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Ronaldo wins first trophy with Al-Nassr

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Cristiano Ronaldo

Ronaldo wins first trophy with Al-Nassr

Cristiano Ronaldo has won his first trophy since his transfer to Saudi Arabia after guiding Al-Nassr to a remarkable victory in the Arab Club Champions Cup final.

The Portuguese international grabbed a brace in a 2-1 extra-time win over fellow Saudi side Al-Hilal on Saturday at the King Fahd Stadium.

The victory gives Al-Nassr their first-ever Arab Club Champions Cup title.

The game had remained goalless until the 51st minute when Al-Hilal’s Malcom crossed the ball towards fellow Brazilian Michael who put his side ahead with a free header.

Al-Nassr were then reduced to 10 players in the 71st minute after Abdulelah Al-Amri committed a last-man foul.

The Portugal captain, however, equalised for Al-Nassr in the 74th minute.

Ronaldo got his brace — which turned out to be the winner — in the first half of extra time when he pounced on a rebound off the crossbar and headed home.

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Summer signings Sadio Mane, Marcelo Brozovic and Alex Telles featured for Al-Nassr while Kalidou Koulibaly, Ruben Neves and Sergej Milinkovic-Savic played for Al-Hilal.

The 38-year-old former Manchester United player took to X to express excitement at winning the “important trophy for the first time”.

“Extremely proud to helped the team winning this important trophy for the 1st time! Thank you to everyone in the club that was involved in this great achievement and to my familly and friends for always being by my side! Fantastic support by our fans!This also belongs to you!” he wrote.

The Arab Club Champions Cup is a tournament played by top clubs in the region. The championship also includes teams from Saudi Arabia, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates, Iraq, Morocco, Tunisia and Algeria.

Ronaldo, who arrived in Saudi from Manchester United in 2022, failed to land a trophy last season after Al Nassr finished runners-up in the Saudi Pro League.

Photo credit: Al-Nassr/X

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French football star, Paul Pogba’s blackmail trial begin in Paris

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Paul Pogba

French football star, Paul Pogba’s blackmail trial begin in Paris

Six men linked to Juventus and France midfielder Paul Pogba go on trial Tuesday, accused of blackmail, attempted extortion of millions of euros and holding the player at gunpoint.

The case at the Paris criminal court has shocked the French football world because the alleged perpetrators include three childhood friends and Pogba’s own brother Mathias.

Tuesday’s trial comes on top of football woes for Pogba, whose career has struggled since France’s 2018 World Cup win when he scored against Croatia in the Moscow final.

He suffered repeated injuries that led to his 2022 departure from Manchester United, returning to Juventus where he remained in and out of treatment.

The Turin club this month cancelled his contract following his suspension until March 2025 for doping.

The six defendants in Paris are accused of attempting to squeeze 13 million euros ($13.5 million) out of Pogba.

His brother, Mathias was the one to go public in the case, publishing a video on social media in August 2022 promising revelations about his younger brother that were “likely to be explosive”.

In a subsequent clip, Mathias accused Paul Pogba of casting an evil spell on his France teammate, Kylian Mbappe.

Paul Pogba’s lawyers and his agent Rafaela Pimenta said in a statement later the videos “came on top of threats and attempts at extortion”.

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He had already filed criminal complaints in Italy and France in July that year.

Pogba told French investigators he had in March 2022 been “tricked by childhood friends” from the gritty Paris suburb where he and Mathias grew up.

He accused them of snatching him before he was held at gunpoint by two hooded men with assault rifles, demanding 13 million euros for “services rendered” and blaming him for not helping them financially.

 

Pogba said at the time that he had paid them only 100,000 euros.

 

The footballer said he had also been pressured at the France national team’s training centre in Clairefontaine, at one of his homes in Manchester, and at Juventus’ training ground.

 

Pogba added that he had also paid a bill of more than 57,000 euros that the same friends had racked up at the Adidas store on Paris’ glitzy Champs-Elysees avenue.

“It’s been really difficult for me off the pitch, what’s happened, it’s been especially hard mentally,” Pogba told broadcaster Al-Jazeera at the end of the last season.

 

“Money changes people, it’s the truth, it can destroy a family, start a war”.

Paul Pogba’s lawyer Pierre-Jean Douvier declined to comment ahead of the case when contacted by AFP.

His friends have all denied the allegations.

They had “a friendly relationship, with chats, joking around, and alongside that, yes, maybe Paul Pogba gave them a helping hand,” said Karim Morand-Lahouazi, a lawyer for one of the accused.

 

French football star, Paul Pogba’s blackmail trial begin in Paris

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Ronaldo’s brace propels Al Nassr toward AFC champions league quarters

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Cristiano Ronaldo

Ronaldo’s brace propels Al Nassr toward AFC champions league quarters

Cristiano Ronaldo delivered a stellar performance for Al Nassr, scoring twice in their 3-1 victory over Al Gharafa in Qatar.

The win, secured at Al Bayt Stadium on Monday, leaves the Saudi champions needing only three points from their final three group matches to reach the AFC Champions League quarterfinals.

The 39-year-old faced initial frustration after several missed chances in the first half. However, Ronaldo broke the deadlock just 50 seconds into the second half, heading home Sultan Al Ghannam’s pinpoint cross from close range.

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Angelo Gabriel, a summer signing from Chelsea, doubled Al Nassr’s lead in the 58th minute. Moments later, the Brazilian setup Ronaldo for his second goal of the night, bringing his tally to four in this season’s competition. The Portuguese star was substituted in the 74th minute after his decisive contributions.

Al Gharafa pulled one back through Joselu, Ronaldo’s former Real Madrid teammate. However, their hopes of a comeback were dashed when Seydou Sano received a second yellow card and was sent off in the 84th minute.

The victory ensures Al Nassr remains unbeaten in five matches in the Western zone of the draw. They now sit second in the 12-team standings, inching closer to a coveted spot in the tournament’s last eight.

Ronaldo’s performance reaffirms his status as a key player, driving Al Nassr’s aspirations in the rebranded AFC Champions League.

 

Ronaldo’s brace propels Al Nassr toward AFC champions league quarters

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Mo Salah disappointed as Liverpool fails to offer new contract

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Mohamed Salah

Mo Salah disappointed as Liverpool fails to offer new contract

Mohamed Salah says he is disappointed by Liverpool’s failure to offer him a new contract and believes he is “more out than in” as he nears the end of his existing deal.

The 32-year-old, who has scored 12 goals in all competitions this season, is out of contract at the end of the 2024/25 campaign.

The Egypt international showed his enduring value on Sunday, scoring twice in Liverpool’s 3-2 victory at Southampton, which took them eight points clear at the top of the Premier League table.

But his comments after the match suggest Salah, who arrived at Anfield in 2017 and has won the Champions League and Premier League with the club, could leave for free.

“We are almost in December and I haven’t received any offers yet to stay in the club,” he said. “I’m probably more out than in.

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“You know I have been in the club for many years. There is no club like this. But in the end it is not in my hands.”

Salah is one of the three key Liverpool players who will soon be heading into the last six months of their deals, with Virgil van Dijk and Trent Alexander-Arnold also out of contract at the end of the season.

All three will be free to speak to overseas clubs in January if they do not sign an extension before then.

Asked if he was disappointed not to have received an offer from Liverpool, Salah added: “Of course, yeah. I love the fans. The fans love me. In the end it is not in my hands or the fans’ hands. Let’s wait and see.

“I’m not going to retire soon so I’m just playing, focusing on the season and I’m trying to win the Premier League and hopefully the Champions League as well. I’m disappointed but we will see.”

Mo Salah disappointed as Liverpool fails to offer new contract

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