Latest news with #BallondOr
Yahoo
7 hours ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
Former Arsenal midfielder Granit Xhaka wants to make 'new history' after sealing Premier League return
Former Arsenal midfielder Granit Xhaka insists he still has the quality to perform in the Premier League at 32 - and has vowed to write a 'new history' after joining Sunderland. Xhaka has signed for Sunderland from Bayer Leverkusen in a deal worth £13million, with a further £4m in add-ons. The Switzerland international has signed a three-year contract at the Stadium of Light and is back in England after leaving Arsenal in 2023. Xhaka enjoyed two successful seasons in Germany, helping Bayer Leverkusen go unbeaten as they won the Bundesliga for the first time in their history. He was ranked 16th in the 2024 Ballon d'Or voting and says he remains confident in his ability to deliver in the top-flight. 'I'm very proud to be here,' said Xhaka. 'When I spoke to the club, I was excited and I felt the energy, and the mentality that all the people and players have. 'It's exactly what I wanted, and I have a very good feeling. We are back to where this Club needs to be, and we want to stay here to write our own history. 'I feel that I'm ready to help the team with my experience but with quality as well. We need to find ourselves on the pitch, but I don't think this will be a big problem. It's been a long time to wait, but I'm here now and I'm looking forward to it.' Sunderland view the signing of Xhaka as a major coup, with sporting director Kristjaan Speakman praising his pedigree. 'We're delighted to welcome Granit and his family to Sunderland,' said Speakman. 'His arrival is a significant endorsement of our ambition and our desire to build a team our supporters can be proud of in the Premier League. 'His accomplishments and quality need little introduction - he's a player of the highest calibre on and off the field, who we feel is the perfect match to the profile required in our team. 'We look forward to helping him settle on Wearside and are excited to see the impact he can make on the field and within our dressing room.'
Associated Press
6 days ago
- Sport
- Associated Press
Déjà vu: England and Spain meet again in a final, this time at the Women's European Championship
ZURICH (AP) — Here we go again. There's a sense of déjà vu about the Women's European Championship final that pits defending champion England against World Cup winner Spain. The two nations faced off in the World Cup final two years ago with Spain edging an open match 1-0. 'I think obviously that was a massive disappointment and I feel like from a collective we probably feel like we didn't have our best performance that day, but I think … if you're trying to pull on that too much then you're going to be too emotional with too many things going on,' England midfielder Keira Walsh said on Thursday. 'Obviously you think about it a little bit but I think for us, put it to the side and focus on the game on Sunday. We've got so many new players in this team who are really confident and bring so many things to this team, so it's exciting and we can just focus on the positives.' Both teams needed 120 minutes to get through their gruelling semifinals. England's super-subs had their part to play again on Tuesday with late goals first taking the match to extra time and then securing a last-gasp 2-1 victory over Italy. Spain needed a moment of magic from two-time Ballon d'Or winner Aitana Bonmati to get past a resilient German side 1-0 on Wednesday. It will be a first Euros final for Spain but even before the tournament it had been the favorite to add the European title to its collection after winning the World Cup and Nations League in the past two years. Spain's triumph at the World Cup was marred by the Luis Rubiales scandal, after the-then head of the Spanish soccer federation kissed player Jenni Hermoso during the awards ceremony. Rubiales was subsequently charged with sexual assault and convicted a few months before the start of Euro 2025, bringing an end to one of the worst chapters in the history of Spanish soccer. Walsh, who made 100 appearances for Barcelona over two-and-a-half seasons, was playing in Spain at the time and witnessed the fallout first hand. 'I think the most important thing for them is that they can enjoy this final, there's not the controversy surrounding it,' she said. 'I think just for the girls this time and as a friend and another football player, for them just to go and enjoy it. 'They play incredible football and they deserve to be there, so as a human being I just want them to go out and enjoy the game of football.' Walsh doesn't feel Spain's star-packed squad received enough credit after the World Cup triumph. 'Obviously after the game there was a lot of controversy and I don't think for them there was enough spotlight on how incredible they played and how incredible some of their players were, it was all about the other stuff that had gone on,' she said. 'I think as a professional that was disappointing to see. Obviously I have a lot of friends in that team and I think they probably deserved a little bit more than what they got.' ___ AP soccer:
Yahoo
7 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Real Madrid: Decision made on Rodri
Rodri Active in the transfer market since their elimination from the Club World Cup, Real Madrid has already made a decision regarding Rodri, the 2024 Ballon d'Or winner. On Monday, a major Real Madrid transfer target was revealed by the Spanish press. The Madrid board is reportedly keen on signing Rodri, the Manchester City maestro who recently clinched the Ballon d'Or. However, on Tuesday, fresh updates emerged from Spanish media regarding the situation. According to Cadena SER, the Spanish midfielder is not expected to join Real Madrid this summer. Moreover, the club is not looking to bring in any other midfielder except him, but they simply believe a move of this magnitude is impossible during this transfer window. Rodri is currently valued at €110 million on Transfermarkt, but this price could drop significantly next summer, as his contract expires in 2027, making it the last transfer window in which Manchester City could cash in on him.
Yahoo
22-07-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
🎥 Cristiano Ronaldo made Man Utd history exactly 16 years ago today
It's exactly 16 years to the day since Cristiano Ronaldo made history. The Manchester United forward won the first of his five Ballons d'Or on this day back in 2008. It was a remarkable 12 months for the Portuguese forward, who became the club's first Ballon d'Or winner since George Best 40 years earlier. Ronaldo would also go on to win the FIFA World Player of the Year, the PFA Player of the Year and the European Golden Boot that year too. Advertisement Was this Ronaldo at his peak? 📸 FRANCK FIFE - 2008 AFP
France 24
22-07-2025
- Sport
- France 24
Putellas and Spain eager to end Germany hoodoo in Women's Euro semi-final
"We are really happy to be in this position. We go into the game full of hope and of course with confidence in ourselves," Putellas told reporters in Zurich on the eve of the semi-final clash. Having won the World Cup in 2023, Spain are now looking to add a first European Championship title and confirm their status as the dominant side in international women's football. While Spain have never been European champions, Germany have a record eight continental crowns and were the leading force in the women's game in the first decade of this century. "We know Germany are one of the best teams in the world and that it will be very difficult, but we will try to get to our first Euro final first of all -- that would be a big success," said Putellas. Spain have never beaten Germany, notably losing when the teams met in the group stage of the 2019 World Cup and at the last Euros in 2022. Germany also came out on top in the bronze medal match at last year's Olympics, but Putellas dismissed suggestions that Wednesday's clash would be about revenge for that. "Personally I see it more as an opportunity for us rather than it being about revenge for the Olympics," said the former Ballon d'Or winner. "The Olympics is a totally different competition. I think we all agree that a Euro or World Cup is a different context altogether so you can't compare them. "But yes we lost against them, and now we have the chance to beat them for the first time." She added: "We know it will be a very difficult game like any semi-final in a major tournament but we are fully motivated to keep advancing and make more history." Spain are without centre-back Laia Aleixandri due to suspension, while Sjoeke Nuesken and Kathrin Hendrich are banned for Germany, the latter following her red card in the quarter-final win over France on penalties. Sarai Linder is injured after coming off early on in that game. "Everyone knows what Spain are like. We are going to have to run a lot and suffer a lot because they are going to have more of the ball," admitted Germany coach Christian Wueck.
