logo
Kylian Mbappe discharged from hospital. No timeframe on when Real Madrid star will play at Club World Cup.

Kylian Mbappe discharged from hospital. No timeframe on when Real Madrid star will play at Club World Cup.

Boston Globe19 hours ago

'Mbappe will continue with specific medical treatment and will gradually return to the team's activity,' Madrid said in a statement.
Advertisement
Gastroenteritis is also known as stomach flu and symptoms can include vomiting and diarrhea.
Mbappe's absence is a blow to the Club World Cup, which FIFA president Gianni Infantino hopes will be one of the elite events in soccer and rival competitions like the Champions League and Premier League in popularity and value.
After Lionel Messi, Mbappe is arguably the biggest star in the show, with Madrid one of the favorites to lift the trophy in the inaugural edition of the tournament.
But a crowd of more than 62,000 at Hard Rock Stadium missed out on a rare chance to see him in person in the U.S. when he was unavailable for Madrid's first game at the home of the NFL's Miami Dolphins on Wednesday.
Advertisement
Alonso missed him, too, in what has been a difficult start to the tournament for the team's new coach. Madrid was underwhelming against Al Hilal — Saudi Arabia's most successful team — and missed a 92nd-minute penalty to win the match.
Related
:
It was Alonso's first game in charge of the 15-time European champion, which is famously demanding of its coaches. Last month he replaced Carlo Ancelotti, who left to join the Brazil national team after winning three Champions Leagues and two Spanish titles in two stints at the club.
Despite being the overwhelming favorite against Al Hilal, Madrid had to settle for a draw after surviving a number of scares in the first half — leaving Alonso to call for patience.
'We know this is going to take time,' he said.
The 26-year-old Mbappe was Madrid's top scorer last season, with 43 goals in 56 appearances in his first year since joining from Paris Saint-Germain.
His hospitalization came almost exactly one year after he sustained a broken nose at the European Championship and had to wear a face mask to continue playing in the tournament.

Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

Florian Wirtz looks ready-made to be a key piece of the puzzle at Liverpool
Florian Wirtz looks ready-made to be a key piece of the puzzle at Liverpool

Yahoo

time32 minutes ago

  • Yahoo

Florian Wirtz looks ready-made to be a key piece of the puzzle at Liverpool

When the Bayern Munich charm offensive starts in earnest, few players are impervious to it. When months of public flattery and declarations of interest in Florian Wirtz continued past the Rekordmeister's title celebrations in Marienplatz and the departure of Xabi Alonso from Bayer Leverkusen, the whole of German football felt they knew which way the wind was blowing. So it is an unpleasant surprise to Munich's finest to see the red jersey Wirtz is holding up for the camera is not theirs, but that of Liverpool, who have signed him in a record £116m deal. Make no mistake: this is an authentic coup for the Premier League champions. How Wirtz came to choose a future in north-west England rather than southern Germany tells us much about the personality, as well as the player. Advertisement Related: Florian Wirtz seals Liverpool move from Bayer Leverkusen in club record £116m deal The 22-year-old has been in the full glare of the limelight since he was 16. He made the controversial move from Köln to Leverkusen, was fast-tracked to the first team and given a full debut by Peter Bosz to surpass Kai Havertz as the club's youngest player a fortnight after his 17th birthday. Nineteen days later he became the club's youngest goalscorer in a defeat by Bayern. Wirtz has made every stage – becoming a regular starter, playing European football, making his Germany debut at 18 – look easy without the peacocking that often goes with such extravagant talent. When his pre-Euro 2024 ranking of potato dishes on the German football federation's TikTok account went viral (he put a 'normal' potato at No 1, with much public amusement following), he grumpily remarked: 'I don't find it entertaining at all.' No one needs to tell Wirtz that what he is doing on the pitch is what pays the bills. His father, Hans, is his agent and adviser but Wirtz Jr knows his own mind. Hans has had a number of conversations with Bayern's honorary president, Uli Hoeness, in recent months and it has been reported that when Vincent Kompany felt Florian was not convinced by Bayern's pitch, Hans convinced his son to sit down with the Bayern brass for one more meeting. Florian agreed to do so but was not swayed. Liverpool remained his choice. A move to Munich would have been understandable, even if it would have been a miserable sight for many Bundesliga fans. Staying in Germany a year before the World Cup, and reprising the partnership that he and his friend Jamal Musiala have for the national team as dual No 10s under Julian Nagelsmann, would have had much to recommend it. Not to mention, as many in Germany have, the possibility of a lighter physical load playing for the most dominant team in the Bundesliga as opposed to the clatter and crunch of a debut season in the Premier League. Wirtz is 5ft 10in but is relatively slight and, having taken 10 months and then plenty of match practice to come back to his best after an anterior cruciate ligament injury in 2022, there is the feeling that he will need to be looked after, protected and carefully managed. Advertisement This, along with his game-winning ability, is why Alonso told the Guardian in November 2023 that, while all his Leverkusen players had the remit to interpret their roles as they saw fit, 'Flo gets a bit more freedom'. Wirtz has proved worth every bit of that extra licence to thrill, whether as a No 10, drifting in from an inside-left position, or even nominally employed as a false 9. Whereas many in his role are there to feed a star striker, his ability to be decisive in any ways needed, be it the last pass, the finish or a silky dribble to open up the opposition, means he is the star that the team should revolve around. He has reached double figures in goals and assists in each of the past two seasons (10 and 12 respectively in the league alone last term) and turns up in the big matches. Wirtz adapted to his first season in the Champions League in 2024-25 as if he had always played there, scoring six times in nine starts before injury curtailed his involvement. It was his hat-trick against Werder Bremen in April 2024 that clinched Leverkusen's first Bundesliga title. He will be stepping into an existing, and winning, hierarchy at Liverpool. His social media rubbishing of reports he wanted Alexis Mac Allister's No 10 shirt showed his respect for that. Yet it is not a leap to imagine him as an instant key piece. A front three of Wirtz, Mohamed Salah and Luis Díaz or Cody Gakpo would bring the champions in line with the amorphous attacking trios looking set to dominate the Champions League. Wirtz dropping into a 10 role to allow Salah plus one to create a de facto front two could work well, and relieve the Egyptian of some of his creative load. When it comes to a big decision, the Wirtzes take their time. That was the case when he joined Leverkusen in January 2020. Indignant as Köln were – believing their near neighbours had reneged on a tacit agreement not to take one another's players – they knew Wirtz's departure was in the post when, as with this move, the player and his family spent time running the clock before deciding to move 15 minutes up the road to the BayArena. When Wirtz takes his time to make a decision, it usually works out. When it's time to take the field, he is far more speedy and decisive.

🎥 Lifelong loyalty? This Chelsea fan couldn't care less
🎥 Lifelong loyalty? This Chelsea fan couldn't care less

Yahoo

time36 minutes ago

  • Yahoo

🎥 Lifelong loyalty? This Chelsea fan couldn't care less

Staying forever loyal to the once chosen favorite team is considered a matter of honor for many fans. In the USA, the clocks seem to tick a little differently. A Chelsea supporter wanted to have nothing more to do with the Blues before their game against Flamengo at the Club World Cup. But it's also an irresistible persuasion work that the media team from Flamengo is doing. Advertisement "I don't know.." "Come on, you know which is the bigger team!" "Yeah okay" And just like that, the jersey is switched. The USA, the land of unlimited possibilities. This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇩🇪 here. 📸 GLYN KIRK

Liverpool signs Germany midfielder Florian Wirtz from Bayer Leverkusen
Liverpool signs Germany midfielder Florian Wirtz from Bayer Leverkusen

San Francisco Chronicle​

time40 minutes ago

  • San Francisco Chronicle​

Liverpool signs Germany midfielder Florian Wirtz from Bayer Leverkusen

Liverpool delivered a huge statement of intent after winning the Premier League title by signing Germany star Florian Wirtz from Bayer Leverkusen on Friday. The transfer fee could climb to 116 million pounds ($156 million), which would make the 22-year-old Wirtz the most expensive player in the history of British soccer. Liverpool, determined to not stand still after securing a record-tying 20th English top-flight title, has splashed out a club record to bring in not only one of the best players from Germany, but one of the top youngsters in the world. Wirtz has been a key first-team player for Leverkusen since he was 17. He was the outstanding attacking player in the team that won the Bundesliga and German Cup in 2023-24 without losing a game, and is a regular in Germany's national team. It's why Liverpool was ready to pay a guaranteed 100 million pounds, plus 16 million pounds in potential add-ons. Wirtz had two years left on his contract, giving Leverkusen leverage in negotiations. The Premier League record for an initial fee was set when Chelsea signed Enzo Fernandez from Benfica for 106.7 million pounds ($131.4 million at the time) in 2023, before the London club agreed to pay up to 115 million pounds ($146 million at the time) for midfielder Moises Caicedo from Brighton later that year. Liverpool manager Arne Slot arrived last summer and signed just one outfield player — forward Federico Chiesa — for the 2024-25 season. Chiesa barely played and the Reds won the league by 10 points, after which Slot and some of his players — including Virgil van Dijk — spoke about there being big plans for this transfer window. Having already signed right wing back Jeremie Frimpong from Leverkusen for a reported 35 to 40 million euros ($39.7 million to $45.4 million), Liverpool has returned to the German club to take Wirtz, who rejected an opportunity to join Bayern Munich — a Bundesliga rival which has long pursued him. One obstacle to that move was the size of the fee Leverkusen wanted. Another was concern over how Wirtz might fit into the same lineup as Jamal Musiala, Germany's other standout young attacking midfielder. Losing Wirtz leaves Leverkusen and its new coach, Erik ten Hag with an even bigger rebuild following the departure of Xabi Alonso for Real Madrid. Just after his 17th birthday, Wirtz became the youngest player in Leverkusen's history when he made his debut against Werder Bremen in May 2020, in an empty stadium at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic. A month later he was the youngest player to score in Bundesliga history, though that record has since been topped. Wirtz's versatile attacking midfield play was a vital ingredient in Alonso transforming Leverkusen into a team that could win the Bundesliga and German Cup without losing a game. He and Alonso stayed for another sometimes-disappointing season which ended with second place to Bayern in the league and a loss to Bayern in the Champions League round of 16. Wirtz showed he can deal with adversity when a cruciate ligament tear in his knee ruled him out for almost all of 2022 — including Alonso's first games as coach — before he returned to power Leverkusen to its league and cup double in 2023-24. Wirtz has become a vital player for the German national team with 29 caps. He played all five of its matches at Euro 2024 on home soil. He's also had to contend with hostility from fans of his boyhood club Cologne, which he left for nearby Leverkusen at 16. Liverpool and Bayern were reportedly interested then, too. Cologne claimed that deal broke an agreement between the clubs not to pursue each other's youth players. Leverkusen argued Wirtz was so talented that he counted as a first-team player despite his age. Cologne and Leverkusen are barely 10 kilometers (6 miles) apart, so going to Liverpool will be the first time that Wirtz has moved away from his roots. His parents Hans Wirtz and Karin Gross have played a big role in his career — they were also his agents until last year — and he's close to his older sister Juliane, a professional player for Werder Bremen in the women's Bundesliga. Wirtz's decision to turn down Bayern and the Bundesliga for Liverpool has caused some raised eyebrows in Germany. 'I wouldn't have thought Florian would make this switch so early,' former Germany great Lothar Matthäus told broadcaster n-tv last month. 'But he wants to get out of his comfort zone.' Wirtz seems likely to slot in as the No. 10 at Liverpool, a more creative solution in that role compared to the hard-running Dominik Szoboszlai. Whether Slot also now pushes for a new striker as an upgrade to current options Diogo Jota and Darwin Nunez remains to be seen. ___

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into a world of global content with local flavor? Download Daily8 app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store