List of All Articles with Tag 'al'

It may be of scant consolation in the Ruhr Valley but Borussia Dortmund’s status as the footballing world’s preeminent feeder club seems cemented. A few days before Erling Haaland, their 2022 flagship sale, played in a Champions League final, there was confirmation that Jude Bellingham, his 2023 counterpart, is going to serial Champions League winners Real Madrid. He was perhaps overshadowed by the Miami-bound Lionel Messi but it probably still represents the summer’s most momentous transfer. There have been times over the last two seasons when Real have seemed to be mounting a lone campaign to prevent the Premier League from dominating Europe; they eliminated three English opponents last season and two this before the emphatic 4-0 defeat to Manchester City. It doesn’t quite reverse the scoreline, but as City were also suitors for Bellingham, Real gained revenge of sorts. Perhaps they are never more potent in the transfer market than when hammered on the pitch: in 2009, after being thrashed 4-0 by Liverpool, they went out and bought Cristiano Ronaldo, Karim Benzema, Xabi Alonso and Kaka. Fourteen years and five Champions Leagues later, Benzema is finally leaving. That Bellingham is still a teenager, if only for a few weeks, opens up the prospect of a sequel, a continuum of success. Maybe a generational talent will help swing the balance of power back to where it has often resided, in the Bernabeu. It also shows that his is a career unlike any other English player: even if the Premier League eventually does beckon, it will only be after playing in the Championship, the Bundesliga and La Liga. There is an English trait towards insularity, but Bellingham feels increasingly cosmopolitan. And Real still seem the ultimate destination club. In a world of various rivalries – England versus mainland Europe, new money against old – the siren call of Spain’s two superpowers remains strong. Being Real – or Barcelona – comes with certain advantages; they have long exerted a gravitational pull for Spanish, Portuguese and South American footballers but Bellingham is proof it still extends beyond them. It also confers an economic advantage. If Barcelona’s current financial strategy is to get everything and everyone on the cheap, Real may have got Bellingham for a relative bargain. Sizeable as an initial fee of £86 million is, it is less than many anticipated. When Liverpool bowed out of the race for him, the sense was that Bellingham could go for £130 million; even £86 million would have been beyond Liverpool’s parameters, as some other clubs had already concluded, while Manchester United’s need for a striker meant he could not be their top priority. It may have only left a market of two: Real and City. In his own way, Bellingham is the anti-Haaland. Whereas there was a clear vacancy for a centre-forward in Manchester, there is congestion in the queue for midfield spots in Madrid. Carlo Ancelotti might be the greatest diplomat of his age. He might also need to be, with the next generation of Bellingham, Eduardo Camavinga, Aurelien Tchouameni and Federico Valverde, while there is also the ancien regime of Toni Kroos and Luka Modric to placate. In one respect, it may have been better for Real had Bellingham joined in 2024 when one or both of Modric and Kroos could leave. In the meantime, even the compromises of fielding Camavinga at left-back and Valverde on the right wing may not shield the reality each has a compelling case to start in midfield in the major matches. Six into three does not go. Nevertheless, Real still look masters of succession planning. It is a way in which they have reinvented themselves. Vinicius Junior is proof they are now signing Galacticos before they become Galacticos and, for all his talent, Bellingham has not yet gravitated to the level of fame players such as Zinedine Zidane and David Beckham had when Real bought them. But it is notable that Bellingham joins as perhaps the last of the old-school Galacticos goes: Eden Hazard was the trophy signing, the €100 million man who left on a free transfer. Real got four goals in La Liga from Hazard over four seasons and if injuries rendered him and them luckless, Bellingham offers the prospect of more longevity and resale value as well as a greater impact. Hazard apart, Real have been smart buyers in recent years, with a judicious mix of long-term investments, astute free transfers and players acquired for less than their actual value. They have debunked their own dishonest rationale for trying to found the Super League by handling transition within the existing parameters of their budget, and perhaps emerging stronger at the end of it. Now Real are simultaneously delaying the future with Kroos and Modric, being forced into it by Benzema’s departure and preparing almost perfectly for it. They seem to have the midfield for the 2020s. If, in due course, Bellingham is joined at the Bernabeu by either Haaland or Kylian Mbappe, they may have the forward for the decade, too. Read More Jude Bellingham to become the eighth Brit to play for Real Madrid Lionel Messi to Inter Miami: Apple deal, MLS contract, salary, debut and everything we know The trick that made Erling Haaland the ultimate finisher – in more ways than one

Manchester City reached the pinnacle of the European game with victory in the Champions League final on Saturday, which also saw them complete the treble. Here, the PA news agency looks at what could come next for the club. Could this be the first of many European triumphs for City? The club will certainly hope so. While winning the Champions League may have been a long-held ambition and the culmination of everything hitherto done in a now 15-year project under Abu Dhabi ownership, it was not a one-off target. The club have advanced considerably on and off the field and they intend to establish themselves firmly among the continent’s heavyweights. Winning every season is obviously not realistic but they want reaching the latter stages each time to become the norm. Will Pep Guardiola carry on at the helm? The inspirational Catalan has been the central factor in City’s success. The club identified Guardiola as the man to bring them European glory long before they even appointed him and their set-up is tailored to him. Their trust in him has paid off handsomely and they will naturally want him to stay as long as possible. There is uncertainty as Guardiola has never favoured long-term commitments. All his contract renewals at City have been relatively short. After winning the Champions League there is a feeling he could see his business as done when his current deal expires in 2025. On the other hand, he does seem firmly wedded to the City project and spoke on Saturday of not wanting the club to win one Champions League “and disappear”. City fans can expect at least a couple more campaigns from him. Will he need to reshape the team? With the way City have charged through the closing stages of the season to sweep up three trophies, there would seem little reason to make major changes. A specialist left-back would be desirable after Joao Cancelo left on loan in January and seems likely to move on, but that position has been a recurring problem throughout Guardiola’s tenure and has hardly hindered them. Some new signings may be necessary if the influential pair of Ilkay Gundogan and Bernardo Silva leave. Gundogan is out of contract this summer and yet to commit while Silva is apparently open to a new challenge and could go if a suitable offer arrived. City are hopeful both will stay, however. Other than that, there seem no pressing issues. Can they maintain their standards? It would surely be impossible for City to remain at the same level they have been this season. Last year Liverpool produced a very high standard and came within a whisker of winning the quadruple but, after their exertions took their toll, fell away this term. City will be anxious to ensure any downturn is not as dramatic. Five Premier League titles in six years, however, suggests Guardiola has a good idea how to prevent this. There is an elephant in the room though isn’t there? Yes. The Premier League’s Financial Fair Play investigation into City may be out of sight at times but it has not gone away. City are facing more than 100 charges for alleged rule breaches. This could loom over them for some considerable time but, with little clarity over the process or the nature of the charges, it will be business as usual in the meantime. Read More Charity boss speaks out over ‘traumatic’ encounter with royal aide Ukraine war’s heaviest fight rages in east - follow live Zach Mercer and Danny Care included in England World Cup training squad Football rumours: Wilfried Zaha eyes move to Paris St Germain On this day in 2019: Chris Froome ruled out of Tour de France after crash

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Jonnie Irwin has opened up about why he hasn’t told his three children that he has terminal cancer. The A Place in the Sun presenter, 49, publicly revealed his diagnosis in November 2022 after his lung cancer spread to his brain. However, his young sons, who he shares with wife Jessica Holmes, do not know that their father is dying. Irwin says it would be difficult for them to understand his situation at this age: his eldest son Rex is four-and-a-half, while twins Rafa and Cormac are turning three this month. In a new interview with Hello! magazine ahead of Father’s Day, Irwin said: “I keep being asked, ‘Are you going to tell them?’ but tell them what? “It would be horrible news that they’d have to get their heads around. And it would confuse the hell out of Rex – he’s got a shocking enough day coming. Let’s bury our heads in the sand for as long as possible.” In the meantime, Irwin and Holmes are trying to give their children a sense of normalcy by continuing to teach and play with them. Holmes described the presenter as a “great dad and a big kid himself”, adding: “All the boys gravitate to him when they want to show off and get his attention. They’re aware that Jonnie needs his rest and can’t always jump up and play football for hours, but they’re more than happy snuggled up on the sofa, watching a movie. “Story time is a big thing at bedtime and that is something I know Jonnie treasures with them.” In November, when Irwin first revealed his diagnosis, he said Rex “doesn’t need to know” about his illness yet. “We make fun of my hair – he calls it my ‘spiky head’ – but as far as he’s concerned, his dad is normal and why would I shatter that innocence?” Earlier this month, Irwin was admitted to hospital to be “monitored” as his treatment continues. He shared in an Instagram post that he was admitted to keep an eye on a “changeover in my pain management regime”. In an appearance on the OneChat podcast by insurer AIG Life, Irwin said he had been close to dying “at least twice”. “You lose your memory, you lose your patience. I have got a very short temper. It’s not made me a better person, that’s for sure,” he admitted. However, Irwin emphasised that he prefers to think of his situation as “living with cancer, rather than dying from cancer”. Read More A Place In The Sun’s Jonnie Irwin admitted to hospital amid terminal diagnosis Jonnie Irwin says he’s been ‘close to death’s door twice, at least’ Jonnie Irwin says going public with terminal cancer diagnosis was day he began ‘living again’

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