A REAL FAN
The rational part of the Fiver, and there is one that peeks its head above the parapet every couple of years, is well aware that professional footballers do not necessarily love the clubs they play for. Not like supporters do. This is OK. We’re all adults. Even so, it’s usually quite nice if players pay some sort of lip service to the concepts of loyalty and romance. They don’t have to ostentatiously kiss the badge, pose aggressively in front of a green screen for a trailer, or pretend to play the flute. Just a few mumbled platitudes will do. Keep the paying punters happy. Dance the dance.
Penny for the thoughts of Real Sociedad supporters, then, as 2013’s Adnan Januzaj sails dang…
Wales are confident Liverpool striker Lewis Koumas will continue to play for them on the international stage and not change his allegiance to England.
Dual-qualified Koumas has been promoted to the Wales Under-21 set-up after being capped at U19 level and breaking in to the first-team picture at Liverpool.
The 18-year-old was an unused substitute in Liverpool’s Carabao Cup final victory over Chelsea and scored on his senior debut in the 3-0 FA Cup defeat of Southampton at Anfield last month.
A first professional goal for Lewis Koumas
A terrific reverse finish from the youngster
— Emirates FA Cup (@EmiratesFACup)
Koumas’ father Jason was a full Wales international, winning 34 caps between 2001 and 2009 while playing for West Brom…
Spain s football season is almost upon us, with another thrilling campaign in store in LaLiga.
But while many will focus on Lionel Messi, Eden Hazard and the revolution at Atletico Madrid, some younger talents could establish themselves as LaLiga stars in the coming season.
There are several players up and down the league who will be desperate for their big opportunity.
With the help of Opta, we take a look at five prospects who debuted in the competition last term and will hope for breakout seasons.
Diego Lainez (Real Betis)
Winger Lainez only turned 19 in June, but he already has four caps for Mexico, having established himself as a top prospect at Club America after debuting at 16.
Although Lainez did not make an immediate i…
Paris Saint-Germain coach Luis Enrique was not disheartened by seeing his side relinquish top spot following Sunday s 1-1 draw at Nice in Ligue 1.
PSG were forced to come from behind to maintain their unbeaten start to 2024-25, with Nuno Mendes cancelling out Ali Abdi s opener early in the second half.
The French champions were unable to find a winner despite enjoying 71.1% of the possession and attempting 19 shots to Nice s eight. Nice s possession share of 28.8% was their lowest in Ligue 1 since December 2011 (28.7% versus Lille).
The result leaves PSG second in the table with 17 points, two adrift of Monaco.
It is the second season in a row that PSG have not led Ligue 1 after seven matchdays, having sat fifth at this stage last term. They topped the ta…
This game sees A stuttering Chelsea side looking to put their recent troubles behind them and continue their march to premierleague glory against as stubborn Stoke team who now realistically have nothing to play for.
Chelsea looked to be a good length or two ahead until they inexplicably lost to a scintillating Tottenham side last Week and Manchester United won their game to bring them back to just one point behind the leaders. With Chelsea having a couple of tricky games coming up, they will view this match as a must win situation, and I can see that causing them some problems with nerves when they are so close to the summit. Considering that we are so late in the season the Chelsea squad looks strong, but there is one very notable absence. After two bookable offences in his m…
Try as they might, AC Milan simply cannot find the right way to return to the top of Italian football. Following the 5-0 defeat away to Atalanta in their last game of 2019, the seven-time European champions now find themselves in the bottom half of the Serie A table, with only 21 points from 17 games.
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After 2,709 days, Gareth Bale is a Premier League player again.
The Wales star came off the bench in Tottenham s clash with West Ham on Sunday for his first appearance since rejoining on loan from Real Madrid.
He replaced Steven Bergwijn in the 72nd minute, with Tottenham leading 3-0 at the time thanks to two early goals from Harry Kane and a first-minute strike from Son Heung-min.
Bale was straight into the action, having a shot saved almost immediately after his introduction, but West Ham dramatically fought back late on to earn a 3-3 draw.
7 Gareth Bale is making his first Premier League appearance for Tottenham since May 2013, seven years and 152 days ago – it’s the longest gap between appearances for a Tottenham player in the competition’s hist…
The Week 8 schedule comes to a close when the New York Giants plug their ears and head to noisy Arrowhead Stadium for a primetime matchup with the Kansas City Chiefs tonight.
The Chiefs are lofty home chalk for this game, which could scare off some NFL bettors. Luckily, sportsbooks aren’t shy about the NFL prop bets for Monday Night Football, posting a full board of alternative action.
Here are our best NFL prop picks for Giants vs. Chiefs on November 1.
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The second year of Mac Jones and the new-look Patriots get a tough test out of the gate, as New England heads to South Beach to face the Miami Dolphins.
With worrisome coaching and even worse talent at receiver, it’s the Patriots’ backfield that draws intrigue ahead of the new season. It’s a different story for Miami, with Tyreek Hill’s debut — and a fantastic 1-2 punch at receiver — eagerly awaited.
With Week 1 just around the corner, we look at the Patriots vs. Dolphins and bring you our best NFL player prop picks.
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Selecting quarterbacks in the first round of the NFL draft is not an exact science.
No matter how much homework a team does on a potential draft pick, there are a ton of variables that can play a part in a player’s development (or lack thereof).
Just ask the Indianapolis Colts if they want a do-over on their 1990 first-overall selection Jeff George. Or if the Raiders want to rethink selecting JaMarcus Russell first overall in a draft that featured Hall of Famers Calvin Johnson (No. 2) and Joe Thomas (No. 3). Oh and some guy named Adrian Peterson was taken at No. 7.
This brings us to the San Francisco 49ers and their extremely big reach on Trey Lance with the third overall pick in the 2021 draft.
The Niners appeared set at QB wit…