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      Nice fans swoon over ‘elegant’ Ross Barkley after ex-Chelsea star makes debut in 1-0 win over Ajaccio

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      NICE fans have been swooning over “elegant” Ross Barkley after the ex-Chelsea man’s debut on Sunday.The 28-year-old midfielder came off the bench in his new side’s 1-0 win at Ajaccio.
      Nice fans hailed Ross Barkley after his impressive debut off the benchCredit: @ogcnice
      Barkley made a shock free transfer to Nice earlier this month after being released from his Chelsea contract.
      And some wondered what role he would take after new boss Lucien Favre admitted he did not know the position Barkley played.
      But that didn’t stop the attacking midfielder from climbing off the bench to record an impressive debut.
      Barkley came on for Nice’s goalscorer Andy Delort with 20 minutes left.
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      And he imposed himself quickly with some good touches and confident runs.
      After the game, Nice tweeted fans asking for their opinion on Barkley’s first game.
      And the feedback was overwhelmingly positive, with one simply beaming: “Elegant.”
      Another said: “He brought a lot of movement and solutions. An English mentality will do us good.”
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      One tweeted: “This creative midfielder is the one we’ve been waiting for.”
      Another added: “Let’s hope he’s the midfielder we’re missing and regains his levels. I thought he made a very good entrance.”
      Before kick-off, Barkley broke his silence on his move after seeing Aaron Ramsey, Kasper Schmeichel and Nicolas Pepe join Nice before him.
      Barkley said: “Nice is an ambitious club. President Rivere and Dave Brailsford explained to me the club’s project for growth over several years.
      “Jim Ratcliffe also convinced me to come here and help the team progress.
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      “What also convinced me to come was the coach. He is a great European coach, who plays attacking football.
      “I was able to see him in his teams in Switzerland or Germany, I saw the way his teams played and that is something that guided my choice a lot.” More

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      Watch Lionel Messi’s ‘unreal’ assist for Neymar in PSG’s clash against Brest as pair continue incredible start to season

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      LIONEL MESSI produced another highlight reel assist as his outrageous pass set up Neymar against Brest.The Paris Saint-Germain superstar found some space in the midfield and then chipped a ball over two lines of defensive block and into the path of Neymar who was making a run behind the defence.

      Lionel Messi has seven assists in nine games this seasonCredit: Reuters
      Neymar rifled in after Messi’s chipped pass to fire PSG’s winnerCredit: Reuters
      Neymar showed off his own quality by delightfully bringing the ball down and finishing into the bottom corner.
      But it was Messi who the fans were quick to heap praise on.
      One user said: “UNREAL ASSIST FROM MESSI.”
      Another added: “His execution always matches his vision when it comes to these type of passes, mental.”
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      A third highlighted the rekindled partnership between the assistee and the goalscorer: “Messi and Neymar together,” and followed it up with three tears of joy emojis.
      This season Messi appears to be enjoying his football again, and in his new role as a playmaker he has produced some breathtaking moments.
      The 35-year-old has now registered seven assists for Paris Saint-Germain this season, with another four goals to boot.
      While he has not hit the heights with his Barcelona goalscoring in Paris, his creative numbers are as good as ever.
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      Messi has 22 assists in 43 games for PSG, even more than the likes of the Premier League’s creative masters Kevin De Bruyne and Trent Alexander-Arnold since the start of last season.
      But he again failed to hit the back of the net on Saturday, with one effort rebounding off the post in PSG’s 1-0 win.
      Neymar has also been in electric form at the start of this campaign, and has 10 goals to his name in just nine appearances along with an extra seven assists.
      Despite this, the Brazilian’s season has been marred by a feud with team-mate Kylian Mbappe.
      Read More on The Sun
      The pair have butted heads this season after Mbappe signed a new deal which has reportedly given him more say over decision-making at PSG.
      After Mbappe took a penalty away from Neymar earlier in the campaign and subsequently missed it, Neymar took to Twitter and liked some tweets criticising the Frenchman.
      The pair were reportedly hauled in to sort out the issue. More

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      Neymar names toughest defender he’s ever faced and says ex-Chelsea star Antonio Rudiger ‘strikes fear into you’

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      NEYMAR has named the toughest defender that he’s played against.The Paris Saint-Germain star is used to taking plenty of hits from defensive enforcers due to his style of play and flair.
      Neymar sat down for an interview with DAZNCredit: DAZN
      The Brazilian gave his thoughts on Antonio RudigerCredit: Getty
      Usually the Brazilian can still bamboozle those trying to stop him – but he finds some defenders more difficult than others to outdo.
      Quizzed by DAZN’s Semra Hunter about who the toughest defender he’s ever faced one-on-one is – he had high praise for a Manchester City stalwart.
      He said: “[Kyle] Walker. Because he’s fast, strong and intelligent.”
      Neymar, 30, was then asked about a series of other defensive stars.
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      On former Chelsea ace Antonio Rudiger, he said: “He’s a centre-back who strikes fear into you.
      “He’s very strong and big. Some forwards get a bit scared.”
      On Virgil van Dijk he gushed: “Playing against Van Dijk is tough because as a centre-back he’s so strong and intelligent.
      “He knows when it’s the right time to close you down and when to go in for a tackle. That makes it harder.”
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      Neymar also spoke well of Ruben Dias, saying: “He is a very good centre-back.
      “He’s quick and very strong. He has quality as well so that makes it hard to play against him.”
      On Kalidou Koulibaly he then added: “The same. He’s very quick and very strong.”
      Moving on to Manchester United star Raphael Varane, he said: “I’ve played against Varane many times.
      “He’s a very good centre-back. He’s quick and intelligent. His positioning is very good. He’s a top player.
      “He almost never gets it wrong. That’s why he’s won so much.”
      RON ANSWER
      During the Q&A Neymar was also asked to describe a series of attacking stars in one word.
      And he said the exact same thing about Lionel Messi AND Cristiano Ronaldo.
      Quizzed first about his Argentine PSG team-mate, Neymar said: “Genius.”
      Then asked about Ronaldo, Neymar again responded: “Genius.”
      This prompted laughter from Hunter, who joked: “They’re going to get annoyed!”
      Neymar was next asked about Luis Suarez, once again cheekily answering: “Genius!”
      Kyle Walker is the toughest defender that Neymar has ever facedCredit: The Times More

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      Neymar risks ‘annoying’ Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi as he describes eight stars in one-word answers

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      NEYMAR risked “annoying” Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi with his answers in a recent Q&A.The Brazilian was asked to describe a number of stars, including the legendary duo, in just one word.
      Neymar sat down to chat with DAZN and risked upsetting Ronaldo and Messi with his answersCredit: YouTube – DAZN
      Semra Hunter conducted the interview and put Neymar on the spotCredit: YouTube – DAZN
      But Neymar, 30, didn’t appear to put all that much effort into his answers.
      In fact, he said the exact same thing about Messi AND Ronaldo.
      Quizzed by DAZN’s Semra Hunter first about his Argentine PSG team-mate, Neymar said: “Genius.”
      Then asked about Ronaldo, Neymar again responded: “Genius.”
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      This prompted laughter from Hunter, who joked: “They’re going to get annoyed!”
      Neymar was next asked about Luis Suarez, once again cheekily answering: “Genius!”
      After tentatively dipping into the well-trodden GOAT debate, Neymar also gave his verdicts on a number of other players.
      He described Tottenham and England superstar Harry Kane as “intelligent”.
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      He labelled Real Madrid talisman Karim Benzema as “classic”.
      Hunter then asked Neymar to describe some stars of the future.
      About English ace Jude Bellingham, he said: “Quality.”
      While he described Pedri as: “Classic. Iniesta-esque.”
      He called Eduardo Camavinga “quality”.
      Neymar was then asked about who the toughest defender he’s ever faced one-on-one is – and he had high praise for a Manchester City stalwart.
      He said: “[Kyle] Walker. Because he’s fast, strong and intelligent.”
      Neymar discussed Lionel Messi and Cristiano RonaldoCredit: Reuters More

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      Ross Barkley breaks silence on shock free transfer to Nice with ex-Chelsea star in line for debut on Sunday

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      ROSS BARKLEY revealed Nice’s “ambition” convinced him to join the club.The midfielder made the shock free transfer last week after ripping up his £110,000-a-week Chelsea contract.
      Ross Barkley waves to Nice fans during his presentation

      And it was thanks to the French club’s summer spree – which saw the likes of Aaron Ramsey, Kasper Schmeichel and Nicolas Pepe arrive – that he made the move.
      Barkley, 28, said: “Nice is an ambitious club. President Rivere and Dave Brailsford explained to me the club’s project for growth over several years.
      “Jim Ratcliffe also convinced me to come here and help the team progress.
      READ MORE ON CHELSEA
      “What also convinced me to come was the coach. He is a great European coach, who plays attacking football.
      “I was able to see him in his teams in Switzerland or Germany, I saw the way his teams played and that is something that guided my choice a lot.”
      He added in an Instagram post: “Delighted to have joined @OGCNice.
      “An ambitious club that I’m excited and grateful to be a part of. Loved the first few days of training and looking forward to the games ahead. #IssaNissa 🦅”
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      Manager Lucien Favre admitted he had no idea what Barkley’s position was.
      But the former England ace has given him a helping hand.
      He said: “I am an attacking player, I like to help by scoring or passing, but I also like to track back to defend.
      “I can play as a 10 or a false 9, I’m a fairly versatile player.”
      Barkley, who said he feels in “very good physical condition”, is in contention to make his debut against Ajaccio on Sunday. More

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      ‘Sorry isn’t good enough’ – Watch Kylian Mbappe blast Achraf Hakimi in tunnel rant over PSG team-mate’s poor pass

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      KYLIAN MBAPPE gave Achraf Hakimi both barrels as he criticised him for a poor pass he played during a game. The pair were captured on video in the tunnel at half-time, with Mbappe critical of his team-mate.

      Kylian Mbappe was critical of his team-mate
      Mbappe and Hakimi are both big names in the PSG teamCredit: AFP
      Mbappe and Hakimi celebrate a goal with team-matesCredit: Rex
      The pictures originally from Prime Video show them in conversation with Hakimi apologising for the pass his team-mate has highlighted to him, though the pictures appear to be from a game last season.
      But Mbappe replied by saying: “It’s not enough to say sorry,” and demanded more quality from the defender.
      The Frenchman has leapt from controversy to controversy this season.
      The season for Paris Saint-Germain started without him, but upon his return when he took a penalty away from Neymar and missed, it has continuously seen the fractures grow larger.
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      In another game, Mbappe was seen sulking when the ball was played into Lionel Messi instead of his own path.
      While off the pitch, Neymar liked some tweets criticising his team-mate for his increased influence in the team to be the first-choice penalty taker.
      This has left Mbappe feeling “isolated” at the club, with the two personalities clashing.
      This is despite the on-field performances from the pair showing no sign of discord with Neymar providing an assist for Mbappe in their 2-1 win over Juventus in the Champions League.
      Most read in Football
      Mbappe signed a new three-year contract with the Parisians which sees him earn a whopping £1.6million per week.
      His deal also sees him with an increased influence over the decisions made by the club, such as manager hires, transfers and sporting appointments. More

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      ‘He should be my agent’ – Arsenal star Folarin Balogun hails Lacazette for encouraging Ligue 1 loan after stunning start

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      ARSENAL star Folarin Balogun joked Alexandre Lacazette should be his agent after a fast start to life in France.Balogun, 21, joined Ligue 1 side Stade Reims on loan for the season and has five goals in just six games.
      Folarin Balogun has five goals in six games on loan at Stade ReimsCredit: Alamy
      Alexandre Lacazette encouraged Balogun to play in Ligue UnCredit: AP
      It is the second time he has gone on loan in as many seasons after a spell at Middlesbrough earlier this year.
      He scored just three goals in 18 games under Chris Wilder but has fared a lot better in Ligue Un – as Lacazette said he would.
      Balogun revealed his former team-mate encouraged him to make the switch to France as he felt he had the skillset to succeed there.
      In an interview with Amazon Prime Video, Balogun said of Lacazette: “He’s a great player.
      READ MORE ON ARSENAL
      “When he was at Arsenal he would always help me progress and improve, teaching me techniques and giving me advice.
      “I remember speaking to Lacazette and he kept on telling me: ‘You need to go to Ligue 1, you will do well here’.
      “Maybe he should become my agent as well because he has a great knowledge of football.”
      Balogun is the joint-third highest scorer in Ligue 1, and has two assists.
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      Lacazette has also got off to a good start in front of goal after returning to Lyon this summer when his Arsenal contract ended.
      The French striker has three goals in five games and is just one goal shy of last season’s league total. More

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      Ethan Mbappe, 15, makes European debut for PSG U19s in 5-3 win vs Juventus as he looks to follow in brother’s footsteps

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      ETHAN MBAPPE made his European debut for Paris Saint-Germain under-19s in their 5-3 win over Juventus.The 15-year-old brother of superstar Kylian was brought on in the 71st minute.
      Ethan Mbappe made his European debut as PSG under-19s beat Juventus U19sCredit: Getty
      PSG conceded twice after Ethan’s 71st-minute substitutionCredit: Getty
      Ethan featured in central midfield and was mostly limited to defending as PSG looked to hold onto a 5-1 lead thanks to goals from Warren Emery, Ismael Gharbi, Pascal Lemina and a double from Ilyes Housni.
      But things quickly went downhill for the French side as Juventus U19 star Luis Hasa scored a free-kick minutes after Ethan’s introduction, before Dean Huijsen netted a penalty to make it 5-3.
      PSG held onto the lead and Ethan gained valuable experience as he continues his meteoric rise through PSG’s youth system.
      Last summer the teenager put pen to paper on a three-year deal that will see him stay at the Parc des Princes until 2024 at the very least.
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      And a few months after that the prodigy was called up to the France under-16 squad for the first time.
      Ethan has impressive physical qualities and already stands at 5 ft 9, just a few centimetres shorter than brother Kylian.
      Speaking to RMC Sport, director of INF Clairefontaine Jean-Claude Lafargue said of Ethan: “He’s a very elegant midfielder.
      “He is very fluent, he is very intelligent. He’s a player in the making, that’s for sure.”
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      Ethan also came up with Mbappe’s iconic celebration during a game of FIFA, with the PSG star first unveiling it after scoring against Borussia Dortmund. More