Diego Maradona has one of the more interesting coaching resumes we know of. Besides being a legandary footballer in his own right and managing the Argentina National Team for a spell, Maradona has managed Argentine clubs Racing Club de Avellaneda and Mandiyu de Corrientes and UAE-based Al-Wasl FC.
He's back now, with UAE second-division club Al-Fujairah SC.
According to Diario AS, Lionel Messi's camp has rejected Barcelona''s initial offer of a contract extention. Messi's contract runs through June 2018.
Despite the initial rebuff, no one expects Messi to play anywhere besides Barcelona. It's understood he'll sign an extension eventually, but certainly the powers that be at Barcelona will be much happier should that happen sooner rather than later.
The offer was reported to be in the neigborhood of 30-30 million Euros per year.
Big ups to Steve Fenn (@StatHunting) for breaking down MLS wages by team and player in a brilliantly interactive infographic. You can get lost in this masterpiece for hours.
Didier Drogba has officially joined USL side Phoenix Rising as a player and (really) owner. Drogba's minority ownership stake in the team will allow him to transition to a front office role after playing this season. He will join former Chelsea teammate Shaun Wright-Phillips in Phoenix.
Marta, the five-time FIFA World Player of the Year, has joined the Orlando Pride on a two-year contract with an option for a third year. With the possibility of Alex Morgan’s short-term loan deal at Lyon running through June (Lyon will have to navigate a Champions League semifinal against Carli Lloyd’s Manchester City to make that a reality) the Orlando Pride have moved quickly to add more star power.
Celtic are a club full of technicians, beautiful human beings with excellent character. They have the perfect manager to lead them: Brendan Rodgers. The Northern Irishman is going to be leading them for a good while longer, as the club has announced signing the former Liverpool and Swansea manager to a four-year contract extension.
In his first year as Celtic manager, Rodgers has already won the league with games to spare without losing a match, and gone to the Champions League group stage.
U.S. Soccer and the U.S. women’s national team have come to terms on a new collective bargaining agreement after months of uncertainty and advocacy. The five-year deal will cover both the 2019 FIFA Women’s World Cup and the 2020 Olympics.
U.S. Soccer and the USWNT Players Association ratify collective bargaining agreement through 2021.
21-year-old Pachuca and Mexican international Hirving “Chucky” Lozano has long been a subject of interest for European clubs. The winger has already appeared in over 100 Liga MX matches for his club, and he’s become a regular for El Tri.
Lozano’s form in the 2016 Apertura season, during which he scored seven goals and helped Pachuca finish in second during the regular season, saw him linked with Benfica, Ajax and PSV during the January transfer window.
Jose Mourinho accidentally let slip a lack of knowledge concerning pop culture and heists while talking about the possibility of Manchester United signing Neymar. I'll explain.
Mourinho's quote, from ESPNFC:
Aged only 15, top English clubs have already been scouting Rangers teenage sensation and Scotland youth international Billy Gilmour. Gilmour can't legally sign a contract with any team until he's 16, but Chelsea are rumored to have agreed to terms with both player and club.
Gilmour had also grabbed the attention of Manchester United and Bayern Munich. Disregarding all of the great opportunities that have been presented by the English clubs, it's difficult to understand why he'd choose Chelsea given their track record of loaning their young players.