🚨🇵🇹 Cristiano Ronaldo: “The coach had broken his word to me. At the end of the match I only wanted everything to finish with the victory and to be alone. I did not go to greet the fans. A failing that is solely my responsibility and that should not have happened. I apologise to the Portuguese who supported us intensely there, I apologise to the fans, and I apologise to those who, without being Portuguese, may have travelled there to see me and whom I may have disappointed. Forty-eight hours later we had a conversation — myself, the coach and Simão Coutinho — since he had been the one accompanying our conversations in August. It was a deep moment, very frank, without any kind of filter. We agreed that there was only one way to close this “case”: that the coach repeat what he had just told me in private, in the presence of Simão Coutinho, but in the press room. What was agreed was simple: the coach would begin the press conference with this subject, seeking to close the matter by telling the truth. He would say that I never asked to play any minutes, that it was the coach and no one else who proposed the plan for this camp to me, and that it was a mistake to put me on to warm up and then not bring me on, and that if it happened again he would not do it. We ended that meeting with the coach asking me for a hug, promising me that he would say at the conference what he had just said to me, and that the matter would be overcome. I would not play in Denmark and I would play the match at the Dragão. All of this in the presence of Simão Coutinho, always. At the coach’s request, a meeting then took place between himself, Simão Coutinho and Tiago Craveiro by videoconference, in which what we had discussed was summarised. A short document was produced which I myself validated and which, with my knowledge, was delivered to the coach, as he had requested. The conference was what is known: the posture had nothing to do with our meeting; I heard expressions and an aggressiveness that I do not believe I deserved, an attitude of “I want, I can and I command” that he never showed me, not even remotely, in private the day before. The notes I validated were the following: “I think it is important, also because it is the truth, to clarify a few things before talking about Denmark: 1. I myself, and no one else, proposed to Cristiano a plan for him this sporting season with the National Team. It was a long and very good conversation. 2. I know how much he lives and loves the national team and the weight he has in the world, and even more the weight and the positive influence he has had on the national team for 24 consecutive years. 3. The plan I proposed to Cristiano was accepted. 4. He never questioned my options. He was exemplary, loyal and professional. 5. The match in Norway was not part of the plan I drew up for him. However, I felt that he had managed to recover physically from the first match and I warned him that I might have to use him. Cristiano agreed. 6. I made a mistake by putting someone of the stature of Pelé or Maradona on to warm up and then not putting him in the game. If it were today I would not do it. 7. To close the subject: I want Cristiano in the National Team. In fact I do not want him a little, I want him a lot. Fortunately he also believes in me. He believed at Al Nassr and he does here as well. 8. About not greeting the fans. We have already spoken about that. Someone who has played more than 230 matches for the national team does not receive lessons from me on love for Portugal. It was a moment of frustration that erases nothing. He is the player who gives the most autographs, takes the most selfies, and shows the most affection to the fans. Let us not invent problems where they do not exist. When we are not happy we react. That was all. None of these notes, therefore, said that the coach should even apologise to me. It was the second time he had broken his word to me”.

🚨 Antonio Conte on his future: “There are many clubs that have somewhat lost sight of their history…”. “I’d like to go to one of these clubs to dust off that history and make it shine once more”, told @TheAthleticFC.

ZIRKZEE PUTS THE NETHERLANDS AHEAD x.com/TGZ0045/status/2106840…

🚨𝗠𝗔𝗝𝗢𝗥 𝗕𝗥𝗘𝗔𝗞𝗜𝗡𝗚: The Ballon D'or winner has been leaked and LAMINE YAMAL is the winner according to the leaked results, Mbappe is second.

🚨🚨🚨🚨🚨🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥 OFFFFICIALLY! 😱🔥 Wissam Ben Yedder is coming in the second batch! 👀⚡️ YOOOOOO! 🤯🔥🔥 The hype is REAL! 🚀🔥 #FC27 #EAFC #FUT #EAFC27 🎮⚽️

🚨🇫🇷 MICHAEL OLISE OPENS THE SCORING FOR FRANCE! WHAT A FANTASTIC FREE KICK! 🤯 France 1-0 Italy. x.com/canadaislands/status/2…

It was a seemingly innocuous email, sent on a Wednesday morning in January 2017, that started everything. Arriving in the inbox of a senior official at Manchester City, it appeared to have been sent by an employee from European football’s governing body, UEFA, and contained a link to a financial compliance report. The City official clicked the download button. That was all it took. It was not a genuine email from UEFA but a successful phishing attempt by Portuguese hacker and activist Rui Pinto. City’s servers were breached, allowing Pinto to retrieve thousands of emails and documents from the club’s systems. This week, almost 10 years on from Pinto’s first email, the Premier League announced that an independent panel had found City guilty of all but one of the charges against them, as The Athletic first revealed last Friday. 📝 @jwhitey98: nyti.ms/4z5sgoL

🚨 BREAKING: DARREN LEAVES PORTUGAL. 🇵🇹 Just minutes after Cristiano Ronaldo’s farewell, Darren has also decided to bring his Portugal chapter to an end. The decision comes as a major shock around the Seleção camp, with Darren understood to have waved goodbye to the Portuguese supporters before leaving the stadium. Ronaldo leaves. Darren follows. The Portugal era is officially over. 😭 After sharing the spotlight with one of football’s greatest icons, Darren now closes his own chapter in Portugal and prepares for a new journey. “Obrigado, Portugal. It was an honour.” 🇵🇹❤️

BREAKING: Lamine Yamal’s Ballon d’Or winning chances have reached an ALL-TIME HIGH of 39%, via Kalshi.