KIERAN GILL AT EMIRATES STADIUM: It was almost as if Arsenal were rubbing it in, replacing Myles Lewis-Skelly with Martin Zubimendi to join Declan Rice in their midfield.
Outside back Alex Freeman got his first start of the LaLiga season and fourth since joining Villarreal last January in a 2-3 loss to Deportivo. Villarreal is winless, with two ties and two losses, four games into the season. Johnny Cardoso had his longest stint on the field for Atletico Madrid, coming on in the […] The post Americans in Spain: Alex Freeman gets first start of season appeared first on Soccer America.
Inter Miami's Rodrigo De Paul shared his feelings on Lionel Messi's retirement from Argentina national team. Lionel Messi‘s retirement announcement from international soccer sent shockwaves through Argentina following the team’s 2026 World Cup final defeat. As one of Messi’s closest confidants on the pitch in recent years and a current club teammate at Inter Miami, Rodrigo De Paul shared his emotional perspective on the decision. Part of the core group formed during Lionel Scaloni’s managerial roster overhaul, De Paul developed an exceptionally close bond with Messi alongside midfielders Leandro Paredes and Giovani Lo Celso. That relationship influenced De Paul’s career choices, as the midfielder opted to join Inter Miami in July 2025 despite holding competitive offers to remain in Europe. Speaking to MLS media ahead of Inter Miami’s clash with Atlanta United, De Paul reflected on Messi’s announcement while honoring his 21-year international career: “It was very emotional. For us Argentines, we lived with so much excitement having him out on the pitch; it gave us immense pride to see the Argentina jersey all over the world, with him always wearing the number 10 on his back. I think he did so much for the country.“ Processing his personal feelings, De Paul emphasized that Messi still maintains elite performance levels for Inter Miami. “Melancholy above all, but I think we enjoyed it, I particularly enjoyed his journey with our national team. May he be very happy, and let’s keep enjoying him because there’s still time left,” he concluded. Rodrigo De Paul habla del retiro de Leo Messi 🐐🇦🇷 de la Selección Argentina."Hizo un montón por el país", dice De Paul en entrevista con @soyantosports en #LaPreviaDeMLS. pic.twitter.com/DOaYnBuYYM— MLS Español (@MLSes) September 5, 2026 As De Paul highlighted, Messi continues to operate at a high level in Major League Soccer for Inter Miami. Currently leading MLS in both goals (18) and assists (10), the Argentine icon remains under contract with the Herons through December 2028, and his current form during the 2026 MLS campaign demonstrates that his productivity remains elite. For De Paul, the midfielder remains under contract with Inter Miami through December 2029, though his long-term outlook with the club remains closely tied to Messi’s future. While De Paul has not formally addressed his future with the national team, the 32-year-old midfielder would turn 36 during the 2030 World Cup cycle, leaving his status for the next tournament far from guaranteed. Rodrigo De Paul’s trophies with Messi Shortly after Messi published his farewell statement on Instagram, De Paul shared a heartfelt tribute of his own. “Seeing you walk out with the 10 and the captain’s armband in front of us made us feel protected, knowing that whoever we faced, we had someone up front who would give everything for us,” De Paul wrote in his tribute. Remarkably, De Paul’s entire professional trophy collection has been acquired alongside Messi, spanning both international duty and their recent club campaign in South Florida. Prior to joining Inter Miami, De Paul’s club career featured stints with high-profile clubs across Argentina and Europe, including Racing Club, Valencia, Udinese, and Atletico Madrid. However, he went without silverware throughout those European club stops. His breakthrough arrived at the 2021 Copa America, where he helped Argentina capture the title in what also marked Messi’s first major senior trophy with the national team. That victory opened a golden run that included the 2022 Finalissima, the 2022 World Cup, and the 2024 Copa America, alongside a silver medal at the 2026 World Cup following their final loss to Spain. Lionel Messi and Rodrigo De Paul of Argentina look dejected after the FIFA World Cup 2026 Final. (Andrew Harnik/Getty Images) De Paul’s move to Inter Miami in 2025 allowed him to train alongside Messi on a daily basis ahead of the 2026 World Cup. In the process, he claimed the 2025 MLS
Arsenal considered a bid for Chelsea striker Joao Pedro (Picture: Getty) Arsenal put Chelsea striker Joao Pedro on their longlist of possible transfer targets over the summer but decided against making an official move. Mikel Arteta was open to signing a new striker after Viktor Gyokeres’ mixed first season at the Emirates Stadium. The Gunners were ready to sanction a huge bid for Julian Alvarez but the Atletico Madrid striker was reluctant to return to the Premier League and had his heart set on a move to Barcelona. Arsenal of course had the chance to make a move for another striker and bosses at the north London club expressed interest in Chelsea’s Pedro. Exclusive Premier League previews Get ahead of the start of the season with our weekly football newsletter. Sign up now for free. The Brazil international enjoyed a promising first season at Stamford Bridge, scoring 20 goals in all competitions, and has netted two goals in four games so far this season. Pedro was less influential in Chelsea’s 2-1 defeat to Arsenal on Sunday as the Gunners climbed back to the top of the table and ended the Blues’ perfect start to the new season. A number of pundits still view Pedro as one of the best strikers in the Premier League and the 24-year-old has many ‘admirers’ at Chelsea’s London rivals Arsenal. Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta (Picture: Getty) But Arsenal decided not to move for Pedro as there were ‘concerns’ over how the Brazilian would fit into Arteta’s system at Arsenal, according to BBC Sport. Pedro, who was heavily linked with Barcelona earlier in the summer, views Arsenal defender Gabriel as the ‘toughest’ opponent he has come up against in the Premier League. ‘The toughest defender to play against this season? Top three: Willian Pacho and Jonathan Tah, but Gabriel Magalhaes was the toughest in my opinion,’ the attacker told TNT Sports Brasil back in May. Arsenal wanted to sign Julian Alvarez from Atletico Madrid (Picture: Getty) ‘I was surprised by his speed, but I gave him a hard time, too! He’s been inspired this season.’ Meanwhile, Michael Owen believes Manchester United should have launched a move for Pedro years ago as he has always been a ‘huge fan’ of the Chelsea star. Asked to name Arsenal’s biggest rival for the Premier League title this season, Owen told The Good, The Bad & The Football podcast: ‘Chelsea. ‘This could be way off the mark but they’ve got no Europe at all and you see how important that has been over the years. It was brilliant for Manchester United last year. ‘This manager [Xabi Alonso] did something similar with an unfancied team in Germany [Bayer Leverkusen], he’s going to change a lot, they’ve bought well. ‘I’m a huge Joao Pedro fan, I think he’s unbelievable. In fact, Manchester United should have bought him about four years ago when he was at Watford. ‘United had nobody up front for years and I thought, “That Joao Pedro”, I love him.’ For more stories like this, check our sport page. Follow Metro Sport for the latest news on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. Comment now Comments Add Metro as a Preferred Source on Google Add as preferred source
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