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      Cristiano Ronaldo spotted for first time as talks over Al Nassr transfer continue following World Cup heartache

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      CRISTIANO RONALDO has taken to Instagram as speculation over a move to Saudi Arabia heats up.It is reported that Ronaldo has a contract worth a whopping £173m on the table from the Saudi club.
      Cristiano Ronaldo posted on Instagram following rumours of a move to Saudi ArabiaCredit: Instagram @cristiano
      And transfer guru Fabrizio Romano says Al Nassr have now confirmed their huge bid to Ronaldo’s camp, including a deal until June 2025.
      But the five-time Ballon d’Or winner was giving nothing away in his social media story today.
      Ronaldo posted a picture of himself in a spa complex with five different emojis.
      They were of a frozen face, a finger pointing upwards, a pair of goggles, drops of sweat and a figure lifting weights.
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      The post appeared to be a reference to his gym routine, with the frozen face potentially referring to an ice bath and the drops of sweat a sauna.
      Ronaldo is currently a free agent and plotting his next move after being released by Manchester United following a bombshell interview with Sun columnist Piers Morgan.
      The forward claimed he felt United had “betrayed” him and revealed he had “no respect” for Ten Hag.
      But things barely improved for him during the World Cup as he was also shunned by national team boss Fernando Santos.
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      After starting all three group matches, Ronaldo was confined to a role coming off the bench in the knockout stages.
      The former Real Madrid star was upstaged by Goncalo Ramos, who took his chance to score a spectacular hat-trick against Switzerland in a 6-1 win.
      That left him to start as a sub again in the quarter-final before being unable to chance the game after coming on as they were beaten 1-0 by Morocco.
      To top things off for Ronaldo, his great rival Lionel Messi would go on to win the World Cup after an epic penalty shootout victory over France.
      Cristiano Ronaldo is a free agent after being released by Man UtdCredit: AFP
      Ronaldo endured a miserable World Cup with PortugalCredit: Getty More

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      Lionel Messi set to spend Christmas holed up in Rosario home and snub public appearances after Argentina’s World Cup win

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      WORLD CUP winner Lionel Messi is set to “avoid public appearances” over the Christmas period as he spends time with his family at his Rosario home.Messi, 35, led Argentina to a sensational World Cup final win against France on Sunday.
      Messi will spend Christmas in Rosario with his familyCredit: Splash
      He returned to Argentina earlier this weekCredit: Alamy
      He, along with his teammates, celebrated the historic victory with an open-top bus parade through Buenos Aires on Tuesday, with millions taking to the streets to join in with the festivities.
      However, the celebrations were abandoned prematurely after some fans attempted to jump onto the team bus from nearby bridges.
      When the chaos curtailed, Messi travelled back to his home in the city of Rosario, where he was once again mobbed by a large group of adoring fans.
      And according to Spanish outlet Clarin, he will remain with his family in Rosario over the festive period.
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      Rumours had suggested that another victory parade would take place in the city this week, however they have since been played down.
      Messi is not expected to return to Paris-Saint Germain training until the new year as he celebrates finally winning the only trophy to have eluded him during his incredible career.
      But, he has reportedly agreed to sign a new deal with the Ligue 1 club.
      Transfer guru Fabrizio Romano has claimed that the seven-time Ballon d’Or winner verbally agreed to extend his PSG contract this week.
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      Messi had been linked with a move to David Beckham’s Inter Miami as well as a sensational return to Barcelona.
      But according to Romano, Messi never entered talks with his former club and a proposed move collapsed before entering an advanced stage. More

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      Izabel Goulart looks stunning in tiny bikini on beach as she helps partner Kevin Trapp get over World Cup heartache

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      IZABEL GOULART, the partner of Germany keeper Kevin Trapp, showed off her figure by wearing a tiny bikini on the beach as they relaxed on holiday.The 38-year-old Brazilian, who used to model for Victoria’s Secret, was at all three of the Germans’ World Cup games in Qatar.
      Izabel Goulart showed off her figure by wearing a bikini on the beachCredit: The Mega Agency
      Izabel was spotted enjoying the sun in St BartsCredit: The Mega Agency
      Izabel and Kevin Trapp are having some down time following the World CupCredit: The Mega Agency
      Stunning Wag Izabel is a former Victoria Secret modelCredit: The Mega Agency
      Trapp was a part of the Germany squad knocked out in the group stageCredit: The Mega Agency
      Trapp, 32, did not feature in any of the matches as No1 Manuel Neuer kept his position throughout the group stage.
      And Hansi Flick’s men failed to progress to the last-16 as a win over Costa Rica failed to make up for the loss to Japan and draw with Spain.
      Now Izabel and Trapp, who began dating in 2015 and got engaged three years later, have jetted out to St Barts for a post-World Cup holiday.
      The Eintracht Frankfurt keeper is still one month out from his first club game back on January 21.
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      Izabel was seen in a bikini relaxing in the sun as Trapp took in the beach surroundings.
      Goulart attended Germany’s World Cup opener in Trapp’s full keeper’s kit with his No12 on.
      She then went to the following matches against Spain and Costa Rica.
      And Izabel even stuck around after Germany’s exit as she was spotted supporting her native Brazil during their last-16 win over South Korea.
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      Goulart is a popular figure on social media, attracting 4.5million followers on Instagram alone.
      She has previously boasted that her and Trapp make love up to five times a week.
      Lifting the lid on the couple’s bedroom antics, she said: “Kevin and I make love a lot – four or five times a week.
      “But if he has played in an important game and his team loses, I can make myself beautiful, have my nails done and wear my best lingerie – and there still won’t be any sex.
      “However, on the days when the team has won, we don’t get a wink of sleep.”
      Izabel dressed in partner Trapp’s keeper’s kit for Germany’s loss to JapanCredit: Getty
      She then stuck around in Qatar to support her home country BrazilCredit: Getty
      Goulart and Trapp have been together for seven yearsCredit: Getty More

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      Marcus Rashford emerges as perfect Gabriel Jesus replacement for Dream Team gaffers in need

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      AFTER all the excitement and drama of the first ever winter World Cup, Dream Team gaffers need to refocus on the classic Season game.You may not be able to earn points from Lionel Messi or Kylian Mbappe any longer but look on the bright side, Erling Haaland is defrosting from his cryogenic chamber at this very moment.
      Manchester City take on Liverpool in the Carabao Cup tonight and once the Premier League fixtures resume on Boxing Day there’s barely a day without one for a fortnight.
      With the games coming thick and fast, Dream Team bosses need to ensure their XIs are fully-equipped to take advantage of the bountiful points on offer.
      Mini-league are often determined by which gaffers negotiate the festive period the best and that is likely to be especially true this year as some individuals may have a hard time readjusting to club football in the wake of the World Cup.
      The World Cup is but a memory now
      One player who could make hay in the coming weeks is Marcus Rashford (£4.5m).
      In fact, the 25-year-old wasted no time in adding returns following his bright campaign in Qatar having scored an impressive solo goal against Burnley in the Carabao Cup on Wednesday night.
      An eight-point haul has moved the Man United No10 onto 90 overall, a tally currently bettered by just four other forwards: Ivan Toney (£4.7m), Harry Kane (£6.9m), Mohamed Salah (8.6m) and Erling Haaland (£8.9m).
      Perhaps most relevant is the fact Rashford is now clear of Gabriel Jesus (£5.3m) in the rankings.
      Arsenal are expected to be without their first-choice striker until late-February/early-March which has caused a HUGE problem for Dream Team managers.
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      The Brazil international remains one of the most-popular players in the game with an ownership of 45.2% at the time of writing – hordes of gaffers need to act fast!
      Jesus is sidelined for approximately three monthsCredit: getty
      Swapping Jesus for Rashford looks like a natural transfer, a wise one too.
      Not only would this free up an additional £0.8m to invest on improvements elsewhere, it’s seemingly a great time to back the Red Devils forward.
      Rashford has scored 12 goals and provided three assists in his last 23 appearances for club and country, which boils down to a goal involvement every 97.7 minutes.
      During this time he’s averaged 4.9 points-per-game in club colours and the Cristiano Ronaldo saga now behind Erik ten Hag, the Old Trafford pecking order in the forward positions should favour the Englishman.
      The perfect time for a Rash move?
      Man United have lost just one of their last 13 games in all competitions although how much ‘form’ matters post-World Cup remains to be seen.
      What’s clear is that Ten Hag has made significant progress after a wobbly start to life in Manchester and with two opponents currently in the relegation zone up next (Nottingham Forest, Wolves) it’s reasonably to expect positive results and, hopefully, plentiful points for Rashford.
      Even if you’re not convinced by the Man United man, it goes without saying that if you’ve still got Jesus in your XI then you need to find a replacement you do believe in as soon as possible. More

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      Salt Bae shows off table permanently reserved for late Maradona at his Dubai restaurant in latest bizarre stunt

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      SALT Bae shows off a table “permanently reserved” as a shrine to the late Diego Maradona in his latest desperate publicity stunt.Cringey video resurfaced after the fame hungry chef was slammed for pestering Lionel Messi in embarrassing scenes following Argentina’s World Cup win.
      Salt Bae has created a mawkish shrine to Diego Maradona in his restaurantCredit: Instagram
      He says the table is permanently reservedCredit: Instagram
      A garish painting of them together sits on the tableCredit: Instagram
      Maradona mocked Salt Bae’s sprinkling gimmick when he dined there in 2018Credit: YouTube
      The Turkish cook and Instagram star – real name Nusret Gökçe – posted a short clip of an outside table at his Dubai steakhouse.
      Two seats are pulled up, but it is laid with only one plate and one set of cutlery – and a brass “reserved” sign.
      Also on the table are a bunch of flowers, a lit candle and a garish painting of Salt Bae with soccer legend Maradona, who died in 2020.
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      He captioned the video: “Forever reserve.”
      The painting appears to be based on a photo as the Argentina icon is wearing the same outfit as when he visited the restaurant in 2018.
      Salt Bae’s mawkish tribute came despite Maradona hilariously mocking the chef’s “sprinkle” gimmick to his face.
      Video from the time shows the star’s reaction after being invited to mimic Gökçe’s trademark salt gesture.
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      Instead he takes a pinch of salt and disdainfully dabs in the air with his fingers right under the chef’s nose.
      Earlier this week Salt Bae shared an old video of him hugging Lionel Messi after being trolled over the footballer’s snub on the pitch.
      Messi and his wife visited the same Dubai steakhouse in 2018.
      France ace Paul Pogba was also there and the chef made sure he got in between the two footballers for a photo.
      Gökçe’s throwback video shows him shaking Messi’s hand and giving him a bear hug, then talking animatedly while wagging his finger at the Barcelona forward.
      His self-promoting video was captioned simply: “The champion”.
      Followers said it was “cringe” and accused him of a desperate attempt to prove he is pals with Messi after getting the cold shoulder days earlier.
      After the world cup final, Gökçe was filmed grabbing the Argentina captain by the shoulder at least twice.
      Messi tried to shrug him off before finally agreeing to pose for an awkward picture.
      The fame-hungry chef was shot down by his own fans for his desperate attempts to get close to the footballing star.
      One said: “This is embarrassing.”
      Another said: “He wanna prove that he wasn’t ghosted by Messi.”
      As well as badgering Messi, he was filmed muscling in on the Argentina squad’s celebrations and snatching the trophy from one winner’s baby.
      Gökçe also pretended to do his trademark salt-sprinkling trick over the £17million gold trophy as irritated players stood by.
      And boastful pics on his Insta page showed his kissing the trophy and holding it aloft like a champion.
      The disgraceful spectacle reportedly broke Fifa’s rules, which say only former winners and heads of state can handle it.
      BBC host Gary Lineker shared footage of his attention-seeking antics, saying: “He’s such a pest.”
      And former FA chairman Greg Dyke said: “I don’t think Fifa and Infantino have come out of this very well.”
      Fifa has reportedly refused to say if Salt Bae was granted access to the pitch.
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      It did not respond to The Sun Online’s request for comment.
      The celeb chef has been slammed for pestering Messi after Argentina’s World Cup winCredit: instagram
      Salt Bae has been panned by his own fansCredit: instagram More

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      Poland boss Czeslaw Michniewicz becomes ninth World Cup chief to leave job after last-16 exit to France

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      POLAND manager Czeslaw Michniewicz will leave his post as national team coach at the end of the year, it has been confirmed.He becomes the ninth World Cup manager to leave his job.
      Czeslaw Michniewicz took charge of Poland at the start of the yearCredit: Reuters
      The 52-year-old only took over his country in January following the departure of Paulo Sousa.
      And he led Poland beyond the World Cup group stage for the first time since 1986.
      A goalless draw with Mexico was followed up by a 2-0 victory over Saudi Arabia, before a 2-0 loss to Argentina saw them finish runners-up in Group C.
      They then came up against defending champions France in the last-16 and were comfortably beaten 3-1 as their Qatar journey came to an end.
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      Now Polish FA president Cezary Kulesza has revealed Michniewicz’s contract will not be renewed when it expires at the end of 2022.
      In a statement, Kulesza said: “On behalf of the board of PZPN, we would like to thank Czeslaw Michniewicz for 11 months of work as a coach.
      “As we know, the coach took over the team at a very difficult time.
      “Despite these circumstances, he managed to win qualification for the World Cup, and also kept our place in the Nations League elite.
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      “He also led the national team to their first World Cup knockout stage in 36 years. For this, Czeslaw Michniewicz deserves thanks.”
      Michniewicz’s departure comes after the exit of several high-profile World Cup managers.
      Luis Enrique left Spain following their last-16 defeat to Morocco.
      Portugal boss Fernando Santos was then sacked after their quarter-final defeat.
      Brazil head coach Tite left following the pre-tournament favourites’ last-eight exit at the hands of Croatia, while Belgium’s group-stage departure ended Roberto Martinez’s national team reign.
      Holland boss Louis van Gaal, Mexico’s Gerardo Martino, Ghana’s Otto Addo and South Korea’s Paulo Bento are the others to have relinquished their positions since the end of their World Cup campaigns. More

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      Salt Bae BANNED from major sports event after World Cup final antics and Lionel Messi snub

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      SALT BAE has been banned from attending a US sporting event after his behavior at the World Cup final.The celebrity chef and restaurant mogul sparked outrage with his antics in Qatar on Sunday.
      Salt Bae has been banned from a US sporting eventCredit: Getty
      The celebrity chef was on the pitch after the World Cup final trying to take photos with players and get his hands on the trophyCredit: Twitter – @@JCUStreaks10
      Salt Bae also badgered Lionel Messi after the gameCredit: Twitter
      Salt Bae, whose real name is Nusret Gokce, begged Lionel Messi for a selfie after Argentina’s win.
      He also held the World Cup trophy – which is a no-go.
      And soccer chiefs in the US are keen to avoid a repeat if the Turkish chef ever decides to attend.
      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.
      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.
      Salt Bae was slammed for his “pathetic” pestering of Messi and for holding the World Cup.
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      One Twitter user said: “The man’s just won the World Cup literally minutes prior and this ‘celebrity’ is feeling he’s entitled to get his attention.”
      Another wrote: “You shouldn’t touch the Cup. You’re not a champion.”
      And one more said: “You shouldn’t have touched that trophy only the players and staff who worked their asses off to become champions have that right.” More

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      Croatia star Josko Gvardiol arrives for World Cup celebrations in banged out old Fiat Punto and fans are LOVING it

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      CROATIA defender Josko Gvardiol turned up to his local World Cup celebrations in an old Fiat Punto.The 20-year-old RB Leipzig centre-back had a sensational tournament as the 2018 runners-up enjoyed another superb journey to the semi-finals before being beaten by Argentina.
      Josko Gvardiol was one of the standout performers in QatarCredit: Getty
      Gvardiol arrived for the World Cup celebrations in an old Fiat PuntoCredit: u_ludi_antisa
      Zlatko Dalic’s side then finished their Qatar campaign with a 2-1 win over Morocco to clinch the bronze medal.
      Upon his return to Croatia, Gvardiol quickly headed to his father’s native village on the Dalmatian coast to celebrate their run to the last four.
      And fans were loving the fact that he rocked up in a tiny Fiat Punto.
      Reacting on social media, one person said: “I’m liking this guy more and more.”
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      Another added: “I have the same car as Gvardiol!”
      A third said: “My dad has had that same car for 18 years. And he is also still waiting for it to move.”
      And a fourth responded: “Is Josko the new favourite humble boy?”
      Gvardiol, who played every minute of Croatia’s World Cup, made most people’s teams of the tournament following his superb displays.
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      And his step up to the biggest stage has subsequently seen him linked with the likes of Manchester City, Chelsea, Tottenham and Manchester United.
      Gvardiol was recently quizzed on the speculation surrounding his future and told The Athletic: “My agent is taking care of this and we will see.
      “Right now, I’m happy in Leipzig. I don’t know, we will see – you never know.

      “You know the stories and these things, but all I can say is that I’m happy in Leipzig and right now I’m going to stay there and perform for them.”
      Gvardiol only signed a new deal with the Bundesliga side three months ago to keep him under contact until 2027. More