Transfer

'Kylian has to decide his objectives and his plans' - Karembeu waiting on Mbappe PSG or Real Madrid decision

nitesh rai

Kylian Mbappe has been strongly linked with Real Madrid, but for now the forward remains a key fixture in Thomas Tuchel's PSG team.

Christian Karembeu is longing to hear whether Kylian Mbappe commits to Paris Saint-Germain or decides joining Real Madrid is his destiny. 

With barely 18 months remaining on his Parc des Princes contract, the future of Mbappe is coming into sharp focus. 

PSG would love him to stay and lead their project in the long term, as they attempt to win the Champions League and develop a club profile to match the likes of Madrid. 

However, there is little doubt that Madrid would be near the front of the queue should Mbappe decide he wants to experience another football culture. 

Karembeu, a World Cup winner with France in 1998, believes there can be no rushing the striker who helped Les Bleus repeat the global triumph in 2018. 

"It's a dream but we have to wait," Karembeu said of a player who recently hit the 100-goal milestone for the club. "The Madrid fans have been waiting for Kylian for a year or two. 

"He hasn't come yet. It's the same thing for Paul Pogba." 

Karembeu told Stats Perform News courtesy of Nissan: "Today, Kylian has to decide his objectives and his plans, if he wants to go to Real Madrid or stay at Paris. 

"The 'Casa Blanca' is eternal. Players can come and go, but Real is immortal."

Karembeu, who had three years at Madrid before joining Middlesbrough in 2000, can nonetheless see PSG taking shape as a major European force. 

Their run to last season's final of the Champions League caught the eye, and they recovered impressively in the group campaign this year after a painful home defeat to Manchester United and a loss to RB Leipzig. 

Karembeu played when Real Madrid ended a 32-year wait for their seventh European Cup/Champions League crown in the 1998 final against Juventus.  

He drew a parallel between Madrid building towards that, and going on to enjoy more sustained success over the next 20 years, with what PSG are doing. 

"I talked about Real Madrid. It's 32 years of scarcity to be able to conquer the 'septima', the 'octava' and so many others. It takes a lot of patience," Karembeu said. 

"That's what I believe this Parisian team has been doing for many years." 

With the backing of Qatar Sports Investments, PSG have been able to compete against Europe's elite in the transfer market, bringing in Neymar for €222 million (£203m / $269m ) from Barcelona when they activated his buy-out clause, while also attracting Angel Di Maria and keeping hold of Mbappe so far. 

"They have accumulated criticism," Karembeu said. "Nevertheless, they have always invested in football, in the players and in the structure of the club. 

"They have innovated to get results. Last year they played the final, this year they qualified [for the last 16]." 

Tuchel explains Neymar-PSG captaincy snub

Karembeu has been impressed by the calibre of PSG's statement signings since the Qatari investors came on board, seeing positive benefits for Ligue 1 as a whole. 

"Since they arrived, they have managed to give visibility to the French championship by bringing in big stars like Zlatan [Ibrahimovic], [David] Beckham and many others," Karembeu said. 

"[You can] see PSG and the French championship to inspire other generations like [Presnel] Kimpembe and so many others to play in the Champions League and become world champions, but also to go further and further in the European cups."

Bala Devi Becomes First Indian Woman Footballer To Score In Europe

Bala Devi scored in the 85th minute to open her account for Rangers FC as they defeated Motherwell 9-0 on Sunday.

Bala Devi created history by becoming the first Indian woman to score in a professional European football league, when she scored against Motherwell for Rangers FC, on Sunday. Rangers won the match 9-0, with the attacker also helping her side win a penalty. The forward joined the Scottish club in January 2020, and became the first Indian woman to sign a professional football contract overseas. The club posted few of her match photos on Twitter, also hailing the achievement. Here are the pictures.

In the 85th minute, she was on the receiving end of a through ball from midfield. She latched on to it, and sent it low into the net to add her name on the scoresheet. Earlier on the 68th minute, she also was taken down in the box after coming on as a substitute. Rangers were awarded a penalty, which Daina Bourma converted with ease.

Also, Kirstry Howat and Lizzie Arnot scored a hat-trick each for Rangers, while Megan Bell and Bourma were also on target. Prior to her arrival to Scotland, Bala Devi hit the limelight in 2019, when she scored 26 goals in seven fixtures for Manipur Police in the Indian Women's League (IWL). A senior figure in the Indian women's national team, she has won three SAFF Championship trophies (2010, 2014 and 2016). She has also served as captain in the past for the national team. She also received the AIFF Women's Player of the Year award in 2014 and 2015.

Legend vs Legend 🐅

Champions League Football : Juve and Barca fight in last group match ...

World best two footballer in the history of football Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo come front today after 2 Years. Messi's barca and Ronaldo Juve already qualify for last-16 .

In this league last match played between both team Juve betan by barca 2-0 . In that match Portuguese Star Cristiano Ronaldo not played because of Corona postive he found positive during nation league match.

They both fight for there team in 2018.

Club goals:

Lionel Messi 522 - 478 Cristiano Ronaldo

Messi comes out on top by over 40 goals from his eternal rival but, let's be clear, both these tallies are absolutely insane.

Messi has averaged over 52 goals-per-year, while Ronaldo is averaging just under 48-goals-per-year.

Club trophies:

Lionel Messi 23 - 17 Cristiano Ronaldo

Messi gets one over his rival once again.

The Argentine won 23 trophies with Barcelona, including seven La Liga titles.

Ronaldo won just three league titles (two La Liga's and one Serie A title) but has the bragging rights when it comes to Champions League's.

Ronaldo won the Champions League an impressive four times (2014, 2016, 2017, 2018) this decade, compared to Messi's two (2011 and 2015).

Independence Day special

Independence Day special: Indian football's inspiring tales from 2018-19

Fifteenth August is a red-letter day for India, marking the nation's independence after almost two centuries of intense struggle and sacrifice. In essence, it's a day to celebrate and remember the past and take the inspiration to work towards a brighter and better future. To mark the nation's 73rd Independence Day, we list down some of Indian football's most inspirational tales from the past year.

Bheke overcomes personal tragedy to realize dreams

2019 began on a sombre note for Bengaluru FC defender Rahul Bheke, with the passing of his father in January. The Mumbai-born player, however, overcame his personal tragedy in emphatic fashion and soared high to score the winning goal in the Hero ISL 2018-19 final against FC Goa late in Extra Time. The 28-year-old then realised a life-long dream, making his national team debut under new India head coach Igor Stimac at the prestigious King's Cup tournament in Thailand.

A hero's homecoming for Sahal

Having spent most of his childhood in UAE, Sahal Abdul Samad returned to his roots in Kerala for his college degree and the homecoming kickstarted a dream which may very well turn out to be something special. After joining Kerala Blasters back in 2017, the young midfielder's reputation has been skyrocketing steadily, but over the last year, the 22-year-old not only established himself as Kerala's hero but also the collective toast of the nation. A brilliant Hero ISL 2018-19 campaign saw him named as the ISL Emerging Player of the Season. The ball-playing midfielder then went on to earn a debut for the national team and capped it off with the All India Football Federation's (AIFF) Men's Emerging Footballer of The Year 2019 award. Sahal has impressed highly so far, and the coming years can very well see him develop as a talisman for the nation on the global footballing stage.

The future is here: Narender Gahlot announces himself

For 18-year-old Narender Gahlot, it was a rocky start to his international career as he made his debut in the Hero Intercontinental Cup 2019 opener against Tajikistan, which the Blue Tigers lost 2-4. The youngster got his second opportunity to don the India shirt in the side's third outing of the competition against the mighty Syria and this time, he impressed and how. Narender showed immense character, putting up a solid showing at the back and scored his maiden international goal. The Jamshedpur FC man didn't only bag the Player of the Match in the process but also became the first player born in the 21st century to score for the Indian national team. There's surely a lot more to come from the promising centre back.

Sunil Chhetri keeps the Indian flag flying high

Captain, leader, legend, Sunil Chhetri has been the talisman for Indian football for years now and despite turning 35 earlier this year, the ace striker has shown no signs of slowing down. Having led his club Bengaluru FC to the Hero ISL title earlier this year, India's highest goal scorer scripted history yet again as he usurped Argentina legend Lionel Messi to become the second-highest active international goal scorer in the world. Chhetri scored his 69th and 70th goal for the Blue Tigers in the Hero Intercontinental Cup 2019 opener against Tajikistan to go past Messi. Currently with 71 goals to his name, Chhetri sits between two global superstars - Lionel Messi (68 goals) and Cristiano Ronaldo (88 goals) in the list of top active goal scorers in international football.......

Milan Singh returns to NorthEast United

NorthEast United FC have secured the services of former Mumbai City FC midfield enforcer Milan Singh for the Hero Indian Super League (Hero ISL) 2019-20 campaign. This will be Milan's second stint with the Highlanders, having represented them back in the inaugural season.

NorthEast United FC

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Milan Singh is back where he belongs! #StrongerTogether #MilanReturns

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Born in Manipur, Milan began his career with Kolkata giants East Bengal but truly made a name for himself playing for Indian Arrows. He signed for Shillong Lajong in 2013 and was loaned out to NorthEast United for Hero ISL 2014. He made his Hero ISL debut on October 13, 2014, in a match against Kerala Blasters but only managed five appearances over the course of the season, clocking just 231 minutes of game time.

After missing the 2015 campaign, Milan returned to the Hero ISL representing Delhi Dynamos and was a mainstay for the Lions, guiding them to the semi-finals. He played for Kerala Blasters extensively in the 2017-18 season and impressed again in the Mumbai City colours, driving them to the semis last term.

The combative midfielder is a hard-working player and excels at disrupting opposition moves with crunching challenges, as shown by his 119 tackles in 50 matches. At NorthEast, he will be hoping to fill the boots of Rowllin Borges, who moved in the opposite direction earlier this transfer window

ISL

NorthEast appoint World Cup semifinalist Robert Jarni as new head coach...

NorthEast United FC have appointed former Croatia, Real Madrid and Juventus star Robert Jarni as the new head coach for the upcoming season of Hero Indian Super League (Hero ISL). The 50-year-old has over a decade of coaching experience behind him, with his last stint being with the Croatian Under-20 national team. Jarni will take over the Highlanders' reins after former head coach Eelco Schattorie joined Kerala Blasters FC a couple of months back.

During his playing days, the Croat plied his trade in the highest level for over 16 years. His journey started with Croatian club Hajduk Split back in 1986 and saw him play for several top clubs all over Europe, like Torino, Juventus, Real Betis and Real Madrid. During his time with Juve from 1994 to 1995, Jarni won the Italian league title and the Coppa Italia with The Old Lady. He was also part of the Los Blancos when they won the Intercontinental Cup back in 1998.

Highlanders, please welcome World Cup Bronze Medallist and former Croatian U-20 Manager, Robert Jarni, as the new Head Coach of NEUFC! 🔴⚫⚪#StrongerTogether #8States1United#WelcomeJarni pic.twitter.com/q1gbZxl9j9

— NorthEast United FC (@NEUtdFC) August 5, 2019

On the international front, Jarni was part of the former Yugoslavian youth side when it won the FIFA U-20 World Cup in 1987. Incidentally, current India national team head coach Igor Stimac was his teammate during the triumph. Like Stimac, Jarni went on to become a part of Croatia's 'Golden Generation' which shocked the world after finishing third in the 1998 France FIFA World Cup. Jarni played a total of 81 matches for the Croatian national team, which at one point was a national record for international caps by a Croatian player.

Like his club career, Jarni's coaching career too began at Hajduk Split. Over the next few years, Jarni managed several clubs in Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina and Hungary before taking over as the coach for the Croatia U-19 team in 2017. The following year, he was put in charge of the U20 side.

At NorthEast, Jarni will have a tough act to follow after Schattorie led the team to their first-ever Hero ISL semi-final last season, But the Croat has both the experience and pedigree to succeed at the club and can very well meet fans' lofty expectations from the team this season.

 “I am thrilled to take on this role at NorthEast United and the project has my full commitment. This is my first foray into managing an Asian club and I am thrilled to bring in an exciting brand of football which the supporters will thoroughly enjoy," the Croat said after formalizing the deal.

INDIA U-15

India u15 wrap up Thailand with four straight win ....

India U15 National Team wrapped up their exposure trip to Thailand in style with a convincing 2-0 victory against Assumption United FC today (August 9, 2018). The Blue Colts, in the process, scored 17 goals and conceded only 4 goals in four matches to maintain the 100% winning record during this tour.

Sridarth, who had already scored six goals in three matches before, broke the deadlock in the 40th minute before substitute Shubho Paul doubled the scoreline in the 59th minute to seal the victory.

Coach Bibiano Fernandes made two changes in the starting line-up from the previous match, putting Lalthangliana and Himanshu Jangra in replacing Sibajit Singh and Shubho Paul respectively.

India, who kicked off with more intent, could have breached the opponent defence in the 4th minute but Sridarth's shot was collected by the goalkeeper.

Lalthangliana, who started his first match in Thailand, fired it from inside the box but it got jammed in the goalie's gloves in the 20th minute.

Five minutes to the half-time whistle, Yoihenmba put in a brilliant cross for the target man Sridarth who slotted it home to give India an edge at the end of the first half.

At the stroke of the hour-mark, Shubho Paul, who replaced Taison Singh after the resumption, extended the lead from a well-placed cross by Maheson.

Assumption United FC attacker Jejthipat Wongyee shot it from wide but goalie Aman Sahani made an acrobatic save to maintain the comfortable lead in the 89th minute.

Eventually, India hung on to the 2-0 lead until the final whistle to secure the win.

Bibiano Fernandes' boys will now compete in the SAFF U-15 Championship Kalyani 2019 which is scheduled to kick-off with India facing Nepal in the opening fixture on August 21, 2019.