Roberto Lewandowski (34, Bayern Munich) is reportedly disappointed by Munich’s treatment.
“Levan Dovsky and his family were shocked by the Munich club’s attitude,” Spain’s “Varsa Universal” quoted a report by Germany’s “Bild.” They said they believed that he had “no grace” for everything he had given the club over the past eight years.
Lewandowski is dreaming of moving to FC Barcelona this summer. “It’s likely that this was my last game in Munich,” he said after the league’s top scorer award ceremony in May. I can’t say 100 per cent, but it probably is. I want to find the best solution for me and the club,” he said in a shocking statement.
Lewandowski said afterwards, “My journey in Munich is all over. It’s a clear fact. I don’t think there’s a possibility of continuing to play for this team,” he said, unilaterally declaring a break with Munich.
However, Munich has no intention of sending Lewandowski. “Levan Dovsky refused to renew his contract. He said he wanted to try a new challenge. But our position has not changed. Lewandowski’s contract runs through June 30, 2023. “This is true,” he said. “I can’t let him go.
Nevertheless, Lewandowski is still sticking to his attitude of leaving, but Munich also has no intention of backing down. Munich is still demanding 50 million euros (about 65.6 billion won) for his ransom. Barcelona’s three recruitment offers were reportedly rejected.
Lewandowski was shocked by the current situation, according to the media. In particular, he was greatly disappointed after seeing Munich celebrate Sadio Mane’s recruitment. Munich recruited 30-year-old Manet for 30 million euros (about 39.4 billion won) with one year left on his contract, but why not send him to 40 million euros (about 52.5 billion won) in transfer fees?
The reason why Munich so firmly blocked his transfer was because of the influence of former chairman Uli Hohenes. The media said, “President Salihamizi 단 and CEO Oliver Khan can accept the negotiation, but former chairman Hoennes is sticking to the transfer fee of 50 million euros. He is a member of the Munich Advisory Committee and still has great influence.
Soccer star Gareth Bale (33), whose contract with Real Madrid ended, has been decided to go to the U.S.
Bale posted a message on his SNS on the 26th (Korea Standard Time) saying, “See you soon, Los Angeles.” He also posted a photo of him wearing the LAFC uniform of the U.S. Major League Soccer (MLS).
Bale’s contract with Spain’s Real Madrid ended after the 2021-22 season. When Bale moved to Real Madrid in 2013, it drew a lot of attention as it recorded the highest transfer fee in soccer history (50085 million, about KRW 135.4 billion).
However, Bale and Real Madrid did not go smoothly. At first, he was on a roll as the team’s ace. He fired up his fighting spirit regardless of the competition. In particular, in the 2017-18 UEFA Champions League final, he entered as a substitute and scored a winning goal and a wedge goal one after another, becoming the top contributor to the championship.
However, Bale spent more time suffering from injuries than playing on the ground. Controversy over his attitude continued. It was pointed out that he neglected to train and only fell in love with golf. There was also a feud with former Real Madrid coach Zinedine Zidane.
Fans also turned their backs on him as he did not show any signs of trying hard despite receiving one of the team’s best weekly salaries. Last season, Bale made only seven appearances in La Liga and UCL, scoring one goal.
However, Bale has shown a completely different side to the Wales squad. He showed off his robustness by leading Wales to the World Cup finals for the first time in 64 years.
The once-flowing possibility of retirement has sunk below the surface with Wales’ World Cup berth. At the same time, attention was focused on Bale’s next destination.
Some said he will return to his former team Tottenham Hotspur in the English Premier League. It was also predicted that he would go to Cardiff City, the English Championship (second division), a Welsh-based team, to focus on the Welsh national team.
But Bale’s final choice was LAFC. LAFC is ranked first with 9 wins, 3 draws, 2 losses, and 30 points in the ongoing Western Conference this season.
Giorgio Kielini (37), a leading defender of Italy and Juventus, joined LAFC in June. South Korean national team fullback Kim Moon-hwan also played for the team from last year to early this year.
In the English Premier League (EPL), Tottenham Hotspur’s head coach Antonio Conte’s unique intensive pre-season physical training was also held in Korea. Harry Kane as well as Son Heung-min, who is familiar with this climate, collapsed during the intense training in the hot and humid weather in Korea.
Tottenham held an “open training” with fans at the Seoul World Cup Stadium on the afternoon of the 11th. Tottenham will play the first game of the Coupang Play Series against the K-League All-Star Team K-League at 8 p.m. on the 13th.
Tottenham held a Rondo game, passing training, and tactical training for about an hour and a half. For the last 30 minutes, physical training was conducted to repeat the sprint from the goalpost to the opposite goal post.
The players played sprints 42 times under the direction of their physical coach, and eventually Kane and Son Heung-min and other players made painful faces. Son Heung-min and others were also seen lying on the ground as if they were out of breath.
Tottenham players who arrived in Korea on the 10th had difficulty in physical training in Korea’s hot and humid weather, which they faced without adjusting to the time difference.
Football London, a British media outlet, also noted Tottenham’s physical training in Korea. “Conte’s pre-season physical training is already notorious. Since the days of Juventus (Italy), it has been called a “preseason nightmare,” he said adding, “Many players have collapsed due to the brutal training in Korea, which is hot and humid.”
“In particular, Son Heung-min and Kane collapsed, but after a while, they ran again thanks to the fans’ support. The last player to survive the nightmare training was Troy Parrot,” he said in detail.
Meanwhile, more than 6,000 fans were present at the stadium, watching over two hours of training until the end.
Dejan Kulusevsky (22, Tottenham) held his legs in the first public training session on the Korean tour.
Tottenham Open Training took place at Seoul World Cup Stadium from 6 p.m. on the 11th. 26 players from Tottenham’s first team, including Son Heung-min, Harry Kane, Hishalisson, Eric Dyer, and Hugo Lloris, stepped on the Sangam ground. They responded by waving their hands to the cheers of their fans.
Among them, Kulusevsky could not be seen for long. After a short conversation with the coaches, he entered the locker room. It doesn’t seem to be a serious injury from walking out in personally appear to be a serious injury. Kulusevsky played in the main team with Son Heung-min and Kane until he was excluded from training.
Tottenham’s training continued even after Kulusevsky left. They continued to build up and attack using two-thirds of the ground. When goalkeeper Lloris handed the ball to the defense, it was a training session to distribute passes through the side to the front line.
After the training, running to and from the ground continued. The training ended after about 20 round trips. At the end of the training, Son Heung-min and Kane collapsed exhausted. Fans who saw the scene applauded once again to cheer up the players.
Tottenham formed a ‘SKKR offensive team’ ahead of the new season. The team has set up the strongest offensive team in the English Premier League (EPL) by adding existing resources Son Heung-min (S), Kane (K), and Kulusevsky (K) and Hishalisson (R). Hishalisson is a Brazilian striker who left Everton for Tottenham in early July. Tottenham handed Hishalisson the ninth uniform.
Tottenham will play the first game of the “Coupang Play Series” against the Team K League at Seoul World Cup Stadium at 8 p.m. on the 13th. On the 16th, he will play the second game against Sevilla at Suwon World Cup Stadium and finish his tour in Korea.
Spain’s Real Madrid ace Vinicius Junior (22) cut his long hair.
Real uploaded a photo of the players training on the 11th (Korea Standard Time). The most eye-catching hairstyle is Vinicius’s. He had long hair until vacation, but he appeared with short hair at the training ground.
The reason was to focus on the upcoming new season. According to Madrid John, when Real coach Carlo Ancelotti (63) asked, “Why did you cut your hair?” Vinicius replied, “It’s time to be serious.”
It is a remarkable professionalism. Even when Vinicius was on vacation on the island of Ibisa, Spain, he reportedly trained himself in his spare time.
In fact, Vinicius also showed the result of his efforts. Brazilian striker Vinicius scored 17 goals and 10 assists in 35 league games last season and four goals in 13 European Champions League matches. Thanks to this, Real won the league and the European Champions League.
But Vinicius is not satisfied and is trying to grow further. He deserves to be called the ace of prestigious club Real.
Vinicius Junior will continue to play for Real Madrid.
Fabrizio Romano, an expert on the European football transfer market, said on the 10th (Korea Standard Time), “Real Madrid’s Vinicius Junior signed a new contract. The new contract runs until 2027, and is what Chairman Florentino Perez wanted. This renewal was agreed verbally last month. Real will decide when to make an official announcement.
He is a striker who will be responsible for Real’s future. Born in 2000, Vinicius joined Real in 2018 after playing Brazilian Flamengo Youth. The transfer fee at the time was 45 million euros (about 59.5 billion won), a transfer fee that shows how much Real expected from Vinicius, who was 18 years old at the time.
After entering Real, he gradually began to take the opportunity. In the first season of the transfer, he played in 18 league games and played well with one goal and two assists, and in the 2019-2020 season, he gradually increased his playing time with 29 league games and three goals and two assists.
But it wasn’t a definite starting point. In the 2020-21 season, he played 35 games in the league, but his total playing time was 1971 minutes, with an average of about 56 minutes. In addition, Real seemed to have no place for Vinicius, with Eden Hazard recruited as a left winger.
However, Hazard suffered the worst slump and chances began to come little by little to Vinicius. It then exploded completely in the 2021-22 season. Vinicius, who left a disappointment in his decision-making ability, became a player with decision-making power in addition to his strength of speed last season.
He made a leap as Europe’s best winger last season. Vinicius scored 17 goals in a total of 35 games in the 2021-22 season, ranking second in the team’s most goals scored after Karim Benzema and third in the league’s scoring rankings. He also finished third in the league with 10 assists.
He also led the team to become the European champion. Vinicius also led his team to its 14th career victory by scoring the winning goal against Liverpool in the UEFA Champions League final in the 2021-22 season.
Real are betting their future on Vinicius. Benzema is also 34 years old and it is difficult to see the future, so the leaders of Real have Vinicius in mind as the ace of the next attack. The renewal contract was also led by Chairman Perez himself. Expectations are high on whether another franchise star will be born in Real, which has produced numerous stars.
Three players, including K-League’s national striker Cesinha, cannot face Tottenham Hotspur due to injuries.
The Korea Professional Football Federation (President Kwon Oh-gap, hereinafter referred to as the “Federation”) said Cesinha (Daegu), Hong Jung-ho (Jeonbuk), and Um Won-sang (Ulsan) were injured and Kim Jin-hyuk (Daegu), Baek Seung-ho (Jeonbuk), and Amano (Ulsan) were selected.
Kim Jin-hyuk is a “one-club man” who has only played in Daegu since joining Daegu in 2015, except for military service. His main position is a central defender, but he is a multiplayer who can play even front-line strikers depending on the situation. He has scored 18 goals and 3 assists in 157 games in the K League.
Baek Seung-ho has scored four goals and three assists in 43 K-League games. He is a midfielder with a high pass success rate and stable game management. Based on his performance in the K League, he has been steadily listed on the national team.
Amano joined Ulsan earlier this year and challenged the K-League stage. He has fully adapted to the Korean stage by appearing in 19 games this season and scoring six goals and one assist. In particular, his sophisticated left foot is his strength, scoring direct free-kick goals in two consecutive games against Jeju in the eighth round and Daegu in the ninth round.
GK: Kim Young-kwang (Seongnam), Cho Hyun-woo (Ulsan)
DF: Kim Jin-soo (Jeonbuk), Lee Ki-je, Bultuis (Suwon), Jung Tae-wook, Kim Jin-hyuk (Daegu), Kim Dong-min (Incheon), Kim Ji-soo (Seongnam), Park Seung-wook (Pohang)
MF: Kim Dae-won, Yang Hyun-joon (Gangwon), Palosevic, Cho Young-wook (Seoul), Shin Jin-ho (Pohang), Lee Seung-woo (Suwon FC), Kwon Chang-hoon (Kimcheon), Lee Myung-joo (Incheon), Jeso (Jeju), Baek Seung-ho (Jeonbuk), Amano (Ulsan)
FW: Ras (Suwon FC), Joo Min-kyu (Jeju), Cho Kyu-sung (Kimcheon)
Toronto, which is ambitious to win the World Series, is on high alert. Korea-Japan ace Ryu Hyun-jin (35) and Yusei Kikuchi (31), followed by Kevin Gausman (32), a 140 billion ace.
Many media outlets, including the Canadian media Toronto Sun, are not healthy enough to play on the 10th (Korea Standard Time). Now, Toronto is aiming to take the mound on the 13th.
Ahead of this season, Gausman signed a five-year, $110 million FA contract with Toronto. This contract has been a great success for Toronto to date. He is forming a one-two punch with Alec Manoa (24), known as “Ryu Hyun-jin’s lover,” with six wins and six losses and a 2.86 ERA in 16 games this season.
Gausman’s season, which had been going smoothly, was put on hold against Tampa Bay on the 3rd. At the time, Gausman was hit by Wander Franco’s ball in the top of the second inning with two outs and a full base. As a result of the examination, it was determined that it was not a fracture due to a bruise on the right ankle, so I breathed a sigh.
But recovery is slower than expected. Toronto fans are increasingly concerned as his return has been delayed until the 11th after skipping the scheduled 6th appearance. If he fails to take the mound on the 13th, Toronto is a little early, but there is a possibility that he will declare out in the first half to protect his players. Toronto is paying keen attention to Gausman’s physical condition, which will determine his performance this season. He has only one or two chances to take the mound before the All-Star break on July 19.
Recently, Toronto has been suffering from a series of injuries to the starting lineup. The start was the season-out of the previous ace Ryu Hyun-jin. In June, Ryu Hyun-jin felt pain in his left forearm and decided to undergo an elbow ligament joint surgery (Tommy John Surzer) after two checkups. He will not be able to return until the second half of next year at the earliest.
Fortunately, Ryu Hyun-jin’s gap was filled well by Ross Stripling (33). Stripling is performing well as a substitute starter with 4 wins, 3 losses and a 3.34 ERA in 20 games.
But this wasn’t the end. On the 8th, Kikuchi was on the injured list due to a neck injury and as Gausman’s absence continued, Toronto eventually had no choice but to have a bullpen day. He also lost to Seattle 1-2 in the game on the 10th. Toronto’s performance from the game on the 3rd, when Gausman collapsed, is disastrous with 1 win and 8 losses in 9 games. The ranking also fell from second place in the American League’s Eastern District to third place in the Wild Card Division and fourth place in the Eastern District and third place in the Wild Card Division.
MLB Trade Rumors said, “Toronto has been recording 9 wins and 16 losses since June 15 (where Ryu Hyun-jin left), and its starting ERA is 5.49.
Except for Son Heung-min, Tottenham Hotspur players are experiencing South Korea’s “steam heat.”
Tottenham posted images of players training in the heat of Korea on its official Instagram on the 11th (Korea Standard Time). Tottenham players who entered Korea on the 10th are currently training at the Seoul World Cup Stadium.
Son Heung-min, who has not returned to the UK even after finishing his national team friendly schedule in June after returning home from the season, also joined his teammates and began Tottenham’s pre-season training in earnest. However, Tottenham players seemed to be struggling with the heat of Korea for the first time.
In Korea, the “steamed heat” with high temperature and humidity has been rampant every day. Striker Harry Kane, who is training in this heat, breathed hard and Dejan Kouloussky cooled off by spraying water on his head.
On the other hand, Son Heung-min was seen training with a somewhat reminiscent look on his face as he was used to training in this heat, causing laughter from domestic soccer fans. Before joining Tottenham’s teammates, Son Heung-min was spotted jogging every day on the bike path along the Han River near his residence.
Tottenham will hold an open training day and youth clinic at the Seoul World Cup Stadium today and play a friendly match against the team K League on the 13th. After playing a friendly match against La Liga powerhouse Sevilla FC at Suwon World Cup Stadium on the 16th, he plans to return to Europe after finishing his schedule in Korea.
Tottenham’s next destination after the Korean tour is Scotland. After a friendly match against Rangers FC in Scotland on the 24th, Tottenham will fly to Haifa, Israel, to finish the preseason with a showdown with AS Roma led by former Tottenham manager Jose Mourinho on the 31st.
Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) reportedly paid (198 million (about 171.1 billion won) more than the market value by recruiting Neymar (Brazil) from Barcelona (Spain) for the highest transfer fee ever.
Britain’s Gibmisport introduced 11 players who transferred at a transfer fee higher than the market value on the 10th (local time). The media mentioned players who recorded transfer fees higher than the market valuation of transfer site TransferMarkt by position.
Neymar, who recorded a transfer fee of (199.8 million (about 31.4 billion won) when he moved from Barcelona to PSG in 2017, paid 운드를198 million more than the market value of (90 million (about 140.2 billion won) at the time. In addition, PSG paid 162 million pounds (about 252.6 billion won) in transfer fees by fully recruiting Mbappe (France) from Monaco in 2018, paying 54 million pounds (about 84.2 billion won) more than the market value at the time.
Maguire (England) and Pogba (France), which were recruited by Manchester United (hereinafter referred to as Manchester United), were also found to have paid much higher market value as transfer fees. When Manchester United recruited Pogba from Juventus (Italy) in 2016, it was revealed that they paid (94.5 million (about KRW 147.3 billion), the highest transfer fee ever, and paid (31.5 million (about KRW 49.1 billion) more than the market value. Pogba left Manchester United without a transfer fee after another contract expired following 2012. Maguire (England), which Manchester United recruited from Leicester City, paid 36 million pounds (about 56.1 billion won) more than the market value. Maguire, who led the Manchester United defense last season, was also criticized for his controversial performance.
Barcelona reportedly paid (91.8 million (about 143.1 billion won) more than its market value when it recruited Dembere (France) from Dortmund (Germany. Barcelona also invested 40.5 million pounds (about 63.1 billion won) more than the market value in Liverpool’s recruitment of Coutinho (Brazil). It was also revealed that Manchester City had acquired Grillish (England), The Brynner (Belgium) and LaPorte (England) for much higher than the market value, while Liverpool paid (49.19 million (about 76.7 billion) more than the market value of Van Dyke (the Netherlands) from Southampton.