Football (Soccer) Thread

[Duque de Bragança]

Teletubbies announce Burnley's last signing:
https://www.thesun.co.uk/sport/23103347/weirdest-burnley-reveal-transfer-teletubbies/

MOOR MADNESS Fans say 'weirdest announcement ever' and joke admin's on 'LSD' as Burnley reveal transfer with bizarre Teletubbies clip

[crazy canuck]

Exciting last 30 minutes in the Aus v. Ireland game.

[FunkMonk]

In his first game for Miami, Messi came off the bench and ran the game like everyone else on the pitch was 13, and then he scored the game-winning free kick in stoppage time. 

I swear to god it was scripted by MLS and Apple TV but the man is the greatest to ever play the game so it makes perfect sense.

[Josephus]

The sequel will have him taking Miami from last to MLS champion in the remaining months

[FunkMonk]

Al Hilal offering €300m transfer fee to PSG. In addition to this they are prepared to offer Mbappe a salary package of €700m over one year, after which he would be free to depart for Real Madrid should he so wish.
6:06 AM · Jul 24, 2023

https://twitter.com/jamesbenge/status/1683418293883772928

Saudi paying out 1 billion for a single footballer. Yeah it's Mbappe but still.......

[mongers]

Al Hilal offering €300m transfer fee to PSG. In addition to this they are prepared to offer Mbappe a salary package of €700m over one year, after which he would be free to depart for Real Madrid should he so wish.
6:06 AM · Jul 24, 2023

https://twitter.com/jamesbenge/status/1683418293883772928

Saudi paying out 1 billion for a single footballer. Yeah it's Mbappe but still.......

And in stark contrast the UK's first million pound player, Trevor Francis has just died aged 69. That historic transfer deal was in 1979 or 1980, to I think Brian Clough's Nottingham Forest.

[Sheilbh]

And you can only assume the Saudi-Qatari angle of that is part of the justification. Our sportswashing project is bigger than yours sort of thing

[Josquius]

The one that really hurts with the Saudis is Henderson. Always seemed a stand up guy but... Has a price. And no mitigation to be seen (eg I'll donate a million a week to lgbt charities or something)

[Gups]

And you can only assume the Saudi-Qatari angle of that is part of the justification. Our sportswashing project is bigger than yours sort of thing

I'm completely missing the angle on the Saudi league thing. Surely it can't be to just compete against the Qataris who don't have a league.

If its sportswashing, it's a bloody expensive way fo going about it.

[Sheilbh]

I'm completely missing the angle on the Saudi league thing. Surely it can't be to just compete against the Qataris who don't have a league.

If its sportswashing, it's a bloody expensive way fo going about it.

No - I just imagine they'll particularly enjoy taking the star player from the club owned by the Emir of Qatar. Especially for a project that is moving beyond Qatari (and Saudi and Emirati) approaches so far of buying European clubs - the Saudis want to build a league and throw money at players to get them there and not just when they're retiring which Mbappe for a year would do.

I think sport is one of the big strategies in MBS' Saudi 2030 - golf tournaments, building a league, aiming to host the World Cup in 2030 (with Egypt and Greece ). It is mad and expensive but everything I've seen come out of MBS' plan is mad. Look at all the stuff like NEOM or the Line and it's probably pretty cheap and maybe helps with the World Cup bid?

[Gups]

Sure but 300m euros when he has only a year left on his contract and was going to walk at the end of that year is absolutely fantastic for PSG.

[Zoupa]

Mbappe won't agree to move to Saudi Arabia, so it's a moot point.

[crazy canuck]

Canada has looked shaky on defence and lethargic on offence.

They have to beat Australia to go through.  I past world cups I would not worried about that game.  But the Canadian side needs to find some of their old gold scoring magic.

[Grey Fox]

Canada has looked shaky on defence and lethargic on offence.

They have to beat Australia to go through.  I past world cups I would not worried about that game.  But the Canadian side needs to find some of their old gold scoring magic.

Nigeria might pull the upset again.

[Josquius]

Read a bit on the Philippine team being 17/23 US born.
Prior to reading this I had just been wondering with Morocco how many of them were French or Spanish.
I know a few, maybe half a dozen, of the Nigerians are Brits.
I wonder how it looks for the others. Anyone seen a breakdown so I don't have to go trawling every squad list?