BARCELONA, Spain: Led by Jude Bellingham playing with a style and self-confidence far beyond his 20 years, a new generation of Real Madrid players has stepped forward at the 14-time European Cup winners.
All three of Madrid’s players who helped produce goals in their 3-2 comeback at Napoli in the Champions League group stage on Tuesday were 25 years old or younger. And they did so with their veteran teammates now providing supporting roles.
Bellingham set up 23-year-old Vinícius Júnior to cancel out Napoli’s opener before the England midfielder made a spectacular solo run to put the visitors ahead in the 34th minute.
After Napoli had pulled level, Madrid’s 25-year-old midfielder Federico Valverde unleashed a rocket of a shot that ricocheted off the bar and Napoli goalkeeper Alex Meret before eventually going in for the 78th-minute winner.
Bellingham had scored several big goals already for Madrid this season, but his overall performance at Napoli’s Stadio Diego Armando Maradona was his best so far.
He started by robbing the ball from Napoli captain Giovanni Di Lorenzo and sliding it to Vinícius for the Brazil winger to slot home the equalizer from an angle. Bellingham topped that by slaloming past two defenders as he dribbled into the area.
Bellingham said that the victory was about decision-making, including when he saw Napoli’s defenders giving him that small bit of space he needed.
“As I was getting closer and closer to the goal I was trying to look for (Vinícius or Rodrygo), and when I saw the gap open I just decided to keep running with it,” Bellingham said. “I am always confident that I can go around (defenders) and find a yard. I managed to do it for that one and found the corner.”
Bellingham, Vinícius and Valverde were accompanied by other younger players. Eduardo Camavinga, a versatile workman in the midfield is only 20; forward Rodrygo is 22; and holding midfielder Aurélien Tchouameni is 23. Éder Militão (25), who is out for several months with a serious leg injury, is Madrid’s best central defender.
The victory at the Italian champions came after a summer when veteran striker Karim Benzema, Madrid's most prolific scorer since Cristiano Ronaldo’s departure five years ago, was lured away to the Saudi Arabian league.
Nor were most of the other pillars of Madrid’s most recent European successes on the field in Napoli. Goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois is injured, while Luka Modric, now 38, was again left on the bench by Ancelotti until he went on as a late substitute. The only long-time veterans to start were Toni Kroos and Dani Carvajal.
Ancelotti acknowledged that Modric, who signed for another season this summer with Madrid, was upset about not playing more. Ancelotti had benched him at halftime during a recent 3-1 loss at Atletico Madrid and did not use the former Ballon d’Or winner at all in the following two matches.
“He did what we asked him to do. He went on and showed his experience and gave us control of the game,” Ancelotti said about Modric’s steadying hand in the second half at Napoli. “He can contribute. That is what I ask of a player who is not playing and is a little angry.”
While Vinícius and Valverde have been starters for several seasons now and played key roles in helping Madrid win their most recent Champions League title in 2022, Bellingham’s impact on the team since his arrival this summer has surprised everyone, including his coach.
“I’m surprised he’s only 20 years old because he looks like he’s 30 because of his character and attitude,” Ancelotti said. “He is always focused on the game and knows what he has to do. It’s unusual for a 20-year-old. He has a lot of quality, physical strength and skill.”
Bellingham has scored eight goals in nine games overall so far with Madrid. That includes a Spanish league-leading six goals to help keep Madrid in first place and a late winner to edge Union Berlin 1-0 in their Champions League opener last month.
Compare that to his 14 goals in 42 appearances for Borussia Dortmund in Germany and it is clear that Bellingham has taken his game to a new level in Spain.
Vinícius' goal was only his second of the season after he missed several games with a leg injury. Once he is back to full form and fitness, his alliance with Bellingham promises to be lethal.
“Bellingham linked up well with (Vinícius) and they both have a lot of creativity,” Ancelotti said. "Having both of them positioned on our left flank certainly creates a lot of danger.”
Madrid face Spanish league games against Osasuna and Sevilla before they visit Portuguese side Braga in the Champions League on Oct. 24. Four days after that, Bellingham will get his first taste of a league “classico” at Barcelona.
Bellingham leads youth movement at Real Madrid as Modric takes a diminished role
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Bellingham leads youth movement at Real Madrid as Modric takes a diminished role
- All three of Madrid’s players who helped produce goals in their 3-2 comeback at Napoli in the Champions League group stage on Tuesday were 25 years old or younger
- Bellingham, Vinícius and Valverde were accompanied by other younger players
Sevilla beat Al-Ittihad 1-0 to take Antonio Puerta Trophy
- La Liga club host annual match in honor of former player who died aged 22 in 2007
- Match is latest pre-season friendly for both clubs ahead of the start of their domestic leagues in August
DUBAI: La Liga club Sevilla FC defeated Saudi Arabia’s Al-Ittihad 1-0 to claim the Antonio Puerta Trophy at the Ramon Sanchez Pizjuan Stadium in Seville on Friday night.
Lucas Ocampos scored the only goal of the game from the penalty spot after 42 minutes.
The annual friendly has been hosted by the Andalusian club since 2008 in honor of former player Antonio Puerta who died from heart disease in 2007 at the age of 22.
This was the 13th hosting of the match, which was not contested in 2015, 2018, 2020 or 2021. Sevilla now have won won the trophy 11 times.
The match was also the latest outing for both clubs ahead of start of their respective domestic campaigns.
Al-Ittihad will play two more friendlies against Real Betis (Aug. 3) and Inter Milan (Aug. 7) before kicking off their Saudi Pro League season with a match against Al-Kholood on Aug. 24.
Sevilla will launch their La Liga campaign on Aug. 16 at Las Palmas.
‘Sevilla FC is open to the world,’ says club president ahead of Al-Ittihad match
- Jose Maria del Nido Carrasco speaks to Arab News about the Antonio Puerta Trophy, his club’s links to Saudi Arabia and football’s development in the Kingdom
DUBAI: La Liga club Sevilla on Friday night take on Saudi Pro League side Al-Ittihad in the annual Antonio Puerta Trophy match, which is also part of the pre-season preparations for both teams.
Arab News spoke to Sevilla President Jose Maria del Nido Carrasco about the clash with Al-Ittihad and the state of Saudi Arabian football.
Here are some of his comments.
On the idea behind the Antonio Puerta Trophy …
Antonio Puerta is one of the biggest legends of our club. He was key in the first Europa League title we won in 2006 and in the ones that followed in the subsequent months. His passing was a hard blow for the club and the fans, which is why we honour him every year with this match. We always try to invite high-level teams to offer him the best possible tribute.
On playing Al-Ittihad in the 2024 edition …
We are in the middle of the preseason preparing the team. I believe that by that day, the 26th, we will have had 20 days of training since we started on July 6. We want to continue training, implementing the game model of our new coach. We expect Sevilla fans to enjoy a good match, ensure competitiveness, and let all of us who love football start to see what Sevilla will be like in the upcoming season.
On the Saudi Pro League project …
The growth of the Saudi Pro League is very interesting. For clubs like Sevilla FC, where part of our business model is based on selling players to generate profits that allow us to make new investments, it is important to have emerging markets willing to invest. The key now is for them to maintain that level of investment, build solid structures in the clubs, professionalize all areas, and invest in formation for youth teams to allow also a technical improvement in local players.
On Sevilla’s attendance at the World Football Summit in Jeddah last December …
Our experience at this summit was very positive. Different members of our club were able to see firsthand how football is developing in Saudi Arabia, and we can expand our network of contacts in the region to continue generating alliances and synergies.
On Sevilla’s ties with Saudi Arabia …
We have had different trips to Saudi Arabia. Our head of artificial intelligence, Elías Zamora, visited to showcase the tools we have and can offer to the general football market and specifically to Saudi Arabia. Additionally, through our sporting management, we can share our extensive knowledge, our transfer policy, and our scouting policy, which has been recognized in recent years and further improved with artificial intelligence. We aim to create bonds where we can learn from them, and they can learn from Sevilla Football Club.
On exporting Sevilla’s renowned scouting methodology …
At the beginning of the 21st century, we started a scouting policy that allowed us to find players unknown to the market. These players came to Sevilla Football Club, we maximized their performance, achieved sporting successes in the form of European qualifications and national and European titles, and then we sold them, generating significant profits that we reinvested in new signings. When this practice became more common in football, we introduced a new factor: artificial intelligence. This sporting know-how can be offered to the Arab market to give them the ability, through artificial intelligence and the scouting of each club, to have an effective player acquisition and sales policy.
On Sevilla’s global relationship-building …
Sevilla Football Club is a club open to the world. Our internationalization plan aims to grow our fan base worldwide, and to do that, it is important to continue building relationships with clubs from different regions. We are also open to play as visitors against other clubs if an attractive opportunity arrives.
Canada women’s football coach removed by Canadian Olympic Committee over drone controversy
- Canada’s camp was thrown into disarray this week after two team staffers were sent home for allegedly using a drone to spy on a New Zealand practice
- Priestman denied any involvement, but did not attend Thursday’s 2-1 victory over New Zealand as FIFA — football’s world governing body — and the International Olympic Committee investigate
PARIS: The Canadian Olympic Committee removed women’s national football head coach Bev Priestman for the remainder of the Paris Games following an alleged drone spying scandal.
The COC said in a statement released early Friday that assistant coach Andy Spence would lead the defending gold medalists for the remainder of the tournament.
Canada’s camp was thrown into disarray this week after two team staffers were sent home for allegedly using a drone to spy on a New Zealand practice.
Priestman denied any involvement, but did not attend Thursday’s 2-1 victory over New Zealand as FIFA — football’s world governing body — and the International Olympic Committee investigate.
Canada Football CEO and general secretary Kevin Blue said in the COC release “additional information has come to our attention regarding previous drone use against opponents, predating the Paris 2024 Olympic Games.”
He added Priestman was suspended from her duties until the end of the tournament and the completion of the organization’s independent external review.
The COC said Wednesday that assistant coach Jasmine Mander and analyst Joseph Lombardi were “sent home immediately,” and that it had accepted Priestman’s decision to remove herself from coaching the opening match.
Priestman held a brief media availability Wednesday after guiding her team through a one-hour practice.
“My reaction was you feel like this program has let the country down,” the 38-year-old Priestman said. “That’s why I took the proactive step to do what I felt was the right thing. Irrespective of the details, I’m ultimately accountable.”
Priestman had agreed to a contract in late January to coach Canada through the 2027 Women’s World Cup.
Priestman was hired in November 2020 to succeed Kenneth Heiner-Moller and had been working on a rolling contract. She led Canada to a gold medal at the 2021 Olympics, but was eliminated in the group stage of last year’s World Cup. She has coached the team to 28 wins, nine losses and 10 draws.
Priestman spent five years with the Canadian Football Association in a variety of coaching roles before returning in June 2018 to her native England, where she served as coach of the women’s under-18 team and assistant coach with the senior women’s team. Before that she spent 4 1/2 years as head of football development in New Zealand before leaving in June 2013.
Historic French club Bordeaux to become amateur after bankruptcy
BORDEAUX: Former French Ligue 1 champions Bordeaux on Thursday said they will become an amateur club for the first time in almost 90 years after filing for bankruptcy.
They had announced earlier in the week that they would accept their relegation to the third-tier Championnat National by French football’s financial watchdog, the DNCG.
Bordeaux, based in France’s south-west, won the last of their six top flight titles in 2009.
They first turned professional in 1937.
The club needs to find 40 million euros ($43.6 million) to balance their books and had been in talks with the owners of Liverpool, Fenway Sports Group (FSG), before the American investors pulled out of negotiations earlier this month.
“On Tuesday, the club filed for bankruptcy with Bordeaux’s commercial court, to be able to begin necessary restructuring,” they said in a statement.
“The club had to give up asking to maintain its professional status” as it risked “heavy sanctions” if it presented a recovery plan to the DNCG that did not reflect its future financial reality.
Bordeaux were relegated to Ligue 2 in 2022, just 12 years after reaching the Champions League quarter-finals.
The town’s mayor slammed the decision by Bordeaux’s controversial owner Gerard Lopez, who has invested 60 million euros into the club since 2021.
“I’ve learnt with consternation the sudden and personal decision made by Gerard Lopez,” Pierre Hurmic told AFP.
“It confirms the risky management that has led our club in the space of three years from the elite Ligue 1 to the amateur level,” he added.
A host of well know players — past and present — have played for Bordeaux including World Cup winners Zinedine Zidane, Bixente Lizarazu and Christophe Dugarry, as well as Real Madrid midfielder Aurelien Tchouameni.
“I feel extremely sick like everyone who loves the club,” 1998 World Cup winner Lizarazu said on Instagram.
“What’s happing is unfortunately the result of disastrous football and financial management for many years,” he added.
One consequence to the move is that the club’s academy will close and a host of professional players will leave the outfit.
The new Championnat National season begins on August 16 with Bordeaux expected to play at their 42,000-capacity Matmut Atlantique home, France’s sixth biggest stadium, for the campaign.
USA, World Cup holders Spain win women’s Olympic football openers
- Spain are making their Olympic women’s football debut at the Paris Games but are leading contenders to win the gold medal
- It is the perfect start for Spain in Group C, in which rivals Nigeria and Brazil meet later
PARIS: Reigning Ballon d’Or Aitana Bonmati scored one goal and helped create another as World Cup holders Spain beat Japan 2-1 in their first game of the women’s Olympic football tournament on Thursday, while record four-time gold medallists the United States beat Zambia 3-0.
Spain are making their Olympic women’s football debut at the Paris Games but are leading contenders to win gold after their World Cup triumph in Australia and New Zealand last year.
They fell behind against Japan in Group C in the western French city of Nantes to Aoba Fujino’s superb early free-kick, but Bonmati soon equalized as she rounded the goalkeeper to score midway through the first half.
Spain then grabbed the winner in the 74th minute when Mariona Caldentey exchanged passes with Bonmati before firing in.
With 12 teams split into three groups of four, there is margin for error as the two best third-placed sides will advance to the quarter-finals.
That will provide some comfort for Japan, silver medallists at London 2012.
A strong Spain starting XI featured seven players who were in the line-up for last year’s World Cup final win over England in Sydney, plus Alexia Putellas, the two-time former Ballon d’Or winner.
In the same section, two-time silver medallists Brazil beat Nigeria 1-0 in Bordeaux.
Former world player of the year Marta, in her sixth Olympics at the age of 38, had an effort disallowed for offside before setting up Gabi Nunes for the only goal late in the first half.
The USA have come to the Games with a young squad but with high hopes of success under new coach Emma Hayes.
They were comfortable winners against Zambia in Nice but should have triumphed by a greater margin after netting three times in the first half against opponents who had a player sent off before the break.
Trinity Rodman and Mallory Swanson both hit the woodwork before Rodman — daughter of former NBA superstar Dennis Rodman — scored on 17 minutes with a lovely turn and finish in the box.
Swanson made it 2-0 on 24 minutes when she controlled Lindsey Horan’s pass and finished, and she netted again just a minute later, this time rounding the goalkeeper to slot in.
Zambia’s Pauline Zulu was left in tears as she was sent off following a VAR review shortly before the break for a foul on Sophia Smith. However, the USA could not add any more goals with the extra player.
Also in Group B, 2016 gold medallists Germany outclassed Australia, winning 3-0 in Marseille with Marina Hegering and Lea Schueller both scoring headers before Jule Brand wrapped up the victory.
The USA and Germany meet each other in Marseille on Sunday.
France survived a wobble to beat Colombia 3-2 in Lyon, where there were plenty of empty seats to greet the host nation.
Marie-Antoinette Katoto scored twice in the first half either side of a Kenza Dali strike as France appeared to be cruising.
However, Catalina Usme pulled one back from a penalty early in the second half and substitute Manuela Pavi further reduced the deficit before a red card for Mayra Ramirez ended Colombian hopes of snatching a point.
In the same Group A, reigning Olympic champions Canada shrugged off a spying scandal to claim a 2-1 win over New Zealand in Saint-Etienne.
Mackenzie Barry gave New Zealand the lead before a sparse crowd at the Stade Geoffroy-Guichard.
Arsenal’s Cloe Lacasse levelled in first-half stoppage time for Canada, who beat Sweden on penalties in the final in Tokyo three years ago. Evelyne Viens then fired in the winner 11 minutes from time.
Canada’s build-up had been overshadowed after an assistant coach and an analyst were sent home from the Olympics on the eve of the game.
The analyst, 43-year-old Joey Lombardi, was also given a suspended eight-month prison sentence for flying a drone over a New Zealand training session this week in Saint-Etienne.
Head coach Bev Priestman apologized and took no part in the game against New Zealand, feeling it would not be appropriate.
“As a Canadian, these are not our values. We are not cheats,” said defender Vanessa Gilles, who described the episode as a “humiliation.”
