Page 92 - Soccer360 Issue 104

90TH MINUTE
WHO SAID WHAT
“I was very surprised. The news came right after our game in Azerbaijan. I was pretty beyond upset with my performance and couldn’t figure out why I had so many messages on my phone. I just thought everyone was trying to tell me, ‘You played trash!’” – Bayer Leverkusen midfielder Nathan Tella reveals how he found out about his first Nigeria national team call up.
“It’s difficult to believe someone who never managed in Bundesliga can save Union Berlin.”
– Germany and Bayern Munich legend Lothar Matthäus expresses doubts regarding Nenad Bjelica’s ability to reverse Union Berlin’s recent poor form following his appointment as the new head coach of the club.
“When I realized that goal killed off the match, I relaxed and hugged a child near the bench. I had to hug the first person I saw, fortunately it wasn’t a policeman or something.”
– Jose Mourinho describes his excitement following his side’s 3-1 victory agaIainnstWUdaitneersheo. use
THOMAS THE NINJA
Bayern Munich head coach Thomas Tuchel surprised his players by bringing a cuddly toy turtle to the training ground before the Bavarians’ Champions League home match against Copenhagen. Tuchel was seen carrying the plush turtle around the club grounds and captured photos of the unusual guest in a cheerful mood on the training ground railing using his cell phone. Was it a gift for his teenage daughters, Emma-Josefine and Kim? Or perhaps he received the cuddly toy as a gift himself?
ROMANCE
Renowned German rapper Loredana recently released her new song “Verdient,” and the music video appears to reference her relationship with footballer Karim Adeyemi. She surprised viewers by donning a BVB jersey, her boyfriend’s club, in the video. Loredana and Adeyemi confirmed their relationship publicly in July. Since then, the couple has been actively sharing content together across social media platforms.
PICTURE WAS THIS BIG
Bayer Leverkusen winger Jonas Hoffman has been working as an art curator at the Morsbroich Museum. The Germany international was one of ten people from Leverkusen to help design the “Being & Having” exhibition at the Morsbroich Museum. Hofmann is the “curator” of the “Glück” room, in which four exhibits can be seen. Among them is the famous oil painting “Tiger” by Gerhard Richter (91). The work from 1965 has an estimated value of around 20 million, which is 7 million more than Hofmann’s current market value.
DID YOU KNOW?
• Leroy Sané’s red card against Austria was
the first red he received in his 402 games as a professional footballer (59 games for Germany, 151 for FC Bayern, 135 for Manchester City, 57 for FC Schalke).
• Rico Lewis (right) is the first England player to make his debut on the eve of his birthday since Andrew Johnson in February 2005 against the Netherlands.
FORMULA DOPE
Paul Pogba has sparked controversy after deciding to watch the Formula One Grand Prix in Abu Dhabi instead of attending Juventus’ Derby
d’Italia with Inter. The 30-year-old Frenchman has been suspended
for over two and a half months after failing a doping test following the Bianconeri’s opening day win over Udinese on August 20. As reported by Tuttosport via TMW, Pogba was not in the stands of the Allianz Stadium for Juventus’ 1-1 draw with Inter on Sunday evening, instead travelling to Abu Dhabi to watch the final Formula One Grand Prix of the season with his former teammate Patrice Evra.
SEXY MAX
Freiburg’s Max Rosenfelder has garnered the title of the most attractive Bundesliga footballer, as per BILD reports. This accolade was determined by an AI model that analyzed 1000 player photos from the Bundesliga. RB Leipzig’s talented forward, Timo Werner, secured the second position.
36
As of match week 13, Erling Haaland has scored two or more goals in 36 league games since his Borussia Dortmund debut in 2020, more times than any other player in Europe’s big five leagues.
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