Latest news with #Sneijder
Metro
3 days ago
- Sport
- Metro
PSG or Inter? Wesley Sneijder makes Champions League final prediction
Wesley Sneijder believes Inter Milan are the only team capable of locking down Paris Saint-Germain when they meet in the Champions League final tonight. After years of frustration and disappointment in the competition, PSG have enjoyed a sensational run to the final in Munich on Saturday. A dazzling array of talent spearheaded by Ousmane Dembele and Khvicha Kvaratskhelia has slain three Premier League sides en route with Liverpool, Aston Villa and Arsenal all falling at their feet. Inter return for their second final in three years after their unforgettable semi-final victory over Barcelona, progressing after a 7-6 aggregate victory. Sneijder was part of the last Inter team to win club football's biggest prize, part of the Jose Mourinho machine along with Samuel Eto'o, Diego Milito, Thiago Motta and Maicon that secured a historic treble in 2010. Having watched PSG dispatch three English teams on the bounce, the Dutchman believes an Inter team that boasts the best defence in the competition is better equipped to deal with PSG and punish the Parisians. Where the Premier League's best were undone, Sneijder believes Inter have the answer. 'If you see the English teams PSG played against, all of them they tried to play the game their way, they tried to attack,' Sneijder told Metro. 'But on the other side, that gives a lot of space to the opponent. 'PSG were happy with that way of playing. So there were space to exploit. And of course they have the quality to do something with that. But on Saturday it will be a totally different game. Inter don't mind leaving the ball to PSG. 'Inter, they have great defenders, they defend as a team and they are waiting for mistakes. They have such power down the sides, especially down the right with Denzel Dumfries so it is going be a very different approach for PSG to deal with. Inter are so dangerous in the transition and can punish them.' Inter missed out on the Serie A title a week ago with Napoli sealing the crown on the final day of the season last Friday. The Champions League is the bigger prize for Simeone Inzaghi's side with Sneijder convinced his old side must be considered favourites. More Trending 'They are the favourites for me,' he said. 'At the end of the season, they put everything into getting to the Champions League final. Heading into the last game of the Serie A season, I don't think they believed anymore about winning the championship. 'Because they thought Napoli wouldn't make mistakes. So they have been waiting for this game. It has been 15 years and now is the right moment to get this trophy.' Wesley Sneijder was speaking on behalf of BetMGM. You could win over £27m today with MGM Millions. BeGambleAware 18+ MORE: Champions League final odds: Paris Saint-Germain's youngsters can lift trophy for the first time but may need to go the distance against Inter Milan MORE: PSG vs Inter Milan: Champions League final team news and predicted lineups MORE: Cristiano Ronaldo makes decision over future after Club World Cup talks
Daily Mirror
3 days ago
- Sport
- Daily Mirror
'Real Madrid humiliated me – Trent Alexander-Arnold is in for a rude awakening'
Wesley Sneijder knows all too well the challenges that come with wearing the famous white shirt of Real Madrid, and he has issued Bernabeu-bound Trent Alexander-Arnold a stark warning As the dust begins to settle around Trent Alexander-Arnold's impending move to Real Madrid, a voice from the club's cutthroat past has stepped up with a sobering dose of reality. Wesley Sneijder – once seen as a future Los Blancos legend – understands better than most the brutal demands of life in the white-hot Bernabeu spotlight. Having joined Real from Ajax in 2007 amid high hopes and glowing press, his dreams quickly turned disillusionment. Just two years later, he was quietly - but bluntly - pushed out, despite playing a central part in the club's 2008 La Liga title triumph. Now, as Trent prepares to trade Merseyside familiarity for the intense glare of Madrid, Sneijder has issued a stark warning: hit the ground running, or risk being swallowed by a club that shows no patience for underperformance. "The only advice I have for him is: it's Real Madrid. It's the biggest club in the world so you have to deliver – and you have to deliver from the first day," Sneijder told the Liverpool Echo, via BetMGM. "If you don't deliver, even if you are a great player, it will go fast. And the fans will start to be against you. That's not going to be easy for him. He must deliver from the first day." Though Sneijder quickly won over Real's notoriously-fickle supporters, he never managed to impress president Florentino Perez. Within days of Perez returning to power in 2009, Sneijder – along with fellow rising stars Arjen Robben, Alvaro Negredo and Klaas-Jan Huntelaar – was told to pack his bags. The decision was part of a ruthless overhaul aimed at funding the next generation of Galacticos, which included blockbuster arrivals like Cristiano Ronaldo, Kaka, and Karim Benzema. Still, Sneijder recalled feeling "humiliated," especially after discovering his belongings had already been cleared from his locker before he'd even been spoken to. "I went to speak with the president. He didn't give me much time and just told me I no longer fit into their plans and that they wanted to win the Champions League," Sneijder revealed in a 2023 appearance on Dutch television. "Before leaving his office, I said, 'Sir, know that wherever I go, I will play to win.'" He backed up those words. Later that summer, Sneijder completed a £12m transfer to Inter Milan – and within a year, he was lifting the very Champions League trophy Perez had been chasing. The venue? None other than the Bernabeu. "[Being kicked out of Madrid] was a little bit tough. But the beautiful thing was that I got back a year later and played a final [and won the Champions League in Madrid]," he added, a satisfied grin spreading across his face. Though Alexander-Arnold's switch to Madrid has not yet been officially announced, reports suggest the Spanish giants are keen to finalise the deal ahead of the Club World Cup which kicks off in June. The free transfer will be a stunning acquisition for one of the continent's most gifted full backs. However, amid the excitement and buzz, Sneijder's cautionary tale is a reminder: the spotlight in Madrid is dazzling – but it's also scorching. Alexander-Arnold certainly has the talent to thrive, but he is walking into a pressure cooker, where legends are forged – and forgotten – in an instant. And slow starters are shown little mercy, if any at all.
Daily Mirror
4 days ago
- Sport
- Daily Mirror
'I was linked to Man Utd and turned down Liverpool – I wanted to win trophies'
Wesley Sneijder never made it to English shores, but it wasn't for lack of trying, with two Premier League clubs coming tantalisingly close to securing the enigmatic Dutch playmaker in his heyday For years, Wesley Sneijder was the Premier League's elusive phantom. The Inter Milan and Netherlands icon was perpetually linked with moves to England, with Manchester United, Liverpool and others investing serious time and effort in pursuit of the mercurial midfielder. In his prime, Sneijder was a creative force in world football, with his sublime blend of technical brilliance and lethal goalscoring instinct captivating clubs across Europe. Fresh off orchestrating Inter Milan's historic 2010 Treble and steering the Netherlands to a World Cup final, he was the prize many elite clubs coveted. United made a fervent attempt to snag the Dutch maestro that summer, but it was Liverpool who came closest to securing his signature in 2012. "When I was leaving Inter, I was speaking to Liverpool - but I had to make a decision between Liverpool and Galatasaray," Sneijder said, speaking exclusively to Mirror Football, via BetMGM. "At that time, I was considering both. But when you look at my career, all the teams I have played for were playing for something, playing for the title, always in the top three of the league. "And at that time, Liverpool were not as great as they are now. Galatasaray was a completely new experience. A different culture, and playing for prizes. So I chose them over Liverpool." His decision nearly haunted him, as the Reds mounted a thrilling, albeit doomed, Premier League title charge in 2013/14 under Brendan Rodgers, derailed by Steven Gerrard's infamous slip against Chelsea. In Istanbul, Sneijder's gamble paid dividends, as he powered Galatasaray to eight major trophies, including two Super Lig titles and three Turkish Cups. Yet, the siren call of the Premier League lingered. Reflecting on the Manchester United saga, Sneijder revealed that talks with the Red Devils were gaining momentum in 2010, only to collapse abruptly. It wasn't until years later, during a chance encounter between his father and legendary former United manager Sir Alex Ferguson, that the truth behind the failed transfer emerged, shedding light on one of modern football's great 'what-ifs.' "I didn't know the reason - I didn't ask my agent. He just said they [United] didn't call anymore and I believed it. But many years later, like five or six years later, my father was in Manchester with a friend of his, and they walked into a place where Sir Alex Ferguson was. "And he spoke to my father and he said he was interested in me, that he wanted to sign me, but that there was a problem with the agent. So that was the problem - which I didn't know before. That's the information I have now. "Obviously, it would have been a great move. After winning everything to go to a big club like Man United would have been amazing. But also, I had a great time at Inter Milan, and after that I had a great move to Galatasaray... it just didn't happen." Sneijder, now 40, launched his storied career at Ajax, honing his craft before a high-profile 2007 transfer to Real Madrid. In his debut season, he clinched the La Liga title, but the arrival of the second Galacticos era - headlined by Cristiano Ronaldo, Kaka, and Karim Benzema - pushed him out in 2009. Revenge came swiftly, though, as Sneijder, under Jose Mourinho, helped new club Inter clinch a famous Treble, capped by a 2-0 Champions League final triumph over Bayern Munich at the Bernabeu - his former home. After securing six major titles in three-and-a-half years at the San Siro, he joined Galatasaray, before stints at Nice and Qatari outfit Al-Gharafa. Internationally, Sneijder's 134 caps - a Dutch record - saw him shine at six major tournaments. His pinnacle came at the 2010 World Cup, where he led the Netherlands to the final, claimed joint-top scorer honours, and earned the Silver Ball as the tournament's second-best player. Sneijder's career, defined by trophies as well as near-misses, remains a testament to his unwavering pursuit of glory over glamour. While the Premier League's allure never truly faded, his choice to chase success in the fervent footballing cauldrons of Milan and Istanbul over England's uncertain promises proved his instinct for winning was as sharp as his playmaking.
Yahoo
6 days ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
'Never change': The key to preparing for a Champions League final
How do you prepare for a Champions League final? After years of work, you are one game away from glory, from history. How do you sleep? How do you gear yourself up to arrive at the stadium without the nerves taking over? Who better to ask than two Champions League winners? With Inter back in a Champions League final against Paris Saint-Germain this week, two heroes from the 2010 treble-winning side sat down Just Eat's Legendary Table at San Siro and revealed the secret is to change nothing. "We were always ourselves, a game is just a game that we wanted to win," Wesley Sneijder said, when talking about how to prepare for the biggest matches. "We always came together, the same people, and we had a drink (the night before) to go to sleep, to make you relax and have a good sleep, and we were always ready the next day. "That was our spirit, never change. Sneijder went on to explain that manager José Mourinho stood up to Inter's sponsors on that occasion, when the players were being pressured to change one part of their pre-match routine ahead of the 2-0 win over Bayern Munich at the Bernabéu. "We went to the final, for example, and the sponsors wanted us to go in a suit," Sneijder recalled. "Mourinho said: 'We've travelled like gypsies, we will also go the the final like gypsies'." And there was one more key detail, as pointed out by Marco Materazzi when it came to the pre-match meal: "Carbonara too, before the game, of course!" Well, of course. 📸 JAVIER SORIANO - 2010 AFP
Yahoo
08-04-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
What Sneijder said to mocking Bayern coach before Inter's Allianz Arena epic comeback
What Sneijder said to mocking Bayern coach before Inter's Allianz Arena epic comeback Inter have already emerged victorious against Bayern Munich at the Allianz Arena in 2011, and Wesley Sneijder, a Nerazzurri player at the time, recalled how they stunned an opponent who was already confident of qualifying for the next round following their win at San Siro. Advertisement The Biscione faced the Bavarian giants as Champions League holders in the competition's round of 16, but Mario Gomez's winner in the first leg in Milan made their task much harder, leaving them with little chance of turning the tie around at Bayern's home, traditionally a hostile ground for any team. Wesley Sneijder of FC Internazionale Milano celebrates after the goal scored by Samuel Eto'o during the Tim Cup final between FC Internazionale Milano and US Citta di Palermo at Olimpico Stadium on May 29, 2011 in Rome, Italy. (Photo by) The Bundesliga outfit was also extremely confident that their job was already done, as Sneijder revealed witnessing a scene where Bayern coach Louis van Gaal told two of his players that he felt his side had more than one foot in the quarter-finals. How Sneijder challenged mocking Bayern coach before Allianz Arena comeback in 2011 'When I came back into the tunnel after that defeat, Louis van Gaal was walking right in front of me with Arjen Robben and Franck Ribery, laughing his head off and saying, 'We've got them in the bag.' But I heard everything!,' Sneijder said in an event organised by JustEat, as reported by FcInterNews. Advertisement 'And it was then that Sneijder challenged his fellow countryman: 'I told him, 'Hey coach, you won 1-0 here, but we've got another match to play in Munich,' and he kept laughing, saying it would be easy. But instead, we won 3-2 there.' Former Inter midfielder Wesley Sneijder for Holland Inter found a late winner through Goran Pandev that night, completing a dramatic comeback after Bayern had temporarily turned the game around following Samuel Eto'o's early opener, with Sneijder scoring his side's second goal.
