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Mason Greenwood’s Getafe debut met with chants calling for him to die

Mason Greenwood was greeted with chants calling for him to die from visiting supporters as he returned to the field for the first time in a year and a half but was defended by his own fans – and inside seven minutes had won the corner from which Getafe scored the winner against Osasuna at the Coliseum Alfonso Pérez.

Greenwood’s new coach José Bordalás admitted he was “pleasantly surprised” after the on-loan Manchester United forward produced an impressive 25-minute debut in the 3-2 win despite not having played since January last year.

Bordalás also apologised for a “misunderstanding” in which he mistakenly claimed that Jude Bellingham had encouraged Greenwood to come to Spain.

“Mason is a great player, we have a lot of trust in him and I think it will be very positive for Getafe and for Spanish football,” he said.

Greenwood was charged with attempted rape, controlling and coercive behaviour and assault in October 2022 after allegations were made against him online. The charges, which he denied, were dropped by the Crown Prosecution Service in February.

Despite that, United did not return him to the squad, meaning that his last game was a 1-0 win over West Ham over a year earlier, in January 2022. But he showed little sign of inactivity in his first game since joining Getafe on a year’s long loan the final day of the transfer window.

When he was introduced with the score 2-2 in the 77th minute of a game in which there would be almost 13 minutes of added time, a small pocket of Osasuna supporters briefly chanted “Greenwood, muérete!” [Greenwood die].

They were immediately drowned out by whistles from the Getafe fans, who were left excited by a debut in which Greenwood showed flashes of speed and a willingness to run at opponents. Every time he got the ball, there was a sense of anticipation around the ground. Playing off the front to the right, he had already gone at his full back twice when a shot was charged down, earning Getafe the corner from which Nemanja Maksimovic headed an 85th-minute winner.

The Osasuna coach Jagoba Arrasate described those chants as “very bad”.

“We’re pleasantly surprised by him,” Bordalás said. “Today was a difficult game that was very back and forth. He helped us in attack and in defence too. He showed solidarity with his team, and he surprised us [physically]. We are still working with him, as he has gone many months without playing. We will talk this calmly. I imagine today will have been special for him and he will have the satisfaction of feeling like a footballer again. What a footballer wants is to compete, to play.”

Bordalás added: “I only talk about the sporting side of things. Today what I take with me is the expectation of the fans, because he is a great player. We are happy [with him]. He has integrated well, taking into account how little time he has been here. It’s true that the language is a handicap but we are helping him a lot. He is taking lessons with a teacher and we are trying to accelerate his Spanish. His behaviour has been very good. He comes with enthusiasm and the desire to improve.”

Those chants from the Osasuna fans, while very brief, may be an indicator of the kind of reception Greenwood could face in some grounds. But, asked if was prepared for the charges Greenwood faced to follow him around this season and to deal with similar moments, the Getafe manager said: “What happened and what people say is something we’re not part of.

“As I said after the Real Madrid game, we can only talk about sporting issues and we’re happy there. We think this [loan spell] is good for him, good for Getafe and good for football.”

Bordalás also took the opportunity to withdraw comments in an interview in which he suggested Bellingham had played a part in Greenwood coming to La Liga.

“I said that Mason had come to Getafe because he had spoken to Jude Bellingham. I have had that clarified. It has been confirmed to me that it was not like that, that was nothing to do with it,” the Getafe manager said, unprompted, after the game. “I want to say sorry. I have communicated that [apology] internally too. Mason came here another way: because of our interest, because he was offered to us and we were very interested.”

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King Ademola Lookman Brings Out His Love

Like his father opened up, Ademola Lookman is essentially a private person, who prefers to do his stuff without all the media blitz.

But on one of his biggest days, when he was crowned Africa’s best player, he could not but make the first public appearance with the woman in his life – Jayda Love.

‘Adebobo’ would even steal a moment on his big night to kiss his American beau.

The 27-year-old Super Eagles star is still single.

Rumours of this romance first surfaced in the summer when the couple appeared to have spent the holidays together.

This was after ‘Mola’ scored his unforgettable hat-trick for Atalanta to win the UEFA Europa League in super style.

Jayda, an Information Technology specialist is based in Dallas, Texas, graduated from the University of Oklahoma in 2021 with a degree in public relations.

She follows Ademola Lookman and his foundation on social media.

She is also known to have visited him at his Italian base.

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FIFA Rankings: Nigeria’s Super Eagles End 2024 Ahead Of Ghana, South Africa, Cameroon

Nigeria’s Super Eagles have ended 2024 ranked as Africa’s fifth-best team in FIFA’s latest global standings, released Thursday morning, Soccernet.ng reports.

Despite a challenging end to the year that saw the team drop eight places to 44th globally, the Super Eagles still managed to hold their own against eternal continental rivals like South Africa, Cameroon, and Ghana.

This year’s ranking represents a mixed bag for Nigeria. While the team retained its fifth spot in Africa, their decline in global rankings was driven by underwhelming performances in key fixtures.

Most notably, the Super Eagles struggled during the final rounds of the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) qualifiers, securing just a solitary point in lackluster outings against the Benin Republic and Rwanda.

Nigeria were forced to a scored draw by the Cheetahs in Abidjan only for Samuel Chukwueze’s excellent strike to end up as consolation in a 2-1 home defeat to the Wasps.

Looking at year-to-year standings, at this time in 2023, Nigeria’s Super Eagles were ranked 42nd in the world but sixth on the continent.

Elsewhere, South Africa’s Bafana Bafana showed marked improvement, climbing th

Cameroon and Ghana, however, endured disappointing campaigns. Ghana’s Black Stars finished the year ranked 77th, a stark reminder of the ongoing struggles within the Black Stars setup.

At the continental summit, Morocco retained their status as the continent’s best, finishing as Africa’s top-ranked team in 14th place globally.

Senegal (17th), Egypt (33rd), and Algeria (37th) rounded out the top four, with Côte d’Ivoire, Cameroon, Mali, Tunisia, and South Africa completing the top 10.

Globally, Argentina retained their position as FIFA’s top-ranked team, followed by France, Spain, England, and Brazil.

With 1,181 international matches played across the calendar year, the rankings reflected consistent dominance from the world’s elite teams.

As Nigeria enter 2025, all eyes will be on the Super Eagles to reignite their competitive spark, with the World Cup qualifiers returning in the first quarter of the year.

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Mbappé: Would Have Been ‘Fun’ To Play With Cristiano Ronaldo

Kylian Mbappé has said he wishes he could have played with Real Madrid legend Cristiano Ronaldo, the club’s all-time leading scorer.

The France international has been a teammate of other football icons but would have relished playing alongside Ronaldo, the five-time Ballon d’Or winner and Portugal captain.

“I’ve played with great players: Lionel Messi, Neymar, [Antoine] Griezmann, [Paul] Pogba, [Karim] Benzema…” Mbappé told BeINsports.

“It would have been fun to play with Cristiano Ronaldo — it’s going to be very difficult now — but I was lucky enough to play against him, a legend of the sport.”

Ronaldo, 39, left the Spanish giants in 2018 now plays for Saudi Pro-League side Al Nassr.

Mbappé helped Madrid win the Intercontinental Cup on Wednesday, his second title since joining the Spanish giants in the summer after his contract with Paris Saint-Germain expired.

Speaking to young people with disabilities as part of the BeUNITED program, Mbappe, 25, said he would have never left Paris Saint-Germain had it not been to join Madrid.

“I went to the biggest club in the world,” the 2018 World Cup winner said.

“I have always said that it was the only club I would have left PSG for. If I hadn’t been able to go to Madrid, I would have stayed at PSG all my life.”

Although Mbappé has been prolific for Madrid so far, he has faced criticism for his all-round performances with the team having suffered some high-profile defeats earlier in the season.

“Since I was 14, everyone told me I was going to be great,” Mbappé said.

“But when you’re big, sometimes you feel small…At first I was too hungry and it played tricks on me because I was impatient. But I have passion and this competitive side.

“My dream now is to win trophies with my team, not individual awards. What great title is left for me? The Champions League, but I’m in the best club in the world for that.”