Sport
Lamine Yamal Thanks Xavi for Letting him Play for Barcelona and Win La Liga
Barcelona’s young star, Lamine Yamal, has expressed gratitude to former manager Xavi for giving him the chance to begin his journey with the senior team. Yamal shared his appreciation after helping Barcelona secure the 2024/25 La Liga title with a 2-0 victory over Espanyol, where he and Fermin Lopez each found the back of the net.
Reflecting on his breakthrough, the 17-year-old said the title win wouldn’t have been possible without Xavi’s trust in young talent. “I want to thank Xavi. None of this would have happened without him,” Yamal said after the game. “He believed in us and gave us the chance to step onto the big stage.”
He added that he remains deeply grateful for Xavi’s role in shaping his path. Xavi, a legendary figure at Barcelona both as a player and coach, had previously handed Yamal his first-team debut before stepping down from his role.
Super Eagles defender Calvin Bassey has opened up about a difficult period in his career, revealing that he almost stepped away from football.
Speaking during a recent interview, Bassey shared that he once made a personal promise to himself to quit pursuing football professionally if he failed to secure a spot at a professional club.
“I remember being 15 and going into my final year, and I told myself that if I didn’t get into a professional club, I would quit football. It was that simple,” he said.
“I would just stop pursuing it seriously and only play for fun. Thank God I eventually got a club, because I honestly don’t know where I would be otherwise.”
It has been reported that the Confederation of African Football (CAF) fined Egypt $5,000 following their clash with Zimbabwe for failing to manage post-match media obligations.
It was noted that after the match, the Egyptian players ignored the media. This action was said to be a violation of CAF’s media regulations, which led to the fine being imposed.
Head of the Super Eagles, Eric Chelle, shared that the big-name players on the team are not happy about being benched.
He recalled when he took out Samuel Chukwueze during the match against Tanzania.
“Yes, of course, we’ve in this team a lot of big names. They are competitors; they aren’t happy when they go to the bench,” Chelle said at his post-match interview.”
“My job is to make choices, and we’re playing a 4-4-2 diamond, and at this moment I feel we have to protect the wing.”
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Super Eagles Star Calvin Bassey Opens Up on Nearly Walking Away from Football
