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      ‘Shy’ Chelsea transfer target Neymar tipped to succeed in new sport and bring along huge fanbase

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      NEYMAR has been tipped for a successful career after football once he hangs up his boots. The PSG star, who has been linked with a move to Chelsea in recent weeks, came under fire last week over his off-pitch activities.
      Injured Neymar faced criticism last week over a trip to McDonald’sCredit: Rex
      The 31-year-old was spotted at a poker tournament and later at a McDonald’s only hours after PSG’s first-leg Champions League home defeat to Bayern Munich.
      But poker pros believe he might well have a future in the card game after he left them impressed with his ability.
      Players at the European Poker Tour spoke to RMC Sport about Neymar – who eventually finished 49th in that tournament – potentially making the switch.
      Poker professional Julien Sitbon expressed his excitement for the idea.
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      He said: “We’re talking about Neymar what! The notoriety he has… 
      “Every time he is on a trip, there are bodyguards and people who are there to watch out for him.
      “He’s someone who plays a lot of hands, so I would describe him as rather aggressive. Afterwards, I didn’t play him enough to know if he was aggressive or passive, but he plays a lot of hands.
      “But I think he is focused because he is a competitor. In everything he does he wants to be good. He likes poker, sure, so I think he’s trying to be focused to perform as well as possible.”
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      Fellow competitor Thomas Eychenne said he thinks Neymar’s football experience can help, but surprisingly branded the Brazilian “shy” and “introverted”.
      He said: “He has the potential. He has the mind of a competitor because he played at the highest level in football.
      “I found him rather introverted. He is not someone who will talk a lot and be very open. But I can understand it, he is extremely in demand.
      “I will say that he is someone who is shy in his appearance. In the sense that he tries not to be seen too much.”
      Kylian Mbappe appeared to criticise his teammate as he told journalists that PSG stars had to “eat and sleep well” following the McDonald’s pictures.
      But he denied that the jibe was aimed at Neymar.
      Chelsea are one of a number of clubs linked to the ex-Barcelona forward, who is now in his seventh year in Paris. More

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      I won the Champions League with Liverpool then shocked fans by singing Wham! on The Masked Singer

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      THIS footballer made his name in the beautiful game by winning the Champions League with Liverpool.But his finest moment may have come when he belted out Wham! on the Masked Singer.
      This ace won the Champions League before starring on the Masked SingerCredit: https://twitter.com/leshowbizdelatv/status/1325188472295092224/photo/1
      It doesn’t get much better for a player than lifting European football’s biggest prize.
      This player not only won the trophy but also scored in the penalty shootout as Liverpool secured a famous comeback over AC Milan in 2005.
      Born in France, he went on to score 24 goals in 82 game across two seasons for the Reds.
      The striker, now 41, had two further spells in England with Sunderland and QPR.
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      And he also spent time with European heavyweights Marseille and Lazio.
      However, this star recently made headlines in his homeland with a top turn in TV show the Masked Singer.
      Celebs are invited to belt out their favourite tunes while disguised in costume, and it’s up to punters to figure out the voice behind the mask.
      This footy favourite treated fans to renditions of songs by Macklemore, Eurythmics and Wham!
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      Djibril Cisse belted out four tunes including one by Wham!Credit: TFI – Mask Singer
      Cisse scored in Liverpool’s penalty shootout win over AC Milan in 2005Credit: AP:Associated Press
      And when he was finally unmasked, the crooner and ex-Liverpool star turned out to be none other than Djibril Cisse.
      The ace has been doing some modelling since calling it a day in football.
      But he could yet make a stunning return to the beautiful game after his smash hit TV performance.
      Reflecting on his Masked Singer appearance, Cisse exclusively told Ladbrokes Fanzone: “To be honest, I’d already done Dancing with the Stars and wasn’t very good at it.
      “So when the opportunity came up for me to appear on Masked Singer in France, I really liked the concept.
      “I thought the costume looked pretty nice and the programme is really so, so I just thought ‘yeah, we’re doing it!’
      “I think I did four performances and I thought I was OK actually! I was really happy to take part in the show, it’s something different, and I was really disappointed when I lost.
      “It was good fun, I did Macklemore, a French song, Sweet Dreams and Wham! – Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go.
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      “I got to choose my songs from a list they gave us. The Wham! song is a great one though, I love it because it was up tempo and it suited me.
      “It wasn’t like it would have been my first choice to perform, but from the list they gave me, it was the best one for me. I loved doing Sweet Dreams too!” More

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      ‘I will be crazy and play with nine strikers’ – Guardiola takes dig at critics after Man City’s 1-1 draw with RB Leipzig

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      PEP GUARDIOLA hit back at critics by joking he might play with NINE strikers in the return leg against RB Leipzig.Manchester City drew 1-1 away in the first leg after allowing Leipzig back into the game.
      Pep Guardiola joked he will play nine strikers in the return legCredit: Getty
      Guardiola promised the return leg will be more open and he seemed tense having previously dismissed claims his team are too predictable with Erling Haaland earlier in the week.
      And after the Leipzig game he joked he would play nine strikers to guarantee progression.
      He said: “I didn’t want to come here and lose 4-3. It will have to be more open in Manchester.
      “We don’t have the team to compete with them with a lot of transitions, they are better than us and they are faster than us, except Kyle (Walker) and Erling (Haaland). The pace they have, we don’t have it.
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      “Maybe in the second leg I will be crazy and decide to play with nine strikers.
      “But I’ve coached in this country and I analysed Leipzig and I needed this type of control.”
      Guardiola appears to be feeling the pressure with City’s form stuttering, particularly away from home.
      At the end of the game in Germany he even held a teamtalk with his squd on the pitch – reminiscent of when Phil Brown did the same with his Hull City side at the Etihad in 2008.
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      The Spaniard is also fearful of being judged a failure if City fail to win the Champions League.
      He said: “People say because we have this name or whatever [City should win it], but I always have the feeling it’s so difficult to do that [win the Champions League].
      “Every season it’s more and more difficult.
      “We want to do our best and get to the quarter-finals but what is going to happen is going to happen.
      “At the end of the day, our destiny is already written.
      “Sometimes we have been close, sometimes not.
      “Whatever I have done personally in the past or in the future, I am going to fail. Nothing will be enough.” More

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      ‘He couldn’t back it up’ – Henry, Carragher and Richards can’t agree on the biggest trash talker in football

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      THIERRY HENRY, Jamie Carragher and Micah Richards can’t agree on the biggest trash talker in football.The trio of Premier League legends are part of CBS’ star-studded punditry team for coverage of the Champions League.

      Thierry Henry, Jamie Carragher and Micah Richards named the biggest trash talkers they came up againstCredit: CBS
      After keeping a watchful eye over Wednesday’s fixtures, which saw RB Leipzig play Manchester City and Inter Milan take on Porto, Henry and Co got onto the topic of on-pitch trash-talking.
      The threesome all named their pick, but were unable to agree on who was the worst of the bunch.
      Ex-Man City ace Richards called out USA and Fulham great Clint Dempsey, while Carragher opted for Prem journeyman Craig Bellamy.
      Henry, however, said Robbie Savage was the biggest trash talker he came across in his career.
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      Savage had a reputation for clashing with other players, managers and referees.
      And Henry went in two-footed on Savage, saying the former Blackburn and Derby ace couldn’t back up his chat.
      Henry said: “I would say he shouldn’t have done it but it was Robbie Savage.
      “You were just like ‘please carry on talking’ because we were going to you know (win).
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      “I like it, wind me up, but you won’t be able to match it after so stop talking.
      “When you talk like that normally, no disrespect to Robbie, but when you talk like that you have to back it up.”
      Pundit Richards pushed Henry further, asking: “So you are saying he couldn’t back it up?”
      Henry doubled down: “Every time we played. Not often.”
      Savage played against Henry 13 times in the Prem, and failed to score or assist.
      He was on the losing team ten times, while drawing two and winning just once.
      He also picked up three yellow cards for his troubles.
      Arsenal icon Henry, meanwhile, won ten of the 13 meetings and scored a whopping 11 goals and picked up six assists.
      Henry brutally slammed Robbie Savage, who he says didn’t back his chat upCredit: AP:Associated Press
      Micah Richards named Clint Dempsey as his foeCredit: Phil Shephard-Lewis – The Sun
      Jamie Carragher went for Prem journeyman Craig BellamyCredit: Getty Images – Getty More

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      Liverpool outcast Oxlade-Chamberlain thrown shock transfer lifeline and could play Champions League football next season

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      ALEX OXLADE-CHAMBERLAIN has reportedly been thrown a transfer lifeline by a Champions League-chasing club with the Liverpool ace set to end his disastrous spell at Anfield. The 29-year-old joined Liverpool from Arsenal in a £33.4million 2017 transfer.
      Fenerbahce are keen on forgotten Liverpool star Alex Oxlade-ChamberlainCredit: Rex
      Oxlade-Chamberlain has won some of the world’s best trophies, including a Premier League and Champions League title while playing for the Reds.
      However, on an individual level, the ex-England international has struggled for consistency, mainly due to injury.
      The winger-turned-midfielder has missed an astonishing 88 games through injury while on the books at Liverpool.
      And this summer, his stay on Merseyside is set to come to an end when his contract expires.
      READ MORE LIVERPOOL NEWS
      But he could get a quicker escape before the end of the season, with Fenerbahce keen on him, according to Aspor.
      The Turkish winter transfer deadline was extended to March 5.
      And Fenerbache could play a small fee to free Oxlade-Chamberlain from Liverpool should they make a move.
      Oxlade-Chamberlain has played just 11 times this season, starting five of those games.
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      The Turkish giants are currently sat second in the Super Lig, behind rivals Galatasaray by nine points.
      They could slash Galatasaray’s nine-point lead down to six as they have a game in hand.
      Fenerbahce are on course to qualify for Europe’s top club competition via the league, with the top two teams in the Turkish league earning a spot.
      They could also earn a spot by winning the Europa League.
      Fenerbahce topped Group B and will contest the round of 16 next month. More

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      Micah Richards reveals incredible hidden talent live on TV leaving pundits in stitches – but is all as it seems?

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      MICAH RICHARDS translated Romelu Lukaku’s post-match interview from Italian into English live on TV as the pundit revealed a hidden talent.Lukaku, 29, hasn’t had the best of times at the San Siro since returning on loan following a disastrous second spell at Chelsea.

      Micah Richards live translated Romelu Lukaku’s post-match Italian interviewCredit: CBS
      Richards left fellow pundits in stitches – but fans say the ex-defender got the gist of what Lukaku was sayingCredit: CBS
      The striker has just four goals across all competitions this season but netted in the 86th minute against 10-man Porto as Inter Milan won the first-leg of their Champions League round of 16 tie 1-0.
      After the game, Lukaku gave a post-match interview to speak about his winning moment and CBS footie presenter, Kate Abdo, put pundit Richards on the spot by asking him to live translate it – despite it being in Italian.
      Richards is familiar with the Italian language from his time at Fiorentina between 2014-15.
      And although not perfect, Richards got the general gist of Lukaku’s interview: Inter played great and got an important win.
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      Mid-translation, fellow pundit Thierry Henry – who played for Juventus in 1999 – came across and tried to look at Richards’ notes.
      Richards’ attempt at translating left Henry, Jamie Carragher and Abdo in stitches, with the latter saying the ex-defender should get a primetime slot on CBS’ Serie A show.
      As Abdo ended the show, Richards signed off saying: “A dopo, ciao (see you).”
      On the hilarious moment, one fan said on Twitter: “Why can’t UK punditry be like this?”
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      Another tweeted: “LMAOOOOOOOO I’m in tears.”
      A third added: “He translated half of the words in Lukaku’s speech, but he understood the substance of it.
      “Not bad, considering the noise and confusion around him.”
      Richards’ attempt was unable to top Abdo’s multilingual brilliance.
      The CBS host translated French, Spanish and German back-to-back last November following Champions League fixtures.
      Abdo translated while listening to PSG’s Kylian Mbappe, Federico Valverde of Real Madrid and RB Leipzig boss Marco Rose.
      On the same show which saw Richards showcase his Italian, Henry almost walked out of the CBS studio after being asked whether he would have played for Tottenham. More

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      ‘You obviously aren’t interested in my problems!’ – Watch Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp bizarrely rage at Spanish reporter

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      LIVERPOOL manager Jurgen Klopp snapped at a Spanish reporter for asking if he would give Real Madrid legend, Luka Modric, a new contract.The German was asked the question following Liverpool’s 5-2 Champions League round of 16 defeat to the Spanish and European champions.
      Jurgen Klopp snapped at a Spanish reporter for asking about Luka ModricCredit: Rex
      Modric is out of contract this summer and the reporter asked Klopp whetherCredit: Getty
      Liverpool raced into a two-goal lead thanks to Darwin Nunez and Mohamed Salah.
      However, they went in at the half-time break level, with Real star Vinicius Jr bagging a brace.
      Real came out for the second half and ran riot, scoring a further three goals through Eder Militao and Karim Benzema.
      Despite not scoring, Modric ran the midfield at the age of 37, drawing praise for schooling 18-year-old Reds breakthrough prospect, Stefan Bajcetic.
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      And with the Croatia and Real icon out of contract this summer, a Spanish reporter decided to ask Liverpool manager Klopp whether he’d extend Modric’s stay at the Bernabeu.
      However, Klopp was far from amused, and snapped at the reporter, declaring it’s “not one of my problems”.

      Klopp replied: “Oh god.
      “You obviously are not too much interested in my problems, so this is not one of my problems.”
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      He continued: “Yeah, fantastic player and I’m pretty sure Carlo [Ancelotti] and Real Madrid will do the right thing for the right player.”
      Klopp then quipped: “Please ask me more questions about Real Madrid players.” More

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      New angle emerges of RB Leipzig ‘handball’ which shows why VAR didn’t give Man City penalty in last seconds

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      MANCHESTER CITY fumed after they were denied a late penalty against RB Leipzig.But one crucial replay shows Rodri’s header came off the shoulder of Benjamin Heinrichs, not his arm.
      “We’ve had to wait, but the good thing is we’ve cleared it up!!”New angles emerge as Man City’s penalty claims look to come off the defender’s shoulder…Thoughts…? 🤔⤵️ pic.twitter.com/dAHOpUoQk5— Football on BT Sport (@btsportfootball) February 22, 2023

      The ball struck Benjamin Heinrichs’ shoulderCredit: BT Sport
      At first footage appeared to show the full-back moving his hand towards the ball to clear Rodri’s header.
      That sparked mass appeals from the City players, but referee Serdar Gozubuyuk waved away their protests.
      And he made the correct decision as the ball struck Heinrich’s left shoulder – he did not swipe it away using his right hand.
      But BT Sport Rio Ferdinand, who was adamant it was a penalty upon first viewing, still was unsure after seeing the latest replay.
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      Owen Hargreaves felt the replay cleared up any doubt, with it showing Heinrichs arm was also directly against his body.
      City boss Pep Guardiola refused to be drawn into the debate when asked about the decision not to award his side a penalty.
      When asked about the incident he responded: “I didn’t see it.
      “I saw my players but didn’t see the image. It was already checked.
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      “We didn’t talk about the referee decision [at full time]. We know what goes on the past the present and the future. It happened, the referee decide no. It’s no.”
      City drew 1-1 in Leipzig after Riyad Mahrez’s first-half goal was cancelled out by Josko Gvardiol’s towering header. More