Connect with us

Sports

Johan Manzambi: How Villa’s summer signing has become a superstar in just two years

Published

on

Manzambi is already in the discussion with fellow nominees Lamine Yamal of Barcelona, Real Madrid’s Yan Diomande and new Manchester City midfielder Ayyoub Bouaddi for the best young player in the world award.

He scored three goals in four games for Switzerland at the World Cup before a knee injury ended his tournament, only a year after making his full international debut.

It is a rapid rise for a player who used to return to Freiburg’s academy to do his washing.

Bernhard Weis, who gave Manzambi his debut for Freiburg Under-19s, told BBC Sport: “He is playing for the professionals and he comes to us at the academy and brings some dirty clothes.

“He didn’t have a washing machine so he comes here and washes some clothes.

“I would speak with him and then he would pick up some young guys from the under-13s, under-14s and take them to the train station.

“He would see the guys and say, ‘come with me, I’ll take you to the station’, so they could get home. That’s Johan Manzambi.”

As for his profile, though, Weis did not expect a Ballon d’Or nomination coming so quickly.

He added: “I didn’t see that. I saw something for the first team, for us, but this way, no chance.

“The first half year at Freiburg it was not so easy for him, he’s not so strong and he’s not so stable. He put on five kilos and then he thought, ‘now I go, it’s the right moment, I will be faster and stronger’.

Massimo Lombardo, Servette’s academy director agreed. He first worked with Manzambi when he was 15 and oversaw his early development before he moved to Freiburg as a 17-year-old in 2023.

“It is a real surprise for many people, that he can do something special so quickly,” he told BBC Sport.

“For me, the difference he can make is because of his mentality, personality, enthusiasm and courage. He has the technical skills and tactical skills and the physical possibility now to perform in England.

>

Continue Reading

Sports

Liverpool: Inside the club’s increasing global investment in youth

Published

on

Ndiaye isn’t the only player to have been identified and recruited by Liverpool‘s global talent team.

After the U17 World Cup, Liverpool also made a £2.6m move for another centre-half, Ifeanyi Ndukwe.

Ndukwe was impressive in pre-season and the 18-year-old Austrian has gone on loan to Levante in La Liga as he looks to obtain a UK work permit.

The list doesn’t stop there. Samuel Martinez, the 17-year-old Colombian midfielder, will join next summer after having “30 offers from around the world, external“, according to his father.

It doesn’t always work. Arsenal beat Liverpool to the signing of Andria Bartishvili from Georgia last month and the 17-year-old will join the Gunners next summer when he is 18.

But the moves for Martinez and Ndiaye showcase Liverpool‘s willingness to spread beyond Europe and into areas they may not have explored before. Given the inevitability of other top clubs circling emerging talent, the idea of selling the pathway that Liverpool offers is imperative.

Since arriving, Ndiaye has settled in with a host family – which is normal when players aren’t from the area – that are used to working with Liverpool.

“Players come from varying parts of the world and, when someone comes in and doesn’t speak much English at the start, you have to help with that and help understand culturally the differences in food, the weather and even the pitches you play on,” Inglethorpe said.

“There’s a lot of understanding in terms of the level of support that’s needed and the most important thing you can give a young player is the time.

“I’m delighted that Mor made such a strong impression and he’s done as well as he has, but we hope that he’s going to get better and better as he continues to adapt.”

This summer, Liverpool also confirmed moves for Lucca Brughmans, the 18-year-old Belgian goalkeeper, and Djylian N’Guessan, the 18-year-old French forward, with both set to join the club permanently in 2027.

In the modern game, most talents are known and there aren’t many hidden gems anymore, but Liverpool believe that by digging deeper and wider they can get ahead of the curve, using their global network and their reputation as a club that will help players develop.

>

Continue Reading

Sports

Fifa accuses Uefa of ‘misinformation campaign’

Published

on

Fifa has accused Uefa of a “misinformation campaign” and attempting to influence the race for its presidential campaign in new court documents.

Last month European football’s governing body filed legal papers in the US requesting disclosure of evidence and documents from Fifa, warning it could lodge a criminal complaint in Switzerland.

Uefa accused Fifa president Gianni Infantino of “criminal mismanagement” and “a fraudulently off-market price promoted by [him] for his own benefit” over the now-shelved Fifa Forward Enterprise (FFE) scheme.

In its response on Monday night, world governing body Fifa said Uefa’s filing contained “numerous false or misleading statements about Fifa and Infantino”.

“With no basis whatsoever, Uefa suggests that Mr Infantino sought to profit personally from the FFE proposal,” Fifa said in a filing in the Southern District of Florida, opposing Uefa’s motion for discovery.

“Uefa’s suggestions that Mr Infantino violated any law or ethical principle are categorically without merit.”

It also described Uefa’s filing as “farcically overbroad” saying “districts faced with similar requests have outright rejected such applications”.

BBC Sport has contacted Uefa for comment. BBC Sport has been told insiders believe that if Fifa has nothing to hide, it should disclose the documents and speed up the legal process.

Uefa has led the rebellion against the Fifa president, who is facing calls to stand down from three confederations.

Fifa’s FFE plan proposed selling stakes in the World Cup and other competitions to private investors, sparking a major backlash.

Infantino faced calls for his resignation but claimed the project had been intended to generate additional money for the game.

Earlier this month, Football Association chair Debbie Hewitt, a Fifa vice-president, told Infantino to release all documents relating to his controversial plan, and called for an independent review of FFE.

Infantino will stand for election for a fourth time in March 2027, with his opponents having until 18 November to find an alternative candidate.

>

Continue Reading

Sports

Rugby League World Cup: History beckons for Wales’ defiant Ffion Lewis

Published

on

Lewis was part of the Wales squad at the 2022 union World Cup and was set to play in the inaugural WXV tournament a year later.

But she suffered a serious knee injury as Wales beat Italy in the 2023 Six Nations.

Since her recovery Lewis has played for Brython Thunder in the Celtic Challenge but, with no WRU contract, felt she had unfinished business and “didn’t want any regrets”.

“I could have easily just walked away from rugby at that point. I could have just been like ‘I’m done’,” said Lewis.

“But internally, I knew I wasn’t, and I put so much time and effort into coming back and getting back fit, and I was only 28, and I was like, ‘I’ve still got so much time left’, and I just felt individually I didn’t deserve my time to be done based on someone else’s decision.

“So I took some time, and then I just set a goal to myself. If I got the opportunity to play rugby league, great.

“If I had the opportunity to play union, I wouldn’t say no. But this opportunity came up, and I just grabbed it with two hands, and hopefully now it’s paid off.”

>

Continue Reading

Trending

Copyright © 2017 Zox News Theme. Theme by MVP Themes, powered by WordPress.