Coach Allegri says Ronaldo deserves another Ballon D’OR
ROME: Juventus coach Massimiliano Allegri believes Cristiano Ronaldo deserves to win the Ballon D’OR, following media reports that the forward has not been short-listed for the award’s final three for the first time since 2010.
The Portugal international has won the prize, run by French magazine France Football and awarded to the world’s best player annually, five times and finished as runner-up five times since 2007.
Yet Italian and French media have reported that the podium for this year’s prize will be made up of Paris St Germain’s Kylian Mbappe and Luka Modric and Raphael Varane of Real Madrid. The winner will be named at a ceremony in Paris on Dec 3.
“He is doing well and yesterday he trained well. For what he has done, as I’ve said several times, he would deserve the Ballon D’OR,” Allegri said.
Allegri shot down suggestions that his side are facing an injury crisis in midfield ahead of the visit of SPAL in Serie A here on Saturday. Sami Khedira and Emre Can are sidelined with injuries, but their absences do not overly concern the coach.
KANTE SIGNS RENEWS CHELSEA CONTRACT
LONDON: French international midfielder N’golo Kante has committed his long-term future to Chelsea by signing a new fiveyear contract, the Premier League club said on Friday.
Kante, who joined Chelsea in 2016, helped the club win the title in his first season at Stamford Bridge and was rewarded for his consistent play by being named the player of the year by the Professional Footballers’ Association and Football Writers’ Association.
Kante tasted his first Premier League title triumph with Leicester City in the 2015-16 season and also started all seven matches for France as they lifted the World Cup in Russia earlier this year.
‘NEW MANE DEAL SHOWS LIVERPOOL PROGRESS’
LONDON: Jurgen Klopp believes Sadio Mane’s new contract is a “statement” on Liverpool’s progress and dismissed reports that summer signing Fabinho could leave the club as “crazy”.
Senegal forward Mane signed a long-term extension on Thursday and his commitment to the Reds has delighted his manager, whose side are second in the Premier League, just two points behind Manchester City.
“It’s a big sign. To extend a contract is more than a signing, it is a statement,” Klopp said ahead of Liverpool’s visit to Watford on Saturday. “It shows a bit of change the club did in the last few years. A few years ago players felt they had to leave the club to make the next step.”
Klopp also reiterated his satisfaction with the starts made by Fabinho and Naby Keita at Liverpool as he outlined the long-term thinking for both midfielders.
HODDLE RECOVERING AFTER HEART SURGERY
LONDON: Former England manager Glenn Hoddle is out of hospital and recuperating at home following heart surgery late last month, the 61-year-old’s spokesman said on Friday.
Hoddle, who spent the majority of his playing career with Tottenham Hotspur and also played for Chelsea and Monaco, was working for BT Sport as a pundit on his 61st birthday when he collapsed on October 27.
“To aid his recovery from a cardiac arrest, Glenn underwent surgery. He responded well to treatment and is now at home recuperating from the procedure,” the spokesman said.