Latest news with #Transfermarkt
Forbes
3 days ago
- Business
- Forbes
Real Madrid Now Has World's Most Expensive Midfielder
Spanish soccer giant Real Madrid boasts the world's most expensive midfielder according to expert ... More site Transfermarkt, as highlighted by AS. Spanish soccer giant Real Madrid boasts the world's most expensive midfielder according to expert site Transfermarkt, as highlighted by local newspaper AS. The Madrid-based outlet ran a report on the Uruguayan entitled 'Valverde, a new dimension', which details how with veterans Luka Modric and Lucas Vazquez set to leave Madrid after the Club World Cup, Federico Valverde will only have Dani Carvajal ahead of him in the pecking order of first team captains. About to enter his eighth season in Los Blancos colors, Valverde is an undisputed starter likely to enjoy such prominence under Carlo Ancelotti's successor Xabi Alonso. He was the only player on the Italian's watch to exceed 5,000 minutes (5,029 to be exact) in playing time across 59 games in 2024/2025, which saw him finish way ahead of teammates such as Kylian Mbappe (4,607 minutes) and Jude Bellingham (4,346 minutes) in that respect. That was a season where we saw Valverde act as a Swiss army knife for his coach and play a number of positions for the Italian including pivot, midfielder, right back and right winger. With Trent-Alexander Arnold completing his long-awaited transfer from Liverpool before the weekend, its likely he'll no longer be required at right back and can perhaps concentrate on holding the fort but also getting forward in the centre of the park. Despite his more retreated position on occasion, Valverde was his team's leader with the most completed passes (3,122), passes to the final third (1,070) and interceptions (70). He was also second in tackles (95) and recoveries (257), third in robbing the ball in the final third of the pitch (24), fourth in blocks (15), fifth in shots (85) and sixth in shots on goal (29) while amassing nine goals and eight assists. This has contributed to a figure that AS says it 'everywhere all at once', and Valverde is expected to be a crucial to Alonso in 2025/2026 where the main mission will be With all this in mind, Real Madrid now boasts the world's most expensive midfielder in Valverde. Eighth overall on its list of the priciest footballers in the sport, he has since his value rise from $5.7 million (€5 million) to $148.4 million (€130 million).
Arab News
3 days ago
- Business
- Arab News
Al-Nassr sign Mohamed Simakan on 5-year deal
RIYADH: Al-Nassr have completed the signing of French defender Mohamed Simakan on a five-year deal, according to Arriyadiyah. For the latest updates, follow us @ArabNewsSport The 25-year-old center back joined the Saudi Pro League side on loan from Bundesliga outfit RB Leipzig last summer. That deal included a mandatory purchase clause, which has now been activated following the conclusion of the 2024–25 season. The report said the loan was structured purely for administrative and financial reasons and with all contractual conditions now fulfilled, Al-Nassr have formalized the transfer. Simakan made 39 appearances during his debut season, 26 of them in the Saudi Pro League, 11 in the AFC Champions League Elite and two in the King Cup. A consistent performer and a versatile presence in defense, he quickly established himself as a key figure in Al-Nassr's back line. He contributed one goal and three assists. His market value is currently estimated at €23 million ($26.1 million), according to Transfermarkt.
BBC News
3 days ago
- Business
- BBC News
A new winner, but is Champions League now a Super League by default?
Paris St-Germain are the champions of Europe - first-time winners after thrashing Inter Milan 5-0 in the most one-sided final of the competition's are the first French side to win the coveted prize since Marseille in 1993 and only the 24th different club to lift the famous paper the Champions League and its new format appears a more diverse competition - before you remember PSG's starting XI in Munich cost £403m to assemble, compared to the £137m Inter paid for their starting side."Everyone criticised us and doubted us, lots of people didn't believe in our project," PSG president Nasser Al-Khelaifi told Canal Plus."The objective now is to win again. It has taken 14 years of hard work but we are building something for the future."Qatar Sports Investments bought PSG in 2011. Since then the club has spent 2.3bn euros (£2.1bn) on transfer fees,, external according to estimates from Transfermarkt."If you take a look at their wage bill from last season, it was probably one of the top two or three highest in European football," football finance expert Kieran Maguire told BBC Sport."It's romantic in the sense they won the Champions League for the first time and the football was absolutely brilliant. But from a financial point of view, you would expect them to be there or thereabouts."The last club to win the Champions League for the first time were Manchester City, who are under Abu Dhabi ownership and, according to Deloitte's Money League, are the second richest club in the world behind only Real Madrid and one place above new Champions League format involves more teams - 36 in the competition proper instead of 32 under the old format - while the new league phase offers fans more games, more goals and a chance to see European heavyweights play one another more was introduced following the collapse of a new European Super League (ESL),, external as most of the teams involved withdrew after a backlash led by is the new-look Champions League a European Super League in all but name? What was the European Super League and why was it controversial? Twelve of Europe's leading clubs - including six from the Premier League - signed up to plans to form a European Super League in Chelsea, Liverpool, Manchester United, Manchester City and Tottenham were the English representatives, joining AC Milan, Inter Milan, Juventus, Real Madrid, Atletico Madrid and Barcelona as founding league would have essentially replaced the Champions League as Europe's elite competition, but would not have had the same qualification process whereby teams could enter via their domestic position. At the same time, the founding members wanted to remain part of their respective domestic leagues. The plans proved controversial, not just with supporters but with rival clubs who said it devalued domestic founding members of the competition could not be 'relegated' from it, critics argued the tournament was a closed book for Europe's elite and Bayern Munich rejected approaches to join, while fans from the clubs involved held several protests, leading to all six English clubs withdrawing from the process. 'Not right England have six Champions League spots' Next season's Champions League will include six English Premier League teams instead of the usual four. Newcastle United, who finished fifth in the table, will play in the competition after European football's governing body Uefa awarded two bonus spots to the domestic leagues which performed best in Europe in Tottenham - who finished 17th - will also join Liverpool, Arsenal, Manchester City and Chelsea in the competition after winning the Europa of the 36 places in the league phase will come from Europe's top-five leagues, with Spain securing five spots, Germany and Italy four each, while France will have three addition, the Netherlands will have two teams in the league phase, while Portugal, Greece, Czech Republic, Turkey and Belgium will have one team 11 of those 29 clubs have qualified for the league phase as champions of their country this leaves only seven places to be decided through the qualifying rounds. "I don't think it's right that England should have six teams in the Champions League," said Ian Dennis, senior football reporter at BBC Radio 5 Live., external"I know why. We're gearing ourselves effectively a Super League in all but name. "But if you think about it, the dominance of the Premier League teams in the various European competitions, the English coefficient unless it's unusual, will always be in the top three, if not the top two. "And therefore the English clubs are always going to benefit with the extra place. "Now England have got six clubs in the Champions League, Spain have got five…I think it's going to be very hard to try to wrestle that away from the English sides." Will an underdog win the Champions League again? Who were the last true underdogs to win the Champions League - and will it happen again?Jose Mourinho's Porto enjoyed a fairytale run to the final, external in 2003-04, which included beating a dominant Manchester United along the way, before defeating Monaco 3-0 in the 21 editions since, there have been 10 different winners - Real Madrid (six times), Barcelona (4), Liverpool (2), Chelsea (2), Bayern Munich (2), AC Milan (1), Manchester United (1), Inter Milan (1), Manchester City (1) and Paris St-Germain (1)."The probability of another Porto winning the Champions League is about the same as another Leicester City winning the Premier League," Maguire added."We've had a concentration of wealth in the hands of fewer and fewer clubs. We have got the rise of dynasties now."The Champions League is very much geared and tiered towards wealthy clubs - and that's due to having to give away concessions to the Super League clubs in order to dissuade them from reconsidering setting up their own competition." Arsenal the next first-time winners? After Manchester City's success in 2023 and PSG's triumph in Munich, who will be the next first-time winners?"Arsenal are well placed because they do have serious investment as far as the squad is concerned - probably in the region of £700m to £800m," added Milan were the last Italian club to win the Champions League in 2010 when Mourinho was in added: "Could we see another Italian club perhaps do it? Possibly, but I honestly believe it's unlikely. In France, it's PSG or nobody given the collapse of the French TV deal., external"In Germany? As a romantic you'd hope that Borussia Dortmund could do it. In Spain, if Atletico Madrid can get their ducks in order."That's probably as far as we can go."
Hindustan Times
27-05-2025
- Business
- Hindustan Times
Lamine Yamal's contract with Barcelona till 2031 can make him the club's highest-paid player. Here's how
Barcelona's teenage soccer sensation Lamine Yamal has signed a mega contract extension that will tie him to the Spanish La Liga champions until 2031, Barcelona announced Lamine Yamal's contract extension on Tuesday. This is the teenage winger's first big contract of his career. The club said in a statement that Lamine Yamal signed his new contract at the Barcelona office in the presence of club president Joan Laporta, first vice president Rafa Yusta, and sporting director Anderson Luis de Souza 'Deco,' amongst others. According to reports in the Spanish media, Yamal's contract extension was one of Barcelona's priorities this summer. The winger also wanted to be done with it as soon as possible so that he could enjoy some time off after the UEFA Nations League duties for Spain in June. Local media have reported that Lamine Yamal's contract could make him the Catalan club's highest-paid player if he meets certain performance-related clauses. While specific details remain confidential, Yamal's market value, estimated at $195 million by Transfermarkt, underscores his rising status. Notably, Barcelona has implemented a new policy of keeping Yamal's buyout clause undisclosed, contrasting with his previous staggering clause of $1.08 billion. The 17-year-old forward, whose deal was due to expire in 2026, enjoyed a stellar season, helping Barca win LaLiga and the Copa del Rey, with 18 goals and 25 assists in 55 matches. The teenager is already considered one of the best players in the world. Yamal has already made 106 appearances for the first team and has racked up an impressive array of records, becoming the youngest ever goalscorer in La Liga, the Copa del Rey, and the Super Cup, and the youngest player ever to make 100 appearances for the Blaugranes. Having displayed such entertaining football this season, Yamal is a leading contender for this year's Ballon d'Or. .
The National
27-05-2025
- Sport
- The National
When does Tierney officially become a Celtic player again?
The left-back has signed a pre-contract to come back to Glasgow's east end when his current deal expires at Arsenal. Read more: Tierney joined the English Premier League outfit in 2019, departing Celtic in a then-record-breaking transfer. When does Tierney officially become a Celtic player once again, though? According to Transfermarkt, Tierney's free transfer from Arsenal to the Scottish Premiership champions will go through on Tuesday, July 1, the day after his contract at the Emirates Stadium expires. Tierney turned out for Arsenal for the final time on Sunday as they defeated Southampton by two goals to one. He opened the scoring, just as he told boss Mikel Arteta he would pre-match: "He said it yesterday, I'm going to score in my last Arsenal match, and he's done it," revealed the Spaniard. "So, credit to him, a special thank you to him. He's been part of the journey, and he's won with me. It's true that he went to Sociedad for a few months, but it's been a joy to work with him, a really special character. We wish him and his family all the very best. "The doors of this club are open for him – he's someone very, very liked at the club, in the dressing room, and we want to wish him the best."
