'Lamine is a phenomenon, he's going to win a lot,' says Cristiano Ronaldo following Nations League's victory
Portugal has won the UEFA Nations League last night on penalties. By Ravi Kumar Jha Published on June 9, 2025, 08:43 IST
Portugal has won the UEFA Nations League last night on penalties. It was Ronaldo who won it at last in the battle between the 17-year-old and 40-year-old. The young sensation Lamine Yamal who has already won so many trophies in his career was unhappy after the loss. But, the legend Cristiano made a statement that he'll surely write in his diary. 'Lamine is going to win a lot of collective and individual titles. He's a phenomenon. He's 17, please leave him alone. He's going to win a lot of Nations League in his career,' said Cristiano following Nations League's victory
In a night that will be etched in football history, Portugal claimed the UEFA Nations League crown after a dramatic penalty shootout victory. The final was billed as a clash of generations — 40-year-old Cristiano Ronaldo versus 17-year-old sensation Lamine Yamal — and it lived up to the hype in every way.
After a hard-fought 90 minutes and extra time failed to separate the two sides, it was Ronaldo who stepped up and delivered the decisive penalty, sealing Portugal's second Nations League title and adding another chapter to his legendary career.
Yamal, who has already achieved so much at such a young age, was visibly heartbroken after the loss. The teen sensation had been instrumental throughout the tournament but couldn't crown it with a trophy this time.
Ravi kumar jha is an undergraduate student in Bachelor of Arts in Multimedia and Mass Communication. A media enthusiast who has a strong hold on communication and he also has a genuine interest in sports. Ravi is currently working as a journalist at Businessupturn.com
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
2 hours ago
- Yahoo
🌍 World Cup 2026: how are the favourites looking a year out? 🤔
🌍 World Cup 2026: how are the favourites looking a year out? 🤔 The 2026 World Cup kicks off in... a year, on June 11, 2026! Argentina, Spain, France, Portugal, Italy, Brazil: we're taking stock of the state of the big nations 365 days before the big day! They're on fire ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Argentina, Spain Argentina, the current world champion, is leading the qualification group in South America. Lionel Scaloni's players have been officially qualified for several weeks now, and nothing seems to be disturbing them a year before the World Cup. Advertisement On the Spanish side, the year that followed their Euro 2024 title was... almost perfect. La Roja hasn't lost a single match since March 22, 2024 (a 1-0 defeat to Colombia in a friendly), and the defeat in the Nations League final to Portugal on penalties won't plunge Lamine Yamal and his teammates into doubt. It's promising ⭐⭐⭐⭐ Portugal Vitinha, João Neves, Bruno Fernandes, Rafael Leão, Rúben Dias, Cristiano Ronaldo: Portugal's squad is certainly the most complete and intimidating in the world! The victory in the Nations League should give confidence to the entire team and, above all, credit to Roberto Martínez. Although not everything is perfect yet, and sometimes not pretty to watch, the last two matches against Germany and Spain are promising! It's coming together ⭐⭐⭐ Germany, England On the German and English sides, the two teams, respectively led by Nagelsmann and Thomas Tuchel, are in the midst of (re)building. Again, not everything is perfect, but we're starting to see where the two coaches want to go... They're raising questions ⭐⭐ France, Brazil France's post-Euro 2024 period doesn't allow us to approach the 2026 World Cup with full confidence. The defeats against Italy, in Croatia, and against Spain were worrying... just as the victories against Germany, in Italy, or against Croatia at the Stade de France were promising. Advertisement Didier Deschamps has exactly one year to get his Blues out of the fog... On the Brazilian side, the arrival of Carlo Ancelotti should help relaunch a selection that has been struggling in recent years. 📸 Ricardo Moreira - 2025 Getty Images Big danger ⭐ Italy Absent from the 2018 and 2022 World Cups, Italy could miss... the 2026 one! Beaten 3-0 over the weekend in Norway, the Squadra Azzura is already lagging behind Erling Haaland's teammates in the qualifying campaign for the World Cup. Luciano Spalletti was fired, and the team is in crisis. Above all, talented players are terribly lacking. Italy's generational gap is worrying. Also read: - PSG unveils its 2025-26 home jersey Advertisement - Jersey news from last week - Euro U21 2025: our 5 players to watch This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇫🇷 here. 📸 Marcelo Endelli - 2025 Getty Images
New York Times
3 hours ago
- New York Times
FIFPro study calls for mandatory four-week off-season break for all players
The biggest players' union in football is calling for the introduction of a mandatory four-week off-season break to safeguard against excessive workloads at the elite level. Ahead of FIFA's Club World Cup beginning in the U.S. this weekend — a revamped competition that has increased the strain on an already congested calendar — FIFPro has published the results of a new independent study of 70 performance and medical experts that advocates greater protections to its members. Advertisement Twelve recommendations have been put forward, including a minimum four-week rest period between seasons and a further four-week period of retraining before a new season begins. It is also proposed that a mid-season break of at least one clear week is also guaranteed, as well as specific workload safeguards being introduced for those under the age of 18, such as Barcelona and Spain prodigy Lamine Yamal. FIFPro says the study 'represents the most extensive expert consensus to date', with all of those taking part anonymously either employed by a football club or national team. Over 75 per cent agreement was required from the pool of experts to establish each of the final recommendations. 'This study presents safety standards based on the considered and independent opinions of medical and performance experts working in professional football who understand the mental and physical strain placed on players,' Dr. Vincent Gouttebarge, FIFPro medical director, said in the organisation's statement. 'If we can all agree that health comes first, then we should take steps to implement these safeguards.' FIFPro, which represents more than 65,000 professional players in men's and women's football, has long pushed for tighter limits on workloads in an age of expanded competitions. This season brought an additional two group games in UEFA's Champions League and Europa League, while it will end with FIFA's new Club World Cup, a tournament involving 32 teams over a 29-day period. Next summer will also see the World Cup — played across the United States, Canada and Mexico — increase to a 64-team event. The four-week rest period and four-week pre-season supported by FIFPro is common for the majority of players in Europe's top leagues, but a major tournament summer, including the Club World Cup, makes it increasingly impractical for those with additional commitments. FIFA's Club World Cup will run until the final on July 13, less than five weeks before the Premier League and La Liga begin their 2025-26 seasons on the weekend of August 16-17. Last summer, players who featured in UEFA's European Championship typically had a three-week summer before embarking on a shortened pre-season. Advertisement FIFPro's study also advocates greater consideration of travel burdens in scheduling, mandatory rest each week, and 'specific' workload safeguards for under-18s. There is also a belief that there should be a mid-season break, something the Premier League removed last season in favour of a longer summer. FIFPro Europe has already drawn battlelines against FIFA during the past 12 months as it attempts to force change. As well as supporting a legal case brought by the English Professional Footballers' Association and its French and Italian counterparts at the Brussels Court of Commerce last June, FIFPro then joined forces with Europe's major leagues to file a separate legal complaint against FIFA with the European Commission in October. Both were designed to challenge what it claimed was FIFA's ability to 'unilaterally' set the international match calendar. FIFA has consistently maintained that its own competitions are not the problem and that any fixture congestion stems primarily from club competitions staged domestically and in Europe. 'Let us be clear: the FIFA Club World Cup is not responsible for calendar congestion,' said a FIFA spokesperson. 'It is a competitive tournament that takes place once every four years with a maximum of seven matches only for the two teams who reach the final. 'As independent studies have verified, FIFA is only responsible for a small percentage of matches per season. More precisely, less than 1 per cent as far as clubs are concerned.' Two of the extreme workload cases that prompted this latest scientific study are those of Julian Alvarez and Bruno Fernandes. Here, we look at their examples in more detail. When FIFPro furrows its brow at the increasing demands placed upon players, Alvarez is the poster boy for concerns. Advertisement The forward, who will spearhead Atletico Madrid's attack at the Club World Cup, has effectively not stopped playing since the summer of 2023. An extraordinary schedule saw him play a full season with Manchester City in 2023-24, before then being part of Argentina's squads at both the Copa America and the Paris Olympics. FIFPro's most recent workload report found Alvarez was included in 83 matchday squads last season, with 75 appearances made for club and country. The last of those in Paris was followed by an £82million ($111m) move to Atletico and a subsequent debut 17 days later. Another 64 appearances have already been made this season following Argentina's 1-1 draw with Colombia on Tuesday, a World Cup qualifier that precedes what could be an extended spell in the U.S. for the Club World Cup, where as many as seven more games could be played. Only then will the 25-year-old get a break, with the La Liga season beginning again on August 17. 'The players' ability to rest and recover is increasingly diminished, which in turn could impact their long-term career longevity,' said FIFPro's report. Alvarez has seldom been afforded that luxury of rest. Portugal's victory over Spain in the Nations League final on Sunday finally wrapped up Fernandes' season almost 10 months after it began with Manchester United's Community Shield defeat by Manchester City. That demanding schedule included 66 appearances for club and country, a figure that would have been higher without suspensions picked up in the first half of the season. It also overlooks United's post-season tour of Malaysia and Hong Kong last month that immediately preceded his latest international commitments. Long cup runs, both domestically and in Europe, have added to Fernandes' workload since joining United from Sporting CP in 2020 and he now stands clear of the pack for minutes played at an elite level. According to data from Opta, Fernandes has played 17 more club games than any other player in Europe's big five leagues since the start of the 2020-21 season. In that same timeframe, the 30-year-old has played 22,823 minutes of football, which is 1,247 (almost 14 whole games) more than the next busiest, Real Sociedad's goalkeeper Alex Remiro. Fernandes has played 329 games for club and country in the past five seasons, making the rest he will enjoy over the next month a rarity. (Top photos: Getty Images)
Boston Globe
6 hours ago
- Boston Globe
With more spots available than ever before, here is where World Cup qualifying stands, region by region
There will be three more qualifying periods this year — in September, October, and November — jammed into a crowded calendar that already has obliterated the offseason. You might think that would do it, but after two-plus years of eliminations, six spots will remain open. So, why not two sets of playoffs next March? One will be held in Europe, involving 16 teams; the other in the US, a six-team 'interconfederation' playoff, presented as 'a preparatory event.' FIFA apparently likes its playoffs. But they are something to be avoided by teams such as Italy, a four-time champion that fell in playoffs in the last two campaigns. The Azzurri got off to a slow start this time, falling to Norway, 3-0, in its qualifying opener last week, leading to coach Luciano Spalletti being fired. Spalletti, though, hung around for a 2-0 victory over Moldova before being replaced by Gennaro Gattuso, who played for the 2006 champions. Advertisement Meanwhile, FIFA's questionable reasoning that a bigger World Cup would be better could turn into a logistical nightmare. But it also opens opportunities for regions such as Africa, Asia, plus CONCACAF as hosts — regions that could end up supplying as many as 25 teams, though only 15 of their member nations are ranked among the top 48. Advertisement Jordan and Uzbekistan capitalized on the increased openings, clinching their first-ever berths with victories last week. Australia and South Korea also celebrated advancement last week. But the Iranians, who gained a berth in March, have had to mute their celebrations because of a travel ban. A summary of qualifying by region: Europe: 16 berths; qualified: none On merit, UEFA could fill more than half the tournament slots, as 25 of its members are ranked among the world's top 45, excluding No. 34 Russia (banned from the event). So, though the region's numbers have increased by three, qualifying could still prove challenging. The 12 group winners qualify, and 16 others will enter playoffs for the other four places. The idea has been to incentivize the Nations League, so South America: six berths, plus one playoff; qualified: Argentina, Brazil, Ecuador The continent will have the highest percentage of qualified countries (70 percent), rewarding the success of Brazil (five titles), Argentina (three), and Uruguay (two). Argentina clinched a place with four games remaining and will be attempting to become the third team to repeat. Brazil stumbled through the campaign — firing two coaches along the way — before clinching with a 1-0 victory over Paraguay Tuesday night in Carlo Ancelotti's second game in charge. Surprisingly, Bolivia and Venezuela remain in contention with two matches remaining, while Chile has been ousted and Peru has only a slim chance for a playoff. Advertisement Africa: nine berths, plus one playoff; qualified: none Morocco's run to the 2022 semifinals symbolized the potential of the continent, which had three berths in 1994, increased to five from 1998-2022. The biggest surprise has been underperforming Nigeria, which stands in fourth place (1-1-4, 7 points) in Group C. The Super Eagles' fate could be decided when they meet group leader South Africa and second-place Rwanda in September. Asia: eight berths, plus one playoff; qualified: Australia, Iran, Japan, Jordan, South Korea, Uzbekistan The Asian Federation has only recently stamped its mark on the World Cup, with Qatar (2022) and Saudi Arabia (2034) named to host. Asian teams, though, have yet to make an impact on the field. Japan became the first to clinch on March 20, going on to compile a 54-3 goal differential in 16 matches. After having survived two group-play rounds, six countries — Indonesia, Iraq, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates — move on to a round-robin playoff Oct. 8-14. Two will qualify and two others will go to — you guessed it — the interconfederation playoff. Of the continent's 34 eliminated teams, Palestine came closest to surviving. The Palestinians were knocked out by Oman via a 1-1 tie, following a controversial stoppage-time penalty kick in Amman, Jordan, on Tuesday. Related : CONCACAF: three berths, plus two playoffs; qualified: Canada, Mexico, US (co-hosts) Even the host countries, excluded from qualifying, could be feeling the pressure as they prepare for the Gold Cup. Well, maybe not Canada, which has compiled a 6-1-3 record in the last 10 games. The Tricolor lost, 4-2, to Switzerland, before recovering for a 1-0 victory over Turkey last week. And the US fell to both the Advertisement Oceania: one berth, plus one playoff; qualified: New Zealand This is the first time the region has been awarded automatic qualification, and the Kiwis easily advanced, going 5-0-0 with a 26-1 goal differential. New Caledonia, ranked 160th in the world, will enter the playoffs. Frank Dell'Apa can be reached at
