56 games for a far better team, while the Cherries star produced as many goal involvements in just 42 games.

Okay, what about when you take a look under the hood, which winger has the better underlying numbers?

Expected G+As

0.46

0.36

Non-Penalty G+As

0.73

0.56

Progressive Passes

3.55

3.38

Progressive Carries

3.18

2.82

Shots on Target

1.09

0.56

Shot-Creating Actions

3.28

2.94

Goal-Creating Actions

0.64

0.28

Tackles Won

1.00

0.42

Successful Take-Ons

1.91

0.99

Unsurprisingly, it’s the Ghanaian international who once again emerges victorious, coming out on top in key metrics like expected goals plus assists, progressive passes and carries, successful take-ons, shot and goal-creating actions and more, all per 90.

Finally, there is also the simple fact that, at 25, the Bournemouth star has a lot more to offer compared to the 30-year-old, and would therefore be the smarter long-term option.

Ultimately, Trossard has been far better this season than last, but even so, it’s clear that Semenyo would be an upgrade on him, and therefore, Arsenal should go all out to sign the Cherries star in January.

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ByJack Salveson Holmes Nov 18, 2025

Thursday night's ALCS Game 3 between the New York Yankees and Cleveland Guardians got incredibly exciting in the late innings. The visiting pinstripes went back-to-back thanks to Aaron Judge and Giancarlo Stanton in the eighth to take the lead, entering the bottom of the ninth up 5–3.

The Guardians were teetering on the verge of a borderline insurmountable 3–0 deficit but still managed to get a man on second with two outs. Then Jhokensy Noel, the slugger known as Big Christmas, came up to the plate and crushed a two-run home run to tie it all up.

It was an amazing moment and play-by-play announcer Brian Anderson absolutley nailed the call for TNT. As soon as Noel made contact Anderson and his cohorts in the broadcast booth were reduced to excited shouts for a few seconds. Then Anderson's instincts took over and he delivered the call of the playoffs so far: "BIG CHRISTMAS HAS TIED IT! THE ULTIMATE PRESENT UNDER THE TREE!"

Such an epic moment is only compounded by a great call and Anderson killed it here.

What a homer. What a call.

Meanwhile Swapnil Singh is set to move to Tripura from Uttarakhand

Shashank Kishore16-Jul-2025

Vidarbha and Royal Challengers Bengaluru wicketkeeper Jitesh Sharma will represent Baroda in the upcoming season.The 31-year-old did not feature in any matches during the 2024-25 Ranji Trophy, playing second fiddle to captain and first-choice wicketkeeper Akshay Wadkar. He remained part of Vidarbha’s white-ball squads, led by Karun Nair.The transfer to Baroda has reportedly been in the works for some time, with Jitesh’s close ties to Baroda captain Krunal Pandya, his fellow Royal Challengers Bengaluru teammate during their maiden IPL title win earlier this year, believed to have helped facilitate the move.The shift could give Jitesh a renewed opportunity to cement his place as a regular in first-class cricket. Since making his debut in 2015-16, Jitesh has managed to feature in just 18 first-class games over the past ten seasons. He averages a modest 24.48 with four half-centuries. His most recent first-class game came nearly 18 months ago.Despite limited match time in red-ball cricket, Jitesh has made a mark in the shortest formats over the past few years. After breaking through for Punjab Kings in 2023, Jitesh earned an India T20I debut during the Asian Games in October that year. He has featured in nine T20Is.Earlier this year, Jitesh played a key role as finisher for RCB at IPL 2025, including scoring a maiden half-century, an unbeaten 85, in a must-win against Lucknow Super Giants that helped them finish in the top two. He was vice-captain to Rajat Patidar, and also stood-in as captain when Patidar was injured towards the back end of the competition.Meanwhile, Jitesh’s IPL team-mate Swapnil Singh, RCB’s only RTM (right to match) at the mega auction, is set to move to Tripura. Swapnil didn’t feature in a single game for RCB and last played domestic cricket for Uttarakhand in 2024-25, picking up 18 wickets in five matches during the Ranji Trophy. His white-ball numbers were modest.Swapnil, a regular in the club cricket scene in Chennai, was most recently part of Chepauk Super Gillies in the Tamil Nadu Premier League 2025, picking up three wickets in eight matches while scoring 85 runs in eight games with the bat.

Cristiano Ronaldo is officially a billionaire.

The Bloomberg Billionaires Index, which ranks the world’s richest people based on their net worth, has included the Real Madrid legend for the first time, revealing his net worth – which includes career earnings, investments and endorsements – has now reached $1.4bn (£1.04bn).

The 40 year-old Portugal star is widely regarded as one of the greatest footballers and goalscorers of all time, and has earned lucrative contracts throughout his career with Manchester United, Madrid, Juventus and Al-Nassr.

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He also has endorsement deals with global companies such as Nike and Armani, as well as his own CR7 brand that sells clothing and fragrances worldwide.

Ronaldo’s contract in Saudi Arabia makes him the highest-paid player in football history, taking home an estimated $400m (£298m) from the two-year deal he signed this year.

Highest paid footballers: in pictures

But while the goalscoring machine is now hundreds of millions ahead of rival Lionel Messi, he does not rank first when it comes to net worth amongst active footballers.

Brunei prince is world's richest footballer

The richest player in the world is Faiq Bolkiah, a winger for the Brunei national team and Ratchaburi FC, a Thai football club.

Bolkiah is the nephew of Hassanal Bolkiah, the current Sultan of Brunei, and his net worth is believed to be around $20bn (£15bn), despite receiving a monthly salary of just $2,900 from his club.

Boasting over 250,000 followers on his Insatgram page, Bolkiah unsurprisingly lives a lavish life away from the pitch, trying his hand at modelling and reportedly owning a pet tiger, while his father is thought to own in excess of 2,000 cars.

Born in Los Angeles, USA, the 27 year-old was raised in the United Kingdom, and began his footballing career at A.F.C Newbury, in Berkshire. A winger by trade, he joined the famous Southampton academy in 2009, where he spent four years and played alongside the likes of Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, Luke Shaw and James-Ward Prowse.

Bolkiah signed a two-year youth contract at Chelsea in 2014 after an unsuccessful trial at Arsenal, but after failing to break through in West London eventually landed at Leicester City, where he penned his first professional deal at the age of 17 and lived in a converted hotel.

Despite spending four years with the Foxes, Bolkiah never made a first team appearance, but did play five times in the UEFA Youth League in the 2015/16 season, registering an assist in a 2-1 defeat to Club Brugge.

With a breakthrough into senior football difficult to come by in England, he joined Portuguese side Marítimo in 2020, a move he later he admitted was a mistake: “Marítimo said to me, ‘You’ll come here, you’ll play’, so I said, ‘I just want to be here for a year. The main thing for me is I want to play.’ Obviously, that didn’t happen.

“I definitely regret moving there. I feel like there was a lot of politics to do with it as well, why Marítimo wanted me. I didn’t feel like they were being fully honest.”

Bolkiah then moved to Asia in 2021 to join Thai outfit Chonburi, where he spent two years before the switch to his current club, Ratchaburi. They are third in the Thai League 1, the top flight of the Thai football league system, but Bolkiah has played just 35 minutes so far this season.

He has also scored once in six caps for his national side of Brunei, but has not featured for them since 2018.

تتجه أنظار الجماهير المصرية والعربية مساء اليوم السبت 1-11-2025 إلى المغرب، لمتابعة اللقاء المرتقب بين منتخب مصر لكرة اليد تحت 17 عامًا ونظيره منتخب ألمانيا في نهائي كأس العالم للشباب لكرة اليد، وهي المواجهة التي ينتظرها عشّاق اللعبة بفارغ الصبر.

منتخب مصر يخوض هذه المباراة النهائية بعد فوزه المثير على منتخب إسبانيا بنتيجة 31-28 في نصف النهائي، بينما تأهل المنتخب الألماني عقب تخطيه فرنسا في مباراة صعبة.

ويأمل المنتخب المصري في كتابة التاريخ والتتويج باللقب العالمي للشباب، ليواصل تألق كرة اليد المصرية في المحافل الدولية بعد سلسلة من النجاحات على مختلف المستويات.

طالع أيضًا | موعد مباراة مصر وألمانيا اليوم في نهائي كأس العالم للشباب لكرة اليد القناة الناقلة لمباراة مصر وألمانيا اليوم في نهائي كأس العالم للشباب لكرة اليد

من المقرر أن تُذاع مباراة مصر وألمانيا في نهائي كأس العالم للشباب لكرة اليد 2025 عبر قناة On Sports 2، وهي القناة التي تنقل البطولة حصريًا في منطقة الشرق الأوسط وشمال أفريقيا. معلق مباراة مصر وألمانيا اليوم في نهائي كأس العالم للشباب لكرة اليد

يتولى المعلق الرياضي خالد خيري مهمة التعليق الصوتي على أحداث اللقاء، حيث يتميّز بأسلوبه الحماسي وتحليله الفني العميق، ما يضيف طابعًا خاصًا للمواجهة المرتقبة بين الفراعنة والماكينات الألمانية.

ويُمكنكم متابعة أحداث مباريات اليوم لحظة بلحظة من مركز المباريات من هنــــا

South Africa women will play three T20Is and three ODIs each against Ireland and Pakistan

Firdose Moonda20-Mar-2025South Africa will not host any men’s Tests next summer, in accordance with the Future Tours Programme (FTP), and only have one inbound tour – a five-match T20I series against West Indies – in the 2025-26 season. This is the first time since readmission that South Africa will not host men’s Tests with the next long-format home fixtures scheduled for October 2026 against Australia.The lean schedule will allow for Cricket South Africa to focus on stadium upgrades ahead of the 2027 ODI World Cup which will be co-hosted by South Africa, Zimbabwe and Namibia. Several of the country’s premier grounds will have makeovers including new floodlights and drop-in pitches, which will be prepared well ahead of time and tested before the main event.It will also give the South African women’s side the spotlight, as they host Ireland and Pakistan for three T20Is and three ODIs each. They will play matches at all of South Africa’s big five venues: Newlands in Cape Town, St George’s Park in Gqeberha, the Wanderers in Johannesburg, SuperSport Park in Centurion and Kingsmead in DurbanThe women’s team will visit the smaller centres in Paarl, Benoni, East London, Potchefstroom, Bloemfontein and Kimberley as well, meaning they will have a match at all the country’s major grounds in the same season. The Pakistan series also marks the first round of the new Women’s Championship cycle, leading up to the 2029 ODI World Cup.”We are looking forward to seeing our women take on Ireland and Pakistan,” CSA CEO Pholetsi Moseki said in a release. “These tours not only provide our team with strong competition but also give our fans an opportunity to watch the Proteas Women compete at their favourite venues across the country.Moseki explained the men’s international window as being “unusually shorter next season due to outbound bilateral tours,” with South Africa’s white-ball sides touring Australia and England in August and September and the Test team due to play two-match series in Pakistan and India in November and December.The absence of home Tests has also allowed the SA20 to move into the festive window for the first and only time. It will be played between December 26 and January 26, with the West Indies series to follow immediately afterwards. The five matches are spread between the coastal venues and the Highveld but neither Gqeberha nor Durban will host a game. South African players will therefore have six weeks of T20 cricket before the T20 World Cup in India and Sri Lanka, which starts in February.CSA have also arranged one A tour, against New Zealand A, which will include three one-day matches and two four-day matches at the start of the summer. The games will be played in Pretoria and Potchefstroom.The dearth of home Tests next summer will be followed by a boon in the 2026-27 season when South Africa’s men will host England and Australia for three Tests each and Bangladesh for two matches while the women’s team will play Tests against India and Australia for a total of 10 Tests.

Arsenal welcomed regelation-battlers West Ham United to the Emirates Stadium on Saturday, with the aim of getting three more points to temporarily rise to the top of the Premier League table. However, they were dealt a hammer blow in the opening half hour after Martin Odegaard was forced to withdraw once again this season after he seemed to be struggling with his knee.

• Odegaard comes off within half an hour against West Ham

  Arsenal were dealt a huge blow on Saturday as Odegaard has suffered another injury. The Gunners' captain had to be taken off in the 29th minute in their Premier League encounter against West Ham at the Emirates Stadium, compounding Mikel Arteta's problems in the early phase of the season. 

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• (C)Getty images
  

  Odegaard unable to rid himself of injuries

  It's the third time the 26-year-old was forced off the pitch due to an injury. Back in August, in a fixture against Leeds United, Odegaard fell awkwardly on his shoulder, which led him to miss training in the following days. He was named on the bench for the blockbuster clash against Liverpool at the end of August. Then, after the September international break, his shoulder problem worsened against Nottingham Forest, with Arsenal forced to take him off in the 17th minute. He missed three games: the Champions League opener against Athletic Club, the league encounter against Manchester City, and the EFL Cup fixture against minnows Port Vale. 

• Unwanted history created by Odegaard

  After his substitution against the Hammers on Saturday, the Norway international became the first player in Premier League history to be withdrawn in the first half of three consecutive league matches. Against Leeds and Forest, he was taken off after 38 and 18 minutes, respectively. He lasted just 29 minutes against West Ham.

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  How long will Arsenal remain without Odegaard's services?

  The latest setback suffered looked like a new one for the former Real Madrid playmaker. Around the 20-minute mark, Odegaard seemed to be limping, but tried to shrug off the knock without getting medical attention. Just minutes later, though, he fell to the ground once more and this time, the medical team ran to the pitch to attend to Odegaard's issues. 

  It remains to be seen how long the 26-year-old will spend on the treatment table, just when it seemed like he was getting back to his best, both fitness-wise and performance-wise. Arteta has fielded the Spanish double pivot of Mikel Merino and Martin Zubimendi in Odegaard's absence, with Eberechi Eze taking over the reins in the No.10 role. 

After Aston Villa lost Jacob Ramsey to Newcastle United earlier in the window, they would not have intended to lose any more players before Deadline Day next Monday.

However, there is still a possibility that one or two more could depart Villa Park, with star man Morgan Rogers regularly touted with an exit.

A few days ago, it was revealed that Unai Emery’s side could lose Rogers to Chelsea. The Blues are said to be plotting a move worth up to £80m for the Villans forward, potentially as an alternative to one of their primary targets this summer, Xavi Simons.

Well, whether Rogers stays or goes remains to be seen, but Emery would need to replace him before Monday’s deadline.

Aston Villa’s last-minute plans in the window

It could be a frantic few days at Villa Park, with the West Midlands giants looking to do some more transfer dealings before the earlier-than-normal 7pm deadline.

A last-gasp move for Lucas Paqueta of West Ham United could be something Villa look to get over the line, if recent rumours are to be believed.

Transfer Focus

Mega money deals, controversial moves and big-name flops. This is the home of transfer news and opinion across Football FanCast.

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Well, one player that Villa have ‘opened talks’ to sign late on, according to journalist Patrick Berger, is Borussia Dortmund and Germany striker Maximilian Beier.

They are said to be ‘very interested’ in bringing the striker to Villa Park, but would need to sell due to FFP restrictions.

However, this is a deal that Villa seem keen to get over the line. So much so, in fact, that Emery’s side have readied a £30m bid for the versatile forward. It is unclear if that will match Dortmund’s asking price or if they will have to return to the negotiation table.

Why Beier would be a good signing

At just 22 years of age, Beier, an “exceptional” forward according to football scout Antonio Mango, has developed a fantastic reputation. He is already a full international with Germany and a key player for Dortmund.

Last term, his versatility was key for the Bundesliga giants. The forward can play right across the frontline, and whilst he excels most as a centre-forward, Beier also operated on both flanks and as a number 10 last season.

Despite a tough campaign for Dortmund, 2024/25 was strong personally for Beier. He played 46 games across all competitions, finding the back of the net ten times and assisting six goals.

His record of 16 goal involvements is even more impressive when you consider he played just 2,423 minutes, the equivalent of just under 27 full games.

Villa certainly need a like-for-like replacement for Rogers if he leaves, or, failing that, a squad player capable of challenging him for his spot in the side. There are certainly similarities between the pair, including their versatility and age profile, with both in their early 20s, meaning there is plenty of time to develop as a player.

Last season, the 23-year-old England international shone for the Villans. He bagged 14 goals and assisted 16 in 54 games, including a wonderful hat-trick in the Champions League group stage over Celtic.

One of the real selling points for Villa when it comes to signing Beier is his versatility, which is one way he is like Rogers. Just like the German forward, Villa’s number 27 can operate on both flanks, as a second striker and can lead the line.

The underlying stats also suggest that Beier could be Rogers-esque. For example, Dortmund’s forward averaged 1.36 key passes and 3.11 shot-creating actions per 90 minutes last season, close to the Villa star, who averaged 1.47 key passes and 3.04 shot-creating actions each game.

Beier & Rogers key stats compared

Stat (per 90)

Beier

Roger

Goals and assists

0.73

0.52

Key passes

1.36

1.47

Shot-creating actions

3.11

3.04

Goal-creating actions

0.40

0.46

Ball recoveries

2.77

3.44

Stats from FBref

A fee of £30m is certainly not going to break the bank for Villa at the end of the transfer window, provided they sell where possible. Although it is unclear at this stage whether Beier would replace or play alongside Roges, he seems like an ideal fit.

This could be a huge addition for Emery as they look to challenge on all fronts domestically and in Europe this season.

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Rohit was struck on the knee while attempting to play a pull shot and had to be attended by the physio

Alagappan Muthu22-Dec-20242:54

Pujara: With two Tests left, India the happier side

The Indian team management is not concerned about any injury worries to Rohit Sharma after the India captain was struck on the knee during practice at the MCG on Sunday and needed some attention from the physio. Fast bowler Akash Deep also took a blow while batting but later brushed any injury issues for both players aside.Rohit, who seems to be settling into his middle-order role – he let KL Rahul, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Virat Kohli and Shubman Gill face the new ball in the adjacent nets while he started batting against spin – attempted to play a pull shot but it didn’t come off and the ball cleared the top flap of the pad and hit him on the knee. He needed some treatment – elevating the leg and putting an ice pack on it – and seemed in good order by the time the session was winding up, walking around and having little chats with his team-mates and coaches.India’s trip to Melbourne has been eventful since their arrival earlier this week. There was a Virat Kohli event at the airport. A misunderstanding about Australian media filming his children on arrival. There was a Ravindra Jadeja event at the MCG. A misunderstanding about taking questions in English. And now a Rohit event at training.Related

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Akash Deep took a hit to the arm while batting and at the press conference on Sunday, he said neither blow was anything to worry about. “Such blows are common when you play cricket,” he said when asked about him and Rohit . “I think this (practice) wicket was for white ball which is why the ball kept low at times. But these blows are common in training. There are no major concerns because of that.”Rishabh Pant received plenty of attention during India’s first nets session on Saturday, spending nearly an hour talking with head coach Gautam Gambhir several yards away from all the action. Prasidh Krishna, who was initially with the India A team on tour in Australia and later brought into the senior squad ahead of the Perth Test, looked sharp. He had a good outing at the MCG in November, picking up 4 for 50 and 2 for 37 against Australia A.With the MCG nets offering public vantage points, there were several fans who came around to watch India train. A little girl who kept trying to catch their eye was unimpressed when she wasn’t able to. “If they can’t wave, they can at least smile,” she said.With the series at 1-1 and considering they haven’t gotten the better of Australian conditions in the first innings, India’s focus was understandably elsewhere. There was a fair bit of green grass on the pitch to be used for the Boxing Day Test, but with it being four days away, it is likely some of it will be shaved off. The MCG has had a drastic change in character since the last time India were here – from batting-friendly to bowling-friendly.Rohit Sharma has an ice pack on his knee after getting hit in the nets•Getty ImagesIn 2020, they bounced back from a difficult loss in Adelaide, where they were bowled out for 36, with an eight-wicket victory in Melbourne. The next Test match that the MCG hosted saw Scott Boland pick up 6 for 7 as England were knocked out for 68 in the second innings. There has only been one total of 250-plus in the two games held at the venue in this season’s Sheffield Shield.Akash Deep has had a couple of highs since making the XI in Brisbane. From No. 11, he helped India save the follow-on and belted Pat Cummins for a huge six over wide long-on. “At the time we come in to bat, scoring those 20-30 runs are very important. My mindset is to contribute in whatever way I can and that day my mindset, I didn’t think about saving the follow-on, I just didn’t want to get out. And when you do well from that situation it gives confidence and that’s the confidence that the team was able to see in me and I was really happy.”Akash Deep had a nice battle with Steven Smith as well, beating his bat on both edges, and receiving praise both on the field and later at his press conference. Despite bowling well, he only got one wicket in that first innings. “At the time, I felt like, the skill with which I bowled, a lot of the times he was getting beaten on the inside edge and the outside edge and I felt that sometimes ‘what is this luck that I have, I can’t get him out’. But then I realised that the wicket is not in our hands. What we have in our hands is just bowling well. Bowling in the right areas.”

Barcelona wonderkid Lamine Yamal has been sent a “lost along the way” warning, with Rodri passing on words of advice.

Teenager is starring on a global stageBeing tipped to reach the very topColleagues help to keep him groundedFollow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱WHAT HAPPENED?

At just 18 years of age, Yamal has become one of the most exciting talents in world football. He made his senior bow at 15 and now has La Liga and European Championship titles to his name.

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Many are predicting the teen sensation to come into Ballon d’Or contention, with Rodri aware of what it takes to land that prestigious crown. The Manchester City midfielder is looking to pass words of wisdom on to less experienced team-mates.

DID YOU KNOW?

He was caught on camera telling Yamal during the Euro 2024 final: “Keep working brother… Keep working because you can achieve whatever you want.” Others have echoed those sentiments, with there plenty of distractions for modern day players.

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Getty ImagesWHAT RODRI SAID

Rodri told reporters when asked about his interactions with Yamal and efforts to keep the hottest of prospects on the right track: “I didn’t want to be caught on camera. It’s sort of a reflection of the fact that they have to put their tremendous talent at the service of the team and football. We’ve seen many such cases get lost along the way. Lamine is an immense talent and an exceptional case. I see him happy and doing things well.”