Sparta-KT · Pernambucano - 1 · Defender · #0 · Brazil · 21 yrs
HLN are reporting that Cercle Brugge are closing in on signing 28-year-old central midfielder Jean Thierry Lazare. The former Union St Gilloise and Standard Liege midfielder spent last season in Greek...
France star Kylian Mbappe has dismissed rumors linking Didier Deschamps with the Italy national team job. While France remain focused on their primary goal of competing at the 2026 FIFA World Cup and reaching a third straight final, discussions about the future have also emerged. Kylian Mbappe weighed in on rumors linking head coach Didier Deschamps to Italy. “I hope he doesn’t go coach another national team. I keep putting pressure on him about that. I’ve seen the reports about Italy, and it would be painful,” Mbappe said with remarkable honesty during a recent interview with M6, in the days leading up to France‘s debut at North America 2026. “It’s our coach, and he means a lot to us. A lot of national teams will want him because of everything he has achieved,” Mbappe acknowledged in the same interview. “Italy should look for an Italian. Didier is French, he’s ours.” Since long before the tournament, it has been known that this summer’s FIFA tournament will mark the final chapter of Deschamps‘ tenure with France. He took over as head coach in 2012 and, after 14 years in charge, will not renew the contract that expires following the World Cup. Didier Deschamps, Head Coach of France, celebrates with Kylian Mbappe. Deschamps looking to extend his record Didier Deschamps is one of the few individuals to have won the World Cup as both a player and a coach. He was a central midfielder on the France team that lifted the trophy on home soil in 1998, alongside stars such as Zinedine Zidane, Thierry Henry and Lilian Thuram, before retiring from international soccer in 2000. As a coach, Deschamps guided France to the title at Russia 2018 and to the final at Qatar 2022, where they lost to Argentina on penalties. With that second triumph, he joined the exclusive group of three figures who have won World Cup trophies in both roles. Mario Zagallo was a member of the Brazil squad that won the tournament in 1958 and 1962. He later coached the team to another World Cup title in 1970. Franz Beckenbauer, meanwhile, won the trophy with Germany in 1974 as a player and again in 1990 as a coach. In addition to already belonging to that exclusive group, Didier Deschamps has an opportunity to reach another milestone if he wins the 2026 World Cup. He would become just the second coach in history to win the tournament twice, following Vittorio Pozzo, who achieved the feat with Italy in 1934 and 1938. Deschamps has a history in Italy Italy are in the midst of a crisis after failing to qualify for a third consecutive World Cup. That makes it understandable that they would pursue one of the most successful international coaches of his generation in Deschamps. But there are other reasons as well. The French coach also has extensive experience in Italy. He played for Juventus from 1994 to 1999, winning 10 trophies, including the 1995-96 UEFA Champions League. He later managed the club from 2006 to 2007, posting a 69.7% points percentage during his tenure.
The US version of the tournament’s opening ceremony helpfully focused on one of its main themes: aspirational consumerismThe 2026 World Cup: a festival of football; a moment to revel in upsets, spectacular goals, stars made, and reputations ruined; a test of Didier Deschamps’s unshakable addiction to Adrien Rabiot. But also: a celebration of America; a chance for Fox Sports to prove the haters wrong; a social experiment to see how long Thierry Henry can last on set with Alexi Lalas before resorting to physical violence. “This is going to be filled with American fans,” Lalas shrieked as Los Angeles Stadium began to swell with spectators before the US’s opening match against Paraguay. “This is going to be bursting at the seams with America!”But where was the pomp, the bombast, the Americana? The US opening ceremony – the third and final installment in the trio of launch parties for this supertanker of a World Cup – didn’t quite live up to the Lalasian hype. This was a ceremony with all the charm of Rob Stone in his pocket square fake-smiling as he says the immortal words, “Brazil v Morocco, live tomorrow from New York New Jersey, brought to you by Verizon”: a ceremony that felt oddly flat, but was trying all the same. It was almost as if Fifa had absorbed all the pre-tournament criticism and decided: “You know what? We just can’t be bothered.” But Friday’s launch did still offer a sense for how this tournament will play out as a cultural spectacle. The early verdict: this is a World Cup built above all to accommodate the insatiable needs of American TV. Fox Sports is not simply the host broadcaster for this World Cup; it is the tournament’s very soul. If that’s the type of sentence that gives you hives, the next five weeks will best be watched on mute (or Telemundo). Continue reading...
⚽️ Infantino tells fans to ‘chill’ in response to Fifa’s critics⚽️ Match centre | Player guide | Bracketology | Mail JohnBTL chat is thus far dominated by Gianni Infantino’s ritual pre-tournament torching of his own dignity. SonOfThe Desert offers this:“Infantino is just absolutely wretched, isn’t he? An absolute nothing of a man, sucking up to tyrants because he thinks it makes him look strong. ”But you know what’s really annoying me? All those heads of national associations who could have unified around a candidate - anyone - to oppose Infantino and try and rescue Fifa from humiliation. Couldn’t be bothered though, could they? Might’ve had to do some actual work that way.New York has honored two footballing greats by temporarily renaming streets after Thierry Henry and Pelé ahead of the World Cup kickoff …Crowds gathered at West 50th Street and 6th Avenue in downtown Manhattan to mark the unveiling of “Thierry Henry Way” by city officials, according to FOX Sports. Continue reading...
Arsenal icon Thierry Henry and PSG cult hero Presnel Kimpembe are poised to take the UEFA Champions League trophy to the pitch before Saturday’s Champions League final between Les Pariesiens and th...
The Crystal Palace, Arsenal and England striker says his life story – now in development with the rapper’s Merky Films – has ‘hard-hitting moments, but in the end I want it to give people hope and joy’Stormzy has announced he is to produce a biopic of former Arsenal, Crystal Palace and England striker Ian Wright.Wright, who successfully transitioned to TV punditry after a distinguished playing career that included becoming Arsenal’s highest ever goalscorer, before he was overtaken by Thierry Henry, said he wanted the film to “give people hope and joy”. Continue reading...
FOX announced their 2026 World Cup coverage with names like Ibrahimovic, Henry, Donovan, Schmeichel, Seedord, Chicharito and Lowe. The media coverage of the 2026 World Cup looks to be crowded with huge names at FOX Sports. This list of legends includes Zlatan Ibrahimović, Thierry Henry, Landon Donovan, Peter Schmeichel, Clarence Seedorf, Chicharito Hernández and Rebecca Lowe among the main names. Their presence is part of a group of analysts that are going to work from the studios. The latest to join the team was Schmeichel, who had a great career as the goalkeeper of the historic Manchester United team that won the treble under Sir Alex Ferguson. Schmeichel said: “I’m so happy to be joining the FOX Sports team again for this special FIFA World Cup and can’t wait for the opening match on June 11. Between all the fans that will be present and the amazing atmospheres, I’m looking forward to experiencing everything the tournament brings with it and sharing my insights with viewers.” The live commentary teams As for the live action that fans are going to hear when watching matches, the teams that are going to have that role have also been confirmed. In total, nine pairings have been announced to call the matches on site. FOX Sports reported that they are covering 104 matches live in the stadiums, traveling across the three host countries in 16 cities, as the specific assignment remains to be seen when the action gets closer. The pairings of play-by-play and match analyst are Darren Fletcher and Owen Hargreaves, Derek Rae and Robert Green, Ian Crocker and Danny Higginbotham, Ian Darke and Landon Donovan, Jacqui Oatley and Warren Barton, John Strong and Stu Holden, JP Dellacamera and Lori Lindsey, Mark Scott and Cobi Jones, and Tyler Terens and Maurice Edu. Reporters, at-large and rule specialist roles To complement the teams, there are even more analysts. The reporters announced are Alex Aljoe, Geoff Shreeves, Jenny Taft, Katie Shanahan and Natalie Gedra. Tom Rinaldi will have the at-large role, while the rule analysts are Dr. Joe Machnik and Mark Clattenburg.
Thierry Henry spoke about his expectations for Lamine Yamal ahead of the 2026 FIFA World Cup. There is no doubt that Lamine Yamal will be one of the main attractions at the 2026 FIFA World Cup. The Spanish winger has already earned a prominent place in world soccer and will now aim to achieve the ultimate prize with Spain. A Barcelona legend, Thierry Henry, shared his thoughts on him. “I’m looking forward to watch the World Cup,” Henry said in a recent interview with Marca. “I hope that Lamine is gonna be there, fresh, and perform, because what you want is to see the best players on that stage, able to perform. Even if I’m not Spanish, you want to see Lamine Yamal there.” Henry then highlighted a specific trait that stands out to him about Yamal. “We all know he’s an outstanding player. You know what I like about Lamine? I saw something at the Euro that I rarely saw at that age,” the former forward began. “You guys will not remember, it was against France. He received the ball on the right. He could have gone on the counter, but he told the whole team ‘calm down,’” Henry recalled. “Who does that at 16 years old? You don’t have that that early. I was like ‘Already? You understand? He plays like he’s in his neighborhood. World Cup or not, intensity is the same. He tries to play, he tries to dribble, he takes risks. That’s the type of player you want to see.” Lamine Yamal suffered an injury during a game between Barcelona and Celta Vigo, on April 22. Having been a young prodigy himself—a World Cup winner in 1998 at just 19 years old—Thierry Henry was impressed not only by Yamal’s talent on the ball, but also by his understanding of the game and his ability to read what each moment requires. Lamine Yamal continues his recovery It is no coincidence that one of the first things Thierry Henry mentioned about Lamine Yamal was his hope that he arrives “fresh” at the World Cup. That is because, at the moment, Spain’s main concern regarding the young winger is that he fully recovers from the muscle injury he suffered with Barcelona just two weeks ago. In that regard, the latest updates have been positive. With his club season officially over, Yamal is working hard to be in optimal condition for the start of the World Cup. In fact, this Tuesday he shared a story on his official Instagram account showing him training on a stationary bike, a sign that his recovery is progressing well. 🚨🚴🏾♂️ Lamine Yamal begins training on grass and working in the gym.He’s expected to be ready for World Cup. pic.twitter.com/CyOqC2scZJ— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) May 5, 2026 Henry on the difference between World Cup and Champions League Having won both the World Cup with France and the UEFA Champions League with Barcelona, Thierry Henry is well qualified to compare the two biggest competitions in soccer. “As I always say, the World Cup is every four years, that’s what makes it extra special. The Champions League is every year, you always have the chance to win it every year,” the former forward explained in the same interview with Marca. “The World Cup is a different game, so I’m really excited.”
