Новости за 20.05.2018

Atletico Madrid paid tribute to club legend Fernando Torres after the striker brought down the curtain on his Rojiblancos career with a double against Eibar. Torres came through the ranks at Atleti in 2001, leaving the club for Liverpool in 2007 before returning to Vicente Calderon in 2015. And, having captained the side and netting his 128th and 129th goals respectively on his final appearance in the 2-2 draw, Torres received a guard of honour from his team-mates and coaching staff at the culmination of Sunday's clash at Wanda Metropolitano.

Neymar is an "artist" and will not need any special treatment at Paris Saint-Germain, says the Ligue 1 champions' new coach Thomas Tuchel. The Brazilian's future has been the subject of intense speculation in recent weeks despite only joining PSG in a record-breaking €222million deal from Barcelona last August. Real Madrid are reported to be ready to offer Neymar a way back into LaLiga, but Tuchel is looking forward to working with the forward. "In my opinion the big players are the ones who work... Читать дальше...

Andres Iniesta will start his final Barcelona match, with the captain in the XI to face Real Sociedad at Camp Nou. Iniesta has still not confirmed his next destination, with the Spain international linked with a move to Japanese club Vissel Kobe. It promises to be an emotional occasion for club icon Iniesta, a nine-time LaLiga and four-time Champions League winner in his time at Barca. Barca continue to rest Lionel Messi ahead of the World Cup, the Argentina superstar benched, with Luis Suarez... Читать дальше...

World footballers' union FIFPro has contacted FIFA over a drugs ban handed to Paolo Guerrero that could see the Peru captain miss the World Cup. Guerrero tested positive for cocaine metabolite benzoylecgonine after Peru's World Cup qualifier against Argentina in October 2017. The Court of Arbitration for Sport then upheld an appeal from the World Anti-Doping Agency to extend Guerrero's suspension to 14 months. Guerrero is set to miss the World Cup as a result, an outcome FIFPro previously described as "unfair and disproportionate". Читать дальше...

Neymar's future is at Paris Saint-Germain and the Brazilian is tired of speculation over his future, according to club president Nasser Al-Khelaifi. PSG were inspired to a domestic treble by Neymar, who won the Ligue 1 Player of the Year award in his first season despite missing the last two-and-a-half months with a foot injury. But reports Neymar's time in the French capital may be short-lived have dogged PSG, with rumours growing that the forward could return to LaLiga by signing for Real Madrid. Читать дальше...

Rafael van der Vaart's torrid spell at FC Midtjylland is set to come to an end after he played fewer than 10 minutes for the Danish side this season. The former Netherlands international joined the club in August 2016 from Real Betis, but was largely restricted to substitute appearances in his first season. He has not fared any better in his second campaign, failing to reach 10 minutes of action across two appearances. Midtjylland can win the Superliga title with a win over Horsens on Monday and... Читать дальше...

Jurgen Klopp has spoken of his special relationship with his Liverpool squad ahead of the Reds' Champions League showdown with Real Madrid following a "crazy" campaign. Liverpool travel to Kiev in the hopes of securing their first European title in 13 years, against a Madrid side in the hunt for their third successive Champions League triumph. Klopp's side have overcome Porto, Manchester City and Roma in the knock-out stages, netting 17 goals across the three ties. And the German, whose Borussia... Читать дальше...

Liverpool youngster Trent Alexander-Arnold insists that he has not been overwhelmed by his rapid rise for club and country this season. Alexander-Arnold has become a key feature in Jurgen Klopp's Liverpool side this term, capitalising on Nathaniel Clyne's injury woes to take up the mantle as the club's first-choice right-back. His superb form for the Reds in the Premier League and their run to the Champions League final has earned him a call-up to Gareth Southgate's World Cup squad. However, the... Читать дальше...

Fernando Torres will captain Atletico Madrid on his final appearance for the club. Atleti wrap up their LaLiga campaign at home to Eibar on Sunday, with Diego Simeone's men not yet sure of second spot, ahead of rivals Real Madrid. Torres has yet to confirm his next move but has been linked with a switch to the Chinese Super League or MLS for the latter years of his career, while a reunion with former boss Rafael Benitez at Newcastle United has also been mooted. The 34-year-old came off the bench... Читать дальше...

A Birmingham City supporter has followed through on his pledge to get a tattoo of manager Garry Monk on his bottom after the team secured Championship survival by beating promotion hopefuls Fulham. Monk stumped up £80 for the body art himself after another fan drew his attention to a fundraising page to pay for the tattoo. And the supporter, Kevin Tomlinson, has now shown off his new tattoo of Monk's face, which adorns his right buttock, in a message posted to social media. "Fair play to you Kevin!"... Читать дальше...

Bayern Munich president Uli Hoeness has ruled out the possibility of the Bundesliga champions spending big money in the transfer window. Jupp Heynckes' fourth spell in charge of Bayern came to a disappointing end on Saturday, as Niko Kovac - who will take over at the Allianz Arena next month - masterminded a 3-1 victory for Eintracht Frankfurt in the DFB-Pokal final. That defeat leaves Bayern with just the Bundesliga title to their name this campaign but Hoeness, following comments from Joshua... Читать дальше...

Jose Mourinho can claim all he likes that Manchester United are making progress under his leadership, but evidence on the pitch suggests the opposite is a more accurate assessment. Mourinho's United end his second season at Old Trafford without a trophy after being held at arm's length by Chelsea in Saturday's FA Cup final, which offered a degree of vindication for Antonio Conte in what may prove the Italian's last game in charge of the Blues. Second place in the Premier League is not an achievement without merit that should be written off... Читать дальше...

Claudio Ranieri has reaffirmed his intention to carry on coaching after his spell at Ligue 1 club Nantes came to an end. Ranieri took over at Nantes in June 2017, guiding them to a ninth-placed finish this term, but announced on Thursday that he would be leaving the club by mutual consent. The former Leicester City boss had previously talked up as a possible candidate to take over as Italy coach, although Roberto Mancini has now taken that role. And Ranieri, whose parting gift to Nantes was a... Читать дальше...

Willian has taken an apparent dig at Antonio Conte on social media in the wake of Chelsea's FA Cup triumph over Manchester United. Brazil winger Willian has been one of the Blues' most consistent performers this season, but has found himself out in the cold in recent weeks following a reported rift between himself and boss Conte, who is reportedly set to leave Stamford Bridge in the close-season. Willian has started just once for Chelsea since the FA Cup semi-final win over Southampton on April 22... Читать дальше...

Gareth Southgate believes the experience of players in the Premier League's 'big six' will only benefit his England squad heading into the World Cup. Eighteen of Southgate's squad play for clubs who finished in the top six last term, with Leicester City duo Jamie Vardy and Harry Maguire the only outfield players to not to do so, although Chelsea's Ruben Loftus-Cheek spent 2017-18 on loan at Crystal Palace. And Southgate insists that the mentality of the top-six teams is a huge boost to England's chances of progressing in the tournament. Читать дальше...

Premier League target Alassane Plea believes the time is right to leave Nice as he follows Lucien Favre out of the Ligue 1 club. The former France youth international had already flagged his intention to depart at the end of the season and signed off with a brace in the final-day 3-2 defeat to Lyon as his team fell a point short of the European places. Those goals took Plea's season tally to 21 in all competitions and he has now decided to pursue a new challenge, with Leicester City and Newcastle United rumoured to be interested. Читать дальше...

Jerome Boateng is considering leaving Bayern Munich to test himself in a foreign league once more. Germany international Boateng is tied to Bayern until 2021, but confessed ahead of the DFB-Pokal final defeat to Eintracht Frankfurt on Saturday - which he missed due to a thigh injury - that he is thinking about a move abroad. The 29-year-old spent a solitary season at Manchester City before joining the Bavarian giants in 2011 and feels he would make such a stint far more successful with another opportunity. Читать дальше...

Napoli have slammed Juventus' players for broadcasting images of Bianconeri supporters holding up offensive banners targeting Lorenzo Insigne. Juve celebrated their domestic double triumph with an open-top bus parade through Turin on Saturday, with several players streaming the event on social media platforms. Douglas Costa was among the players to do so, with one video on the Brazil winger's Instagram feed showing a fan holding up a coffin-shaped cut-out bearing Insigne's name and the Napoli badge. Читать дальше...

Red Star Belgrade were forced to change plans in their Super Liga title celebrations when their open-top bus went up in flames. Fans were out in force after Saturday's 5-1 victory over Vozdovac, lighting up the streets of the Serbian capital with torches and flairs as the squad made their way to St Sava temple. However, the coach carrying the team, members of which were themselves waving pyrotechnics, caught fire in the Autokomanda district and was pictured burnt out after the emergency services extinguished the blaze. Читать дальше...

Jurgen Klopp admits Real Madrid are favourites for the Champions League final, but says a club of Liverpool's stature should not be viewed as underdogs. The two teams will enter Saturday's much-anticipated decider in Kiev at vastly different stages of their development. Zinedine Zidane's star-studded Los Blancos are aiming to be crowned European champions for the fourth time in five seasons, while the Reds have surpassed expectations to reach the final in just their second Champions League campaign in eight seasons. Читать дальше...

Nemanja Matic has urged Manchester United to back manager Jose Mourinho in the transfer market by stating "a few more good players" are required for a Premier League title push. After being the closest challengers to Pep Guardiola's record-breaking Manchester City in the league, United were runners-up again as they lost the FA Cup final 1-0 to Chelsea on Saturday. Eden Hazard converted a 22nd-minute penalty after he was sent to ground by a hapless Phil Jones tackle, with Thibaut Courtois impressing... Читать дальше...

Any club would want Gianluigi Buffon, but Paris Saint-Germain president Nasser Al-Khelaifi insists Alphonse Areola will remain the first-choice goalkeeper at Parc des Princes. Buffon bid farewell to Juventus as an illustrious 17-year stay in Turin came to an end on Saturday when he made his final appearance for the club in a 2-1 victory over Verona. The 40-year-old was given an emotional send-off by team-mates, opposition players and fans before Juve celebrated their seventh successive Scudetto at Allianz Stadium. Читать дальше...

Guiding Villarreal into the Europa League has earned coach Javi Calleja a one-year contract extension at the Estadio de la Ceramica. Calleja was promoted from his role with the B team for the remainder of the season following the sacking of Fran Escriba last September. Villarreal were 14th when the 40-year-old took over, but they guaranteed a fifth-place finish in LaLiga and a return to the Europa League – which they were eliminated from at the last-32 stage by Lyon this term – by coming from two... Читать дальше...

Besiktas coach Senol Gunes hinted Anderson Talisca has agreed a transfer to a Premier League club. Talisca has spent the last two seasons on loan at Besiktas from Benfica, scoring 27 goals in 55 Super Lig appearances to reportedly draw the interest of Manchester United and Liverpool. Despite beating Sivasspor 5-1 on Saturday, Gunes' side were unable to defend their Super Lig title as Galatasaray reclaimed the crown with a 1-0 win over Goztepe. It is to prove Talisca's last outing for Besiktas... Читать дальше...

Andrea Barzagli lauded team-mate Gianluigi Buffon as the greatest goalkeeper of all time after the Juventus captain played his final game for the Italian champions. There were emotional scenes in Turin where iconic Italian keeper and nine-time Serie A winner Buffon, 40, farewelled Juve in Saturday's 2-1 victory over relegated Verona. Buffon announced on Thursday that he would be calling time on his 17-year Juve career and the Italy international signed off in style, receiving an emotional standing... Читать дальше...