Ronaldinho says Liverpool playmaker Philippe Coutinho will perfectly suit Barcelona .
The 25-year-old Brazil international was heavily linked with a switch to Camp Nou in the off-season as Barca sought a replacement for Neymar.
The Catalan giants ultimately sealed a deal to sign Ousmane Dembele from Borussia Dortmund, but Coutinho could yet find himself the subject of interest from Ernesto Valverde s team in the future.
And compatriot Ronaldinho, who starred for Barca from 2003 to 2008, believes the former Inter attacking midfielder would be well-suited to the club.
I would be very happy to see such a talented player wear the shirt I wore for so many years, he told Sky Sports.
I believe the way he plays will perfectly suit Barcelona and would …
Diego Simeone believes Atletico Madrid have a hugely talented squad but he as coach is letting them down.
Atletico were LaLiga champions as recently as the 2020-21 season, yet they are way off the pace in the title race this term.
Barcelona lead the way with 37 points, with Simeone s side way back on 24 points in fifth place.
But the coach thinks his squad are still capable of challenging, suggesting he is at fault for their difficult campaign.
We have a great squad – four players in the World Cup final, Simeone said on Wednesday ahead of facing Elche.
Maybe the one who is not giving everything is the coach. We have a great squad. I m the one I have to improve so they can raise their level in LaLiga.
A reason to smile: Griezmann
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It shouldn t be the case that a player who always wants to give his best and give 100 per cent for this team, when he makes his first mistake people whistle.
It s not correct. And when you are on a difficult run that is when you need extra support from outside not less. Sometimes we don t have it.
I spent a lot of years at Manchester United and it never happened to me. Not even once. Maybe England is a case apart – the mentality is different.
I m very happy being in Spain but obviously I also miss England because you can t just turn off the memories.
Ronaldo is contracted until 2021 but the Portugal captain plans to continue playing until he is at least 40.
He added: I said when I signed my latest contract that it would be my penultimate an…
It s hard not to love the Germany international and Bayern Munich forward Thomas Muller.
By no means is this 28-year-old Weilheim in Oberbayern born player someone who can be profiled as a classic footballer. Standing 1.86 m tall with his lean and mean figure and that ever-present wicked smile on his face, Thomas Muller would hardly strike you as an ultimate athlete due to the lack of muscles or a clearly defined physical appearance.
But Muller is the classic example of that good old saying – appearance can be deceiving – as behind all of his raw physique lies a relentless spirit and unbound football talent which has graced the scene over the past decade.
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Thomas Muller made his professional debut back in 2008 when he played 35 league matches for Baye…
Chelsea completed an extraordinary spending spree by landing World Cup star Enzo Fernandez from Benfica, the biggest deal of transfer deadline day.
It was Premier League clubs that featured front and centre as big-name players found new homes on Tuesday, with Manchester United, Arsenal and Manchester City kept busy.
Deals struck on this day can be born of desperation; however, if the right player becomes available, those that jump at the opportunity to reinforce might be thankful they took that choice come May.
Here Stats Perform assesses five deals that went through and could prove hugely significant come the season s end.
Enzo Fernandez: Benfica to Chelsea, £106.8million
A World Cup wonder for Argentina, Fernandez s stock soared over four weeks…
Arsene Wenger has criticised the decision to disallow Alexandre Lacazette s goal as Arsenal fell to a 1-0 defeat at Stoke City.
Lacazette thought he had scored an equaliser with 18 minutes to go in Saturday s Premier League encounter, emphatically finishing into the top corner after racing on to Olivier Giroud s flick.
But he was adjudged to be offside in an extremely close call, meaning Stoke debutant Jese Rodriguez s 47th-minute strike settled the match.
Wenger was unhappy with the decision after the match, insisting it was very easy to see Lacazette was in fact onside.
I think we scored a goal that is not offside, Wenger said to BT Sport.
It is a very easy decision. When the ball is kicked he is not offside, Lacazette.
It was a very …
Portugal playmaker Bernardo Silva remains wary of Spain despite a day of high farce that has threatened to end the 2010 world champions campaign before it has even begun.
RFEF president Luis Rubiales made the stunning announcement on Wednesday that he had sacked Julen Lopetegui after the coach negotiated a deal to join Real Madrid at the conclusion of the World Cup without informing the federation.
It was also confirmed later in the day that Fernando Hierro would take over for their time in Russia, with their first game coming on Friday against Portugal.
With reports suggesting the Spain players led by Madrid captain Sergio Ramos were keen for Lopetegui to stay, it hints at unrest in the camp that could put a kybosh on their tilt to regain the trophy they r…
Chelsea boss Emma Hayes is expecting a tough test as her side travel to Bristol City in the Women’s Super League on Sunday.
Hayes’ team go into the fixture on the back of a crushing 4-1 defeat by Arsenal last weekend which saw their unbeaten streak in the league come to an end and they will be looking to set the record straight after they also failed to beat Hacken in the Women’s Champions League in midweek.
Bristol City sit 11th in the table and have only won one of their opening nine games but Hayes is not underestimating Sunday’s opponents.
She told Chelsea’s website: “Bristol are going to play five at the back and we’ll have the same sort of challenges (as against Hacken).
“But if we can find a blue shirt, can put the ball into the rig…
Napoli captain Lorenzo Insigne said Diego Maradona s death hurts as the city suffers after the Serie A side donned Argentina-style shirts to honour the club great in their 4-0 rout of rivals Roma.
Maradona – arguably football s greatest ever player who led Napoli to their only Scudetto honours in 1987 and 1990 – died of natural causes at the age of 60 on Wednesday.
After beating Rijeka in the Europa League on Thursday, Napoli played their first Serie A match since Maradona s passing on Sunday and it was an emotional occasion at the Stadio San Paolo.
Napoli sported a Maradona-themed jersey, which consisted of light blue and white stripes instead of the iconic all-blue shirt and it proved an inspirational strip as the Partenopei equalled their largest margin of…
Chile will assess the fitness of star forward Alexis Sanchez before they contest top spot in Copa America Group C against Uruguay.
Sanchez has put his Manchester United struggles behind him to net in each of La Roja s wins so far in Brazil.
However, he was already carrying an ankle knock by the time he scored decisively after 51 minutes of the 2-1 triumph over Ecuador last time out.
Should he take to the field, the 30-year-old will feature in opposition to some of this generation s finest attacking talent from South America.
Barcelona s Luis Suarez also has two goals from two outings in the competition after converting a penalty in the 2-2 draw against Japan, while Edinson Cavani netted an overhead kick in La Celeste s opening 4-0 thumping of Ecuador.
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