Giovanni van Bronckhorst, coach of the Dutch club Feyenoord, confirmed that Barcelona is the best team in the world currently, after his team's heavy loss to its Catalan host, 1-5, on Wednesday evening, at the start of its Champions League campaign.
“If you look at the way they play, Barcelona is the best team in the world right now,” Van Bronckhorst said in the press conference after the match.
He added that his players tried to play the match in their style, and did not rely on defensive formation, explaining: “We had chances, and we tried to score. There are many things we have to improve. Mistakes cost us a lot. We can learn a lot from our competitor, even though we are two completely different teams, and there is a difference in level.”
The Dutch coach continued: “Barcelona can win the Champions League,” praising at the same time Lamin Yamal, who scored one goal and made two assists during the match.
“At his age, he has already won everything,” he said. The fans love him. He can win the Ballon d'Or. I compare him to Messi and Ronaldinho. "He can win it, but the question is: when?"
The confrontation was of a special nature for Van Bronckhorst, who played for Barcelona between 2003 and 2007 and won the Champions League with them in 2006.
Bronkhorst said about his return to Camp Nou: “I was focused on the match. I met some people I know and said: Hello. “I have very good memories with this club.”
Coco Gauff praised the historic achievement of her African-American compatriots in the US Open tennis tournament on Wednesday, with Ben Shelton and Frances Tiafoe preparing to make history when they face off in the men's semi-finals.
Shelton, seeded eighth, and Tiafoe, seeded 11th, are the first African-American players to face each other in a Grand Slam semi-final in the professional era, breaking barriers in a sport that has always been overwhelmingly dominated by white players. A semi-final match between them is scheduled to be held tomorrow (Friday).
Gauff (22 years old), who overcame a one-set deficit against Mira Andreeva, to beat the Russian and qualify for the penultimate stage of the women's singles competition, said: “In the men's category, I never thought I would see, or have the opportunity to see, a semi-final that includes African-American players during my lifetime, frankly.”
“Even growing up, just looking at who they were playing, I didn’t think it would be possible,” she added. “And because I was also in the semi-finals, I think this is really great.”
Shelton and Tiafoe became the first two African-American men to face off at Arthur Ashe Stadium in 15 years when they faced off in the quarter-finals in 2023, a moment that was hailed as a major sign of the progress made by black athletes on the stadium named after one of the sport's pioneering legends.
Three years later, the two players achieved great achievements in the world of tennis. Tiafoe has qualified for the semi-finals in New York in 2024, and Shelton has won two thousand-point Masters titles, including the Montreal title last month.
Gauff, who is crowned champion in 2023 and will face second seed Elena Rybakina in the next match, said: “Obviously I have great respect for Ben and Francis, so I just hope the match is good, and I hope that the winner, whoever it is, can win the title.”
Gauff was inspired by Tiafoe, her long-time friend; She saved two match points to beat Andreeva yesterday, citing his victory after coming back from behind against Alex Mikkelsen on Tuesday as her motivation.
Gove said: “Francis represents a source of joy and pleasure in the tournament.”
She added: “He is a special person, and I think everyone, almost everyone in the tournament, agrees that he is one of the few players who always bring joy to the place, and show respect towards us, especially us women, to constantly support and encourage us. I think this is really special. “He is a rare person in this world, in this sport.”
Italian Carlo Ancelotti, coach of the Brazilian national football team, announced his team’s roster for the next three friendly matches, as part of the start of a new phase for “Samba” following Neymar’s retirement from international football following Brazil’s exit from the 2026 World Cup.
Brazil will meet Australia on September 25 and 29 in Townsville and Brisbane, respectively, before facing India on October 3 in Kolkata.
The list witnessed the addition of a number of new faces, led by goalkeepers Pedro Moresco and Otavio, defender Arthur Dias, and midfielders Breno Bidon and Gabriel Bontempo, while a number of young talents are preparing to take on bigger roles, such as Joao Pedro, Andric, Estevao, Ryan, and Andre Santos, along with Rafinha and Vinicius Junior in the front line.
Brazil's goalkeeping list included: Hugo Souza, Pedro Moresco, and Otavio. In defense: Arthur Dias, Douglas Santos, Gabriel Magalhaes, Gayer Cunha, Marquinhos, Mateusinho, Mauro Junior, Vitor Reis, and Wesley.
The list included, in midfield: Andre Santos, Breno Bidon, Bruno Guimarães, Danilo, Douglas Luiz, and Gabriel Bontempo.
In attack: Andrik, Estevao, Joao Pedro, Rafinha, Pedro, Ryan, Samuel Leno, and Vinicius Junior.
Ancelotti excluded Al-Ahly Saudi defender, Roger Ibanez, from the list.
