Nemanja Matic spoke again about his time at Roma. Interviewed by La Repubblica, the Sassuolo midfielder revisited his experience in the capital, focusing on his bond with the Giallorossi and the warmt...
The list of players missing the 2026 World Cup has Ilkay Gündogan, who isn't going to represent Germany. There are many players with huge talent competing at the 2026 World Cup. However, Germany will not have a midfielder like İlkay Gündoğan present in their team for this edition. The reason behind Gündoğan’s absence in Germany is simple: he retired from the national team. At Euro 2024, when his country hosted the tournament, many players said goodbye, with the loss to Spain in the quarterfinals being their final match. About his retirement, the player wrote a message on social media. Gündoğan said: “I look back with great pride on 82 caps for my home country, a number I could never have dreamed of. My highlight was definitely the huge honor of captaining the team at our home European Championship last summer! After all those years, we finally managed to make the nation proud again. I’m very happy that I was able to play a part in that.” Gündoğan’s career with Germany While the trophy case with Germany does not look very full, his career has been fantastic. Gündoğan displayed all his qualities from the first match he played for his country in 2011. Gündogan was honored next to Müller and Neuer (Maja Hitij/Getty Images for VW) A very common theme in his career has been the unlucky number of injuries he has endured, which may be one reason why he never lifted a major honor with Germany, as a back issue kept him out in 2014. While the creative midfielder was part of the teams in Russia and Qatar that were eliminated in the group stage, Gündoğan finished his time representing Germany with a respectable 82 matches, in which he scored 19 goals, an impressive total for someone in his position. Gündoğan’s club career Gündoğan has been playing for Galatasaray since last year, but he has also featured for some of the best clubs in the world. After spells at Bochum, 1. FC Nürnberg, and a great run at Borussia Dortmund, where he won the Bundesliga, the midfielder moved to the Premier League. At Manchester City, he enjoyed his best years, including a Champions League title, the first in the club’s history, and 304 matches in that shirt. He then spent a year at Barcelona before returning to Manchester City for one more season. His club career currently stands at 660 matches.
One of Argentina's opponents at the 2026 FIFA World Cup, Austria, will be without their biggest star, Christoph Baumgartner. Austria have joined the list of teams that have lost one of their key stars ahead of the 2026 FIFA World Cup. Christoph Baumgartner suffered an injury that will keep him out of the tournament, including the group-stage clash against Argentina. “Christoph Baumgartner will be missed by the national team at the World Cup,” Austria announced in a statement published Tuesday on their official X account. “We wish you all the best, Baumi!” The team also provided details about the attacking midfielder’s injury: “This was confirmed following today’s MRI examination. The 26-year-old suffered a muscle injury in his right thigh.” The injury occurred Monday during Austria’s warm-up session ahead of their friendly match against Tunisia. Baumgartner was expected to be part of the squad for that game, the first of two scheduled tune-ups before the World Cup. The second will take place on June 11 against Guatemala. 💔 Christoph Baumgartner wird dem Nationalteam bei der WM fehlen.ℹ️ Das steht nach der heutigen MRT-Untersuchung fest. Der 26-Jährige zog sich eine Verletzung der Muskulatur im rechten Oberschenkel zu.Wir wünschen dir nur das Beste, Baumi! #GemeinsamÖSTERREICH pic.twitter.com/bEz8g6r1Oo— ÖFB – oefb.at (@oefb1904) June 2, 2026 Even without the 26-year-old midfielder, Austria managed to secure a victory at Ernst Happel Stadium in Vienna, defeating the African side 1-0 thanks to a goal from Marcel Sabitzer in the 62nd minute. Baumgartner was in top form heading into the World Cup The loss of Christoph Baumgartner is especially painful for Austria considering the outstanding form he displayed during the 2025-26 season. With RB Leipzig, he recorded 17 goals and nine assists in 37 matches across the Bundesliga and the German Cup. “This is undoubtedly very bitter news for Christoph and for us as a team. He is a very important player and a key personality within the squad,” head coach Ralph Rangnick said, according to Marca. “Right now, all our efforts are focused on giving him every possible support so that he can recover properly.” Austria’s path at the World Cup After completing their second and final friendly against Guatemala, Austria will turn their attention to their 2026 World Cup opener. The team will face Jordan on June 17 at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, California. Five days later, they will likely face their toughest test in Group J when they take on Argentina. Austria will then close out the group stage on June 27 against Algeria, hoping to secure a place in the Round of 32.
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