European Super Football

Ronald Koeman’s spell as manager of Barvcelona came to an abrupt end after he was sacked following a 1-0 defeat at Rayo Vallecano. This exit provides something of an unhappy conclusion for the former player. Koeman won them their first European Cup in 1992 and leaves the club in further turmoil on and off the field. FC Barcelona has relieved Ronald Koeman of his duties as first team coach — FC Barcelona (@FCBarcelona) October 27, 2021 A statement on the Barcelona website reads:  “FC Barcelona has relieved Ronald Koeman of his duties as first-team coach,” an official club statement read after the 1-0 loss. The president of the club, Joan Laporta, informed him of the decision after the defeat against Rayo Vallecano.  "Ronald Koeman will say goodbye to the squad on Thursday at the Ciutat Esportiva. FC Barcelona wishes to thank him for his service to the club and wishes him all the best in his professional career.” The last match This defeat at Rayo Vallecano proved to be one too ma

Press reports from across Europe are suggesting that Manchester City are about to make some big moves in the transfer market. Would Joshua Kimmich be a good signing for City and Guardiola? Kimmich is reportedly eager to reunite with Pep Guardiola, despite the possibility that his former boss could leave in a year. Kimmich, a crucial player for Germany's Euro campaign, has one year remaining on his contract with Bayern Munich and is attracting interest from Real Madrid, Barcelona, and Liverpool. Manchester City's Guardiola is also interested. Kimmich is particularly drawn to reuniting with the manager who launched his career at Bayern in 2015, making the Etihad an appealing destination. Kimmich’s representatives are keen to know if Guardiola plans to extend his stay beyond next summer, but the player is so eager to work with him again that he is ready to take the chance. While Bayern’s manager Vincent Kompany is eager for Kimmich to remain, the club would prefer to sell him

It's time to explore the stars of Euro 2024. Who was your favourite player from the tournament? We asked some of our contributors what they thought and examined how their careers might develop over the next few years.  Nico Williams - Spain Athletic Bilbao's talented winger stood out in Spain's 1-0 victory over Italy. He scored a powerful goal in their 4-1 win over Georgia and netted a brilliant finish in the final against England. Throughout the summer, he has been heavily linked with a move to Barcelona, as they reportedly consider him their top target. Khvicha Kvaratskhelia - Georgia Georgia's 23-year-old striker Kvaratskhelia made a significant impact for Georgia during Euro 2024, and there are rumours that PSG is interested in signing him. Despite his side losing in the last 16, Kvaratskhelia has gained more admirers. His club Napoli have set a value of £85.2m for him, which might be too high for PSG. There are also reports linking Liverpool to the player. Ho

Here we go again New plans for a revamped European Super League (ESL) have been unveiled following a significant court decision.  Picture from a banner protesting the European Super League in 2021 This latest court ruling declared it illegal to prevent clubs from joining an alternative league. The proposed league features 64 men's teams and 32 women's teams, posing a direct challenge to current UEFA competitions. Manchester United, initially a key player in the original ESL concept  but later withdrew amidst heavy criticism, has confirmed their ongoing commitment to UEFA tournaments.  Despite the controversy, United's stance remains unchanged, emphasizing their dedication to working constructively with UEFA, the Premier League, and other clubs through the European Clubs Association for the betterment of European football. Previous Super News articles on the European Super League Clubs Announce New Super League Competition (greatermanchesterfootball.blogspot.com) Rememb

Barcelona failed to find a win that would have taken them up to fourth place in La Liga. Sevilla took the lead after Ivan Rakitic rolled the ball into the area for Alejandro Gomez's first-time finish. Ronald Araujo's header levelled before half-time and despite Jules Kounde being sent off for throwing the ball at Jordi Alba, Barca could not breakthrough. You can watch the highlights in the video below. Xavi's side do move up one spot to seventh in La Liga. Second-placed Sevilla failed to make up ground on league leaders Real Madrid and are now five points adrift of Carlo Ancelotti's men. Already looking ahead to 2022 after a torrid 2021 Everyone associated with Barcelona will be hoping that 2022 brings better fortunes after losing superstar Lionel Messi on a free transfer, sacking manager Ronald Koeman and being knocked out of the Champions League group stage this year. Reports from around Europe seem to suggest that they have agreed a deal to sign Ferran Torres from

This article will explore some of the most exciting talents in the world at the moment.  Will any of them be on the move this summer? Warren Zaïre-Emery - PSG Warren Zaïre-Emery, a 17-year-old football player, has achieved a remarkable feat by becoming a regular player at one of Europe's biggest clubs. The midfielder has already made more than 50 first-team appearances for the French champions and is also a part of France's senior squad. You wouldn't expect him to leave PSG just yet but many clubs from England and Spain will be paying close attention to his development. Eduardo Camavinga - Real Madrid Given the amount of games he's played, you would have forgotten that Camavinga is still relatively young. His knack for playing in several positions across the pitch must make him a dream player for Carlo Ancelotti at Real Madrid.  Julian Rijkhoff - Ajax Ajax are renowned for producing technically gifted midfielders and wingers, but less well-known for creating genu

  Barcelona 1 - 4 PSG (Aggregate: 4-6) Kylian Mbappe scored twice as his Paris St-Germain side thrashed Barcelona to turn around a first-leg deficit and reach the semi-finals of the Champions League. You can watch the highlights of the match in the video below . Footage from the TNT Sports YouTube account. The French side had trailed 3-2 after the first leg but they reached the last four for the first time since 2021 after what can only be considered a chaotic encounter in Spain. PSG will face Borussia Dortmund in the semi-final after they beat Atletico Madrid 5-4 on aggregate in what was another thrilling encounter. Where did it go wrong for Barca? It was actually the Catalan side who struck first when Lamine Yamal drove down the pitch, beating Nuno Mendes and clipping over for former Leeds United star Raphinha to score. The Barcelona fans and players assumed it was all going according to plan. Things were to go very wrong in the second-half. Things started to unravel when Rona

Let's have a look at some football gossip from across Europe. As always, a lot is going on at Old Trafford It has been reported that Newcastle United have made contact with Manchester United over a possible January deal for England midfielder Jesse Lingard, 28. Anthony Martial could also leave Manchester United in January. Everton are interested in the French forward. They could potentially face competition from Barcelona. The Old Trafford club sees Erling Braut Haaland, Joao Felix, 22, Timo Werner, 25 and Alexander Isak as potential replacements for Edinson Cavani. Manchester United have put Ajax manager Erik ten Haag, 51, has jumped to the top of their shortlist as the Premier League consider their options for their next permanent manager.  Other Premier League rumours and stories Tottenham Hotspur, Manchester City and Manchester United are reportedly monitoring the situation of Chelsea defender Andreas Christensen. The 25-year Denmark centre-back is out of contract at the en

Another day and another lot of football gossip. As always, there's a lot going on. Premier League rumours Many reports indicate that Anthony Martial wants to leave Manchester United but he does not want to go out on loan to another English club. Barcelona, Sevilla and Juventus are three options for a January move. What legacy will Martial leave at Manchester if he does leave? Manchester United are reportedly targeting Aston Villa and Scotland midfielder John McGinn in the summer transfer window. They are also leading Juventus and Inter Milan in the race to sign Serbia midfielder Sergej Milinkovic-Savic from Lazio, but the Serie A club will demand at least £66.8m. Newcastle United have offered a fee of around £25.1m for Atalanta striker Duvan Zapata. Another player linked with a move to Newcastle is Eden Hazard. He wants to leave Real Madrid, but is not interested in joining Newcastle, who have had a £41.3m bid for the 31-year-old accepted by the Spanish club.  Wolves winger Ada

Let's look at some of the best matches and moments of 2021. England v Italy - Euro 2020 final It was so close to coming home. England had a superb tournament but came unstuck in a penalty shootout in the final. The gradual return of crowds throughout the competition meant a special atmosphere.  Italy's triumph was perhaps unexpected despite their wonderful run of form throughout recent history, Southgate and England went one better than their semi-final spot in the 2018 World Cup. Can they finally win their first trophy since 1966 in Qatar 2022? Another notable mention from the tournament was France 3-3 Switzerland. The 2018 World Cup winners were knocked out after an enthralling match. Chelsea v Manchester City - Champions League final Another all English final. Manchester City were desperate to win their first Champions League title but it never really happened for them on the night. Back in May, Greater Manchester took a detailed look at some of the best reaction from th

The January transfer window is approaching.  As expected, the number of rumours about the latest transfers have exploded. Let's have a look at the best of them. Bundesliga Borussia Dortmund will look to put together a deal to try to persuade Norway striker Erling Braut Haaland to stay with them. The 21-year-old's future at the club set to be decided by the end of February.  Bayern Munich are interested in signing Leeds United's Raphinha. Despite rumours suggesting otherwise, it has been reported that no agreement has yet been made and he could easily end up signing for Liverpool. Premier League Newcastle United hope to complete a deal to bring in Atletico Madrid and England right-back Kieran Trippier next week and, after an injury to Callum Wilson, they will also try to sign a forward over the next few weeks.  Chelsea have asked about the availability of France left-back Theo Hernandez, who AC Milan will not consider selling for less than 60m euros. Wolfsburg's Max

In the middle of some great football action across Europe, let's have a look at some of the latest gossip. West Ham United manager David Moyes is set to make a final bid to sign Burnley defender James Tarkowski with the 29-year-old English centre-back due to become a free agent in the summer. West Ham will be determined to keep growing their squad as they continue in their quest to join the Premier League elite.  Manchester City's Spain forward Ferran Torres, 21, has submitted a transfer request with Barcelona interested. Barca have also been linked with Raheem Sterling in recent days. Fiorentina have put a £55m price tag on Serbia striker Dusan Vlahovic in a bid to hold off interest from Manchester United - but the 21-year-old is not expected to make any move in January. Would the Serbian be a good signing for the Old Trafford club? Alexandre Lacazette has said his agents are considering variety of options. The 30-year-old France striker's contract expires at Arsenal in

Viktoria Plzeň 1 - 0 Hearts After overcoming a shaky start and edging towards a commendable goalless draw in the Czech Republic, Hearts' hopes were dashed when Daniel Oyegoke accidentally turned a late cross into his own net. Plzen's Cadu delivered a dangerous ball into the box, which caught Oyegoke off guard. The Hearts defender could only watch in dismay as the ball struck his thigh and sailed into the corner of the net. It was a bitterly frustrating conclusion, especially as Hearts had grown into the match, standing toe-to-toe with their more seasoned Czech opponents , who were competing in Europe for the 15th consecutive season. Lawrence Shankland came close with two shots from the edge of the box just before half-time, and Kenneth Vargas missed two opportunities when a cooler head was needed. However, solid goalkeeping and resilient defending kept Hearts in the game and nearly secured them a vital draw. UEFA Europa League and Conference League (eurosuperfootball.blogsp

The draw has been made for the last 16 of the Champions League.  🚨🏆 Thoughts on Champions League draw? pic.twitter.com/NjTTJ2uzWA — Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) December 18, 2023 Manchester City will play Copenhagen in the last 16 of the competition.  The Danish champions Copenhagen finished above Manchester United in their group, as they reached the knockout stage for the first time since 2011. This included a 4-3 memorable victory over the Red Devils. The 14-time winners Real Madrid while RB Leipzig. Inter Milan - who finished runners-up last season will face Atletico Madrid. Bayern Munich (led by Harry Kane) will face Lazio. This is the draw in full Porto v Arsenal Napoli v Barcelona Paris St-Germain v Real Sociedad Inter Milan v Atletico Madrid PSV Eindhoven v Borussia Dortmund Lazio v Bayern Munich Copenhagen v Manchester City RB Leipzig v Real Madrid European Super Football contributor Josh gave some thoughts on the draw The luck of the draw has smiled upon the two

Having signed Raheem Sterling a few days ago, Chelsea have made another signing. They have signed centre-back Kalidou Koulibaly on a four-year deal from Napoli. The Senegal international joined Napoli from Genk in 2014 and made 317 appearances for the Italian side. His arrival at Stamford Bridge follows the departures of defenders Antonio Rudiger to Real Madrid and Andreas Christensen to Barcelona, both on free transfers. The defender has been linked with a number of clubs over recent seasons, including Manchester United and Manchester City. Koulibaly made his senior debut for Senegal in September 2015 and has since earned 62 caps, captaining the team to victory at the 2021 Africa Cup of Nations. He becomes Chelsea's second signing since the Todd Boehly-led takeover after Raheem Sterling joined the club in a £50m deal. Reaction Another one. 👌 #KoulibalyIsChelsea pic.twitter.com/fcexST5KSy — Chelsea FC (@ChelseaFC) July 16, 2022 Koulibaly told the Chelsea website : "I’m v

 Lionel Messi has been named men's player of the year at the 2022 Best Fifa Awards. The World Cup winner beat French forwards Kylian Mbappe and Karim Benzema to the prize. He captained Argentina to World Cup glory in Qatar, and scored 27 goals in 49 games for club and country in 2021-22. Liam, a Manchester United fan, told us: "You have to say, he deserves it. The World Cup was the crowning glory of this career." In a long statement, Messi told the media: "It's amazing. It's an honour for me to be here tonight and win this award. Without my team-mates I wouldn't be here. It was an amazing year and I achieved the dream that I've been hoping for so long and finally, I managed to achieve it." Manuel, a PSG fan, was delighted with Messi winning the award: "He deserves this award. However, more for his performances with Argentina then PSG sadly. I don't think we have seen the best of him in Paris." This is a full list of the other wi

Girona 1 - 4 Barcelona Lamine Yamal netted twice as Barcelona continued their dominant start to the season with a commanding 4-1 victory away at Girona. The 17-year-old Spanish winger opened the scoring in the 30th minute, capitalising on a mistake by David Lopez deep in Girona's half, before expertly lifting the ball over goalkeeper Paulo Gazzaniga. Yamal added his second just seven minutes later with a composed first-time strike from the edge of the box, following a rebound from Raphinha's free-kick. Click here for more La Liga news and stories Girona, who finished third last season, thought they had been awarded a penalty after Bryan Gil's header struck Inigo Martinez's arm, but the decision was overturned after a VAR review. Dani Olmo became the first player since Cesc Fabregas in 2011 to score in his first three league games for Barcelona, finding the net with a precise finish from a tight angle in the 47th minute to make it 3-0. Seventeen minutes later, midf

 After a busy few days of international football, the focus is about to placed back on the club game again. Let's have a look at all the latest news and gossip. It is being reported across Spanish media that Real Madrid will not try to sign Kylian Mbappe in January.  They will instead target the  striker next summer, when he is out of contract with PSG.  Similar outlets in Spain are also reporting that Philippe Coutinho will snub Newcastle United in January. Many believe he has no intention of leaving Barcelona.  Wolves are ready to sell Spain winger Adama Traore in January as talks over a new deal continue to stall. His former club Barcelona could rival Liverpool for the 25-year-old's signature.  Wayne Rooney is set to remain in charge of Derby County despite the Rams being deducted a further nine points and facing almost certain relegation after admitting breaches of accounting rules.  More Transfer news can be found here Real Madrid could move for Manchester United's

As the January transfer window gets closer, let's have a look at some of the news and rumours. The constant changing in managers at all levels is starting to have an impact. Several reports have indicated that Tottenham and Manchester City are interested in signing 21-year-old Fiorentina and Serbia striker Dusan Vlahovic in January. However, they would need to pay around 70 million pounds.  Donny van de Beek has decided to leave Manchester United in January. The Dutch midfielder has found minutes hard to come by since his move from Ajax in September 2020. Could a new manager at Old Trafford change his mind? Reports in Birmimgham Live indicate that Wolves are interested in signing him. It has been reported in (90min) that Manchester United put off a move for now-Tottenham manager Antonio Conte because of his £250m transfer budget demands. An article in The Mirror says: "Manchester United believe that Zinedine Zidane's close relationships with Cristiano Ronaldo and Rap