Page 91 - Soccer360 Issue 105

RUN OUT OF SPACE ON THE SHELF ??
Lionel Messi has given away his eighth Ballon d’Or trophy, just four months after he fended off competition from Erling Haaland and Kylian Mbappe to win the award. the Inter Miami forward has donated his most recent Ballon d’Or prize to the Barcelona Museum, according to journalist Miquel Blazquez. Footage from the Museum
soon emerged showing the 2023 Ballon d’Or trophy alongside the rest of Messi’s achievements, including two Golden Boot awards.
DID YOU KNOW?
MILLSY - A CLASS ACT
Rasmus Hojlund has been given a new nickname by a Manchester United teammate following his brace against Luton Town. When things weren’t going well for the Denmark international, fans
on social media trolled Hojlund with videos of ‘lookalike’ Sean Millis. Mills rose to fame on the Australian Voice in 2023 but is now known for his supposed likeness to Hojlund. Hojlund celebrated United’s fifth win in a row in all competitions on Instagram, captioning his post: “Big win away from home. One step closer to Where we need
to be!” Several United players commented on the post, but veteran defender Jonny Evans’ managed to stand out. His reply, later liked by Hojlund, reads: “Class Millsy.”
CHASE THE DREAM AT THIS STADIUM
JPMorgan Chase, the US multinational investment bank and financial services company, has struck a short-term naming rights deal for the home stadium of Major League Soccer’s Inter Miami CF. This is JPMorgan Chase’s first stadium naming rights deal in professional soccer. The firm’s wider sports sponsorship portfolio includes Madison Square Garden, tennis’ US Open, the Formula One Miami Grand Prix, the Golden State Warriors’ Chase Center, and the Atlanta Hawks.
MR. POPULARITY
A fixture between Argentina and Nigeria
has been canceled amid a growing backlash against Lionel Messi’s failure to play in an Inter Miami match in Hong Kong last week. The anger soon spread to mainland China, with state media and Hong Kong legislators suggesting that the incident may have been a politically motivated snub. The debacle took another turn as Chinese sporting authorities canceled the friendly in Hangzhou between Argentina and Nigeria, which was supposed to take place in March, amid the growing backlash.
QATAR CARD SHARK
Qatar forward Akram Afif performed a never-seen-before card trick celebration after he scored the opener for his country in their much-anticipated Asian Cup final clash against Jordan. After running over to the camera, he collected a card from his sock before shaking the card with his hand to reveal an ‘S’ – which was a tribute to his wife, according to beIN Sports. It’s safe to say Afif’s unique celebration inside the Lusail Stadium soon went viral.
SCHMOOSING WITH DELE & KIMBERLY
Dele Alli was spotted at the Burberry Show alongside girlfriend Kimberly at London Fashion Week. He missed catching Everton taking on Crystal Palace in a crucial Premier League encounter to attend
the event. It was a star-studded affair at the Fashion Week as Premier League stars like Saka, Son, Ben Chilwell, and Martin Odegaard were also in attendance. Real Madrid legend Gareth Bale was also spotted at the event as he continues to enjoy his retirement.
• With the appointment of Francesco Calzona, Napoli are the third Italian side ever to have three different managers in a single Champions League campaign, after Internazionale in 2003-04 and Roma in 2004-05 (both three).
• Borussia Dortmund’s Donyell Malen (right) is the first Dutchman to score against a Dutch team in the Champions League since Arjen Robben for Bayern Munich against PSV in October 2016.
OH HAPPY DIAZ
Sheffield United manager
Chris Wilder was given a chuckle following a humbling 5-0 defeat against Brighton. Long-serving local journalist Alan Biggs asked the Blades boss about those currently ruled out through injury, with the question posed of whether there is “any prospect of getting Archer and Cameron Diaz back quickly?” Wilder, who was without Cameron Archer and Ben Brereton Diaz, saw the funny side of that mix up as he quipped back with: “Cameron Diaz? She can play up front for us! Like that. You’ve brightened me up for five seconds!”
GAEL FORCE
Eden Hazard has sprung a surprise by naming a Chelsea flop as the most talented player he has ever called a team- mate. Appearing as a guest on John Obi Mikel’s The Obi One podcast, former Blues and Real Madrid attacker Hazard was asked to name the best player he had ever lined up alongside. Although he namechecked
the likes of Luka Modric and compatriot Kevin De Bruyne, his answer in terms of pure talent was surprisingly former Chelsea youngster Gael Kakuta. A 15-year-old Kakuta was signed by Chelsea from French side Lens as a touted wonderkid in 2007 but failed to ever make the grade at Stamford Bridge, becoming part of the club’s loan army before finally making a permanent exit in 2016 with just 16 appearances to his name. Although he resurrected his career back in France, he is now plying his trade in Ligue 2 with Amiens.
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