Sport
Shkodran Mustafi Retires from Football, Embarks on Coaching Journey with German U-17 Team
Former Arsenal defender and World Cup winner Shkodran Mustafi has retired from professional football and taken up a coaching role.
The ex-German international, who spent last season as a free agent following his departure from Levante, will now serve as the assistant manager for Germany’s Under-17 national team under head coach Marc Meister, starting July 1.
Reflecting on his career transition, Mustafi expressed, “Coaching has been on my mind for a while. It’s unfortunate that my playing days ended sooner than I anticipated, but I’m thrilled about the opportunity ahead.
I look forward to taking my first steps as a coach with the DFB and passing on my experiences from my time with the U15s, U21s, and the senior national team to the young players.”
Mustafi, who was capped 20 times for Germany between 2014 and 2017 and played for Arsenal from 2016 to 2021, will now focus on nurturing the next generation of football talent in his new role.
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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