Madrid coach Alonso hoping Mbappé is 'back soon' at Club World Cup after illness
Associated Press
MANCHESTER, England (AP) — Real Madrid coach Xabi Alonso still can't say whether Kylian Mbappé will be available to play in the next round of the Club World Cup after missing all three group games.
Mbappé was hospitalized last week with acute gastroenteritis and has not played a minute of the tournament so far.
Despite being back in training, he was not even named as a substitute for Thursday's 3-0 win against RB Salzburg.
"I don't want to be optimistic and get ahead of myself, but we need him because he's a top player, one of the best in the world. We hope he's back soon,' Alonso said when asked about Mbappé's availability for the round of 16 game against Juventus on Tuesday.
Mbappé is one of the biggest stars at the expanded Club World Cup being staged in the United States and his absence has been a blow to a tournament FIFA president Gianni Infantino wants to become one of the biggest events in the sport.
Infantino managed to get Lionel Messi into the tournament when Inter Miami was granted entry despite not winning the MLS Cup and encouraged teams to try to sign Cristiano Ronaldo during a specially created transfer window before the first game kicked off this month.
Mbappé, along with Messi and Erling Haaland, is one of the top attractions, but his headlines have been limited to off-field issues.
As well as his illness, he also made the news this week when it emerged he had filed a moral harassment case against former club Paris Saint-Germain. He unhappy with the way he was treated by this year's Champions League winner when he was sidelined after his decision not to extend his contract with the club in 2023.
Mbappé is also at odds with PSG, arguing he is owed 55 million euros ($61 million) in unpaid wages.
None of this is helping Madrid's bid to become the first team to lift the new Club World Cup and the golden trophy crafted by Tiffany & Co.
The 26-year-old Mbappe was Madrid's top scorer last season, with 43 goals in 56 appearances.
He had been following specific medical treatment to recover from gastroenteritis, Madrid said, but has missed two games since being discharged from hospital.
'We need him and we want him back as soon as possible and in the best possible condition," Alonso said.
___
James Robson is at https://twitter.com/jamesalanrobson
___
AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer
recommended
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
32 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Croatia Star ‘Revving Up The Engine' After False Starts At Inter Milan
Croatia Star 'Revving Up The Engine' After False Starts At Inter Milan Midfielder Petar Sucic has been 'revving up the engine' after a couple of early false starts with Inter Milan at the Club World Cup. This is the view in today's print edition of Rome-based newspaper Corriere dello Sport, via FCInterNews. Advertisement The expectations have been high for Petar Sucic at Inter Milan. The 21-year-old midfielder only just joined the Nerazzurri from Dinamo Zagreb. And he has yet to really play at the level that he will at Inter. However, Sucic has impressed heavily in the last couple seasons for Dinamo. Moreover, the Croat has also looked up to the task in midfield for the national team. Petar Sucic 'Revving Up The Engine' For Inter Milan SALZBURG, AUSTRIA – OCTOBER 23: Petar Sucic of GNK Dinamo passes the ball whilst under pressure from Samson Baidoo of FC Salzburg during the UEFA Champions League 2024/25 League Phase MD3 match between FC Salzburg and GNK Dinamo at Stadion Salzburg on October 23, 2024 in Salzburg, Austria. (Photo by) In his first appearance for Inter, Petar Sucic came off the bench in the team's Club World Cup group stage opener against Monterrey. In truth, that performance showcased little of the Croatian international's best qualities. Advertisement Sucic looked hesitant, offering little in possession and not providing much of a defensive presence. Then, there were improvements in the 21-year-old's second substitute appearance of the tournament, against Japanese side Urawa Red Diamonds. Then, Sucic's display against River Plate was his best yet. The Croat assisted Francesco Pio Esposito for the decisive second half goal. This capped off a display that saw Sucic really start to take risks with the ball.
NBC Sports
33 minutes ago
- NBC Sports
Coco Gauff and Carlos Alcaraz give tennis two young superstars
LONDON (AP) — Coco Gauff and Carlos Alcaraz are helping usher in a new era for tennis. With Wimbledon beginning, the sport's most recent Grand Slam champions are Gauff, a 21-year-old American, and Alcaraz, a 22-year-old Spaniard, who are both at No. 2 in the rankings and are both coming off French Open titles secured in riveting finals against the sport's No. 1 players. They are young, they are charismatic as an be on the court and they are media-friendly off it. Gauff-Sabalenka, Alcaraz-Sinner give tennis rivalries as Wimbledon arrives Along with No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka and former No. 1 Iga Swiatek in the women's game, and No. 1 Jannik Sinner in the men's, Gauff and Alcaraz offer a bright future for a sport's fanbase that in recent years saw all-time greats Serena Williams, Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal walk away and currently might be pondering how much longer Novak Djokovic will contend for the biggest prizes. 'Tennis is just in such a great, great place right now. We are so fortunate to have not only Coco, not only Carlos, but a deep bench of young stars that are just propelling the growth of our sport,' U.S. Open tournament director Stacey Allaster said. 'I've been around a long time, and when we have lost great, iconic champions in the past, there's generally been a little bit of a dip. We have had the exact opposite during this transition. ... I always like to say the champions of today are standing on the shoulders of the champions of the past. These champions have jumped off the shoulders of the past champions.' One key for a sport, especially an individual one, to gain attention and grow popularity is to have rivalries that demand buy-in. Alcaraz vs. Sinner clearly provides that, much in the way that Federer vs. Nadal or Nadal vs. Djokovic did. The Alcaraz vs. Sinner final at the French Open 'was insane' The five-set, 5 1/2-hour men's final at Roland-Garros was as full of momentum swings, terrific tennis and athleticism as anything those greats conjured. 'The level,' two-time reigning Wimbledon champion Alcaraz said, 'was insane.' The way he and Sinner, 23, are currently divvying up the biggest prizes — they've split the past six major trophies and eight of the past 11 — is certainly reminiscent of the Big Three's dominance, albeit over a much smaller sample size so far. 'Having these two guys fighting for big trophies — I think we have to be very happy about it in the sport of tennis,' said Juan Carlos Ferrero, Alcaraz's main coach. 'For them, for sure it's something that they raise their level every time that they go on the court. They know they have to play unbelievable tennis to beat the other guy, and it's something that is going to help for sure each player to raise the level even more.' Sabalenka apologized to Gauff about post-match comments in Paris It sure does seem as though Gauff vs. Sabalenka could provide that sort of dynamic and buzz, too. Consider that, like Alcaraz and Sinner, they occupy the top two spots in the rankings. And consider that, like those other two, both own multiple major titles. Gauff's two Slam triumphs came via three-set victories over Sabalenka in the finals. Plus, their latest meeting at Roland-Garros came with some added spice because of Sabalenka's post-match comments that were seen as less than fully gracious toward Gauff. It became such a thing that Sabalenka felt the need to issue a pair of apologies — one privately via writing to Gauff, and one publicly in an interview at her next tournament. Add that sort of off-court intrigue to the on-court interest, and if there are rematches at the All England Club a couple of weeks from now, no one who is invested in tennis will be displeased. 'There's incredible momentum and wind in our sales as we think about the sport, in total,' said Lew Sherr, who is about to leave his role as the CEO of the U.S. Tennis Association. 'We've had five consecutive years of participation growth ... and that certainly is being, in part, fueled by the great talent and inspiring players we have at the professional level, and also is feeding record attendance, record interest, record viewership. Those things go hand in hand. We have not missed a beat.'
Hamilton Spectator
41 minutes ago
- Hamilton Spectator
Kara Lawson has always been a basketball trailblazer and has a legit chance to lead USA squad in LA
COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (AP) — Kara Lawson has always been a basketball trailblazer and now the Duke women's coach has a legit chance to lead USA to another gold medal. She has already done it once. Lawson guided the Americans to a 3-on-3 Olympic gold medal and could have the chance to lead the USA's 5-on-5 squad at the Los Angeles Games in three years. First up is coaching the U.S. AmeriCup team that begins play this weekend in Chile. Coaching is something she wanted to do since she was a young girl growing up in Virginia. She just didn't know it would be for her country. 'I played for a long time, and, so I got into coaching a little bit later just because I had a long playing career, which is as a good excuse as any to get into coaching later,' Lawson quipped during an interview with The Associated Press. 'So I was always drawn to it. I just didn't know what my entry point was.' She just thought the entry point might be at the high school level as the WNBA didn't exist and college wasn't something she strived to do. Fast forward 37 years and she's in charge of the group of college players heading to South America. 'I'm fortunate enough to be assigned something as important as America's head coach, my goal is to do the best job possible,' Lawson said during a break as she prepared her team for the World Cup qualifying tournament. The 44-year-old Lawson could become the second African American to lead the USA women's Olympic basketball team. Dawn Staley was the women's head coach for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. Lawson was a point guard at Tennessee and credits her time learning under iconic Lady Vols Hall of Fame coach Pat Summitt as a big reason for her recent success roaming the sidelines. 'If you wanna learn how to coach, why not go to the best coach,' Lawson said. Lawson has had success already with USA Basketball, leading the 3-on-3 team to a gold medal at the Tokyo Games. She didn't want to look at this opportunity as a tryout to be the 2028 Olympic coach or even next year's World Cup where she is on the short list to be the next head coach. That decision will be made by Sue Bird , who took over as the new national team managing director earlier this year. 'In my experience in life, if you just keep that mindset of being in the moment, more opportunities tend to happen for you,' said Lawson, who helped the USA win gold in 2008 at the Bejing Games, where she and Bird were teammates. 'And if you're so worried about where you fit and who goes where, and am I next in line? I just never found that to to be productive and drives you crazy and it's a waste of energy. 'So I try to just lock in on like, 'what do I need to do at this job to be really good?' ' Lawson's path to coaching wasn't the one many have taken. She went from playing 13 years in the WNBA to becoming a broadcaster. From there, she spent some time with the Boston Celtics as an assistant before getting the Duke job in 2020. She led Duke to its first ACC Tournament championship under her coaching this past March and the Blue Devils made a run to the Elite Eight of the NCAA Tournament. The team has advanced further in the NCAAs each of the past three seasons. Coaching in the AmeriCup is a full circle moment for Lawson. She played in the AmeriCup in 2007, which was also in Chile, and helped the U.S. win it and qualify for the Beijing Olympics the next year. Now she'll try and lead the team to another victory and the automatic berth to the World Cup next year in Germany. 'I think the mentality for every team is to win,' Lawson said. 'Our group understands that we're on the lower end of the experience totem pole entering this competition and that we're going to face some very good teams. So the race is on for us to gain continuity, pick up our playbook as quickly as we can and get on the same page.' She knows the pressure that comes with coaching a USA team. Anything less than a gold medal is considered a failure. Lawson doesn't let the lofty expectations create additional pressure on her. DeLisha Milton-Jones was a teammate of Lawson's on the 2007 AmeriCup team and now is coaching with her. She's been impressed with what she's seen so far from Lawson as a coach. 'She has a knack for the game,' Milton-Jones said. 'Kara is well versed when it comes to the game. Started off at an early age going to games with her father. Going to college and being coached by one of the greatest ever to coach. Having experiences from NBA, WNBA, international side of things.' In the AmeriCup, Lawson will be coaching some of the most talented players in women's college basketball, including Flau'Jae Johnson (LSU), Olivia Miles (TCU), Hannah Hidalgo (Notre Dame), Madison Booker (Texas), Joyce Edwards (South Carolina) and Raegan Beers (Oklahoma). Lawson has made an impression. 'The intensity she brings every day, you feel it like that's a pro right there,' Johnson said. 'Just learning from her I learned so much in these (few) days, it's been amazing.' ___ The Associated Press' women in the workforce and state government coverage receives financial support from Pivotal Ventures. AP is solely responsible for all content. Find AP's standards for working with philanthropies, a list of supporters and funded coverage areas at . ___ AP WNBA:
