🚨 Cristiano Ronaldo’s Heartfelt Message to Lionel Messi After the Passing of Jorge Messi: 🗣“I felt truly heartbroken when I heard the news about the passing of Messi’s father, Jorge Messi. It hit me hard. First and foremost, may his gentle soul rest in peace. After the initial shock, the first thing I did was call Leo. I told him that I understand exactly how it feels to lose someone so special especially your dad. I reminded him that he has to stay strong, to keep his head high. I know this is one of the lowest points anyone can face, but he needs to find the strength not only for himself, but for his family who need him now more than ever. Behind closed doors, Leo and I have shared many meaningful moments over the years. He’s one of the people I consider a true friend in this world of football. Because of that, I can feel the pain he’s going through right now. No rivalry, no competition just two men who respect each other, and one of them is hurting. My thoughts and support are fully with Leo, his mother Celia, and the entire Messi family during this difficult time.”

🚨 Declan Rice reveals what happened when his son met Lamine Yamal: 🗣️“I know I’m older than him and I’ve obviously got more experience, but I don’t know why, I was actually a bit star-struck. I’m well known myself! (laughs) The only person who has really made me feel like that before was Messi. And now you’ve got a 19-year-old doing the same thing. There’s just something about the kid. My son has been going on about Yamal for ages. He absolutely loves him. He’s got his shirt and he’s always wearing it. Before the game, he was telling me, ‘Dad, I want a picture with Yamal, I want a signed shirt from him.’ And I was thinking, ‘How am I going to make that happen? I’m not really close with Yamal like that.’ Then Gordon came into my head. I thought, ‘I’ll ask Gordon if he can speak to him and see if he’ll do it.’ Gordon said, ‘He’s a good guy, he won’t say no.’ So after the game, Gordon went over and asked him. I was still thinking, ‘I don’t know if he’s actually going to do it.’ Then he did. Jude was absolutely buzzing. He was so happy. For me, that was probably the best part of the whole thing.”

🚨 Ronaldo’s Impact Goes Far Beyond the Pitch: 🗣Jorge Jesus "People still don’t fully grasp the impact Cristiano Ronaldo has had on the history of football. I don’t believe any manager who has worked with him has ever regretted it. Ronaldo makes everything easier for those around him. Even when he eventually stops playing, his legacy will be impossible to erase or forget. He stands alone among the greats a player who delivers impact both on and off the pitch. You don’t even need him on the field to feel his presence; his influence radiates beyond the game itself. That’s the kind of player the world needs. And it’s a genuine shame that we will never see another quite like him."

🚨 Martin Ødegaard explains his reaction to Bernardo Silva after their clash: 🗣️“It’s not that I want to bring club football into the international break, but obviously there is history between us and maybe that played a part. He was going into challenges quite strongly, and I told him to take it easy, but it continued. Then came that final tackle, and I reacted because I felt it was too much. What surprised me most was that I didn’t even have the ball anymore when he came in again. I didn’t understand why he needed to make that challenge. I’m still in serious pain right now as we speak. What confused me even more was the referee’s reaction. Bernardo was called over after the tackle, but nothing really happened. Then when I approached Bernardo after what had happened, the referee immediately focused on me. I just felt the whole situation could have been handled differently.”

Kevin Schade is currently being linked with Arsenal and Liverpool. Brentford have already held initial talks with him about a new contract because of his strong start to the season. He has three goals so far, and Brentford are unbeaten after five league games. Arsenal and Liverpool are reportedly the clubs showing the strongest interest.

🚨Roy Keane on Ireland players bowing their heads during Israel’s national anthem: “Look, I think people need to understand the context. This wasn’t simply about disrespecting an anthem. The players were expressing their concern about the conflict and the lives lost, particularly the suffering of people in Gaza. They wore black armbands, lowered their heads, and chose not to take part in the handshake. Those were deliberate gestures, and they have a right to express their feelings. But when you wear an Ireland shirt, there’s also a responsibility that comes with it. If you make a statement, you should be prepared to stand by it. People can disagree with what they did, but I wouldn’t reduce it to disrespect. There was a wider message behind the gesture. Once the whistle goes, though, focus on the football and represent your country properly.”

🚨 Messi’s Free Kick Ain’t That Special MLS League Just Makes It Look Good: 🗣️"I just watched the clip of Messi’s free kick and all the hype around it… and honestly, I don’t see anything special. When you’re playing in a league like the MLS one, those kinds of goals look a lot more impressive than they actually are. The goalkeeper should never have been beaten that easily from that distance. A shot like that simply doesn’t go in against a proper Premier League keeper. Messi wouldn’t score that kind of free kick in the Premier League the quality, the intensity, and the goalkeeping are on a completely different level. That’s why I struggle to understand why so many older fans treat the MLS league like it’s some kind of football paradise."

🚨 On the withdrawal — and the handshake. We can pretend it is nothing. It is not. Called up. Arrived in camp. Then, 24 hours before Ireland against Israel, the goalkeeper walked away. That is not taking a stand. That is leaving teammates, staff and supporters in the lurch on the eve of a match. Gavin Bazuni is a man of double standards The hypocrisy is obvious if the same player is paid by a club whose ownership includes Israeli shareholders. You cannot pose as a moral line on Tuesday and cash the wage on Wednesday. Throwing the dressing room under the bus should not be shrugged off. If a player puts a personal campaign above the shirt, the shirt should not be handed back as if nothing happened. Integrity is not a social-media post. It is showing up when you said you would. The refusal of Ireland players to shake hands with Israel’s players is theatre. It looks principled on camera. It solves nothing. One day that kind of gesture comes back around. Footballers are not diplomats. Leave the diplomacy to the people whose job it is. Play the match. Represent the country. Keep the politics off the pitch.

🚨 Ronaldo on being left on the bench and his conversation with coach Jorge Jesus: 🗣“I’ve seen a lot of people saying the reason we won was because I was on the bench. What they tend to forget is the contribution I still made from there. I know I’m not supposed to bring this up, but before the coach made his final selection, he called me aside just the two of us. He said, ‘Look, Ronaldo, I need your ideas from the bench. You know this game better than almost anyone. Please sit there and be my second coach.’ I couldn’t say no. And that’s exactly what happened. I love this club with all my heart. I’m willing to do whatever it takes to make sure we stay strong and at the top. I don’t listen to the noise on social media. They can keep talking.”

🚨 Didier Drogba on Ireland’s decision not to shake hands with Israel and bow their heads during the Israeli anthem: “This is one of those gestures that makes you stop and think. I never thought I would see a national team express their feelings about a situation like this so openly. You may not agree with their decision, but you have to understand what they are trying to communicate. Football is watched by millions around the world, and sometimes a gesture can send a message more powerfully than words. I know politics and football are supposed to remain separate, but football has never been only about what happens on the pitch. I learned that myself during the war in Côte d’Ivoire. When we qualified for the World Cup, I used my position as a footballer to call for peace because I believed football could help bring people together. That is the power this game has. So when players use their platform to express what they believe in, I understand it. Football can be a bridge between people, but it can also remind the world that there are human beings behind every situation.”

🎯 Football used to judge the Ballon d’Or the same way every year. Individual impact. Team success. What actually changed when that player was on the pitch. That is why Messi and Ronaldo owned the era. That is why Modrić won it. That is why Benzema won it. That is why Dembélé won it. Not headlines. Not narrative. Not who the media decided to put on the poster. Now look at this race. Lamine Yamal is everywhere. Always on the cover. Always in the conversation. Yes, he is special. Yes, Spain won the World Cup. Yes, Barcelona won La Liga. But be honest. Did Spain become world champions because of Yamal? Did Barcelona lift those trophies because of him alone? If you remove him from that Spain side, do they still win it? If you remove Kane from that Bayern side, do they still look the same? If you remove Rodri from that midfield, does that Spain team still control games? That is the only question that used to matter. Mbappé is there. Kane is there. Dembélé is there. Rodri. Fabián Ruiz. The names exist. The competition exists. What should not exist is a winner decided before the season is even judged properly. Give the award to the player whose absence actually changes the trophy cabinet. Anything else ruins the standard this award used to have.

I guess everyone is beginning to remember what they would have done, their achievements without Manchester City, right Why not if we start with all the league matches they’ve won not just finals that lead to trophies. What about the premier league they’ve won too, who deserves it? Jurgen Klopp or Mikel Arteta? Not just Stoke city being awarded the FA trophy but coming out from relegation too right? for how many years. You know since they want to erase them from the league, they should do justice for the rest because we know them too.

🚨 Patrice Evra on players who joined Manchester City despite the charges: “You know, Mikel… I was actually talking to someone about this. I said, ‘These players have agents, no?’ He said, ‘Of course.’ I said, ‘Then surely before you sign for Manchester City, somebody in the room mentions the charges?’ Because imagine you’re sitting there with your agent. City want you. They put the contract on the table. You ask about the project, Champions League, trophies… then somewhere in that conversation I expect someone to say, ‘Also, there is a small possibility we might not be playing Premier League football.’ Maybe the agent says, ‘Don’t worry, your contract is protected.’ And the player says, ‘Okay, where do I sign?’ That’s the part I find funny, Mikel. When I was playing, you chose a club because you wanted to compete at the highest level. Now maybe the first question is whether the salary changes if the league does. Because if Manchester United and Manchester City both wanted me, and one club told me Old Trafford and the other told me, ‘It could be the Etihad, it could be somewhere in the Championship, we’re waiting for the lawyers,’ I know which contract I’m signing. But maybe football has changed. Maybe their agents did the background checks. They just stopped checking when they reached the salary.”

🚨 Too slow, too little fight Klopp’s verdict after first defeat as Germany coach: 🗣“After this defeat to Greece, I see the German team more clearly than before. From a distance, they look like they play with purpose, but up close you notice something else: not every player is actually fighting for the badge. Some talk about loving the country, yet the performance tonight showed little of that hunger. They showed no real “we have to win this” in their movement or pressing. Too many slow, passive moments. That is disappointing and, frankly, annoying. I take responsibility for the setup and the many changes that are on me. At the same time, I now have a clearer picture of who is ready to represent this team and who still needs to prove they want it. We will sort that out. This result is part of the process, but losing a game like this is not acceptable. We have to get sharper, hungrier, and faster. That work starts now.”

I don’t think Jorge needs an explanation for not playing Ronaldo against Norway. He already got a result which closes the room for his explanation and from what he invented today, I don’t think the pattern will stop anytime soon as far as he keeps getting results and that means Ronaldo will keep staying at the bench.

🎯 One still scores free-kicks at this age. The other is getting benched for his national team. Lionel Messi honestly feels like a non-human footballer. At this stage of his career, he’s still not just scoring tap-ins or penalties. He’s scoring the difficult goals, creating chances, beating players, controlling games and even finding the net from free-kicks like it’s nothing. Cristiano Ronaldo is an incredible player and one of the greatest ever. No debate. But I genuinely don’t think Ronaldo could still be doing everything Messi is doing right now if he had to play Messi’s kind of football at this age. That’s what makes Leo different. The man is simply built differently.

🚨 Joao Cancelo on his conversation with the referee after Portugal’s 2-1 win over Norway: “After the game I went to the referee and asked him about one foul he gave against me on Nusa. I said, ‘Honestly, did you actually see me touch him?’ He smiled. I said, ‘Because I didn’t. I put my leg out, Nusa went down and you immediately blew the whistle.’ He told me, ‘Joao, you spent the whole game complaining about this boy.’ I said, ‘Of course. Have you tried defending him?’ [laughs] “But I understood the referee. A few seconds before the foul, somebody played this ball in the air and I thought it was going out. I think everybody did. Then Nusa somehow brings it down before it crosses the line for throw in. Even I stopped for a second because I thought, ‘How has he controlled that?’ Then he comes towards me, I put my leg out, he goes down and the referee gives the foul. So afterwards I told the referee, ‘I think you were still thinking about his first touch. Your judgement was compromised.’ [laughs] He said, ‘Maybe yours was too.’ Fair enough. Nusa is very, very good. People call him the Norwegian Neymar and after tonight I understand why. Quick feet, brave, always wants the ball and every time you think you’ve shown him somewhere, he finds somewhere else. But I still didn’t touch him. We can praise the boy without inventing fouls for him.” [laughs]

Renato Veiga and João Félix were two of Portugal’s best players tonight against Norway. When Portugal needed a goal, João Félix stepped up, took responsibility and scored Portugal’s opening goal. The crazy part? Both players were barely trusted by Enzo Maresca at Chelsea. Chelsea brought Maresca in to be the man who would bring light to the club, but for players like Veiga and Félix, he ended up doing the exact opposite. I'll never forgive Enzo Maresca.

🚨🗣️ Erling Haaland on what João Félix told him after the final whistle: “After the final whistle, João came over to me and said something that honestly surprised me. He told me, ‘Erling, if Manchester City are ever punished because of the 115 charges and you decide you want to leave, you should go to Barcelona.’ I laughed at first because he was so direct. But then he explained why he thought Barcelona would be the right club for me if that situation ever happened. Obviously, I'm not thinking about leaving. I'm focused on Manchester City and what I can achieve here. But João knows Barcelona, and when a friend gives you advice like that, you listen. He just smiled and said, ‘If that day ever comes, you already know where you should go.’”

Messi Fans watching as Ronaldo gets benched by Ramos against Norway

We all thought Rice was at London Colney 🤔