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Troost-Ekong Pens Emotional Farewell Message to PAOK

Nigerian footballer, William Troost-Ekong has written an emotional farewell message after leaving his former club, PAOK Thessaloniki.
Recall that Troost-Ekong left the Greek Super League champions after just one season.
The Nigeria international has already pitched his tent with the Saudi Professional Football League side, Al Khalood.
The centre-back will sign a two-year contract with the option of an additional year.
Troost-Ekong took to social media to bid PAOK goodbye, saying, “Dear PAOK, after an amazing year and season in Thessaloniki, I want to thank everyone for the opportunity to share and be part of those moments with you,”he wrote on X.
 
“I want to thank the president, club staff, medical team, General Lucescu, assistants and especially my teammates who have become my family, for the belief and hard work that resulted in an unforgettable championship and special European nights.
 
“To the fans, thank you for the support through difficult times. Toumba is something special and now I understand what MONO PAOK means. I wish everyone another successful season and I will continue to follow PAOK. All the best.”
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Transfer: I’m Leaving Barcelona Because They Don’t Have Money – Gundogan

Ilkay Gundogan has revealed why he’s leaving Barcelona.
In an open letter to Barcelona fans, he revealed the reason for his sudden move away from the club.
The 33-year-old has sealed a return to Manchester City only one year after he left as a free agent.
Gundogan has now revealed that he was forced to leave because of Barca’s financial issues.
“Now I am leaving in a difficult situation, but if my departure can help the club financially, it makes me a bit less sad.
 
“Nevertheless, it’s been a time with incredible experiences and ups and downs—I always wanted to play at Barça, and I am very grateful for a memory and experience that I will remember for my life.
 
“I wish you the best for the season and for the future. The fans deserve to get this big club back to the world’s best,” the letter read in part.
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Bundesliga: Victor Boniface Fined €25,000, Given One Match Ban

Bayer Leverkusen forward, Victor Boniface has been banned for one match.
He was given the ban by the German Football Federation for anti-sporting conduct.
The Nigeria international was also fined €25,000 for the offence.
The DFB delivered the verdict on Wednesday.
Boniface showed VFB Stuttgart players his left middle finger as he ran past them immediately after the final whistle of the DFL Super Cup match last Saturday.
The forward will now miss a German Cup match.
Referee Tobias Stieler stated that he did not see this incident and that was why the disciplinary committee had to investigate and bring charges retrospectively.
Both the player and his club have agreed to the ruling, which means it is legally binding.
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Rodri Snubs Messi, Ronaldo, Names Player That Is The GOAT

Rodri, the Manchester City midfielder, has declared his team-mate Kevin de Bruyne as the Greatest of All Time, GOAT.

Rodri made this claim while answering questions from Goal at the PFA Awards on Tuesday night.

The Spaniard did not name the usual suspects like Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo.

Instead, he picked De Bruyne, who has already won six Premier League titles, two FA Cups and the Champions League with City.

Rodri was asked “Greatest of all time?” and without hesitation, he said “Kevin De Bruyne.”

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EPL: Foden Wins PFA Player of The Year, Cole Palmer Wins Young Player

Manchester City midfielder, Phil Foden is the Professional Footballers’ Association men’s player of the year.
He won the award yesterday.
Also, Chelsea playmaker, Cole Palmer, was named young player of the year.
It is the first time since the 2009-10 campaign that both men’s awards have gone to English players.
Foden scored 19 goals in 35 top-flight appearances in 2023-24 as City won a historic fourth successive Premier League, and – aged 23 – he became the youngest player to have won six league titles.
Foden beat his City team-mates Erling Haaland, who won the award last year, and Rodri, as well as Chelsea’s Palmer, Arsenal’s Martin Odegaard and Aston Villa’s Ollie Watkins who were on the shortlist.
Palmer may have missed out on one award but he did not come away empty-handed.
The 22-year-old scored 22 goals in 34 Premier League appearances in his first season for Chelsea.
His form earned him a spot in the England squad for Euro 2024 and Palmer scored in the final which the Three Lions lost 2-1 to Spain.
The Blues forward beat Arsenal’s Bukayo Saka, Manchester United duo Kobbie Mainoo and Alejandro Garnacho, former Crystal Palace player Michael Olise and Brighton’s Joao Pedro to the young player prize.
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My Mother Still Wants Me To Study Medicine – Super Eagles Star, Chukwueze Reveals

Samuel Chukwueze, the Super Eagles forward, has disclosed that his mother still desires him to pursue a career in medicine or pharmacy, despite his success in football, according to Soccernet.ng.

He said: “My mom did not want me to play football. In Africa, everyone focuses on school, and she used to say ‘football will never make you money,” Chukwueze said, per football Italia.

“But I was born with football inside me. I would play until seven in the evening, and when I came home, she would punish me. She would take my football shoes and confiscate them, so I had to hide them.

“The problem was she always found them. Once, she burned my shoes and shirts and told me, ‘Samuel, you need to focus on your studies.’ I tried, but a part of me was switched off.”

Although his mother is highly supportive of him, Chukwueze admits that she still wants him to study and become a medical doctor.

“The funny thing is, in Africa, you don’t change your mind. She still wants me to study, wants me to be a doctor, maybe a doctor in football. I wanted to be a lawyer, but she said, ‘No, no, doctor. You need to study pharmacy,”Chukwueze added.

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Neymar Names Toughest Player He Has Faced

Neymar, the world-famous Brazilian football icon, has picked Thiago Silva, a former Paris Saint-Germain captain, as the toughest opponent he has faced in his career.

Neymar spoke in an interview posted by VIVA Sport, according to sportskeeda.com.

The forward and Silva played together at PSG as well as the Brazil national team.

Both players have also come against each other during Neymar’s stint at Barcelona.

Silva left Paris Saint-Germain to join Chelsea in 2020 and went on to win the Champions League with the Blues.

The interviewer asked, “Who is the toughest player you have played against?”

Neymar replied, “Thiago Silva.”

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MTN Shuts Down Offices Nationwide Over SIM Blocking Outrage

Telecoms giant, MTN has announced it is shutting down all its stores and service centres across Nigeria.
The announcement comes after a mob was seen on Monday destroying a barricade fence just outside the MTN office.

The clip showed a large crowd of angry subscribers vandalising the telecommunications company’s office in the FESTAC Town area of Lagos State in response to the network blocking subscribers due to a mismatch in their National Identification Number and SIM registration.
However, the Lagos State Police Public Relations Officer, Benjamin Hundeyin, in a response to the circulated video on X.com stated that the DPO of FESTAC and his men had successfully restored normalcy and peace at the scene.
“This should not be the way to go!
Reacting on Tuesday, MTN said it would be shutting its shops nationwide today.
“Yello customer, please be informed that our shops nationwide will be closed today, 30th July 2024,” the statement sighted on X read.
Details later…
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Paris 2024 Olympic: Nigeria’s D’Tigress Make History After Winning First Game

Nigeria’s D’Tigress on Monday made history by winning their first-ever game at the Paris 2024 Olympics.
The team beat their opponent Australia on Monday morning.

D’Tigress finally won a game at the Olympics after beating Australia 75-62 in the opening game.

They were unfancied heading into the game but sprung a surprise result to kick-start their campaign.
Ezzine Kalu, who plies her trade in France, oozed class on the court, scoring 19 points.
Nigeria recovered from a slow start to win the first quarter 18-17.
They had an even better second quarter, winning 23-11.
D’Tigress will next play hosts France before wrapping up their group-stage campaign against Canada on August 4.
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Transfer: ‘We Could Have Sold Him’ – Napoli Chief Admits Mistake In Not Selling Victor Osimhen Last Summer

Mauro Moliso, the Napoli director, has admitted that the club made a mistake by not selling Victor Osimhen last summer.

Osimhen was in big demand last summer following his impressive displays for the Partenopei in the 2022/23 season.

The 25-year-old scored 26 goals in 32 league appearances to help Napoli win the Scudetto.

The Nigeria international also rebuffed interest from Saudi club, Al Ahli.

Osimhen, however, signed a new contract last December with a release clause of €130m.

The huge release has scared off interested suitors, which the striker’s future is now uncertain.

Moliso said the Serie A club were wrong not to have sold Osimhen last summer.

“We made some mistakes in Osimhen’s management. I arrived in Naples in mid-July and I knew that there had been a very high offer from one of the biggest teams in Europe. In hindsight, we are all good, but perhaps we could have sold him,” he told Sportitalia via Corriere dello Sport.

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