Latest news with #ClaudeMakelele
Yahoo
01-06-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
'In two years' – Claude Makelele agrees with John Terry as he makes major Chelsea claim
'In two years' – Claude Makelele agrees with John Terry as he makes major Chelsea claim Former Chelsea star Claude Makelele believes the Blues can compete for the Premier League title in two years time. Enzo Maresca has overseen a successful first season in charge as he guided Chelsea back to the Champions League with a fourth place finish. Advertisement The Italian also guided the Blues to Conference League glory, their first trophy under the Todd Boehly and Clearlake Capital ownership. Makelele backs Chelsea to challenge for the title in two years Attention now turns to the Club World Cup with Chelsea set to face Los Angeles FC in their first game on June 16th in Atlanta. Chelsea expect Enzo Maresca to go on a deep run in the competition, but what fans really want to see is the Blues back challenging for the league title. Makelele thinks Chelsea can challenge for the Premier League in two years. (Photo by) Chelsea haven't won the league since 2017 under Antonio Conte and during that period they've haven't even got close. The Blues face a critical summer and if they get their recruitment right they could put themselves in a position to challenge. Advertisement A deal has been agreed for Liam Delap, but the Blues will need more and club legend Makelele feels it could be two years until they challenge for the league. 'I think in two years Chelsea will compete for the Premier League,' he said as cited on John Terry has also previously stated he thinks the Blues are a couple of years away from challenging the likes of Manchester City and Liverpool. Blues need reinforcements This summer is arguably the most important under the new ownership with several of the top teams going through rebuilds. More Stories / Latest News 'In two years' – Claude Makelele agrees with John Terry as he makes major Chelsea claim Advertisement 1st Jun 2025, 11:30am Official: Chelsea's opponents for first Club World Cup match finally confirmed 1st Jun 2025, 11:00am 'Medical today' – Chelsea close in on first summer signing after latest Ben Jacobs update 1st Jun 2025, 10:30am Chelsea have got the bulk of their squad in place and two or three top quality additions in key areas could put Maresca's men in a really strong position. With Champions League football now on offer the Blues should be able to attract a higher calibre of player, and they've been linked with the likes of Hugo Ekitike and Nico Williams.
Daily Mirror
30-05-2025
- Sport
- Daily Mirror
Claude Makelele's Champions League final prediction as Inter Milan warning sent
Claude Makelele knows what it is like to win the Champions League, and he had a word of warning for Inter Milan ahead of their final against Paris Saint-Germain Claude Makelele has warned Inter Milan's old guard that the Champions League final is their last chance for European glory. Simone Inzaghi's gritty veterans had an average age of 30.2 when they beat Barcelona (25.8) in the semis, running out 7-6 winners over two enthralling legs. Paris Saint-Germain are the young upstarts in comparison, with an average squad age of just 23.6. They head into the Munich showdown as favourites after a blistering run to the final, including wins over Liverpool and Arsenal. But the stubborn Italians, who felt the pain of losing this final in 2023 against Manchester City, will be able to call upon their experience, and Champions League winner Makelele reckons that could be key. "Inter have the experience, many players, who played in the first final and lost, maybe for them this could be their last final," Makelele told Mirror Football on behalf of Bet365. "I think they will approach this game in a different way. "PSG have built a young team with a new manager, who has built a strong team in a short period of time. Everyone may have been surprised by the way this team are playing. I knew this manager would do a great job. But they will take Inter Milan seriously." Inter were pipped to the Serie A title by a single point this season, with Napoli coming out on top. Boss Inzaghi already has an Italian title to his name, but the Champions League is missing from his trophy cabinet. PSG manager Luis Enrique won the Champions League with Barcelona in 2015 when Ivan Rakitic, Luis Suarez and Neymar tore Juventus apart to win 3-1 in the Berlin final. A decade later, he returns to Germany with PSG, with the aim of conquering another Italian giant. PSG have dominated their domestic league, winning 11 Ligue 1 titles in 13 years, but are yet to win the Champions League. The club's Qatari owners have spent around £1.69billion on transfers for the likes of Lionel Messi, Neymar, and Kylian Mbappe to make their dream a reality, but they have so far fallen short. Enrique's arrival in 2023 began a new era. The Parisians abandoned their strategy of signing superstars and crowbarring them into a starting XI and switched to signing Europe's best young talent. After a slow start, their youngsters have been mesmerising, knocking out Liverpool, Aston Villa and Arsenal on their way to the final. In Makelele's eyes, their new approach, coupled with Enrique's brilliance, is what has brought them to Munich. He added: "I think they've corrected many mistakes they made before. Of course, we all dream about a team with a lot of big players, but many teams, they cannot deal with this. Many presidents are dreaming of building these kinds of teams, but it's difficult, different generations, different football. "I think they realised, 'Okay, we will need to build for longer to win these kinds of trophies and think in a different way'. Now, they are achieving success. Teams around the world are taking Paris Saint-Germain seriously. "They are a big brand all around the world, they are starting to play proper football and they are achieving success - the only trophy waiting for them is the Champions League."
New Straits Times
11-05-2025
- Entertainment
- New Straits Times
Makelele: 'When Madrid call, you don't say no'
KUALA LUMPUR: Claude Makelele knows better than most people when it comes to playing in the Clasico. The former France midfielder wore the famed white of Real Madrid from 2000 to 2003 during the original "Galactico" era. Makelele, who had also played for Celta Vigo, Chelsea and Paris Saint-Germain, believes that football is still a matter of heart and intelligence beyond the noise and glamour. "You need to put your love inside. Keep going, working hard. With time, you will always be successful," said Makelele during an interview in Kuala Lumpur on Saturday evening. As Real Madrid battle Barcelona in tonight's Clasico, Makelele reflects on the great rivalry between these two famous Spanish clubs. "Madrid, for me, are the best team in the world… It's always spectacular," he said. Makelele was at the heart of the original Galacticos, alongside Zinedine Zidane, Ronaldo, Luis Figo, Roberto Carlos, Raul, and Fernando Hierro. Looking back, he sees that Los Blancos side as unrepeatable. "At that time, yes, Madrid, Galacticos… I'm talking about a lot of genius players. I think you will not see this for a long, long, long time," he said. Makelele said what truly made that Madrid team tick was not just talent, but togetherness. "They never gave up, they always wanted to win. "The institution for Real Madrid was so strong. First of all, it's Real Madrid. They don't care about the players' names. They care about the group, the club." Makelele believes that this culture still defines Real Madrid today, and any player would dream of being part of it. "When Real Madrid call you, you can't say no. You need to go there, because it's the best team in the world," said Makelele who now focuses on educating young players, instilling values beyond flashy tricks and social media followers. For tonight's Clasico, Makelele is eager to watch a new generation of "genius players" take the stage, from Real's Vinicius Jr., Kylian Mbappe and Rodrygo to Barcelona's Pedri and Lamine Yamal. While Makelele acknowledgd that football has changed, with the rise of social media, branding and business, he said the game's essence remains. He still sees beauty in every era, even if the players wear different names on the back of their shirts.
Daily Mail
07-05-2025
- Sport
- Daily Mail
John Terry 'CHANGED penalty order' in Champions League final defeat by Man United, reveals former Chelsea team-mate - before Blues captain infamously missed his own spot-kick
A former Chelsea star has revealed how John Terry changed the penalty order in their Champions League final defeat back in 2008. The ex-Blues captain took what could have been the decisive penalty at the end of a 1-1 draw in the first ever final between two English clubs, but slipped on the run-up and hit the post to send the shoot-out into sudden death. Nicolas Anelka went on to miss Chelsea's seventh spot-kick to hand Man United a domestic and European double, but Terry's miss is still seen as the decisive and iconic moment at Moscow's Luzhniki Stadium. Now, Terry's former team-mate Claude Makelele has revealed that Terry was not initially meant to take the spot-kick but changed the order to try and be the 'hero'. Speaking on The LineUp, brought to you by BetMGM and talkSPORT, he said: 'The dressing room after the game was like fire. There was no happiness whatsoever – it was a sad place to be. 'We made a big mistake ahead of the penalties. We had an order which was agreed with the players and the manager, but it changed at the last minute. 'It was supposed to be Salomon Kalou taking the last penalty but John [Terry] took the opportunity off him. I think we lost this competition because football is very harsh sometimes and, if you don't do things the right way, you get punished. 'I was very angry when he missed the penalty because it was a chance that I knew a lot of the young players wouldn't get. I'd won the Champions League before but, in this moment, John had to be the leader and do what was best for the team. 'He didn't make sure we won the trophy, he tried to be a hero. If he knew this, he would have been a hero because he would have lifted the trophy.' Last year, Terry revealed on the Up Front Podcast that it was 'probably the worst moment in my footballing career'. He added: 'I'm still not over it today. I don't think I ever will be. It's interesting because as a player you have so many highs, but it's the lows that stay with you longer. 'That night we lost we went back to the hotel and the manager was asking us all to go down for a drink, but I stayed in my room because I couldn't face the lads. Eventually I went down and had a beer with the rest of the group. 'I just remember standing in my hotel room on the 25th floor, looking over Moscow and asking myself, 'why then, why did it start raining then, why did I slip? 'The hardest thing for me was that three days later we had a friendly for England against USA at Wembley and we drew 1-1 I scored a header from outside of the box. If I could swap any two goals in my career it'd be those two.' He also previously told Sky in the months after the miss: 'Every morning I wake up, that's the first thing I think about. I am still so desperately disappointed about it. 'But I am a big man with a big character and it is now down to me to deal with that.' Speaking ahead of the 2008-09 season, he added: 'I'm certainly looking forward to the new season so I can wipe away that bitter disappointment for the club, and especially for me.'
The Sun
06-05-2025
- Sport
- The Sun
‘Tried to be a hero' – John Terry CHANGED penalty order before infamous Champions League slip, claims Chelsea team-mate
JOHN TERRY tried to be a hero with his infamous Champions League final penalty shoot-out miss, claims former team-mate Claude Makele. The ex- Chelsea captain hit the post after slipping as he took his spot-kick, handing Manchester United the 2008 Champions League trophy. 2 But it has now been claimed Terry was never meant to take the penalty in the first place. Makelele, 52, revealed Solomon Kalou was in line to step up instead. And he believes a mistake was made as Terry took on the job instead, as he wanted to be a "hero". Speaking on The LineUp, brought to you by BetMGM and talkSPORT, he said: 'The dressing room after the game was like fire. There was no happiness whatsoever – it was a sad place to be. 'We made a big mistake ahead of the penalties. We had an order which was agreed with the players and the manager, but it changed at the last minute. 'It was supposed to be Salomon Kalou taking the last penalty but John [Terry] took the opportunity off him. I think we lost this competition because football is very harsh sometimes and, if you don't do things the right way, you get punished. 'I was very angry when he missed the penalty because it was a chance that I knew a lot of the young players wouldn't get. I'd won the Champions League before but, in this moment, John had to be the leader and do what was best for the team. 'He didn't make sure we won the trophy, he tried to be a hero. If he knew this, he would have been a hero because he would have lifted the trophy.' Terry, 44, has spoken about how that pivotal moment "broke" him. He said: "I just remember standing looking over Moscow in my hotel, I was on about the 25th floor, just looking out. "Just asking, 'Why? Why then? Why did it start raining? Why did I slip?' All of these things that go over [in your head]. "Probably the hardest thing was that three days later we met up with England. We had a friendly at Wembley against the USA. "I ended up scoring a header from outside the box and that was probably the hardest moment. "Because if I could swap any goal in my career it would be that. I scored a header from 18 yards and after the game it f***ing broke me."
