Latest news with #Marca
The Hindu
12 hours ago
- Sport
- The Hindu
Everything you need to know about Lamine Yamal's new Barcelona contract
Barcelona's teenage star Lamine Yamal has signed a contract extension to stay at Catalan giant until 2031, the club announced on Tuesday. The 17-year-old Spaniard helped the Barca clinch a domestic treble — La Liga, the Copa del Rey and the Spanish Super Cup — with his goals, dribbling and playmaking. How much will Yamal earn in the new deal? According to bein Sports, Yamal's new deal has catapulted him up the salary ladder at Barcelona. He has extended his stay until 2031 and will earn €15 million (£12.5m/$17m) per season as a base salary, potentially rising to €20m (£17m/$23m) with bonuses. That puts him on a weekly wage of £325,000, and reportedly makes him one of the club's top earners. Is there a release clause included? Yes, Yamal new deal includes a release clause. The future is now. — FC Barcelona (@FCBarcelona) May 27, 2025 How much is Yamal's Barcelona release clause? Per Spanish publication Marca, Yamal's deal also includes a staggering release clause of €1 billion (£838m/$1.1bn) as the club aim to keep the winger at the club for the foreseeable future. Is Yamal expected to wear the iconic No. 10 jersey and continue Lionel Messi's legacy? The La Masia graduate is also expected to be given the coveted No. 10 shirt once Ansu Fati leaves the club. Fati is not in Hansi Flick's plans and will move to Monaco this summer according to reports in Spanish media. As per Marca, in another show of faith from the Catalan giants, Yamal will take over the number next season previously worn by Ronaldinho and Lionel Messi.
Indian Express
19 hours ago
- Sport
- Indian Express
‘It's a dream… I can't wait': Zinedine Zidane on taking over French national team's coaching role
Footballing great and French veteran Zinedine Zidane said it would be a 'dream' job taking over the coaching duties of the France national team. The 52-year-old is reportedly set to succeed as the coach of France after the 2026 FIFA World Cup. This development came after the Les Bleus' long-time coach Didier Deschamps announced his departure post the 2026 World Cup set to be played in the USA, Canada and Mexico. Deschamps has been in charge of the French side since 2012 and has led the French national team to the World Cup title in 2018 and the final in 2022. 'I feel qualified for the French team, where I played and spent practically 12, 13, 14 years as a player. Of course it's a dream. I can't wait,' said Zidane as the French media reported. 'I feel 100 per cent ready to coach. Of course, it's a desire. But there's a coach, there's a team, and we have to respect everything, and that's what we do. But when the time comes, it will be a great pleasure if the opportunity presents itself,' he added, as was quoted by Marca. Zidane also praised the 17-year-old Spanish and Barcelona sensation Lamine Yamal. 'When you see him play, for example, the semi-final against Inter Milan. I've never seen anything like that in my life. Just watch someone who has such a command of his craft on the pitch. It's fabulous to see him like that. We all had fun with him, and that's why, for all these young players, Lamine is the one to watch,' said the former captain of France, Zidane, who led his country to the World Cup title in 1998. Yamal, at such a young age, has astonishing talent. He has already won the Euro Cup with the Spanish national team in 2024, where they beat England 2-1 in the final. Yamal was the young player of the tournament. This season, he has won the domestic treble with Barca after winning the La Liga, Copa del Rey and Spanish Super Cup alongside a creditable semifinal run in the UEFA Champions League before losing 7-6 in a two-leg thriller against Inter Milan.
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
Cristiano Ronaldo appears ready to leave Al Nassr after season-ending loss: 'This chapter is over'
Cristiano Ronaldo's time with Al Nassr appears to be coming to an end. Ronaldo, shortly after the club's final match of the Saudi Pro League's season on Monday, posted a cryptic message on social media hinting that he had played his last match with the franchise. 'This chapter is over,' he wrote. 'The story? Still being written. Grateful to all.' View this post on Instagram A post shared by Cristiano Ronaldo (@cristiano) While it's unclear what that means specifically, Ronaldo's current contract with Al Nassr is due to expire in June. It doesn't sound like Ronaldo is going to retire, either — even though, at 40 years old, he could absolutely walk away from the game as one of the best players to ever compete. Ronaldo has plenty of options available to him. Marca reported earlier this month that he had received a significant offer from an unnamed Brazilian club, which could result in Ronaldo competing in the Club World Cup next month. Four Brazilian teams, Botafogo, Fluminense, Flamengo and Palmeiras, are set to compete in that tournament, which starts on June 14 in the United States. If Ronaldo is going to pull that off, however, he'll have to make a decision quickly. Ronaldo scored a goal on Monday in Al Nassr's 3-2 loss to Al Fateh, which marked his 99th goal and 105th match with the team. Al Nassr failed to qualify for the AFC Champions League next season The five-time Ballon d'Or winner had 24 goals in 29 matches this season, his third with the team. He signed a deal in December 2022 that paid him around $200 million a season after a two-year run with Manchester United. Only time will tell what Ronaldo opts to do during the next, and perhaps final, stage of his playing career. But with the Al Nassr chapter seemingly behind him, it looks like a move is imminent.
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First Post
3 days ago
- Business
- First Post
Al-Nassr preparing lucrative deal to keep Ronaldo amid surprise Club World Cup offer: Reports
Cristiano Ronaldo's time at Al-Nassr hasn't gone as planned despite his goal-scoring heroics. However, there are reports that the Saudi club is still planning to extend his contract for one more season and is preparing a big offer for the 40-year-old. read more Portuguese legend 's stint in the Saudi Pro League is not going as planned despite him scoring a lot of goals. His team, Al-Nassr, has already lost the chance to win the league title as they are languishing at fourth place, and on top of that, they also got eliminated from the semi-final of the Asian Champions League. The Riyadh-based side is now unlikely to participate in any international tournament next season. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD In 2022, Ronaldo was bought by Al-Nassr for a lot of money with the primary goal of winning titles. However, the 40-year-old has so far failed to deliver on the expectations. Despite this, there are reports suggesting that the Saudi club is preparing a lucrative contract to keep Ronaldo for at least one year. His current contract with the Saudi club is set to expire in July. More from Football Al-Nassr preparing lucrative deal for Ronaldo? According to Marca, Al-Nassr are putting together a 12-month contract valued at (Rs 1,700 crore) £155million a year. If the deal goes through, Ronaldo will earn (Rs 34 crore) £2.98m a week, or (Rs 4 crore) £425,000 a day. The Marca report claims that the Saudi Pro League side is very keen on retaining Ronaldo and is even willing to offer him a 5 percent share. However, all these are just speculations at the moment because nothing official has come either from Ronaldo or the club. Ronaldo gets Club World Cup offer? Meanwhile, there are also reports that Moroccan club Wydad Casablanca has approached Ronaldo with an offer to join before the FIFA Club World Cup. A source close to Wydad Casablanca told Reuters they want to sign Ronaldo to lead their attack in the Club World Cup. However, the source downplayed the development, saying that it was just a friendly talk between the club president and an agent close to Ronaldo. 'It was just a friendly talk between Wydad's president and an agent close to Ronaldo, without going beyond informal discussions,' a source was quoted as saying by Reuters. Ronaldo has scored close to 100 goals for Al-Nassr since moving there from Manchester United in early 2023. Ronaldo had a bitter exit from his former club, where he spent the initial years of his career. He came back to the Premier League after an illustrious stint with Real Madrid and a short time with Juventus. But because of some issues with the then-United manager Erik ten Hag, Ronaldo went to Saudi Arabia, in what was said to be the biggest deal in football history. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD
Al Jazeera
4 days ago
- Sport
- Al Jazeera
Lamine Yamal: Barcelona star inspiring next-gen footballers in his hometown
Rocafonda, Spain – The front page of Spain's biggest sports tabloid Marca screamed LAMINE YA! (Lamine Now!) as speculation mounted over whether the teenage wonder boy would sign a new contract for FC Barcelona. Lamine Yamal is expected to renew his contract with Barcelona before he turns 18 in July, his agent Jorge Mendes assured reporters last week. Deco, the sporting director of Barca, denied reports that Yamal's agent had asked that the 17-year-old be made the highest paid player in the dressing room, while Spanish media speculated that he could look forward to a 10-fold pay increase to more than 15 million euros ($17m) net per season. Whatever the astronomical sums involved in signing the gifted winger who helped Barca clinch the La Liga title this season, it will seem a world away from the very humble beginnings of this Spanish sporting prodigy. Yamal grew up in a poor area of Mataro, an industrial town located about 32km (20 miles) north of Barcelona, but it is a world away from the glitz and glamour of the Catalan capital. The Barca footballer learned his craft on the streets of Rocafonda, a working-class neighbourhood of Mataro. About half of the 11,000 people who live in this corner of Mataro are classified as 'at risk of poverty', according to the Spanish National Statistics Institute. Many flats appear run down and lack basic modern-day amenities like lifts. One centre in Rocafonda offers help to children who are struggling at school. With 88 different nationalities in the area, Arabic halal butchers are a common sight. Evictions are a daily occurrence in Rocafonda as many households struggle to pay the rent, which averages about $1,334 per month, a fortune to many. Nevertheless, football – or rather Yamal – gives people hope here. 'In Rocafonda, more Lamine Yamals and fewer evictions', reads the graffiti at the Club de Futbol Rocafonda, the municipal football pitch. Children play nearby, perhaps dreaming that maybe, just maybe, they could be the next Lamine Yamal. Wearing an Argentina shirt, Mohammed Kaddouri, who is a year younger than Yamal, says the Barca football player is an inspiration to young people here. 'Since Lamine, so many people have started playing football and believe they could be like him. It is not just boys but more girls are playing football too,' he says. His friend Damia Castillo, also 16, met Yamal when he came back to see his family, who still live in the neighbourhood. 'He always talks to us like he is a normal person, not like he is some big star. He is from here, and so are we. It makes you think, you know, maybe it could be me,' Castillo told Al Jazeera. Friends said Yamal owes his precocious talents to a baptism of fire playing in the tough streets of Rocafonda. 'Lamine learned to play so well because he started playing with bigger kids. Some of these were bigger than him, and some of them were tough kids,' says family friend Mohammed Ben Serghine. 'Despite what has happened to him with all this fame, he has remained humble, and he is good with the kids when he comes back to Rocafonda to see his family.' We meet in the Bar El Cordobes, the local bar frequented by Yamal's father, Mounir Nasraoui, who pops in now and again. On the wall is a yellowing Barca shirt signed by Yamal and replete with his photograph. Last year, the Spain winger's father published a photograph on social media of his son, which was taken when he was a baby. Yamal was cradled by then-Barcelona footballer Lionel Messi. He wrote on social media: 'Two beginnings of two legends. It now appears amazingly prescient.' The Argentina superstar was 20 at the time and had taken part in a promotional campaign for FC Barcelona for UNICEF. Yamal was only five months old when his parents entered him into a raffle and he was paired up with Messi. Yamal's smiles won over a nervous Messi at the photoshoot. Statistically, Yamal is ahead of Messi for a 17-year-old player, according to football writer Ryan O'Hanlon of ESPN. 'Broadly, this is the conclusion: [Michael] Owen, Kylian Mbappe and Yamal are the best teenagers in modern soccer history,' he wrote, basing these assertions on the number of goals and assists. Rocafonda might have been forgotten, like many other fringe, outer-suburban Barcelona neighbourhoods, were it not for Yamal himself. On the walls, someone has painted the number 304. It might just be graffiti, except for one thing. When Yamal scored a wonder goal against France in the Euro 2024 last year, he celebrated by making the sign three, zero, four with his fingers. It was a reference to the postcode of Rocafonda, which in full reads 08304. As the world was transfixed by Yamal's dazzling skills, it was a sign that even when footballers can expect seven- or even eight-figure salaries, some have not forgotten their roots. At the Bar Familia L Y 304 Rocafonda, run by the player's uncle, Abdul, you are left in no doubt that Yamal remains faithful to where he came from. Decked out in photographs of Yamal and signed shirts, in one corner is a tiny, plastic version of the World Cup. It begs the thought: might Yamal one day lift the real thing for Spain? The player's own story starts 30 years ago when his maternal grandmother, Fatima, arrived from Morocco and took up a job in an old people's residence. She worked to bring her seven children over from Morocco and managed as a single mother. Yamal's mother, Sheila Ebana, is from Equatorial Guinea, a former Spanish colony in Western Africa. The player's parents divorced, and when she moved away from Rocafonda, she enrolled him in Club de Futbol La Torreta in Granollers, a nearby town. Yamal speaks fondly about his mother, who gave him the best childhood she could despite the difficulties she faced. 'Maybe I didn't have the best childhood, but I didn't see it. I only saw the beautiful, thanks to her,' he said in an Instagram interview with user tumejorjugada. Life for both parents has changed dramatically since their son became a superstar. Ebana now has 258,000 followers on Instagram and has moved to Barcelona. His father has also moved to the Catalan capital. Yamal started playing for CF La Torreta, a small club with 200 players, when he was only five. On the window of the club, there is a photograph of the player when he arrived as a small child and another more recent one. 'He came here when he was five years old and stayed just two years before Barcelona came for him,' says Jordi Vizcaino, president of CF La Torreta. 'I still can hardly believe it when I see how far he has gone, when I see Yamal playing for Barca and Spain. He was just a kid when he came here and is still just a kid really.' Rocio Escandell, president of the Association of Rocafonda Neighbours, has known Yamal and his family all his life. 'Lamine has put Rocafonda on the world map. It is a working-class area with lots of migrants, but he has made people here believe they can be something. It does not have to be a footballer. It might be a doctor. Just to believe,' she told Al Jazeera. Her nine-year-old daughter, Abril, is proof of how Yamal has changed expectations. 'I have been playing football since I was small, and I score more and more goals. When I am older, I want to be like Lamine,' says Abril.
