Latest news with #Pedri
Yahoo
11 hours ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
Barcelona manager Hansi Flick on Lamine Yamal – ‘It's not all enjoyment, you also have to work'
Barcelona manager Hansi Flick on Lamine Yamal – 'It's not all enjoyment, you also have to work' Barcelona manager Hansi Flick has given an interview to the club media channel, discussing the team and their progress through the season. He had particular words of praise for Raphinha and Pedri, as well as some advice for Lamine Yamal. The German coach explained that as early as the preseason, head fitness coach Julio Tous had remarked to him that 'with the things I am seeing, I think we will win La Liga.' It was prescient opinion from Tous, as Flick and his staff masterminded a domestic treble. Words of advice for Lamine Yamal Playing an instrumental role was teenage superstar Lamine Yamal. At the heart of their creativity, and with a season full of big performances, he is now spending some well-deserved holidays with Neymar Junior in Brazil. Flick had some advice for him though. Advertisement 'I often say it: he's a genius. And he's 17, we have to help him. So far, everything's fine. If he wants to play at the highest level for the next 15 years, he needs to train very well and prepare himself mentally. He's smart. It's not all about enjoyment; you also have to work,' Sport quote. Image via Diario Sport / X 'And players with his talent need to do that. He has good examples in the team, like Raphinha, who also has a lot of trust in him.' The examples: Pedri and Raphinha On Raphinha specifically, Flick noted that he was sorely lacking in confidence when he arrived at the club. The Brazilian has commented publicly that if it were not for Flick, he would likely have left Barcelona last summer. Advertisement 'I saw him play for the first time here and saw what kind of player he is. Very dynamic, making the final pass, assisting Lewandowski… I also saw that he needed confidence. He's Brazilian and therefore has quality, but he also brings heart, mentality, and attitude. He's always working defensively. He has a lot of potential.' Pedri was another of Barcelona's standouts this season. 'He's brilliant. When Pedri has the ball, it's fantastic to watch. It's fantastic to have him on the team. Plus, in the coming years he can be one of the team's leaders—he's only 22!' Challenges ahead for Hansi Flick For Flick, much of his challenge will be finding ways to maintain the same level from his side on the ball, and working out fresh challenges to pose for defences. Towards the end of the season he was also quite clear that there was room for improvement defensively. If he can maintain Lamine Yamal, Pedri and Raphinha at the same level though, that will go a long way to a successful campaign.
Yahoo
6 days ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
'We realised…' – Ousmane Dembele recalls first impression of Ballon d'Or rival Lamine Yamal
It looks like the winner of the 2025 Ballon d'Or will either be a current Barcelona player, or a former one. Lamine Yamal, Pedri and Raphinha are all seen as candidates, but the one seen as the favourite at this stage is Ousmane Dembele. Dembele, who left Barcelona in 2023, had a sensational 2024-25 season with Paris Saint-Germain, whom he helped win a historic treble – which included their first-ever Champions League. And things could get better still, as the European champions are competing in this summer's Club World Cup. Advertisement And when speaking to France Football (via Sempre Barca), Dembele gave his thoughts on a possible Ballon d'Or success. 'It's difficult to say (if I will win). But winning a Ballon d'Or when you're a footballer is obviously the holy grail on an individual level. It's something you dream of as a child. I remember when I saw the players appear in Téléfoot to receive him. It was incredible. The object – the ball – is exceptional. 'This season I think I've been consistent, so we'll see what happens. It would be exceptional to have my name on the list. And to be one of the favourites is already a great victory, although I hope to win it one day.' Image viaAdvertisement Lamine Yamal is seen as Dembele's main rival for the award, and during the interview, he reminisced about his first impressions of the 17-year-old sensation, whom was played alongside briefly at Barcelona. 'They were already talking about him from a very young age in Barcelona. When he reached the professional team, we realised that he was exceptional and reached another level. In training, he would dribble, assist, and score.' Dembele also spoke on the impact that former Barcelona head coach Luis Enrique, who has had a monumental impact at PSG. 'With a coach like Luis Enrique, you know that if you don't defend, you go to the bench, and someone will take your place. For me, a striker should not cheat, he should make efforts all the time, both defensively and offensively, to help the team, not just when we attack. Thanks to that, PSG became European champions: we all defended and we all attacked.'
Forbes
11-06-2025
- Sport
- Forbes
FC Barcelona Physio: 'Club World Cup Absence Gives Barca Advantage'
Respected FC Barcelona physio Julio Tous agreed with Flashscore that Hansi Flick's men not participating at the upcoming Club World Cup will give them an advantage in 2025/2026. Barca missed out on qualification to the newly-reimagined FIFA tournament, which was once a two-game gig in winter for European clubs that got to the final but has now been changed to a 32-team affair similar to the World Cup at the height of summer. While the cash-strapped Catalans could probably do with winning some of the huge prize money on offer in the United States-held competition, a few figures connected to the Blaugrana have instead shown a preference for resting up. Tous joined that group, and voiced his opinion on the matter when asked by Flashscore to discuss the amount of strength work he does to prevent injuries, which has worked wonders for the likes of a previously-plagued Pedri that is now at the top of his gamewhile niggle free. 'Yes, yes, but [I also do a lot of strength work] to increase performance. Of course I do. In today's football, the number of competitions that take place each year is a real savagery,' Tous said. 'This year, in addition, we have another one, which we do not compete in, fortunately, in the sense of protecting the health of the players. Everyone would like to win the Club World Cup, and of course, it would be ideal, but from the point of view of prevention, it is a problem,' he added. Tous highlighted the case of Inter Milan's Lautaro Martinez and his increased workload last season, which includes going all the way to the Champions League final after beating Barca in the semis, and now competing in the Club World Cup. The Argentine has played 'a number of matches a year with less than five days between them, which was totally unbearable. In other words, it [is] not sustainable over time,' Tous stated. 'What has happened? There was no break on injuries and then the players also tended to lose performance or ability to perform on the pitch over the course of the season. It's logical to understand why, because they were overworked. What countermeasure can you do? Rotation,' he suggested. 'But of course, if you are in a team like Barca, you want to win. So rotation is limited because you want to play with the best players. If you had two squads, you could do it moderately and have some young players play in the cup or something like that. But this measure is complicated,' Tous continued. Above all, Tous agreed that Barca will have an advantage over Club World Cup participants Atletico and Real Madrid when it comes to trying to retain the La Liga title in 2025/2026. 'Yes, we can't deny that there has to be an influence because the number of matches accumulated this season for these two teams is going to be much higher,' he said. 'To that we have to add the games that the national team have. The two games they might have to play, at least. And it's going to be, I don't know whether to call it a drama, but it's going to be very complex to be able to regenerate all that accumulated competitive load in as little time as they have. Because La Liga, if I'm not mistaken, starts in mid-August.' Alongside Tous, head coach Hansi Flick has also touched on FC Barcelona being better off by not going to the Club World Cup, and so too has former president Joan Gaspart in recent weeks. We'll also have to see if that pays off in the Champions League, and not just La Liga next term.
The Sun
10-06-2025
- Business
- The Sun
World's most valuable players revealed as Jude Bellingham leapfrogs Erling Haaland… but lags behind Lamine Yamal
FOOTBALL'S most valuable superstars have been revealed. This summer the Club World Cup has seen the creation of a unique transfer window format, with the shopping window open twice after a closure in the middle. 5 5 5 5 5 June 10 represents the end of the first stage of the window, before it reopens on June 16 and runs through to September 1. And for any clubs looking to splash some serious cash on one of world football 's best stars, figures from Transfermarkt have revealed the current top 10 most valuable players. Kicking the list off at number 10 is the oldest player on the list, Federico Valverde. The 26-year-old has been a top star for Real Madrid for a number of years and consequently he has a huge transfer value of £110million (€130m). The midfielder is one of four Real Madrid Galacticos to be named on the list. Three stars have an identical value of £118m (€140m) from nine down to seven, and are all 22 years of age. Germany stars Jamal Musiala and Florian Wirtz both ply their trade in the Bundesliga for Bayern Munich and Bayer Leverkusen, respectively, while Spain star Pedri plays for Barcelona in La Liga. Pedri's value has increased from £101m in the last edition of the figures in March, no doubt due to Barcelona's league-winning campaign and semi-final Champions League run. However, of the three, only Wirtz has been linked with a mega-money transfer away from his club, with Liverpool trying to find a middle ground with Bayer over a fee. The Reds' latest offer saw them submit an offer worth £113m, although that is still some way short of the £126m Erik ten Hag 's new outfit want to sell. New footage sees raging Jude Bellingham KICK VAR monitor in frustration after Real Madrid's last-gasp defeat The sixth player on the list is valued at £126m (€150m) and is the first English star to be named, Arsenal 's Bukayo Saka. The 23-year-old's ability speaks for itself, and England saw how much they missed his flair and creativity against Andorra at the weekend. Getting into the top five, Brazil superstar Vinicius Jr was previously the joint most expensive star on the list at £169m (€200m). However, a disappointing season that left Real Madrid without a trophy saw his value decrease to £143m (€170m), which now ranks the 24-year-old ranked fifth. Just above him is team-mate Kylian Mbappe, who despite having the same lack of silverware has actually seen his value increase to £152m (€180m). That figure is identical to former Borussia Dortmund duo Erling Haaland and Jude Bellingham. Manchester City ace Haaland, 24, was previously valued at £169m, but like Vinicius, suffered a slight reduction after seeing his club fail to win a major trophy. Bellingham, 21, managed to escape the same fate and has remained on the £152m valuation. However, those figures place the trio behind Barcelona prodigy Lamine Yamal. Yamal is one of the front-runners for the Ballon d'Or as a result of his stellar season for his club. He saw his value increase to now make the 17-year-old the single most expensive player in world football. Yamal only recently signed a new contract with Barcelona that will see him earn £33.5m per year. Cole Palmer narrowly missed out on the top 10 after seeing his value fall to £102m, putting him level with Declan Rice and Alexander Isak. Former Crystal Palace star Michael Olise is now in the top 20 after seeing his value rise to £85m. This matches Alexis Mac Allister and Phil Foden, the latter of whom has lost almost £25m in value. Champions League winners Desire Doue and Khvicha Kvaratskhelia have gone up in value to now be worth £76m, with Ballon d'Or candidate Ousmane Dembele valued the same.
Time of India
09-06-2025
- Sport
- Time of India
Cristiano Ronaldo leads Portugal to second UEFA Nations League title, beat Spain on penalties; become first side to win competition twice
Cristiano Ronaldo's Portugal have now won the UEFA Nations League twice (Image via X/@UEAFEuro & Cristiano) Portugal secured their second UEFA Nations League title by defeating Spain 5-3 on penalties after a 2-2 draw in Munich, with Cristiano Ronaldo scoring a crucial equalizer before being forced off with an injury and watching tearfully as his team made history as the first nation to win the trophy twice. The match began with intense attacking from both sides. João Neves came close for Portugal in the opening minutes, while Spain's Pedri and Nico Williams also threatened early on. Spain took the lead in the 21st minute through Martin Zubimendi, who capitalized on Portugal's failure to clear Lamine Yamal's cross. Portugal equalized five minutes later when Nuno Mendes, who had been battling with Yamal throughout the match, beat Oscar Mingueza and scored his first international goal. Portugal became the first side to win the UEFA Nations League twice (Image via X) Spain regained the advantage just before halftime as Mikel Oyarzabal connected with Pedri's well-timed pass to make it 2-1. Portugal improved after the break with the additions of Rúben Neves and Nelson Semedo. Ronaldo leveled the score again after the hour mark, volleying in Mendes' deflected cross for his 938th career goal. Poll Do you think this was Cristiano Ronaldo's last international trophy? Yes, he won't reach a final again No, more to come! Despite Ronaldo's late injury exit, Portugal continued to press in extra time. Semedo missed an opportunity, while Rafael Leao's speed caused problems for Spain's defense. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Costco Shoppers Say This $7 Generic Cialis Is Actually Worth It Friday Plans Get Offer Undo Diogo Jota nearly won it with a late header. The penalty shootout that followed saw both teams convert their first three attempts. The breakthrough came when Portuguese goalkeeper Diogo Costa saved Álvaro Morata's effort. Ruben Neves then stepped up to convert the decisive penalty, securing Portugal's victory and their second Nations League crown.
