Latest news with #UEFAEuropeanChampionship
Metro
17-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Metro
Fans fear both EA Sports FC 26 cover stars have been hit by FIFA curse
Football fans are beginning to worry that the FIFA cover star curse has returned, as both EA Sports FC 26's cover stars are already injured. Although they had already leaked beforehand, the cover stars for EA Sports FC 26 were officially revealed this week, alongside the first details and gameplay footage for the upcoming football game. England and Real Madrid player Jude Bellingham is once again the main star (having also been on EA Sports FC 25's cover), but he's now joined by former teammate and Bayern Munich player Jamal Musiala. However, in an unfortunate coincidence, both players are currently unable to play football in real life and will be out of action even after EA Sports FC 26 launches on September 26. Despite suffering a shoulder injury in November 2023, Bellingham has continued to play and only recently underwent surgery. In fact, the news of his problems dropped the same day as the EA Sports FC 26 announcement and Bellingham's not expected to return for another four months or so. Aside from being out of the game by the time of EA Sports FC 26's release, he's also expected to miss the start of the 2025-2026 season. As for Musiala, he was injured during the Club World Cup earlier this month, when Bayern Munich played against Paris St-Germain, where he suffered both a broken leg and a dislocated ankle. Sign up to the GameCentral newsletter for a unique take on the week in gaming, alongside the latest reviews and more. Delivered to your inbox every Saturday morning. He has since undergone surgery, but this still means he's out of the game and, just like Bellingham, isn't expected to be ready to return until November 2025 at the earliest. While it's unlikely this will have any impact on EA Sports FC 26's sales, the timing is extremely unfortunate from a marketing standpoint, now that the two players EA picked to headline the game are on hiatus. We've already seen some fans suggest the FIFA cover curse is at work. If you're unfamiliar with it, there have been frequent instances of football players who appear on the cover of FIFA (what EA Sports FC used to be called) games suffering misfortunes. It hasn't happened every year and it has not always been injuries (FIFA 21 star, Kylian Mbappé, for instance, went on to score no goals at the UEFA European Championship in 2021), but enough examples have warranted the curse's inclusion on Wikipedia's list of sports related curses. However, Bellingham was injured in late 2023, so EA really should have been aware he'd have to undergo surgery at around this time… not that that stopped the company sticking him on the cover of last year's game too. More Trending For what it's worth, no such misfortunes appears to have befallen Swedish player Zlatan Ibrahimović, who retired in 2023 and graces the cover of EA Sports FC 26's Ultimate Edition. Let's hope he doesn't somehow break any bones in the coming months. Fans of the Madden NFL games (which EA also handles) have their own superstition about that series' covers, believing any player who appears on it is doomed to suffer an injury. In an old 2007 Kotaku interview, the EA Sports' vice president of brand marketing at the time, Chris Erb, revealed that the curse chatter did little to dissuade footballers from asking to appear on the next Madden NFL cover. 'We've spoken to plenty of guys from within the league, and they don't think it's a jinx,' said Erb. 'The players, who we work closely with, they definitely don't think it's a jinx, because they know better than anyone how easy it is to get injured, or to have a bad season.' Email gamecentral@ leave a comment below, follow us on Twitter. To submit Inbox letters and Reader's Features more easily, without the need to send an email, just use our Submit Stuff page here. For more stories like this, check our Gaming page. MORE: EA Sports FC 25 costs just £15 in huge PlayStation Store summer sale MORE: Bayern Munich hijack Arsenal's transfer move for £68m star after Jamal Musiala injury MORE: Everyone should play Rematch: the best new football game in years – Reader's Feature
Yahoo
16-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
An 18-Year-Old Multimillionaire Soccer Player Is Being Investigated For Allegedly Hiring People With Dwarfism To Perform At His Birthday Party, And The Whole Thing Sounds Outrageous
It's safe to say that Lamine Yamal, the 18-year-old Spanish soccer star, is living a life far different than your average teen. For context, Lamine is currently regarded as one of the best soccer players in the world and plays for Barcelona, one of the sport's top clubs. Talented teenagers aren't unusual in professional soccer; however, Lamine has broken numerous records, like being the youngest ever player to feature at a UEFA European Championship, and the youngest ever goalscorer in a European Championship, both when he was just 16 years old. Related: Lamine is reported to be worth around $8 million, and so, it'll come as no surprise to hear that he went all out for his 18th birthday party last Sunday. However, the Barcelona star is set to be the subject of a government investigation following reports that he hired people with dwarfism to attend the party as entertainers. Related: According to the BBC, the birthday party took place at a rented property in a small town just northwest of Barcelona, with a ton of influencers, YouTubers, and several of Lamine's Barcelona teammates in attendance. It's been reported that guests were banned from filming on their phones at the event; however, numerous videos have since surfaced, including one, published by the Daily Mail, which appears to show a group of men with dwarfism arriving at the venue with luggage. The video footage has been making the rounds on social media, and now, Spain's Ministry for Social Rights has requested that the country's prosecutor's office launch an investigation into Lamine to determine if his party breached disability laws, which prohibit the mocking or denigrating of people with disabilities. BBC Sport reported that the Association of People with Achondroplasia and other Skeletal Dysplasias in Spain (ADEE) has filed a legal complaint against the soccer player and 'publicly denounces the hiring of people with dwarfism as part of the entertainment,' saying that it 'perpetuates stereotypes, fuels discrimination, and undermines the image and rights' of people with disabilities. Neither Lamine nor FC Barcelona has spoken out about the controversy. However, a Spanish radio station called RAC1 broadcast an interview with a person claiming to be one of the 'artists with dwarfism who was hired' to attend the party. The individual, who chose to remain anonymous, defended Lamine's alleged actions, saying: 'No one disrespected us… I don't understand why there's so much hype. We're normal people, who do what we want, in an absolutely legal way.' More on this Donald Trump Bizarrely Crashed The Winner's Celebration At The Club World Cup Final, And The Way It Played Out Is Truly MortifyingEllen Durney · July 14, 2025 NFL Rivals Travis Kelce And Jalen Hurts Were Both Asked About Donald Trump Attending The Super Bowl, And The Difference In Their Answers Is Quite SomethingEllen Durney · Feb. 6, 2025 Despite Having Kids Together, Cristiano Ronaldo Said He Won't Marry His Girlfriend Of 9 Years Until He Feels A 'Click' In Their Relationship — And, As You'd Expect, People Have ThoughtsEllen Durney · March 21, 2025 Also in Celebrity: Also in Celebrity: Also in Celebrity: Solve the daily Crossword
Buzz Feed
16-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Buzz Feed
Lamine Yamal Investigated Over Party Performers With Dwarfism
It's safe to say that Lamine Yamal, the 18-year-old Spanish soccer star, is living a life far different than your average teen. For context, Lamine is currently regarded as one of the best soccer players in the world and plays for Barcelona, one of the sport's top clubs. Talented teenagers aren't unusual in professional soccer; however, Lamine has broken numerous records, like being the youngest ever player to feature at a UEFA European Championship, and the youngest ever goalscorer in a European Championship, both when he was just 16 years old. Lamine is reported to be worth around $8 million, and so, it'll come as no surprise to hear that he went all out for his 18th birthday party last Sunday. However, the Barcelona star is set to be the subject of a government investigation following reports that he hired people with dwarfism to attend the party as entertainers. According to the BBC, the birthday party took place at a rented property in a small town just north-west of Barcelona, with a ton of influencers, YouTubers, and several of Lamine's Barcelona teammates in attendance. It's been reported that guests were banned from filming on their phones at the event; however, numerous videos have since surfaced, including one, published by the Daily Mail, which appears to show a group of men with dwarfism arriving at the venue with luggage. Lamine shared some pictures from the event with his 36.3 million Instagram followers, showing him dressed in a white suit with plenty of diamond jewelry, and what appears to be a diamond-encrusted cane. The video footage has been making the rounds on social media, and now, Spain's Ministry for Social Rights has requested that the country's prosecutor's office launch an investigation into Lamine to determine if his party breached disability laws, which prohibit the mocking or denigrating of people with disabilities. BBC Sport reported that the Association of People with Achondroplasia and other Skeletal Dysplasias in Spain (ADEE) has filed a legal complaint against the soccer player and 'publicly denounces the hiring of people with dwarfism as part of the entertainment,' saying that it 'perpetuates stereotypes, fuels discrimination, and undermines the image and rights' of people with disabilities. Neither Lamine nor FC Barcelona has spoken out about the controversy. However, a Spanish radio station called RAC1 broadcast an interview with a person claiming to be one of the 'artists with dwarfism who was hired' to attend the party. The individual, who chose to remain anonymous, defended Lamine's alleged actions, saying: 'No one disrespected us… I don't understand why there's so much hype. We're normal people, who do what we want, in an absolutely legal way.' Well, this is certainly not a good look. We'll keep you posted with any updates.
Irish Examiner
15-07-2025
- Sport
- Irish Examiner
Cork and Dublin to host Republic of Ireland Under-21 Euro qualifiers
Cork and Dublin will each host one of the Republic of Ireland Under-21s's opening two UEFA European Championship qualifiers. The young Boys in Green will play their first home game in 11 months when they take on Andorra in Tallaght Stadium on Tuesday, September 9 before they will then host Slovakia a month later in Turner's Cross on Friday, October 10. Ireland have been drawn against back-to-back European champions England as well as Slovakia, Moldova, Kazakhstan and Andorra in Group D of qualification. Jim Crawford's side played in front of huge crowds of 5,000 plus on three occasions previously with fans getting the chance to see now senior internationals caps Festy Ebosele, Andrew Moran, Rocco Vata, Sinclair Armstrong and Killian Phillips in action. And Crawford admits he is hoping for similar attendances this time around. 'After playing so many games away from home in the last year we're really excited to be back on Irish soil with a new generation of Ireland Under-21s internationals," he said. 'The support we've had in the last few campaigns in Cork and Dublin has been immense. The stats show we're one of the best supported Under-21s international teams in Europe which only reaffirms how much our fans come out to support football in this country. 'I look at those special occasions in Tallaght against Sweden, Montenegro and Bosnia & Herzegovina and the games in Cork against Iceland, Türkiye and Italy and on each occasion the crowd has got us over the line. "They're a young team, with many faces people will recognise from the League of Ireland. The league is seeing a huge surge in crowds and these games are an opportunity for those fans and the communities in both cities to come out and see our boys represent our country.' Ireland Under-21's home 2025 UEFA European U21 Championship Qualifiers Tuesday, September 9 Ireland v Andorra Tallaght Stadium, Dublin Kick-Off 7.30pm Friday, October 10 Ireland v Slovakia Turner's Cross Stadium, Cork Kick-Off 7.30pm.
Yahoo
15-07-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Decision Time For Donnarumma
At 26 years of age, Gianluigi Donnarumma has racked up plenty of impressive feats on his resume. He was the second-youngest goalkeeper to debut in Serie A when he made his maiden appearance for AC Milan in 2015. One year later, he became the youngest goalkeeper to debut for the Italy national team. And in 2021, he became the first goalkeeper to win the official Player of the Tournament award at the UEFA European Championship after guiding the Azzurri to a penalty shootout victory against tournament hosts England. That same summer, Donnarumma departed his boyhood club for Paris Saint-Germain on a free transfer, where he has continued to stake a claim as one of the best goalkeepers in world football. Read the full article by subscribing to Ensemble PSG on Substack Advertisement 'There's a lot of older goalkeepers like Thibaut Courtois, Yann Sommer, and Manuel Neuer who are still anchoring their clubs,' stated retired French-American goalkeeper Quentin Westberg, who played at Paris Saint-Germain's academy between 1996 and 1998. 'Then you have Donnarumma who was a prodigy and started playing at 16, but after he won the Euros and signed with Paris, people would ask, 'Is he consistent?' This year, he's had a fantastic run in the Champions League and on top of being a good goalkeeper and making game-changing saves here and there, he's more consistent like Alisson. I don't see another young goalkeeper who meets all of that criteria like him…he's going to be extremely consistent just like Courtois, Sommer, and Neuer.' Since joining Paris Saint-Germain, Donnarumma has continued to enhance his legacy and confirm his status as one of the finest goalkeepers in the game. He won his first-ever league title in 2022 as PSG reclaimed the Ligue 1 championship from Lille's grasp, whilst the 2022-23 season would see him claim another Ligue 1 title and the Trophée des Champions. And in the 2023-24 season under Luis Enrique, PSG would claim a domestic treble with the Trophée des Champions, the Ligue 1 trophy, and the Coupe de France, while exiting the UEFA Champions League semi-finals after losing to Borussia Despite losing all-time leading scorer Kylian Mbappé to Real Madrid on a free transfer, PSG have managed to go up another level and enjoy one of the greatest seasons in modern football history, and it's thanks in large part to their Italian shot-stopper. In their first match of 2025, Donnarumma kept AS Monaco's attack at bay by making five saves (four from inside the box) and showcasing a newfound accuracy in possession by completing 29 out of 32 passes as well as four out of seven long balls, as Ousmane Dembélé's injury-time goal saw them win 1-0 in the Trophée des Champions. Two months later, Donnarumma proved essential by saving Darwin Núñez and Curtis Jones' penalty efforts, leading PSG past Liverpool and into the Champions League quarter-finals. Continue reading by subscribing to Ensemble PSG on Substack
