Page 108 - Soccer360 Issue 107

90TH MINUTE
SAY WHAT ?
“Everyone asks about the money. I put lots of things on the table, like my family, my wife, the city, the team, wanting to get back into the national team.”
– Paulo Dybala explains why he decided to stay at Roma, ignoring the huge Al-Qadsiah offer of €75 million over three years.
“With Lamine Yamal it’s unpredictable to know where he’s going to do things. He’s a bit like with Messi, they do things that you just can’t stop.”
– Athletic Bilbao manager Ernesto Valverde sees similarities between Barcelona youngster Lamine Yamal and Lionel Messi.
“How many?! Oh my god! Okay... it belongs to him! I will not chase him for sure.”
– Pep Guardiola was understandably taken aback after finding out how many Manager of the Month awards Sir Alex Ferguson
lifted during his reign at Manchester United. Guardiola has won the accolade 14 times, while the Man United legend won it 27 times.
• Thomas Müller (right) played in his 474th Bundesliga match for FC Bayern in the Bavarians’ season opener, overtaking Sepp Maier as Bayern’s record appearance maker in the competition.
• Real Betis have drawn their first two games of LaLiga 2024/25 (1-1 v Girona and 0-0 v Alavés), the fourth time in history that they have drawn their first two games of a campaign in the competition and their second under Manuel Pellegrini after 2021/22.
13
FC Bayern Munich remained undefeated in their opening game of a Bundesliga season for the 13th time in a row (W11 D2) - a new record for a team in BL history. It’s a piece of cake :)
JIM FIXED IT
Sir Jim Ratcliffe is considering releasing a behind-the-scenes documentary on his huge Manchester United buy-in. That’s despite Ratcliffe’s Ineos regime currently laying off 250 people - a quarter of United’s staff - just months after confirming their investment. Britain’s richest man took over 27.7 per cent of the club in February, with a new £2 billion stadium spearheading his plans for a huge revamp. And although most Red Devils’ fans welcomed his arrival, sharing the inside track on the long-drawn-out saga might reveal awkward home truths.
DID YOU KNOW?
NO CIGAR
Aston Villa flaunted the European Cup ahead of their Premier League clash with Arsenal, prompting fans to suggest they were taunting the Gunners. In a nod to their 1982 victory over Bayern Munich in Rotterdam, Villa placed their European Cup in the tunnel area at Villa Park. The display, part of a wider behind-the-scenes revamp, coincides with Villa’s return
to Europe’s top club competition after securing fourth place last season. While some saw it as a celebration of Villa’s finest hour, others suggested it was a dig at Arsenal, who have never won the European Cup/Champions League, with their 2006 final loss to Barcelona being the closest they’ve come.
GET ‘EM OUT BY FRIDAY
Crystal Palace have received the green light to build a state-of-the-art new stand. Croydon Council have given approval to the project, which has been in the works since 2018. The redevelopment will see the Main Stand at Selhurst Park, which was built 100 years ago, knocked down. In place of the 5,200-capacity stand will be a state-of-the-art structure that will house 15,300 fans. That will take the capacity of Selhurst Park from 25,486 to more than 34,000. Palace received planning permission in principle from Croydon Council last year, but residents of Wooderson Close had to agree and make way, with their homes to be demolished as part of the project. KSS Group are overseeing the design and plan to make it a net zero carbon project.
A FITTING TRIBUTE
Leicester City played out a 1-1 draw with Tottenham as they got their 2024/25 Premier League season underway. Both sets of players took to the pitch wearing black armbands in the game at the King Power. Leicester and Tottenham players wore black armbands during their opening match in tribute
to former Foxes manager Craig Shakespeare, who sadly passed away at the beginning of August aged 60. Shakespeare played a pivotal part as Claudio Ranieri’s assistant in Leicester’s fairy tale Premier League winning season in 2016. He replaced Ranieri as the club’s manager in February 2017 and took charge of 24 games. Shakespeare also worked
for the likes of West Brom, Hull, Everton, Watford, Aston Villa, and Norwich, and had a spell as England assistant boss in 2016.
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