World Cup 2022

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      How many of England’s 1966 World Cup winning team are still alive?

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      ENGLAND defeated West Germany 4-2 to win the World Cup in thrilling fashion in 1966 at Wembley Stadium.It was the first and only time the Three Lions have won football’s biggest prize.
      Captain Bobby Moore lifts the World Cup trophy at WembleyCredit: PA
      And the Three Lions are in mourning after another member of their winning team has died, with the news of the passing of George Cohen.
      He won 37 England caps as an attacking right-back.
      He also made 459 appearances for Fulham, and was born just over a mile away from Craven Cottage.
      Fulham confirmed the sad news on Twitter.
      It read: “Everyone at Fulham Football Club is deeply saddened to learn of the passing of one of our greatest ever players – and gentlemen – George Cohen MBE.”
      England’s World Cup 1966 team with manager Alf RamseyCredit: PA:Empics Sport
      How many England 1966 World Cup winners are still alive?
      Two members of England’s World Cup winning team from 1966 are still alive.
      They are Sir Bobby Charlton and Sir Geoff Hurst.
      In the 1966 World Cup, initially only the 11 players who played received medals.
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      Gordon Banks – goalkeeper died aged 81 in 2019
      George Cohen – right-back died aged 83 in 2022
      Ray Wilson – left-back died aged 83 in 2018
      Nobby Stiles – defensive midfielder died aged 78 in 2020
      Jack Charlton – defender died aged 85 in 2020
      Bobby Moore – defender died aged 51 in 1993
      Alan Ball – midfielder died aged 61 in 2007
      Martin Peters – midfielder died aged 76 in 2019
      Roger Hunt – forward died aged 83 in 2021 More

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      Karim Benzema unfollows all but FIVE France team-mates – but still follows Zidane amid rumours he could return to fold

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      BALLON d’OR winner Karim Benzema unfollowed all but FIVE of his France team-mates following his World Cup exit. Benzema was sent home on the eve of the tournament after picking up an injury.
      Benzema has unfollowed all but FIVE France playersCredit: AFP
      But there was speculation that he could have returned to the France fold for last Sunday’s final against Argentina.
      However, he reportedly rejected the opportunity to go back to Qatar after falling out with manager, Didier Deschamps.
      Benzema then retired from international football, taking to social media to announce his decision following France’s penalty shootout final loss to the South Americans.
      And according to Marca, there’s no love lost for most of his ex-international pals.
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      Benzema unfollowed all but FIVE France aces.
      Eduardo Camavinga, Aurelien Tchouameni, Kylian Mbappe, Raphael Varane and Marcus Thuram all survived the mass axing.
      Camavinga and Tchouameni are Benzema’s teammates at Madrid.
      Varane also used to play alongside the striker at Los Blancos. 
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      The 2022 Ballon d’Or winner did, however, keep on following France icon Zinedine Zidane, who is rumoured to be keen on taking up the post as manager of Les Bleus.
      Deschamps is believed to be weighing up his future after the World Cup and Zidane is one of the favourites to take over.
      And Benzema could come out of retirement to play under his former Real Madrid manager.
      Interestingly, Salt Bae survived.
      Nusret Gokce caused controversy by appearing on the pitch after the World Cup final.
      Salt Bae held the trophy, which Fifa are now deciding to investigate.
      He also pestered players, including World Cup-winning captain Lionel Messi, who for the most part looked largely unimpressed by the chef. More

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      Man Utd’s Lisandro Martinez should be FURIOUS despite winning World Cup after ‘absolutely crazy’ snub says ex-club star

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      FORMER Manchester United defender Paul Parker believes that Lisandro Martinez should be “furious” with his lack of game time during the World Cup.The current Red Devils star was much the second fiddle to first-choice defenders Cristian Romero and Nicolas Otamendi as Argentina went on to lift the trophy in Qatar.
      Lisandro Martinez won the World Cup with ArgentinaCredit: Getty
      Former Man United star Paul Parker feels Martinez will be ‘furious’ over his amount of game time at the tournamentCredit: PA:Empics Sport
      Martinez only started in two of the team’s seven games at the tournament, as well as appearing as a substitute three times.
      Manager Lionel Scaloni opted for the former Manchester City star and Tottenham defender as his centre-back partnership, which led to Martinez having to fill in as left-back when he did play.
      Parker has suggested that the 24-year-old did not “contribute to the team on the pitch” and that he will have had a “bad experience” at the tournament.
      He told BeMyBet: “When I looked at him, I never got the feeling that he didn’t want to be there.
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      “But, of course, he must have been furious that Nicolas Otamendi played instead of him, which is absolutely crazy.
      “He will be disappointed without a shadow of a doubt. He won the final, but he didn’t play in the final and that is a weird feeling.
      “It’s a different feeling to win a medal and put it around your neck when you didn’t really contribute to the team on the pitch.
      “He will return with a medal and a bad experience.”
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      Martinez is yet to return to Old Trafford following the celebrations back in Buenos Aires in Argentina alongside his team-mates.
      After a tricky start to life in England following his summer transfer from Ajax, he has become a key player for Erik ten Hag.
      And the Dutch manager has admitted that if he had not signed his former player in the summer, he would have joined Premier League rivals Arsenal.
      He told Dutch outlet VI : “If I found it hard to take Martinez away from Ajax? I had such a great time there, the way we build a project.
      “Out of nowhere, we brought Ajax back to the European top level. But Martinez himself wanted to leave.
      “If we didn’t take him, he would have gone to Arsenal.
      “At a certain point, Lisandro Martinez called me up and said, ‘coach, listen, I will leave Ajax no matter what. I can sign for Arsenal, but if you want me, I will go to Manchester United’.” More

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      World Cup goal of the tournament revealed as Richarlison’s bicycle kick wins award while Mbappe and Neymar are snubbed

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      FIFA have announced that Richarlison has won the World Cup goal of the tournament.Tottenham’s Brazilian star, 25, enjoyed a stellar tournament for the Samba Boys as he found the net three times.
      Brazil’s Richarlison has won the World Cup goal of the tournamentCredit: AP

      The forward helped himself to a brace in the 2-0 victory over Serbia in his country’s opening group game.
      And he also got on the scoresheet in the 4-1 last-16 triumph over South Korea.
      But it was his outrageous overhead kick against the Serbs that has deen him pip his compatriot Neymar and France’s Kylian Mbappe to the crown of goal of the tournament.
      His moment of magic occurred after he had already reacted first from a Vinicius Jr shot to lash home the rebound just after the hour mark.
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      But 11 minutes later he doubled his tally for the evening in breathtaking fashion.
      Vinicius crossed into the penalty area and Richarlison did the rest, teeing himself up before acrobatically swivelling to lash an outrageous effort into the corner beyond Vanja Milinkovic-Savic.
      That led to many supporters tipping him to win the Puskas Award.
      However, for now, he can take comfort in the fact that he has scooped this accolade despite him and Brazil ultimately going on to suffer penalty heartbreak against Croatia in the quarter-finals.
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      Neymar scored a brilliant goal in extra-time of that prior to Bruno Petkovic equalising to set up a penalty shoot-out.
      Many felt the Paris Saint-Germain’s wonderful effort would be a strong contender – but even more believed Mbappe’s volley against Argentina would be just as unstoppable as the forward’s strike.
      The Frenchman had just pulled a goal back from the spot before he instantly thundered home a volley to make it 2-2 and send the World Cup Final to extra-time.
      He would go on to make history by securing his hat-trick – but it would ultimately be Argentina that went on to win the shoot-out and be crowned world champions. More

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      Lionel Messi risks huge spat with Kylian Mbappe as Argentina star ‘wants to parade World Cup trophy at PSG stadium’

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      PARIS SAINT-GERMAIN are reluctant to let Lionel Messi parade Argentina’s World Cup trophy around the Parc des Princes as they’re worried about potential backlash, a report says.The legendary 35-year-old captained his country to their third-ever World Cup and did so with a 4-2 penalty shootout win over France.
      Messi defeated France to lift the World CupCredit: Getty
      Messi would like to parade the World Cup at the Parc des Princes but the club fear it could provoke team-mate Mbappe and ParisiansCredit: PA
      Messi scored a brace inside 120 minutes of football, with ex-PSG pal Angel Di Maria getting the other for the South American champions.
      While for France, Messi’s current PSG team-mate, Mbappe, was on a one-man mission and scored a hat-trick, becoming the second-ever player to do so behind England 1966 hero, Sir Geoff Hurst.
      But as reported by Goal, Messi wants to parade the famous gold trophy at the Parc des Princes, but club chiefs are reluctant to grant his request.
      They’re concerned it could be seen as provocative to Parisians.
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      Mbappe was also left devastated by the final loss, which could rub the Frenchman the wrong way, considering Messi’s Argentina pal Emiliano Martinez has already gone to extremes to mock him.
      Martinez mocked the 24-year-old by asking for a “moment of silence” for him in the dressing room.
      He then held up a baby doll with his opponent’s face on it while next to Messi in their victory parade in Buenos Aires.
      Had Argentina beaten ANY other country it is unlikely PSG would have had an issue with Messi parading the glittering trophy.
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      PSG are back in action on December 28 against Strasbourg.
      Mbappe is already back in training, as are Brazil duo Neymar and Marquinhos.
      It is unclear whether Messi will play in PSG’s return to competitive action. More

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      Cameroon star Andre Onana RETIRES from international football after he was sent home from World Cup over bust-up

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      ANDRE ONANA has retired from international football after being sent home during the World Cup. The Cameroon goalkeeper played just once for his nation at the World Cup before he was sent home owing to a fallout between him and his manager.
      Andre Onana penned a shock retirement from international footballCredit: Getty
      Taking to his social media pages, the 26-year-old said: “After endless hours of training, endless trips and a lot perseverance, I can proudly say that I have fulfilled my great dream.
      “But every story, however beautiful it may be, has to end. And my story with the Cameroonian national team has come to an end.
      “Players come and go, names are fleeting, but Cameroon comes before any person or player.
      “Cameroon remains eternal and so does my love for the national team and for our people who have always supported us…
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      “My feeling will never change. My Cameroonian heart will continue to beat and wherever I go I will always fight to lift the flag of Cameroon as high as possible.”
      Onana flew home after only appearing in the Indomitable Lions opening clash against Switzerland.
      He was then left out of the matchday squad to face Serbia entirely, with Onana and manager Rigobert Song clashing over his playing style.
      Following the disagreement, Onana expressed his love for his nation and blasted the “other side” due to them having no willingness to work out the issues.
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      He wrote at the time: “I have put all my efforts and energy into finding solutions to a situation that a footballer often experiences, but there has been no will on the other side.
      “Some moments are difficult to assimilate. However, I always respect and support the decisions of the people in charge of pursuing the success of our team and country.”
      Leaked footage also appeared to reveal that Onana “cried” after his axing, with Song believed to be speaking to a member of his coaching team.
      Cameroon would end up crashing out of the World Cup at the Group Stage, drawing 3-3 with Serbia before beating Brazil thanks to a stunning late goal from Vincent Aboubakar.
      On his retirement, Onana added: “I will continue to support as a fan, just as the more than 27 million Cameroonians do at every match.
      “I can only thank all those who trusted me and believed that I could add and contribute to this team.” More

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      FIFA forced into humiliating admission over Salt Bae after celeb-chasing chef’s World Cup pitch invasion to pester Messi

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      FIFA has been forced to make a humiliating admission about Salt Bae crashing the World Cup final.It said the famous chef, who was pictured pestering Argentinian players after their win against France should not have been on the pitch.
      Salt Bae was pictured holding the trophy against Fifa’s strict rulesCredit: instagram
      The chef was pictured pestering the players for a selfieCredit: instagram
      Fifa is conducting an internal investigation into how Salt Bae gatecrashed the World Cup closing ceremony
      Salt Bae also badgered Lionel Messi after the game
      The Turkish cook and Instagram star – real name Nusret Gökçe – was seen trying to get a selfie with the players and even touch the winning trophy- against strict regulations.
      According to Fifa’s guidelines, only World Cup winners and heads of state are allowed to touch the trophy.
      It states on its website “As one of the most recognised sports symbols in the world and a priceless icon, the original FIFA World Cup Trophy can only be touched and held by a very select group of people, which includes former winners of the FIFA World Cup and heads of state.”
      Now Fifa is conducting an internal investigation to see how the chef got onto the pitch as he has no commercial relationship with Fifa and was not invited onto the pitch by Gianni Infantino Sky Sports News reports.
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      A spokesperson for Fifa said: “Following a review, FIFA has been establishing how individuals gained undue access to the pitch after the closing ceremony at Lusail Stadium on 18 December. The appropriate internal action will be taken.”
      Footage showed the chef pestering the Argentina squad as they celebrated their cup glory with their families after the nailbiting shootout.
      He was seen grabbing hold of Lionel Messi by the shoulder at least twice as the baffled megastar tried to shrug him off.
      Bae’s persistence paid off as he finally got a selfie with the striker hailed the greatest of all time.
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      The chef was also seen forcing himself into lineups with other stars as they clutched the famous golden trophy.
      He has now been barred from attending The US Open Cup, the equivalent of England’s FA Cup.
       Action will be taken against staff who allowed him access after social media footage showed his cringeworthy exchanges with players including Lionel Messi, who did his best to avoid Salt Bae.
      In a series of videos posted on his own Instagram, the steakhouse magnate interrupted the likes of Angel di Maria, Cristian Romero and Lisandro Martinez as they posed with the World Cup, leaving the trio looking awkward.
      Salt Bae’s actions sparked fury among football fans.
      It comes after he was banned from attending a US sporting event after his behavior at the final.
      The US Open Cup tweeted: “Salt Bae is hereby banned from the 2023 US Open Cup final.”
      The US Open Cup is a knockout competition featuring teams from the MLS as well as other domestic tournaments.
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      It’s not known whether Salt Bae had the 2023 event on his radar.
      But now the decision has been taken out of his hands by the tournament chiefs. More

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      Salt Bae posts unrecognisable throwback photo as a fresh-faced 12-year-old without his trademark sunglasses

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      SALT Bae shared a throwback photo from his childhood looking unrecognisable without his trademark sunglasses and slicked-back ponytail.The celebrity chef was pictured looking fresh-faced as a boy in 1995 without his signature props to hide behind.
      The celebrity chef looked unrecognisable in the throwback snap he sharedCredit: Alamy
      A young Salt Bae was seen looking fresh-faced as a 12-year-oldCredit: Instagram
      Salt Bae has sparked fury after invading the pitch as Argentina celebratedCredit: instagram
      The Turkish social media star – real name Nusret Gökçe – uploaded the adorable snap to his Instagram highlights.
      He was seen at the tender age of 12 sitting behind a cash register – forecasting his money-making career as a world-renowned restauranteur.
      The young Salt Bae sported his usual serious stare while posing in a white shirt paired with a matching cap.
      Gökçe simply captioned the snap: “Salt Bae 1995.”
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      Fans of the controversial Nusr-et frontman hardly recognised him without his signature shades and perfectly groomed ponytail.
      The fame hungry chef seems to be digging old throwbacks to quell the controversy surrounding his World Cup antics.
      He posted an old video of him hugging Lionel Messi from their only known previous meeting in 2018 after the Argentinian star snubbed him on the pitch.
      Messi and his wife dined at Gökçe’s steakhouse in Dubai before embracing after chowing down an extortionate meal.
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      But Salt Bae’s 50million Instagram followers branded it “cringe” and accused him of a desperate attempt to prove he is pals with Messi after getting the cold shoulder days earlier.
      The outlandish chef was seen badgering the superstar as he revelled in Argentina’s World Cup win.
      He grabbed Messi’s arm repeatedly until the footie ace finally relented and posed for a picture.
      The fury continued after he posted pics on Instagram of him holding the 18-carat gold trophy – a privilege reserved for the winning team and heads of state.
      Salt Bae muscled in among the squad to grab the limelight and even snatched the trophy from Cristian Romero’s baby.
      He then acted out his trademark salt-sprinkling trick over the £17million award as irritated players watched on in confusion.
      It seems Salt Bae had worked up an appetite with his embarrassing antics – as he took a chunk out of Franco Armani’s winner’s medal.
      Gökçe looked like he was craving one of his extortionate gold-encrusted steaks as he gnawed at the goalkeeper’s award.
      He posed with the medal between his teeth while it was still tethered around Armani’s neck in the awkward snap.
      Other images show him boldly grabbing Argentinian players’ medals just moments after they had been awarded them.
      Influencer Dan Bilzerian even spoke out amid the controversy, claiming Gökçe has been harassing him for years.
      The “King of Instagram” said he knew the chef was “weird” after he bombarded him with wacky pictures of himself.
      The disgraceful spectacle reportedly broke Fifa’s rules and saw BBC host Gary Lineker brand him a “pest.”
      Fifa has now launched an internal investigation into how Salt Bae invaded the pitch at the World Cup Final.
      Gökçe is said to be pals with controversial Fifa chief Infantino, who praised him as “number one” after visiting his Qatar steak house during the tournament.
      He was filmed saying: “Football unites the world and Nusrat unites the world as well.”
      If he was given “access all areas” accreditation, that would open the governing body to allegations of cronyism or special treatment for Infantino’s friends, reports The Times.
      The controversy prompted footage of Diego Maradona mocking the Nusr-Et tycoon’s gimmick right in front of him to resurface.
      The Argentinian legend poked fun at Sat Bae during a visit to one of his restaurants in 2018.
      But the chef bit back with another publicity stunt – by sharing a video showing a “permanently reserved” table as a shrine to the late and great footballer.
      Former Brazil striker Ronaldo and left back Roberto Carlos – world cup winners in 2002 – enjoyed a slap-up meal at his Qatar branch on November 28.
      Current squad players Vinicius Jr, Gabriel Jesus, Éder Militão and Bremer also joined the party after they beat Switzerland.
      England’s Jack Grealish, Poland ace Robert Lewandowski and the Spanish team also visited during the tournament.
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      Last month, Salt Bae sparked fury for boasting how a group racked up a bill for £140,584 at his diner in Abu Dhabi.
      A single steak from the evening was over £1,000, and the group spent almost £115,000 on wine alone.
      Fans of the social media star could hardly recognise him without his signature sunglasses and ponytailCredit: Social Media
      Salt Bae has undergone an incredible transformation since his younger yearsCredit: Instagram More