Sportall 365 ISSUE NO. 2180

SPORTALL

365

MAIN EVENTS page 2

New signings

SPECIAL! MEGA TRANSFERS 2024!

New Stars to watch see on page 9

LIONEL MESSI’S PLANS FOR 2024 “You have to fight to reach your dream” JAN. 22-FEB. 22, 2024 ISSUE NO. 2180

MAIN EVENTS

MAIN

EVENTS

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FIFA Beach Soccer World Cup

FIFA World Cup 26™ qualifiers

Premier League

There will be 16 nations battling it out for glory on the sands of Dubai over 11 days of thrilling action. Brazil, IR Iran, Italy, Japan and Portugal appear to be the teams to beat, while Chiky Ardil, Catarino, Edson Hulk, Felipe, Marco Giordani, Be and Leo Martins, Moslem Mesigar and Ozu Moreira are just a few of the star names to watch out for.

The road to Canada, Mexico and USA for FIFA World Cup 26 continues throughout 2024, with qualifying from three confederations - AFC, CAF and CONMEBOL - already under way.

Tottenham Hotspur v Manchester City

The action for the Concacaf and OFC nations commences this year, with UEFA following suit early in 2025.

Tottenham Stadium, London Saturday 20th April 2024.

For all the latest Premier League news, visit the official website of the Premier League.

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JAN The Best FIFA Football Awards™ 2023 Football’s leading players and coaches will gather in London at the start of the year for FIFA’s annual celebration of the beautiful game.

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UEFA Champions League

UEFA EURO 2024

Olympic Football Tournaments

It will be played at Wembley Stadium in London, England, on 1 June 2024.

The 2024 UEFA European Football Championship, commonly referred to as UEFA Euro 2024 (stylised as UEFA EURO 2024) or simply Euro 2024, will be the 17th edition of the UEFA European Championship, the quadrennial international football championship organised

by UEFA for the men’s national teams of its member associations.

The men’s and women’s tournaments at Paris 2024 will take place across seven venues throughout France.

Due to the postponement and relocation of the 2020 final, the final hosts were shifted back a year, with London instead hosting the 2024 final.

The 12 qualified teams in the women’s event will be split into three groups of four. The top two from each group, along with the best two third-placed teams, will reach the knockout phase.

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SPORTALL 365

MEGA

TRANSFERS 2024 Premier League clubs are in full negotiation mode with the January transfer window now into its final 10 days Europe’s most lucrative league has splashed out obscene amounts of money in recent transfer windows. In the summer of 2023, Premier League teams spent a combined €2.84 billion (£2.44bn), which beat their previous record set in 2022.

It was the end of an era at Tottenham as Hugo Lloris left the club after 11 years to join LAFC on a free transfer, while Eric Dier departed for Bayern on loan due to a lack of playing time.

All Stars Football Academy. In terms of outgoings, they sent Ian Maatsen to Borussia Dortmund and David Datro Fofana to Burnley, both on loan.

On the incoming front, Spurs sealed the mega arrivals of Timo Werner on loan from RB Leipzig and Radu Dragusin from Genoa. Djed Spence went to Genoa on loan as part of the Dragusin deal.

In January 2023, English top-flight clubs spent more than double the rest of Europe’s top five leagues on its own. The January 2024 transfer window has not yet reached the insane levels from 2023, partly due to the concerns of Financial Fair Play, with Everton, Nottingham Forest, Chelsea and Man City among the clubs either charged or scrutinised for their spending.

Manchester United have been very busy in the outgoing loan market in January. They sent Jadon Sancho back to Borussia Dortmund until the end of the season, while Donny van de Beek has been loaned to Eintracht Frankfurt, Hannibal has joined Sevilla for the same time period, while Alvaro Carreras has been sent to Benfica. Facundo Pellistri is set to be offloaded on loan to Granada.

Meanwhile, Wolves shipped Fabio Silva to Rangers and Sasa Kalajdzic to Frankfurt on temporary deals, and Brighton loaned Jeremy Sarmiento to Ipswich Town. Man City’s first move of the window saw them sell Nahuel Ferraresi to Sao Paulo. They also sold Zack Steffen to Colorado Rapids and loaned Lewis Fiorini to Charlton Athletic. Kalvin Phillips is expected to leave City this month.

Premier League have yet to reach triple figures in terms of spending. However, there is still plenty of activity, with clubs throughout the Premier League buying and selling and loaning players. The first confirmed transfer of January 2024 saw Brighton sign 18-year-old Romanian winger Adrian Mazilu from Farul Constanta for €3 million.

They also ended their loan of Sergio Reguilon from Tottenham six months early, with the Spaniard subsequently joining Brentford on loan.

Chelsea made their first signing of January by bringing in Dujuan Richards from Phoenix

West Ham’s transfer business got underway with Thilo Kehrer’s loan to Monaco.

Done Deals for January 2024: Every Premier League club’s new signings The 2023-24 January window opened its doors on Monday, 1 January 2024 and will close on Thursday, 1 February at 11pm GMT. Players out of contract in 2024 will also be able to negotiate summer transfers with foreign clubs once the January window opens.

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SPORTALL 365

LIVERPOOL AND MANCHESTER CITY

INTERESTED IN

LATEST ON ALMIRON, TRIPPIER AND WILSON Ben Jacobs has given a comprehensive update on the situation surrounding Miguel Almiron, Callum Wilson and Kieran Trippier.

He summarises that Newcastle are open to offers for Almiron, but as reported earlier, the Paraguayan has no desire to leave St James’ Park.

Bayern Munich’s pursuit of Trippier appears to be over, while Wilson could still leave Tyneside this month.

LATEST ON ALMIRON, TRIPPIER AND WILSON Ben Jacobs has given a comprehensive update on the situation surrounding Miguel Almiron, Callum Wilson and Kieran Trippier.

He summarises that Newcastle are open to offers for Almiron, but as reported earlier, the Paraguayan has no desire to leave St James’ Park.

Bayern Munich’s pursuit of Trippier appears to be over, while Wilson could still leave Tyneside this month.

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KIMMICH Liverpool are reportedly facing a transfer battle with Manchester City to sign Bayern Munich midfielder Joshua Kimmich. The Premier League’s top two sides are interested in the German midfielder. The 28-year-old’s future at the Allianz Arena has come under scrutiny in recent weeks as manager Thomas Tuchel looks to strengthen his midfield ranks.

VERMEEREN ARRIVES IN MADRID

KERR AGREES DEAL IN PRINCIPLE TO EXTEND CHELSEA CONTRACT

Arthur Vermeeren has arrived in Madrid ahead of completing his move to Atletico Madrid, with the video courtesy of Belgian journalist David Van den Broeck.

The Athletic’s Charlotte Harpur reports that Sam Kerr has agreed a deal in principle to extend her contract at Chelsea.

The Belgium international looks set to join the La Liga side in a fee worth in the region of €22million plus add-ons, as reported by Fabrizio Romano.

Her current deal expires this summer, but the Australia captain is widely expected to commit her future to The Blues. The 30-year-old is currently recovering from an ACL injury.

JOSHUA KIMMICH JOSHUA KIMMICH HISTORY Joshua Kimmich was born on 8 February 1995 in Rottweil and plays for FC Bayern München.

He played for VfB Bösingen from 2006-2007, for VfB Stuttgart from 2007-2013, for RB Leipzig from 2013-2015 and has played for FC Bayern München since 2015.

CURRENT SEASON 2023/24 In the current season, the player with the shirt number 6 has scored one goal and takes ninth place within his squad. He shares this rank with Thomas Müller, Dayot Upamecano, Matthijs de Ligt and Minjae Kim. With three assists, Joshua Kimmich presently has the fourth-most in his team along with Kingsley Coman, Noussair Mazraoui and Alphonso Davies.

His pass success rate amounts to 90.81 per cent, with which the 28-year-old occupies fifth place in the team-internal statistics. His tackle success rate amounts to 53.33 per cent.

With this, he occupies fourth place in the team-internal statistics.

Joshua Kimmich played his last game on the 13th matchday of the 2023/24 season (24 January 2024). He was victorious over 1.

FC Union Berlin while playing for FC Bayern München with a score of 1-0. He played as a midfielder throughout this entire game. In terms of total touches, he had 124 individual ball possessions.

Furthermore, he had 12 tackle challenges in the last match. Of these, Joshua Kimmich was able to win nine. He was additionally able to make 97 successful passes.

During his total playing time in this game, he ran 12.6 km and thus covered a longer distance than all other players in the club. In doing so, Joshua Kimmich had a total of 17 sprints.

NEW STARS TO WATCH

SPORTALL 365

All players must be 21 or under at the start of the year and will be hoping to emulate some of our previous picks in making a huge splash on the European stage – Erling Haaland (2019), Rafael Leão (2020), Jude Bellingham (2021) and Gavi (2022) to name but a few.

not hidden from the challenge, displaying the reactions and distribution that have drawn comparisons with a young Manuel Neuer.

António Silva (POR, 20 – Benfica)

Started making an impact for PSV in early 2023 and ended his break-out season with seven goals and five assists. His pace and one-on-one ability make the traditional rightwinger a constant threat to defenders, and he made his international debut for Belgium in March.

Broke into the Benfica side when 18 at the start of 2022/23 and the cultured centre-back has been first choice ever since. A tough defender capable of accurate passing across any distance, he became the youngest player ever to represent Portugal at the World Cup, aged 19 years 33 days.

Arnau Martínez (ESP, 20 – Girona) The right-back spent several years in Barcelona’s La Masia academy but came of age when helping Girona reach the top flight in 2021/22. Capable of carrying the ball forward at pace and supplying incisive passes, the Under-21 international has been a star in Girona’s incredible start to this season.

Noah Atubolu (GER, 21 – Freiburg) Freiburg placed their faith in the Germany U21 goalkeeper following the summer departure of Mark Flekken and Atubolu has

Johan Bakayoko (BEL, 20 – PSV Eindhoven)

Tommaso Baldanzi (ITA, 20 – Empoli) The attacking midfielder has been at Empoli from the age of eight, while he has represented Italy at numerous age levels and reached the FIFA U-20 World Cup final in 2023, playing in all seven games. Blessed with excellent vision and flair, Baldanzi’s passing ability has shone for the Italian side in the past 18 months.

Roony Bardghji (SWE, 18 – Copenhagen) The Kuwait-born forward has been eased into the first-team set-up since turning 16 and already has more than 50 appearances for the club.

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MESSI’S PLANS

Lionel Messi is set for an eventful start to 2024 as his schedule with Inter Miami unfolds, featuring an array of international matches and crucial domestic competitions.

The journey commences with a preseason clash against the El Salvador national team on January 19 at the Cuscatlan Stadium in San Salvador. This fixture marks the beginning of Inter Miami’s preparations ahead of the exciting 2024 campaign. Following this, Messi embarks on a tour of Asia, encountering some emotional reunions and challenging matchups. On January 29, he face Al Hilal in Riyadh, reuniting with his close friend Neymar.

A subsequent meeting on February 1 sees Messi locking horns with Cristiano Ronaldo and Al Nassr, potentially marking the last showdown between the two football icons.

Amidst these international engagements, Messi’s heartwarming return to the DRV-PNK Stadium on February 15 is a standout moment. Inter Miami square off against Newell’s Old Boys, the club of Messi’s youth, in a match that resonates globally.

The action-packed schedule continues with the beginning of the official MLS season on February 21, where Inter Miami face Real Salt Lake at DRV-PNK Stadium in Fort Lauderdale.

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Lionel Messi, the eight-time Ballon d’Or winner and 2022 World Cup champion, has a jam-packed year in 2024 with Inter Miami and Argentina.

Messi and Inter Miami’s MLS regular-season schedule will be filled with tournament games in the CONCACAF Champions Cup, the Leagues Cup, U.S. Open Cup and MLS postseason.

Messi will likely play with the Argentine national team during the 2024 Copa America tournament and other 2026 World Cup qualifying matches.

Messi’s preseason begins with an international tour that features a match against rival Cristiano Ronaldo in Saudi Arabia in early February.

Messi and Inter Miami will be on center stage to open the 2024 MLS season on Feb. 21 in a home match against Real Salt Lake. Inter Miami will also play its first road game of the season against the Los Angeles Galaxy on Feb. 25, as part of the MLS is Back opening week.

All of Messi’s home games with Inter Miami will be played at DRV PNK Stadium in Fort Lauderdale, Fla.

The team later take on Los Angeles Galaxy on February 25 and Orlando City SC on March 2.

More popular than ever, Messi has already seen Inter Miami sell out their season ticket allotment for 2024 despite a massive price hike, which has caused controversy amongst the club’s supporter base.

Now, fans across the country can look to see when Messi will play in their area, hoping for a chance to see the 35-year-old all-time great take the field.

SPORTALL 365

Portugal superstar Cristiano Ronaldo revealed that he has no plans to quit international football as he targets Euro 2024 glory.

will have no consequence on their fate as they have already sealed a berth for the continental competition.

The Al-Nassr forward struck twice in their 3-2 win over Slovakia on Friday, which propelled them to the Euro 2024 finals. After Goncalo Ramos scored a header from Bruno Fernandes’ cross, Ronaldo converted from the spot to double the advantage for the Selecao.

When Ronaldo was quizzed if he remains open to travelling he replied: “Of course, I will go to Bosnia but I don’t know what the coach will decide. I’m always available to help the national team and I love doing that and whatever the coach wants to do. All 24 players are ready to help.”

In the second half, Slovakia pulled one back through David Hancko but Ronaldo was once again in the right place at the right time to fire Portugal’s third home, which proved to be the difference maker at the end of the match.

After another impactful performance for his nation, the 38-year-old striker brushed aside talks of international retirement and insisted that he will be geared up to bring back the Euro trophy home from Germany next year.

“I hope I will be at Euro 2024 as there is still a lot of time left. I hope I won’t have any problem or injury, I hope to play,” he told reporters.

“I left Portugal early but it will always be my home. They support me in every stadium in Portugal. The Portuguese must be congratulated too for the reception they gave us and this qualification is also theirs.”

THE BIGGER PICTURE: The 2016 Euro winners are scheduled to travel to Bosnia next for their Euro 2024 qualifier. However, the result

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Although Ronaldo will travel to Bosnia, it remains to be seen if Roberto Martinez will give him a run on October 16 at the Bilino Polje Stadium in Zenica.

Ronaldo, who helped his nation to continental glory in 2016, told reporters – including those from Record – when asked about his international future: “I always have something to prove, when we have nothing to prove it is a sign that we are dead for life. Every year I always have something to prove. Proving that I can set an example of longevity, at 38-and-a-half years old I think I’ll still do very interesting things.

What? Goals, assists, good preparation in the Selection, having a good qualifying phase, a good European Championship and continue to do what I’ve done in my 21-year career.

I’ll continue to enjoy it the same way. I still feel useful and good. It’s continuing to enjoy football, which is what I like most.”

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Ronaldo made his debut for Portugal back in 2003 and has become the first man to reach a double-century when it comes to international appearances. He is now playing his club football in Saudi Arabia with Al-Nassr and will hope that his exploits there keep him in contention for further call-ups.

Portugal have been faultless through four Euro 2024 qualifiers so far, with a 12-point haul seeing them top Group J, and the expectation is that they – along with their iconic No.7 – will form part of the finals in Germany next summer.

Ronaldo hasn’t shown any signs of slowing down since his move to Saudi Arabia 12 months ago, but the five-time Ballon d’Or winner, who turns 39 next month, was quizzed on his future on Friday. The ex-Real Madrid forward revealed he will end his career “soon” but then claimed he was “joking”.

“At the moment when I finish I don’t know to be honest,” he said, while attending the Globe Soccer Awards in Dubai. “Of course it will be soon. By soon I mean 10 years more.

I’m joking! I don’t know, let’s see.” Ronaldo has less than 18 months remaining on his contract at Al-Nassr after joining following his release from Manchester United.

When that deal expires, Ronaldo will have turned 40, completed his second full season in Saudi Arabia and played in the European Championships with Portugal.

In 2020, former Portugal boss Fernando Santos revealed that Ronaldo will play until he is 40, meaning retirement for the goal-getter won’t at least happen for another year. Speaking at the time, Santos told TVI24: “Cristiano is ready to play until he’s 40, but he doesn’t know if it will happen. At some point he may feel that he no longer has the same conditions.

He’s not a player who will lower his level, when he feels like he can’t be Ronaldo, he won’t.”

SPORTALL 365

DID YOU

KNOW? THE TRANSFER WINDOW IS OPEN The January transfer window can make or break a team’s season and there are plenty of winners and losers come the start of February.

Nevertheless, some football clubs choose not to dip their toes into the choppy waters of January and feel their summer business is sufficient to see them through the campaign.

Although, with injuries becoming an ever more apparent theme in the modern game, sometimes the January transfer market can be hugely beneficial.

This article has been generated based on substantiated reporting, along with dates and timelines provided by Transfermarkt. Here is everything you need to know about the January transfer window 2024. In 2024, things are pretty straightforward concerning the January transfer window. It will open for all clubs in Europe’s top five leagues on Monday, January 1st 2024.

A month may seem long, however, in the grand scheme of things, that isn’t much time for agents, clubs and player’s entourages to get things signed, sealed and over the line.

Some fans may be in store for some presents after Christmas has taken place and could be entering the new year with some fresh faces coming into their squads.

Below we have created a table listing the 10 biggest Premier League January transfers ever and you’ll be surprised to see some of them only came in last season. E

Yet again, things are pretty straightforward for Premier League teams and across the top five leagues in Europe when it comes to the closing date for the January transfer window.

vidently, Chelsea have been the most active club in terms of spending in the January transfer window, with four signings making the top 10.

Whilst clubs in and around Europe have notoriously kept things quiet in the January transfer window, the same can’t be said for England and the Premier League.

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