logo
Yamal signs new 6-yr deal with Barca

Yamal signs new 6-yr deal with Barca

Qatar Tribune2 days ago

PA Media/dpa
London
Barcelona's teenage phenomenon Lamine Yamal has signed a new contract until 2031.
The forward, who does not turn 18 until July, made his debut in April 2023 aged just 15 but has already become an integral part of the club's success.
He helped Barca to the LaLiga, Spanish Super Cup and Copa del Rey treble and was a driving force in their journey to the semi-finals of the Champions League.
Yamal, who joined the club's academy aged seven, has already made 106 appearances - becoming the club's youngest player to reach a century of games.
He has scored 25 goals, while also becoming the youngest goalscorer in all three domestic competitions.
With Spain last summer, he became the youngest player to appear and score at a European Championship before their victory in the final, the day after his 17th birthday, made him the youngest winner of a major international tournament.
He topped the assist rankings with four, scored the goal of the tournament and went on to win the Kopa Trophy for best under-21 player at the Ballon d'Or awards.

Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

PSG and Inter Milan look ahead to Champions League final showdown
PSG and Inter Milan look ahead to Champions League final showdown

Al Jazeera

time10 hours ago

  • Al Jazeera

PSG and Inter Milan look ahead to Champions League final showdown

Billions of dollars have been spent. Some of the world's greatest players have come and gone. Yet the Champions League trophy has remained agonisingly out of reach for Paris Saint-Germain. That could be about to change. The Qatari-owned team is one game away from European club football's most prestigious prize, with Inter Milan standing in the way in Saturday's final in Munich. 'The motivation for me is to win the Champions League title for the first time for PSG,' coach Luis Enrique said on Friday. 'That is the gift I want to give the people, the club, the city.' PSG is the favourite, with a thrilling young team that has produced stunning performances to get past Manchester City, Liverpool and Arsenal. It feels like its time has finally come. But Inter is a wily opponent that is in its second final in three seasons and cut down a rampant Barcelona in an epic semifinal — winning 7-6 on aggregate. 'Our opponent, we hold the utmost respect for,' Inter captain Lautaro Martinez said. 'But with the weapons we've got, we want to hit them where it hurts.' The warning signs are there for PSG. PSG's run to the final has justified a shift in direction from the bling culture of superstar signings to focus more on young French talent. Owned by Qatar Sports Investments since 2011, PSG signed some of the biggest names in football, including Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Kylian Mbappe, Neymar and Lionel Messi without ever getting its hands on the trophy it craves most of all. Messi, Neymar and Mbappe have all gone, and without those iconic figures, PSG looks a more complete team. 'It's about being a team, not a group of individuals,' PSG captain Marquinhos said. 'I'm in love with this team. It's a delight to be part of the squad.' PSG's transformation has still come at some cost. Players like Ousmane Dembele, Desire Doue and Khvicha Kvaratskhelia were signed for an estimated $240m combined in a squad assembled at spectacular expense. Meanwhile, Inter has been savvy in the market — signing older players and picking up free agents to put together a team that has reached two Champions League finals in three years — losing to Man City in 2023 — and won an Italian title in that time. PSG's only previous final was in 2020, a 1-0 loss to Bayern Munich. It was a semifinalist in 2021 and 2024. Elimination in the round of 16 in 2022 and 2023 preceded the decision by President Nasser Al-Khelaifi to change his transfer strategy. This year is only the second time since 2011 that three-time champion Inter has advanced beyond the round of 16. Inter last won the Champions League in 2010 under Jose Mourinho. Dembele has been one of the outstanding players in Europe this season with 30 goals in all competitions for PSG, including a run of 24 in 18 games from December to March. Kvaratskhelia was signed from Napoli in January and sparked a turnaround in PSG's fortunes in the Champions League when it looked in danger of being eliminated at the league stage. The Georgian forward was long considered one of the brightest talents in Europe before making the move and has added another dimension to an already thrilling PSG attack. Midfielders Vitinha and Joao Neves are the engine, hungrily hunting down the ball when out of possession and springing attacks with the speed of their passing. World Cup winner Lautaro Martinez is Inter's standout player and became the club's all-time leading scorer in the Champions League this season. 'I've won big trophies, but I'm missing the Champions League. I'm happy to be in another final. We want to have the perfect game and bring the trophy back to Milan,' the Argentinian forward said. Defender Denzel Dumfries played a huge role in beating Barcelona with two goals in the first leg at the Nou Camp and goalkeeper Yann Sommer pulled off a string of saves to keep Inter in the tie in the second leg. A Champions League winner with Barcelona in 2015, Luis Enrique has won 12 major trophies in spells with the Catalan club and PSG. If his club, the French champions, triumph on Saturday, he would become the seventh coach to win the Champions League or European Cup with two different teams. The list includes Carlo Ancelotti, Pep Guardiola and Mourinho. Victory would come 10 years after his previous title. 'I have peace of mind. I've got 10 years more experience since the last time,' Luis Enrique said. 'It's a wonderful opportunity to play in a final and make history.' Inter's Simone Inzaghi is hoping to win his first Champions League title at the second time of asking after the defeat to City two years ago. Then, as now, Inter was the underdog, and came close to upsetting Guardiola's all-conquering City. 'Matches don't come down to wage bills or turnover, it's the players on the pitch,' Inzaghi said. 'We were huge underdogs two years ago and went toe to toe. 'I dreamt of playing the Champions League final. I didn't do it as a player, but thanks to this group of players, I've been in two finals as a head coach.' Inzaghi cannot match Enrique's trophy count but has impressed at Inter where he won Serie A last year, and alongside two Italian Cups, it was his third overall. Only a week ago, Inter surrendered the Serie A title by one point.

Daunting new stage to kickstart Jordan Rally action
Daunting new stage to kickstart Jordan Rally action

Qatar Tribune

timea day ago

  • Qatar Tribune

Daunting new stage to kickstart Jordan Rally action

Tribune News Network Dead Sea (Jordan) A first pass through the daunting new 32km Tal Hilali special stage will kickstart the action at the 2025 Jordan Rally on Friday morning. Competitors led by 16-time event winner Nasser Saleh Al Attiyah and his Spanish co-driver Candido Carrera will then tackle a further 11 gravel stages over two days before the ceremonial finish at the lowest place on earth on Saturday afternoon. Twenty-one FIA cars and an additional seven crews competing only in two separate national rallies will compete this weekend. The event was officially flagged away from a new start venue at the Royal Automobile Club of Jordan (RACJ) after the pre-event press conference on Thursday evening. Teams had put their cars through customary technical scrutineering at the Dead Sea where a couple of potential front-runners were upbeat about their chances for the weekend. Oman's Abdullah Al Rawahi won the event outright in 2023 on his way to the MERC title. He said: 'This year has been very tough for us. We haven't had the results I was expecting. We have been trying really hard to push and close the gap to Nasser in terms of pace. Every year we try to learn more and more. The first three rallies didn't go as expected, especially in Oman. The first day we had to retire, in Qatar we got faster and faster and then we had punctures in Saudi Arabia. 'Jordan is where I started. It is different to other years but I love the terrain and the stages. They are tough. It is very slippery and the notes have to be precise. We are coming here to try and take the win. I am prepared better than last year where we were leading and had to retire.' Defending regional champion Abdulaziz Al Kuwari praised the condition of the rally tracks. The Citroën C3 driver said: 'I would like to thank the people who prepared the stages. They are amazing.' Thirty-five-year-old Rakan Al Rashed is taking part in the event for the third time after retiring a Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution IX in 2016 and 2017 alongside Finnish co-driver Jarkko Kalliolepo. He is aiming for a podium finish on Saturday evening to continue his quest to become the regional champion. Rashid Al Muhannadi could mathematically confirm the FIA MERC4 title this weekend with two rounds to spare in the absence of rookie rival Mohammed Al Marri. The Qatari said: 'This is my first time in Jordan. The stages are nice but quite demanding and technical. I like the rally. I am looking to forward to it and I hope to win the championship.' On Friday, the opening Tal Hilali special starts at 09.44hrs and features a small section of the former Bahath special in the Jordan Valley and precedes runs through a high-speed Karameh (11.08km) stage and a special at the Baptism Site (11.34km) close to the Dead Sea. The three stages will then be then repeated in the afternoon after a return to the Dead Sea for a midday regroup and service. Follow the race live:

Conference League victory a ‘starting point' for Chelsea, says Maresca
Conference League victory a ‘starting point' for Chelsea, says Maresca

Qatar Tribune

timea day ago

  • Qatar Tribune

Conference League victory a ‘starting point' for Chelsea, says Maresca

PA Media/dpa London Chelsea coach Enzo Maresca said his team's victory in the Conference League final can be a 'starting point' as he looks to guide the club back to former glories. The Blues turned around a half-time deficit to triumph 4-1 against Real Betis in Wroclaw with Cole Palmer the key factor in turning the game around. The England forward set up goals for Enzo Fernandez and Nicolas Jackson before Jadon Sancho and Moises Caicedo turned it into a procession, as the team built on their Champions League qualification on Sunday. 'Hopefully it can be a starting point to build a winner mentality,' said Maresca. 'You need to win games, you need to win competitions. And for sure, the trophy we won tonight is going to make us better.' 'But also, I'm very proud about the path or the journey we have done in the Premier League. But for me, it's the most difficult competition in the world. You have to be consistent in 38 games. And these players, they showed.' 'That's why after Nottingham Forest, my outburst was a little bit exaggerated. But the reason why is just because in 38 games, you need to be consistent. And with the youngest squad in the history of the Premier League, it's something unbelievable.' Chelsea scored 45 goals in their 15 matches, including the play-off round, 19 more than Betis and the greater quality of Maresca's side ultimately showed - though not before the Blues were given a mighty scare. They looked overawed in the first half, Betis supporters creating a wall of noise and comfortably outnumbering Chelsea fans. The atmosphere seemingly got to Malo Gusto, whose mistake let in Abde Ezzalzouli to score after nine minutes and who almost gifted a second to Johnny Cardoso who spurned a golden chance. The game swung on five-minutes of brilliance from Palmer. Chelsea were seemingly sleepwalking towards defeat and to a miserable anti-climax following Sunday's win over Nottingham Forest that clinched Champions League qualification, when from nowhere Palmer delivered a magnificent ball into the box that was head in by Fernandez. The equalizer woke up Chelsea and spurred on Palmer. Within minutes, he had set up Jackson with another excellent cross, and the striker adjusted his feet well to meet the ball with his shoulder and put Chelsea ahead. It seemed to drain Betis and from there the Blues had it easy. Sancho came off the bench to bend a wonderful finish into the top corner and effectively seal it, then Caicedo landed a further blow on beaten Betis with a fourth in stoppage time. 'We all know that (Palmer) is a top player,' said Maresca. 'We need to help him to be in the right position in the right moment. And then he's a quality player. He can decide with a goal or with an assist, and as you said, the two assists have been both very nice.' 'I said many times, we're going to try to win the competition where we are in, where we play. This season, many times, people were talking about Champions League, Europa League.' 'But you cannot win that competition if you play conference. So our target was to win conference. Now, next season, we're going to play Champions League. And we'll see.'

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into the world of global news and events? Download our app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store