On Monday, Italian legend Gianluigi Buffon celebrated his 41st birthday. The man with 176 international appearances to his name is now chasing his personal Holy Grail — the UEFA Champions League title — with Paris Saint-Germain, but recent reports suggest that the birthday boy will carry on playing past his 42nd birthday.
You’ve heard this before: A broken foot is threatening to prematurely end Neymar’s club season, and he could be facing a race for fitness ahead of a major international tournament.
Last season, Neymar sustained a crack to the fifth metatarsal bone in his right foot during a match against Marseille on Feb. 25. The injury was worse than first expected, required surgery and Neymar missed PSG’s Champions League Round of 16 return leg against Real Madrid before sitting out the rest of the season.
On Friday, it was confirmed that Thierry Henry had officially left his position as manager of Monaco after a disastrously short reign of just over 100 days. Henry was appointed back on Oct. 11 with the club languishing in 18th, and after two wins over the following 12 league matches, Henry was dismissed with the club now sitting 19th.
Where did it all go wrong for Henry?
A lot of people don’t like Neymar.
I get that — he went overboard with the theatrics at last summer’s World Cup.
But what Strasbourg's Anthony Gonçalves said after yet another Neymar injury crosses the line more than any Neymar dive. It’s dangerous territory, something that reflects a societal issue as well.
On Saturday, 28-year-old Argentine forward Emiliano Sala confirmed his $20 million transfer from Ligue 1 side Nantes to Premier League strugglers Cardiff City. The transfer made Sala the Welsh club’s record signing.
“It gives me great pleasure and I can’t wait to start training, meet my new teammates and get down to work,” said Sala when announcing his move.
A meeting between runaway Ligue 1 leaders Paris Saint-Germain and last-place Guingamp went exactly as you’d expect on Saturday with the Parisian side romping to a 9-0 victory. (Fun fact: Guingamp has scored 16 goals all season, so PSG recorded more than half that total in just one match.)
Everything about this from Lyon goalkeeper Anthony Lopes is simply sensational. First, the circumstances: This is a meeting between third and fourth in Ligue 1. Ultimately, third place gets a shot at the Champions League next season, fourth has to settle for qualification to the Europa League.
Saint-Étienne came into this match in third and played the role of hosts at the Stade Geoffroy-Guichard. Things couldn’t have gone better for the home side in the opening period of play with Romain Hamouma opening the scoring in the 21st minute.
I hope you can kick these balls with some of the world's best players. Here's a brief guide to the balls used in some of the world's most popular leagues and how much they cost.
English Premier League: The Nike Merlin, at a cool $160. Looks and feels like a classic professional ball.
Maybe the trip to Qatar was a good thing for PSG, if this Neymar sombrero in the opening 11 minutes was anything to go by, not to mention the ridiculous amount of goals that followed.
Paris Saint-Germain crushed last-place Guingamp 9-0 at the Parc des Princes on Saturday. Kylian Mbappé and Edinson Cavani both had hat tricks. Neymar came close to a hat trick with two goals, but his first strike may have been the best of the lot.
While most clubs across continental Europe have returned from their winter sojourns to warmer climes, Paris Saint-Germain has been in Doha this week for its Qatar Tour 2019.
Given the club’s Qatari ownership, it’s no surprise the club would visit the small but wealthy country, providing plenty of weird interview opportunities where Neymar can tell everyone that 18-year-old American Tim Weah will be the next great striker.