يواصل الفريق الأول لكرة القدم بنادي برشلونة استعداداته لمباراة ريال مدريد في كلاسيكو الدوري الإسباني الأول بموسم 2025/2026.
كان برشلونة قد اكتسح نظيره أولمبياكوس بسداسية مقابل هدف في المباراة التي جمعتهما ضمن منافسات الجولة الثالثة بمرحلة الدوري لبطولة دوري أبطال أوروبا.
طالع | معلقين مباراة الكلاسيكو اليوم بين ريال مدريد وبرشلونة
واستطاع رجال هانز فليك دك حصون الفريق اليوناني بسداسية مقابل هدف، ليكون الاستعداد الأمثل والأخير للقاء الكلاسيكو في الدوري الإسباني المقرر إقامته الأحد المقبل.
ويحتل برشلونة المركز الثاني في جدول ترتيب الدوري الإسباني برصيد 22 نقطة، فيما يتصدر ريال مدريد برصيد 24 نقطة.
ويضرب النادي الكتالوني موعدًا ناريًا لأولى مباريات الكلاسيكو في هذا الموسم يوم الأحد المقبل على ملعب “سانتياجو برنابيو” ضمن منافسات الدوري الإسباني “لا ليجا”.
ووفقًا لصحيفة “سبورت” فإن هانز فليك لم يهنأ بالأخبار السعيدة التي حصل عليها في تدريبات اليوم بعودة رافينها وفيران توريس مرة أخرى لاستكمال تدريباتهما بشكل طبيعي.
وغاب لاعب خط الوسط الهولندي فرينكي دي يونج، عن تدريبات برشلونة اليوم بسبب معاناته من نزلة معوية، مما يجعل مشاركته في مباراة الكلاسيكو أمام ريال مدريد محل شك.
الغيابات المؤكدة حتى الآن في فريق برشلونة، هم، الحارسين خوان جارسيا وتير شتيجن، جافي، ليفاندوفسكي وداني أولمو.
Fast bowler was was primarily recovering from a back injury, and has been out of action since October 2024
ESPNcricinfo staff14-Apr-2025
Mayank Yadav will be in action again soon•BCCI
Lucknow Super Giants (LSG)’s express pace bowler Mayank Yadav is set to join the squad on Tuesday. ESPNcricinfo has learnt that Mayank will likely be available for LSG’s next game, against Rajasthan Royals on Saturday in Jaipur.His availability will be another boost for LSG, who had started IPL 2025 without him, Avesh Khan and Akash Deep, who were all recovering from different injuries. Mohsin Khan was also injured and ruled out of the tournament, before being replaced by Shardul Thakur.Avesh and Akash Deep later joined the squad, and have since played five and three games, respectively, out of LSG’s six matches so far. Despite a depleted pace attack, LSG have won four games, and host Chennai Super Kings (CSK) at home on Monday.Mayank, 22, was primarily recovering from a back injury, and has been out of action since October 2024. That is when he had made his international debut, and played three T20Is against Bangladesh at home. He missed the entire domestic season after that and was recovering at the BCCI’s Centre Of Excellence (CoE, formerly NCA) in Bengaluru. LSG head coach Justin Langer had said ten days ago after seeing videos of Mayank operating at “90-95%” that the fast bowler would join the squad soon.Mayank had played only four games for LSG last season, and was among their five retained players before the mega auction.Despite fielding a depleted pace attack from the start, LSG have been among the better bowling attacks this season, handing Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) their first loss by restricting them to 190 in Hyderabad, defending 203 at home against Mumbai Indians (MI), and most recently derailing Gujarat Titans’ charge by restricting them to 180 after they were 122 for 2 in 13 overs.Thakur, LSG’s most experienced bowler, is second on the top wicket-takers’ list, while spinner Digvesh Rathi has been their find of the season.
Sunderland are yet to look fazed by the intense challenges of the Premier League.
Minus a disappointing loss away at Burnley on the second matchday of the season, Regis Le Bris’ Black Cats have collected two wins and two draws, with another encouraging display from the Wearside outfit against Aston Villa handing the hosts a 1-1 draw.
It wasn’t the prettiest overall display, as Sunderland had to dig deep after being reduced to ten men early on, but there was just enough in the Black Cats’ tank to steal a share of the points.
Again, Wilson Isidor would come to the rescue with a well-taken strike towards the dying stages of the tense contest, with both the Frenchman and his battling compatriot at the back in Nordi Mukiele key to the late draw being sealed.
Isidor & Mukiele's standout performances
Amazingly, Sunderland – at this point – boasts a sterner defensive record in the Premier League than that of Arne Slot’s table-topping Liverpool, and it’s clear to see why after Mukiele put in another combative display.
Leaking just four goals from six games, Mukiele has only given up two of those strikes since entering Le Bris’ first team plans after a summer move from Paris St. Germain.
The commanding 27-year-old would ensure the likes of Ollie Watkins and Morgan Rogers were kept quiet throughout, despite the Villans’ man advantage, as seen in him winning seven duels and registering 12 clearances to ensure the basics were done valiantly, as per Sofascore.
Picked up for just £12m, it really does feel as if Sunderland have hit gold on an unbelievable bargain already in tempting Mukiele to Wearside.
Isidor is also proving to be a shrewd buy at the moment for just £5m, considering the ex-Zenit St. Petersburg striker is now in the Stadium of Light record books for his three strikes this season on home soil.
But, despite both the defender and the attacker sticking out once more, there is a different star buried in the senior ranks that is worth even more than both Isidor and Mukiele, who represents an even better bargain.
How Isidor & Mukiele's market values compare
Various Sunderland stars who were purchased just this summer have instantly settled into their new environment, away from just focusing on Mukiele, with Noah Sadiki running himself into the ground for the cause on Sunday, as seen in him winning three ground duels.
But, there is also the old guard that has been there since the beginning of Sunderland’s ascent, all the way from the lower reaches of the EFL to the promised land of the Premier League, that deserve equal praise, with Trai Hume being one figure still beloved by the Stadium of Light masses, despite all these flashy new buys taking over.
Le Bris’ past comments about Hume being a “warrior” were spot on when assessing his gritty performance against Villa, with three tackles amassed – which included this mistimed lunge on the aforementioned Rogers – on top of eight duels being won, generating lots of cheers from the home faithful.
Yet, it’s also his attacking flair that has turned him into a major fan favourite since he sealed a switch from his native Northern Ireland to England back in 2022, with nine goal contributions last campaign very much helping Sunderland steer themselves to promotion glory.
Hume’s Sunderland record
Stat
Hume
Minutes played
137
Goals scored
6
Assists
9
Promotions
1x
Value when joining
£200k
Value now
£15.5m
Sourced by Transfermarkt/Football Transfers
He is yet to get up and running with any goals or assists in the top-flight, but that will hopefully come with time, with Hume once making the jump from Linfield to the bruising nature of the EFL look straightforward.
Subsequently, the “outstanding” full-back – as he has been glowingly labelled by journalist Josh Bunting – is now worth way more than his original measly £200k price tag, with Football Transfers now estimating that the tough Northern Irishman has a bumped up value of £15.5m.
That’s even more than both Mukiele and Isidor’s valuations on the site, with the determined centre-back worth a lesser £10.6m, while the lofty attacker comes in at £13.6m, which is a huge increase from his modest £5m price tag in January.
Still, he pales somewhat in comparison to Hume, with Le Bris hopeful he can continue to get a tune out of his full camp to keep up their fantastic early return to the top-flight.
70% duels won: 9/10 Sunderland star is now as undroppable as Isidor
Sunderland battled to a well-earned 1-1 draw against Aston Villa as this brave star shone throughout.
Em alta no Campeonato Brasileiro, o Botafogo se volta para não perder seus astros. O jovem Matías Segovia desperta o interesse do Barcelona, de acordo com o diário catalão “Mundo Deportivo”.
O paraguaio, que caiu nas graças da torcida alvinegra, se manifestou sobre o assunto após o empate sem gols do Glorioso com o Cruzeiro, pela décima-oitava do Brasileirão.
+ Barcelona de olho em Matías Segovia: saiba qual é a multa rescisória para tirar o atacante do Botafogo
– Eu vi, mas não estou prestando atenção nisso. Estou focado no Botafogo e vou seguir trabalhando com o meu time – afirmou, em entrevista ao “ge”.
O Botafogo volta a campo para encarar o Guaraní, do Paraguai, pelo jogo de volta das oitavas da Copa Sul-Americana. Os alvinegros jogam pelo empate após terem vencido por 2 a 1 na ida.
يواصل برشلونة استعداده لمواجهة إلتشي ضمن منافسات الدوري الإسباني لكرة القدم بداية الأسبوع المقبل، وكان الفريق قد تلقى خبراً محزناً بإصابة بيدري وغيابه لأكثر من شهر.
واستأنف كل من روبرت ليفاندوفسكي وداني أولمو لاعبا برشلونة تدريباتهما الجماعية، وقد يحصلان على التصريح الطبي قبل مباراة يوم الأحد المقبل.
وبحسب صحيفة “سبورت” الإسبانية فقد أجرى الألماني مارك تير شتيجن تدريبات خفيفة على أرض الملعب حيث يواصل تعافيه من جراحة الظهر التي خضع لها في 25 يوليو في بوردو.
أقرأ أيضاً.. هانز فليك يقترب من استعادة لاعب رئيسي قبل فترة التوقف الدولي
ويغيب قائد برشلونة صاحب الـ33 عاماً عن الملاعب بسبب إصابة طويلة الأمد تتطلب أربعة أشهر للتعافي، ولا يزال من المتوقع أنه يحتاج لشهر آخر قبل أن يصبح جاهزاً للمدرب هانز فليك.
ويتقدم تير شتيجن بشكل جيد ولكن بحذر ودون تسرع في عودته، ويمثل قيامه بالتدريبات الخفيفة خطوة تحفيزية مهمة للحارس الألماني المخضرم.
It was yet another devastating result for Manchester United. The Red Devils slumped to another defeat, this time losing 3-1 away from home to Brentford. Ruben Amorim’s side have now lost three games in the top flight this season, winning just two and drawing the other.
That is merely a continuation of the dismal form shown under their Portuguese manager. United have only won 12 games under Amorim in not far off one year, and are yet to win back-to-back games in the Premier League.
Their trip to the Gtech Community was a chance to do just that. However, two first-half goals from Igor Thiago in the first half, and a late strike from Vitaly Janelt were enough to seal the three points for the Bees.
The only real positive for United was the fact that Benjamin Sesko bagged his first goal for the club. It was a strike that showed lots of fight, scrapping for a ball in the penalty box before finally firing a shot into the back of the net.
It was another disappointing day at the office for Amorim’s side. No one really covered themselves in glory. One player who struggled was defender Luke Shaw.
Shaw’s performance vs. Brentford
One of the Red Devils’ most experienced players, Shaw, once again started as the left centre-back in Amoirm’s infamous back three system. He has certainly had better performances in a United shirt.
The England international, who is normally excellent on the ball, was surprisingly poor in possession in West London. Out of possession, he struggled against the physicality of Brentford’s forwards, including goalscorer Thiago.
In terms of his numbers from the lunchtime kickoff, the 30-year-old had 71 touches, losing the ball 17 times. He only won one duel from four attempted, and made one error, which led to a Brentford shot, per Sofascore.
Goal journalist Richard Martin seemingly agreed that the experienced defender did not put in his best performance against the West Londoners. He gave him a 5/10 for his efforts and highlighted his struggles with the ball at his feet, describing him as “sloppy in possession.”
It was certainly not Shaw’s best day at the office, although he was not United’s worst player at the Gtech Community Stadium.
The United player who worse than Shaw
Shaw was certainly not the only player in a United shirt who struggled against the Bees. Harry Maguire was at fault for the first goal, and goalkeeper Altay Bayindir could have done better for the second strike.
However, Bruno Fernandes put in a surprisingly poor performance. The United captain had his afternoon summed up by Statman Dave, who called the situation a “nightmare.” Indeed, he struggled to get involved creatively and, crucially, missed a penalty.
That effort from 12 yards was certainly not his finest moment of the season. The second penalty he’s missed in West London this season, Fernandes struck his effort low to the goalkeeper’s left, which Caoimhin Kelleher easily managed to tip away.
It was a moment that summed up Fernandes’ afternoon. The Portugal international, once again operating deeper in a pivot, struggled to create a chance, playing just one key pass, and losing the ball 18 times.
Fernandes’ stats vs. Brentford
Stat
Number
Touches
81
Pass accuracy
78%
Passes completed
54/69
Ground duels won
3/6
Number of times ball lost
18
Long balls completed
5/11
Penalties missed
1
Key passes
1
Stats from Sofascore
Indeed, Martin seemed to agree that the United captain had a day to forget at the Gtech Community Stadium. He gave Fernandes a match rating of 4/10 and, unfortunately, did not have anything positive to discuss from his performance.
United’s number eight certainly was not involved enough creatively, either. Perhaps that is more on Amoirm rather than the reflection of a poor showing. Fernandes would surely be able to create more chances if he were playing further forward, rather than in a pivot. With that being said, perhaps you’d have expected him to create more with United chasing the game.
It was definitely a day to forget for Fernandes. Normally, such a consistent penalty taker, he missed from the spot to make it 2-2 and give United a fighting chance of getting a positive result.
Not just Obi: Man Utd have "dangerous" attacker who can be the next Rooney
Man United fans can get excited about this player’s talent.
Brook’s first outing as white-ball captain comes after twin disasters at 2023 World Cup and 2025 Champions Trophy
Alan Gardner28-May-2025
Jamie Smith will open for England in the first ODI against West Indies•Getty Images
Big picture: The road to 2027 begins in earnestWest Indies didn’t qualify for the last two ICC 50-over tournaments – the 2023 World Cup and 2025 Champions Trophy – but it is arguable whether that was any more embarrassing than the dismal campaigns England put together in India and Pakistan. With another failure at the T20 World Cup sandwiched in between, it did not require much deliberation for Jos Buttler to step down after less than three years as captain.His successor was picked from a very short shortlist, but while there is little doubt that Harry Brook has the minerals for captaincy, the question for England is whether a first-choice all-formats player can succeed in the job given the current schedule? With a calendar that includes series against West Indies (ODI and T20I), India (Tests), South Africa (ODI and T20I), Ireland (ODI), New Zealand (ODI and T20I), Australia (Test) and Sri Lanka (ODI and T20I) before he can even begin to think about the 2026 T20 World Cup in February, the odds are that something will have to give.Even Brook himself picked the Ashes as his priority when unveiled last month. But, for now, England have made a show of giving their ODI rebuild the attention it deserves by calling back Buttler, Jacob Bethell and Will Jacks from the IPL, despite their teams’ involvement in the tournament’s pointy end. West Indies, by contrast, have allowed Romario Shepherd and Sherfane Rutherford to stay in India, even with potentially vital ranking points (which will determine World Cup qualification) at stake.West Indies currently sit ninth in the ICC rankings, three points behind England and five points ahead of Bangladesh, with the top eight aside from co-hosts South Africa (sixth) and Zimbabwe (11th) going straight to the World Cup rather than having to fight through a qualifying event. Bilateral ODI engagements are often seen as context-free, but there is real jeopardy for England – who have never missed out on the World Cup – if they don’t improve on a grim recent record that reads three series wins (one of them against Ireland) in their last 11 going back to mid-2022.Related
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Switch Hit: Zim sing while England win
Brook, at least, is well rested, with just one appearance for Yorkshire and last week’s three-day Test against Zimbabwe since the Champions Trophy in March (he is, of course, banned from the IPL after pulling out at late notice, but we won’t get into those weeds). Even with Jofra Archer and Mark Wood out injured, he will still be able to call on a trio of 2019 World Cup winners, with Buttler continuing in the ranks, Joe Root ready to anchor the top order and Adil Rashid undisputed as England’s all-time leading white-ball spinner.In fact, the revolution has been far from bloody, with Liam Livingstone and Phil Salt the main casualties following three defeats from three at the Champions Trophy. Brydon Carse is fit to restate his case, so too Bethell after being injured on the tour of India, while Jacks, Jamie Smith, Matthew Potts, Jamie Overton and Tom Hartley are all backed to keep learning the ropes in a format that quickly disappears from sight in between ICC events. Smith, who endured a tough time at No.3 last time out, is set to open alongside Duckett, in a further show of England’s belief in his immense potential.West Indies, as ever, will hope to disrupt England’s plans – as they did at home in 2023-24 and 2024-25, on both occasions winning the ODI encounters. A heavy defeat against Ireland last week was a reminder of some of their weaknesses, but they responded by piling up scores of 352 for 8 and 385 for 7. In Shai Hope (11th) and Gudakesh Motie (sixth) they have the highest-ranked batter and bowler on either side, and in Daren Sammy a coach who will squeeze every last drop out of the players at his disposal as they too seek an escape from the doldrums in 50-over cricket.Form guideEngland LLLLL West Indies WLWWWKeacy Carty scored back-to-back centuries against Ireland•Seb Daly/Sportsfile via Getty Images
In the spotlight: Harry Brook and Keacy CartyFrom the toss onwards, it will be all eyes on Harry Brook, who led England with aplomb against Australia in Buttler’s injury-enforced absence last summer and now gets to shape the side in his image. It was a mark of how England had neglected ODIs after their World Cup win that, when Brook made his debut in 2023, he hadn’t played the format in almost four years. Now, with just 26 caps and a single hundred to his name, he still has plenty to learn. Familiarity with Brendon McCullum’s Bazball methods in charge of the Test team is likely to shape his philosophy, as England look to run towards the danger in a format where they’re not looked comfortable for some time.Keacy Carty scored his maiden international hundred in a series-sealing win against England in Barbados six months ago, and has since added a 95 against Bangladesh, followed by back-to-back tons in Ireland – the latter of which, 170 off 142 balls, was the joint-sixth highest ODI score for West Indies. It is almost a decade since Carty top-scored in the final as West Indies lifted the 2015-16 Under-19 World Cup, but he now looks at home in the senior set-up. Picked as the man for West Indies to “invest” in at No. 3, he has been praised by Sammy for his dedication and hard work, and shapes as a key cog in their attempts to build a side that can return to World Cup contention in 2027.Team news: Smith to open, Carse to returnIt had been assumed that Jacks or Tom Banton would be the likely replacement for Salt at opener, but England have sprung a surprise by opting instead of Smith as Duckett’s new partner at the top of the order. Despite making scores of 15, 9 and 0 in a desperate stint at No.3 in the Champions Trophy, he is given the chance to set the team’s agenda from the get-go, with Jacks slotting into the middle-order. Smith won’t, however, be keeping as well. That duty falls to Buttler, now back in the ranks and inked in at No.5. Atkinson has joined Archer in withdrawing from the squad due to injury, but there’s a welcome return for Carse, who will play for the first time since mangling his toes in the line of Test duty over the winter. Overton and Mahmood complete the seam attack with Adil Rashid the sole specialist spinner in a team stacked with allround candidates. Hartley will have to wait to play his first ODI since a washed-out game against Ireland in Bristol in September 2023.England: 1 Jamie Smith, Ben Duckett, 3 Joe Root, 4 Harry Brook (capt), 5 Jos Buttler (wk), 6 Jacob Bethell, 7 Will Jacks, 8 Jamie Overton, 9 Brydon Carse, 10 Adil Rashid, 11 Saqib MahmoodWest Indies are missing the services of Shepherd and Rutherford until the conclusion of their IPL involvement, who were replaced by Jediah Blades and Shimron Hetmyer respectively. Jewel Andrew is the other spare batter, while it will likely come down to a choice between Shamar Joseph’s pace and Jayden Seales’ accuracy to complete the attack.West Indies: (possible) 1 Brandon King, 2 Evin Lewis, 3 Keacy Carty, 4 Shai Hope (capt & wk), 5 Amir Jangoo, 6 Justin Greaves, 7 Roston Chase, 8 Matthew Forde, 9 Alzarri Joseph, 10 Gudakesh Motie, 11 Shamar Joseph/Jayden SealesPitch and conditions: Runs if not sunEdgbaston hasn’t staged an ODI since 2021, but it usually offers up one of the truest surfaces for batting in the country – in 2015, it was the scene of England’s seminal 408 for 9 in Eoin Morgan’s first outing as permanent captain. The driest spring in recent memory has given way to more familiar English weather, with rain forcing West Indies to train indoors on Tuesday, but the forecast for Thursday suggests interruptions will be at a minimum.Stats and trivia West Indies haven’t won a bilateral ODI series in England since 2007. Their last such visit, in 2017, resulted in a 4-0 defeat. Root needs 99 runs to overtake Eoin Morgan as England’s leading scorer in ODIs. Another 141 will make him the first Englishman to 7000. Roston Chase is 56 runs short of 1000 in ODIs. Rashid is set to win his 150th cap in the format; Brandon King his 50th.Quotes”New era now, new leadership. Hopefully we can bring a lot of energy, competitiveness, and a lot of fun as well out out there, try and engage the fans as much as we can – and yeah, try and get some wins under our belt.” Harry Brook sets out his battle-plan on the eve of his captaincy tenure.“Ever since we started this journey with World Cup 2027 in mind, automatic qualification is the first goal. Climbing up the rankings is the only way we could do that. We’ve made some strides from when we started. Right now we’re No. 9, with England just ahead of us, by two or three points, and this series is very important.”
Na última sexta-feira (25), o Atlético-MG foi reconhecido pela Confederação Brasileira de Futebol (CBF) como campeão brasileiro de 1937 pelo título da “Taça dos Campeões”.
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O Bangu foi o vencedor do torneio de mesmo nome em 1967. Com isso, após a decisão da CBF sobre o Atlético-MG, torcedores foram as redes sociais para questionar se o título conquistado pelo clube do Rio de Janeiro também deveria ser considerado Campeonato Brasileiro.
+ Atlético-MG é reconhecido como campeão brasileiro de 1937: veja clubes que ganharam torneios nacionais “não contados”
Contudo, no documento assinado pela CBF, é reconhecida apenas a conquista do clube de Belo Horizonte, não constando nada sobre o Bangu ou o Paulistano, que venceu o mesmo torneio em 1920.
“When I started first-class cricket, I bowled a lot with my left arm. But later, it became about 60% right arm, and 40% left arm.”
Andrew Fidel Fernando17-Jun-2025
Tharindu Rathnayake struck twice on Test debut•AP Photo/Eranga Jayawardena
“I don’t know which arm I’ve taken more wickets with,” says Tharindu Rathnayake of his wicket tally in domestic cricket. “I’ve never looked at it properly. I’ve bowled a lot with both my arms.”If this seems like bragging, Rathnayake continues to speak as if being able to bowl with either arm is a normal experience to which anyone could relate. It must seem natural to him, though – he has 337 first-class wickets, and 122 List A dismissals.”When I started first-class cricket, I bowled a lot with my left arm. But later, after a couple of years, it became about 60% right arm, and 40% left arm.”Related
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Right, so why, on day one of his debut Test, against Bangladesh in Galle, did Rathnayake bowl 15.5 overs of right-arm offbreaks before he tried his first ball of left-arm spin?”I just felt that the ball that turns into the batter is harder for them to face because this wicket is suited to the batters. When you bowl right-arm offspin against right-handed batters with the red ball, it’s not easy for them to play. When I bowl offspin, I also have more options with the fields I can set. With left-arm spin, because the wicket is not behaving as we want it to, they can put the ball into gaps, and they have more scoring options.”To what extent Rathnayake knows this unusual craft is not clear yet. Unlike Kamindu Mendis, the other ambidextrous spinner in the side, Rathnayake is primarily a bowler. In the match-ups age, though, being able to bowl with either arm could be a supremely useful skill. Rathnayake seems to be aware of that potential.”Before we come to the match, in our planning, we talked about what each batsman is better at facing, and which sides they hit to,” he said. “So I try to create plans around their weaknesses, and change which arm I’m bowling with according to that.”Though Rathnayake claimed two wickets – both left-handers caught at slip against his offbreaks – in his first session of Test cricket, he said the Galle pitch got better to bat on through the day.”There was a little moisture early on, but it dried out. There wasn’t much spin. I’m expecting it to stay good until day four.”
Things weren’t looking so great for Chelsea just a couple of weeks ago.
Enzo Maresca’s side were coming off their third loss on the bounce, and there was some frustration among the fans.
However, thanks to an incredible performance against Liverpool and a last-minute goal from Estevao, things at Stamford Bridge are starting to look up.
The Brazilian wonderkid is the man of the moment after that goal, and that, combined with some of his other exciting cameos, all point towards him being a first-team star come the end of the season.
Chelsea look like they’ve struck gold with the former Palmires gem, but had they been able to keep hold of another sensational talent who left for nothing, they’d have two Estevao-level prospects in the squad today.
The youth stars that got away for Chelsea
Cobham is a powerhouse of an academy, and one that has served Chelsea well over the years, whether by producing players for the first team or ones to be sold for big profit.
Where Are They Now
Your star player or biggest flop has left the club but what are they doing in the present day? This article is part of Football FanCast’s Where Are They Now series.
However, as with all big clubs, the Blues have also lost several youngsters who went on to be superstars, sometimes due to poor decisions and sometimes through no fault of their own.
Two players that unfortunately fall into the former category are, of course, Declan Rice and Michael Olise.
The Englishman was famously part of the academy side that featured Mason Mount. He was released in 2013 at the age of 14, joined West Ham United, and then moved to Arsenal in 2023, where he could potentially win the league.
Olise, on the other hand, left the club in 2016 in what was reportedly a “mutual decision,” and has since gone on to star for Reading, Crystal Palace, and now Bayern Munich.
A former Cobham gem who left despite the club’s best efforts was Jamal Musiala.
The German international joined the club’s academy system from Southampton in 2011 but moved to Bayern Munich in July 2019, which netted the West Londoners just £180k.
Unfortunately for Chelsea, something similar happened again last September for a player who could end up being as good as Estevao.
The homegrown Estevao Chelsea lost
Unfortunately, the homegrown Estevao Chelsea lost for nothing is none other than Liverpool’s latest wonderkid, Rio Ngumoha.
Liverpool star Rio Ngumoha
The 17-year-old joined the Reds’ academy set-up from the West Londoners in September of last year.
Unlike with Rice and Olise, for example, the club made every effort to keep him in the capital, but it just wasn’t enough, and he made his way to the North West for nothing.
However, while the Blues have not yet received anything for the youngster, they will eventually be paid; it’s just that, at the moment, the amount has not been decided upon by a tribunal.
Whatever it ends up being, though, the club would likely prefer the youngster, as he’s already looking like a homegrown Estevao.
Nguhoma’s career numbers
Team
Games
Goals + Assists
Liverpool U18s
10
3
Chelsea U18s
9
2
Liverpool U21s
9
2
Liverpool first team
6
1
Liverpool youth league
6
1
All Stats via Transfermarkt
For example, in the game against Newcastle United, he came off the bench late on to score a last-minute winner that would have had a similar impact on the fans as the Brazilian’s did last weekend.
Moreover, the “phenomenal talent” as dubbed by his former youth coach, Saul Isaksson-Hurst, is looked upon as one of the game’s future stars.
According to one analyst, he is “one of the best young wingers in Europe”. At the same time, Ben Mattinson has praised him for being a “technical dribbler with an explosive burst of acceleration,” which makes him “dangerous in 1v1s” and sounds a lot like the Blues’ new young superstar.
Ultimately, it is still early in both their careers, so it’s hard to be completely sure how they will fare going forward. However, as things stand, it looks like Ngumoha could be a genuine rival to Estevao in the coming years.
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