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      Cristiano Ronaldo meets up with his old Real Madrid pals and poses for photos as Los Blancos face Barcelona in Saudi

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      CRISTIANO RONALDO revisited his golden years as he prepares for his sunset days – by dropping in on Real Madrid training.Ron’s old club are in Saudi Arabia for Sunday’s Spanish Super Cup final against Barcelona – as he gears up for his Al-Nassr debut four days later.

      Rodrygo met his hero Ronaldo, who departed the Bernabeu a year before the Brazilian wing wizard arrivedCredit: Instagram / @realmadrid
      Cristiano Ronaldo greeted Real’s Brazilian attacker Vinicius JuniorCredit: Instagram / @realmadrid
      Al-Nassr new boy Ronaldo hugged Brazilian legend Roberto CarlosCredit: Instagram / @realmadrid
      And there was one Bernabeu baller whose smile beamed even brighter than that of the Portugal legend as he posed for a host of pictures.
      Rodrygo posted  he was “meeting my biggest idol” as he shared a snap of the pair on Instagram.
      The Brazil winger, 22, joined Real a year after Ronaldo, now 37, left for Juventus. 
      And Ron has perhaps never matched his Real days of 2009-2018.
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      And his next task is to persuade the footballing world he’s not moved to Riyadh just for the money.
      Ronaldo’s Manchester United contract was terminated during his poor World Cup, due to a tell-all interview with Piers Morgan on TalkTV.
      And the first test of his current form is likely to come on January 19.
      That’s when a combined Al-Nassr and Al-Hilal XI face PSG in an exhibition match.
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      Ronaldo, however, looked delighted to be distracted by reviving memories of his Bernabeu era.
      The five-time Ballon d’Or winner chatted to boss Carlo Ancelotti and former team-mates as they took a break from training.
      And an even older old-boy was there – Brazil icon Roberto Carlos.
      The former Real left-back, 49, who is now a football ambassador, warmly embraced Ron.
      Carlos’ fellow countryman Vinicius Junior and Eder Militao each joined Ronaldo for thumbs-up photos.
      And Real too, joined in the spirit of the occasion.
      As Ron seeks to add to his incredible scoring exploits in a new football world, the Spanish giants referenced his famous goal salute with: “Nice to SIIIIIIIIIUUUU you, @Cristiano!”
      Ronaldo was also reunited with Real Madrid boss Carlo AncelottiCredit: Instagram / @realmadrid
      Eder Militao only joined Real in 2019, a year after Ronaldo left for Juventus, but was still delighted to meet the iconCredit: Instagram / @realmadrid

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      Chelsea flop Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang’s hopes of rejoining Barcelona face huge stumbling block due to LaLiga rule

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      PIERRE-EMERICK AUBAMEYANG looks set to face failure over any potential return to Barcelona after a LaLiga rule emerged prohibiting a move. The Gabon striker has endured a tough spell since signing for Chelsea, and now reportedly wants to return to the Nou Camp.
      Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang won’t be allowed to move back to BarcelonaCredit: Getty
      But it seems his wishes will fall on deaf ears after it was revealed such a move is not legal.
      Fifa rules stipulate that a player cannot play for more than two clubs in a season unless the calendar is different – opening up the possibility of an MLS move.
      Since Barcelona were his previous club, a transfer is fine under these rules.
      However, the Royal Spanish Football Federation has a rule which makes a deal impossible.
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      Article 130 reads: “A player may be registered in only one team of a club, without the possibility of being withdrawn and released by the same club in the course of the same season, except in cases of force majeure or regulatory provision.
      “Likewise, during the course of the season, he/she may not be registered and play in more than three different teams.”
      In addition, La Liga’s Article 141.5 says: “Footballers whose licence is cancelled may not, in the course of the same season, obtain a licence in the same team of the club to which they were already associated.”
      This means that had the move been a loan instead, a return would have been permitted.
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      Barcelona would have “loved” the idea of bringing back the 33-year-old, who scored 13 times in 24 games for them last season.
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      Aubameyang joined Chelsea in £10million deal in the summer, but has failed to impress on his return to England.
      He has scored just three times in 16 games and not performed well either.
      The ex-Arsenal ace would have been hoping to prove a point after being frozen out at the Gunners by Mikel Arteta.
      In the club’s Amazon: All or Nothing series, Arteta revealed he had a dossier of all his past indiscretions.
      He told a member of his coaching staff: “I have everything documented, with the dates, the times, the conversations, how it happened, why it happened . . . because if one day it’s needed.
      “(Aubameyang) has been late, apart from all the (other) issues, many times.” More

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      Lionel Messi called a ‘hormonal dwarf’ and ‘sewer rat’ by ex-Barcelona board member in shocking abusive leaked emails

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      LIONEL MESSI was labelled a “hormonal dwarf” and “sewer rat” by an ex-Barcelona board member, according to a sensational report. World Cup winner Messi left Barcelona for Paris Saint-Germain upon the expiry of his contract in 2021.
      Lionel Messi was the subject of some unsavoury messages by Barcelona’s former boardCredit: Rex
      The leaked messages were directed at Barcelona president Josep BartomeuCredit: EPA
      Former legal chief Roman Gomez Ponti allegedly sent the scathing remarksCredit: AFP
      However, Barca chiefs were left infuriated by a press leak which shared details of the contract offered to Messi – which would have seen him net almost £500million – prior to his emotional exit.
      And Spanish outlet El Periodico revealed messages allegedly sent in a group chat between the club’s former hierarchy on January 31, 2021.
      The chat the messages were sent in included ex-president Josep Bartomeu, CEO Òscar Grau, directors Pancho Schroder and Javier Sobrino, executives Jordi Moix, Oriol Tomàs and David Bellver and legal chief Roman Gomez Ponti.
      Ponti, in particular, fired a sharp-tongued message to Bartomeu regarding his favouritism of Messi.
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      In his message he said: “Barto, really, you can’t be such a good person with this sewer rat.
      “The club has given him everything and he has dedicated himself to marking a dictatorship of signings, transfers, renewals, sponsorships just for him, etc.”
      Ponti ranted about Messi’s power at the club in demanding new deals for team-mates Luis Suarez and Jordi Alba.
      He then ranted about the renewal fee for Ansu Fati’s contract, which went to Messi’s brother and agent Rodrigo.
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      Ponti then went on to speak about “blackmail” and Messi’s lack of support as the Covid-19 pandemic hit.
      He added: “And above all the accumulation of blackmail and rudeness that the club and those who work have suffered from this hormonal dwarf that owes Barça life … ah!
      “But when they come badly given (pandemic) you receive the mythical WhatsApp: ‘presi, lower the salary to others, but do not touch me and Luis.'”
      Ponti then blasted Messi as a “pesetero,” meaning money-grabber.
      The financial difficulties of the club eventually saw Messi leave as Barcelona could not lower their wage bill enough to accommodate the 35-year-old.
      These difficulties have continued, and despite a summer which saw them trigger a number of “economic levers” to help them do business, recent reports still suggest they are £178m over budget in wages. More

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      Liverpool suffer new blow with World Cup hero Sofyan Amrabat set to snub transfer in favour of Atletico Madrid move

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      LIVERPOOL target Sofyan Amrabat wants to join Atletico Madrid, according to reports.The Moroccan played an integral role during his side’s amazing run at the World Cup in Qatar.
      Sofyan Amrabat starred at the World Cup for MoroccoCredit: Getty
      With Fiorentina star Amrabat a key cog in the heart of midfield, Morocco became the first African side ever to reach a World Cup semi-final.
      His superb performances in the Middle East attracted plenty of interest, with Liverpool said to be keen on recruiting him to bolster their midfield.
      According to Foot Mercato, however, he has his heart set on Atletico.
      A deal will not be easy to complete, however, with Fiorentina likely to demand a big fee.
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      During the World Cup, Amrabat already appeared keen to play for Atletico, gushing over the qualities of coach Diego Simeone.
      He told Spanish paper Marca: “What Simeone does, what he achieved… He coached Atletico de Madrid for many years.
      “I like his style of play. He won a lot and I have a lot of respect for him.
      “The players on your team are physically strong and aggressive. I like to play that way.”
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      Amrabat, 26, is under contract with Fiorentina until 2024.
      La Viola have made attempts to renew his deal, but face an uphill battle to keep him.
      Liverpool’s No1 midfield target, however, is England star Jude Bellingham.
      But Borussia Dortmund are set to demand upwards of £100million – with Manchester City, Real Madrid and Chelsea all also in the mix.
      Jude Bellingham is Liverpool’s No1 midfield targetCredit: Getty More

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      Lionel Messi EQUALS Cristiano Ronaldo for most goals in Top 5 European leagues with 696 – but does it 88 games QUICKER

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      LIONEL MESSI has equalled Cristiano Ronaldo’s tally of 696 goals for clubs in Europe’s top five leagues.The Argentine bagged his latest strike in Paris Saint-Germain’s 2-0 victory over Angers last night.
      Lionel Messi marked his return to club action with a goalCredit: Reuters
      Messi, 35, achieved the feat on his return to club action following his World Cup triumph last month.
      Europe’s top five leagues are the Premier League, LaLiga, Ligue 1, the Bundesliga and Serie A.
      He netted 672 goals in 778 appearances for former club Barcelona.
      And he has since added a further 24 strikes in 54 PSG outings.
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      This takes him to a remarkable 696 goals in 831 appearances for the two clubs.
      Ronaldo has also scored 696 goals… but in 88 more matches.
      After moving to Manchester United from Sporting Lisbon in 2003, he went on to bag 145 goals in 346 games across two spells.
      He scored an astonishing 450 goals in 438 appearances for Real Madrid, before adding another 101 goals in 134 Juventus outings.
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      Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo met many times during their illustrious careersCredit: AP
      This means that Ronaldo has scored 696 goals in 919 appearances in Europe’s top five leagues.
      Having signed for Al-Nassr last month, the 37-year-old is unlikely to add more to his tally.
      Reports circulated that his deal with the Saudi club contained a secret clause enabling him to join Newcastle, although they were subsequently denied.
      Ronaldo and Messi have faced off on many memorable occasions during their illustrious careers – particularly while fighting for trophies at Real Madrid and Barcelona.
      They could meet for a final time this month, when a Saudi all-star team consisting of players from Al-Nassr and Al-Hilal take on PSG in Riyadh on January 19.
      Al-Nassr boss Rudi Garcia has confirmed that Ronaldo is set to take part in the match.
      His debut for his new club is then set to take place three days later, when they take on Ettifaq on January 22.
      Ronaldo and his family were recently introduced to Al-Nassr fansCredit: AFP More

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      Chelsea star Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang wants Barcelona transfer return just months after quitting amid season struggles

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      PIERRE-EMERICK AUBAMEYANG wants to return to Barcelona just FOUR months after he left to join Chelsea.The Gabon international has endured a nightmare return to the Premier League and is out of favour under Graham Potter.
      Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang has struggled since arriving at ChelseaCredit: Getty
      The striker has not scored in his last 10 games in all competitionsCredit: Rex
      He’s hasn’t started a game since lining up against his former club Arsenal in November and has scored just three goals.
      And Aubameyang has looked a shadow of his former self in recent weeks, highlighted by the fact he was subbed off after being subbed on against Manchester City last week.
      As a result, AS claim the 33-year-old is unhappy at Chelsea and wants to go back to Spain.
      The report states that Aubameyang is so desperate that he would be willing to return to any cost.
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      And he’s even been in touch with manager Xavi.
      But a return to the Nou Camp is only likely to happen if Barca manage to offload Memphis Depay, who’s being linked with Atletico Madrid.

      Fabrizio Romano has also claimed that the La Liga leaders would “love” the idea of re-signing the striker, but only on a free and once more stated it would hinge on Depay’s future.
      Barcelona are the only club that Aubameyang can sign for because he’s already played for two teams this season.
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      Despite the frontman’s struggles, Potter confirmed that he’s back in the squad for Thursday’s West London derby at Fulham.
      And he’ll be hoping to end his TEN game run without a goal at Craven Cottage. More

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      Who is ENIGMA69? Fans baffled by mystery LaLiga star who wore wrestler mask to play in Gerard Pique’s 7-a-side league

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      FOOTY fans have been left baffled after a LaLiga star donned a disguise to play in Gerard Pique’s seven-a-side league.Barcelona legend star Pique recently announced the formation of the Kings League – a competition in which 12 teams comprised of former players and Spanish influencers compete for top spot.
      A mystery LaLiga player took part in the matches while wearing a Lucha Libre maskCredit: Getty
      Gerard Pique’s Kings League got underway last weekendCredit: GETTY
      The player also donned a black compression top to hide his identityCredit: GETTY
      The Kings League pits teams of former players and influencers against one anotherCredit: GETTY
      The league kicked off last week and was a resounding success, with thousands of people tuning in to watch the matches on Twitch.
      And several of them were left scratching their heads trying to identify a player in the match between XBUYER TEAM and Kunisports who donned a Lucha Libre wrestling mask to hide their identity.
      The mystery player also wore a black compression top to hide the tattoos on his arms so as not to be identified by viewers.
      Prior to the match, Pique revealed the man in the mask is a player currently under contract with a LaLiga club.
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      He tweeted: “Primera Division [LaLiga] footballer under the age of 30 will play wearing a Mexican wrestling mask to hide his face and long sleeves to cover tattoos.”
      To add to the mystery, the LaLiga ace donned a shirt with “Enigma” and the number 69 on the back.
      And footy fans couldn’t help but try to guess the identity of the star, who was seen arriving in a chauffeured car before the match.
      The names of Real Madrid and Arsenal stars Isco and Dennis Suarez were repeatedly mentioned by fans.
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      Although Suarez denied being the masked man during a live stream with a Spanish journalist, saying: “It’s not me.”
      The recently-released Nano Mesa was also mentioned, as was Elche’s Pol Lirola.
      Fans also suggested Girona’s Rodrigo Riquelme could’ve donned the Lucha Libre mask, although there was no evidence to suggest it was him.
      Despite there being a huge demand for the identity of the player to be revealed, Pique is adamant he’ll keep it a secret for the time being.
      The Kings League has already had some big-name players compete in it.
      World Cup winner Joan Capdevila and former Manchester United hitman Javier Hernandez have played in the competition, which determines squads through an NFL-style draft.
      Former Manchester City and Argentina hitman Sergio Aguero is the president of XBUYER TEAM.
      Kings League matches take place every Sunday and they consist of two twenty-minute halves.
      Additionally, teams have to play one another twice.
      But the kick-offs are arguably the most bizarre part of the league, with players charging towards one another from their respective goal lines after the ref blows the whistle.
      Although the opening round of Kings League fixtures were watched by a whopping 800,000 people, it’s done little to impress LaLiga bigwig Javier Tebas
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      He said: “I can’t imagine doing the Enigma thing in LaLiga. It’s a circus.
      “It’s not a matter of attracting a young audience or not. I’ve read that they compare and they’re wrong.” More

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      Chelsea forced to delete Joao Felix transfer announcement after embarrassing gaffe called out by fans

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      CHELSEA were forced to delete their Joao Felix transfer announcement as it contained an embarrassing mistake.The 23-year-old arrives on loan from Atletico Madrid until the end of the season and the Blues proudly unveiled their new man.
      Chelsea’s unveiling of Joao Felix didn’t go to planCredit: Getty
      Joao Felix arrives on loan from Atletico MadridCredit: Getty
      However, fans noticed an error that resulted in Chelsea’s official Twitter account having to delete the initial post and re-write it, although it had already been seen by thousands.
      The announcement showed Felix in a blue shirt for the first time and the upload welcomed “the artist” to Stamford Bridge.
      They put a hashtag with it that read: “#HolaFelix”
      The word ‘Hola’ means hello in Spanish, but Felix is Portuguese and they don’t speak the language of their neighbouring country.
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      Chelsea should’ve dropped the ‘H’ as the Portuguese for hello is ‘Olá’.
      Fans picked up on the mistake, one said: “He’s Portuguese, not Spanish, you numbskulls. What is that hashtag?”
      A second realised the gaffe: “‘Hola’ is Spanish, Joao Felix is Portuguese…”
      One joked in reference to Jose Mourinho: “You’d think that a club whose most successful manager was Portuguese would know the difference.”
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      Felix joins Graham Potter’s side for a loan fee of £10million, the deal does not contain an option for Chelsea to make the switch permanent.
      The player has extended his contract at Atletico for an extra year, meaning his deal now runs until 2027 at the LaLiga side.
      The former Benfica star was supposedly on the wishlist of both Arsenal and Manchester United this month but snubbed them for the West Londoners.
      Felix is hoping to rejuvenate his career after a tough year under Diego Simeone where he has started only 44 per cent of league games.
      He joined Atleti back in 2019 for a massive £112million but he has failed to meet his potential, netting 34 times in 131 games. More