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Neymar credits Ronaldo as catalyst for Saudi League transformation

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Neymar has credited Cristiano Ronaldo for kickstarting the remarkable transformation of the Saudi Pro League, while the Brazilian forward said he was extremely motivated to deliver success for Al Hilal.

Neymar, 31, completed a blockbuster move from Paris Saint-Germain to Hilal earlier this week, shattering the Saudi Pro League (SPL) transfer record to become the latest high-profile player to move to the kingdom during an unprecedented summer transfer window.

The Brazil captain follows the likes of Ballon d’Or holder Karim Benzema, World Cup winner N’Golo Kante, Manchester City treble-winner Riyad Mahrez, and former Liverpool quartet Jordan Henderson, Sadio Mane, Roberto Firmino and Fabinho in moving to the Saudi Pro League this summer.

Neymar joins a Hilal side who have made several stunning deals of their own. The Riyadh giants, the most successful club in Saudi football, have broken the league transfer record three times this window, first by recruiting Portuguese midfielder Ruben Neves from Wolves and again with the signing of Brazilian winger Malcom from Zenit St Petersburg, before Neymar completed the hat-trick.

Former Chelsea and Napoli defender Kalidou Koulibaly and midfielder Sergej Milinkovic-Savic, previously of Lazio, will also be Neymar’s teammates.

It was Ronaldo, though, who seemingly paved the way when he joined Al Nassr in December last year, while the involvement of Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund in the league’s four biggest clubs has allowed this transformative summer to take place.

“I believe Cristiano Ronaldo started all of this and everybody called him ‘crazy’, and this and that. Today you see the league grow more and more,” Neymar said in his first interview since joining Hilal, adding that he’s excited to take on the Portuguese superstar and the rest of the big players in the league.

“It is exciting, meeting top quality players on the other teams thrills you, and motivates you to play even better,” he said. “And it is a given when you face Ronaldo, Benzema, Firmino, that the excitement is even greater. So I am happy to join this league, facing them will be wonderful, it will be fantastic.”

Neymar, who signed a two-year contract with Hilal, undoubtedly adds even greater star power to the SPL, arriving with one of the most glittering records in world football which comprises 22 major club trophies for Santos, Barcelona, and PSG including seven league titles, the Uefa Champions League, and Copa Libertadores.

He is therefore the ideal fit for Hilal – the most successful club in Asian football with 66 trophies, including 18 league titles and four Asian Champions League titles, but Neymar insisted the focus is on the present and future.

“The league will be very competitive, especially after the signings made in the summer transfer window,” he said. “I believe competitiveness is important. That’s why I am joining this league. I am driven by challenges. I am there to help the league grow.”

Neymar is accustomed to playing alongside some of the most talented players in the world; at Hilal it will be no different, and he revealed the squad was a key factor in his decision to join the club.

“I think it is very important to have quality in the squad,” he said. “Obviously it helps in some decisions you take throughout your career. It was certainly for me. I am very excited to write a new story chasing all the objectives with the club and my teammates – winning more and more titles and fulfilling the club’s ambition. I am very excited in that regard.”

Neymar has not played a competitive match since March having been sidelined with a long-term ankle injury which required surgery. He did, however, participate in part of PSG’s pre-season as the Brazilian aims to regain fitness and he hopes both he and Hilal will continue to improve as the season progresses.

“It is a step-by-step process, training session after training session, game after game. We will grow more and more,” he said. “It is difficult to come and say ‘we are going to win’ before starting our work. That’s what I believe. To start work immediately, our objective is to win championships, win titles and surely reach the highest summit. It’s the fans aspiration, so that’s what we are aiming for.”

As for playing in front of Hilal fans, who help make the club one of the best-supported sides in Asia, Neymar said: “I believe when it comes to football, we have similar passion to that of Al Hilal fans. They can expect all the effort from me on the pitch. I will give my best for the club. Our goal is winning titles.”

Neymar not only becomes the latest Brazilian to join the SPL this summer, but continues an impressive tradition of Brazilian players to represent Hilal, following in the footsteps of of 1970 World Cup winner Rivellino. Since then, more than 30 Brazilian players have played for the Riyadh club.

“Of course a lot of Brazil will be watching the league,” Neymar said. “Obviously I will be there and I expect all Brazilians and everybody following league to support Al Hilal! The message I have for them is I will do my best to make them enjoy football, our goal is winning all titles.”

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Meet Thomas Tuchel’s Brazilian Girlfriend 13 Years His Junior After Divorcing wife

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Thomas Tuchel’s Brazilian girlfriend is Natalie Max, who became the England manager’s partner after the German coach divorced his former wife in 2022.

Tuchel, who was officially announced as the new head coach of the Three Lions on Wednesday to replace Gareth Southgate, has been dating Max for over two years.

Max is 13 years younger than Tuchel and it is believed that the duo have been in a relationship since May 2022, just a month after his marriage ended in April 2022.

Here’s everything you need to know about Tuchel’s love life since his divorce with former wife Sissi.

Who is Thomas Tuchel’s current girlfriend Natalie Max?
Natalie Guerriero Max is the 37-year-old girlfriend of England head coach Thomas Tuchel.

The Brazilian brunette has worked as a director at consulting agency Natexo since March 2014.

Max, who has two children from a previous relationship as well as a pet dog, lives in London and it is thought that things got ‘serious’ with Tuchel in July 2022 when they went on holiday together to Sardinia.

‘Tuchel and Natalie are smitten with each other,’ a friend told the Daily Mail two years ago. ‘They’ve been spending a lot of quality time together in west London.

‘Tuchel is really lovely and has made Natalie’s friends feel welcome, he’s definitely in this for the long haul.’

Who is Thomas Tuchel’s ex-wife Sissi and do they have any children?

Thomas Tuchel was married to his ex-wife Sisi for 13 years. They divorced in April 2022 after they ‘exhausted all avenues’ and there was no hope of a reconciliation.

The couple had two daughters – Emma and Kim – and the family set up a home in Cobham, Surrey when Tuchel became Chelsea’s head coach in 2021.

It was reported that Sissi, a journalist, gave up her job at German newspaper Süddeutsche Zeitung to focus on raising the two children.

Sissi was an ‘integral part’ of Tuchel’s inner circle and was seen running across the pitch when the German led Chelsea to glory in the 2021 Champions League final.

Culled from Metro.co.uk

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England Finally Named New Manger After Guardiola Declined

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Italian coaching legend Fabio Capello tore down Thomas Tuchel for ‘incredible mistakes’ in the Champions League semi-final as Bayern Munich

Thomas Tuchel was named England’s new manager on Wednesday, with the German set to start on January 1, 2025.

The 51-year-old, who has been out of work since leaving Bayern Munich at the end of last season, succeeds Englishman Gareth Southgate as permanent coach and becomes the third foreign manager of the Three Lions after Sven-Goran Eriksson and Fabio Capello.

A former coach of Chelsea, Borussia Dortmund, Paris Saint-Germain, and Bayern Munich, Tuchel has the trophy-winning pedigree that the FA is seeking to help end a 58-year wait to win a major tournament.

However, the move has drawn criticism over the FA’s unwillingness to trust an Englishman with its top job.

Tuchel will be assisted by English coach Anthony Barry, who worked alongside him at Bayern Munich.

“I am very proud to have been given the honour of leading the England team,” Tuchel said in a FA statement.

“I have long felt a personal connection to the game in this country, and it has given me some incredible moments already. To have the chance to represent England is a huge privilege, and the opportunity to work with this special and talented group of players is very exciting.”

Tuchel won league titles at PSG and Bayern and the German Cup with Dortmund, but his greatest success came during his time in English football at Chelsea.

He led the Blues to Champions League glory just months after taking charge in 2021 and also won the UEFA Super Cup and Club World Cup with the London club.

Tuchel was sacked in September 2022 in a bold early move by Chelsea’s new ownership group that did not pay off.

He becomes the permanent successor to Southgate, who led the Three Lions to back-to-back finals of the European Championship, plus a World Cup semi-final and quarter-final in his four major tournaments in charge.

England are still yet to win a major men’s tournament since the 1966 World Cup on home soil.

“We are thrilled to have hired Thomas Tuchel, one of the best coaches in the world,” said FA CEO Mark Bullingham.

“Since Gareth resigned, we have worked through the candidate pool, meeting a number of coaches and evaluating them against that criteria.

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Senegal, Egypt Seal 2025 AFCON Ticket, Ghana In Dilemma

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A 96th-minute winner from Sadio Mané earned Senegal a 1-0 win over Malawi and a place at the Africa Cup of Nations finals in Morocco next year, but Ghana are in serious danger of missing out after a surprise loss to Sudan on Tuesday.

Senegal had 30 attempts at goal against their hosts but it took until the final seconds for Mané to seal victory with a 25-yard free kick that curled into the bottom corner of the net.

The 2021 winners, who recently parted ways with long-time coach Aliou Cissé, join Burkina Faso as the qualified nations from group L in the 24-team finals with two more matches to play in the November international window.

Ghana slumped to a 2-0 loss against Sudan in neutral Libya as Ahmed Al-Tash and Mohamed Abdel Rahman scored within three minutes of each other in the second half.

Ghana look set to miss a first continental finals since 2004 having managed a paltry two points from their four games, five adrift of the qualification positions with a difficult trip to pool leaders Angola next up.

Angola sealed their place with a 1-0 win over Niger in Casablanca thanks to Zini’s first-minute goal.

Record seven-time winners Egypt cruised to a place in the finals with a 1-0 win over Mauritania. Ibrahim Adel got the only goal of the game five minutes from the end.

Democratic Republic of Congo qualified with a 2-0 victory in Tanzania as Meschack Elia scored a brace, but defending champions Ivory Coast suffered a shock 1-0 loss to Sierra Leone after Amadou Bakayoko’s 85th-minute winner.

The Ivorians remain top of their group and will be favourites to book their place next month.

Coach Avram Grant’s Zambia claimed an important 1-0 win over Chad to take a big step towards qualification thanks to Kennedy Musonda’s goal 20 minutes from the end.

Gabon are also on course after a 2-0 win over Lesotho in neutral Durban, while Morocco completed a statement 4-0 win over Central African Republic as Eliesse Ben Seghir scored twice.

Uganda beat South Sudan 2-1 in Juba and top their pool ahead of South Africa, who were held to a 1-1 draw in Congo despite Elias Mokwana scoring the opener. Both are expected to seal their places next month.

Rwanda beat Benin 2-1 in group D with the other fixture on Tuesday between Libya and Nigeria postponed after the latter refused to play over travel chaos in the build-up.

Nigeria head the pool with seven points from three games, followed by Benin (six points from four games), Rwanda (five from four) and Libya (one from three).

Tunisia were held to a 1-1 draw by Comoros with two points separating the North Africans at the top of the pool and Gambia in third.

Hosts Morocco, Cameroon and Algeria are the other teams already in the finals line-up.

TIMESLIVE

 

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