Gareth Bale has been linked with an imminent move away from Real Madrid in recent days. Zinedine Zidane called Bale out in a press conference only to later deny his comments were disrespectful.
Yet, Bale still managed to both play and have an impact in Los Blanco's International Champions Cup match against Arsenal on Tuesday.
If the big-wigs of soccer are looking at the Forbes World’s 50 Most Valuable Sports Teams 2019, you can bet your bottom dollar they’re thinking “European Super League.” Back in 2012, only one team across all sports was worth at least $2 billion, that being Manchester United. Now, 52 teams meet that criteria, including almost every NFL team.
After making his Chelsea debut as a 65th-minute substitute against Kawasaki Frontale on Friday, Christian Pulisic was handed his first-ever Chelsea start Tuesday as the Blues defeated Barcelona 2-1 in Saitama, Japan.
For Mexican midfielder Héctor Herrera, finalizing a transfer this summer was at the forefront of his mind. That announcement was finally reported during the Gold Cup, and it was a big reason why Herrera ignored Tata Martino’s call-up and didn’t make the trip to the United States for the tournament.
Despite having not scored more than 10 league goals in a season since 2014-15 (his first with Real Madrid), Colombian attacker James Rodriguez remains one of the game’s most recognizable and beloved footballers. The 28-year-old’s playmaking ability is world class (he dropped 13 assists during his first season on loan at Bayern Munich), and although he’s been deemed surplus to requirements by Zinedine Zidane, the likes of Atlético and Napoli are desperate to sign the 2014 World Cup Golden Boot winner.
The Premier League isn’t the only competition with deep pockets. La Liga has smashed its transfer spending record just two weeks into the summer transfer window, having already spent $1.13 billion. The previous record of $1 billion was set in 2018, with high potential players such as Thomas Lemar, Malcolm and Vinicius Junior all being sold for over 40 million to Atletico Madrid, Barcelona, and Real Madrid, respectively.
Following his $135 million transfer from Atlético Madrid to Barcelona, Antoine Griezmann became the fifth-most expensive footballer of all-time. The 28-year-old Frenchman immediately put pen to paper on a five-year contract at the Camp Nou that includes an astronomical release clause of $900 million.
Barcelona activated Atlético Madrid’s release clause for Antoine Griezmann worth $135 million (€120 million) and signed him to a five-year contract with a release clause of $900 million, announcing the signing on Friday. The Griezmann transfer fee is the fourth-highest of all time behind only Neymar, Kylian Mbappé and João Felix, but Atlético thinks it should be higher.
According to the latest update from Forbes, Lionel Messi was the world’s fourth-highest paid entertainer in 2019 — only Kanye West, Kylie Jenner and Taylor Swift made more. So what is Lionel Messi’s net worth, how much does he make annually from his Barcelona contract and what does he earn from his lavish endorsement deals with adidas, Gatorade, Pepsi and others?
Lionel Messi Barcelona Contract And Salary
On Wednesday, July 31, the only friendly worth watching takes place at Orlando City Stadium in Florida — it’s the 2019 MLS All-Star Game, pitting the best of MLS against Spanish giant Atlético Madrid. What’s flying under the radar is that one day before the big game, there’s going to be an All-Star Skills Challenge.
This used to be a regular feature of MLS All-Star weekend, but for some reason I’ll never understand, they put an end to it. Here’s a brief recap.