Sport
Casemiro Reveals He Asked Real Madrid to Sign Mbappé
Manchester United midfielder Casemiro has revealed that he personally urged Real Madrid president Florentino Pérez to sign Kylian Mbappé after facing him in the 2021/22 UEFA Champions League Round of 16.
At the time, Casemiro was a key player for Real Madrid and was left impressed by Mbappé’s performance when Paris Saint-Germain took on Madrid. He was nearly unstoppable, scoring in both legs of the tie.
He netted PSG’s only goal in the first leg and then added another at the Santiago Bernabéu, giving his team a 2-0 aggregate lead.
Despite his efforts, Madrid pulled off a dramatic comeback, with Karim Benzema’s second-half hat-trick sealing a 3-2 aggregate victory for Carlo Ancelotti’s side. Madrid went on to win the Champions League that season, beating Liverpool 1-0 in the final.
Looking back on that intense battle, Casemiro admitted in an interview with Diario AS that he was so impressed by Mbappé’s performance that he spoke directly to Florentino Pérez, urging him to sign the French star.
“Did I ask for Mbappé to be signed after the match at the Parc des Princes? Yes. I spoke to the president and told him: ‘Sign him, it’s impossible to stop him,’” Casemiro said.
Two years later, Mbappé finally joined Real Madrid on a free transfer, while Casemiro left the club in 2022 to join Manchester United.
Former footballer Thierry Henry has shared his thoughts on Arsenal’s match following their loss to Atlético Madrid on October 13.
Speaking during a brief interview on CBS Sports, Henry criticised the practice of players or coaches expressing certain opinions through the media instead of addressing issues directly within the dressing room.
“I’m not a coach anymore, but I always say, whoever speaks like that, out. Keep that in the dressing room, it’s as simple as that,” Henry said on CBS Sports.
“That is the only way it can work. You have to say those things to a person’s face… going through the press, I am not really a fan of that.”
Paris Saint-Germain manager Luis Enrique has shared his thoughts on the 2026 Ballon d’Or award, revealing that he hopes the winner will come from his team.
The manager spoke about how hard his players have worked and expressed his belief that they deserve the recognition.
“What I hope is that we win this trophy. We have players who deserve it.”
“Last year, we were the best team. We showed that it wasn’t just Ousmane Dembélé who deserved it.”
French football pundit Walid Acherchour has named Lamine Yamal as his pick to win the 2026 Ballon d’Or, sparking reactions among football fans.
Acherchour’s choice came as a surprise to some fans, who expected him to support fellow Frenchman Kylian Mbappé instead.
Speaking about his prediction, Acherchour expressed confidence in Yamal’s chances of winning the prestigious individual award.
“For me, Lamine Yamal, he is going to get it [2026 Ballon d’Or]. For me, there’s no doubt anymore,” Acherchour said, as quoted by Actu Foot. That start to the season shows that in fact, he was injured during the World Cup. He was the best player in La Liga, and he won the World Cup.
“Even if, for me, in fact, he doesn’t have the Ballon d’Or unanimously because his World Cup was average, even being average, he won it with Spain. He won La Liga with Barça.”
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