FOOTBALL

The Modric-Mario Mandzukic rift explained

Published

3 years ago

September 5, 2021

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Luka Modric and Mario Mandzukic are football legends who brought glory to Croatia on the world’s biggest stage.

Mandzukic, who recently announcement his retirement from football, played with Modric for many years in the Croatian national team, but their relationship broke down a few years ago.

In his new autobiography ‘My Game’, Modric explains just what happened between the pair which caused a rift between them for years.

“Mario is a special guy. He sometimes seems grumpy and that he’s in a bad mood. Anyone who doesn’t know him well would think that really moody,” Modric wrote.

“All this time I knew him as a great guy, with a great heart. He was very dear to me from day one, although it took me a long time to understand just what he’s like. We spent a lot of time together in the national team.”

Modric explains the exact incident that led to the problem.

“On a visit to Iceland, when we were up against them in the playoffs to go to the World Cup in Brazil, I ran into Mario in front of the hotel elevator,” the midfielder continued.

“‘Come on, Mario, we’re going to go hard today,’ I told him, like we always do before training or games. Mandzukic, however, surprised me with his reaction.

“‘Look at yourself, leave me alone.'”

The relationship wasn’t the same from that day onwards and didn’t improve for several years.

“I always had a good relationship with Mario. We were in constant contact until then. Then there was silence, the relationship cooled off.

“If it happened today, I would have cleared it up immediately or, in the worst case, at the next team meeting. But I was defiant too.

“When two difficult people short circuit, the energy disappears. Frankly, I was wrong, but I didn’t want to take the first step. Obviously neither did he.”

Modric did try and discuss the matter with his countryman and they resolved the issue, as he details in the book.

“I waited for the right moment and started the conversation. I wanted to tell you how sorry I am that we no longer have a close relationship,” I said.

I wanted to know why we have been speaking exclusively to each other in a professional way for over three years,” Modric noted.

FOOTBALL

‘They have to be favourites’ – Liverpool ‘perfect’ in Champions League

Published

2 days ago

December 11, 2024

Maadhav

Liverpool’s impeccable start to the season has made them strong contenders for the Champions League. After securing a place in the knockout rounds with a win over Girona, they’ve maintained a perfect European record.

Rio Ferdinand praised their momentum, highlighting their position as favorites based on form, though he cautioned that freshness, particularly for key players like Virgil van Dijk and Mo Salah, will be crucial. Stephen Warnock echoed this sentiment, noting that Liverpool is a formidable opponent in both the Premier League and Champions League.

FOOTBALL

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

Published

10 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

10 months ago

March 3, 2024

admin

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.”