Fútbol, Le Foot, Voetbal, ποδόσφαιρο

[AllRoverAsia]

8 hours ago, Aqualung said:

I'm happy enough that West ham won but that was one of the worse finals I've ever seen. Championship standard football at best. 

It was awful, West Ham mostly pathetic. They got lucky.

[Guest]

On 07/06/2023 at 16:32, davulsukur said:

Yeah I saw that Kante was going for big money and they're obviously chucking silly money at Messi to try and get him across.

I mentioned N'Golo Kante's €100m contract was over the course of two years. Apparently, it's €100m per year. 🤯 Karim Benzema is getting €200m per year.

There are rumours of other players, such as Paulo Dybala, potentially going to Saudi Arabia. Whether they do or not will likely be down to if the money can tempt them for the sake of a year or two. Benzema, Kante, and Ronaldo obviously have no problem with it, but Lionel Messi and Robert Lewandowski apparently do (reports and quotes that they turned it down on moral grounds without saying they turned it down on moral grounds).

I can see this trend increasing and things getting more politicised and polarised. Saudi Arabia is only going to ramp up their interest in the game leading up to their 2030 World Cup bid, and they're only going to throw more and more money at it.

Edited June 13, 2023 by goozburger

[K-Hod]

Messi is a tourism ambassador for Saudi Arabia, so don’t think that will be much of an issue for him. He already has a gaff in Miami apparently, so that one seems to make sense there….

[Mattyblue]

6 hours ago, K-Hod said:

Messi is a tourism ambassador for Saudi Arabia

Presumably he does this kind of stuff…

But instead with… ‘look down here, it’s where you can watch mass beheadings every Saturday’

[Guest]

Boos ring out at half-time in Enschede. The Dutch are showing why it's called The Dutch Disease. Possession with no incision.

[roverandout]

Saudi club offered psg £260 million for mbappe.  Absolutely obscene.  

[G Somerset Rover]

26 minutes ago, roverandout said:

Saudi club offered psg £260 million for mbappe.  Absolutely obscene.  

It’d be for one season too as he’s going to be joining Madrid next summer. Insane.

Edited July 24, 2023 by Gavlar Somerset Rover!

[DeeCee]

Not worth 26m, petulant twat.

[Tim Southampton Rover]

We should be flogging some of our players to Saudi. Don't spend £260m on Mbappe when you could have Sam Gallagher for £160m and keep £100m to spend on a rainy day.

[Dreyski]

On one hand it’s nice to see a team say ‘no’ to Bayern Munich, with their habit of hovering up top talent.

On the other, I wish it wasn’t Spurs.

[arbitro]

37 minutes ago, Dreyski said:

On one hand it’s nice to see a team say ‘no’ to Bayern Munich, with their habit of hovering up top talent.

On the other, I wish it wasn’t Spurs.

It's a real gamble by Levy as Kane is out of contract next summer and he is 30. The latest report says Bayern have offered £94.6m. If he doesn't let him go I can see Kane joining the Saudi gravy train.

[Dreyski]

Spurs say ‘yes’ at £94 million. Up to Kane to agree personal terms.

 

[Dreams of 1995]

Neymar is off to Saudi, in the latest global "superstar" to take a big payout

Rumour is £2.5m a week over 2 years, of which he can have 50% up front if he goes

The game is ruined

[Sweaty Gussets]

19 minutes ago, Dreams of 1995 said:

Neymar is off to Saudi, in the latest global "superstar" to take a big payout

Rumour is £2.5m a week over 2 years, of which he can have 50% up front if he goes

The game is ruined

I'm quite enjoying it.

All the 'big' clubs who have dominated European football through rigging the game financially in their favour, now find they can't compete. 

With our Academy we'll be Champions League winners by 2028 🙂 

[philipl]

Saint Maximin is the only sub 30 year old off to collect his pension as far as I can recollect.

[moerpho]

Don’t forget Ruben Neves.

I also agree with Sweaty Gussets - I’m kind of digging it. Let the saudis rob every «superstar» from european football. Bleed the effing big clubs dry. Saudi league will still fail.

Sooner or later ManUre etc will come knocking for our academy graduates. Hope clubs in Championship and lower are prepared to play hardball when it comes to transfers unlike now where they go for pittance.

Another good thing with all the so called superstars moved to saudi is that it opens up room for younger and hopefully local players to shine. Still….I believe this just a phase that will come to a brutal end in a couple of years.

[speeeeeeedie]

18 minutes ago, moerpho said:

Don’t forget Ruben Neves.

I also agree with Sweaty Gussets - I’m kind of digging it. Let the saudis rob every «superstar» from european football. Bleed the effing big clubs dry. Saudi league will still fail.

Sooner or later ManUre etc will come knocking for our academy graduates. Hope clubs in Championship and lower are prepared to play hardball when it comes to transfers unlike now where they go for pittance.

Another good thing with all the so called superstars moved to saudi is that it opens up room for younger and hopefully local players to shine. Still….I believe this just a phase that will come to a brutal end in a couple of years.

Neves is a funny one. I think he'll be at Newcastle soon enough on loan. He signed for Wolves when they were a nobody championship outfit too. 

I also agree that it is a phase. Players will still go and play there to top up their pensions but it won't turn into a super league. 

I'm sure that the Saudi's will give anyone who goes there the white glove treatment but at some point some incident will occur, however minor, that will make players think twice about going. 

[smiller14]

2 hours ago, philipl said:

Saint Maximin is the only sub 30 year old off to collect his pension as far as I can recollect.

Jota as well who has left Celtic. A cracking player, only 25 I think. He's gone under the radar due to playing in Scotland but I really rate him. 

He signed a month ago and now due to squad registration issues (i.e. they want bigger names) they might be loaning him out. I wouldn't be surprised if he ends up at Newcastle.

[frosty]

3 hours ago, philipl said:

Saint Maximin is the only sub 30 year old off to collect his pension as far as I can recollect.

Fabinho (just), Sergej Milinkovic-Savic, Franck Kessie, Roger Ibanez.

[Dreams of 1995]

1 hour ago, frosty said:

Fabinho (just), Sergej Milinkovic-Savic, Franck Kessie, Roger Ibanez.

Can’t believe Milinkovic Savic went! What a disappointing decision. He’s in his peak 

Though, playing for Serbia means he’s guaranteed his spot. I think that’s how the European leagues will keep their power; limit international appearances for players who go and join a weak league and that should stop the players with ambition going 

I think that’s why Mbappe chose not to go

[AllRoverAsia]

Fox Sport 2, English commentary. Mane just scored.

If it keeps me from watching Manure it's ok by me.

Jack Henry, Scotland playing for Al Ettifaq

 

Edited August 14, 2023 by AllRoverAsia

[Upside Down]

3 hours ago, AllRoverAsia said:

Fox Sport 2, English commentary. Mane just scored.

If it keeps me from watching Manure it's ok by me.

Jack Henry, Scotland playing for Al Ettifaq

 

Talk about Mickey mouse.

[wilsdenrover]

3 hours ago, AllRoverAsia said:

Fox Sport 2, English commentary. Mane just scored.

If it keeps me from watching Manure it's ok by me.

Jack Henry, Scotland playing for Al Ettifaq

 

It looks like Jordan’s got a new captain’s armband.

He must have lost his old one…

Edited August 14, 2023 by wilsdenrover

[Ewood Ace]

6 hours ago, Dreams of 1995 said:

Can’t believe Milinkovic Savic went! What a disappointing decision. He’s in his peak 

Though, playing for Serbia means he’s guaranteed his spot. 

He's a flat track bully. He's never excelled in any of the European competitions, he underperforms for Serbia & has a tendency to go missing in big games.

12 hours ago, Dreams of 1995 said:

Neymar is off to Saudi, in the latest global "superstar" to take a big payout

Rumour is £2.5m a week over 2 years, of which he can have 50% up front if he goes

The game is ruined

A very fitting end to Neymar's career. His performances never matched the hype surrounding him.

12 hours ago, Sweaty Gussets said:

I'm quite enjoying it.

All the 'big' clubs who have dominated European football through rigging the game financially in their favour, now find they can't compete. 

Saudi money has actually good for the big clubs because they aren't taking their best players but rather players the big clubs  want to get off their books who are on high wages and who without Saudi would stay clogging up a wage bill and pushing clubs closer to FFP.

United have got rid of Telles & Ronaldo to there, Chelsea got rid of Koulibaly & Mendy. Newcastle got rid of St Maximin, Bayern got a buyer for Mane, PSG got someone to pay a fee for Neymar & got his extravagant wages of their books. Barcelona found a buyer for Kessie who they seemed to be offering around from the minute they signed him, Inter wanted rid of  Brozovic and found a buyer. Liverpool got money into revamp their midfield they were not bidding £110 Million for anyone before the Saudi money came in for Henderson & Fabinho. 

It's those clubs who are not quite at the very top of the European game that it is bad for. 

 

Edited August 15, 2023 by Ewood Ace

[Upside Down]

It says a lot about people who go there and take their money.