Barcelona sign Europe’s best centre back!

Published

2 years ago

July 29, 2022

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Barcelona have officially announced the signing of Jules Kounde from Sevilla on a five-year deal.

This deal is subject to the player passing the medical and the signing of contracts.

AS per sources, the deal is worth about €50 million

Kounde was reportedly very close to joining Chelsea for a fee upwards of €65 million but Barcelona pulled off a last minute heist.

The 23-year-old centre-back is Barcelona’s sixth signing for the summer.

Earlier, they signed Pablo Torre (€5 million), Andreas Christensen (free), Franck Kessie (free), Raphinha (€58 million), and Robert Lewandowski (€45 million).

This deal happened due to Xavi who is a big Kounde fan.

Apparently, Xavi spoke to Kounde and told him that his partnership with Ronald Araujo will form Barcelona’s defensive spine.

“My conversation with Xavi was one of the main reasons for choosing Barcelona.

“I think we see football in the same way,” Kounde said.

Who is Jules Kounde?

Jules Kounde was born in Paris on November 12, 1998.

His family originally came from Benin.

He started playing for small clubs in the outskirts of Bordeaux in south-eastern France.

At the age of 14, Kounde joined the famed academy of FC Girondins de Bordeaux.

On January 7, 2018, the French defender made his first team debut in a French Cup game against Granville, at the age of 19.

The team lost but Kounde ended up playing 18 of the 19 remaining games in the French league.

He put in a series of consistent performances that made Sevilla take notice.

Ultimately, Sevilla coughed up 25 million Euros for Kounde, their most expensive signing at that time.

Kounde became a regular starter in Julen Lopetegui’s team that went on to win the Europa League at the end of the season, beating Inter.

This led to him being called up to the France squad for the Euros last summer.

Kounde was also part of the squad that lifted the UEFA Nations League beating Spain in the final.

Kounde’s strengths

He is a new-age defender who is vey quick, with great interception skills and also good on the ball.

A centre-back, Kounde can also play as a full back.

He is almost impossible to beat one-on-one.

Though he is just 178 cm tall, Kounde is outstanding in the air.

He has an impressive leap and can easily compete for balls in the air.

Having already roped in Andreas Christensen on a free transfer earlier in the summer, Xavi will be delighted to have Jules Kounde at his disposal.

The two can compete with Eric Garcia and Ronald Araujo for a place in the first team next season.

Kounde’s snake emoji

Prior to the official deal, the Barcelona Twitter handle hinted at the announcement by posting an emoji of a snake.

This was a reference to Kounde’s “Mamba celebration”.

When asked about the celebration, Kounde added: “My snake celebration is a tribute to Black Mamba, Kobe Bryant.”

Welcome to Barcelona, Jules Kounde and wish you all the best!

WATCH: Georgina Rodriguez makes huge claim on Cristiano Ronaldo’s retirement in Football

Published

9 months ago

March 3, 2024

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Georgina Rodriguez made a huge claim on the future of her husband and star player, Cristiano Ronaldo, in Football. In a brief interaction with a host recently, Rodriguez was asked about the time left for Cristiano to make an impact at the highest level. Georgina looked honest in her approach to the question of the host and claimed something the fans would not love to hear.

Georgina claimed that the Portugal star has maybe one year more from him at the highest level. She felt that Ronaldo might play two more years before retiring and not more than that. She was however not sure if he would play for just one or two years and added that the Al Nassr star could also play more than that.

Watch the video of Georgina Rodriguez here –

🚨🎙️| Georgina Rodriguez on Cristiano Ronaldo’s future at Paris Fashion Week yesterday:

“Cristiano one more year, then it’s over. Maybe two, I don’t know.”

(via @ArobaseGiovanny)pic.twitter.com/4dxw2j5DuC

— Pubity Sport (@pubitysport) March 3, 2024

“Cristiano one more year, then it’s over. Maybe two, I don’t know,” said Rodriguez in the little chat she had with the host. The video has gone viral on X and the fans have started sharing it on different platforms. Some of the fans feel that Georgina might be right, while others feel that she could be wrong, given the fitness and longevity of the star player.

Legacy of Cristiano Ronaldo

On the 5th of February, Ronaldo celebrated his 39th birthday. He is currently one of the oldest players in the world. In the past, players at this age would have retired way back. But the fitness and consistency of Ronaldo make him play the sport as long as he wishes. In his career so far, Ronaldo has won many major leagues for Portugal and league teams like Real Madrid, Al Nassr, and Manchester United.

With United, Portugal won some major leagues like the FA Cup and the Champions League. With Real Madrid, the 39-year-old won the leagues like the UCL, Copa Del Rey and La Liga. He won it three consecutive times for Real Madrid. For Portugal, Cristiano had a huge contribution to Portugal. He has the most number of appearances and goals for an international team and won the Euro 2016 with Portugal.

FOOTBALL

Real Madrid’s Jude Bellingham slapped with Red Card as he argued with referee

Published

9 months ago

March 3, 2024

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Jude Bellingham shown Red Card (Image Credit: Twitter)

England and Real Madrid player Jude Bellingham was slapped with a Red Card during the La Liga game against Valencia. In the game, the home team, Valencia was leading by 2-0 after 30 minutes before Madrid scored in the injury time of the first half. Vinicius Junior opened the scoring for Madrid while Hugo Duro (27′) and Roman Yaremchuk (30′) scored a goal each.

In the 76th minute, Junior scored an equalizer to keep the team in the game. However, in the injury time of the second half, Bellingham was given a red card as he argued with the referee against calling it a full-time before he could score. In reply, the match official decided to slap the England international with a Red Card. The team coach Carlo Ancelotti wasn’t happy with the verdict as the Three Lions player was making a pass at the time.

Jude Bellingham verbally abusing officials and other footballers at the slightest provocation needs to be talked about more. It’s embarrassing he gets applauded by Real Madrid Fans.

Mason Greenwood should’ve allowed La Liga to deal with this simp. pic.twitter.com/ixYSw6YxaC

— Herman Facundo© (@hermanfacundo_7) March 3, 2024

“I think what’s just happened is unprecedented. It’s never happened to me,” Ancelotti told reporters.

“We had possession of the ball and the match should have been finished when Valencia had the ball.

“What bothers us is the red card for Bellingham because he didn’t say anything insulting. He was frustrated of course,” said Ancelotti, adding that Bellingham had used a common English swearword when telling the referee it was a goal.

We are annoyed with Jude Bellingham’s Red Card: Carlo Ancelotti

“We were annoyed with Bellingham’s red card. He didn’t say any insults. He said in English ‘it’s a f—ing goal,’ but he was just saying what we were all thinking … [The referee] allowed play to continue. I think he made a mistake.”

“[Bellingham] was clear in what he said,” Ancelotti added. “He was quite vehement [in his reaction] but that’s normal, after what happened. It wasn’t an insult, not at all.”

FOOTBALL

PL 2023-24: MCFC vs MUFC Dream11 Prediction, Playing XI, Fantasy League Today’s Captain, Vice-Captain, and more for Manchester derby

Published

9 months ago

March 2, 2024

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Super Sunday is set to witness the Manchester Derby in the Premier League 2023-24. The match between Manchester City (MCFC) and Manchester United (MUFC) is set to take place in Etihad Stadium, the home ground of Manchester City. The two teams have had a contrasting journey in the league till now. The fortunes of City changed ever since Pep Guardiola took over the club as the manager.

While the home side are placed in the second position in the points table currently, United are in the sixth place in the points table. In their previous encounter, City hammered Luton Town by 6-2 in the FA Cup. United have shown massive improvements in the last few weeks after not having a good start to their campaign. United were involved in a thrilling game where they beat Nottingham Forrest by 1-0 in their last game.

Both teams feature some of the best players in the world. The likes of Julian Alvarez, Erling Haaland, Marcus Rashford, Kevin De Bruyne, Bruno Fernandes, Casemiro, and others would be taking part in the match. Manchester City will start the match as the favourites, given their record in the ongoing league so far and the match taking place in their home. United with their improved record can challenge the home side.

MCFC vs MUFC – Match Details

Match – Manchester City (MCFC) vs Manchester United (MUFC), Premier League 2023-24

Venue – Etihad Stadium, Manchester

Date and Time – 3^rd March 2024, 21:00 IST

Live Coverage – Star Sports Network and Disney plus Hot Star

MCFC vs MUFC – Head-to-Head

Both the teams from Manchester have a rich history in the sport. they have been up against each other in 191 instances. In as many games, Manchester United have been historically the better side with 78 wins to their name. City have managed to win 60 wins, as 53 games ended in a draw. In the last five games between the two sides in the Premier League, City have won four of the five games.