Mauricio Pochettino believes Lionel Messi needs to win the World Cup with Argentina to confirm his status as the best player in the world.
Messi has won 11 league titles and four Champions League trophies over an illustrious club career.
However, international success has largely eluded Messi, having lost to Germany in the 2014 World Cup final and finishing as Copa America runner-up three times.
Though Messi finally did win the Copa America in 2021, Pochettino feels the 35-year-old needs to win international football s premier prize to certify him as the greatest player in the world.
Like [Diego] Maradona or Pele, you need to confirm with the trophy, Pochettino told The Athletic. When you lift the trophy, it s like, okay, he is the best in the world.
Newcastle United are interested in signing Jonathan David from Lille in the summer transfer window, according to . The report has claimed that the Premier League club have already held talks David’s agents, with the Canada international forward increasingly likely to leave Lille this summer.
TEAMtalk has claimed that the Newcastle bosses consider David a top target and have held talks over his potential interest to move to St. James’ Park. The Magpies, though, will face competition from Premier League rivals Chelsea for the services of the Lille star. West Ham United have also been linked.
David has been on the books of Lille since 2020 when he joined after leaving Gent. The Canada international scored 19 goals and provided four assists in 30 starts and four substit…
“I was surprised that VAR didn’t tell Simon to review it better because honestly with all my respects, Maddison loses his composure and it is a punch in the stomach of Yates.
“It should have been reviewed and a different decision. It is not a shirt with players that looks like nothing happens, no. No, it’s without the ball.
“So, there are two moments we mention (Chris Wood’s miss) in the first half that can change the game.
“I didn’t ask (Hooper), but I saw it. There is no problem in telling I didn’t see it the same way. We didn’t agree, me and VAR.”
Forest could have been ahead by this point but Wood, after he scored for a fourth consecutive match, hit the post from a matter of yards after Guglielmo Vicario had denied Yates in the 3…
England legend John Barnes has warned Manchester United that their issues stem deeper than the squad at their disposal, as the club enters the Erik Ten Hag era.
United axed Ole Gunnar Solskjaer midway through last season and drafted in Ralf Rangnick on an interim basis until the end of the 2021-22 season – which ended with disappointment as the club failed to secure a top-four finish and Champions League football.
Ten Hag was lured to Old Trafford from Ajax to take the club into a new direction, becoming the fifth permanent managerial appointment at United since Sir Alex Ferguson s retirement in 2013.
The arrival of the Dutchman comes amid further changes in the United hierarchy, with Ed Woodward departing and Richard Arnold coming in as chief executive office…
Ibrahimovic needed three knee operations to save his career as 41-year-old Milan star reports for Sw
Zlatan Ibrahimovic revealed it took three knee operations to rescue his career at the end of last season, as the Milan striker returned to centre stage on Tuesday with Sweden.
The 41-year-old spoke at a national team press conference ahead of Friday s Euro 2024 qualifier against Belgium, having been called up by coach Janne Andersson.
Two years have passed since Andersson recalled Ibrahimovic after a long spell in the international wilderness, and he has endured cruel fortune in that subsequent time, with a knee injury ruling him out of the delayed Euro 2020 finals.
That blow in 2021 was followed by Ibrahimovic requiring anterior cruciate knee ligament surgery at the end of last season, which was necessary to extend his playing days.
Milan announced in la…
Pep Guardiola recognised Manchester City s 3-0 win against Bayern Munich was a really, really good result but stressed the job was not yet done.
A first-leg demolition of the German champions means City would have to capitulate woefully in Bavaria next Wednesday to miss out on a semi-final place.
This City team are on a nine-game winning streak and have hit at least three goals in seven of those victories, easing into a spectacular stride as the end of the season approaches.
Goals from Rodri, Bernardo Silva and Erling Haaland – whose 45th of the season put the seal on the win – left Thomas Tuchel s Bayern in a desperate position ahead of the rematch.
Guardiola, a former Bayern head coach, made a point of complimenting the Bundesliga giants, who had th…
Denmark threw down a gauntlet for the Qatar 2022 World Cup with a 2-0 win over France, only to narrowly miss out on the Nations League Finals.
First-half goals for Kasper Dolberg and Andreas Skov Olsen put the Danes firmly in the frame to reach next year s final four, only for rivals Croatia to net twice in the second half to beat Austria and finish top of Group A1.
Nevertheless, an assured victory over World Cup holders France in Copenhagen offered a sharp reminder of Denmark s dark horse credentials for Qatar, after also reaching the Euro 2020 semi-finals.
Austria s defeat ensured Les Bleus dodged relegation to the second tier, but for Didier Deschamps, alarm bells may be ringing after a lacklustre campaign.
0 France are one of six teams to have …
Ghana s World Cup reunion with Uruguay is set to be full of bite, and Luis Suarez was handed a start in the showdown at Al Janoub.
Suarez said on Thursday that he will never apologise for his famous handball on the line in a 2010 quarter-final tie with the Black Stars.
With the scores level at 1-1, Asamoah Gyan hit the resulting spot-kick against the crossbar, and Uruguay went on to win on penalties.
Suarez was sent off for the handball, but it was put to him in the pre-match press conference that many Ghana fans still compare the former Liverpool and Barcelona star to the Devil.
Uruguay coach Diego Alonso had no issues in handing the 35-year-old a starting spot for the crunch Group H match, though. Uruguay need a victory to stand a chance of progressing …
Chelsea boss Emma Hayes says she does not intend to watch Sunday’s Manchester derby that could see her side crowned Women’s Super League champions.
With two rounds of games to go, champions Chelsea are two points clear of second-placed Manchester United heading into their lunchtime kick-off at Kingsmeadow against Arsenal.
If the Blues win, United then failing to in their early evening clash with Manchester City at Leigh Sports Village will mean a fourth successive WSL title – adding to last weekend’s FA Cup success – secured for Hayes’ team.
Asked if she would be watching the derby, Hayes told a press conference: “I said (to her son) I promise you Sunday afternoon we’ll take you out, new bike, and I’ll take him and his cousins for a roll around …
The Republic of Ireland’s hopes of qualifying for Euro 2024 were all but ended by the Netherlands for whom substitute Wout Weghorst’s goal secured a 2-1 win in Dublin.
The hosts, in need of victory to put themselves in contention in Group B, took the lead on four minutes when Adam Idah scored from the penalty spot after Virgil van Dijk had been penalised for handball.
Goalkeeper Gavin Bazunu brought down Denzel Dumfries as the Netherlands won a penalty of their own midway through the first half, with Cody Gakpo levelling from 12 yards.
FT | It ends in defeat at the Aviva Stadium.
— Ireland Football (@IrelandFootball)
Weghorst ensured his side moved second with a game in hand behind leaders France when he scored from Dumfries’ cut-back af…