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      When is the Champions League group stage draw? Date, TV channel and FREE live stream

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      THE return of the Champions League is fast approaching and all European powerhouses are keen to find out their early opponents.Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City capped off their historic Treble win with victory over Inter Milan in the Champions League final last year.
      Manchester City won the 2022/23 Champions LeagueCredit: GETTY
      City will be keen to make it back-to-back wins in the huge European tournament next campaign.
      Elsewhere, Premier League sides Arsenal, Manchester United and Newcastle will also take part in next season’s Champions League.
      The Toon will feature in the prestigious competition for the first time since the 2002/03 season.
      When is the Champions League group stage draw?

      The Champions League group stage draw will take place on Thursday, August 31.
      The draw is set to begin at 5pm UK time.
      The Grimaldi Forum in Monaco will host.

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      What channel is the Champions League group stage draw on and can it be live streamed FREE?

      The Champions League group stage will be live streamed for FREE on the UEFA.com website.
      TNT Sports are also likely to broadcast the draw.

      What are the Champions League seedings?
      Pot 1

      Manchester City
      Sevilla
      Barcelona
      Napoli
      Bayern Munich
      Paris Saint-Germain
      Benfica
      Feyenoord

      Pot 2
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      Real Madrid
      Manchester United
      Inter Milan
      Borussia Dortmund
      Atletico Madrid
      RB Leipzig
      Porto
      Arsenal

      Pot 3

      Shakhtar Donetsk
      Red Bull Salzburg
      AC Milan
      Lazio
      Red Star Belgrade

      Pot 3 or 4

      Newcastle United
      Celtic
      Real Sociedad

      When does the Champions League group stage start?

      The Champions League group stage will begin on Tuesday, September 19.
      The group stage will last for 12 weeks.
      The final match day of the group stage will begin on Tuesday, December 12.

      Champions League group stage schedule
      Here is the full schedule of the Champions League group stage:

      Matchday 1: 19/20 September 2023
      Matchday 2: 3/4 October 2023
      Matchday 3: 24/25 October 2023
      Matchday 4: 7/8 November 2023
      Matchday 5: 28/29 November 2023
      Matchday 6: 12/13 December 2023 More

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      TNT Sports vs CBS Sports rich list: How star line-ups compare as they go head-to-head in Champions League coverage

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      CHAMPIONS LEAGUE nights are always a blockbuster occasion – on both sides of the pond.And as the new season gets underway, viewers in the UK are preparing for new-look coverage with Laura Woods fronting TNT Sports.
      Kate Abdo fronts CBS’ Champions League coverage in the USACredit: Getty
      TNT Sport have revealed their star-studded line-upCredit: TNT Sport
      Over in America, meanwhile, CBS have the broadcast rights with former Sky Sports star Kate Abdo in the presenter’s hotseat.
      But who are the key players-turned-pundits providing all the expert analysis – and how much are they worth?
      TNT SPORTS
      Well, TNT have retained many of the pundits who worked for BT Sport last season as Manchester City were crowned Kings of Europe.
      And that means the three main stars are Rio Ferdinand, Joe Cole and Peter Crouch – with Owen Hargreaves, Steve McManaman, Joleon Lescott, Michael Owen and Paul Scholes among those also used.
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      Ferdinand enjoyed the most successful career on the pitch of the flagship trio, collecting ten major honours with Manchester United including six Premier League crowns – plus the Intertoto Cup with West Ham.
      Now the retired centre-back combines his punditry work with various other ventures including his #5 Magazine, podcast and shop, White Chalk Music record label, Rio Ferdinand Foundation, the DeliveryApp tech platform and his Rosso restaurant.
      Reports online suggest Ferdinand’s wealth stands at around £58million.
      Cole was Ferdinand’s Hammers team-mate for that Intertoto Cup win but went to Chelsea, where he won six trophies as the Blues lost the 2008 Champions League final to United.
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      Like his TNT co-star, the former playmaker has his own podcast – The Joe Cole Cast – and the footballer is valued at around £35m.
      Crouch’s only major honour was the 2006 FA Cup during his stint at Liverpool, one of 11 clubs he represented during his 21-year career.
      He also scored an impressive 22 goals in 42 England caps before launching his own career in TV with BT, a BBC show and an appearance on The Masked Dancer.
      Elsewhere, the 6ft 7ins funnyman has his own hugely-successful and hilarious podcast which has led to a couple of live arena shows.
      Rio Ferdinand will be one of main pundits for the new TNT SportsCredit: Getty
      Peter Crouch was a regular on BT Sport in recent yearsCredit: Getty
      Joe Cole will also be part of the new-look channelCredit: Alamy
      Married to model Abbey Clancy, they have appeared in Paddy Power adverts together and have four kids.
      Crouch is said to be worth approximately £25m thanks to his lucrative football career and subsequent deals.
      That totals £118m for Ferdinand, Cole and Crouch combined.
      CBS
      CBS’ coverage has proved mightily popular over recent seasons since acquiring the rights in the US from the 2020-21 campaign.
      Produced in Stockley Park, London, by IMG, the three regulars in the studio with Abdo are 2009 Champions League winner Thierry Henry, 2005 Champions League winner Jamie Carragher and Micah Richards, who managed five appearances in the Champions League.
      The quartet have brilliant chemistry on air and regularly take the mick out of Richards for his lack of a winner’s medal.
      Peter Schmeichel, Alex Scott and Freddie Ljungberg have also appeared on the Sports Golazo Champions League show.
      Henry’s sensational playing career saw him crowned a Premier League, FA Cup, LaLiga, Cope del Rey, Champions League, Club World Cup, Super Cup, Euros and World Cup winner.
      He also had two podium finishes in the Ballon d’Or before retiring in 2014, stepping into punditry and coaching with Belgium, Monaco and Montreal Impact.
      Thierry Henry brings a wealth of experience and expertise for CBSCredit: Getty
      Micah Richards is a popular pundit with CBS, Sky and BBCCredit: Getty
      Henry has made some TV appearances, is a Unicef ambassador and has various commercial deals with Renault and Pepsi – with all of that taking his net worth to just north of £100m.
      Carragher spent his entire career with boyhood club Liverpool, racking up 737 appearances for the Reds and winning seven major honours including that famous 2005 Champions League, beating AC Milan on penalties.
      The two-time player of the year – second on the all-time list for own goals – also earned 38 England caps.
      Now he spends most weekends working as a pundit and co-commentator for Sky Sports, striking up a fantastic partnership with ex-rival Gary Neville, and is on CBS for the European nights.
      Elsewhere, Carragher has a newspaper column and helped launch a range of affordable e-bikes with fellow Liverpudlian Tony Bellew.
      His net worth is estimated now at around £16m.
      Richards may not have the football pedigree of his fellow pundits Henry and Carragher, but he is sure doing a whole load of TV work.
      The Manchester City ambassador combines his CBS appearances with providing analysis – and lots of laughs – for Sky Sports and the BBC.
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      Richards’s wealth stands at approximately £4m.
      And that sees the CBS line-up total a cool £120m – just £2m more than their TNT rivals.
      Jamie Carragher also combines his punditry with Sky and CBSCredit: Getty
      TNT hold the broadcast rights for the Champions League in the UKCredit: Getty More

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      I bought an iconic Champions League club for just £30million at auction – now it’s worth 17 TIMES that amount

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      AURELIO DE LAURENTIIS has written his fair share of incredible scripts as a hugely successful film director.But even the drama surrounding his ownership of one of Italy’s most historic football clubs might even be a little far-fetched for the big screen.
      Aurelio De Laurentiis is the film director who bought Napoli at an auctionCredit: Getty
      Napoli won the Serie A title in style last seasonCredit: AFP
      Napoli were originally founded in 1926 but enjoyed their greatest years when Argentine legend Diego Maradona joined in 1984 for a world-record £6.9million thanks to a local politician securing a generous bank loan.
      The maverick superstar spearheaded the club to their first two Serie A titles – in 1987 and then again in 1990.
      But following his departure the following year and big spending, Napoli collapsed into financial disarray.
      Relegations in 1998 and again in 2001 sent them into Serie B and, despite finishing 13th in 2004, were declared bankrupt with £46m in debts.
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      A new Italian football rule allowed bankrupt clubs to reform in a lower league.
      And that is when De Laurentiis, on holiday in Capri, decided to step in to save the club.
      He won an auction in September 2004 to purchase Napoli for just shy of £30m, determined to keep a major football club in his family’s hometown of Naples despite not even knowing the rules of the game.
      The club were plunged into the regional Serie C1 and forced to change their name for a year, with the Rome-born new owner opting for Napoli Soccer.
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      De Laurentiis said at the time: “A new era is beginning, and I hope fans have the patience and the respect for this club that it requires.”
      Roared on by 50,000-plus fans for every home game, they missed out on going up in 2004-05 but back-to-back promotions followed to get Napoli into Serie A by 2007.
      And after a few mid-table finishes, the likes of Marek Hamsik, Edinson Cavani and Gonzalo Higuain helped power Napoli back into Europe.
      They came second in four Serie A seasons between 2012-13 and 2018-19.
      But last season, they ended their 33-year wait to be crowned champions of Italy with a simply staggering campaign led by Khvicha Kvaratskhelia, Kim Min-jae and Victor Osimhen as well as coach Luciano Spalletti.
      And De Laurentiis has overseen the whole journey from the depths of Serie C1 all the way to Scudetto heroes – on top of a Champions League quarter-final.
      When I bought Napoli… I didn’t know the rules of soccerAurelio De Laurentiis
      Napoli are now worth a reported £484m, nearly 17 TIMES the amount the owner bought them for 19 years ago.
      And the fiery, sometimes controversial, 74-year-old National Italian American Foundation director – whose own personal value stands at around £40m – told the Financial Times after the Serie A glory: “When I bought Napoli, for me, it was completely a new domain.
      “But, for me, it was important to mix movies and sport, to furnish content for what was in the past TV, and now platforms.
      “We were successful because I started to apply what I learned from the movie business in many years to the football world. I didn’t know the rules of soccer.
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      “I was asked what is your goal this year because you have let go the most important players and signed unknown people.
      “When I told them, my goal is to win the Scudetto, it seemed as if I was blaspheming. But we won.”
      De Laurentiis is worth around £40m and is a legend in the film industryCredit: Getty – Contributor
      Diego Maradona was a key part of Napoli’s success including the Uefa Cup in 1989Credit: Getty More

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      Uefa hint Barcelona could be BOOTED OUT of Champions League amid claims they paid refs’ chief £6m

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      BARCELONA could be KICKED OUT of the Champions League next season as Uefa investigate allegations of payments to referees.Uefa announced in March that it was opening an investigation into the Catalan giants.
      Barcelona are being investigated by UefaCredit: Alamy
      This came after it was reported they had paid just shy of £6MILLION to companies owned by Jose Maria Enriquez Negreira, the former vice-president of Spain’s referees committee.
      The payments are claimed to have been made between 2001 and 2018.
      Uefa’s appeals body confirmed the club had been granted provisional access to the 2023-24 Champions League but acknowledged: “A future decision on admission/exclusion from the Uefa club competitions is reserved.”
      Uefa said four months ago that ethics and disciplinary investigators had been appointed to look into “a potential violation of Uefa’s legal framework” in relation to this case.
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      The appeals body said on Thursday: “The investigators in charge of the case are invited to continue and finalise their investigation and to send a further report to the appeals body if and when they consider that the admission/exclusion of FC Barcelona should be assessed.”
      Barcelona deny any wrongdoing in the case.
      Xavi’s men are set to enter the competition as a Pot 1 side after they won the LaLiga title last season.
      And they will be hoping to avoid a third straight group-stage exit.
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      Last season, Barca finished third in their group behind Bayern Munich and Inter Milan.
      They dropped down to the Europa League but were swiftly eliminated in the play-off round by Manchester United.
      Barcelona have reached just one Champions League semi-final in eight years – which came in 2019 when they spurned a 3-0 aggregate lead to lose to eventual champions Liverpool 4-3 in a remarkable tie. More

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      Man City’s lack of statement summer transfer signing and stars leaving gives Premier League rivals a glimmer of hope

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      AN icy chill whistled through football when Pep Guardiola declared that Erling Haaland is even better now than he was last year.If that’s true, then the other Premier League teams might as well pack up now and go home.
      Pep Guardiola’s Man City have had a quiet transfer window so farCredit: Getty
      But is it really possible for the remorseless Norwegian to improve on perfection?
      Can he realistically expect to score 52 goals again or was last season simply a case of all the stars aligning and everything falling into place for Manchester City’s blond bombshell?
      Of course Haaland will have benefited from his first year in English football and, as Guardiola points out, he’s also physically much fitter.
      But that doesn’t automatically mean he is going to exceed last season’s incredible accomplishments.
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      It hasn’t gone unnoticed among rival clubs desperately clutching at straws that Haaland only scored once in City’s final eight games of their all-conquering campaign.
      Perhaps he was just saving himself for the Champions League final after putting so much energy into after running opponents ragged all season.

      But maybe, just maybe, defenders were starting to find a way to nullify his threat and keep him at arm’s length.
      City fans will be praying that is not the case as their team sets out to win a sixth Premier League title in seven years.
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      But it has been a curious summer for Guardiola, with Ilkay Gundogan and Riyad Mahrez gone, Kyle Walker, Bernardo Silva, Joao Cancelo and Aymeric Laporte all considering their futures and only Mateo Kovacic signed so far.
      With five weeks of the transfer window remaining, there’s still plenty of time for that to change.
      But they have already lost out to Arsenal for Declan Rice, didn’t even compete with Real Madrid for Jude Bellingham and are now quibbling over the £85million asking price for RB Leipzig defender Josko Gvardiol.
      One of the oldest cliches in football is that the minute you stand still the world starts to move away from you.
      And it’s just beginning to look as if the European champions might be in danger of resting on their golden laurels.
      Of course there is so much ground for the other teams to make up that they can afford to take their foot off the gas a bit just to make things interesting.
      Is City’s motivation the same after winning every trophy on offer?Mark Irwin
      But that’s not the way Guardiola works. He’s a relentless perfectionist and there’s no way he’ll be happy to give any encouragement to Arsenal, Liverpool, Manchester United or Chelsea.
      He doesn’t have a complacent bone in his body but is the same true of the City’s owners who achieved their Holy Grail when they lifted the Champions League in June?
      This is Pep’s first summer that the club have not made at least one statement signing and even if they can get Gvardiol over the line it’s not going to electrify the fan base.
      So while no-one could ever accuse City of lacking ambition, is their motivation the same after winning every trophy on offer?
      They might be universally acknowledged as the best team in the world, but when you’ve reached the top the only way from there is down.
      And if that doesn’t guarantee that they now win the League, the Champions League, FA Cup, EFL Cup, Super Cup and World Club Cup, nothing will.
      PITCH BATTLE
      WATCHING all the pre-season games out here in the USA, the one thing that really stands out is how poor the pitches are.
      And considering they are going to be hosting the World Cup in three years’ time, that could become a real issue.
      The problem is that all of the big stadiums are owned by American football teams and they play on synthetic surfaces.
      So to accommodate the visiting ‘soccer’ teams from Europe, they lay down temporary grass pitches which don’t compare with the lush turf of Wembley or Old Trafford.
      The surface at the Metlife Stadium for Man Utd v Arsenal left a lot to be desiredCredit: The Mega Agency
      Ahead of the Manchester United v Arsenal game in New Jersey the other day, they were using a bloody great hosepipe to water the pitch because they don’t have undersoil sprinklers.
      And this was the Metlife Stadium, which will more than likely be staging the 2026 World Cup final.
      It was the same story when Arsenal played Barcelona at Stan Kroenke’s state of the art SoFi Stadium in LA, where the pitch had only been laid just the previous night after a convert by some country singer.
      Another case for Fifa of never mind the quality, look at the cash.
      DESERT STORMER
      AL-HILAL have sent out a message to the entire sporting world with their £259million bid for Kylian Mbappe.
      It comprises two words…and the second one is ‘off’.
      What they are doing is letting everyone know that no matter how much money the established aristocracy of the game might have, they can’t even begin to compete with the Saudis.
      It’s willy waving on a global scale because PSG would willingly have accepted £130m for Mbappe to prevent him from running down his contract and leaving as a free agent next year.
      Al-Hilal bid £269m for Kylian Mbappe just because they canCredit: AFP
      But Al-Hilal have offered twice the asking price simply because they can.
      It’s two fingers to everyone who sneers at the idea of football in the desert or questions their record on human rights
      Manchester United, Real Madrid, Liverpool, Chelsea, Inter Milan and Manchester City have all been powerless to stop key players packing their bags for Riyadh and now even Qatari owned PSG want to cash in on their neighbour’s extravagance.
      Premier League clubs are unhappy that Newcastle are about to flog Allan Saint-Maximin to another branch of the Saudi Public Investment Fund.
      But with financial fair play now in tatters, that’s probably the least of their problems.
      THAT’S A S**T KIT
      IF you thought that Arsenal’s horrific away kit was the worst new strip you’d see this summer, think again.
      Because Manchester United have just released a green-and-white striped effort that is an absolute abomination.
      It’s almost as if the kit manufacturers are competing to see just how far they can push their luck and still convince supporters to part with their hard-earned cash.
      It’s an industry version of the emperor’s new clothes and the in-joke is on you.
      Manchester United’s new away kit is an absolute abominationCredit: Getty
      LOWER THE BAR
      REMEMBER when Barcelona were the biggest, most glamorous club in the world with every top player desperate to join them?
      Well things have got so bad at the Nou Camp these days that they have been reduced to signing former Southampton reject Oriol Romeu on a free transfer from Girona.
      But the real joke is that they have inserted a buy-out clause into his new contract and their asking price for the veteran midfielder is £347million.
      What do you think they’re smoking in Catalonia?
      Oriol Romeu (right) in action for Barcelona against Arsenal in the USACredit: Getty
      GROUNDLESS CLAIMS
      THE other day I received an email from some PR company or other to announce that Old Trafford had come top of a fans’ survey as the best ground in the Premier League.
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      Half an hour later a missive arrived from a different company claiming that Anfield had been named the finest stadium in the country according to supporters.
      Which of them was right? I don’t know and I don’t care because it’s all a load of made-up nonsense. More

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      Five-time Champions League winner, 31, completes shock free transfer to ex-club’s rivals after seven months unemployed

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      FORMER Real Madrid star Isco has ended his stint as a free agent in controversial fashion after signing for Real Betis.The Spaniard, 31, left the Bernabeu last summer following nine years with Los Blancos.
      Isco won five Champions Leagues with Real MadridCredit: Getty
      He signed for LaLiga side Sevilla but saw his contract ripped up four months later, featuring just 19 times.
      Isco also claimed he had a physical altercation with then-sporting director Monchi – who now works for Aston Villa.
      The forward saw a transfer to Union Berlin collapse during the January window.
      And he has been a free agent ever since.
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      But now he has agreed a one-year deal to join Spanish top-flight outfit Real Betis.
      Manager Manuel Pellegrini, who previously coached Manchester City, is keen to bring him in.
      The controversial aspect of the deal comes from the fact that Betis are Sevilla’s bitter rivals.
      However, given how things ended with Sevilla, it is unsurprising Isco does not feel any loyalty towards the club.
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      During his time at Real Madrid, he registered 53 goals and 57 assists in 353 games.
      He won three LaLiga titles and five Champions Leagues – including three in a row between 2016 and 2018.
      Isco has also racked up 38 caps for the Spanish national team, netting 12 times. More

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      Kyle Walker-Peters set for immediate Premier League return in £20m transfer but Champions League side could hijack move

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      FULHAM are keen on bringing England man Kyle Walker-Peters back to the Premier League.Relegated Southampton are hoping for around £20million for the versatile full-back, 26, but there is hope a deal could be done between £15-18million.
      Kyle Walker-Peters during the international friendly match between England and Cote D’Ivoire in March 2022Credit: Getty
      The Cottagers see the defender as predominantly a right-back, but also have interest in Leicester’s Timothy Castagne who would be a cheaper option.
      Walker-Peters, who won two England caps last year, is also wanted by Lens and Roma.
      The Ligue 1 side, who qualified for this season’s Champions League , would be keen on a loan deal.
      Meanwhile Jose Mourinho is keen on a reunion with the star he briefly managed at Tottenham, with his Serie A side also wanting him on loan.
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      Fulham have been busy this transfer window with a lot of links being made with the club.
      The most recent being Wolves forward Raul Jimenez is set to join the club for a £5.5million deal after completing his medical.
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      He would come in as a potential replacement for Aleksandar Mitrovic who is being closely linked to Al-Hilal.
      Despite Fulham already rejecting two bids from the Saudi team, the imminent arrival of Jimenez could change this.
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      After Willian committed another year to Fulham he could also be reunited with former Chelsea team-mate Callum Hudson-Odoi.
      The academy star was in talks of a move to his West London rivals however it seems Italian side Lazio – runners up of Serie A – are currently ahead in advanced talks with the player’s representatives.
      The Cottagers manager Marco Silva also recently rejected the offer to manage Al Ahli in a £40million two-year contract – indicating a commitment of his future to Fulham. More

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      I’ve made £75m in career earnings and won Champions League 5 TIMES but I’m unemployed at 31 and haven’t played in months

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      ISCO has been without a club since December after having his contract ripped up by Sevilla.The 31-year-old left Real Madrid for Seville in the summer of 2022 following a highly-decorated nine years at Santiago Bernabeu.
      Isco played 19 times for Sevilla last seasonCredit: Getty
      The attacking midfielder has won the Champions League five timesCredit: Getty Images – Getty
      Having arrived as the first signing of Carlo Ancelotti’s first stint in Madrid, Isco won five Champions Leagues with the club.
      He played 353 times for Real Madrid, with Capology claiming that he has so far earned £75million in wages during his career.
      After coming to the end of his contract, he opted to reunite with his former Real and Spain boss Julen Lopetegui.
      The former Sevilla boss “loved” Isco but following his departure, it emerged that transfer chief Monchi didn’t.
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      After just four months and 19 appearances, Isco was headed for the exit – with Monchi publicly claiming that the attacking midfielder wanted to leave.
      Isco has since denied this in an explosive interview with Marca – before claiming that he and Monchi, who now works for Aston Villa, even came to physical blows.
      He said: “I told [Monchi] that he was the most deceitful person I had ever met in the world of football and he attacked me.
      “He came towards me, took me by the neck and security had to separate us completely. As you will understand, after that, I did not want to continue there under any circumstances.
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      “And although I was sorry, because I had a very good relationship with my team-mates and the fans treated me wonderfully, I couldn’t be comfortable in a club where the sports director attacks me and nobody speaks up or apologises.
      “Not because of the aggression, not because of all the lies he was leaking. So I forgave my contract and left. Overcoming the barrier of violence is not something that I could let go.”
      Isco’s contract was subsequently ripped up, making him a free agent going into the January transfer window.
      Despite his pedigree a move to failed to materialise – with Union Berlin coming closest to signing him.
      The Bundesliga side, who were second in the top flight, looked set to recruit Isco with the player having completed a medical – only for the deal to fall through.
      Explaining what happened, Union’s sporting director Oliver Ruhnert said: “We would have liked to see Isco with us, but we have our limits.
      “Those limits were overstepped today, contradicting the earlier agreement. In the end, the Isco deal will not come to pass.”
      I prioritise, on this occasion, going abroadIsco
      In March it emerged that Isco was training at home with a personal trainer in a bid to stay fit and ready for a potential offer.
      As August approaches, the 38-cap star still finds himself without a club.
      On what he wants next, he told Marca: “I prioritise, on this occasion, going abroad. I have played in Valencia, Malaga, Seville and Madrid.
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      “I am excited about the experience of playing in another league, learning another language, growing personally also outside of Spain… I am not ruling out anything.”
      He was recently linked with French side Marseille, although the rumours have since died down.
      Isco left Sevilla after a falling out with MonchiCredit: Getty – Contributor
      The 31-year-old is still without a club after leaving SevillaCredit: Getty – Contributor More