SELEPAS setahun menggembirakan negara kelahirannya dengan memegang jersi kuning selama dua minggu dalam saingan Tour de France (TDF) musim lalu, Julian Alaphilippe kembali lagi dengan aksi bertenaga untuk merangkul kejuaraan peringkat kedua awal pagi tadi sekali gus berjaya menyarung jersi yang sama.
Pada pendakian terakhir, Alaphilippe melakukan henjutan bertenaga bagi meraih mata bonus sebelum menuju ke garisan penamat di Nice, di mana kejuaraan peringkat kedua juga memberikan mata tambahan buatnya.
Dia ternyata gembira dengan penampilan yang sama seperti tahun lalu selepas melintasi garisan penamat, walaupun peloton sudah semakin hampir untuk menangkapnya bersama dua orang lagi pelumba ketika di Promenade des Anglais.
Aksi peringkat kedua seakan hampir sama seperti mana Alaphilippe berjaya mengelak dari dikejar peloton ketika peringkat ketiga perlumbaan menuju ke Epernay.
Pelumba Deceuninck–Quick-Step itu seterusnya mengekalkan jersi kuning sepanjang 14 hari berturut-turut sebelum ia hilang pada tiga peringkat terakhir dan hanya berpuas hati di tempat kelima keseluruhan.
Tidak ada seorang pun pelumba Perancis pernah muncul juara keseluruhan TDF sejak 1985.
“Saya memang selalu mahu mencuba sesuatu dan tidak ada apa yang perlu dirisaukan. Ia benar-benar memeritkan, ketika saya mengerah segala tenaga di hujung saingan.
“Saya mahu menghadiahkan kemenangan ini kepada bapa saya. Ia sangat penting buat saya,” katanya yang tidak dapat menahan kesedihan selepas kehilangan bapanya Jun lalu.
BARCELONA – Lionel Messi di ambang pintu keluar Estadio Camp Nou. La Pulga –julukan Messi– tidak mengikuti tes swab yang diadakan manajemen Barcelona pada Minggu 30 Agustus 2020 malam WIB.
Tes swab merupakan salah satu persyaratan pemain untuk menjalani latihan perdana yang digelar Barcelona pada Senin 31 Agustus 2020. Hal itu berarti, Messi dipastikan absen dalam latihan yang digelar Barcelona hari ini.
Lantas, ke mana Messi akan berlabuh? Menurut laporan media-media Eropa, Messi sangat dekat dengan salah satu klub Raksasa Inggris, Manchester City. Kubu Manchester City memanfaatkaan keberadaan sang pelatih, Josep Guardiola, untuk mendaratkan Messi ke Stadion Etihad.
(Messi dan Guardiola bawa Barcelona berjaya)
Sekadar informasi, Messi dan Guardiola sempat bekerja sama di Barcelona dari 2008-2012. Kombinasi di atas membuat Barcelona sukses besar, yang mana memenangkan 14 trofi dalam periode tersebut. Kesuksesan di atas itu yang membuat manajemen Man City tertarik mendaratkan Messi.
Bahkan demi meyakinkan Messi ke Stadion Etihad, manajemen Man City menyiapkan kontrak luar biasa besar. Menurut laporan Sport, manajemen Man City siap mengontrak Messi lima tahun.
Namun, nantinya Messi hanya membela Man City selama tiga tahun, dan dua tahun sisanya La Pulga akan berseragam salah satu kontestan Liga Sepakbola Amerika Serikat, New York City FC. Lantas, kenapa Messi diizinkan pindah ke New York City FC di tahun keempat?
Hal itu dimaksudkan demi mengangkat gengsi New York City. Sekadar informasi, New York City FC merupakan klub franchise Man City di bawah naungan City Football Group. Selain New York City dan Man City, City Football Group juga menanungi klub asal Australia, Melbourne City FC.
Selama lima tahun dalam kontrak di atas, manajemen Man City akan menggaji Messi sebesar 100 juta euro atau sekira Rp1,7 triliun per tahun! Hal itu berarti dalam lima tahun, Messi menerima 500 juta euro atau setara Rp8,68 triliun!
Bahkan berkat kesediaannya pindah ke New York City di tahun keempat, Messi akan menerima 250 juta euro tambahan. Jika dikalkulasi selama lima tahun, Messi menerima 750 juta euro atau sekira Rp13 triliun!
Dipercaya, nominal di atas membuat Messi mau melanjutkan karier bersama Man City. Selain itu menurut laporan Marca, sistem kontrak di atas merupakan cara Man City agar terhindar dari aturan Financial Fair Play (FFP).
Tonali looks set to leave Brescia this summer | MB Media/Getty Images
AC Milan have moved into pole position to sign Sandro Tonali this summer, with various Italian journalists reporting that the Rossoneri are close to agreeing a loan-to-buy deal with Brescia.
Inter and Juventus have taken it in turns as the media’s frontrunner to sign the prodigious Italian, who has been frequently (and lazily) dubbed ‘the new Pirlo’. Juve’s interest seemed to die away after they appointed the original Pirlo as manager, while Inter seem to have turned their attention to other targets – such as Barcelona’s Arturo Vidal.
With Serie A’s two current heavyweights seemingly out of the picture, then, Milan – who have kept an eye on the situation throughout – look to have stolen a march. Renowned Italian transfer reporter Fabrizio Romano claims that Milan have moved into ‘advanced talks’ to secure Brescia’s prized asset.
He claims that the 20-year-old will join on an initial loan, which will bank Brescia €10m, plus a further €20m should Milan look to make the deal permanent – an option they would almost certainly take up.
Romano’s claims have since been backed up by a virtual who’s who of Italian football journalism. Gianluca Di Marzio, Vito Angele and Pietro Balzano Prota all seem to agree a deal will happen – and that usually means it’s a goer.
It seems odd that Brescia would accept such modest terms for a player who is rated so highly and is contracted to 2022, but owner Massimo Cellino revealed in April that he promised Tonali he would be allowed to leave this summer if that was his wish.
“I have a deal with Sandro, who is a golden boy,” he said. “He knows that when he asks me to leave, I will let him go. It is not a question of price, the important thing is that Tonali chooses with the heart, and it is only he who decides.”
Had he foreseen the coronavirus crisis slashing the spending plans of Italy’s biggest clubs, Cellino may been more cautious with what he promised his prodigious midfielder…
Thiago Silva vừa chính thức gia nhập Chelsea theo dạng chuyển nhượng tự do.
Thiago Silva là một trong những chốt chặn tốt nhất thế giới trong nhiều năm trước. Mùa giải này, anh đã cùng với PSG lên ngôi vô địch Ligue 1 và giành ngôi vị á quân của Champions League. Tuy vậy, ở tuổi 38, Thiago Silva đã chia tay với PSG để cập bến Chelsea
Có thể nói, các cổ động viên của Chelsea đang có một mùa hè trong mơ khi đội bóng con cưng liên tiếp nổ những bản hợp đồng bom tấn. Hàng loạt các cầu thủ như Malang Sarr, Timo Werner, Hakim Ziyech và Ben Chiwell đã đến với sân vận động Stanford Brigde cùng hàng loạt niềm tin và hy vọng cho cổ động viên Chelsea.
Trang chủ của Chelsea đã đưa ra thông báo về việc đội bóng đã chiêu mộ thành công Thiago Silva – người vừa chia tay Paris Saint-Germain dưới dạng chuyển nhượng tự do. Được biết, hai bên ký vào thỏa thuận có thời hạn 1 năm, kèm theo tùy chọn gia hạn thêm 12 tháng.
Thiago Silva chia sẻ trong ngày ra mắt Chelsea: “Tôi rất vui khi được gia nhập Chelsea và trở thành một phần trong đội hình thú vị của Frank Lampard trong mùa sau. Tôi đến đây để thử thách cho những danh hiệu. Hẹn gặp lại các cổ động viên Chelsea, tôi rất mong sớm được thi đấu tại Stamford Bridge.”
GARETH Barry mengumumkan persaraannya daripada bola sepak profesional pada usia 39 tahun, semalam.
Bekas bintang England itu menggantung butnya selepas mencatat rekod 653 penampilan Liga Perdana dengan meledak 53 gol dan 64 bantuan jaringan sepanjang karier dalam liga utama Inggeris.
Pemain tengah veteran itu mempunyai 53 kap bersama England di antara 2000-2012.
Dia memulakan karier bersama Aston Villa sebelum berpindah ke Manchester City pada 2012 dengan harga £12 juta (RM66.78 juta).
Barry tampil 175 perlawanan bersama City sepanjang empat musim, menjaringkan lapan gol dan 18 bantuan jaringan.
Dia turut membantu Blues menjulang trofi Liga Perdana dan Piala FA.
Selepas cemerlang bersama Everton sebagai pemain pinjaman, dia menyertainya secara kekal pada 2014.
Toffees merakamkan penghargaan kepada Barry selepas pengumuman persaraannya.
Bersama kompilasi video aksinya, tertera” ”Selamat bersara, Gareth Barry!
“Tahniah sepanjang karier gemilang anda dan terima kasih bersama kami di Toffees.”
Selepas tiga musim di Goodison Park, dia berpindah ke West Brom pada 2017 dan menamatkan karier selepas enam penampilan bersama Baggies untuk melayakkan mereka ke Liga Perdana.
LONDON – Pelatih Tottenham Hotspur, Jose Mourinho telah melakukan pergerakan di bursa transfer musim panas 2020. Sampai saat ini tercatat Tottenham sudah berhasil mendatangkan dua pemain, yakni Joe Hart dari Burnley dan Pierre-Emile Hojberg yang didatangkan dari Southampton.
Tentunya kedua pemain tersebut bukanlah akhir dari belanja pemain yang dilakukan Tottenham di musim panas kali ini. Sebab dikabarkan saat ini Tottenham tengah bersiap-siap kedatangan pemain baru lagi yang juga lagi-lagi berasal dari klub Liga Inggris.
Pemain ketiga yang bakal didatangkan Tottenham itu adalah Matt Doherty, seorang fullback kanan yang saat ini masih tercatat sebagai bagian dari Wolverhampton Wanderers. Doherty bahkan dikabarkan sudah sepakat untuk bergabung dengan Tottenham, begitu juga Wolverhampton.
Tottenham berhasil mendapatkan tanda tangan Doherty usai meyakinkan Wolverhampton dengan uang sebesar 16,5 juta euro atau sekira Rp285 miliar. Menurut laporan dari Football London, Doherty bakal melakukan tes medis hari ini, Sabtu (29/8/2020) untuk dapat menyelesaikan proses pembelian tersebut.
Kehadiran Doherty jelas menjadi amunisi baru yang dapat sangat bermanfaat untuk skuad asuhan Mourinho itu untuk menghadapi musim 2020-2021. Doherty nantinya diprediksi akan langsung dipercaya masuk ke dalam skuad utama Tottenham karena bek sayap klub tersebut saat ini, yakni Serge Aurier dikabarkan bakal dijual ke klub lain.
Aurier tepatnya bakal dilepaskan ke AC Milan di jendela transfer kali ini. Menurut laporan dari pakar bursa transfer Eropa, Fabrizio Romano, sampai saat ini pihak Tottenham dan Milan masih melakukan pembicaraan dan kemungkinan negosiasi baru akan selesai beberapa pekan lagi.
Son Heung-min has become a cult hero at Tottenham | Sebastian Frej/MB Media/Getty Images
Son Heung-min celebrated his fifth anniversary at Spurs in trademark fashion, bagging a goal for his side in a friendly as Spurs dispatched Reading in a 4-1 win.
After a slightly bumpy start to life in London, where the Korean had all the raw talent, but found himself in and out of the team, Son has transformed into one of the Premier League’s best players, and arguably Spurs’ most talented. Yes, even more so than Harry Kane.
The 28-year-old has taken it up to a different level since arriving from Bayer Leverkusen in 2015. He’s developed into a lethal striker with a deadly range of finishing on both feet, blistering pace and tidy footwork that allows him to glide past defenders on long, slaloming runs.
His 85 goals and 47 assists from 229 games in a Spurs shirt have seen him become a cult hero among fans of the club – and even a secret favourite of Premier League fans in general. He’s a lethal weapon for Spurs on the pitch, and also one of the nicest guys in football at the same time.
Son is a joy to watch (expect when he’s playing your favourite team) and he’s had some incredible moments in the Tottenham shirt over the years.
Son opened his account for the Lilywhites in their opening match in the 2015/16 Europa League, hitting a tidy brace against Qarabag FK.
The brace came on his home debut for Spurs and won his side the game, after initially falling 1-0 down. Not a bad way to introduce yourself, that.
Son followed up his first two goals for the club by hitting another just three days later, scoring the only goal in Tottenham’s 1-0 win against Crystal Palace.
Showing just a glimpse of what fans were to expect over the coming seasons, Son dribbled into the box surrounded by Palace defenders and rifled home hard and low to beat the keeper.
The Korean striker treated Spurs fans to a late Christmas present with this incredible effort, once again putting his sublime game-reading and anticipation on display.
Spurs were drawing 1-1 away to Watford, before Son popped up with an expertly timed backheel finish, giving his side a last-gasp winner away from home.
After not quite managing to cement himself into the first-team picture during his first season, head coach Mauricio Pochettino revealed that Son had asked to leave Spurs, but stayed and was given another chance to stake his claim.
He answered the critics in fine fashion at the start of the 2016/17 season, running riot against Stoke in September. Son bagged a brace and assisted another, as his side wound up 4-0 winners away from home.
At this point, Son was regularly starting to show why he was worth the £22m Spurs paid for him in 2015, which now looks like an absolute bargain.
In a 6-0 thrashing of Millwall in the FA Cup, Son scored his first hat-trick for the club. The first was a scorcher that flew into the far corner, the second was an assured, poacher’s finish from a long ball over the top and the third was hit hard at the keeper, forcing a mistake.
Son proved his worth on the European stage for Spurs, bagging an early opener against Borussia Dortmund from what seemed an impossible angle.
It was vital in giving his side an early lead and once again showed just how deadly the Korean is from a number of ranges and on either side. Spurs wound up 3-1 winners against a star-studded Dortmund side.
They don’t come much better than this.
With Spurs trailing in their derby against West Ham with little over five minutes to go, Son rescued a point for his side in supreme fashion. Picking the pall up a million light years away from goal (roughly), the Korean absolutely smashed the ball into the top right-hand corner to make it 1-1.
Keeper had no chance. That’s one for the YouTube compilations.
‘Solo stunner’ sort of sounds like ‘Stone Cold Stunner’, but unfortunately Son wasn’t up to that.
With Spurs 2-1 up at home against Chelsea, Son secured the points for his side from absolutely nothing. He picks the ball up on the right flank, weaves past Jorginho and sends David Luiz to the shops, before slotting the ball home to make it three.
If only he’d have celebrated in ‘Stone Cold’ style with some aptly-timed beer cans from the crowd…
He doesn’t really do bad goals, does he?
In an incredible evening for Tottenham, Son contributed to an emphatic quarter-final victory to knock Manchester City out of the Champions League on aggregate in the second leg.
After nullifying an early City goal, Son grabbed his second of the night to put Spurs ahead at the Etihad, and in fine fashion. He received the ball on the edge of the box from Christian Eriksen, and effortlessly curled it into the far corner with his right foot.
Spurs lost on the night, but that quarter-final win and Son’s efforts took them to the club’s first ever Champions League final that year.
