Champs never tire of new challenges: Pele
Age: 19 | Position: Forward | Club: PSG
His lung-bursting runs against Argentina in the round of 16 will forever be part of World Cup folklore. That is exactly why some of the top clubs, including Real
Madrid, are vying for his services.
he has shown with each passing game that he can adapt to the situation and take a leadership role. Against Belgium, he was all across the pitch, showing his skills, pace and passing abilities. Age: 24
Position: Centre-back Club: Barcelona
Injury to Laurent Koscielny meant coach Deschamps was forced to team-up Varane and Umtiti in the centre of the defence.
sure how they would gel. But six matches into the tournament, they have emerged as the best centre-back pairing in Russia, which will serve France for years to come.
clearances. tackles and blocks, they scored crucial goals in round of 16 against Uruguay and in the semi-final against Belgium respectively, which saw their team to victory.
(left, 22), on whom Barcelona splashed more that 100 million euros, and Nabil Fekir (24), who has been linked to Liverpool, are on the bench but can easily walk into any starting line-up. Age: 25
Position: Centre-back Club: Real Madrid Mbappe's former Monaco teammate Thomas Lemar (22),
Presnel Kimpembe (22), Man City left-back
(above, 23) and Monaco's right-back Djibril Sidibe (25) are the other young options Deschamps has at his disposal in defence.
concerns, Mendy and Sidibe would have started in place of Lucas Hernandez and Pavard. (left) and Paul Pogba are just 27 and 25 respectively but they are already the mainstays for clubs and country. N’golo Kante may have been playing for France for just a couple of years but has emerged as their key player in the midfield.
among the top players of the world and France will depend on them to guide the youngsters to build a strong base for future tournaments. MOSCOW: Cristiano Ronaldo’s decision to end a nine-year Real Madrid stay to sign for Juventus is the right move, according to Pele.
Ronaldo agreed a four-year deal with the Serie A champions to complete a €112m (including add-ons) transfer from Madrid on Tuesday. The Portugal captain said he wants to start a “new cycle” in his career at the age of 33, having won four Champions League titles in the past five years at Madrid.
And Pele, who spent 18 years at Santos before ending his career with New York Cosmos, understands Ronaldo’s decision.
“Congratulations, Cristiano,” the Brazil icon wrote on Twitter. “It was hard to join another side after so long at Santos but it was the right move. Champions never tire of new challenges.”
FIAT WORKERS STRIKE OVER RONALDO DEAL
TURIN: Fiat factory workers in Italy can think of a few things they’d rather see their owner spend $130 million on than Cristiano Ronaldo.
A Fiat Chrysler Automobiles NV union in the south of the country called for a strike to protest the purchase of star player by Juventus which, like the carmaker, is owned by the Agnelli family. That’s money that could have been used for job-boosting investments like making better cars, the union said.
“It’s unacceptable that, while FCA and CNHI workers continue to make huge economic sacrifices, the company spends hundreds of millions of euros on the purchase of a player,” union USB Lavoro Privato.
The Agnelli family, which has owned Juventus for more than 90 years, controls Ferrari NV and Fiat Chrysler through its holding company, Exor NV, which owns 64 per cent of Juventus. Market value
on the right or as a centre-back, as he does in Bundesliga, has earned him comparisons with Lilian Thuram. Average market value