Former Chelsea, Real Madrid and Bayern Munich attacker Arjen Robben plans to return to football with boyhood club Groningen at the age of 36.

Robben made his breakthrough at Groningen before moving to PSV, Chelsea, Real Madrid and Bayern Munich

Robben retired in July 2019 after a career in which he won more than 30 club trophies.

However he hopes to be back in action for the 2020-21 season to help Groningen, who have been badly affected by the suspension of football.

“It is my dream to wear the Groningen shirt again,” he said.

“I don’t know yet whether this will work. What I do know is that it will not depend on my commitment and motivation.

“The club can use any help during this period to get through the corona crisis.

“These past weeks I’ve had many conversations with club staff and maybe more than anything I’ve listened to the call of our supporters: Arjen, follow your heart!”

Robben, who won 96 Netherlands caps after making his debut for Groningen at 16, admitted that the comeback would be “a tough physical challenge”.

Groningen were ninth in the Eredivsie when the 2019-20 season was abandoned and then voided in April because of the global coronavirus pandemic.

The first fixtures of next season are expected to be played in mid-September – more than six months after Groningen lost 1-0 away to PSV Eindhoven in their most recent match.

Robben spent three seasons at Chelsea after signing from PSV for £12.1m in 2004, scoring 19 goals in 104 appearances and winning two Premier League titles.

Robben (centre) made his breakthrough at Groningen before moving to PSV, Chelsea, Real Madrid and Bayern Munich

Source – BBC News

The manager will be out of contract at the end of next season and will not commit to extending his stay at the Etihad.

Photo by Getty Images

Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola declined to confirm his future at the Etihad Stadium beyond the end of the 2020-1 season as the club’s focus shifts to the FA Cup after losing their Premier League crown.

City’s status as reigning English champions came to an end on Wednesday as they went down to a 2-1 defeat at the hands of Chelsea, a result that confirmed Liverpool‘s triumph in the 2019-20 campaign with seven games to spare.

The club also faces two years out of European football due to a UEFA Financial Fair Play ruling that is currently subject to appeal.

Reports have suggested that should the ban be confirmed, star players such as Kevin De Bruyne as well as Pep himself would look to leave City; but the manager refuses to look past the end of his current contract.

“I’m incredibly excited for this part of the season, and the next one,” Guardiola told reporters ahead of Sunday’s FA Cup quarter-final clash against Newcastle United.

“I am incredibly satisfied to be in this club and to try to do our best.

“But I don’t want to think too far ahead. Now is not the time. I just think about today.

“I want the players to recover because the last 15-20 minutes were so demanding 10 against 11. We have a tough game against Newcastle and that’s what I have to be focused on.”

Pep faces something of a dilemma at centre-back for the last-eight meeting, having revealed that John Stones joins the suspended Fernandinho in missing out against the Magpies.

“He’s still injured,” Guardiola said of Stones. “We knew it after lockdown for the lack of preparation.”

“We knew it – lack of preparation and this amount of games in a short time we have to survive. Survive and try to qualify for the Champions League and arrive good on Sunday.”

While the Premier League eluded City, the club still has the chance to add two major titles to the Carabao Cup crown won in March at the expense of Aston Villa.

With the FA Cup now in full swing, Pep’s men also remain active in the Champions League, where they hold a 2-1 lead over Real Madrid after the first leg of their last-16 meeting.

Source – Goal.com

The Red Devils weren’t helped by a raft of changes to their starting line-up but still managed to defeat Norwich 2-1 to reach the FA Cup semi-finals.

Photo by Getty/Goal

Manchester United have two unlikely heroes to thank for their place in the semi-finals of the FA Cup: Odion Ighalo and Harry Maguire.

Both were on target in Saturday’s hard-fought 2-1 victory over Norwich City at Carrow Road and both deserve the credit that will come their way.

Manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer had made eight changes to the side that dispatched of Sheffield United so easily at Old Trafford on Wednesday night, with only Maguire, Luke Shaw and Bruno Fernandes retaining their places and there was a rust to their performance here.

Indeed, as the game headed into extra time, it looked as though the Norwegian would come to regret his squad rotation.

With no fans allowed at Carrow Road the ‘magic of the cup’ was non-existent and the slow tempo of the first half, along with the empty stands and the muggy weather, meant the game felt more like a pre-season friendly than a crunch clash with a huge amount of significance for both sides.

Norwich were in the FA Cup quarter-finals for the first time since 1992, while Solskjaer is hunting for his first silverware as United manager.

For all their possession in the first half, though, United lacked the penetration, spark and powerful attacking threat they had shown just three days before.

Jesse Lingard, who missed the midweek game with a stomach bug, had two shots, which was the most of any player on the pitch in a first half that did little to stir the imagination and in which neither side mustered a shot on target.

Ighalo playing as a lone striker struggled for service while the three behind him in Lingard, Juan Mata and Bruno Fernandes couldn’t connect in the way Marcus Rashford, Anthony Martial and Mason Greenwood did at Old Trafford.

The final ball was lacking and there was little rhythm to United’s attacking play.

It was somewhat surprising Solskjaer didn’t call upon the star power on his bench at the break but United still got the breakthrough they were craving when Ighalo scored with their first shot on target in the 51st minute.

It was an instinctive finish from the Nigerian, who offers a different option to United’s attack and has now netted five times in just four starts since signing on the final day of the January transfer window.

Many pundits mocked the deal at the time but Ighalo has proven a shrewd piece of business.

Credit to Norwich, though, they responded well to falling behind.

Emi Buendia’s free kick was flicked on by Onel Hernandez only for Ben Godfrey to make a goalline clearance and let United off the hook.

The reprieve wouldn’t last long, though. Todd Cantwell – who had been by far the Canaries’ most threatening attacker – beat Sergio Romero with a sweet strike from 25 yards that swerved past the United goalkeeper and levelled the game with just 15 minutes of normal time remaining.

Just like United, the hosts had found the back of the net with their first shot on target.

With time running out, Scott McTominay and Fred made way for Paul Pogba and Nemanja Matic, who added some energy to United’s midfield. While Fred impressed in his recovery and defensive duties, the duo lacked the ability to spark the attack.

As the game headed towards extra time, Timm Klose made United’s job a little easier as he bundled Ighalo to the ground on the edge of the area and was shown a straight red.

Solskjaer then elected to unleash Martial in a four-pronged attack. “Keep pressing” and “keep out wide” were the demands from the United bench and the visitors’ pressure eventually told.

With such a strong attacking presence, it was surprising that Maguire was the match-winner, with the centre-half stroking home his third goal of the season after a moment of Pogba wizardry in the build-up.

A trip to Wembley now awaits United thanks to not only Maguire but their other unlikely hero, Ighalo.

Source – Goal.com

Football will see a drop in transfer fees and salaries following the COVID-19 pandemic and the sport needs to adapt to a new reality, said Bayern Munich CEO Karl-Heinz Rummenigge.

Rummenigge – Image credit: Getty Images

His team last week secured their eighth successive league crown and despite still fighting for a treble of titles, Bayern should expected their annual turnover of more than 700 million euros ($790.44 million) to drop by about 50 million due to the pandemic, Rummenigge said.

The Bundesliga was suspended for more than two months in March following the spread of the virus across the globe, restarting without fans in May as clubs’ revenues continued to drop.

“Football must try to become a bit more rational in order to be better prepared for future crisis,” Rummenigge told Handeslblatt newspaper on Tuesday.

“In the past decade football, with higher-faster-longer when it came to transfer fees and player salaries, went a considerable way beyond its target. We delivered a breath-taking competition for transfers that cannot be called rational any more.”

While Bayern had traditionally avoided paying high prices for players, they also joined the big spenders last year, forking out a league record 80 million euros for defender Lucas Hernandez, who spent much of the season injured.

There will also be less money available from broadcasters in the coming years, with the German Football League announcing on Monday domestic rights deals worth 4.4 billion from the 2021-22 season for four years.

It is less lucrative than the existing four-year deal that ends next season and is worth 4.6 billion euros.

In the coming season fans should not expect any big spending as clubs undergo cost-cutting operations, Rummenigge said.

“The transfer market has changed. There is not a lot of liquidity around and so there is a lack of demand. But there is no lack of supply for players eager to transfer,” he said.

“That will create adjustments to the prices, and the salaries are also hardly going to go up and that is the case for top players as well. Many top European clubs have announced intentions to decrease their payroll. We will also be treating this more carefully.”

Source – Eurosport.com

Arsenal defender David Luiz has agreed a new one-year contract with the club.

David Luiz won the Premier League with Chelsea in 2016-17

Defenders Pablo Mari and Cedric Soares will also join the Gunners permanently at the end of their loan deals, from Flamengo and Southampton respectively.

Meanwhile, midfielder Dani Ceballos has extended his loan deal from Real Madrid until the end of this season.

“I am really happy that we will have these players in our squad for the future,” said the Premier League club’s technical director Edu.

“They have been part of the long-term technical plan [manager] Mikel [Arteta] and I have developed. They bring the right balance to our squad.”

Brazil centre-back Luiz, 33, joined the club from Chelsea last year but was sent off during Arsenal’s return to Premier League action, a 3-0 defeat at Manchester City, last week.

“David is a really important player for us. He has played most of our matches this season and has been important for the team,” added Edu.

“His passing, his communication with the team on and off the pitch – he helps everyone.”

Spanish centre-back Mari, 26, and Portugal right-back Soares, 28, will complete their moves when the transfer window opens next month.

Source – BBC News

Orlando Pride have withdrawn from the NWSL Challenge Cup after six of their players tested positive for Covid-19.

Marta, the first footballer of either gender to score at five World Cups, plays for Orlando Pride

Pride, whose squad includes six-time world player of the year Marta and a host of US internationals, were due to compete in the nine-team tournament, starting on 27 July in Utah.

The NWSL is set to be the first league to resume following the coronavirus ,which halted sport in March.

“This was obviously a difficult and disappointing outcome,” said the club.

“However this is a decision that was made in order to protect the health of all involved in the Challenge Cup.”

Pride are coached by former Birmingham City manager Marc Skinner while the squad includes USA internationals Alex Morgan, Ali Krieger and Sydney Leroux, along with Scottish striker Claire Emslie.

Source – BBC News

The Croatian has long been a figure of hate for the Blaugrana’s online followers but he was the hero in Wednesday’s vital 1-0 win over Athletic Club.

Getty/Goal

This was meant to be Lionel Messi’s night. On the eve of his 33rd birthday, the Barcelona captain sat on 699 career goals.

In his previous 11 appearances against Athletic Club at Camp Nou, he had struck 10 times and racked up four assists. It was inevitable that he would be involved in Barca’s late winner.

The Blaugrana captain merely created it, though; it was Ivan Rakitic who scored the only goal of the game.

There are few more despised players among Barca’s notoriously rabid and reactionary online followers.

Rakitic has long been viewed as the symbol of a once great team’s gradual but obvious decline. He is deemed sub-standard, too ponderous and pedestrian in possession.

Some of criticism is not without validity but it has long been horribly over the top.

Rakitic’s partner, Raquel Mauri, even felt compelled to comment last October, praising the midfielder for his “professionalism” in the face of such incessant and vicious abuse, and declaring: “You are great – and nobody can change that.”

Whatever one’s views on the Croatian’s talent, it’s impossible to question his attitude.

He barely featured during the first half of the season under Ernesto Valverde and hasn’t always started for Quique Setien, who took over in January, but never complained.

“I am in a team sport, not an individual one,” Rakitic told Tportal.

Rakitic was back on the bench again against Athletic on Wednesday night but when Barca needed a breakthrough, it was the much-maligned 32-year-old who provided it.

The former Sevilla star didn’t just finish the move either; he started it, cleverly stepping forward to win a bouncing ball on the edge of the box before continuing his run into the area to latch onto a return pass from Messi to fire home his 50th goal in La Liga.

Messi’s ‘assist’ may not have even been intentional but it was his 250th for Barcelona. It also means that the Argentine has both scored and created 15 or more goals in a single season for the fifth time in his career.

However, the importance of Rakitic’s goal, which arrived just 19 minutes from time, cannot be overstated.

Having drawn 0-0 at Sevilla last Friday – a result which allowed Real Madrid to later go top of La Liga on account of a superior head-to-head record – Barca were in real danger of being held scoreless for the second consecutive game.

Despite Messi being his usual sprightly self, creating chances for the likes of Antoine Griezmann and Luis Suarez, the Blaugrana had once again failed to click offensively.

Griezmann can hardly complain about being replaced by the far livelier Ansu Fati midway through the second half, given the Frenchman has now gone seven La Liga games without a goal – his worst run since December 2016.

Indeed, the World Cup winner was still trudging back to the bench when Fati very nearly scored with his first touch.

However, of the front three, it was Suarez should have come off first. It was actually staggering that the Uruguayan, who has only just returned from knee surgery, was allowed to stay on until the 85th minute, as he failed dismally to get into the game, let alone carry a legitimate goalscoring threat.

Quique Setien does deserve some credit for some of his substitutions, though. As well as Fati, Riqui Puig also injected some much-needed vitality into the game when he replaced the ineffective Arthur, who once again did little to suggest he would be missed if he were to be sold to Juventus.

In the end, though, it wasn’t one of the youngsters, or even Messi, who earned three precious points for Barcelona. It was the man who many Barca fans wish were no longer at the club.

When he was linked with a move away from Camp Nou for the umpteenth time back in April, Rakitic told Mundo Deportivo: “I am not a sack of potatoes. I will decide my future and I want to be where I am valued.”

Wednesday’s goal is unlikely to secure the 2015 Champions League winner the respect he craves – and deserves – from all of Barca’s fans.

But on the night when everyone expected to see Messi make history, Rakitic was the match-winner – and nobody can change that.

Source – Goal.com

Manchester United midfielder Scott McTominay has signed a contract extension to June 2025, with an option to extend it for a further year.

Scott McTominay has made 75 appearances and scored seven goals in all competitions for Manchester United

The deal is recognition for the huge progress the 23-year-old has made since he was given debut by former boss Jose Mourinho against Arsenal in May 2017.

Born in Lancaster, McTominay is a full Scotland international.

“All I have ever known is United and I hope my passion for the club shows every time I go on the pitch,” he said.

“I’ll continue to give everything for this club whenever I pull on the shirt.”

Academy graduate McTominay had now made 75 first-team appearances for United, scoring six Premier League goals, including the second in a 2-0 win over Manchester City in March.

Manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer views the academy product as an integral part of his drive to get the club challenging for major honours again.

“Scott has done tremendously well since I joined and been a vital part of our midfield,” said Solskjaer.

“He brings determination, tenacity and skill to the game and we know Scott’s attributes will be a major asset to the squad over the coming years.”

Source – BBC News

A first-half penalty against Bologna gave the Portugal international his new record.

Getty Images

Juventus forward Cristiano Ronaldo overtook Rui Costa to become the leading Portuguese scorer in Serie A history on Monday.

Ronaldo slotted a first-half penalty down the middle in Juve’s 2-0 win over Bologna, a result that saw the Bianconeri move four points clear at the top of the table.

The goal was Ronaldo’s 22nd in Serie A this season, one more than the 21 he managed in his debut campaign in Turin following his move from Real Madrid in 2018.

In reaching 43 goals, the 35-year-old also moved beyond Rui Costa as the Portuguese player with the most goals in Italy‘s top flight.

Rui Costa spent eight years in Serie A, playing for Fiorentina and then Milan between 1994 and 2006.

Former Manchester United star Ronaldo remains the top Portuguese scorer in Premier League history having scored 84 times in 196 appearances.

He is the also the leading Portuguese scorer in La Liga history having registered 311 goals in 292 appearances for Real Madrid, where he is the all-time leading scorer.

Only Ronaldo’s great personal rival Barcelona captain Lionel Messi has scored more La Liga goals.

Ronaldo has been criticised recently after missing a penalty against Milan in the Coppa Italia semi-final and struggling to have an impact in the final versus Napoli.

Former Italy international Luca Toni described Ronaldo’s performance in the last four of the Coppa Italia as ‘average’.

“I saw the whole Juventus team in difficulty, even Cristiano Ronaldo, who looked like an average player in what was a very slow match,” Toni told Rai Sport after the Milan clash.

“You expect a big performance from him but he looked like he was experiencing physical difficulties – he couldn’t even dribble past a man.”

Ronaldo’s sister took to Instagram after the match to stick up for her brother, stating that he can’t always be expected to win matches on his own.

She said: “What else can you do? It is what it is and my darling can’t work miracles alone. I can’t understand how they played like that. Anyway, keep your head up. You can’t do more, my king.”

The Coppa Italia final loss marks the only time in Ronaldo’s career that he has lost two successive finals, having been defeated by Lazio in the Supercoppa Italiana at the tail end of 2019.

Source – Goal.com