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Former Manchester United defender is interim Republic of Ireland coach

Former Manchester United defender John O’Shea has been appointed interim head coach of the Republic of Ireland.

The 42-year-old, who won 118 caps for the Republic, was an assistant coach under previous manager Stephen Kenny and with the Under-21 side.

Kenny left the role in November after failing to qualify for Euro 2024.

The Football Association of Ireland (FAI) has also confirmed Kenny’s permanent replacement will be appointed in “early April”.

O’Shea will lead the team in the friendlies against Belgium and Switzerland in March and will be supported by Crystal Palace assistant coach Paddy McCarthy.

The former Sunderland defender had coaching spells with Reading and Stoke City before joining former Manchester United team-mate Wayne Rooney’s backroom team at Birmingham City.

He left the Championship club in January following Rooney’s dismissal as head coach.

O’Shea, who retired from playing in 2019, said it will be an “incredible honour” to lead the Republic in next month’s friendlies.

“I’ve always had immense pride representing my country, whether that be during my playing career or as part of the coaching staff,” said O’Shea, who won five Premier League titles and a Champions League during 12 years at Old Trafford.

“It’s great Paddy has agreed to come on board for the two matches and work will begin straight away to prepare for two top-quality fixtures against great opposition in front of our fantastic home support.

“I’ve got great belief in this group of players.”

FAI director of football Marc Canham said last week that the organisation was “getting closer” to appointing Kenny’s successor.

Ex-Wales manager Chris Coleman was among the leading candidates for the role, having held talks with the FAI, but he is no longer in contention for the job.

England Under-21 coach Lee Carsley, a former Republic of Ireland midfielder, and ex-Celtic manager Neil Lennon have also been linked with the post.

However, BBC Sport understands Lennon has been told by the FAI he will not be their next manager.

While confirming O’Shea’s interim appointment, Canham said he was “pleased” that the process to find Kenny’s replacement was “nearing completion”.

“John has developed a strong level of excellent coaching experience across both domestic and international football and has recently been involved at both Under-21 and senior level with Ireland alongside his considerable achievements as an international player and in his club career,” said Canham.

“John knows this group of players extremely well and with the support and expertise of Paddy, we believe this team are the right choice for the interim period.”

The Republic, who won just six out of 29 competitive matches under Kenny, face Belgium in Dublin on 23 March before hosting the Swiss three days later.

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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.”