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      Lionel Messi could face ENGLAND in 1,000th career match with Argentina ace set for milestone in World Cup quarter-final

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      LIONEL MESSI could face England in his 1,000th career match at the World Cup in Qatar.The attacking superstar will be part of the Argentina squad for the World Cup finals and could reach the milestone should his side make it to the quarter-finals.
      Lionel Messi could face England in the World Cup quarter-finals.Credit: AP
      Argentina will face Saudi Arabia, Mexico and Poland in their group, which they are favourites to finish top.
      However, if England finishes second in their group alongside the likes of USA, Iran and Wales, then there could be a potential meeting between the two sides.
      Argentina would have to win their group and beat the second-placed side from Group D, which will be one of Denmark, France, Australia and Tunisia.
      While England would have to beat the top-placed side from Group A, which will be between the Netherlands, Senegal, Ecuador or host nation Qatar.
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      The PSG star has won almost everything in his glittering career, but the World Cup is one trophy that has so far eluded him.
      After finally winning his first international honour with Argentina at the Copa America in 2021, there is new hope that he can win the biggest prize in football.
      At 35 years old, it could be Messi’s last chance to win the competition, however, his international manager Luca Scaloni hopes it will not be the case.
      He told beIN Sports: “I hope this won’t be Messi’s last World Cup.
      “He is happy on the pitch and makes a lot of people happy, not just Argentines.
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      “And if we take care of him, maybe there could be more games for him because the football world demands it.
      “It may be his last World Cup, but I hope not. He’s happy on the pitch and makes a lot of people happy.
      “If we take care of him and wear him the way we should, there’s the possibility of more games because the world of football demands it.”
      Argentina is one of the favourites for the World Cup More

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      Jeremy Clarkson includes FOUR Chelsea players in his Dream Team World Cup XI – can you do better?

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      Jeremy Clarkson has selected the greatest Dream Team World Cup XI… in the world!Or at least that’s what would say… but can YOU do better?
      The petrolhead and farmer invites you to put your football knowledge to the test and take him on in his Celebrity League this winter.
      It’s very simple to enter. Simply pick your own team via Dream Team’s website or app and join Clarkson’s league using the PIN: WCJEZZAC – it will also be easily visible under the Leagues tab.

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      Player prices will be finalised in the coming days once the official deadline for squad submissions has passed – until then you’re invited to pick a provisional team.
      You can make as many changes as you like until the tournament gets underway so there’s no need to delay.
      Let’s take a GRAND TOUR of Jeremy’s provisional team and see if you’ll have to engage TOP GEAR to beat him…
      Can you do better than Jeremy Clarkson?Credit: DREAM TEAM
      Despite Chelsea being on a downward spiral, Clarkson has shown a great deal of faith in his beloved side.
      He’s selected no fewer than FOUR players from Graham Potter’s outfit, including Brazil captain Thiago Silva.
      The legendary centre-back enters his fourth World Cup finals at the tender age of 38, and could bag his fair share of points if tournament favourites Brazil live up to the hype.
      He’s joined in a 3-4-3 formation by Chelsea college and Senegal icon Kalidou Koulibaly, who’s no stranger to goals having scored 19 in his club career.
      Alisson is chosen between the sticks, which could be a masterstroke IF manager Tite selects him ahead of Manchester City’s Ederson.
      Federico Valverde is having an outstanding season for Real MadridCredit: GETTY
      Guess what? There’s more Chelsea in midfield. Shock.
      Half of the Who Wants to Be a Millionaire presenter’s engine room includes Stamford Bridge stars with Mason Mount and Mateo Kovacic included.
      It could be viewed as a gamble with Kovacic a defensively-minded player and Mount not nailed-on to make Gareth Southgate’s starting XI for their opener with Iran.
      Uruguay’s Federico Valverde is certainly not a gamble.
      The 24-year-old is in blistering form having scored eight goals and provided four assists in 20 appearances under Carlo Ancelotti this season.
      Leicester’s Youri Tielemans completes the midfield four, and could well make a mockery of his price against Group F opponents Canada, Morocco and Croatia.
      Alisson Becker celebrates winning the Copa America Brazil 2019 FinalCredit: GETTY
      No Chelsea in attack, which probably reveals Clarkson’s thoughts on Romelu Lukaku…
      Instead he’s opted for Paris Saint-Germain superstar Kylian Mbappe, who’s hoping to win his second successive World Cup with France.
      Mbappe, 23, has 28 goals in 59 games for France and a further 190 in 237 appearances for PSG in all competitions. A reliable source of points? Absolutely.
      He’s joined by Thomas Muller, who will have to shoulder a lot of the attacking responsibility for Germany with Timo Werner ruled out through injury.
      The Bayern Munich star was once known as a major tournament specialist, could he roll back the years in Qatar?
      The last player on the team sheet is Breel Embolo for Switzerland, who have the often devastating label of ‘dark horses’ for the competition.
      Think you can pick a better XI than Clarkson? Prove it!

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      Watch Messi and Neymar ask PSG boss for permission to leave pitch after being subbed in last game before World Cup

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      LIONEL MESSI and Neymar headed back to Paris Saint-Germain’s dressing room before the final whistle of their match yesterday… with the permission of boss Christophe Galtier.The duo were both substituted in the 75th minute with their side comfortably 3-0 up against Auxerre at Parc des Princes.
      Neymar asked for the permission of Christophe Galtier
      The Brazilian then headed to the dressing room… followed by Lionel Messi
      They initially sat in the dugout with their team-mates, before deciding they’d rather head in for an early shower.
      Rather than just get up and go, however, Neymar first sought the approval of Galtier.
      The Brazilian gestured towards his manager, only leaving after getting the thumbs up.
      He was joined by close pal Messi – with the duo both headed to the World Cup this week with Brazil and Argentina respectively.
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      Their team-mates weren’t exactly hindered by their absence from the bench, with Renato Sanches and Hugo Ekitike adding further goals to put extra gloss on their 5-0 win.
      The triumph sees PSG remain top of Ligue 1 going into the break – five points above second-placed Lens.
      Neymar’s first game at the 2022 World Cup will come next Thursday, when Brazil take on Serbia in Lusail.
      While Messi will kick off his campaign against Saudi Arabia at the same venue on Tuesday.
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      Earlier this season, Cristiano Ronaldo was suspended by Manchester United after storming off to the Old Trafford dressing room before the end of his side’s 2-0 victory over Tottenham.
      The Portuguese forward had refused to come on moments earlier – going on to exclusively reveal to The Sun’s Piers Morgan that he doesn’t respect manager Erik ten Hag.
      Ronaldo, 37, will be in Qatar with Portugal – kicking off his campaign against Ghana in Doha next Thursday.
      Cristiano Ronaldo headed down the tunnel early against TottenhamCredit: Rex More

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      World Cup 2022: Bet £10 on the Golden Boot market and get £1 FREE BET for every goal and shot on target with Paddy Power

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      PADDY POWER are celebrating the World Cup in style.New and existing customers who stake £10 on the Golden Boot market will receive a free £1 bet for every goal AND shot on target they have at the World Cup in Qatar!
      Bet £10 on the Golden Boot market and get a £1 free bet for every goal and shot on target they have at the World CupCredit: GETTY
      GOLDEN BOOT WINNER OFFER – CLAIM HERE*
      How to claim..Paddy Power offer

      Visit the Paddy Power website HERE*
      If you don’t have an account, you can register HERE** to access their £20 cashback offer
      Place a £10 single on the Golden Boot Market
      This must be done before 1pm on Monday November 21st
      Only your very first bet placed on the World Cup Golden Boot market will apply

      GOLDEN BOOT WINNER OFFER – CLAIM HERE*

      What’s the offer?
      Paddy Power are offering new and existing customisers a special deal.
      Bet £10 on the Golden Boot Market and get a £1 free bet builder for every SOT and an additional £1 free bet builder for every goal your player scores throughout the tournament.
      New Paddy Power customers can register HERE** and receive money back as CASH up to £20 if their bet loses.
      How to claim?
      It’s very simple. Login to your account using this link HERE*
      Bet £10 on the Golden Boot Market. Single golden boot bets only. Selections as part of multiple bets will not qualify.
      Remember, you MUST have placed your bet before 1pm on Monday November 21st to qualify and only your very first bet placed on the World Cup Golden Boot market will apply.
      What happens next?
      Free bets will be credited within 120 mins of the game finishing and are valid for seven days.
      Example: Place a £10 bet on Harry Kane to win the golden boot. Kane scores 1 goals and has 3 shots on target vs USA – you receive £4 in free bet builders within 120 mins of the game finishing.
      GOLDEN BOOT WINNER OFFER – CLAIM HERE*
      FREE BETS AND SIGN UP DEALS – BEST NEW CUSTOMER OFFERS
      FOOTBALL OFFERS
      *Applies to the first bet placed on the World Cup 2022 Golden Boot market only. T&Cs apply.
      **New customers only. Place your FIRST bet on any sportsbook market and if it loses we will refund your stake in CASH. Max refund for this offer is £20. Only deposits made using Cards or Apple Pay will qualify for this promotion. T&Cs apply. Paddy’s Rewards Club: Get a £10 free bet when you place 5x bets of £10+. T&Cs apply. 18+ Begambleaware.org

      Remember to gamble responsibly
      A responsible gambler is someone who:

      Establishes time and monetary limits before playing
      Only gambles with money they can afford to lose
      Never chase their losses
      Doesn’t gamble if they’re upset, angry or depressed
      Gamcare – www.gamcare.org.uk
      Gamble Aware – www.begambleaware.org

      For help with a gambling problem, call the National Gambling Helpline on 0808 8020 133 or go to www.gamstop.co.uk to be excluded from all UK-regulated gambling websites.
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      Who is Yunus Musah and could he have played for England at The World Cup?

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      THE World Cup is upon us, and Gareth Southgate has a large pool of talented players to choose from, but could teenage superstar Yunus Musah have been one of them?Each country is allowed to bring 26 players on the plane to Qatar with the England manager yet to announce his final selection as he looks to whittle down a 55-man preliminary squad.
      Yunus Musah playing for Valencia CFCredit: Alamy
      Players in contention will be hoping to impress in their final club matches before the tournament gets underway on November 21.
      Some players, such as Yunus Musah, had the option to play for more than one country at Qatar.
      Who is Yunus Musah?
      Yunus Musah is a 19-year-old USA midfielder who plays for La Liga side Valencia.
      Musah started his career at Arsenal but was moved on in 2019 after seven years at the academy.

      The wonder-kid has since made over 80 appearances for ‘Los Che’ and become the youngest non-Spanish player to score for the club.
      The Gunners may regret letting the creative midfielder leave North London, as might England.
      Yunus Musah was at Arsenal for seven years before moving to SpainCredit: Getty – Contributor
      Could he have played for England?
      Musah was born in New York, where his mum was on holiday at the time.
      He then moved to Italy with his Ghanaian parents until the age of nine, before residing in London.
      Musah represented England at several U21 levelsCredit: Getty

      Musah represented England at under 15, U16, U17 and U18 level, captaining the Young Lions along the way.
      But in 2020, the USA snapped him up for the national side. Musah now looks set to play against England in the group stages.
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      Loads of Dream Team World Cup bosses have misread Brazil’s centre-forward situation

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      BRAZIL are the pre-tournament favourites to win the World Cup this winter.Historical giants of the international game with five victories on the greatest stage, the Selecao’s only defeat in the last three years came in the final of the most recent Copa America, where they lost to rivals Argentina.
      Tite’s side head to Qatar having won their last seven games, scoring 26 goals and conceding just twice in that time.
      It’s no wonder Dream Team World Cup gaffers have been keen to include Brazil assets when constructing their provisional teams – their attacking talent is specially tempting.

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      Brazil pack a punch going forwardCredit: getty
      Neymar has played as a No10 in recent times, allowing Real Madrid’s Vinicius Junior his preferred place on the left flank.
      Raphinha will probably get the nod to play from the right, despite blowing hot and cold for Barcelona this term – the ex-Leeds winger has scored five goals and provided four assists in 11 appearances for Brazil.
      The big debate right now concerns the centre-forward position, contested chiefly between Gabriel Jesus and Richarlison.
      Premier League fans may see this as a no-contest in favour of the former given he’s been a key contributor to Arsenal’s flying start, scoring scoring five goals and providing five assists to help the Gunners top the table at the break.
      In contrast, Richarlison is yet to score a league goal for Tottenham this term, although he’s played about a third of the minutes – and of course Harry Kane leads the line for Antonio Conte’s side.
      This disparity is reflected in the pair’s Dream Team World Cup popularity.
      With an ownership of 13.5%, Jesus is currently the sixth-most selected forward in the game whereas Richarlison features in just 2.1% of teams.
      All is not as it seems…
      But here’s the thing, the Spurs forward has scored seven goals in his last 303 minutes of international football – that’s one every 43.3 minutes since he returned to the squad in March.
      In contrast, Gabriel Jesus has scored one goal in his last 21 appearances for Brazil and was left out of the squad by Tite as recently as September.
      His impressive form under Mikel Arteta has earned him a spot on the plane to Qatar but whether he will immediately start at centre-forward is another matter entirely, especially given Richarlison’s prolific form for his country this year.
      Dream Team World Cup bosses should concentrate on likely starters and so in that sense it seems 13.5% of them are making a mistake backing Jesus right now.
      And in the same breath, far too many are overlooking Richarlison.
      Richarlison has shone for Brazil in 2022Credit: getty
      However, this is only educated guesswork, perhaps Tite has noted the pair’s respective club form in recent weeks and taken that into account when plotting his starting line-up for Brazil’s opening group game against Serbia.
      But doesn’t it seem more likely that he will continue to show faith in the man who has scored seven goals in his last six international outings?
      Just something to mull over, gaffers…

      CLICK HERE TO PLAY DREAM TEAM WORLD CUP NOW – £50,000 PRIZE POT, FREE TO PLAY, BRILLIANT FUN

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      Watch Jude Bellingham feature alongside Lionel Messi and Stormzy in star-studded adidas World Cup 2022 advert

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      TEENAGER Jude Bellingham proved his status as a global icon already by starring alongside Lionel Messi and Stormzy for adidas’ World Cup advert. The Borussia Dortmund midfielder is expected to play a key cog in England’s starting XI in Qatar.
      adidas pulled together a group of superstars for their World Cup advertCredit: Adidas
      Jude Bellingham features in a yellow retro tracksuitCredit: Adidas
      Lionel Messi plays table football against himselfCredit: Adidas
      Stormzy narrates the brilliant 30-second clipCredit: Adidas
      And ahead of the tournament, sportswear giants adidas have released their promo as the Three Lions ace brushed up on his acting skills.
      Bellingham kicks off the 30-second video as he races down the stairs in a retro yellow tracksuit to collect his suitcase and tells Spain ace Pedri to stop looking for food in the fridge and hurry up – because narrator and rapper Stormzy is about to arrive in his bus to pick them up.
      Barcelona’s Pedri throws a boot bag to Real Madrid goal machine Karim Benzema, who will represent France in the Middle East and looks relaxed as he munches on a cereal bowl of footballs for breakfast in his pyjamas.
      Messi – for years the face of adidas – joins in as he plays table football against the 2006 version of himself, wearing the Argentina shirts from the first and last of his FIVE World Cups.
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      The camera then cuts to a smiling Son Heung-min – at risk of missing the tournament after surgery on a fractured eye socket.
      Stormzy says: “With Sonny, everything’s brighter,” before rapid Achraf Hakimi completes a jigsaw in lightning-quick speed.
      Fashion icon and Germany winger Serge Gnabry kits himself out in adidas drip and takes his pick of Originals trainers and white socks to go with his home Die Mannschaft jersey.
      The seven superstars congregate at a bus stop in the wilderness with the official World Cup ball and climb on board when driver Stormzy pulls up.
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      The award-winning grime artist and Manchester United fan, himself rocking an adidas tracksuit, finishes the commercial: “You can’t forget about your boy Stormz.
      “When football is everything, impossible is nothing,” quoting the German brand’s famous tagline as he drives the footballers through the desert to Qatar 2022.
      The superstars wait for Stormzy to pick them up in his busCredit: Adidas
      Karim Benzema ‘eats goals for breakfast’Credit: Adidas
      Son Heung-min is all smilesCredit: Adidas
      Bellingham is heading to his first World Cup tournamentCredit: Adidas
      Seven-time Ballon d’Or winner Messi is desperate to get his hands on the World Cup trophyCredit: Adidas More

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      France squad link up for World Cup 2022 as Barcelona star Jules Kounde rocks up with dinosaur bag attached to jeans

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      JULES KOUNDE rocked up with a dinosaur bag clipped to his jeans as he reported for France duty ahead of the World Cup.Les Bleus stars arrived at their national team’s training base at Clairefontaine this morning to begin preparations for the tournament in Qatar.
      Jules Kounde reported for international duty earlier todayCredit: AP
      The defender rocked colourful distressed jeans and a T-Rex bagCredit: AFP
      The Barca ace appeared excited to be thereCredit: AFP
      France will set off for the Middle East on Wednesday, and they’ll probably do so in style if today was anything to go by.
      Kounde, 24, donned shades and a smart black jacket as he arrived at Clairefontaine.
      He also wore colourful distressed jeans, with what appeared to be a bag in the shape of a T-Rex attached to them.
      Fans loved his fashion sense, with one writing: “What a legend.”
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      Another added: “King s***.”
      Kounde is set for his first World Cup experience, having made his international debut only last year.
      He has earned 12 caps for Les Bleus thus far, including one appearance out of position at right-back during Euro 2020.
      Meanwhile, Kylian Mbappe donned a beige Nike button-up jacket with an orange jumper as he too pulled up for international duty.
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      PLAY OUR DREAM TEAM WORLD CUP FANTASY FOOTBALL GAME TO WIN A SHARE OF £50k
      Captain Hugo Lloris went for a casual black hoodie, while Ballon d’Or winner Karim Benzema flashed a peace sign as he arrived in a blue and cream jacket.
      Arsenal star William Saliba could almost have still been on club duty, wearing a red hoodie reminiscent of his Gunners’ colours.
      The French get their tournament underway next Tuesday evening, when they take on Group D rivals Australia in Al-Wakrah.
      Kylian Mbappe is ready to help France defend their trophyCredit: AP
      Captain Hugo Lloris arrived in a subtle black hoodieCredit: Reuters
      Karim Benzema is set to earn his 100 cap in QatarCredit: AFP
      William Saliba rocked up in Arsenal coloursCredit: AFP More