Cristiano Ronaldo ‘will not be at the Club World Cup' with future still unclear
Cristiano Ronaldo has said he will not play at the upcoming Club World Cup after turning down offers from participating teams.
The 40-year-old's contract with Saudi Pro League club Al-Nassr, who have not qualified for the tournament in the United States, expires at the end of June.
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Earlier this year, FIFA president Gianni Infantino raised the prospect of Portugal captain Ronaldo joining one of the sides involved in the competition, which starts next Saturday.
But speaking ahead of his country's Nations League final against Spain on Sunday evening in Munich, the forward said: 'I will not be at the Club World Cup.
'Some teams reached out to me. Some made sense and others did not, but you can't try and do everything. You can't catch every ball.'
Ronaldo's club future remains unclear.
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A Tottenham Hotspur legend forever – Son Heung-min...
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He posted 'this chapter is over' on social media following Al-Nassr's final league game of the season in May.
However, according to reports, he could agree a new deal to remain with the club he joined from Manchester United in 2023.
Five-time Ballon d'Or winner Ronaldo revealed a decision on his future was 'almost final'.
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Daily Mail
24 minutes ago
- Daily Mail
Mauricio Pochettino's United States commit double errors in 2-1 defeat to Turkey
There's a line in the song 'Only Happy When It Rains' when Garbage front-woman Shirley Manson sings 'Pour your misery down on me'. For 80 minutes, rain and misery drenched the United States' men's national team. An early goal put the USMNT ahead of visitors Turkey at Rentschler Field in East Hartford, Connecticut. But the sloppy weather reflected the American's play as consistent mistakes on the backline lead to two cheap goals and a loss. In the first of two warm-up matches before this summer's CONCACAF Gold Cup, the USMNT attacked in fits and spurts while constantly being exposed on the backline. It's a performance reflective of the squad that head coach Mauricio Pochettino selected. Multiple USMNT starters are recovering from injuries or tied to clubs competing in the Club World Cup. Others, like Christian Pulisic, asked the USMNT to not be included in this summer's proceedings. The result is a squad made up of only seven members of the 2022 FIFA World Cup team which reached the knockout stages. While the USMNT hasn't sent its best to the Gold Cup in over a decade, the performance in Connecticut showed that the depth in this team is shallow. For Pochettino, his rocky start atop US men's soccer continued on home soil - White smoke popped up right behind the benches the moment the match began - likely Turkish fans who smuggled it in past the security guards. What wasn't smuggled in was fireworks - those were provided just two minutes in by Jack McGlynn, who curled a sublime shot with his left foot to beat Berke Özer for the opening goal of the match. Unfortunately for the US, those were the only real firecrackers they displayed for the rest of the game as the national team was frequently exposed by Turkey. The visitors' first great chance came on the wings as Juventus' Kenan Yildiz was sprung free with a long ball down the left side. He placed a perfectly weighted ball in the middle for Real Madrid's Arda Güler, whose finished betrayed the effort set up for him. A breakthrough did eventually come for the visitors. While the credit goes to Güler, it was essentially an own goal from Johnny Cardoso. The Real Betis midfielder was too careless with the ball just nine yards from his own net and the pass he tried playing to a teammate careened off the Madrid man's feet and into his own net. Not even three whole minutes later, the Turks took advantage of an American backline white-knuckling its way through the pressure. Another breakthrough down the left wing led to an initial chance across that found no one. A second ball hit by Oguz Aydin went into a disorganized USMNT backline. Miles Robinson either made a half-hearted clearance attempt or had the ball take a hard touch off his feet. Either way, it fell to Kerem Akturkoglu - whose shot took an awkward bounce, but crossed the line to make it 2-1 to the visitors. The American backline looked perfectly acceptable in their own attacking buildup - with Max Arfsten often finding space on the US' left flank. But when tasked with holding back the Turks, the USMNT was frequently out-of-position and unable to keep up with the pace of their opposition. Granted, the nation they played against sent their 'A-minus' squad. The attack was all their usual suspects, but other starters were missing elsewhere. For Saturday, the squad Pochettino fielded could be fittingly assessed a grade of 'C-minus'. The 26-man roster named for the Gold Cup is on the 'B-minus/C-plus' borderline, but starters like Tyler Adams, Matt Turner, Brenden Aaronson, and Mark McKenzie didn't play for the first 45 minutes. When Adams and McKenzie eventually did come on at the half, they showed their quality. At the 61st minute, Adams picked up the ball in the box and chipped a ball into Chris Richards - whose header went right at Özer, but was the best US chance in the early stages of the second half. Adams, the USMNT captain at that 2022 World Cup, looked incensed - frustrated with the display put on in front of 34,023 in the muggy weather. The attack often led to nothing. Patrick Agyemang, the Charlotte FC striker playing in his hometown of East Hartford, had chances rarely come his way. McGlynn attempted more strikes, but they never even threatened rattling the net. Saturday's result does need to come with the caveat that this is not the USA's best team. Using this performance as an outlook for the World Cup to come in almost one-year's time would be irresponsible. But this does come at a time where momentum surrounding this team appears to have halted since the hiring of Pochettino. The result does, however, paint a bleak picture for the continental competition beginning next Sunday. Every year, the United States comes into the CONCACAF Gold Cup with expectations of winning - regardless of the caliber of squad they send. Those expectations should not be placed on this team. And that's a problem.
The National
31 minutes ago
- The National
Iceland keeper tells Scotland rookie how to bounce back from errors
The 22-year-old wasn't even meant to be number two to Angus Gunn, but Robby McCrorie's warm-up knock, combined with Gunn's injury six minutes in against Iceland, meant the rookie was thrust in for his senior international bow. And it is difficult to think of many other Scotland debuts that have gone worse. Read more: Seconds after coming on, Slicker gave the ball away while playing out from the back. It eventually came to Andri Gudjohnsen, who curved it into the top corner for Iceland's opener. The stopper then could, and probably should, have done better for the visitors' second and third goals. Elias Olafsson, who watched his fellow keeper's nightmarish evening from between the Iceland sticks, couldn't hide his solace. "It's always tough, especially when you come into the game cold off the bench," he said. "Then, when you come in and make some mistakes, it's hard to get back into the game. I feel empathy for him. "It's not the preparation you want for your debut, to not know you're coming in this early in the game as well. It's difficult. To come into the game and know you're going to play, that's 100% the best thing, in my opinion. It's just about now to go to the hotel, forget about this and move on. "It's not going to be the most fun of nights, but it's about keeping your head up. That's how it is. People see the mistakes. You have to be strong mentally for that. Of course, you hope you make them in training, not in the games. But you can't always. It was not his day today. That's how it is. It was a hard game to come into. I feel it's hard making any debut, coming in when you don't expect to come in. That's how it is when you're a goalkeeper. It's a lonely position, it really is. You can either be a hero or nothing." Friday marked Olafsson's seventh appearance for his country. He plays his football for Danish top-flight outfit FC Midtjylland, and has done so since 2018. Prior to his Hampden visit, the 25-year-old had only won two games when starting for Iceland, both of which came against Liechtenstein, the nation currently ranked 204th in the world by FIFA. The rarity of a victory, therefore, made his trip to Glasgow's southside all the sweeter, even though he expected more from Scotland. "It's a really big one [win], especially with the new things we're trying to build. It worked out pretty well. Apart from the last 20 minutes, where we fell back a little bit trying to keep the ball a little bit, it went well. "It was really nice to play in front of the Scottish fans as well. It was a nice experience. Coming into the game, I felt like we were going to be under more pressure. I think we handled it well, their pressure. We could play out of it. It's nice to be a part of a win and feel like you brought something to the team. It's a fantastic feeling." Part of Olafsson's sympathy for Slicker comes from the fact that he himself once made a high-profile error, albeit not for his country. When Midtjylland travelled to face FCSB in Europa League action last season, he gave the ball straight to the feet of Daniel Birligea almost immediately after the second-half restart. His team lost the game 2-0, yet that's life as a goalkeeper. "I had one [error] in a Europa League game. It's a pretty big mistake from kick-off, but that's how it is. You just have to be honest. It's a mistake by you. 'You just have to be honest and forget about it. It's a part of the game. When we make mistakes, it's very obvious — it leads to a goal. It's a bit of a different position to the outfield players." Next up for Iceland after their eye-catching Scotland victory is another friendly, this time across the water against Northern Ireland in Belfast. Azerbaijan, France and Ukraine then stand in their way of making it to what would only be a second World Cup next year. While an arduous qualifying campaign lies ahead, Olafsson relishes the international scene and the refreshing dynamic it provides in comparison to club football. "It's a different game. It's a little bit like European football. If you make mistakes, you get it in the face. It's a different kind of football from the club level." Slicker will undoubtedly have been down in the dumps after Friday. He had only played one senior match in the entirety of the recent 2024/25 campaign, and it showed. The stopper didn't look sharp, yet going forward, things can surely only improve. His teammates will rally around him, even if Olafsson didn't get the chance to express his sympathy in person. "No," he replied when asked if he spoke to Slicker post-match. "Unfortunately, I was too high. It's a big night for me as well. It's a nice feeling." Scotland travel to Liechtenstein on Monday for the final game before their World Cup qualification quest commences. Whether Clarke will rotate his team after the Iceland loss remains to be seen, although one thing is for sure: victory is a must, or the mood music surrounding the national team will enter into a state of crisis, if it isn't already.
The National
31 minutes ago
- The National
What Lennon Miller said after making his Scotland debut
That doesn't take away from the pride Miller had in himself after fulfilling a lifelong ambition. "It's obviously a very proud moment, not just for me but my family as well," he said. "They were in the stands. It's never nice to be making your debut in those circumstances - you want to be winning the game. We know we weren't good enough today. But personally, it's a proud moment. Read more: "This is probably right up there with the best things you can achieve as a player. Representing your country at the highest level. I've done that now, hopefully there's a few more [caps]." Scotland were slow, pedestrian and ever-predictable in a concerning defeat to the country ranked 74th in the world by FIFA. Miller was one of the few, if any, players wearing dark blue who caught the eye. The midfielder refused to hide despite his team's plight and wasn't afraid to get involved. "Listen, that's my game, trying to get on the ball. No matter what the score is. No matter what the occasion is, I want to get on the ball and show what I can do. "You try and build yourself into the game, then when you've found your first few passes, you can try and get a bit more adventurous. I had a few nice ones, but also a few that got cut out; that's just about getting used to the level. "Obviously, you want to play no matter when you get called up. Last time, I was trying to take everything in and take that back to Motherwell to try and win another call-up and get here to make my debut. Thankfully, I did that." A trip to face eastern European minnows, Liechtenstein, now awaits Steve Clarke's side. A friendly against the 204th-best team in the world is probably the last thing the likes of Scott McTominay and Andy Robertson will want after an abnormally long and arduous campaign. In Miller's eyes, it is the perfect opportunity to get the nod and assert himself in the team. "That's the plan. You want to get your first cap then you want to get a second as quick as you can. That'll be the plan, to maybe get a wee start. "The manager has said just to get on the ball and show what I can do. What I do at Motherwell is why I'm here." Making his debut alongside Miller on Friday was young goalkeeper Cieran Slicker. The Ipswich Town man wasn't even meant to be number two to Angus Gunn until Robby McCrorie was injured in the warm-up. As is the unpredictable nature of the beautiful game, he was then thrust into action just six minutes into the match after Gunn took a knock to his right leg. It ultimately turned out to be a nightmarish bow for Slicker, who could undoubtedly have done better for all three of Iceland's goals. Clarke later admitted he wasn't ready to play for his country at the senior level and that a new keeper could be drafted in for Monday's trip to face the Liechtensteiners. Miller played with the stopper at the under-21 level and has no hesitation that he will bounce back. "It's Cieran's first cap, a proud moment. Obviously, you don't want to concede three goals. Listen, there's experienced players in there who will get right behind him and who others like myself who have been with Cieran in a few camps now and who will support him. He's a good goalkeeper, he's shown that all week in training. He just needs to get his head up. "I've played with him three or four times. Tonight he has made a few mistakes, but that's the life of a goalie, you are going to make mistakes and they will be highlighted. He will bounce back. He has a brilliant mentality. All goalies need to, to be honest. Cieran will be fine. He will be back stronger. He's not gone out there and chucked three goals in. It's mistakes. These things happen as a player. It just gets noticed more as a goalie. "I've had loads of those experiences. As a midfielder, you get away with it a bit more. It's not as obvious as what Cieran's is. But he will be fine. He will bounce back." With just four wins in 21 matches and back-to-back home defeats across which six goals have been conceded, Scotland supporters are rightly concerned as mammoth World Cup qualifiers loom. Denmark, Greece, and Belarus stand in the way of the national team's place in the 48-team tournament that will take place across the Americas next summer. Clarke's team are in anything but fine fettle with their campaign beginning in September. While a victory over Liechtenstein will raise the mood, the warning signs have arguably been there for some time. The recent defeat to the Icelanders was Scotland's fifth in nine games since that fateful night in Stuttgart against Hungary almost a year ago. "Yeah, it's disappointing. Listen, we know we weren't good enough. We knew Iceland were a good side and they showed that. We know we have levels to get up to, but we weren't at our best, that's fair to say."
