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      Premier League cult hero’s son now making own way in game for Liverpool just eight years after dad’s retirement

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      JURGEN KLOPP could hand a debut to the son of a former Liverpool star on Monday.Lewis Koumas has already made one matchday squad for the club this season.
      Lewis Koumas has family history at LiverpoolCredit: Rex
      His dad Jason was in Liverpool’s youth academyCredit: PA:Press Association
      He was team-mates with Michael Owen, left, and Steven GerrardCredit: Times Newspapers Ltd
      The striker was on the bench for Liverpool’s 2-1 defeat in the Europa League group-stage clash against Union Saint-Gilloise.
      The 18-year-old has starred for the club’s youth teams this season with four goals and three assists in nine appearances in all competitions.
      Koumas has a family connection to the club running back to 1997.
      His father Jason Koumas, 44, is best known for his stints with West Brom and Wigan Athletic during his career.
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      However, the attacking midfielder started his career in Liverpool’s youth academy.
      Koumas Sr played alongside some famous faces in his youth days.
      He was a team-mate of club legend Steven Gerrard and Michael Owen before the striker won his Ballon d’Or.
      Gerrard went on to captain the Anfield side to a Champions League title as well as two FA Cups and three League Cups.
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      Owen was named the best player in the world in 2001 and went on to enjoy spells at Real Madrid, Newcastle, Manchester United and Stoke City.
      Koumas, however, did not have as glamorous a career as his former team-mates.
      He left Liverpool for Tranmere Rovers in 1997 and became a first-team player.
      His good form at the club earned him a move to Premier League outfit West Brom in 2002.
      Koumas went on to score 23 goals and assist 20 more in 141 appearances for the Baggies.
      Can you name the famous fathers?

      He had a loan spell at Cardiff City before sealing a permanent move away to Wigan in 2007.
      He ended his career with Tranmere in 2015.
      Son Lewis will only need to make one appearance for Liverpool’s senior team in order to better his dad’s record for the club. More

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      Fifa’s Club World Cup new format is crazy – elite players are being asked to perform too much already

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      NOT so much flogging a dead horse, but we are definitely flogging our finest footballers.The Club World Cup, you may have noticed, was won by Manchester City in Saudi Arabia this month.
      Manchester City won the Club World Cup in Saudi Arabia this monthCredit: Rex
      But while it involved only seven sides, including mighty Auckland City and Urawa Red Diamonds, next time it will be 32. This is crazy.
      There is almost universal agreement that  elite players are being asked to perform too much already and yet Fifa wants to expand the Club World Cup to 32 teams in summer 2025.
      The expansion has been criticised by Fifpro, the global union for professional players, as well as the World Leagues Forum, which represents pro leagues.
      Both have raised concerns about player welfare.
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      La Liga, the Spanish top flight, has come down hard on this latest wheeze and we should do the same.
      And the 2026 World Cup is expanding from 32 to 48 nations.
      It’s the same elsewhere, as the Champions League is getting ever bigger. From next season it will involve 36 clubs, all playing in a single league with eight group games.
      The top eight will qualify for the last-16 knockout stage, while those ranked 9th to 24th can still make it through a play-off.
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      The Champions League is expanding next yearCredit: AP
      In a nutshell, you can finish 24th in a league and still win the goodies at the end of the season.
      Maybe increasing the Champions League from 32 to 36 teams isn’t too much, but then you have the European Championships as well for national teams. Euro 2024 will involve 24 teams.
      There is also the 2024-25 Nations League, with games being played next autumn and the finals in June 2025.
      Hang on, I hear you ask, isn’t that when the Club World Cup will be held as well? Erm, yes…
      Confused? You should be.
      Uefa say the expanded Nations League is there to “minimise meaningless friendlies”, but how many of you could recall who won it in 2019, 2021 and 2023?
      Most of us understand you need top players performing at the biggest and best competitions but where does all this end? The Premier League is very clear. There are 38 games spread over ten months.
      The old First Division was over 42 games and I would argue the reduction has led to improved  quality levels.
      By the start of January, West Ham will have played 28 games across all competitions (joint third-highest in the Prem).
      I haven’t even begun to think how many games on top of this our international stars have played.
      So, what Uefa and Fifa are suggesting is squeezing the pips until they squeal.
      Top footballers already have to spread themselves too thinly and the danger is that injuries will multiply.
      I hear some of you say “fair enough, they are very highly paid”. But we want to see the best football, played by the best players on the best occasions?
      Read more on The Sun
      The Club World Cup, Champions League, World Cup, Euros, Nations League — it’s too much.
      Precious diamonds are priceless because of their rarity. This ever-expanding land-grab suggests football’s governing bodies know the price of everything and the value of nothing. More

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      New rule introduced which will see teams THROWN OUT of major tournament if they join Super League

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      SERIE A have introduced a new rule prohibiting its teams from joining the European Super League.This effectively means that no Italian club will be joining the project, which was revived last week.
      Clubs in the Serie A will not be able to join the European Super LeagueCredit: Alamy
      Fabrizio Romano tweeted that the Italian Football Federation (FIGC) will not allow clubs to join any competition other than Uefa, Fifa and FIGC ones.
      If any Italian club still opts to join the European Super League project, they will be banned from the Serie A from the 2024/25 season onwards.
      The ruling is significant as Juventus were previously one of the last teams holding out for the European Super League.
      Along with Barcelona and Real Madrid, the Bianconeri never left the original project which fell apart in April 2021.
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      Juventus only formally left the project this summer.
      With several Italian clubs struggling financially, the Super League did look a possible way to build revenue.
      Inter Milan are reportedly on the brink of bankruptcy according to Il Giornale despite being top of the league and finishing runners up in the Champions League last season.
      Only the player sales of Andre Onana to Manchester United and Marcelo Brozovic to Al Nassr were enough to keep the club going according to the Italian outlet.
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      The British government has moved to take things one step further than the Serie A by making it against the law for British teams to join the breakaway competition.
      That will be overseen by a new football regulator coming into force from 2024.
      A spokesperson for the government said on the legislation: “The attempt to create a breakaway competition was a defining moment in English football and was universally condemned by fans, clubs and the Government.
      “We took decisive action at the time by triggering the fan-led review of football governance, which called for the creation of a new independent regulator for English football. 
      “We will shortly be bringing forward legislation that makes this a reality, and will stop clubs from joining any similar breakaway competitions in the future.” More

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      Jose Mourinho was my PE teacher, loads of the kids hated him but even then he proved he was a tactical mastermind

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      JOSE MOURINHO has always been a Marmite character – just ask his former PE students. The Special One continues to divide opinion, nearly 20 years on from leading Porto to Champions League glory.
      Jose Mourinho was a PE teacher before his football coaching career took offCredit: Empics
      Armenio Anjos was one of his students at Zeca Afonso Secondary SchoolCredit: Joshua Jones / SunSport
      The future manager still had the same incredible intensity and demands at the schoolCredit: PA:Press Association
      But his my-way-or-the-highway methods and demand for respect were not reserved for just elite-level footballers.
      Armenio Anjos, 50, can testify to that.
      Anjos attended the school Escola Secundaria Zeca Afonso in Alhos-Vedros just outside Lisbon when Mourinho spent a year teaching PE in his early 20s between the end of his brief playing career and the beginning of his managerial career.
      Mourinho, 60, was not even the school’s football team manager but he still made quite the impression on his pupil – producing one of his very first tactical masterstrokes. 
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      Anjos told SunSport: “Jose Mourinho was my PE teacher for one year before he went to Sporting. 
      “He was 23 or 24, I was 14 or 15. I didn’t expect Mourinho to be what he is now.
      “He was the same. It’s one thing I love about him: Mourinho has never changed. He is always in your face. Whatever he thinks about you, he will tell you.
      “I love him. I have never stopped loving him, even at school. I was not the only one. There was a lot of people like me who loved him but a lot of people hated him. It’s like now.
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      “Even at that time, a lot of my schoolmates said, ‘This guy is too rude for me.’
      “In Portugal, if you don’t pass, you repeat the year so some of the girls were older.

      “Mourinho was always good looking and he was driving a Renault 18 which was a very nice, popular car.”
      Anjos continued: “He wasn’t the manager but he told me to go in goal.
      “I went in goal and I was good and then I was the goalkeeper for the school team. 
      “He taught me everything. Basketball, volleyball. 
      “We always think PE is a subject we don’t need to work hard in. It’s just running about and kicking the ball. Not with him. 
      “He said, ‘I went to uni like your English teacher, Portuguese teacher, maths teacher. You have to respect me the same way.
      “You need to learn from me, I’m not here wasting my time.’ Everyone was in shock. 
      “In the breaks between lessons, usually the teachers went to the staff room but he was outside with us, seeing what we were doing, talking to us. He was really motivating.”
      I will do more for Mourinho than I would for my kidsArmenio Anjos
      As he has done with many in the nearly four decades since, Mourinho left a lasting impression on Anjos.
      The former student has always tracked his old teacher’s career – from getting his big break as Sir Bobby Robson’s translator at Sporting in 1992 then to Porto and Barcelona, where his pragmatic football ideology dovetailed with Robson’s attacking style. 
      Mourinho stayed on at the Nou Camp under Louis van Gaal, who gave him the chance to develop his management skills.
      Then in September 2000, Mourinho was appointed Benfica’s first-team boss, resigning just three months later before shining at Uniao de Leiria which saw him land the Porto job in January 2002.
      He promised to make the club league champions in his first full season and delivered – alongside the Taca de Portugal and Uefa Cup – and backed it up with the Premeira Liga and Champions League double in 2003-04.
      From there it was Chelsea, Inter Milan, Real Madrid, Chelsea, Manchester United, Tottenham and now Roma – collecting 20 trophies along the way including three Premier League crowns at Stamford Bridge. 
      Anjos reunited with Mourinho just once since he became famous when he flew from England to Lisbon for a book-signing session. 
      But he has been cheering him on every step of the way – even while on family holidays.
      He worked as Sir Bobby Robson’s translator at Sporting, Porto and BarcelonaCredit: Reuters
      Mourinho stayed on at Barcelona under Louis van GaalCredit: Reuters
      Mourinho carries the Uefa Cup after leading Porto to glory in his first full seasonCredit: Lusa
      He secured a memorable Champions League triumph with Porto in 2004Credit: Empics
      Mourinho won three Premier League titles with ChelseaCredit: AFP – Getty
      Anjos – who dreams of watching Mourinho’s Roma in the Stadio Olimpico this season – said: “Just to show you how much I love him, Real Madrid’s first game in the 2012-13 season was home to Valencia. 
      “I was on holiday in the Algarve. On the Saturday afternoon, I told my wife we were going to watch Real Madrid tomorrow. 
      “She said, ‘What? It’s 40C and you want to drive from here to Madrid just to watch Mourinho?’ 
      “I said, ‘Wherever he goes, I am going.’ I bought tickets for seven people, we had a seven-seater car. It took eight hours. We got there ten minutes after kick-off because I was looking for parking. 
      “We went in, watched the game, it was a draw. Then we drove back for another eight hours.
      “Then after Real Madrid lost in the 2013 Champions League semi-finals against Borussia Dortmund, Mourinho was on his knees. 
      “I felt so sorry for him and felt I had to support him so the Sunday after I flew to Madrid, went to Santiago Bernabeu, paid £300 for a ticket to see Real Madrid beat Sevilla then took the plane back.
      “I was there to watch Mourinho, I don’t care about Madrid. For that man, I will do more than I would for my kids.” 
      ANJ BALL
      Anjos was inspired by Mourinho to quit basketball after six years and get into football, initially as a player and now as a coach.
      After moving to England 17 years ago, he now manages Barking FC’s Under-18s and invited compatriot Fabio Paim to speak to his players about the importance of work ethic to make it as a footballer.
      Paim revealed to SunSport he earned £6,500 per week aged 13 and was better than Sporting pal Cristiano Ronaldo but his career fizzled out into obscurity due to the pitfalls of money and fame before he ended up watching his old friend from prison.
      And Anjos, nicknamed Dos, likes to channel his inner Jose with his players – including replicating the iconic kneeslide celebration. 
      Wearing his ‘Special 1’ Roma top under his Barking training kit, he added: “Mourinho is the greatest manager ever. He is amazing. I love him, I just love him so much.
      “The way he talked so passionately made me have a go at football.
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      “I show the boys a lot of videos and most of them are Mourinho. I do speeches like him. 
      “I did a kneeslide once. We went to play in Kent last season and we were down 1-0 then in the last second, one of our guys scored from outside the box – that was my moment.”
      Anjos dreams of seeing his hero at the Stadio Olimpico this seasonCredit: Joshua Jones / SunSport
      Anjos, far right, is the Barking FC Under-18s coachCredit: Joshua Jones / SunSport
      Anjos even replicated the famous kneeslide after a dramatic late goal for his sideCredit: Pixel 8
      Mourinho’s Real Madrid were dumped out of the 2012-13 Champions League by Borussia DortmundCredit: Action Images – Reuters
      Mourinho’s love affair with European competitions continued with Conference League glory at RomaCredit: Getty More

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      Sergio Ramos booed entire match by Atletico fans for breaking football etiquette… but fans are all sick of tradition

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      SERGIO RAMOS was booed throughout Sevilla’s clash with Atletico Madrid after stepping on their badge when coming out to warm up.The Real Madrid legend, 37, returned to the Spanish capital on Saturday as his Sevilla side lost 1-0 thanks to a second half Marcos Llorente strike.
      Real Madrid legend Sergio Ramos returned to Atletico Madrid on SaturdayCredit: Getty
      Ramos ran out in front of the Atletico fans with his Sevilla team-matesCredit: X
      He infuriated Atletico supporters by stepping on their club badgeCredit: X
      And Ramos was given a hostile welcome as he ran out onto the Wanda Metropolitano pitch.
      The Spaniard emerged from the tunnel and ran over the Atletico badge etched into the grass.
      This enraged the home support as they proceeded to jeer him during the game.
      But fans on social media were quick to dismiss the notion that stepping on a club crest is a disrespectful act.
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      One said: “But you put a logo on the ground too, it’s illogical to complain about that.”
      Another added: “Stop putting it on the ground in s***ty places…”
      A third replied: “Stop your bulls**t, it’s just a Real player who hurt them so much.”
      While a fourth responded: “Fed up with crying in football.”
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      Ramos famously scored a 90th-minute equaliser in the Champions League final between Real Madrid and Atletico Madrid in 2014.
      He headed Los Blancos level, before they went on to win 4-1 in extra time.
      Ramos won five LaLiga titles and four Champions Leagues during his hugely successful 16-year stint at Real Madrid.
      He returned to Sevilla in the summer after 18 years away, but the club are struggling down in 15th place in the table. More

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      Sir Alex Ferguson gave me hairdryer treatment after Chelsea clash – I never messed with him again

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      TOM CLEVERLEY has opened up on what it was like to work under Sir Alex Ferguson at Manchester United.The legendary Scot has a staggering trophy collection from his time at the club, including two Champions Leagues and 13 Premier League titles.
      Sir Alex Ferguson had a famous hair-trigger temperament with his playersCredit: Getty
      Former Man Utd star Tom Cleverley has revealed an argument he had with FergusonCredit: Getty
      That haul was the result of many things, including a furious temper that he wasn’t afraid of showing his players.
      Former Red Devils midfielder Cleverley was one star who was on the receiving end of the infamous “hairdryer treatment”.
      The now-retired 34-year-old revealed he butted heads with the manager over a poor performance against Chelsea when he was playing out on the left wing.
      However, he then confessed it was the last time he ever stepped out of line.
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      Cleverley exclusively told Labdrokes Fanzone: “Sir Alex Ferguson just had an unbelievable aura about him, you know?
      “He managed to become someone in my life who you just did not want to let down.
      “You’d run through brick walls for him, you’d want to catch his eye, you wanted to impress him… that’s the kind of figure he was. 
      “Once I got a telling off – to put it lightly – in an cup game at Stamford Bridge.
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      “I was playing out of position; he put me on the left-hand side and I sort of hinted at that and got a right old hammering from him.
      “I was struggling to get into the game and I put it down to the fact he was playing me out of position.
      “Put it this way, it was the last time I ever did that because he was absolutely right in his response, which was that I was lucky to be playing at all! 
      “I just feel incredibly lucky that I played for him as many times as I did, and one of the things I’m very proud of is that I played in his last game in charge, which is definitely one to tell the grandkids.”
      Cleverley would help Ferguson lift his final title in 2013, the season after the dramatic final day whicj saw Manchester City crowned champions for the first time in Premier League history.
      But he revealed what Ferguson said to the team to help them push on to win the league the following year.
      Cleverley won the title in Ferguson’s last seasonCredit: Action Images – Reuters
      He said: “The manager reminded us – after they were crowned champions – the one thing he’d been telling us all season, that we had to continue to be ruthless.
      “Even when games were done at two or three nil up, you had to be ruthless and finish teams off because one of these years, the league will come down to goal difference.
      “That’s what he said, and he was right, like he was with most things.
      “I was naive, back then. I was, what, 21? 22? I was so naive, I just thought that our club will be back. It was normal the club challenged for three or four trophies every year…
      “Little did I know there was just one more to come, in the immediate season after, and that we’d still be waiting to this day for another.
      “There was a real desire in that summer. A bad taste in the mouth. That drove us on to be so consistent in that following season. The signing of Robin van Persie took us to the next level.
      I just feel incredibly lucky that I played for him as many times as I did, and one of the things I’m very proud of is that I played in his last game in charge, which is definitely one to tell the grandkids.Tom CleverleyLadbrokes Fanzone
      “Not to mention the form of [Wayne] Rooney, [Rio] Ferdinand… you know, Michael Carrick was unbelievable that year. Everyone was consistent that season.
      “We didn’t play the greatest title-winning football you’ve ever seen, but games that should’ve been draws, we turned into wins through our desire, and through what happened to us the year before.
      “Robin’s left foot, of course, played a huge part in us turning those draws into wins!”
      After winning the league with games to spare, Man Utd headed away to West Brom for Ferguson’s final game.
      And despite taking a comfortable early lead, the game went on to end 5-5 thanks to a Romelu Lukaku hat-trick.
      However, Ferguson was not actually too upset with the result, with Cleverley saying “he was actually quite pleased”.
      Cleverley revealed Ferguson was actually happy drawing 5-5 in his last game in footballCredit: Getty Images – Getty
      Cleverley added: “I can’t take any credit for it, but I think I came off the pitch when we were pretty comfortably ahead against West Brom on that final day of the season, Sir Alex Ferguson’s final game in charge.
      “I thought it was a good send off for the gaffer, but things didn’t end up that way. Listen, he wasn’t too angry about it, afterwards.
      “I think he was actually quite pleased, he’d never been involved in a 5-5 and there it came, in his last game.
      “What I do remember from that day was just all of the players lining up behind him, and letting him go over to the travelling fans and have a proper send off.
      “It’s a memory that will always stay with me until the day I die, really.”
      Read more on The Sun
      Several loan transfers to Aston Villa and Everton would follow for Cleverley in subsequent years.
      He eventually left Man Utd permanently in 2015, continuing his top flight career with Everton and later Watford, before he retired at the Hornets last summer. More

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      Fans wowed by ‘simply the best’ Kate Abdo as she speaks fluent German on TV before Joshua vs Wallin fight

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      FANS have been left stunned after seeing Kate Abdo speak fluent German for the blockbuster “Day of Reckoning”.Presenter Kate has shot to fame due to her hilarious rapport with CBS Sport’s Champions League crew; Thierry Henry, Jamie Carragher and Micah Richards.
      Fans were left stunned after seeing Kate Abdo speak fluent German
      Kate was presenting boxing coverage for DAZN Germany
      Kate has shot to fame on presenting the Champions League on CBS SportsCredit: Getty
      But the 42-year-old is also as talented as they come.
      And her broadcasting experience across a number of countries, including England, Germany, Spain and France, have seen her master multiple languages.
      However, this did not stop fans from being surprised to see her speaking fluent German.
      Kate was showing off her linguistic skills while working as a presenter on DAZN Germany.
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      Taking to the comments under DAZN’s post, one fan said: “As if she can speak German too.”
      A second said: “Kate Abdo, simply fluent German, the best.”
      Another said: “I love Kate.”
      While a fourth added: “Simply a linguistic talent, mega woman.”
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      In an earlier post to her Instagram story Kate also appeared to confirm she is dating Malik Scott.
      Kate shared a photo of Scott, who is the trainer of Deontay Wilder, to her Instagram story.
      She captioned the post: “The man I love to see win is about to get another W on the biggest night in boxing.”
      During CBS’ coverage of the Champions League Carragher teased Kate about her relationship.
      It came after he said: “You went to Alabama, how’d it go? What happened?”
      Abdo replied: “I had a great time.”
      To which Carragher then asked: “Are we going to meet Malik?”
      And Abdo responded: “You can meet Malik.”
      However, things did not go to plan as Wilder suffered a crushing decision defeat to Joseph Parker.

      🥊ANTHONY JOSHUA VS OTTO WALLIN: ALL THE DETAILS YOU NEED AHEAD OF THRILLING SAUDI CLASH🥊 More

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      Man City WILL wear gold 2023 Fifa World Champions badge on shirts despite Liverpool being banned after 2019 victory

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      MANCHESTER CITY will be allowed to wear the 2023 FIFA World Champions badge on all three kits this season following their Club World Cup victory.Pep Guardiola’s side cruised to a 4-0 win over Fluminense in the Club World Cup final on Friday.
      Man City won the Club World Cup on FridayCredit: Getty
      They will now be allowed to wear the Club World Cup badge on their shirtsCredit: Getty
      As a result they added a fifth trophy to this year’s impressive haul, having already won the treble and UEFA Super Cup.
      And the Cityzens will now be able to show off their latest achievement with a special badge.
      Club World Cup champions are allowed to wear a gold badge on their shirts until the next winner is crowned.
      Man City will be doing so with immediate effect, meaning they will complete a small kit change ahead of next Wednesday’s Premier League clash with Everton.
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      However, Liverpool were banned from making the change after they won the Club World Cup back in 2019.
      The Reds defeated Flamengo 1-0 thanks to a late goal from Roberto Firmino.
      But they had to wait until the following season to wear the badge.
      Premier League rules at the time stated that kit changes could not be made during the season.
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      However, the ruling was later changed and Chelsea were given permission to wear the badge immediately after winning the competition in 2021.
      Following City’s 4-0 win over Fluminense, Guardiola admitted that it was time to “close the chapter”.
      He said: “We had the feeling we would close the chapter, we won all the titles, there’s nothing else to win.
      “I had a feeling the job was done, it was over.
      “Enzo [Maresca] helped us to win the treble, Mikel [Arteta] in my staff, all the players from day one. Vincent [Kompany] to Kyle [Walker] as captains, all the players helped us to achieve something incredible to be here and to play this tournament.
      “Now it’s Christmas time, buy another book and start to write it again. The last eight years, it’s over.” More