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      Luis Suarez and his family arrive at Lionel Messi’s house to join Argentina captain in World Cup celebrations

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      LUIS SUAREZ headed to best pal Lionel Messi’s house for Christmas following Argentina’s World Cup victory.Messi was given a hero’s welcome by adoring fans as he returned to his boyhood city of Rosario.
      Luis Suarez landed in Argentina on ThursdayCredit: AFP
      The Uruguayan will reportedly spend Christmas with Lionel Messi’s familyCredit: AFP
      Suarez was pictured arriving in Rosario, Messi’s boyhood cityCredit: AFP
      Suarez was later filmed arriving at Messi’s houseCredit: Twitter
      Suarez and Messi became good friends when they were team-mates at BarcelonaCredit: Instagram / @leomessi

      He will reportedly spend Christmas holed up in his home after being greeted with wild scenes on his return.
      And Suarez will also spend Christmas with the Messi family, according to ESPN.
      The 35-year-old was pictured today landing in Argentina accompanied by one of his sons to celebrate the World Cup triumph with Messi.
      Footage posted to Twitter then showed Suarez arriving at Messi’s house.
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      Suarez touched down in Rosario on a private plane just before 1pm local time having jetted in from the Uruguayan capital, Montevideo.
      His wife Sofia Balbi, and their two other children, were also there, according to Mundo Deportivo.
      The two families grew close when Messi and Suarez were team-mates at Barcelona.
      As well as enjoying great success on the pitch, they became best buds off it.
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      The pair holidayed together in Ibiza earlier this year alongside Cesc Fabregas and their families.
      Suarez, who suffered group stage heartbreak at the World Cup with Uruguay, congratulated Messi on his success after the penalty shootout victory over France.
      He wrote on Twitter: “Congratulations friend! YOU ARE WORLD CHAMPION. Let them say what they want, you are and will be the best.”
      The pair also FaceTimed each other after the final, with Messi showing off the World Cup trophy to a beaming Suarez.
      Suarez posted a picture of the pair chatting to each other to his Instagram story.
      Lionel Messi and wife Antonela Roccuzzo, Luis Suarez and wife Sofa Balbi, plus Cesc Fabregas and wife Daniela Semaan are all close friendsCredit: Instagram @antonelaroccuzzo
      The two families grew close when Messi and Suarez played together at BarcelonaCredit: Instagram / @leomessi
      Suarez and Messi holidayed together earlier this yearCredit: EPA More

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      FIFA ‘launches probe’ into how Salt Bae gatecrashed World Cup closing ceremony – with ‘action to be taken against staff’

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      FIFA is conducting an internal investigation to find out how Salt Bae gatecrashed the World Cup final.The famous chef, 39, was pictured with bemused Argentinian players on the pitch holding the trophy after their win on penalties against France in Qatar.
      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 wearing a Fifa VIP badge round his neck on Sunday night.
      Footage shows him 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 of 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.
      Now FIFA is said to be 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.
       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.
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      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.
      Gokce is known to be a close friend of FIFA president Gianni Infantino and actually breached the world governing body’s strict regulations regarding who is allowed to touch the World Cup trophy.
      “Its current design dates back to 1974,” FIFA’s website reads.
      “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.”
      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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      Watch Alvaro Morata’s wife prank Spain star by pretending her waters have broken leaving ex-Chelsea ace unimpressed

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      ALVARO MORATA was left red-faced after his pregnant wife pretended her waters had broken.Model Alice Campbell already has three children with the football ace.
      Alice is pregnant with her and Alvaro’s fourth child – and decided to have some fun with her husbandCredit: INSTAGRAM
      Alice Campbell has over three million Instagram followers and regularly posts photos of her familyCredit: Instagram / @alvaromorata
      And with the fourth one on the way, she decided to have some fun with the former Chelsea striker.
      A video uploaded to her Instagram page shows the moment she pranked her husband.
      Alice sprays a bottle of water through her jogging bottoms, leaving a puddle on the floor while stood in the hallway.
      Barely able to contain her excitement, she then calls her hubby into the hallway as he watches football on TV in the living room.
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      Morata slowly walks towards her before reacting to the news that her waters had supposedly broken, the first sign a woman is going into labour.
      The 30-year-old forward looks concerned as he inspects his wife and sees the liquid on the floor.
      But before Alice could take the prank any further, she bursts into laughter.
      An annoyed Morata then marches back to the sofa.
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      Sneaky Alice tricks her husband using a water bottleCredit: INSTAGRAM
      Morata was enjoying the football before being interrupted by the trickCredit: INSTAGRAM
      The post has gained over 226,000 likes with Alice’s followers finding the clip hilarious – and expressing sympathy for the fooled Morata.
      The pair married in Venice in 2017 after Morata proposed on the stage of a magic show in 2016.
      He is preparing for the return of the La Liga season with Atletico Madrid after Spain’s World Cup campaign unravelled.
      After starting with a 7-0 win over Costa Rica, the 2010 world champions stumbled to the last-16 before suffering a penalty shootout calamity and being knocked out by Morocco.
      Despite Spain’s difficulties, Morata can be fairly happy with his contribution as he scored three times in Qatar.
      Since leaving Chelsea after two difficult seasons in 2019, he has bounced between Juventus and Atletico Madrid with varying degrees of success. More

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      French minister calls on Fifa to INVESTIGATE Emiliano Martinez and Argentina fans after Kylian Mbappe abuse

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      FIFA should INVESTIGATE Emi Martinez and the Argentina fans that abused Kylian Mbappe, according to a French minister.After Martinez’s penalty shootout heroics handed Argentina the trophy at the expense of France, footage emerged of the Aston Villa keeper holding a minute’s silence for the “dead” Mbappe in the dressing room.
      Kylian Mbappe scored a hat-trick in France’s World Cup final loss to ArgentinaCredit: Reuters
      Emi Martinez mocked Mbappe by holding a baby doll with his face onCredit: @ESPNFC
      During the celebrations back in Argentina, Martinez, 30, then continued the Mbappe mockery by holding a baby doll with the Frenchman’s face on.
      The Paris Saint-Germain forward, 24, and his France team-mates also received racist insults on social media following the game.
      And Bruno Le Maire, the French minister of the Economy, Finance and Recovery, has slammed the behaviour of Martinez, as well as the abuse online and those who burned a coffin with a picture of Mbappe on during the Argentine celebrations.
      Speaking to Sud Radio, a furious Le Maire said: “What is Fifa doing? Sport is about fair play.
      READ MORE ON THE WORLD CUP
      “It’s showing respect for others. It’s showing respect for those who lost.”
      Adil Rami, who was part of France’s 2018 World Cup-winning squad, is also furious at Martinez.
      He said on an Instagram story: “The biggest son of a b**** in football [Martinez]. The most hated man.”
      Other Mbappe-related abuse during the Argentine celebrations included Lionel Messi being thrown a toy turtle.
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      This is in reference to Mbappe’s nickname in the PSG dressing room, Donatello, one of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles.
      Mbappe ended up on the losing side of Sunday’s final despite scoring a superb hat-trick to drag France all the way to penalties.
      The 24-year-old won the Golden Boot with eight goals – one ahead of his PSG team-mate Messi who bagged two in the final.
      Bruno Le Maire has slammed the abuse Mbappe has receivedCredit: Rex More

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      Newcastle and Leicester hit with transfer blow as Napoli and Inter join race for Morocco World Cup star Azzedine Ounahi

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      NEWCASTLE and Leicester have been joined by Napoli and Inter Milan in the race to sign Moroccan World Cup hero Azzedine Ounahi.Alongside Sofyan Amrabat, Ounahi, 22, played a crucial role in the Atlas Lions’ sensational World Cup campaign in Qatar.
      Azzedine Ounahi shone for Morocco during their brilliant World Cup runCredit: Getty
      He helped Morocco all the way to the semi-finals, beating Spain and Portugal along the way.
      They were eventually knocked out by France in the last four, before Croatia beat them to third place.
      Following his international success, Ounahi is now eager to leave Ligue 1 side Angers in search of a new challenge – although his contract is not up until June 2026.
      The French club officials are willing to accept any suitable offer for the midfielder in January, but they want him to remain in France on loan until the end of the 2022-23 season.
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      Leicester are reportedly prepared to offer up to £39.5million.
      The Foxes are at risk of losing star man Youri Tielemans on a free transfer in June, so signing a new midfielder during the upcoming window will be crucial.
      Ounahi’s impressive performances have also attracted interest from a number of Premier League clubs including Newcastle, Leeds and West Ham.
      However, according to Foot Mercato, Napoli and Inter Milan have now joined the race to sign him.
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      Ounahi is believed to be “leaning towards” a move to one of the Serie A giants.
      Both Napoli and Inter are still in the Champions League and will expect to seal a place in next year’s competition.
      Napoli currently sit top of the table, eight points clear of second-place AC Milan.
      They are believed to be eyeing up Ounahi as a replacement for German midfielder Diego Demme.
      Meanwhile, Inter sit fifth in Serie A after a difficult start to the campaign.
      But they did qualify out of a Champions League group including Bayern Munich and Barcelona.
      Simone Inzaghi’s men were then drawn against Porto in the last-16, while Napoli will face Eintracht Frankfurt. More

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      Who is football pundit Karen Carney and what team did she play for?

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      KAREN CARNEY had an incredible career on the pitch that led to much glory.However, it is her work behind the desk that is now impressing as she was part of the ITV team that brought us the 2022 World Cup from Qatar.
      Karen Carney joined ITV for their World Cup coverage this winter.Credit: Getty
      Who is Karen Carney?
      Karen Carney was born in Solihull, England, on August 1, 1987, to parents Michael and Marie.
      Her mother Marie worked at Sainsbury’s and father Michael worked as a firefighter, raising her along with her other two sisters.
      The energy she had as a child saw her playing out with friends often which led to her interest in the beautiful game.
      Carney recalls playing football from the age of six but it was not until she was aged eleven that her mother saw her play for the first time.
      By the age of fourteen, she was a full-time footballer, and two years later she decided to move away to focus on her passion.
      She attended St Peter’s RC Secondary School before graduating from Loughborough University with a degree in Sport and Exercise Science in 2009.
      In 2013, Carney completed her Masters degree in Sports Psychology at University of Gloucestershire.
      She was named in the 2017 New Year Honours List, receiving the Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE).
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      In 2022, Carney achieved her Masters of Business Administration with a distinction while studying at the James Lind Institute.
      In 2022, Karen was inducted into the Barclays Women’s Super League Hall of Fame.
      Who did she play for?
      Karen is one of England’s most capped players of all time and achieved success at three clubs during her glittering career.
      Attracting a lot of interest from the age of ten, there was only one club that Carney ever had interest in joining, Birmingham City who she supported.
      She made her senior debut at the age of fourteen and won the FA’s Young Player of the Year award in 2005, a year before her eighteenth birthday no less.
      It was a great year for the young talent as she made her England debut against Italy, coming off the bench to score in their 4-1 victory.
      Four months later, her last-gasp strike, secured victory for The Lionesses in their opening game of the European Championships against Finland.
      After nine years at Birmingham, she left her hometown club to join league and cup holders Arsenal.
      She enjoyed a lot of success with The Gunners before heading to Chicago Red Stars, following assistant Emma Hayes.
      In 2011, she returned to Britain to ply her trade, heading back to her spiritual home of Birmingham City.
      At Wembley that season, Carney put in a “woman of the match” performance against Chelsea that saw her score the winning spot-kick to secure Birmingham’s first FA Women’s Cup triumph.
      She remained at City until 2015, topping the league’s scoring charts in 2014, before reuniting with Emma Hayes at Chelsea.
      An integral part of the champion’s side, she won more honours with The Blues, including a Spring Series, league title and FA Cup.
      Across 14 years, Carney earned herself 144 caps for England, scoring 32 times in the process and becoming a Lioness legend.
      When did she retire and how long has she worked in punditry?
      Karen retired from football in 2019 after finishing fourth with England in the Women’s World Cup.
      The Lionesses lost 2-1 in the third-place play-off to Sweden.
      She started her broadcast career working with the BBC and BT, covering all football for their platforms.
      Carney is now Sky Sports’ lead pundit for the Barclays FA Women’s Super League, and part of the matchday team for the Premier League and the EFL.
      In 2019, she was the newly appointed Chair of the Future of Women’s Football Review for the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport.
      In this role she will be looking into ways the government can nurture and expand the game in the UK.
      Karney then jumped across the pond to cover the UEFA Champions League, delivering nationwide commentary for CBS in America.
      Most recently, she was part of the ITV team that brought us the 2022 World Cup from Qatar.
      Is Karen Carney married and does she have any children?
      Despite much interest in her personal life, Karen has managed to keep the media spotlight off her.
      Constantly asked about her love life, despite being cagey on the matter, she confirmed that she is not married.
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      As to whether she is currently in a relationship, this seems to also be somewhat of a grey area but from what we gather she is currently single.
      Karen does not have any children. More

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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