Sports
Varane announces Man Utd exit at end of season
By Francesca Hangeior.
Raphael Varane announced on Tuesday he will leave Manchester United at the end of the season when his contract expires following a three-year spell at Old Trafford.
The former France defender, 31, arrived at the club from Real Madrid in 2021 for an initial fee of about £34 million ($43 million) and has made 93 appearances, scoring twice.
He was part of the team that won the club’s first trophy for six years — the 2023 League Cup.
Varane, whose United career has been disrupted by injuries, has not played since a 4-3 defeat to Chelsea on April 4 but hopes to be available again before the end of the campaign.
“To you guys, supporters of Manchester United it’s been an amazing few years to play for this special club and wear that shirt,” Varane said on social media.
“The first time I went to Old Trafford as a Man United player was insane, the atmosphere was amazing.
“I fell in love with the club, with the fans. You have to play for Man United to understand what that represents.”
The 2018 World Cup winner added: “Despite the fact we had a difficult season, I’m very positive for the future. The new owners (United co-owner Jim Ratcliffe) are coming with a clear plan and a great strategy.”
United issued a statement saying Varane had confirmed his exit, saying he had brought a “great deal of class and experience to the team”.
“It is unflappable work at the heart of the defence that Rapha is most recognised for, as he has shown his undoubted quality since joining the club,” the club added.
United have endured a nightmare season, languishing in eighth place in the Premier League with 14 defeats and they look unlikely to qualify for Europe.
Erik ten Hag’s men have two league matches left, against Newcastle and Brighton, before they face Manchester City in the FA Cup final on May 25.
Sports
Champions League: PSG, Dortmund win, Inter Milan hold Man City
Paris Saint-Germain needed a late dose of luck to beat Girona 1-0 in the UEFA Champions League on Wednesday night.
The Ligue 1 champions toiled against the debutants at home for 88 minutes without finding the back of the net.
However, Nuno Mendes’ low cross was fumbled into his own net by goalkeeper Paulo Gazzaniga.
England Under-21 winger Jamie Gittens’ double set last year’s Champions League finalists Borussia Dortmund on their way to a 3-0 victory at Club Brugge. Serhou Guirassy scored the third from the penalty spot.
Manchester City and Inter Milan played out a goalless draw at the Etihad.
In Scotland, Celtic thrashed Slovan Bratislava 5-1 to record their biggest win in the competition ever.
Sports
Rising Nigerian Football Star, Hadriel Gets Elite X1 Canada Invitation
Eleven year old high rising Nigerian football star Hadriel Chukwuziterem Opara who has been attracting the attention of football coaches and scouts has been selected as one of the 12 players across Canada that will represent Elite X1 Canada in the prestigious NIKE powered Norwich City Mna Cup UK taking place from October 10-14, 2024.
According to the letter of invitation from the organisers, the tournament will enable the players engage in top level competition with 16 academy teams from renowned clubs like Liverpool, Arsenal, Borussia Dortmund, Chelsea, Inter Milan, Sporting Lisbon and Norwich City.
The invitation letter also noted that the players will be exposed to world class facilities at Norwich City FC’s State-of-the – art Lotus training centre featuring advanced training environments like the exclusive Soccer Bot 360 system.
The organisers while stating that the tournament will enable the players showcase their talents on an international stage, assured that all the matches will be filmed, providing a valuable footage that could open doors to future opportunities.
Meanwhile Hadriel a Pepsi Academy product who has not hidden his intention of playing for the National U-15 team noted that he’s humbled by the invitation expressing hope that the programme will help him further improve his football skill.
Sports
Just in: Delta grabs first position at national youth games
WITH 41 gold, 27 silver , and 30 bronze medals totalling 98, Delta State has emerged the winner of the 8th edition of the National Youth Games ( NYG), tagged Asaba 2024.
Latest update of proceedings released on Wednesday night showed that Lagos State has outpaced erstwhile second placed Edo State with a total medals haul of 62, comprising 25 gold, 19 silver and 18 bronze medals respectively .
Edo State is placed third with 17 gold, 12 silver and 24 bronze medals respectively.
Ebonyi and Zamfara States could not land any medal to their credit during the games, according to the medals table update so far.
The NYG is expected to come to a close today (Thursday), with the closing ceremony at the Stephen Keshi international Stadium, Asaba, the Delta, Nigeria.
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