Gossip: Lecce keen to keep Dorgu
Lecce president Sticchi Damiani says the club is "trying to resist" Manchester United's pressure to sign 20-year-old Denmark left-back Patrick Dorgu, who the Italian club value at €40m (£33.8m). (Football Italia), externalWant more transfer stories? Read Monday's full gossip columnFollow the gossip column on BBC Sport
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The Sun
28 minutes ago
- The Sun
Michael Owen reveals he didn't know what Ballon d'Or was when he won it and had to ask manager about it
MICHAEL OWEN has admitted he had no idea what the Ballon d'Or was - even after winning it. The former Liverpool striker won the prestigious gong in 2001, beating Real Madrid icon Raul into second place. 2 2 Owen played 297 times for the Reds over an eight-year stint, scoring 158 goals. He later moved to Real Madrid and Manchester United, as well as earning 89 caps for England. The 45-year-old's electric pace and lethal finishing made him one of the world's most feared strikers. Owen bagged 24 goals in 46 Premier League games in 2001, catching the eye of the Ballon d'Or panel. The award is handed out annually to Europe's best player. But after beating greats including David Beckham, Luis Figo and Thierry Henry to the award, Owen had absolutely no clue what it was. Owen told talkSPORT: "When Gerard Houllier phoned me and said 'You've won the Ballon d'Or', I'm like 'What's that gaffer'? "I didn't know what the award was. I never did because I never even knew what it was. "Back in those days it was never in our press." Owen was just the fourth English player to win the Ballon d'Or, following Stanley Matthews, Bobby Charlton and Kevin Keegan. But it wasn't until he became a Galactico with Madrid in 2004 that he truly understood its significance. Owen continued: "When I played for Real Madrid, it's like an MBE, it follows you. "Whenever they mention your name it's Ballon d'Or winner. "Abroad it is so big and it's only just cottoned on here for the last five or ten years. "It's so much bigger in other countries, in foreign countries. "It quickly sunk in how big it was."
Daily Mirror
an hour ago
- Daily Mirror
Bruno Fernandes sends five-word message after putting Man Utd misery behind him
Bruno Fernandes captained Manchester United during their awful season, but successfully put that behind him to play a key role as Portugal won the Nations League final on Sunday Manchester United skipper Bruno Fernandes admitted "winning for Portugal is different" as he put his club's difficult season behind him by winning the Nations League on Sunday night. Fernandes played 57 games in all competitions for United this campaign. It was a miserable year for the Red Devils as they finished 15th in the Premier League and failed to win a major trophy. Fernandes captained United in all of his appearances and even held talks over a potential exit earlier this summer. Instead the midfielder has decided to stay at Old Trafford for the foreseeable future. Fernandes has moved his focus to international duty, where Portugal were featuring in the Nations League finals. They beat hosts Germany in the semi-finals to set up a date with bitter rivals Spain in Sunday's final. Fernandes started at the Allianz Arena, taking over the armband after Cristiano Ronaldo was substituted off. The United star then stepped up to score a crucial penalty in the shootout which Portugal won to lift the trophy. And Fernandes has insisted the win has helped him put United's dreadful campaign behind him. 'I'm going to celebrate with my teammates and my family. It's a special moment for everyone. Winning for Portugal is different. It's for our family, for our people, for the country, for our people," he said "Once again, the wave of red that I saw so much on social media was there and made us feel like we were playing at home. Thank you very much for all the support, it was excellent. We felt it, from start to finish, from the moment we got to the end. 'Everything we did during the game helped us win. We knew we were going up against a great team, and at the same time we knew we were a team of the same level. We knew Spain's qualities, we were very aggressive when losing the ball, which was very important." Fernandes pinpointed Portugal's 'individual talent' as the reason for their historic win, their first in a competitive match against Spain since Euro 2004. In particular, he singled out Paris Saint-Germain left-back Nuno Mendes, keeper Diogo Costa and midfielder Ruben Neves. "We had individual talent on our side, such as Nuno [Mendes] , our left-sided player, who ended up running over everyone and ended up giving us two moments of great joy, with his runs," he added. "Individual talent is what makes you win the game, like Diogo Costa's save and Rúben Neves' penalty. We don't need to be favourites. That's up to the person who says it, there will always be those who say that some are favourites, others will say that others are. "That doesn't matter to us. We, the Portuguese, go out there to win, whatever it is, whoever is ahead of us. We want to win every game. Sometimes it's possible, sometimes it's not. "Sometimes we play better, sometimes we play worse. But we always give everything on the pitch and with the knowledge that we are capable of beating any team, at any time."
Daily Mirror
an hour ago
- Daily Mirror
Alvaro Morata set to retire after crucial penalty miss - 'I felt like crying'
Spain were beaten by Portugal in the Nations League final on Sunday evening with ex-Chelsea star Alvaro Morata missing the decisive penalty for his side before Ruben Neves won the game Alvaro Morata has admitted he is considering Spain retirement after missing the crucial penalty in the Nations League final. The Euro 2024 champions took on Portugal in Munich on Sunday evening and battled to a thrilling 2-2 draw. Arsenal target Martin Zubimendi opened the scoring for Spain before Nuno Mendes replied with an excellent effort. Mikel Oyarzabal put Spain ahead once again ahead of Cristiano Ronaldo 's equaliser. Penalties came and went with Morata seeing his effort saved by Portugal star Diogo Costa, with Ruben Neves winning the trophy with his successful effort. Speaking after his miss, Morata has admitted he could consider stepping back from the international stage. He said: "I feel sorry for my teammates, but that's part of life. I thank the coach for his words. The penalty? I took it badly, I could have done better, but there's nothing I can do about it. 'I'm leaving angry. I wanted to cry, even though I didn't. My children were in the stands, and in life, you have to learn." On retirement, the ex-Chelsea man said: "I'm only thinking about what happened today, but it's possible I won't be back in September." Morata, 32, has accumulated 86 appearances for Spain since his international debut in 2014 and has gone on to score 37 goals - the fourth-highest in the nation's history behind just Fernando Torres, Raul and David Villa. While Spain boss Luis De La Fuente recognised Morata's error, he refused to blame the striker. He said: "All the penalty takers were at an excellent level, and if Morata made a mistake, it was because he dared to. Morata is a champion and a role model for us. I'm really sorry he made that mistake, but I'm responsible for it because I asked him to." Who was man-of-the-match between Portugal and Spain? Share your thoughts in the comments below Morata now faces a major decision over his club future, as well as his international commitments. The ex- Chelsea and Atletico Madrid man spent the second half of last season on loan at Turkish giants Galatasaray, with that deal set to expire in January 2026. He scored seven goals across 16 outings in all competitions, helping the side win the league with an eye-watering 95 points That move followed a disappointing six-month spell with Italian giants AC Milan as he netted just six times in 25 appearances. Morata had only signed for Milan last summer from Atletico Madrid. Join our new WhatsApp community and receive your daily dose of Mirror Football content. We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. If you don't like our community, you can check out any time you like. If you're curious, you can read our Privacy Notice.
