Latest news with #Portuegese
USA Today
27-05-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
Cristiano Ronaldo seemingly splits with Al Nassr ahead of odd future
Cristiano Ronaldo seemingly splits with Al Nassr ahead of odd future Not long after he scored for the final time in Monday's Saudi Pro League finale, Cristiano Ronaldo made his intentions for his future glaringly obvious. The Portuegese soccer legend seemingly intends to leave his incumbent club, Al Nassr, ahead of a key summer in his illustrious career. Ronaldo hinted at this plan as much with an unsubtle social media post on Monday detailing this "chapter" being over before his contract officially expires at the end of next month. In the last two seasons (105 matches) with Al Nassr, the 40-year-old Ronaldo scored 99 goals. He finished this past season as the Saudi Pro League's top scorer. Ronaldo remains men's soccer's all-time leading scorer with 937 goals. It'd be really hard to see this below message as anything but a goodbye, but I recognize there can always be other possibilities: Ronaldo's apparent departure from the Saudi Pro League does have potentially imminent consequences on another major soccer tournament: the 2025 FIFA Club World Cup. According to a MARCA report from earlier this month, an unnamed Brazilian club has already given Ronaldo an offer to play for their team during the Club World Cup starting in mid-June. Botafogo coach Renato Paiva, who coaches one of the four Brazilian teams Ronaldo could theoretically join for the tournament, couldn't hide his enthusiasm at the mere chance Ronaldo might play for his club. More from ESPN: "Christmas is only in December ... But if he came, you can't say no to a star like that. I don't know anything. I'm just answering the question. But, as I said, coaches always want the best. Ronaldo, even at his age, is still a goal-scoring machine. In a team that creates chance after chance, he would be good." Whatever the immediate future holds for Ronaldo, it sure does not seem like it'll be short on complications and potential twists and turns.
Daily Mail
04-05-2025
- Sport
- Daily Mail
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer claims bragging rights over Jose Mourinho as Besiktas triumph 1-0 over Fenerbahce... with ex-Spurs flop scoring the winner against his former Tottenham manager
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer 's Besiktas beat Fenerbahce 1-0 in the Istanbul derby to further dent Jose Mourinho 's chances of winning the Turkish Süper Lig. Gedson Fernandes, who flopped at Tottenham Hotspur when Mourinho was in charge, missed a penalty but then scored the only goal to hand Solskjaer bragging rights at Sukru Saracoglu Stadium. The win sees Solskjaer became the first foreign Besiktas coach to claim an away win at Fenerbahce in 22 years and spells the end of Fenerbahce's title hopes, with Mourinho's side eight points behind leaders Galatasaray. The former Manchester United managers, who together spent five years at Old Trafford, clashed during their time in England and faced each other for the first time since moving to Turkey. Solskjaer replaced Mourinho at United in 2018 and the two managers both recorded second place Premier League finishes - the highest the Red Devils have achieved since Sir Alex Ferguson. The pair locked horns in April 2021 after Solskjaer's United beat Spurs 3-1 , a week before Mourinho was sacked. The 62-year-old Portuegese boss was incensed after Solskjaer claimed Son Heung-min had cheated to disallow a United goal. Solskjaer, who revealed pre-match he has not spoken to Mourinho since his arrival in Turkey in January, criticised the South Korean for diving at the time. 'If that was my son and he stays down and he needs his mates to help him up, he doesn't get food because that's embarrassing, the game's absolutely gone,' the Norwegian said. Mourinho took aim at Solskjaer's parenting in response. 'I just want to say that Sonny is very lucky that his father is a better person than Ole,' he said. 'I am a father. I think as a father you have to always feed your kids. It doesn't matter what they do. If you have to steal to feed your kids, you steal. Solskjaer shrugged off the rivalry before the game, insisting: 'This is not a match between Jose Mourinho and Ole Gunnar Solskjaer. 'This is a match between Besiktas and Fenerbahce. The players will decide the score. I have great respect for Mourinho.' Since replacing Giovanni van Bronckhorst in January, the 52-year-old has lifted Besiktas to fourth place in the league and are competing for Europa League play-off spot. Fernandes, who joined Spurs under Mourinho in 2021, missed a penalty before scoring Fenerbahce will compete in the Champions League next season but there is uncertainty whether Mourinho will still be in charge. In November he tore into the Turkish Super Lig in an incredible tirade following his team's 3-2 away win at Trabzonspor on Sunday. Mourinho did not hold back as he boldly stated: 'Nobody abroad wants to watch the Turkish league. 'Who wants to watch this Turkish league abroad? They have the Premier League, they have the French league, they have the German league, they have the Portuguese league, they have the Dutch league. Why should they see this? 'It's too grey. It's too dark, smells bad. But that's my job, and I will give everything to my job, to my club.' Meanwhile, the former Chelsea manager was last month hit with a three-match ban and slapped with a 292,500 Turkish Lira (£5,955) fine after appearing to grab the nose of Galatasaray boss Okan Buruk in jaw-dropping scenes. After approaching Buruk from behind, Mourinho seemingly pinched his opposite number's nose. Buruk, 51, then fell to the floor, covering his face with his hands.
