Wofoo Tai Po · Asian Cup - Qualification · Attacker · #10 · Hong Kong, China · 39 yrs
Before the Geopolitics World Cup circus gets under way, Real Madrid would like you to know there’s always another show in town. Los Blancos have an odd, difficult relationship with the tournament. Spain’s 2010 triumph involved Sergio Ramos, Xabi Alonso and Iker Casillas being bolted on to a raft of Barcelona players, somewhat demeaning to any aristocratic pretensions. Back in 2018, Madrid upended the Spain national team by snaffling away Julen Lopetegui to be their coach, such that he was sent back from Russia before a ball was kicked. After Fernando Hierro, a Madrileno final boss, took the reins, the tournament was a bust for Spain, and relations have been strained ever since.Yesterday Ray Anselmo questioned why Andoni Iraola would join Liverpool, who won something last year and then weren’t satisfied with fifth place and the quarter-finals of Bigger Cup this year. Is it safe to assume that Ray is a Spurs fan?” – Neale Redington.Jon Millard is stout in his defence of AOR musos but I disagree with his comment that Tapestry (Carole King) has no links with ‘Antipodean Journeymen’. Surely So Far Away and Home Again allude to travels of the two Australasian teams – the latter probably applying a short time after the teams land in North America. And Where you Lead could apply should one of these teams snatch the first goal in a match? Beautiful is a normal epithet of the game of association football, OK not always bandied about when discussing Kiwi or Aussie football, but y’know. Will You Love Me Tomorrow: of course we will, even when faint hopes are dashed in the group stage. Lastly, I feel the Earth Move is mainly a song about a daily occurrence here in the shaky isles of New Zealand, but should we win a match …” – Rod de Lisle.A simple request on behalf of the rest of us friendless virtual barflies – please publish every single response to Jon Millard’s broadside. The fact that Toto, Boston, Journey, and the entire AOR genre all caught strays in one almighty righteous take makes this tea-timely email worth reading, and I for one am here for it” – Daniel Stauss.To quote the inimitable Half Man Half Biscuit, ‘Everything’s AOR’ (football Daily letters passim). Now can we please move on?” – David Bell. Continue reading...
Plus: which teams had the most wins without promotion and can anyone match Jadon Sancho’s hat-trick?“Matvey Safonov did not make a single save in the Champions League final, across normal time, extra time and penalties, and wound up winning it,” notes Philip Cornwall. “I realise records are limited, but has this happened before in a major final?”We’ve found three more Champions League finals in which the winning goalkeeper did not have a save to make, though none of them had the chance to do so during a penalty competition. When José Mourinho’s Porto beat Monaco 3-0 in 2004, Vitor Baía made no saves that were officially recorded, though he did make one great stop when Fernando Morientes was wrongly flagged offside. Continue reading...
FC Barcelona made a significant move on Wednesday in their pursuit of Julian Alvarez, as sporting director Deco held a direct meeting with his agent, Fernando Hidalgo.Now, the La Liga champions have a...
In a scenario where he could miss the first two games of the 2026 World Cup, Lamine Yamal is reportedly set to be monitored by Barcelona during his time at the Spain national team. Lamine Yamal‘s injury has set off alarms, especially within the Spain national team, which must remain cautious in its approach to his recovery ahead of the 2026 World Cup. To ensure he reaches 100% fitness, reports suggest the star could miss the first two games for La Roja, with FC Barcelona set to monitor the 18-year-old throughout the tournament in North America. Reports have surfaced revealing a meeting between Barcelona representatives and Spanish Federation physiotherapists to establish a proper recovery plan for Yamal. However, the aspirations of the national team and the health of the youngster must not be at odds, at least from Barcelona’s perspective. According to Diario Sport, FC Barcelona see as a good solution for Lamine Yamal to miss both the first and the second games of the World Cup against Cape Verde and Saudi Arabia. This alternative is seen in order for the winger to be completely recovered from his hamstring injury and avoid any setback. As reported by the Spanish outlet, the plan suggested by Barcelona staff is for Yamal to be 100% ready for the third and final group stage game against Uruguay. That match, which is expected to decide who wins the group, is scheduled for June 27th, a date that aligns with his six-to-seven-week recovery timeline. Lamine Yamal of Spain controls the ball while under pressure from Ahmed Fatouh of Egypt. Currently ranked 2nd in the FIFA Rankings, Spain enters the 2026 World Cup as a top candidate. However, Yamal’s fitness has become a growing concern for La Roja, with coach Luis de la Fuente commenting on the situation and expressing hope that Yamal will be fit to lead the push into the knockout stage. Barcelona to address Yamal’s fitness during World Cup Yamal’s hamstring injury has effectively ended his season with FC Barcelona, meaning he will miss El Clasico and the remainder of the La Liga campaign, where the Blaugrana are expected to lift the trophy with an 11-point lead over Real Madrid. Still, the club is determined to prevent the injury from having long-term consequences and will closely monitor his condition during the World Cup. As reported by Diario AS, Fernando Galan, an external physiotherapist working for Barcelona, will be in charge of supervising Lamine Yamal for both club and with Spain national team. His role will gain more relevance during the World Cup, as he has been assigned to send daily reports to club authorities regarding Yamal’s progress. Galan will be responsible for Yamal’s health and ensuring he returns to the pitch in the best possible condition. Given the nature of a hamstring injury and Yamal’s playing style, which relies on explosiveness and constant changes of direction, a setback is a major fear. Using Raphinha’s recent history as a precedent, a personalized program will be implemented as soon as he is recovered.
