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Tammy Abraham has joined Roma from Chelsea for a club record fee of £34m and has signed a five-year contract with the Serie A club.

The 23-year-old will wear the number nine shirt at Roma and becomes the club’s fourth signing of the summer.

“You can sense when a club really wants you – and Roma made their interest clear immediately,” Abraham said.

“Roma is a club that deserves to be fighting for titles and trophies. I’ve had the experience of winning major trophies and I want to be in those competitions again – so I want to help this team to achieve that and get to the level where Roma should be.


“It’s a massive honour to be the No. 9 at this club and I just can’t wait to get started and to help the team.”


Abraham will have the task of replacing Edin Dzeko’s goal output after the former Manchester City forward departed Rome for Inter Milan on Saturday.

Roma’s General Manager Tiago Pinto said: “Despite still being very young, with a huge amount of potential to keep improving, Tammy has already played more than 200 games in his career and scored over 100 goals – and won a number of major trophies too.

“Choosing to leave the Premier League, and the club he grew up at, demonstrates very clearly just how much he believes in this opportunity to develop his own game and show what he can do at Roma.

“Bringing in players that have such a hunger and desire to play for our club is hugely important in helping to build the identity and sense of belonging that is a fundamental part of our overall vision for this team.”

Roma have also signed Rui Patricio, Eldor Shomurodov and Matias Vina this transfer window. Roma’s opening Serie A game of the season is at home against Fiorentina on Sunday.

Source: https://www.completesports.com/done-deal-tammy-abraham-leaves-chelsea-for-mourinhos-roma/

Tottenham Hotspur centre-forward Harry Kane is reportedly still determined to join Manchester City before this summer’s transfer window closes for business.

The 28-year-old was not involved in Tottenham’s 1-0 win over Man City on Sunday afternoon, with Spurs boss Nuno Espirito Santo claiming that the England captain was not fit enough to be named in the squad.

Tottenham chairman Daniel Levy is allegedly preparing to reject any offers that might arrive from Pep Guardiola’s side, who are keen to sign the forward before the deadline.

Read Also: Premier League: Son Scores As Tottenham Edge Out Manchester City

However, according to The Telegraph, Kane is still desperate to leave the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium and is hopeful that the Premier League champions will press ahead with a move next week.


Man City are believed to be open to paying in the region of £100m for the striker, but Spurs are not thought to be willing to listen to offers of under £140m.


Kane was in impressive form at club level during the 2020-21 campaign, scoring 33 goals and contributing 17 assists in 49 appearances in all competitions, while he netted four times in seven outings for England at Euro 2020.

Source: https://www.completesports.com/kane-desperate-to-leave-tottenham-hotspur/

Arsenal are supposedly considering replacing Mikel Arteta with former Chelsea and Inter Milan manager Antonio Conte.

Arteta steered Arsenal to a record-extending 14th FA Cup triumph during his first half-season in charge, but the Spaniard could only lead the Gunners to an eighth-placed finish in last season’s Premier League.

Arsenal’s 2021-22 season also kicked off in dismal fashion with a 2-0 defeat to newly-promoted Brentford, and Arteta’s future in the dugout is thought to be far from secure.

According to Tuttosport, Arsenal will consider a swoop for Conte should Arteta be relieved of his duties, and the Italian would be keen to bring Lautaro Martinez to the Emirates with him.

Conte oversaw Chelsea’s 2016-17 Premier League title win and led Inter to the Scudetto last term, with Martinez scoring 17 goals on the way, and he was one of many names linked with the Tottenham Hotspur job.

Arteta – who apologised to Arsenal fans following Friday’s defeat at Brentford – has won 47 of his 87 games in charge of the Gunners, losing 24 and drawing the other 16.

Source: https://www.completesports.com/arsenal-want-conte-to-replace-arteta/

Bruno Fernandes scored a hat-trick as Manchester United thrashed Leeds United 5-1 at the Old Trafford on Saturday afternoon.

Fernandes opening scoring for the hosts on the half hour mark.

Luke Ayling equalised for Leeds United three minutes after the break.

Read Also: Onyeka Makes Winning Debut As EPL New Comers Brentford Shock Arsenal

Mason Greenwood drilled Manchester United back ahead in the 52nd minute before Fernandes sent them clear in ruthless fashion with two goals in the 53rd and 60th minutes respectively.


Paul Pogba recorded the fourth assist of his own imperious display when he teed up Fred for a fifth in the 68th minute.

Source: https://www.completesports.com/premier-league-fernandes-bags-hat-trick-as-man-united-thrash-leeds-at-oldtrafford/

Chelsea have re-signed Belgian striker Romelu Lukaku from Inter Milan for £97.5m.

The Champions League holders confirmed Lukaku’s return on their official website on Thursday.

The 28-year-old returns to Stamford Bridge on a five-year deal, having left the Blues to join Everton for in 2014.
The fee is just short of the British transfer record of £100m paid by Manchester City for Jack Grealish.

“I came here as a kid who had a lot to learn, now I’m coming back with a lot of experience and more mature,” Lukaku said.


“I have supported Chelsea as a kid and now to be back and try to help them win more titles is an amazing feeling.”


More money has now been spent on Lukaku than any other player in history with clubs paying out a combined figure of about £290m in transfer fees for him.
Two of the top five fees paid for a player in British football history have now been for Lukaku.

Belgium’s all-time top goalscorer is also the most expensive player ever sold by a Serie A club, having become the third most expensive buy in Italian history when he joined Inter in the summer of 2019 from Manchester United for £74m.

Source: https://www.completesports.com/official-lukaku-rejoins-chelsea-on-five-year-deal/

Paris Sait Germain (PSG) has become the toast of fans across the world after superstar and former Barcelona forward, Lionel Messi joined the Paris club on Tuesday.

Messi left the Camp Nou after spending more than 20 years with the club after failing to reach an agreement with the club President, Joan Laporta on his wage bill.

Arguably, Messi’s arrival in Parc des Prince has been one of the most talked-about issues on every social media platform since he gave his farewell speech at Camp Nou on Sunday.


Interestingly, Messi’s arrival in France did not only have a positive impact on the fans alone but also on the club’s official Instagram account. It was reported that PSG’s official Instagram account had about 39.2 Million followers before there were speculations about his coming.


PSG has over 4 million new accounts following on its Instagram pages, In just 6 hours followers increased to 43 million from 39 million.

Messi, who has won four Champions League titles and 10 domestic league titles with Barcelona, ​​joins several other big names arriving at PSG on a free transfer this summer.

Source: https://www.completesports.com/psg-gain-more-followers-on-instagram-24-hours-after-messis-arrival/

Nigeria forward David Okereke has agreed to join Serie A newcomers Venezia on a season-long deal from Belgian Pro League champions Club Brugge, Completesports.com reports.

Venezia also have option to make the move permanent at the end of the campaign.

Okereke, according to reports had his medical in Italy on Tuesday.


The forward will be the second Nigerian at the club following defender Tyronne Ebuehi’s arrival on a loan from Portuguese giants Benfica this summer.


The 23-year-old joined Club Brugge from Italian side Spezia in 2019 for a club record €8m fee but struggled to establish himself after a good start.

He has so far scored 15 goals in 71 appearances across all competitions for the club.

Source: https://www.completesports.com/david-okereke-seals-venezia-transfer/

Raphael Varane could reportedly be announced as a Manchester United player on Wednesday following his move from Real Madrid.

The World Cup-winning Frenchman is set to complete a move to the Red Devils after the club agreed a £34m deal with Los Blancos, but quarantine and visa issues have thus far prevented him from linking up with the squad.

However, according to journalist Jonathan Shrager, Varane may be able to complete his medical and be unveiled by Man United on Wednesday, putting him in with an outside chance of featuring in their Premier League opener with Leeds United.

Shrager tweeted: “There is confidence that Varane’s medical, signing and announcement can be officially completed on Wednesday, which would then allow him to train with the team on Thursday/Friday, opening up the possibility that he could feature in #MUFC’s matchday squad in season opener vs Leeds.”


Varane left Real Madrid after winning four Champions League crowns and three La Liga titles in a 10-year spell, as well as claiming 17 goals from 360 appearances.


The Red Devils have also bolstered their attacking line with the £73m signing of Jadon Sancho, who was pictured in training with United for the first time yesterday.

Source: https://www.completesports.com/manchester-united-to-unveil-varane-on-wednesday/

Lionel Messi is set to arrive in Paris in the next few hours after reportedly agreeing terms with Paris Saint-German.

The Argentine bid farewell to the Catalan outfit at emotional press conference on Sunday afternoon.


Just a couple days after his farewell, Transfer expert Fabrizio Romano has reported that the two parties have a complete agreement.

The Argentine is now reportedly set to be in the French capital in the coming hours to complete the deal.

Source: https://www.completesports.com/lionel-messi-agrees-two-year-psg-deal/

Belgian star striker Romelu Lukaku is set to become the most expensive player in history in accumulated transfer fees as he nears his Chelsea return.

Lukaku is close to re-joining Chelsea – ten years after first doing so – with Inter Milan accepting a £97.5million bid.

It means he will have cost the most in joint transfers ever, surpassing Neymar’s prior record of £246.6m.

The PSG forward moved from Santos, to Barcelona and then PSG in a world-record £198m deal in 2017.


But with Lukaku now heading back to Stamford Bridge, it will see his total transfer fees rocket to £293.5m.

The forward started his career with Anderlecht in his homeland before signing for Chelsea for £10m in 2011.

But after three years, and just 15 games with no goals, Lukaku was sold to Everton for £28m in 2014.

There, he cemented himself as a prolific scorer, with 87 goals in 166 games before securing himself a mega move to Manchester United in 2017.

Lukaku snubbed interest from Chelsea to move to Old Trafford, where he enjoyed mixed success as their No9.

He scored 42 goals in 96 matches but failed to fit in United’s style as he was again moved on.

Inter signed the Belgian for £74m in 2019 in a move which rejuvenated Lukaku.

He scored 34 goals in his first season as Inter narrowly missed out on the Serie A by just a point.

But last season Lukaku helped the Italian giants end their 11 year wait for a league title as he hit 24 goals in 36 matches.

It has convinced Chelsea to go back in for their old striker, as they looked to bolster their threat in front of goal.

And having seen their £97.5m offer accepted it is the latest in a long line of lucrative moves for the star forward.

Source:https://www.completesports.com/lukaku-set-to-become-most-expensive-player-in-history-amid-chelsea-return/

Lionel Messi’s dramatic Barcelona exit appears to have plenty of twists to come yet, with the Catalans alleging Paris Saint-Germain cannot sign the Argentine icon due to their own financial woes.

Lawyers at the Spanish club have filed a complain to the European Court of Appeals, stating the Parisians should be stopped in their pursuit of Messi based on financial data.

Messi confirmed in a teary press conference that he will be leaving Barcelona this summer after a lifetime at the club, and is now finalising terms with PSG.

However, Barca appear to be willing to do all they can to avoid seeing their greatest player move to a European rival and are keen to disrupt PSG’s pursuit.

Juan Branco confirmed the complaint on Twitter on Sunday night by tweeting a statement that read: ‘On behalf of FC Barcelona partners, my firm has prepared a complaint with the European Commission and demands for provisional suspension before civil and administrative courts in France to prevent Paris-Saint Germain from signing Lionel Messi.


‘PSG’s ratios in terms of “Financial Fair Play” are worse than those of FC Barcelona.

‘In 2019-2020, PSG’s salary-to-income ratio was 99%, while Barcelona’s was 54%. Meanwhile, the difference has increased.

‘It is inconceivable that the “Financial Fair Play” serves to aggravate the drifts of football-business, the instrumentalization of football by sovereign powers, and the distortion of competitions.’

The report claims PSG will fall foul of FFP with the signing of Messi, and reveals that Barcelona couldn’t renew the star’s contract because even after a 50 per cent pay cut, the club’s wage bill would be 110 per cent of cap, according to Marca.

It also reportedly pointed at the Ligue 1 side’s active summer this year, with Gianluigi Donnarumma, Sergio Ramos, Achraf Hakimi and Georginio Wijnaldum all arriving at the Parc de Princes.

They already have the massive wages of Kylian Mbappe and Neymar to shoulder.

Earlier on Sunday, Messi gave an emotional press conference in which he said a tearful goodbye to Barcelona.

The 34-year-old Argentina international received a standing ovation from family and friends, current and former team-mates and journalists during a farewell press conference at the Nou Camp

Source: https://www.completesports.com/barcelona-lawyers-move-to-block-messis-transfer-to-psg/

Paris Saint-Germain’s contract offer to Lionel Messi is reportedly worth €40m (£34m) a year after tax.

The French giants quickly emerged as the favourites to sign the Argentina international on a free transfer, despite suggestions that Manchester City, Manchester United and Chelsea were all interested.

Messi’s father Jorge Messi and his lawyers are believed to be looking over the final details of the offer placed on the table by PSG before heading to Paris to complete a deal.


According to L’Equipe, Mauricio Pochettino’s side are preparing to hand the South American an initial two-year contract worth €40m (£34m) a year after tax, and there will be the option of extending for another 12 months.


The report claims that PSG are open to Messi leaving after two years, but they want to give the forward the option of staying until the end of the 2023-24 campaign.

Barcelona’s financial problems meant that it was impossible for the club to sign the 34-year-old to a new deal, but Thursday’s announcement still sent shockwaves around the world of football.

Source: https://www.completesports.com/messi-set-to-earn-34m-a-year-at-psg/

Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola has branded Sam Edozie an “incredible young player”, with the attacker impressing for the Citizens during their preparations for the 2021-22 campaign.

The 18-year-old has scored in each of his side’s three pre-season matches this summer against Preston North End, Barnsley and Blackpool.

Edozie was named in the starting XI against Blackpool on Tuesday night and needed just three minutes to find the back of the net.


Guardiola has lavished praise on the winger but has insisted that he will need time to develop into a potential regular first-team player for the Premier League champions.

“As a young talent, having a special quality, a guy who gets to the box with intention to score a goal – it’s so important for wingers,” Guardiola told the club’s official website.

“He’s an incredible young player with good pace. But we have to be patient with him. He had minutes and played good and this is important.”

Edozie joined Man City from Millwall in July 2019 and made the step up from the club’s Under-18s to the Under-23s for the 2020-21 campaign.

Source: https://www.completesports.com/guardiola-lavishes-praise-on-sam-edozie/

Blessing Oborududu and Ese Brume have been rewarded with cash prizes of $10,000 and $7,500 respectively by Nigeria’s Minister of Youth and Sports, Sunday Dare.

Oborodudu won Silver in in the women’s Wrestling 68kg, while Brume scooped Bronze in the women’s Long Jump at the ongoing 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo.



Speaking at the ceremony, the Minister said “There’s no point delaying the reinforcement of these athletes who have made the country proud, that is the reason they were rewarded immediately for their record breaking performance”

Chioma Ajunwa was the first person who won gold medal for Nigeria in the Long at Atlanta 1996, Brume thus follows suit with a bronze, while Oborududu is the first Nigerian Wrestler to win an Olympics medal.

In her reaction, Oborududu said “I am just super excited and I want to say thank you to all my supporters and the Federal Government of Nigeria for the encouragement”

Source: https://www.completesports.com/tokyo-2020-dollar-rain-for-oborududu-brume/

Premier League giants Chelsea have reportedly offered striker Romelu Lukaku £250,000 in wages as they prepare to bid £100million for the Inter Milan striker.

Chelsea have already seen an £86m offer for the 28-year-old Belgian rejected by the Serie A champions.

But they are keen to secure his signature before the start of the new season and are prepared to break the bank to do so.

And according to The Express, the Champions League winners are willing to offer Lukaku £12.8m per year in wages, more than he earned at Manchester United.

And that could well be enough to convince him to return to the Premier League as SunSport reported on Tuesday he feels he has unfinished business at Stamford Bridge.

Lukaku joined Chelsea for £17m in 2011 but played just 15 times across two seasons, failing to score a single goal.

During his time in West London, he was farmed out on loan to West Brom and then Everton where he would end up signing permanently for £28m.

After three 20+ goal seasons at Goodison Park, Lukaku then left for Man Utd in 2017 for a mouthwatering fee of £75m.

And while he did net 42 times in 96 games for the Red Devils, the Belgian moved on just two years later as he sought a new challenge.

That fresh start came in the form of Inter Milan, where he has gone on to enjoy his best two goalscoring campaigns.

In 95 games Lukaku has scored an incredible 64 times for the Italian giants, repaying every bit of the £74m they paid for him.

He also fired them to the Serie A title, Inter’s first scudetto since 2010 when they became champions under Jose Mourinho.

However, since the end of the 2020-21 campaign Inter have parted ways with manager Antonio Conte and sold defender Achraf Hakimi to Paris Saint-Germain.

As a result, Lukaku may see this as the perfect opportunity to return to Chelsea.

Source: https://www.completesports.com/chelsea-offer-lukaku-250k-a-week-wages-ahead-of-100m-transfer-bid/

Defending champions Brazil have qualified for the final of the Tokyo Olympics football event, after defeating Mexico on penalties in the first semi-final on Tuesday, Completesports.com reports.

After a goalless affair in 120 minutes of football, the Brazilians went on to win 4-1 on penalty shootout.

They have now reached the final of the Olympics in football for the third consecutive tournament: London 2012, Rio 2016, Tokyo2020.


Also they have now equalled Hungary’s record (1964, 1968, 1972) of appearing in three consecutive Olympic football finals.

Brazil went close to settling the match inside 90 minutes when Everton forward Richarlison struck the post with a glancing header in the 82nd minute.

But when it came to the shootout, they had their keeper Santos to thank for a fine save to keep out Eduardo Aguirre’s spot-kick and after Mexico’s Johan Vasquez hit the post, Brazil just need to keep their cool.

Reiner’s right-footed shot into the bottom corner ensured victory for the team captained by 38-year-old former Barcelona full back Dani Alves.

Brazil will face the winners of Tuesday’s other semi-final between Spain and hosts Japan in Saitama.

The last time Spain played in the final at the Olympics was at Sydney 2000 where they eventually won silver, after losing on penalties to Cameroon in the final.

Source: https://www.completesports.com/tokyo-2020-brazil-beat-mexico-on-penalties-to-reach-final-equals-hungarys-olympic-football-record/

Inter Milan have reportedly rejected Chelsea’s £85m plus Marcos Alonso offer for striker Romelu Lukaku.

With the Blues continuing to be frustrated in their pursuit of Erling Braut Haaland, Lukaku has supposedly moved to the top of their striker wishlist for the current window.

Furthermore, Inter are thought to be determined to secure the signature of Alonso this summer, with the Serie A champions failing to make progress in contract negotiations with Ivan Perisic.


However, Sky Italia claims that Inter have rebuffed an approach from Chelsea which would have included Alonso as part of a deal, with the Blues also offering a hefty cash sum of £85m.

The Nerazzurri are known to want to trim their wage bill given their volatile financial situation, but the report adds that Lukaku is one of the few players deemed ‘untouchable’ by the club.

The Belgium international left Chelsea without netting once in 2014, and he claimed 34 goal contributions from 36 appearances during Inter’s triumphant Serie A campaign last term.

Source: https://www.completesports.com/inter-milan-reject-chelseas-85m-bid-for-lukaku/

Heavyweight boxing champion, Anthony Joshua has made a startling reflection about death.

The two-time unified world heavyweight champion took to his Instagram on Thursday to reveal why he always thinks about death.

He noted that understanding that he will die one day gives him life.


According to him, no day passes by without him thinking or talking about dying with either his family or friends.

“My family and friends know that I think about death and talk about it in every conversation we have.

“For me, understanding that one day I won’t be here in the physical form gives me life. It’s weird but that’s exactly how I feel,” he wrote.
[b]
[/b]Source: https://www.completesports.com/why-i-always-think-about-death-anthony-joshua/

PSG striker, Kylian Mbappe has revealed his desire to win the UEFA Champions League.

Mbappe, who was part of the France team that was knocked out of the round of 16 of Euro 2020, made this known in an interview with PSG’s official channels.

Recall that Mbappe has become a major transfer target for Real Madrid this summer but his current deal is due to expire in 2022.


“My biggest dream is to win the Champions League with PSG. It would be amazing,” he said.

He now looks set to remain at the Parc des Princes for at least another year.

Source: https://www.completesports.com/my-desire-is-to-win-uefa-champions-league-mbappe/

Leon Balogun made a late substitute appearance and helped Rangers see out a 2-1 win against Spanish giants Real Madrid, in their final pre-season friendly on Sunday at Ibrox.

With Rangers ahead Balogun was brought on with five minutes left as the Scottish champions emerged victors.

Balogun’s Nigerian teammate Joe Aribo was not included in the squad for the high profile friendly.

Madrid had on parade Marcelo, who was the skipper, Martin Odegaard, Lucas Vazquez, Luka Jovic and Isco.

The Laliga side had taken the lead as early as the eight minutes through Rodrigo.


Rangers would go on to have lots of chances with Ryan Kent smashing the crossbar from a couple of yards out and visiting keeper Andriy Lunin producing some special saves.

Steven Gerard’s men eventually drew level in the 55th minute thanks to their Zambian new signing Fashion Sakala.

Madrid were reduced to 10 men after Nacho was shown a second yellow in the 76th minute.

Rangers capitalized on the numerical advantage and scored on 77 minutes thanks to Cedric Itten after the Madrid defence failed to clear a set-piece.

Source: https://www.completesports.com/balogun-helps-rangers-beat-real-madrid-in-final-pre-season-friendly/

A leaked audio recording has emerged showing Real Madrid president Florentino Perez branding the club’s former stars Iker Casillas and Raul as “great frauds”.

Casillas and Raul became Madrid legends during a combined 43 years in the Spanish capital, helping Los Blancos to win seven La Liga titles between them.

Raul would leave the Bernabeu in 2010, moving to Schalke following an injury-plagued final season with Madrid, having scored more than 300 goals for the Spanish giants.

On his part Casillas meanwhile fell foul of Jose Mourinho and was forced out of the Spanish capital by the Portuguese manager after turning out more than 700 times for the club.

But despite their legendary status among many fans and observers, a secret recording from a 2006 conversation has emerged in which Perez blasted the duo.

The conversation took place six months after he had resigned from his first spell as president amid criticism that he had focused too much on brand appeal rather than footballing success.

“He is not a goalkeeper for Real Madrid. He is not and he never has been. It has been the great failure we have had,” Perez said about Casillas according to El Confidencial.

“What happens is that they [the fans] adore him, they love him, they talk to him. I don’t know why they defend him so much.

“Well, it’s one of the great frauds, the second is Raul. The two great Real Madrid frauds are Raul first and Casillas second.”

Perez then turned his anger towards Raul, who he accused of “destroying” the club, blaming him for his departure as president.

“[Zinedine] Zidane’s a great guy. And [David] Beckham and Ronaldo. … But then there are the others that think that … let’s see. Raul is a bad person,” Perez said.

“He thinks Madrid is his and he uses everything there is in Madrid, developing everything for his own benefit. Him and his agent. They are to blame for Madrid not doing well.

“Look, I left, among other reasons, because of him. He is a negative guy, he is destroying Madrid.”

Perez fired back in a statement, claiming that the recording has only been published to discredit him in the face of the European Super League scandal.

“Given the news broadcast in El Confidencial, in which phrases attributed to me are reported, I think it is necessary to clarify,” the statement read.

“The reproduced phrases are pronounced in conversations clandestinely recorded by Mr. Jose Antonio Abellan, who has been trying to sell them for many years without success.

“It is surprising now that, despite the time that has elapsed, the newspaper El Confidencial reports them today.
“They are single phrases of conversations taken from the broad context in which they occur.

“For them to be reproduced now, after so many years have passed since those conversations took place, is I understand due to my participation as one of the promoters of the Super League.

“I have put the matter in the hands of my lawyers who are studying the possible actions to take.”

Source: https://www.completesports.com/madrid-president-perez-casillas-raul-are-frauds/

Italy captain Giorgio Chiellini has confessed to putting a curse on Bukayo Saka – before the England youngster’s penalty miss handed the Euro 2020 crown to Italy.

The Three Lions’ heroic campaign ended in heartbreak at Wembley on Sunday as the Azzurri won 3-2 in a shootout after a 1-1 draw.

Arsenal frontman Saka, 19, saw keeper Gianluigi Donnarumma save his spot-kick to clinch victory for Roberto Mancini’s men.

Italy skipper Chiellini – who slept with the Euro trophy after his team’s win – has now owned up to uttering the curse word ‘Kiricocho!’ as Saka shaped up to shoot.

He was captured on camera apparently mouthing the South American term, shortly before celebrating Donnarumma’s save with his team-mates.

‘Kiricocho’ is a South American term that translates roughly as ‘Jinx’ or ‘Curse you’.


It dates back to 1982, taking its name from a fan of Argentine club Estudiantes whose presence at training coincided with players getting injured.

Superstitious club boss Carlos Bilardo hired Kiricocho to attend games to put a hex on their opponents.

Bilardo’s side lost just once that season, the only time the diehard supporter was unable to attend.

Grizzled veteran Chiellini is known for using every trick in the book to thwart opponents.

He brazenly grabbed hold of Saka’s shirt during extra time to stop the England ace breaking through.

And the 36-year-old Juventus defender owned up when ESPN Argentina asked if he had placed the notorious curse on the teenager.

A grinning Chiellini told ESPN’s reporter: “Ciao Cristiano. I confirm everything to you – Kiricocho!”

Source: https://www.completesports.com/italy-captain-chiellini-claims-he-cursed-saka-before-missed-penalty-in-euro-2020-final/

La Liga has reportedly approved Barcelona’s request for Lionel Messi to pen a new contract at Camp Nou.

Despite the club legend’s previous deal having expired at the end of last month, Barcelona have always insisted that a fresh agreement is only a matter of time.

However, the Catalan giants are under pressure to fulfil La Liga’s financial criteria, leading to officials pushing to get a number of players off the wage bill.


While work is still required on that front, AS suggests that the governing body of Spain’s top flight has given the green light for Messi to be registered for next season.

Barcelona have allegedly promised that they will get themselves within the regulations over the coming weeks.

The report adds that the Argentine, who has just helped his country win the Copa America, has already agreed the details of his contract.

Source: completesports.com/messi-reaches-agreement-with-barcelona-on-new-contract/

England Stars Bukayo Saka, Marcus Rashford and Jadon Sancho suffered racist online abuse following the Euro 2020 final loss to Italy.

Rashford, Sancho and Saka all failed from the spot on Sunday night as England went down 3-2 on penalties.

The trio’s social media pages were quickly flooded with racist comments, leading the FA to release a statement condemning the “disgusting behaviour”.

A spokesperson said: “The FA strongly condemns all forms of discrimination and is appalled by the online racism that has been aimed at some of our England players on social media.



“We could not be clearer that anyone behind such disgusting behaviour is not welcome in following the team. We will do all we can to support the players affected while urging the toughest punishments possible for anyone responsible.


Also Read: Amokachi, Omeruo Mourn Late Nigerian Music Star Sound Sultan

“We will continue to do everything we can to stamp discrimination out of the game, but we implore the government to act quickly and bring in the appropriate legislation so this abuse has real life consequences.

“Social media companies need to step up and take accountability and action to ban abusers from their platforms, gather evidence that can lead to prosecution and support making their platforms free from this type of abhorrent abuse.”

The Metropolitan Police also condemned the “unacceptable” abuse, adding it will be investigating the “offensive and racist” social media posts.

The force said in a statement on Twitter: “We are aware of a number of offensive and racist social media comments being directed towards footballers following the #Euro2020 final.

“This abuse is totally unacceptable, it will not be tolerated and it will be investigated.”

The official Twitter account for the England men’s and women’s national teams offered support to the victimised players.

It said in a statement: “We’re disgusted that some of our squad – who have given everything for the shirt this summer – have been subjected to discriminatory abuse online after tonight’s game.

“We stand with our players.”

England missed the chance to end a 55-year wait for a major trophy after Sunday’s defeat to Italy

Source: https://www.completesports.com/euro-2020-saka-sancho-rashford-suffer-racial-abuse-after-englands-defeat-to-italy/

Italy fullback Alessandro Florenzi has dedicated the team’s Euro 2020 trophy to all Italians all over the world.

Sunday night’s dramatic penalty shootout victory over England marked Italy’s first Euros triumph in over 50 years as Gigio Donnarumma emerged the hero for the Azzurri.

The Azzurri had gone behind to Luke Shaw’s goal within two minutes of the Final, but Juventus defender Leonardo Bonucci found an equaliser.

It went to extra time and had to be decided on penalties, Gianluigi Donnarumma making two saves.


“We dedicate this to all the Italians all over the world, because we proved once again, if it should’ve been needed, that we are a special people,” grinned Florenzi on RAI Sport.

“It’s coming Rome, they got one letter wrong… There’s no victory without a group, and I think we showed from start to finish that we are a group and people recognise themselves in us too.”

Source: https://www.completesports.com/florenzi-dedicates-euro-2020-success-to-all-italians-globally/

Italy emerged winners of Euro 2020 after beating England 3-2 on penalties in a pulsating final at the Wembley Stadium on Sunday night.

The game ended in a 1-1 draw after 120 minutes of gruelling football action.

Luke Shaw gave England the lead within three minutes- the the fastest goal ever in a European championship final.


The Manchester United slotted home beautifully following a superb cross from Kevin Trippier.

Leonardo Bonucci equalised for the Itallians in the 67th minute leaving England fans shell-shocked.

Goalkeeper Jordan Pickford appeared to have made a terrific save before the Italian centre-half rattled in the scrappy follow-up goal off the back of a corner.

Andrea Bellotti and Jorginho missed for Italy in the shootout, while Marcus Rashford, Jadon Sancho and Bukayo Saka failed to convert for England.

Source: https://www.completesports.com/breaking-italy-beat-england-on-penalties-to-win-euro-2020/

Paris Saint-Germain have reportedly stepped up their interest in Paul Pogba by reaching out to the Manchester United midfielder’s representatives.

The France international’s future remains a hot topic of debate at Old Trafford with less than 12 months to run on his existing contract.

United may be forced to sell the ex-Juventus star this summer if fresh terms are not agreed, leaving many of Europe’s top clubs on red alert.

PSG are one many sides to have been linked with Pogba and, according to French outlet RMC Sport, the 28-year-old is open to the idea of joining the Ligue 1 giants.

It is claimed that PSG were previously discouraged from moving for Pogba due to United’s £150m valuation, but around a third of that fee may now be enough to land his signature.


Pogba is currently enjoying a rest period after playing four times for France at Euro 2020, with Les Blues’ campaign ending prematurely at the last-16 stage.

Source: https://www.completesports.com/psg-make-contact-with-paul-pogba/

Argentina star Lionel Messi is now officially a free agent after his contract with Barcelona expired.

Twelve months on from his aborted attempted to leave Barcelona, Lionel Messi is now out of contract.

His deal expired at midnight and despite months of rumour and conjecture, he has failed to commit to an extension.

Talks over a new contract are believed to be ongoing, meaning Messi may well decide to stay at the Nou Camp but for now, he is available for absolutely nothing.

Spanish football writer Guillem Balague said earlier this week that Barcelona had “raised the level of urgency” in contract talks, with the hopes of making an announcement of a new two-year deal before the start of July.


“Messi’s contract renewal is new president Joan Laporta’s main priority and he is currently negotiating it directly with Messi’s father and representative, Jorge Messi,” he said.

“To be able to keep the Argentine, the club will have to reduce their wage bill by around 200m euros (£172m) to meet La Liga’s Financial Fair Play requirements.

“Messi knows of the interest from other clubs, but up to now has not negotiated anything with them, waiting first to hear what Barcelona were offering.”

The 34-year-old has been linked with moves to Paris St-Germain and Manchester City, where he would be reunited with his former boss at Barcelona Pep Guardiola, as well as America’s Major League Soccer.

He is currently in Brazil playing for Argentina at the Copa America and became their most-capped player when he made his 148th international appearance against Bolivia on Tuesday, scoring twice and setting up another in a 4-1 win.

Source: https://www.completesports.com/messi-becomes-free-agent-after-expiration-of-barca-contract/

Paul Pogba came was heavily criticised by Manchester United legends Gary Neville and Roy Keane after France were knocked out of Euro 2020 by Switzerland.

Les Bleus were the favourites to go all the way this summer, but ended up being beaten on penalties by the Swiss on Monday in the last-16.

Didier Deschamps men were trailing 1-0 at half-time, but fought back to lead 3-1 with just 10 minutes left to play, before Switzerland fought back to take the game to penalties, which they went on to win.

Karim Benzema scored twice for the French to start their comeback, but Pogba’s screamer and his magnificent passing stole the show among the France ranks.

However, both Neville and Pogba admitted that they were “frustrated” by his display because he can be guilty of being too adventurous in the wrong positions sometimes.

Neville told ITV: “We saw the best and the worst of him in the second half.

“This is the best of him, absolutely world class strike. Brilliant.

“At this point in the game, he’d played a great pass through just before that, he was starting to get into the game, combining, he was running the game.
“When your team is on top, he’s absolutely outstanding.”

Neville also added: “He takes risks on the ball, but you want those risks to be in the final third, not in the defensive third, and they get counter-attacked on.”

Meanwhile, Keane added: “He can be frustrating. This is all a part of Paul’s character, which people love to see, but then I’d be looking at the goal they conceded in injury time, where he was sloppy in midfield. That’s the bit I’d be really critical about.

“It seems harsh because he’s done some brilliant stuff going forward tonight. There’s no doubting Paul’s quality, just the other side, maybe his maturity.

“We’ve mentioned all night, and United have had the same problem, can he play in a two in midfield? He probably can’t, doesn’t have the discipline.

“He was at his best in Juventus when he probably got a bit more freedom and was surrounded by more men, more characters, probably better quality players.

“But even today, he still leaves you frustrated. For all his brilliant quality coming forward, I still think he lacks that discipline defensively [to take hi to the next level].

“That’s the key, the top players manage to do it week in week out and Paul, to me, still doesn’t quite do it.”

Source: https://www.completesports.com/man-united-legends-blame-pogba-for-frances-euro-2020-shock-exit/

According to Catalunya Radio, Ousmane Dembele could be out for “minimum of three months” after suffering a knee injury playing for France at Euro 2020.

The 24-year-old’s latest injury setback is making plenty of headlines already with reports suggesting the France international could be out for some time.

It is believed it could be even longer if his recovery does not go as expected and thinks Dembele may not feature for Barcelona until the end of September.


Meanwhile, French newspaper L’Equipe think that Dembele may have to go under the knife to fix his latest injury and also talk about “several months” on the sidelines.


Over at RAC1 there’s a bit more detail and also a bit more talk about possible surgery with an operation “not ruled out.”

Apparently, Dembele will have more tests on Tuesday which is when a decision on his treatment plan will be made.

And when asked about Dembele’s injury, Barcelona coach said: “I can’t say much about this because it’s bad luck that he got injured. These are things that must be accepted and analyzed but now we are on vacation and thinking about the next season, they are things that must be accepted.”

Source: https://www.completesports.com/dembele-to-be-sidelined-for-three-months/

The Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) has reduced former Super Eagles striker Samson Siasia’s life-ban from football for bribery to five years.

Siasia was initially sanctioned in 2019 by world football governing body FIFA for agreeing to “receive bribes in relation to the manipulation of matches.”

The 53-year-old appealed against the ban with FIFA and CAS as he denied the charges against him.

CAS “determined the imposition of a life ban to be disproportionate for a first offence which was committed passively and which had not had an adverse or immediate effect on football stakeholders, and that a five-year ban would still achieve the envisaged aim of punishing the infringement committed by Mr Siasia.”


The ban has been backdated to start on 16 August 2019 as the court explained the background to the case.

“In 2010, a match fixer tried to involve Mr Siasia as a coach of a club under his strict instructions,” CAS revealed.

“With the promise of employment benefits, Mr Siasia would have had to always field several players under the control of the match fixer.

“The negotiations between the match fixer and Mr Siasia in relation to the conditions of employment were conducted by email over a period of two months.

“Eventually, the club did not accept or could not afford Mr Siasia’s requests and the negotiations ended.”

The court also cancelled a fine of $50,000 that had also been part of the sanctions imposed by FIFA.

“(CAS) acknowledged the need for sanctions to be sufficiently high enough to eradicate bribery and especially match-fixing in football.

“However, the Panel considered in the particular circumstances of this matter that it would be inappropriate and excessive to impose a financial sanction in addition to the five-year ban, since the ban sanction already incorporated a financial punishment in eliminating football as a source of revenue for Mr Siasia.

“And considering that Mr Siasia had not obtained any gain or pecuniary benefit from his unethical behaviour.”

Siasia was a member of the Super Eagles squad that won the 1994 AFCON in Tunisia and also featured at the World Cup that same year.

He led the Flying Eagles to win the 2005 CAF U-20 AFCON and also in the same year led the team to second place finish at the FIFA U-20 World Cup in the Netherlands.

As coach Of the U-23 Eagles, he won the 2015 CAF U-23 AFCON and helped the team win silver and bronze at the Beijing 2008 and Rio 2016 Olympics respectively.

Source: https://www.completesports.com/cas-reduces-siasias-life-ban-to-five-years/

Premier League champions Manchester City are reportedly set to launch a £100million ‘take it or leave it’ bid for Kane.

According to Daily Star the offer will be submitted to Daniel Levy and co after the Euro 2020 and the Etihad outfit are keen to avoid their chase dragging over the summer

However, Levy is said to value Kane at an eye-watering £150million, so is likely to rebuff the bid.

Levy recently took a stance by saying: “There is a market out there. What we want, and what other clubs want, is not always possible to achieve. We will do whatever is right for the club.”


The Star’s report states that City are unwilling to go any higher for the striker, who has struggled with persistent ankle injuries in recent years.

Kane is yet to score at the European Championships, struggling to make an impact in either of England’s matches.

Sergio Aguero’s departure from East Manchester has left a goalscoring void and Gabriel Jesus is seemingly not trusted by his manager on the big occasion.

Source: https://www.completesports.com/man-city-to-launch-100m-transfer-bid-for-kane/