England midfielder Rhyce Ramsden admits amputee football has opened doors he did not realise were accessible to him.
The Everton player has just completed arguably the most successful couple of weeks of his life after scoring twice in the FA Disability Cup final victory over Portsmouth, just days after helping the national team win their first title since 1990.
He has already come a long way since getting on his first flight with the England team just six months into his journey in amputee football.
Not one, not two, but three trophies in a week for Rhyce Ramsden who believes he is reaping the rewards for his strength in character on and off the pitch.
— England Amputee FA (@amputeefootball)
“I was 16 and had been playing for six months as …
Bruno Fernandes is confident Manchester United will prove they are a “big team” as they attempt to kick on from a promising first campaign under Erik ten Hag.
This time last year, the Dutchman was sifting through the mess left by a wretched 2021-22 campaign in which embarrassing results compounded incoherent performances.
Ten Hag quickly stamped his mark on the team and oversaw United’s first trophy win since 2017, with the Carabao Cup triumph followed by a third-placed Premier League finish.
The Old Trafford giants also lost the FA Cup final to Manchester City and newly-appointed captain Fernandes is demanding more this time around.
“We did a really good season,” the skipper said. “It was not successful, but I think that our season was good.<…
Joan Laporta believes Barcelona s strong contingent of players within the Spain squad can help propel the national side to victory at the World Cup.
A 7-0 demolition of Costa Rica was followed by a 1-1 draw with Germany and has put the 2010 champions on the brink of qualifying for the knockout stage.
Young Barca pair Gavi and Pedri have caught the eye in midfield during the opening two fixtures, while Ferran Torres hit a brace against Costa Rica.
Laporta expressed his pride at their performances, with the Barcelona president believing Spain s positive displays are down to head coach Xavi s work at club level.
I think it s fantastic. It gives pride for Barcelona to see how the national team is playing and how our players are doing, he told AS.
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Marco Reus committed to a new one-year contract with Borussia Dortmund on Thursday as the captain targeted Bundesliga glory.
The 33-year-old Dortmund stalwart wants to begin next season with a championship to defend, having agreed to stay on to the end of the 2023-24 campaign.
It will be his 12th season as a Dortmund first-team player, and possibly his last.
Dortmund-born Reus emerged through the club s ranks before spending six seasons away at Rot Weiss Ahlen and Borussia Monchengladbach, but since rejoining BVB in 2012 he has been a pivotal figure.
As Dortmund noted when announcing his extension, Reus is 16 short of Adi Preissler s record of 177 goals for the club, which may be a target.
Reus sent a message to supporters, saying: As a team, we �…
Bastian Schweinsteiger has been included in Germany s provisional squad for Euro 2016.
Head coach Joachim Low has opted to hand a place to his captain despite the Manchester United midfielder having made just one Premier League appearance since January as the result of a knee injury.
Mario Gomez has been rewarded for firing Besiktas to the Turkish Super Lig title with a place in the squad, while rising stars Julian Weigl, Joshua Kimmich and Leroy Sane have also been given a spot, along with the uncapped Julian Brandt.
We have watched them for a long time, Low said of the youngsters. Sane is incredibly fast, Weigl has played a good role for Dortmund.
Kimmich is someone who can play in a number of positions. Brandt is technically gifted and fast.
David de Gea accepts it will be tough playing the next three Premier League games without Casemiro but has backed new Manchester United team-mate Marcel Sabitzer to fill the void.
Casemiro will miss his side s home and away games with Leeds United over the next week, as well as the visit of Leicester City on February 19, after being sent off for grabbing Will Hughes around the neck in Saturday s 2-1 win over Crystal Palace.
The Brazil international has played in 30 of United s 31 matches since joining from Real Madrid in August – the most of any player – and has made a huge difference in central midfield for Erik ten Hag.
Casemiro s absence from the side coincides with Christian Eriksen s three-month injury lay-off, while Scott McTominay is also sidelined, b…
European football s governing body UEFA on Wednesday confirmed four venues in Poland to stage games in the Euro 2012, but only accepted Kiev in co-hosts Ukraine.
Three other venues in Ukraine were given until November 30 to provide assurances they were capable of properly hosting games.
As expected the four Polish sites chosen by the UEFA Executive Board were Warsaw, Poznan, Wroclaw and Gdansk.
The three venues in Ukraine still to provide guarentees over their suitability are Lviv, Donetsk and Karkov.
Poland and Ukraine were suprisingly named as co-hosts for European football s showcase tournament in April, 2007 but there have been growing organisational concerns, particularly surrounding Ukraine, since then.
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“They are a good team and Van Bommel is doing a very good job, and he wants to leave a mark playing football based on teamwork,” Xavi added.
“We will decide which players will feature after training and prior to the game, but it is a good chance to give opportunities to young players and others who haven’t played that much.
“Logically we will make changes.”
Inaki Pena is almost certain to continue in goal after Marc-Andre ter Stegen had back surgery last week.
❝Learning from one of the best goalkeepers in the world, like ter Stegen, makes you get better.❞
– Iñaki Peña – |
— FC Barcelona (@FCBarcelona)
“The injury to Ter Stegen is not good news,” the goalkeeper said. “It makes me proud to be playing …
Atletico Madrid will not contest European football in the second half of a season for the first time since 2010-11 after a 2-1 defeat to Porto saw them finish bottom of Champions League Group B.
Diego Simeone s men would have secured a spot in the Europa League with a third-place finish, but an underwhelming display at the Dragao on Tuesday ensured Bayer Leverkusen – who drew 0-0 with Club Brugge – took that spot.
Porto needed only five minutes to take control as Mehdi Taremi got a poacher s goal, and that was followed before the half-hour mark by an emphatic Stephen Eustaquio strike.
Atletico livened up towards the end, seeing an Antoine Griezmann strike contentiously wiped out and Ivan Marcano put into his own net, but that came too late to make a differenc…
Eventually breezing their way to a first La Liga crown since 2019 last season, have certainly turned a real corner under Xavi during the past 18 months.
Dethroning bitter rivals Real Madrid and appearing to have found some much-needed stability, the Spanish giants have made it clear that they’re looking to build on their domestic success this summer.
Welcoming now-former Manchester City icon to Catalonia earlier in the transfer window in what was a blockbuster free swoop, it is no secret that Barcelona are stuck dealing with some public financial restraints behind the scenes.
Nevertheless, while Xavi’s side might have made it clear that the likes of target Ferran Torres will be allowed to leave the Nou Camp, Barca reportedly have their sights set on a Pre…