Ronaldo and Messi at the 2022 World Cup?

Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo are back on Friday. It's been two-hundred and sixty-five days since we last saw them, each bowing out on the same day, at the same stage of the World Cup, likely with the same heartache.

Lionel Messi was in Kazan, where his Argentina side had let a 2-1 second-half lead slip in a wild, drunken shootout of a knockout game that saw France advance 4-3. Cristiano Ronaldo was in Sochi, a thousand miles away on the banks of the Black Sea, yet shoulder-to-shoulder with him in spirit. His Portugal side had also fallen, 2-1 to Uruguay.

They would not be meeting in the next round, as many had hoped. Another four years would go by without two of the greatest players in history winning the game's greatest prize.

For a while, there was speculation that we might never again see them play for their country. They missed the next three international dates, a total of six matches. There was never an official explanation for the hiatus, just leaks and speculation. For Messi, it was that he wanted a break after the tumultuous Russian debacle that had seen the squad turn on coach Jorge Sampaoli, who was later fired. For Ronaldo, the explanation was that -- after nine years at Real Madrid -- he wanted to focus on settling into his new club, Juventus.

Valid reasons? Sure. Though that did not stop the speculation that, perhaps, we had seen the last of them.

Fortunately, that won't be the case. In fact, they'll be on the pitch at the same time Friday night: Ronaldo's Portugal host Ukraine in a Euro 2020 qualifier in Lisbon, Portugal, while 15 minutes later, Messi and Argentina kick off their friendly against Venezuela in Madrid.

No prizes for guessing what brought them back. These are competitors, and there's silverware at stake in the summer. Portugal are in the UEFA Nations League finals, a "Final Four" that will see them pitted against Switzerland, Netherlands and England. Messi will take a run at the Copa America, a competition he has never won, for the fifth time.

Then, looming on the horizon, is the 2022 World Cup in Qatar. It's the first winter World Cup in the Northern Hemisphere, and that puts it exactly 1,299 days from Friday, their return to the international scene.

Messi will be 35 years old, Ronaldo three months shy of his 38th birthday. The former would become the third-oldest Argentine to play in a World Cup, after Martin Palermo in 2010 and the legendary Angel Labruna in 1958. Ronaldo would become Portugal's oldest ever World Cup player.

Were we not talking about superstars, we wouldn't be having this conversation. But these two transcend much of what we thought was possible in the twilight of a footballer's career.

Messi turned 31 last summer. He has scored 39 goals in 37 club appearances this season. Ronaldo is 34 and has 24 in 36 games in this campaign. Pele managed nine in 40 the season he turned 31, and at 34 -- his final year at Santos before decamping to the New York Cosmos -- he had 10 in 27.

Diego Maradona? He had 10 in 26 the year he turned 31, though his season was cut short by a 15-month ban after testing positive for cocaine. The year he turned 34, he was serving another ban, this time for failing a dope test at the 1994 World Cup. (He did come back and play another two years for Boca Juniors before retiring for good on his 37th birthday.)

We bring up Pele and Maradona not to reopen the eternal GOAT argument but rather to note how Messi and Ronaldo defy conventional wisdom and expectation so often that we've become numb to it.

It's not just the continued productivity, which you might chalk up in part to how the game has changed and how talented attackers receive greater protection from referees, it's the way they avoid injury and beat their bodies into submission. They are footballing machines.

Enjoy this. And be glad their international careers did not end on June 30.

This article is taken from ESPN FC

by Cheapsoccerkits

Real Madrid keep or dump: What will Zidane do about Bale, Isco,

Everybody is expecting a summer of change at Real Madrid following last week's elimination from the Champions League and the prospect of a season without a trophy. Club president Florentino Perez and chief executive Jose Angel Sanchez have some huge calls to make, and if history is anything to go by, they'll be making most of them on their own, albeit with input from Zinedine Zidane, who returned to the club on Monday.

With that in mind, here's some unsolicited advice from me and Graham Hunter: a player-by-player assessment of Real Madrid's squad, what might make sense and under what circumstances. You can assume we both agreed where you see a straight "keep." Otherwise, we weighed in with our comments.

It's not just about performance, either. It's about age, wages, chemistry and contract. We're going to assume they get back into the Champions League because frittering away a 10-point lead in 11 games is too horrible to contemplate.

All of this comes with a massive caveat: Some of the guys the club might want to let go might end up staying either because there will be no takers at a reasonable price or because some of their transfer targets might not materialize. But it's an attempt to sort through this squad and assess what they might want to hold on to and what they might want to shift in what is sure to be a very expensive summer.

by Cheapsoccerkits

Liga MX transfer news: The latest rumors and chisme in Mexican s

America may part ways with Menez
Club America is considering parting ways with midfielder Jeremy Menez this offseason, according to Esto.

The Frenchman still has six months remaining on his contract with Las Aguilas but his recovery from an ACL injury was followed up with another injury, and America is considering setting the player loose early to free up an international place. 

Herrera's mind made up to head to Spain
Hector Herrera has made up his mind and will sign with Atletico Madrid this summer, according to O Jogo .

The Mexico midfielder is set to spurn Inter after the Italian club's long courtship, opting instead to play in La Liga. Herrera's Porto contract expires this summer, allowing him to move on a free. 

Bundesliga club interested in Santos defender
Werder Bremen is keeping a close eye on Santos Laguna right back Jose Abella, according to Televisa .
The Bundesliga side is interested in the defender, who could command a transfer fee of 3 million euros, though it's also looking at other options in the Americas. 

Wolves will trigger Jimenez clause
Wolves are set to exercise the buy option for Raul Jimenez and will pay 38 million euros to sign the Mexican forward on a permanent deal, according to Portuguese newspaper Record .  

The sale would make Jimenez, who has 12 goals in the Premier League on loan with Wolves this season, the most valuable player sold by Benfica.

PSV watching Alvarez, dropped Pizarro interest
Club America and Mexico international Edson Alvarez is on PSV's radar and could sign with the club in the summer, according to  Eindhoven Dagblad  reporter Rik Elfrink .

Able to play center back, defensive midfielder or even right back, the versatile 21-year-old also has been the target of interest from Celtic and Ajax but PSV has a long history of signing Mexican players.

The Dutch reporter noted, however, that the interest that previously existed for Rodolfo Pizarro has died out since the former Chivas playmaker made his move north to Monterrey.

La Maquina looking at Fernandez
Cruz Azul is looking to get ahead of others in the race to sign Brian Fernandez, according to  Record .

Necaxa is open to selling the Argentine in the summer but already are bumping up the starting point for offers from $10 million to $12 million. The 24-year-old has eight goals so far this season, putting him second in Liga MX.

FMF pursuing LA Galaxy's Alvarez
Efrain Alvarez is in line for a Mexico call-up, perhaps as soon as this summer's Gold Cup, according to ESPN .

However, the United States remains an option for the 16-year-old, who made his MLS debut and had an assist for the LA Galaxy in 2-1 win over the Chicago Fire.

Chivas ready to play hardball for Macias
Chivas are in no rush to sell forward Jose Juan Macias to Leon, according to  Record .

Currently on loan with Leon, Macias has four goals in five matches. However, Chivas have put a price of $15 million on the 19-year-old to join Leon full-time after the season.

The high clause was inserted in part because of Grupo Pachuca, which owns Leon and Pachuca, driving a hard bargain and demanding $8 million for goalkeeper Rodolfo Cota in the 2018 Clausura.

Cruz Azul considering move for Milan midfielder
Cruz Azul is looking to bring in AC Milan midfielder Jose Mauri in the summer, according to  Sport Mediaset .

The 22-year-old has played in only four Serie A matches this season and is set to leave the club on a free after the season concludes.

Lozano's agent, Napoli have agreement
Hirving Lozano's agent, Mina Raiola, already has given Napoli the thumbs up for a move for Lozano, according to Il Mattino .

But while the Serie A side has a deal on the table to the representative's liking, they're still $6 million away from meeting PSV's $40 million asking price after tabling a bid of $34 million.

This winter,  Gazzetta dello Sport   reported that Napoli would target the winger in the next transfer window. The 23-year-old PSV player has stood out since moving abroad from Pachuca and garnered attention from a number of top clubs.

 

 

by Cheapsoccerkits

What is a ‘farmers league’ in football & why is France's Ligue 1

The top-tier of French football is always accused of being a one-horse race with a single top side dominating the league at any given time
You will probably have noticed the term 'farmers league' tossed around after yet another demolition committed by Paris Saint-Germain in Ligue 1. PSG seem to be eternally flying away with the title, and they are living through an era of prolonged dominance at the top of the French league.

But why is it called a 'farmers league', what are its connotations and why is it always used to describe Ligue 1? Goal takes a look.

In European football, there is the idea that the "top five leagues" comprise of the Premier League, La Liga, Bundesliga, Serie A and Ligue 1. Of these European competitions, fans accuse Ligue 1 of being a 'farmers league'. Additionally, of those five, it is generally considered that Ligue 1 is the least elite of the competitions, though they have raised their profile and status in recent years what with their access to riches and star players in Kylian Mbappe, Neymar and Edinson Cavani.

The term 'farmers league' is used to describe Ligue 1 by fans of rival leagues in a tongue-in-manner with an edge of mockery. Its definition is rather simple – by referring to Ligue 1 as a 'farmers league', they jokingly suggest that it is a competition made up of people who take up actual farming as their day job and then play football in the evening. Thus, they hint that Ligue 1 players aren't as skilled or at the level of other footballers in the other top five European leagues.

'Farmers league' is used in a derogatory way to look down upon Ligue 1 as certain spectators feel that it is also a league that is unfairly dominated by a single top club. PSG have dominated Ligue 1 in recent years, and the league seems to be capable of being only dominated by just one club during a certain period.

During the late 1980s, Marseille were the reigning club, winning five straight French league titles, and Lyon followed in a similar fashion when they won seven consecutive Ligue 1 championships in the early 2000s.

Since the 2012-13 season, PSG have now become the frontrunners in the league by a mile (save for one season in 2016-17 where they were pipped to the title by an impressive Monaco team) and they look to be dominators of France for the foreseeable future what with their financial backing and talented stars. As of March 2019, they have garnered a 20-point gap between themselves and Lille and have already run away with the title.

The term 'farmers league' is also used to reference the fact that several Ligue 1 players leave the league to play in the more 'competitive' likes of the Premier League – leading to it also being dubbed a 'feeder league'. For instance, Eden Hazard left Lille in 2012 to sign for Chelsea, both Riyad Mahrez and N'Golo Kante left to join Leicester, Anthony Martial left Monaco in 2015 to join Manchester United and Alexandre Lacazette left Lyon in 2017 to join Arsenal.

Recently, though, the investments in PSG and Monaco resulting in Ligue 1 becoming a more attractive option to world-class talents – and certain French clubs' academies tend to produce incredible players – have led to Ligue 1 improving its status as an elite league.

However, the issue of certain clubs always dominating at the top still reinforces the idea. Additionally, the fact that such a giant as PSG has under-performed in the Champions League supports the argument. Even in their dominant seasons, they have never progressed past the quarter-final of the competition and have been knocked out at the last-16 stage three times in a row between 2017 and 2019.

Even after the record-breaking acquisition of Neymar from Barcelona in 2018, PSG crashed out at the last 16 twice in as many years – first to Real Madrid and then Man United.

March 2019 has marked the first time since 2011 that not a single French club will appear in either the Europa League or Champions League last eight.

Ligue 1 isn't the only seemingly 'feeder league' in football, or the only idea of a 'feeder' in the sport. In the Premier League alone, there are multiple clubs who seem to always offload their best players to certain teams.

The idea of a 'feeder club' is the idea that a club develops and grows their players only to sell them for a large sum of money to a rival team when they are at their peak. For instance, Southampton has built a reputation for being an unofficial 'feeder club' for Liverpool after agreeing to sell the likes of Virgil van Dijk, Sadio Mane, Nathaniel Clyne, Dejan Lovren and Adam Lallana to the Reds in the past few seasons alone.

There was a period where Arsenal seemed to have been a feeder club for clubs like Manchester City and Barcelona. Towards the mid to late 2000s, they sold the likes of Thierry Henry, Emmanuel Petit, Marc Overmars, Alexander Hleb, Cesc Fabregas and Alex Song to the Catalan giants. In the early 2010s, players such as Kolo Toure, Emmanuel Adebayor, Samir Nasri, Gael Clichy and Bacary Sagna all switched North London for the Etihad.

In the Bundesliga, Bayern are known for poaching the star talents of the best Borussia Dortmund players including Robert Lewandowski and Mats Hummels, as well as the likes of Mario Gotze in previous years.

Take from Goal

by Cheapsoccerkits

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