The disrespect iwobi gets is seriously alarming.Man is by far the best creative Nigerian midfielder currently.How Nigerians think Iwobi only gets into super eagles team because his uncle is okocha really amuses me.

If iwobi wasn't good,he won't still be playing in the premier league.All through the three clubs he has played for in the PL(Arsenal,Everton and now Fulham),he has always played regularly,never sat on the bench.He even won Everton player of the season before leaving.last season,no Nigerian midfielder scored mored than him in Europe's top 5 leagues.Even when he was at Arsenal,he was one of the very few academy graduates that never went on loan.He got promoted to the first team straight from the academy.

Iwobi is one of our experienced players and we should be happy to have him.This is his 8th year playing with the national team and man still remains humble as ever.Always turns up when called for matches even when it's meaningless friendlies,never complains when asked to play out of position and always had his signature smile on.

Iwobi is worthy of emulation

The iwobi slander must stop or else...


Cc:robosky02,lalasticlala

How well do you think our players performed against South Africa?Did finidi get his starting 11 and substitutions correctly?

Should the FG implement the new minimum wage,will teachers be beneficiaries?

Why is Jesus called yeshua?

Bintabisiriyu2:
you dey bleach abi

No just curious

What creams or mix to use for dark knee cap?

Are there side effects of consuming 10 eggs a day?
I watched a video where the creator consumed 10 and I'm wondering if it doesn't lead to constipation

Who are the top young goalkeepers across Europe?

Tor-Kristian Karlsen, ESPN
Jun 6, 2024, 05:07 AM ET
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Giorgi Mamardashvili has been making a name for himself in LaLiga. Fran Santiago/Getty Images
You may have noticed that there were no goalkeepers in our annual list of the 39 best players under the age of 21 in April. But that's not a huge surprise. The goalkeeper is a position that requires experience, and it is not often that a youngster is thrust into the spotlight so early in their career -- with Gianluigi Donnarumma (who was handed his AC Milan debut aged 16 before he joined Paris Saint-Germain in 2021) a notable exception from recent years.

So who are the next generation of top goalkeepers? A number of major clubs, notably Chelsea and Manchester City, could be looking to sign the next big thing in the coming years. Here are five players under the age of 23 who are ready to make the step up now, and five teenagers to keep an eye on in the future.

- Stream on ESPN+: LaLiga, Bundesliga, more (U.S.)

Giorgi Mamardashvili, 23, Valencia
Despite his age, Mamardashvili recently reached 100 starting appearances for Valencia, and his development in a team who have seen many changes -- especially defensively -- has been of great help to the Spanish side.

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Mamardashvili's main appeal is his 6-foot-6 stature. He has an enormous reach and the imposing presence of an old-school goalkeeper, but he has also become increasingly modern in style. While his footwork is not yet of the quality to allow him to be used as a playmaker in the form of Manuel Neuer, Alisson or Éderson -- he touches the ball only 15 times per 90 minutes -- he's improving in that department and has a lot of power in his ball striking.

That doesn't stop him from being active, though; one of his top attributes is his ability to move the ball on quickly, with a good sense of timing and anticipation. His tremendous size also makes him an expert catcher of crosses, yet it doesn't prevent him from reaching low shots or extending his body horizontally. He should be one to watch for Georgia at Euro 2024.

Anatoliy Trubin, 22, Benfica
Another hugely impressive goalkeeping throwback, the Ukraine international is also 6-foot-6 and has been a revelation in his debut season for Benfica as he kept 19 clean sheets in all competitions. Much like Mamardashvili, Trubin might not be the most active in terms of playing out from the back, yet when he's called upon to deal with a back pass he's usually safe in his distribution (90% accuracy), while his longer efforts are also executed with precision.

But when it comes to stopping shots and goal-line work, Trubin stands out. When closing down an opponent, he narrows the angle well and often makes low saves with his feet -- almost in the mould of a goalkeeper in the sport of handball. He covers ground on both sides of his goal and his reflexes are impressive too, as illustrated by his four penalty saves for Benfica this season.

Trubin's mentality is another point worth mentioning: he always appears calm and measured, keeping focused on the task at hand.

Marco Carnesecchi, 23, Atalanta
With 150 senior games between Serie A and Serie B to his name, the former Italy under-21 international has already accumulated a wealth of experience. Due to Gian Piero Gasperini's rotation system at Atalanta, Carnesecchi only saw one match in the successful Europa League campaign this season -- with Juan Musso being selected -- but he was the No. 1 choice in the league and Coppa Italia.

Carnesecchi is highly regarded for his mature and calm style of goalkeeping. He doesn't take excessive risks, especially when coming off his line, and rarely feels the urge to exaggerate his saves for the TV cameras.

Atalanta's aggressive style needs a goalkeeper who is well-positioned to start a counter-attack and avert danger early. The youngster also boasted one of the best save percentages in Serie A last season (77%).

Filip Jørgensen, 22, Villarreal

Chelsea are reported to be on the trail of Filip Jørgensen. Alex Caparros/Getty Images
The Sweden-born Denmark U21 international has enjoyed a fabulous first season as a regular for Villarreal, having made just two starts prior to the 2023-24 campaign.

To say that Jørgensen was busy is no understatement. Thanks to a shaky defence and midfield that likes to attack, Villarreal conceded a remarkable 532 shots, which makes the fact they finished eighth in LaLiga a minor miracle. And, despite conceding 63 goals (he missed two games when another two went in), Jørgensen made an astounding 147 saves at a rate of 3.66 per 90 minutes.

While his stats are somewhat compromised by the negative numbers, he still looks like a goalkeeper with exceptional reflexes. He's extremely agile and gets up quickly off the ground to recover when needed -- indeed, spectacular double-saves have become something of a signature skill. As a result, it's no surprise that he's generating a lot of transfer interest, including from the likes of Chelsea.

Bart Verbruggen, 21, Brighton & Hove Albion
Competing for Brighton's No. 1 spot with Jason Steele -- who tops the Premier League ranking for reflex saves per 90 minutes with 73% -- Verbruggen has yet to show why he was one of Europe's most-coveted goalkeepers prior to his €20 million move last summer.


Tor-Kristian Karlsen is a Norwegian football scout and executive and is the former chief executive and sporting director at AS Monaco. He will write regularly for ESPN on the business of soccer and the process of scouting.

Yet in a turbulent, injury-plagued season there were still glimpses of his potential as he conceded 33 times in 27 games across all competitions. Arguably his best performance came in a 2-1 defeat away at Liverpool in March, in which his low reaction save from Mohamed Salah's close-range effort was nothing short of spectacular.

With one of the best scouting operations in the business, Brighton obviously signed the Netherlands international primarily for his compatibility to their passing style. Few U21 goalkeepers in a top European league see as much time on the ball as Verbruggen -- 27 passes per 90 minutes last season -- and his quality distribution from the back (87% accuracy) is vital for a team that want to dominate possession.

Teenagers to watch

Guillaume Restes has been tipped for a bright future. LIONEL BONAVENTURE/AFP via Getty Images
Guillaume Restes, 19, Toulouse

An aggressive and proactive goalkeeper who was entrusted with a regular slot for Toulouse in Ligue 1 this season. The France U21 and under-23 international has been tipped for a bright future and was given the honour of being a torch carrier for his country at the opening ceremony of this summer's Paris Olympics.

James Beadle, 19, Brighton (on loan at Sheffield Wednesday)

The 6-foot-6 England under-20 international put in some inspiring displays towards the latter part of the season to help Sheffield Wednesday secure their Championship status. But he has yet to make his debut for Brighton.

Noah Raveyre, 18, AC Milan

Impressive for both France under-19s and the AC Milan Primavera side, Raveyre catches the eye with his great reflexes, calmness and fine distribution.

Plamen Andreev, 19, Levski Sofia

A powerful, vocal and charismatic goalkeeper with over 70 senior games for Levski Sofia already, Andreev made his first-team debut at 16. He has also captained his club side and has already been called up to the Bulgaria senior national team.

Filip Sidklev, 19, Brommapojkarna

The Sweden U21 international is astonishingly good with his feet -- illustrated by a 68% completion rate for his long passes -- and is a regular at the top level in Sweden. He has already been scouted by several big European clubs.

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Wayne Rooney: Alex Ferguson still has edge over Pep Guardiola
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Jun 7, 2024, 03:00 AM ET
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Manchester United legend Wayne Rooney said he believes his former boss Sir Alex Ferguson still has the edge over Manchester City's Pep Guardiola when it comes to ranking the managerial greats.

Guardiola led City to a fourth consecutive Premier League title this season, a feat never managed by Ferguson or any previous team in the history of England's top flight. That took the former Barcelona and Bayern Munich manager's total haul to six Premier League titles in his eight seasons at Man City.

But that still falls some way behind Ferguson's record of 13 championships during his 26 years in charge of Man United.

"I think of course there are going to be arguments as to who is better, but I think people tend to just look at what Sir Alex did at Manchester United, and what he did at Aberdeen was incredible," Rooney said in an interview with ESPN Brasil.

"And you'd ask the question, could Guardiola do that at a team like Aberdeen?

"There's questions, there's debate, I think Guardiola for his era is of course the best and he's changed the way football is played worldwide ... but yeah for me Sir Alex, what he achieved in the game is incredible."


Sir Alex Ferguson and Wayne Rooney achieved great success together at Manchester United. Matthew Peters/Manchester United via Getty Images
Prior to joining United, Ferguson won three Scottish titles with Aberdeen, breaking up the longtime dominance of Glasgow rivals Celtic and Rangers. Famously, he also guided them to victory over giants Real Madrid in the final of the 1983 European Cup Winners' Cup.

Guardiola, however, has the 3-2 advantage over Ferguson in terms of Champions League titles, with his two at Barcelona adding to last season's triumph as part of the treble with City.

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Rooney spent nine years playing under Ferguson and eventually finished his career as the club's record goal scorer. However, he has made it clear that he has plenty of respect for Guardiola and earlier this year even suggested he'd be willing to work as the Spaniard's assistant.

"If Pep Guardiola comes in and asks me to be his assistant, you'd walk there," Rooney told the Stick to Football podcast.

"You see what [Mikel] Arteta is doing now [at Arsenal] and I strongly believe a lot of that is from learning what Guardiola was doing, and so it depends on what the situation is.

"For me, the best manager is Pep and you look at how he adapts -- how they [City] are playing now is not the same as how they were playing four years ago."

Since then, Rooney has himself returned to management, having been appointed boss of English Championship side Plymouth Argyle ahead of next season.

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Ronaldo, Rivaldo: Vinícius Jr. already deserves Ballon d'Or
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Jun 7, 2024, 02:38 AM ET
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Brazil legends Ronaldo Nazário and Rivaldo have said Vinícius Júnior has already done enough to be awarded this year's Ballon d'Or after leading Real Madrid to LaLiga and Champions League titles this season.

Vinícius scored in Madrid's 2-0 victory over Borussia Dortmund in last weekend's Champions League final, securing the Spanish giants their 15th European Cup title and his second during his six-year spell at the club.

Rivaldo said Vinícius needed to step up his game and score more goals this season to clinch his first Ballon d'Or -- the annual award presented by French magazine France Football to honour the best player in the world. After Vinícius scored 24 goals in 34 games in all competitions this season, Rivaldo believes he has done just that.

"He's a very dedicated boy," Rivaldo told ESPN Brasil. "He arrived at Real Madrid and went to Real Madrid B to learn. He played a few games and we could see that he still needed a bit of time to learn how to score. And he learnt! He trained hard and dedicated himself. Today, you can see that he has a much easier time scoring."


Vinicius Jr. won the Champions League with Real Madrid for a second time last weekend. Tom Weller/picture alliance via Getty Images
Vinícius could add to his trophy haul this season when he competes with Brazil at this summer's Copa América, to be held in the United States. Although Rivaldo said it can only add to his track record this season.

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"So Viní is a player to be congratulated. He deserves the Ballon d'Or. Of course, there's nothing better for him than to secure the award once and for all than by winning the Copa America now, right? Today he already deserves the award, but if he wins the Copa America, even better," Rivaldo said.

Ronaldo agreed.

"I think Viní already deserves it [the Ballon d'Or]. He's had a spectacular Champions League, a spectacular La Liga, and he's been evolving more and more," Ronaldo said, standing alongside Rivaldo.

"I remember that I did his presentation the day he arrived at Real Madrid and I got on well with him. I talk to Viní a lot about football and certain details and, looking at everything that's happened, it's a fantastic development that he's making.

"I think his time has come. He's been extremely decisive this year for Real Madrid. For me, today he's the best player in the world by far."

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upsupa:


Be well

Thank you so much sir.i am really grateful sir

upsupa:


Nigerians are not wicked, human beings can be wicked. Poverty too can make a man do some wicked things.

How much remain to replace all the things you lost from this?

About 10 thousand Naira sir

gabpaul:


You have a good heart, I would love to help with the little i can.. Drop your Acc. Details

Thank you sir

2080372923 UBA

Leebeedo:


Hey man, most Nigerians are wicked. I sent you 20k, stay safe!

Thank you so much sir.i'm really grateful sir.God bless and replenish your pocket sir.Thanks sir so much

codeKart:
Sorry, about this chief. Send me a pm. I no too gallant but at all na him bad pass

I sent you a pm sir

jackmrandy:
Seriously? Took your pot and hanger? He is fxxked up.... Someone once said there is no gain in helping people especially with accommodation. Now I am. Beginning to believe that guy's talk. Humans are wicked.

Bro I am still shocked.Me wey be say I no get.my gas cooker,pots,wall hanger, he took everything

Skyview01:
I only help from far away. Even if you are dying, I will never bring you into my house.

I myself is struggling.I just saw it as helping a fellow struggling nigga because nobody knows where we fit jam ourselves tomorrow

NosaIgiebor:
How old are you because you sound like a small boy.how can you be this gullible? Sorry for you loss.And why is your room this tattered?


Next time try to be wise when helping.send your acct number let me send you 2k to ease your pain.be careful so you no go carry problem wey u no know about

Ok.Thank you sir.i am grateful.2080372923 UBA

Sonnobax15:

Na wa.......

Devil be like apprentice for where some people don't heartlessness dey. ..

Na why people no dey like to help people be this......

Any ways,may we not regret our kind deeds and gestures at all..

The thing still be me like film

I can't still believe this is happening. I am CCTV installation apprentice. Last month, my oga got a job in another state that will take a month to complete. He called me and told me to pack up a few of my things so I can go with him for the work.

I packed up and we both travelled. Few days later, a Friend called me and explained to me that he had some one who was in my area and was stranded. He was pleading if I could accommodate him in my one room apartment for 2 weeks so he can find his feet. I told my friend that I wasn't in town but I left my key with my neighbour.

I asked him if he knows this person that is stranded very well to be sure of his character. He said yes. I told him to give the guy my number. The guy called me and was begging. I asked for video call so I can see his face. We did video call, he looked responsible. He should be in his mid twenties so he is definitely older than me. I connected him with my neighbour with my key and he thanked me.

Fast forward to after two weeks, he left and handed over key to my neighbour. He sent me a text that he had left.

On Wednesday, I came back to meet my gas cooker and my pots gone. My bed sheet gone. He took my good curtains someone dashed me and left the curtain torn in many places for me. My wall hanger I nailed on the wall for hanging my clothes is gone and my standing fan spoilt beyond repair.

Hei God. This is a room I am managing. I called the guy. He wasn't picking my calls. Shortly after, he blocked my number. I called my friend and was mad at him. He promised to call the guy and retrieve the items but till today it is story upon story.

See how I brought problem upon myself.

Nairalanders please avoid bringing people in to your homes. I am seriously pained right now.

Tinubu is not capable of leading this country.

you for just tell the police man say make him collect na 400 naira worth you fit do

baretalk:
who you serve?

If you want to roll with the big boys, you must bring something to the table, and your service is the only thing you got now. your cousin even nice to allow you in his house, most wont.

He does not need you, you need him, if you can't cope you know what to do.

I expected him to treat me with some decency bro.I'm his cousin bro and we were kinda close when we were kids.He occasionally visited us with his mom.

Haynnie:
Lol

its not funny please.

Lalasticlala

I read in a newspaper that eating yam that was peeled BEFORE boiling causes increased sugar level which causes diabetes.

On the other hand,some say eating yam that was peeled AFTER boiling isn't healthy as it still contains natural toxins in the peels which is harmful for the body.


So which do you think is better?

My younger cousin is what you will regard as a typical big boy.He drives a good car and is living large.

We haven't been in contact for a long while so I decided to get his number and call him to catch up on old times. I really wanted him to put me through his line of work so I could solve my personal issues. He invited me over to his place and I stayed there for 3 days.

Omo after the first day there,he gave me his clothes to help him wash and instructed me to clean his flat.Hmmm I did it o

He came back with his woman and didn't even mutter as much as a thank you.

He even told her I was one of those his family members 'wey no get levels'.He said it in a very spiteful and disregarding manner.This na person I senior o and he do visit us then when he was little.

I was a little pissed at that descrption and he noticed it.there are other humiliating stuff that happened that day but I don't really have strength for typing.He was just using me to shine in front of the girl.

Before I left,he told me I will need to humble myself before him unless nothing for me.

I'm thinking of going back there to apologise to him for being pissed at him.

How do you guys see it?

I really need his percuniary support to solve my personal issues.

I will impregnate Rihanna one day