Sports
UEFA releases nominees for 2022/2023 Men’s Player of the Year
UEFA releases nominees for 2022/2023 Men’s Player of the Year
The Union of European Football Associations has release list of nominees for its 2022/2023 Men’s Player of the Year.
The list include Kevin De Bruyne (Belgium & Manchester City), Erling Haaland (Norway & Manchester City) and Lionel Messi (Argentina & Paris, Inter Miami).
The award winner will be announced at the 2023/24 UEFA Champions League group stage draw ceremony, which will take place on Thursday 31 August at the Grimaldi Forum in Monaco.
How was the shortlist selected?
The initial shortlist of players was selected by the UEFA technical study group based on their performance during the 2022/23 season at both club and national team level.
The top three nominees were then voted for by a jury composed of the coaches of the clubs which played in the group stages of the 2022/23 UEFA Champions League, UEFA Europa League and UEFA Europa Conference League, together with the coaches of the men’s national teams of UEFA’s member associations. A group of journalists selected by the European Sports Media (ESM) were also part of the jury.
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Coaches and journalists were asked to select their top three players from the shortlist by allocating them five points, three points and one point respectively. The final result was based on the total number of votes cast by the coaches and journalists. The coaches were not allowed to vote for players from their own team.
The rest of the players who received votes are:
4 İlkay Gündoğan (Germany & Manchester City, now at Barcelona) – 129 points
5 Rodri (Spain & Manchester City) – 110 points
6 Kylian Mbappé (France & Paris) – 82 points
7 Luka Modrić (Croatia & Real Madrid) – 33 points
8 Marcelo Brozović (Croatia & Inter, now at Al Nassr) – 20 points
9 Declan Rice (England & West Ham, now at Arsenal) – 14 points
10 Alexis Mac Allister (Argentina & Brighton, now at Liverpool) – 12 points
11 Jesús Navas (Spain & Sevilla) – 6 points
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Sports
Ronaldo playing in Saudi league for money like me – Ighalo
Ronaldo playing in Saudi league for money like me – Ighalo
Ex-Super Eagles striker Odion Ighalo has disclosed that the decision of Cristiano Ronaldo and other top footballers to ply their trade in Saudi Arabia was informed by pecuniary motives.
Ronaldo moved to Saudi Arabian club Al Nassr last year in a stunning three-year deal that would see him earn €210.704 million in total.
Other top footballers, who have made names for themselves in Europe, have also moved to Saudi Arabia as the the oil-rich middle east nation injected massive cash into league in order to make it a football powerhouse.
Reacting to the move of Ronaldo to Saudi Arabia and the influx of big players to the Saudi league, Ighalo said the motivation behind these moves was money and not passion.
Ighalo made this known during an interview with sport journalist, Oma Akatugba.
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He said. “See people that are going to Saudi Arabia, big players. Is Ronaldo still playing for passion? He has made more than 100 times what I have in my life, but he still went to Saudi. You want to tell me that is passion? No, it’s for money.
“It’s only when we Africans say it they will say we like money. But these people don’t care, some of them want to be highest paid and all that,”
Ighalo left mainstream Europe for Chang Chung Yatai in 2017 after playing for Lyn, Udinese, Granada, Cesena, and Watford.
At Yatai, he earned a reported €200,000 weekly salary, before moving to Chinese club Shanghai Shenhua where he also commanded a similar wage.
Ighalo spent one year in Shanghai before moving to Manchester United on a six-month loan deal.
After that, the 34-year-old joined Al Shabbab, where he started earning €170,000.
Ronaldo playing in Saudi league for money like me – Ighalo
Sports
MLS: Messi’s double keeps Miami on top of the league table
MLS: Messi’s double keeps Miami on top of the league table
Lionel Messi showcased his brilliance with a double and an assist for Sergio Busquets as Inter Miami secured a 3-1 victory over Nashville on Saturday, keeping them at the summit of Major League Soccer’s Eastern Conference.
Despite a shaky start that saw Franco Negri inadvertently deflect a corner into Miami’s net within two minutes, Messi swiftly equalized in the 11th minute after Luis Suarez redirected a rebounded shot from the Argentine.
Messi continued to menace Nashville’s defense, narrowly missing another goal before providing an exquisite cross for Diego Gomez, whose header was denied by Nashville keeper Elliot Panicco.
Miami capitalized on their momentum as Busquets, Messi’s former Barcelona teammate, nodded in a corner just before halftime, giving Miami a well-deserved lead.
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However, Miami suffered a setback as Gomez was stretchered off with an ankle injury, adding to their injury woes.
Although Nashville dominated possession in the second half, Miami remained resolute defensively. In the 81st minute, Messi sealed the win by converting a penalty after Leonardo Afonso was fouled in the box.
With this victory, Messi extended his impressive goal-scoring record to nine goals in as many games across all competitions for Miami.
Reflecting on Miami’s performance, manager Gerardo Martino praised his team’s resilience, particularly considering their depleted squad due to injuries.
Despite Miami’s success, Columbus Crew faced a tough battle, twice coming from behind to secure a 2-2 draw against Phil Neville’s Portland Timbers.
Meanwhile, Cincinnati clinched a 2-1 win over Atlanta United, with Luciano Acosta playing a pivotal role in their comeback victory. This highlights an eventful day in Major League Soccer.
MLS: Messi’s double keeps Miami on top of the league table
Sports
Arsenal beat Wolves to return to top spot
Arsenal beat Wolves to return to top spot
Arsenal put their Champions League disappointment firmly in the past by beating Wolves at Molineux and moving back to the top of the Premier League.
Having blown their chance to leapfrog Pep Guardiola’s side six days ago by losing at home to Aston Villa and then being knocked out of the Champions League by Bayern Munich on Wednesday, it was a welcome triumph for Mikel Arteta’s men.
Leandro Trossard’s strike in the last minute of the opening period may not have been the most eye-catching of the Belgian’s career, but it was perfectly timed.
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It came at the end of a half where Arsenal seemed to have gotten stuck after a bright start and nearly fell behind to Gary O’Neil’s injury-ravaged side.
The visitors dominated the second half too, but were unable to carve out the clear chances that would have allowed them to take the game out of reach.
Captain Martin Odegaard added the second deep into stoppage time at the end of the game, turning in from a tight angle after his initial cross had been blocked.
The result means Arsenal are now a point clear of City, with a better goal difference but having played a game more.
They have the chance to apply some significant pressure to the defending champions when they entertain beaten FA Cup semi-finalists Chelsea on Tuesday.
Arsenal beat Wolves to return to top spot
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Arsenal beat Wolves to return to top spot