Latest news with #ViniciusJr
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Real Madrid legend Benzema sends messages to Vinícius Jr. and Luka Modrić
The latest social media activity on the part of ex-Real Madrid striker Karim Benzema has piqued attentions across the Blancos' fanbase this weekend. As much comes after the Frenchman sent public messages the way of both Vinícius Jr, and Luka Modrić. Advertisement In the case of the former, Benzema, known to share a close bond with Vinícius following their shared time in Spain's capital, moved to wish the Brazilian a happy birthday. Taking to his official Instagram account, the Al-Ittihad star unveiled a photo of he and his former teammate, accompanied by the caption: 'Happy Birthday hermanito' And Benzema soon followed up with a social media message to another long-time Blancos star. Luka Modrić is of course fresh off taking to the pitch in the colours of Real Madrid for the very last time earlier this week. After the Croatian took to Instagram to post a farewell message to the Spanish heavyweights, Benzema in turn responded, writing: Advertisement 'N10', accompanied by a love heart emoji. Conor Laird – GSFN
Daily Mail
6 days ago
- Sport
- Daily Mail
Xabi Alonso's line in the sand: Real Madrid boss 'to hold showdown talks with TWO superstars amid concerns over their work rate' following drubbing by PSG at Club World Cup - and board FULLY back new manager's tough stance
Xabi Alonso is reportedly poised to showdown talks with two stars as the new Real Madrid boss responds the the Spanish giants heavy 4-0 defeat by PSG at the FIFA Club World Cup. Real Madrid were blown away by the newly crowned European champions in the semi-final on Wednesday night, with Luis Enrique's side racing away with the contest. A brace from Fabian Ruiz, either side of a goal from Ousmane Dembele, saw PSG race into a 3-0 lead after just 24 minutes at the MetLife Stadium. Despite Real Madrid fielding their own star studded line-up featuring Kylian Mbappe, Vinicius Jr and Jude Bellingham, Alonso's side were unable to get back into the tie. PSG rubbed further salt into Real Madrid wounds in the final minutes, with Goncalo Ramos coming off the bench to score the French side's fourth in stoppage time. While PSG will now prepare for a final against Chelsea on Sunday, Alonso and Real Madrid are reportedly set to hold talks with key stars in the aftermath of the heavy defeat. The new Real Madrid boss reportedly has concerns over the work rate of star players The Madrid-based newspaper Marca reports that Alonso will speak particularly to Mbappe and Vinicius in the coming days amid concerns over their work rate off the ball. The report claims Real Madrid's leadership have grown concerned over the lack of teamwork in the squad and are determined to end negative gestures towards team-mates, which have become a theme over the past season. Vinicius Jr's situation is claimed to have become one of particular concern, with the Brazilian's performances having seen a marked decline from the Ballon d'Or contender he had been 12 months ago. While Mbappe has been recovering from an illness which had prevented had prevented him from starting a match at the tournament until last night, the Frenchman's lack of work rate defensively remains of a concern to the club. A perceived lack of teamwork had been among the criticisms identified by Alonso's predecessor Carlo Ancelotti prior to his departure at the end of the season. Despite only being in charge for six matches, Alonso has reportedly identified similar issues and is said to be determined to resolve the issue. The report claims Alonso will receive the support of Real Madrid's hierarchy as he attempts to tackle issues in the squad. The concerns were highlight again by Real Madrid goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois, who had taken aim at his team-mates for their lack of unity after their Champions League quarter-final defeat to Arsenal back in March. Thibaut Courtois took aim at his team-mates for not following Alonso's game plan Courtois issued a similar criticism of his team-mates on Thursday night, after they were blown away by PSG in the United States. 'We want to apologise to the fans,' Courtois said. 'What was the problem? We didn't press as a team. There were two big mistakes at the start of the game and that affected us. 'We failed to follow Xabi's plan for the game. 'We need to take time and analyse it, but from what I saw, we were always arriving late to every situation.'
Yahoo
7 days ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
PSG embarrasses Real Madrid in one-sided Club World Cup semifinal, confirms its supremacy
Real Madrid was no match for Paris Saint-Germain, the undisputed best team in the world. PSG will meet Chelsea in the Club World Cup final. (AP Photo/Adam Hunger) EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. — Real Madrid is the most successful club in the history of soccer, the most popular sports team in the world, with wealth and aura in epic proportions. It is Kylian Mbappé and Vinicius Jr., and two dozen others who comprise the most valuable squad in the sport. And yet, on a boiling Wednesday afternoon here at MetLife Stadium, it melted like cheap butter under the searing pressure of Paris Saint-Germain. This, the second Club World Cup semifinal, was supposed to be a clash of giants. It quickly turned into a bludgeoning. Advertisement Real Madrid was sleepy and sloppy. PSG was ruthless, and smashed the so-called kings of Europe, 4-0. The Parisians could've scored twice in the first five minutes. Madrid goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois denied them, but only delayed the inevitable. Fabian Ruiz scored in the sixth minute. Ousmane Dembélé pounced on a mistake in the ninth. Ruiz scored again in the 24th, and some of the 80,000 Real Madrid fans in attendance got out of their seats and sulked toward the concourse. They had filled MetLife Stadium to the brim. They were buoyed by the return of Mbappé, who started his first game of this Club World Cup at the tip of a star-studded attack — and against his former club. Advertisement But Los Blancos were outrun and overrun by the reigning champions of Europe, by the team that recently stole their crown. They were pinned back into their own defensive half, pulled side to side, and punished for their lack of focus and intensity — punished by the undisputed best team in the world. Ruiz tore them to shreds, sneaking toward and into the penalty area. He nearly curled a fourth-minute shot past Courtois, before Real Madrid had even woken from its siesta. Twenty-five seconds later, Hakimi crossed to Dembélé, and only a sprawling Courtois kept PSG at bay. But not for long. A minute after that, Désiré Doué danced down the right. His cross was cut out; but then Raúl Asencio spaced out. Dembélé nicked the ball off Asencio, evaded Courtois, and Ruiz scored easily. The left side of Madrid's defense couldn't come to grips with the fluid four-man combinations of Ruiz, Achraf Hakimi, Doué and Dembélé. Asencio and Fran Garcia were overwhelmed, and looked out of their depth. They told of an unbalanced squad, headlined by Galacticos but filled in with relatively average role players. Advertisement That unbalanced squad ran into a thoroughly brilliant one, an optimized machine. PSG's possession was equal parts commanding and dynamic. Its pressing, as always, was aggressive, coordinated and relentless. It was led by Dembélé, who returned from his injury and jumped Antonio Rüdiger, the aging center back who was once so crucial to Real's dominance. Here, in the ninth minute, Rüdiger was culpable. He accidentally and clumsily tapped a ball with his plant foot. And Dembélé said goodnight. All three first-half goals came from the PSG right — or the Madrid left. The third was the prettiest — but also the most damning. It was essentially five passes — Hakimi to Doué, Doué to Hakimi, Hakimi to Dembélé, Dembélé to Hakimi, Hakimi to Ruiz — that took the Parisians from back to front, then into the box. They met hardly any resistance. It looked like a counterattack; but no, it was just Real Madrid's openness. Advertisement PSG's dominance wasn't confined to one side of the field, though. Nuno Mendes, the do-everything left back, was everywhere. He was bombing down the wing, bamboozling Real Madrid by inverting into the half-space, and even chasing down Vinicius Jr. when the Real Madrid star looked to be in on goal in the first half. Like against Inter Miami in the Round of 16, PSG was so far and away the better team that it downshifted in the second half. Dembélé and Khvicha Kvaratskhelia exited. Those who stayed in the game seemed to be saving their legs for Sunday's final against Chelsea. But like against Inter Milan in the Champions League final, even when they downshifted, they were better. Goncalo Ramos scored a fourth goal off the bench late on. Real Madrid shoulders slumped. Advertisement By the 90th minute, it was no contest. Despite a cooling break, merciful referees opted to not add any stoppage time. Szymon Marciniak, the head ref, blew his whistle. And Real Madrid, which brought more eyeballs to this Club World Cup than anybody else, slumped out of the competition, one step short of the final. Here's how the match went down in real time:
Daily Mail
09-07-2025
- Sport
- Daily Mail
Kylian Mbappe is 4/1 to score first as Real Madrid face his former club PSG in a heavyweight semi-final at the FIFA Club World Cup
Real Madrid and Paris St-Germain will meet in the FIFA Club World Cup semi-final on Wednesday, with the European heavyweights bidding to join Chelsea in the final of the expanded competition. A major subplot will be Kylian Mbappe's first match against PSG since his fractious departure from the club on a free transfer last summer. Ahead of the match, the Real Madrid star has reportedly dropped the legal harassment case he had brought against his former club. Mbappe will undoubtedly be keen to make his mark against PSG, who went on to win the Champions League for the first time last season in the first campaign since his exit. Sky Bet are offering odds of 4/1 for Mbappe to score the first goal of the semi-final, while he is 6/5 to score at anytime in the match. Mbappe's involvement has been a doubt after he was forced to miss Real Madrid's group stage matches with illness. The French superstar came off the bench in the closing stages of their last-16 and quarter-final ties, with the forward netting a crucial goal in the 3-2 win over Borussia Dortmund. Real Madrid's breakout Club World Cup star Gonzalo Garcia is second favourite to score first for the Spaniards at 11/2, with the young forward the tournament's joint top scorer with four goals in five games. Vinicius Jr is third favourite to score first for Real Madrid at 15/2. As for PSG, Ousmane Dembele can by backed at 5/1 to score the first goal of the semi-final, while Bradley Barcola, Desire Doue, Goncalo Ramos and Khvicha Kvaratskhelia are all priced at 13/2. PSG are 6/5 favourites to win the match over 7/4 outsiders Real Madrid and reach the final. Sky Bet odds for Paris St-Germain vs Real Madrid PSG - 6/5 Real Madrid - 7/4 Paris St-Germain vs Real Madrid first goalscorer Ousmane Dembele - 5/1 Bradley Barcola - 13/2 Desire Doue - 13/2 Goncalo Ramos - 13/2 Khvicha Kvaratskhelia - 13/2 Kylian Mbappe - 4/1 Gonzalo Garcia - 11/2 Vinicius Jr - 15/2
Reuters
05-07-2025
- Sport
- Reuters
A star is born: Gonzalo Garcia makes most of Club World Cup
EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J., July 5 (Reuters) - Real Madrid's 21-year-old striker Gonzalo Garcia has gone from virtual unknown to a tournament sensation at the Club World Cup, netting his fourth goal in five games on Saturday to help send the LaLiga side into the semi-final. At a tournament where organizers were banking on household names to build the excitement, the academy graduate has become the breakout star, seizing his chance to deputize for an ill Kylian Mbappe. "We've seen him play in the last few games and today he did it again," said manager Xabi Alonso. "He is making the most of this opportunity." Garcia's terrific run began in Real's opener against Al-Hilal last month, where he scored in a 1-1 draw, as Mbappe was sidelined with acute gastroenteritis. He recorded an assist in Real's second group-stage affair against Pachuca and added a bit of insurance in Real's 3-0 win over Salzburg to close out the group stage. He headed another in to clinch their round of 16 win over Juventus 1-0 on Tuesday, where Mbappe came in off the bench for Garcia. Mbappe was a second-half substitute again on Saturday at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey, but this time came on as veteran forward Vinicius Jr. came off, a sign of just how high Garcia's stock has climbed. "I think that he is in the right place, right time, and we're very happy with the work he's doing - and he's also scoring goals," Alonso told reporters. It was hardly what fans expected from the homegrown talent who had made few starts in LaLiga before the U.S.-hosted tournament, but has become the bedrock of the Real attack under manager Alonso. Garcia and his Real side face a tough test against the European champions Paris Saint-Germain on Wednesday at MetLife Stadium.
