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Liverpool’s Mohamed Salah signs contract extension till 2027


Reuters
April 11, 2025

Liverpool’s Egyptian striker Mohamed Salah celebrates scoring the team’s second goal  during the UEFA Champions League league stage football match against Bologna at Anfield in Liverpool, UK on October 2, 2024. — AFP/File

Liverpool’s Egyptian striker Mohamed Salah celebrates scoring the team’s second goal during the UEFA Champions League league stage football match against Bologna at Anfield in Liverpool, UK on October 2, 2024. — AFP/File


Liverpool forward Mohamed Salah has ended months of speculation about his future by signing a two-year contract extension at Anfield, the Premier League leaders said on Friday.

The 32-year-old, who joined the club in 2017 from AS Roma, could have left the club for free in the summer with his contract previously set to expire in June.

“I’m very excited. We have a great team now. Before also we had a great team. But I signed because I think we have a chance to win other trophies and enjoy my football,” Salah said in a club statement.

“It’s great, I had my best years here. I played [for] eight years, hopefully, it’s going to be 10. Enjoying my life here, enjoying my football.”

He paid tribute to the club’s fans and pledged to keep working hard to bring them results. “Keep supporting us and we’ll give it our best, and hopefully in the future we’re going to win more trophies.”

Salah is Liverpool’s third-highest goalscorer of all time with 243 goals in 394 games. In his eight years at the club, Liverpool has won a Premier League title — most likely about to become two titles — as well as one Champions League crown, an FA Cup, two League Cups, the UEFA Super Cup and FIFA Club World Cup.

He has been a standout performer for Liverpool this season, scoring 32 goals in all competitions and leads the race for the Premier League’s Golden Boot with 27 goals.

Liverpool are 11 points clear of second-placed Arsenal with seven games left to play.

‘The story will continue’​

“My family also feels at home, we enjoy every moment in this city and every moment in the club,” Salah said.

“It’s a special moment always when we play at Anfield. There is no place like that. The warmth you feel inside the song before the game. Every time I score a goal and they sing my song, it is something special, and the story will continue.”

British media reported on Wednesday that Liverpool had made a breakthrough in negotiations over a new deal for the Egypt international after months of deadlock.

Salah was reported to be the subject of interest from the big-money Saudi Pro League but is widely seen as key to Liverpool’s hopes of consistently winning silverware given his own consistency over the years.

Liverpool manager Arne Slot said he had known for a while that Salah would be extending his deal but understands the relief Liverpool fans have felt after the announcement.

“For the fans, it was a pleasant surprise. But I knew for a bit longer that things were heading in the right direction,” he told reporters in a news conference ahead of Sunday’s Premier League home game against West Ham United.

“Happy, of course. He has shown at this club for so many years in a row how much of a value he is for the club and the team. As like all our fans and his team-mates, we are very happy that he has extended for two more years.

“And hopefully, he can show on Sunday again how important he has been for us all season.” Liverpool captain Virgil van Dijk, who is out of contract at the end of the season, is also being tipped to extend his stay on Merseyside, while full-back Trent Alexander-Arnold has been linked with a move to Real Madrid.
 

Salah laps up contract acclaim - now Van Dijk may follow 'next week'​


Mohamed Salah celebrates


Mohamed Salah was given immense ovations both before the game and when he came off for Liverpool in the second half

Emma Smith
BBC Sport journalist at Anfield


While any player's worth to a football team has to be measured in more than statistics, Mohamed Salah's goal and assist numbers show exactly why he is worth pretty much any amount of money a week for Liverpool.

With his assist for Luis Diaz to open the scoring against West Ham on Sunday, Salah has now been directly involved in 45 Premier League goals this season - netting 27 and providing another 18.

This is a new record for a player in a 38-game season, surpassing Thierry Henry from 2002-03 and Erling Haaland's total two years ago. Salah is now 15 goal involvements clear of any other player in Europe's top five leagues in 2024-25.

Sunday also showed how important Alisson and Virgil van Dijk are as Liverpool close in on the league title - but without Salah, there most likely would be no title at all.
 

Liverpool’s Van Dijk commits future to club, signs two-year contract


AFP
April 17, 2025


Liverpool captain Virgil van Dijk signing a new two-year contract. Photo courtesy: Liverpool/Instagram


Liverpool captain Virgil van Dijk signing a new two-year contract. Photo courtesy: Liverpool/Instagram


Liverpool captain Virgil van Dijk on Thursday committed his future to the Premier League club, signing a new two-year contract.

The Dutch defender follows Mohamed Salah in ending months of speculation by extending his stay at Anfield, with fans preparing to celebrate winning the English Premier League title.

“I’m very happy, very proud,” said Van Dijk who, like Salah, would have been out of contract at the end of the season.

“There are so many emotions obviously that go through my head right now speaking about it.

“It’s a proud feeling, it’s a feeling of joy. It’s just incredible. The journey I’ve had so far in my career, to be able to extend it with another two years at this club is amazing and I’m so happy.”

Van Dijk, who has made 314 appearances for Liverpool, said last month that he had “no idea” if he would remain at Anfield but on Sunday hinted that he was set to carry on.

The imposing centre-back, 33, had been linked with a move to Paris Saint-Germain but said his heart had been set on staying at Liverpool.

“It was always Liverpool,” he said. “That was the case. It was always in my head, it was always the plan and it was always Liverpool.

“There wasn’t any doubt in my head that this is the place to be for me and my family. I’m one of Liverpool. Someone called me the other day an adopted Scouser — I’m really proud to hear these things, it gives me a great feeling.”

Van Dijk, who arrived from Southampton in January 2018, has been instrumental in Liverpool’s rise back to the top of the English and European game.

He won the Premier League, Champions League, FA Cup, two League Cups, the UEFA Super Cup and the Club World Cup under former manager Jurgen Klopp.

With new deals confirmed for Salah and Van Dijk, the future of England defender Trent Alexander-Arnold remains unresolved.

Alexander-Arnold, who returned to Liverpool training on Wednesday after a month out because of injury, is out of contract at the end of the season and has been heavily linked with a move to Real Madrid.

Liverpool, in Arne Slot’s first season in charge, are on the brink of winning a record-equalling 20th English top-flight title.

The Reds are 13 points clear of Arsenal with just six games remaining and could wrap up the title this weekend if the Gunners lose.
 

'Not the time to discuss future' - Alonso on Real Madrid links​


Xabi Alonso during a Bayer Leverkusen game
, Getty Images

Xabi Alonso won 14 trophies during his club career, plus the World Cup and two European Championships with Spain

Tom Mallows
BBC Sport journalist
18 April 2025


Xabi Alonso says it is "not a good time" to discuss his future after the Bayer Leverkusen boss was linked with Real Madrid.

The 43-year-old is reportedly a candidate to succeed Carlo Ancelotti should the Italian leave Real at the end of the season.

Alonso is highly regarded after leading Leverkusen to the double of a Bundesliga title without losing a game and the German Cup in his first full season as a senior club manager last year.

"It's not a good time to discuss the future. We're at a very important moment in the season," said Alonso, whose Leverkusen side are six points behind Bundesliga leaders Bayern Munich with five games left.
 

Big summer if Liverpool keep team together - Slot​


Liverpool manager Arne Slot and right-back Trent Alexander-Arnold
Getty Images

Alexander-Arnold will be able to leave Liverpool as a free agent this summer when his contract runs out

Mandeep Sanghera
BBC Sport journalist

Arne Slot believes keeping his Liverpool team together would mark a "big summer" for the club as he insisted Trent Alexander-Arnold's future is still "not done".

The Reds have secured captain Virgil van Dijk and leading scorer Mohamed Salah on new two-year deals, but there is uncertainty around the future of right-back Alexander Arnold because his contract expires in the summer.

"It's already a big summer now," said Slot. "It was a big thing - 'can we hold on to them?'.

"And by holding on already to two, it's already a big summer and let's see what the rest of the summer will bring.

"It would be strange for me to say now I'm not happy with the team we have, because I've said it for a year so we are happy with the team we have. Maybe if we can even keep that team that would already be a big summer."

Asked about Alexander-Arnold's situation, head coach Slot said: "Let's see what the future brings."

The England defender is wanted by Real Madrid, who have endured a troubling week.

Knocked out of the Champions League at the quarter-final stage by Arsenal, the future of Madrid boss Carlo Ancelotti is in question and Spanish football expert Guillem Balague says the Bernabeu side are "in need of refreshing".

Alexander-Arnold could be on the bench for Liverpool's league game at Leicester City on Sunday following just over five weeks out with an ankle injury.

Although Slot maintained his position of not discussing the contractual situations of players, the Dutchman praised the quality and attitude of the 26-year-old.
 

Newcastle's Howe back at work after hospital stay​


Eddie Howe claps to the crowd



Newcastle thanked fans for their "warm wishes" for Eddie Howe after he was laid low by pneumonia

Newcastle United manager Eddie Howe has returned to work following a stay in hospital.

Howe, 47, was diagnosed with pneumonia earlier this month after being admitted to hospital having felt unwell for a number of days, but is now back overseeing matters at the training ground.

Assistant manager Jason Tindall and fellow coach Graeme Jones took charge of the Magpies in Howe's absence.
The club have thanked supporters via X, external for their "warm wishes".

Newcastle, who are fifth in the Premier League, face Ipswich at St James' Park on Saturday.

Howe was taken to hospital late on 11 April, with it apparent that something was not right with the manager after Tindall had stood in for him at a pre-match news conference earlier that day.

On 12 April, the club announced he would miss the home game against Manchester United - the first of three matches they would play during his absence.

Tindall and Jones led Newcastle to a 4-1 win over United, a 5-0 thumping of Crystal Palace and a 4-1 defeat by Aston Villa, and they occupy the final Champions League qualification place in the Premier League.
 

Real boycott Copa final build-up over referee complaints


Agencies
April 26, 2025

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Real Madrid boycotted pre-match activities ahead of their Copa del Rey final against rivals Barcelona after the match referee gave an emotional press conference in which he called out Real for criticising the official on their in-house tv channel, the club told media in Seville.

The referee for Saturday’s match against rivals Barcelona, Ricardo de Burgos Bengoetxea, welled up when speaking about pressure officials have faced from Real Madrid TV this season.

Spanish champions Real boycotted the press conference, the open training in front of media, the traditional presidents’ dinner and a pre-match photo-call.

“Real Madrid told the RFEF they will not take part in the press conference or the official training session looking forward to the [final],” said the Spanish football federation.

This week the club’s television channel launched a new video attacking the referee for the final, something they have done to various officials this season.

De Burgos Bengoetxea had spoken about the effect criticism from Real Madrid’s television channel was having on his family life.

“When a child of yours goes to school and there are kids telling him that his father is a ‘thief’ and comes home crying, it’s totally messed up,” De Burgos Bengoetxea told a news conference.

Pablo Gonzalez Fuertes, the VAR official for Saturday’s final who was sat next to De Burgos, said referees would soon take action due to the continuous pressure they face.

Barca manager Hansi Flick said on Friday that action should be taken to protect referees due to the pressure they face.

“For me, it’s only a sport. It’s only a game. It’s only football... It is our responsibility to protect not only the players but all the people involved in the game,” Flick told a press conference. “It’s not nice that happened today. Of course, sometimes on the pitch that are some decisions that are about emotion but after the match, we should be done with it. Something must be done.”

Published in Dawn, April 26th, 2025
 

Stunning stats and 'Ronaldo behaviour' - is Yamal cut out to rival Messi?​

May 2025, 06:24 BST


Lamine Yamal celebrates with Copa del Rey


Image source,Reuters

Alex Bysouth

BBC Sport Senior Journalist

There are portraits that precede greatness, snapshots of youthful genius.

The boy with the indie-band bangs celebrating on Ronaldinho's back.

The bleach-blonde teen with blaugrana braces leaving a trail of Inter defenders in his wake.
Almost exactly 20 years separated Lionel Messi's first goal for Barcelona and Lamine Yamal's sensational Champions League semi-final strike on his 100th appearance for the Catalan giants last Wednesday.

Yamal, a month younger than Messi was when he lobbed the goalkeeper from Ronaldinho's scooped assist to become La Liga's youngest scorer in 2005, has already won a European Championship with Spain and a La Liga, Copa del Rey and Super Cup with Barcelona.
"I don't want to compare myself with the best player in football's history," said the forward before his stunning individual performance against Inter, but conjecture around whether he can emulate Messi is natural.

The stats show Yamal's trajectory since his debut aged 15 years and 290 days is going up faster than either Messi or the other superstar of his generation, Cristiano Ronaldo.
Yamal hit a century of Barcelona appearances two months shy of his 18th birthday. By the same age, Messi had scored once in nine senior games for Barca while Ronaldo had netted five goals in 19 games for Sporting.

Yamal has 22 goals and 27 assists to his name, plus four more goals in his 19 appearances for Spain. Neither Messi or Ronaldo made their international debut until they turned 18.

It took Messi, who made his debut at 16, until shortly before his 21st birthday to hit the 100-game mark in Barcelona colours, scoring 41 goals in the process.

But they were the first of an incredible 672 goals for the club, to complement the eight Ballons d'Or, one World Cup, two Copas America, four Champions Leagues and a huge haul of domestic silverware.

"It is not normal," says former Barcelona midfielder Mark van Bommel of Yamal's rise. "That's why everyone is talking about him. [But] to reach the number of Messi, that's not easy. Even for a guy playing at 17."

Messi celebrates with Ronaldinho


Image source,Getty Images
Image caption,

Messi scored his first Barcelona goal on 1 May 2005

Yamal more of a 'Ronaldo' character​

Messi was the small boy who arrived from Argentina aged 13 needing growth-hormone treatment, the one Gerard Pique revealed team-mates at La Masia thought was mute because he "said nothing to us for the first month".
"Messi was always very cautious in the way he approached things - rivals, team-mates, managers - always very respectful," explains Spanish football expert Guillem Balague.

"But he would be the one putting the mental frame to those that came new. If they were from the lower ranks, he would protect them but push them.

"When Neymar arrived, he got the message: You are Brazilian, we know you like to express yourself a lot, but there are certain things you have to do here to become an important player for Barcelona."

Yamal grew up around 20 miles along the coast from the Nou Camp between the city of Granollers, where his mother lived, and Mataro, where his father was. He celebrates by making the number 304 with his fingers, the last three digits of his postcode in the Mataro neighbourhood of Rocafonda.

Remarkably, there are pictures of baby Yamal being held by a 20-year-old Messi during a photoshoot for Barcelona and Unicef in 2007. Seven years later, that baby was training with the club. By the age of 12, Spanish publication Marca was already comparing him to Messi.

Barcelona even broke protocol by bringing Yamal to live at La Masia - usually the rooms go to players from outside Catalonia and taxis are provided for local youngsters. Just over three years after moving in, Yamal made his debut against Real Betis.

"Lamine, they put him in La Masia. Why? Because with the coaches there was someone who could model his way," explains former La Masia coach Pau Moral, who says Yamal "had not had an easy environment". "Now he is in the correct way because Barca helped him a lot."

Lamine Yamal mural


Image source,Getty Images
Image caption,
A mural of Yamal in his old neighbourhood of Rocafonda

Yamal has since moved out of the Barcelona residence, buying an apartment not far from the training ground.

"Lamine Yamal couldn't have been more different to Lionel Messi," says Balague. "Since he was a kid he liked to joke inside the changing rooms, he liked to express himself.

"The fact his parents separated a long time ago and his mother has been the lighthouse in terms of values and behaviour, his father is almost more like a friend - that allowed a player like him to have the freedom to go beyond what is expected.

"A good example of that is Cristiano Ronaldo - he had no references and he thought he could fly and that he could be the best in the world and no one said to him 'no, you have to go to university etc'."

Balague describes Yamal as "completely fearless", which came across in Yamal's first news conference before last week's 3-3 Champions League semi-final first-leg draw with Inter.

"I left all my fears in the park of my neighbourhood," said Yamal, before responding to those who criticised his celebrations following Barca's Copa del Rey triumph against Real Madrid last month. "While I keep winning, they can't say much."
"I have never heard anything like that," says Balague. "It is very much like Cristiano Ronaldo behaviour - thinking 'I am the best, so it is not a problem'. But he is still a kid in so many ways."
Balague says when the electricity went down in Spain last week, Yamal, Gavi and Fermin Lopez took the opportunity to stroll around town with their hoodies on, before they were spotted.
"This is what he will do sometimes, not realising the impact," says Balague. "He went recently to Rocafonda and he realises he cannot return there any more because he has become a legend. He has come out of the district. He has conquered the world."

'He is the best player in the world now'​

Spain fans hold up a picture of Messi bathing Yamal as a baby


Image source,Getty Images
Image caption,

Spain fans hold up a picture of Messi bathing Yamal as a baby

The late Kobe Bryant once told a story about Ronaldinho introducing him to a player he said would be the greatest of all time. "You what? You are the best," replied the basketball star. "No," said Ronaldinho. "This kid here is going to be the best."
Messi was 17, but those around him already knew they were in the presence of a star.
He joined a squad containing World Cup winners Ronaldinho, Juliano Belletti and Edmilson, stars such as Samuel Eto'o and Deco, and homegrown gems Carles Puyol, Andres Iniesta, Victor Valdes and Xavi.
The following season, Barcelona won La Liga and the Champions League - though Messi missed the final through injury - their first triumph in Europe's elite competition since 1992.

"We won the Champions League and La Liga with Ronaldinho in his prime," says Van Bommel. "He was on such a level that he could do everything on his own. We could just defend and let him inspire the attack, we knew we would win every game."

It is, of course, hard to compare players across eras. Yamal has emerged at a different Barcelona, where the club's financial situation has prompted them to turn again to their esteemed youth system.

It was after Ousmane Dembele left for Paris St-Germain and Raphinha was suspended for the second game of last season that Yamal earned his first start. Now he is the star.

"As a player and a talent, I think we are in front of the best player in the world now," says Moral. "Nobody does what he does. It doesn't matter if he is 17 years old. Lamine is a player who you feel when he wants, he can do something special."
Lamine Yamal dribbles in Champions League this season
Image source,Opta
Image caption,
Lamine Yamal's 78 dribbles in this season's Champions League have put him on
the Opta records list
Yamal has scored five times in this season's Champions League, while his 44 shots and 78 dribbles are both the most on Opta's records for a teenager in a campaign.

The earliest such data available on Messi is from 2006-07, when he was 19 and made 21 dribbles at a rate of 4.9 per 90 minutes, compared to Yamal's 7.2 this term. However, only three times in 14 subsequent seasons at Barcelona did Messi drop below Yamal's current average in Europe.
Messi missed a chunk of that 2006-07 season with a metatarsal fracture but still clocked up 26 La Liga appearances, scoring 14 goals with a shot conversion rate of 23% and creating 38 chances, which led to two assists.

Yamal, two years younger, has played 31 league games this season, scored six goals, made 12 assists and created 57 chances, though he has had almost twice as many shots as Messi did with a conversion rate of 5%.

"What we are seeing from Lamine Yamal is extraordinary and the impact it has had in world football is completely out of the ordinary and unexpected," says Balague.
"Barcelona players look at him for solutions. Certainly other players felt - especially when they went 2-0 down against Inter - that Lamine Yamal was the solution."

Will Yamal match Messi's longevity?​

Lamine Yamal
Image source,Reuters

Image caption,
Yamal has scored five times in the Champions League this season, the third-most goals by a teenager in a single campaign after Erling Haaland, Kylian Mbappe and Raul
That is a question only time can answer.

"Certainly, we have to say he is ahead of Messi as it stands," says Balague. "But to be 15 years right at the top, influencing every final he played, that is something that requires a lot of consistency, luck and a strong mentality for when things go wrong.

"At the moment, everything is going well and this is the biggest impact Lamine has had - he makes us look forward to watching Barcelona, look forward to seeing him. He lifts us from our seats, makes us shout and scream when he does something."

Moral remembers watching Yamal decide youth cup finals, including his own "remontada" against Real Madrid. Now he is doing it on the grandest stage.

"Who expects a guy 16, 17 years old can play not just in first division, but in Barca... and can do something like the other day in the semi-finals of the Champions League or in the summer in the Euros?" Moral says.

"This guy is a kid, he is unbelievable. Honestly, I don't know where his top is, but we are in front of one of the greatest players in the future, I am sure.

"For me, Messi is the best in history. But if everyone involved with Lamine helps - the environment, friends, family, sometimes you get an injury - if everything goes well, if he takes good decisions and works like he is, I don't want to say better than Messi but he is on the way..."


The start of a new Barcelona dynasty?​

Van Bommel says Barcelona's 2006 Champions League success "was the beginning of the Messi era", one built around La Masia talent with Messi at its fore. Now there is a sense Yamal could lead the latest batch of young stars into a new dynasty.

It's what Moral and others who coached at La Masia have been waiting to see come to fruition.
"We said it would never happen again. And look, 10 years later, we are in the same situation,"

Moral beams, recalling watching Yamal, Gavi, Alejandro Balde and Pau Cubarsi, and says there are more to come.

"When they touch the ball, you feel something special as a coach. Lamine, pfft, if one player at 12 years old has the capacity to make you crazy in training, it's like 'wow!'

"Barcelona is doing very good things - they invest in La Masia, in players, in talented coaches. Now it is normal to see players of 16, 17, 18 years old, which is unbelievable.

"When Xavi was in the top level, he was 26 or 27 years old. These guys are 17 or 18 years old so imagine in 10 years where they can arrive?"

Yamal is the star of this crop, a world-beater at 17.

Barcelona hope when the curtain one day comes down on his Nou Camp career, it will be with a legacy to rival Messi's.
 

David Beckham buys another football club with Man United teammate Gary Neville​


Beckham and Neville lead $15–20M Salford City takeover, aiming for Championship promotion within five years.

Sports Desk
May 08, 2025

tribune



David Beckham and Gary Neville have officially taken full control of Salford City FC, completing a major takeover alongside a new investment consortium and setting ambitious sights on Championship football within five years.

The move, first reported by The Athletic, sees Beckham and Neville raise between $15–20 million with backing from former Standard Chartered chair Lord Mervyn Davies and businessman Declan Kelly.

The new ownership group has bought out fellow Class of ’92 members Ryan Giggs, Paul Scholes, Nicky Butt and Phil Neville, who are no longer shareholders.
However, the quartet will continue to play a role at the club in areas including technical direction, football operations, recruitment, and the Salford City Foundation.


Beckham also announced the move on his Instagram account.

 
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