Defender Ibrahima Konate said that his colleague Kylian Mbappe, captain of the French national team, has overcome a difficult stage, and is now focusing on helping his team prepare for the European Nations League matches against Italy and Turkey.
Mbappe returned to the French national team after missing the last 3 matches. He was injured, failed to win the Ballon d'Or, and was criticized in China for his comments about the late leader Mao Zedong, the founder of modern China.
Konate confirmed to reporters about Mbappe: “He is in a very good mental state, and you can see that in his recent matches. "He was decisive in front of goal. He is very important for us in Madrid."
The Real Madrid striker (27 years old) ranked second behind England captain Harry Kane in the Ballon d'Or voting.
He was also forced to apologize for statements he made during an interview that showed a satirical image of his face superimposed on a picture of Mao.
This incident sparked angry reactions in China, prompting several brands to end their commercial partnerships with Mbappe, and the Chinese state channel CCTV also stopped its coverage of the Spanish League.
Konate, Mbappe's teammate at Real Madrid, explained that the World Cup winner responded to the situation in his usual way.
He added: “He is a competitive player, so it is natural for him not to win the Ballon d’Or, when he thought he had a chance to win it, was difficult, but he was completely focused in training the next day.”
Brazilian striker Andric did not rule out the possibility of leaving Real Madrid again during the winter transfer period. In an effort to get more time on the field, according to what he reported on Tuesday from Singapore on the sidelines of his country’s friendly match against Japan.
The 20-year-old striker said: “I don’t know what will happen next January.” All I ask is for the best for my career. “What is destined to happen will happen.”
He added: “I am still young.” I'm only 20, so I'll see what happens. “I just want to play, be happy, help my teammates, score goals and make them, as I did in Lyon, where I lived the best periods of my life.”
In the second half of last season, and in light of his marginalization at Real Madrid, Indrik was loaned to Lyon in France, in a successful experience that opened the doors for him to the Brazilian national team, with whom he participated in the World Cup last summer in North America.
During his time with Lyon, he scored 8 goals and provided 8 assists in 21 matches.
He admitted that he was aware of the intense competition for attacking positions at Real Madrid, saying: “It is an honor for me to be at Real Madrid. But I know that in my position there is one of the best players in the world, (Frenchman) Kylian Mbappe, and we all know that he is (a candidate to become) one of the Ballon d’Or winners.”
After suffering an injury at the beginning of the season, Endrik only participated in 141 minutes in total, during which he played 4 matches in the Spanish League and 3 in the Champions League, scoring only one goal.
Despite the limited time he spent on the field, Endrick praised his new coach at the Royal Club, the Portuguese Jose Mourinho, saying: “Mourinho is someone in whom I place great confidence. He comes to me every day and asks me how I am, but not about football, but always about my personal life. I appreciate that very much. He was one of the first coaches to talk to me and make me feel really welcome. “I am very grateful to him.”
The Brazilian national team will face its Japanese counterpart in a friendly match, on Saturday, after it had narrowly defeated it in the round of 32 of the World Cup this summer, with a score of 2-1.
Three days after the match with Japan, the Seleção will face the Singapore national team.
Fiery statements by Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez sparked renewed debate about the 2030 FIFA World Cup.
Sanchez recalled the moment when the Spanish national team won the World Cup title in the United States, describing the scene of US President Donald Trump handing the cup to Spain as “real political euphoria.”
These statements come at a time when the dispute is escalating over which country will host the final match of the 2030 World Cup between Spain and Morocco.
Speaking to the Spanish station La Septima, Sanchez defended the joint bid between Spain, Portugal and Morocco to host the 2030 World Cup, stressing that the original initiative came from the two Iberian countries.
The Spanish Prime Minister said: “It is true that two countries were the ones who launched this idea, Spain and Portugal, given that it was Europe’s turn to host the tournament, and then we added a country to it, which is Morocco.”
In an attempt to reassure Spanish public opinion, amid growing concerns about the possibility of hosting the final match being awarded to Morocco, Sanchez stressed that “Spain will host the largest number of World Cup matches compared to any other country.”
Sanchez recalled the memory of Spain winning the World Cup this summer in the United States with great enthusiasm, using that very personal expression to describe that historical moment.
As he looked forward to hosting the next tournament on Spanish soil, Sanchez made clear his desire to repeat history, as he concluded his speech by saying: “We won in South Africa, as well as in New York, and now it is our turn to win the title in Spain in 2030, right?” “This is a matter for FIFA, and Spain is the country that will host the largest number of matches.”
Tensions are increasing over the location where the World Cup final will be held in 2030, as the Royal Spanish Football Federation fears that the decisive match will end up being held in Morocco.
Spanish journalist Juanma Castaño revealed, on the “El Partidazo de Cuba” program, that the pressure that US President Donald Trump may exert may be decisive in granting the African country the right to host the match.
In light of this atmosphere, Alberto Nunez Viejo, leader of the opposition People's Party, put forward a controversial idea. According to the same program, he is considering putting forward a proposal during his election campaign requiring Spain to completely withdraw from hosting the tournament, if FIFA refuses to grant it the right to host the final match.
This position is in stark contrast to the official approach of the Federation, as Rafael Lauzan, President of the Spanish Football Federation, in statements to the program “El Partidaso de Coppe,” ruled out any possibility of withdrawal, calling for calm at the institutional level and adherence to the pledges that have already been made.
Lausanne said: “Spain has signed agreements with other countries, with FIFA, and with the government, in order to organize the next edition of the World Cup.”
