Sport
Cristiano Ronaldo Turns Down Club World Cup Offer to Focus on Al-Nassr
Cristiano Ronaldo has reportedly turned down an offer from River Plate head coach Marcelo Gallardo to join the Argentine side for the upcoming 2025 FIFA Club World Cup. Gallardo revealed that he personally reached out to Ronaldo through a mutual friend to explore the possibility of having the Portuguese star feature for River Plate in the tournament.
The two have a bit of history—Gallardo previously managed Ronaldo during a 2023 friendly in Saudi Arabia when he coached a Riyadh All-Stars team in a match against Paris Saint-Germain. Speaking ahead of River Plate’s clash with Monterrey, Gallardo told ESPN that their conversation earlier this year was casual but meaningful.
“In March, we spoke informally,” he said. “I asked if he would be interested in playing the Club World Cup. A player like him, who defined an era—it made sense to ask.” Gallardo added that Ronaldo appreciated the gesture and gave it serious thought but ultimately turned it down. The reason? He wanted to focus fully on getting ready for the new season with Al-Nassr.
Despite the rejection, Gallardo praised Ronaldo’s professionalism and character, saying they’ve kept a respectful relationship since their brief time working together. While fans won’t get to see Ronaldo in a River Plate shirt, the story shows the kind of admiration he still commands globally—even from clubs outside Europe.
Former Chelsea player Didier Drogba shares a tribute to Galatasaray player Victor Osimhen’s mother.
During a recent interview, the player stated to Osimhen while sharing a tribute to his mother,
“Told you, you have an army of Lions with you, Victor Osimhen. Condolences and stay strong.”
It can be noted that Osimhen shared in an interview that he lost his mum at a young age and has just been growing up with his dad.
After this interview, many shared tributes to his mum and shared support to the player that he is doing well.
Bayer Leverkusen manager, Kasper Hjulmand, reveals the team to be the best in Europe right now.
Ahead of the team match this Wednesday evening, the manager was speaking in an interview where he later stated that Arsenal is the best team right now.
“Arsenal are perhaps the best team in Europe at the moment. They finished first in the league phase of the UEFA Champions League and won all their games, scored the most goals and conceded the fewest.”
He then speaks on what he expected from the team match against Arsenal “Arsenal are the clear favourites. But we’ve already shown this season against many big teams like Manchester City, Borussia Dortmund and RB Leipzig that we can beat them. And as we all know, anything is possible in football.”
The president of the DR Congo Football Federation, Jean-Guy Blaise Mayolas, has reportedly been arrested over charges of financial offences made.
It was reported that the president was given life imprisonment. The arrest went with an 8-month investigation of the corruption allegations made against him.
Some of the charges included money laundering, embezzlement, forgery, and the use of falsified documents.
Fans and observers of this news speak out on how this arrest and allegation may bring a bad reputation for the country’s sports organisation.
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