World Cup 2022

GERMANY’S 20124 World Cup heroes downed up to six caipirinha cocktails after matches, keeper Roman Weidenfeller has revealed.The Borussia Dortmund legend admitted it was “not easy” drinking so much but says the squad lapped up Brazilian beach life.
Roman Weidenfeller, left, had one of the best times of his life at the 2014 finals in Brazil, despite only being Germany’s back-up keeperCredit: Reuters
Germany players let their party side out as they celebrated winning the World Cup for the fourth and last time so far, beating Argentina in the finalCredit: AFP
Weidenfeller’ girlfriend then and now, Lisa Rossenbach, is seen watching the 2014 final with Julian Draxler’s then-partner, Lena Terlau, rightCredit: Getty – Contributor
Weidenfeller looks back lovingly on his all-time great experience, despite only being back-up stopper to Manuel Neuer.
The tournament is best remembered for an especially rummy result for the hosts – beaten 7-1 by Germany in the semi-finals.
In contrast, the post-match antics of Joachim Löw’s men proved a huge tonic as they relaxed, courtesy of Brazil’s most popular party drink.
Portuguese outlet OJOGO report Weidenfeller as recalling: “It was one of the best moments of my life, going to Brazil and playing in the World Cup. 
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“We had a great time, we got to know the Brazilian people. 
“We left [the hotel] several times, went to the beach. The weather was always sunny. 
“After the games, we sat together at a bar and drank a few caipirinhas. We spent time at the bar. 
“Then we woke up in the morning to go to the field and train. It’s not easy when you drink five or six caipirinhas. 
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“But it was a great time, there was a great connection with the Brazilian people.”
Germany went on to beat Argentina 1-0 after extra time in the final at Rio de Janeiro, Mario Gotze scoring.
It gave sub Weidenfeller his most special piece of silverware.
But he’s better known for 16 years at Dortmund, winning the Bundesliga twice under Jurgen Klopp.
First-choice keeper Manuel Neuer lifts the World Cup in Rio de JaneiroCredit: Getty
Germany’s 2014 tipple Caipirinha is Brazil’s national cocktail, made with cachaca, sugar, and lime – commonly associated with football, samba and the Rio CarnivalCredit: Alamy

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CHRIS GUNTER will hold talks with Wales boss Robert Page over whether he will remain part of his coaching staff.The 109-cap defender, 33, retired from international duty last month but then joined the Dragons’ backroom team for the Euro 2024 qualifiers against Croatia and Latvia.
Chris Gunter won 109 caps for Wales and was involved in three major tournaments
Gunter attended a McDonald’s Happy Readers Fun Football Session in CardiffCredit: Mark Robinson
Gunter is still playing for League Two side AFC Wimbledon and now the pair will have a chat to see if he has a future role for the June internationals with Armenia and Turkey and beyond.
Gunter told SunSport: “I need to speak to the manager. My main focus after the recent camp was finishing the season.
“In terms of moving forward, I think the manager was keen to see how I got on and stay a part of it.  We will cross that bridge when we come to it.
“For myself, if the opportunity is ever there to work for Wales, with the feelings I’ve got for the country and our football, it could not be any higher.
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“Helping Wales is something I’m passionate about. I tried to be the influence that I was for the latter stages of my Wales playing career and help the group in any way I could.
“We had a really good ten days, good performances and results and it went perfectly. 
“There’s a couple of things that need to be decided but, any opportunity I do get, I will feel very lucky to have it.”
Gunter’s future as a coach is likely to depend on whether the former Tottenham, Nottingham Forest, Cardiff and Reading right-back opts to continue playing next season.
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Gunter, who will turn 34 in July, added: “That’s something when the time comes to sit down, think about and speak to the people who are close to me.
“One thing I have learnt in football is to take everything in the short term. I don’t know exactly what is going to happen moving forward. I am back training and trying to finish the season as well as possible.”
Gunter played for Wales in two Euro finals before he became the first male player to reach a century of appearances.
He ended his Dragons stint as a player by being part of the World Cup squad in Qatar – the nation’s first global finals since 1958.
Then Gunter joined Gareth Bale, Joe Allen and Jonny Williams from the golden generation to bow out on the big stage.
Gunter said: “It was tough because it’s something I have done for so long. But the timing felt right. I thought about it for some time and it felt natural after the World Cup in November for that to happen.
“I’m really grateful for the opportunities, experiences and the memories I shared with such good people. It has been the best 17 years of highs and lows but doing it with people I value and for our country.
“The support I have had all the way through has been incredible. On reflection, the very best of times I could have wished for.
“The nights where we qualified will always stick out. The achievement of getting to a major tournament and then some of the experiences at the tournaments. 
“But my best memory would be to say I made 109 appearances for Wales – that was something I could ever have dreamt of.”
Gunter was in Cardiff launching McDonald’s brand-new Fun Football and Happy Readers event this Easter.
Gunter said: “It has been incredible to come down and have a kick about with the kids and get some reading time in.
“Every child deserves the chance to learn and play no matter their circumstance.
“The work McDonald’s is doing with Reading and Football is amazing, giving away 10 million books and 2 million hours of free fun football is just incredible”
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Chris Gunter was speaking at the Cardiff Happy Readers and Fun Football event celebrating McDonald’s pledge to distribute over 10m books and over 2m hours of free Fun Football coaching to families in the UK this year. Find out more visit mcdonalds.co.uk/family More

PATRICE EVRA has revealed his surprising reaction to France losing the World Cup final to Argentina.The former Manchester United defender has given an insight into how he felt after the gripping finale in Qatar as Argentina beat France on penalties.
Patrice Evra has spoken about how he felt after watching France lose the World Cup in 2022Credit: Getty
France lost to Lionel Messi-led Argentina back in DecemberCredit: AP
The team managed by Didier Deschamps overcame a lacklustre first half to draw level with Argentina and force the match to extra time.
Both Argentina captain Lionel Messi and his French counterpart, Kylian Mbappe, scored during the additional time, before Argentina ended up winning on penalties.
Four months on, Evra revealed the effect the result had on him.
Speaking to RMC, the former French international said: “I watched the match live, and I cried. I did not expect it.
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“I tell you the truth, I went to my car and I cried.”
He added: “For three days, I was in pain, and I said to myself ‘Patrice, I know you love the France team’… but it hurt me so much.
“And then, frankly, hats off to the France team.”
The defender went on to praise the French team’s star player, Mbappe, who ended up pipping Messi to the Golden Boot award for the most goals scored at the World Cup.
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Evra said: “You score a hat-trick, three goals in the final, and you don’t win the final.
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“You see, it was incredible!”
He also shared his thoughts on France’s poor first half, saying he thought it was “c***”.
“What was going on… It was catastrophic.
“And then you come back, two by two- and then after you lose. There was too much emotion, too much emotion.”
The former Man Utd star, who served seven years under Premier League manager legend Sir Alex Ferguson, has a reputation for having strong feelings for the clubs he supports.
When his former club beat Manchester City in the derby in January, the pundit posted a video of himself singing a revised version of ‘Don’t Look Back in Anger’, wearing a wig and a United jersey.
France captain Kylian Mbappe managed to secure the Golden Boot award during the Final of the World Cup in QatarCredit: Getty More

LIONEL MESSI has been honoured with an incredible sculpture after leading Argentina to World Cup glory.And fans reckoned he’s easily “won the battle of the statues” against rival Cristiano Ronaldo.
Lionel Messi has been honoured with a statue after leading Argentina to the World CupCredit: Reuters
Fans reckon Messi has easily beaten Cristiano Ronaldo in the battle of the statuesCredit: EPA
Messi, 35, spurred Argentina to victory against France in December’s thrilling final.
And he has now been rewarded with a life-size statue at the headquarters of the South American Football Federation in Peru,
The sculpture shows Messi in his Argentina kit holding the World Cup trophy.
And it will go next to statues of fellow football legends Diego Maradona and Pele.
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Messi said: “I had never dreamed or thought about this. My dream was to enjoy what I liked when I was little, to be a pro soccer player, to do what I always loved in this life.
“I had a very long road, many decisions and defeats, but I always looked ahead and wanted to go for a triumph, for a victory.
“I think that is the most important thing, to fight for your dreams, that everything is possible and to enjoy the game, which is the most beautiful thing there is.”
Messi’s statue looked very realistic — which is more than can be said for the iconic bust of rival Ronaldo in Portugal.
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The bust of Ronaldo went on display at Madeira’s international airport in 2017Credit: PA:Press Association
Many fans felt the sculpture looked nothing like RonaldoCredit: Getty
The hilarious sculpture was put on display at Madeira’s international airport in 2017.
But many at the time thought it looked nothing like ex-Man Utd and Real Madrid star Ronaldo.
And fans on social media declared Messi to be the grand winner of the statue face-off.
One said: “If only Ronaldo had a World Cup they would have paid more attention to sculpting his statue.”
Another declared: “Messi won the statue battle.”
One noted: “Even Messi’s statue won the World Cup but where is Ronaldo?”
Another added: “Whoever designed the Ronaldo statue was definitely a Messi fan.” More

BRAND new footage has emerged of Lionel Messi and Wout Weghorst’s World Cup spat.The duo famously collided as Argentina dumped Holland out of the tournament in a dramatic penalty shootout.
Fresh footage has emerged of Lionel Messi’s rant at Wout WeghorstCredit: Not known, clear with picture desk
Weghorst stared at Messi from behind a wall, prompting the Argentine’s blast
Weghorst’s equaliser ELEVEN minutes into stoppage time set up another brilliant half hour.
But the Manchester United striker was not smiling at the final whistle as eventual winners Argentina booked their place in the semis with a 5-4 shootout win.
Tensions had already hit boiling point during normal time, with Leandro Paredes sparking a mass brawl when he booted the ball at Holland’s bench.
And in the tunnel there was an incredible outburst from Messi aimed directly at Weghorst as he gave a post-match interview.
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The Paris Saint-Germain ace said to his opponent: “Who are you looking at, stupid? Go ahead, you stupid.”
But fresh footage has now revealed what exactly happened in the build-up to Messi’s rant.
As the Argentina ace started giving his thoughts on the game, Weghorst could be seen peering round a WALL while watching intently on the other side of the cameras.
Weghorst continued to look at Messi until the legendary forward caught his eye.
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And after they made contact, Messi unleashed his now-iconic bombardment.
The video then shows the moment Weghorst reached out to Messi with an outstretched hand.
But the veteran had no intention of taking it, leading to Weghorst complaining: “I was waiting for him and wanted to give him a hand. And he’s doing that? That’s disrespectful.”
Messi has since admitted he regretted the entire incident, saying: “I don’t like this picture. I don’t like what I did.
“There was a lot of tension and it came out naturally. A lot had happened with this player and two others during the match.
“It came out naturally. I don’t like this image.” More

SVEN-GORAN ERIKSSON has declared England captain Harry Kane is the only current player he would add to his “Golden Generation” team.Kane overtook Wayne Rooney’s record as England’s all-time leading scorer with a goal against in Italy in a Euro 2024 qualifier, and his other attributes mean Eriksson would have loved to have him.
Sven-Goran Eriksson managed the England national team between 2001 and 2006Credit: Getty
Harry Kane is the only player who would get into the golden generation according to ErikssonCredit: Rex
Each of Eriksson’s attempts to win an international trophy ended at the quarter-final stageCredit: AFP
Speaking to BoyleSports, Eriksson said: “If there was one player I’d love to have playing for me from this current England team, it’s very easy, Harry Kane.
“He is a golden goalscorer, wherever he plays and you always need that.
“He’s not only a goalscorer, he’s a target player, he can make assists, he’s big, he’s a good header, good feet, he’s strong, not the quickest in the world but he’s quick.
“He has everything and he could be the one who wins the World Cup for England and maybe he’ll be the top goalscorer at this World Cup. Every team needs a player like that.
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“It’s only one of them, he’s very special. I like him and I suppose he will be one of the most important players for England.” 
Eriksson, 75, managed England for five years between 2001 and 2006.
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At his disposal, he had what many believe to be the most talented set of players England have ever produced.
But the Three Lions never progressed beyond the quarter-finals in any of the three tournaments they participated in under the Swede.
The likes of Rooney, Paul Scholes, Steven Gerrard, Frank Lampard, David Beckham, Joe Cole and Michael Owen among others were not enough for England to clinch international glory again. More