P.S.G.’s Star System Has Run Its Course

Even with Messi, Mbappé and Neymar, the French champion is a Champions League also-ran once again. Is buying local the way forward?

#diacre-corinne, #mbappe-kylian-1998, #messi-lionel, #paris-st-germain-fc-soccer-team, #soccer, #uefa-champions-league-soccer

Kylian Mbappé Is Ready to Make Messi’s Moment His Own

The France and Argentina stars are teammates at Qatar-owned Paris St.-Germain. But when they collide in the World Cup final, both have much to gain, and a lot to lose.

#mbappe-kylian-1998, #messi-lionel, #neymar, #paris-st-germain-fc-soccer-team, #pele-1940, #soccer, #world-cup-2022-soccer

It’s the World Cup Souvenir Everyone Wants. Getting One Is the Hard Part.

A game-worn Lionel Messi jersey is the most coveted collectible in Qatar. Good luck getting hold of the one (or two) he wears in the World Cup final.

#barcelona-soccer-team, #mbappe-kylian-1998, #memorabilia-and-souvenirs, #messi-lionel, #paris-st-germain-fc-soccer-team, #soccer, #world-cup-2022-soccer

Kylian Mbappé on Champions League Dreams, P.S.G. and Real Madrid

In a rare interview, the French soccer star discussed chasing the Champions League title, supplanting his teammate Lionel Messi as world player of the year and the possibility of a move to Real Madrid.

#internal-sub-only, #macron-emmanuel-1977, #mbappe-kylian-1998, #paris-st-germain-fc-soccer-team, #real-madrid-soccer-team, #soccer, #uefa-champions-league-soccer

Bayern Munich and the Myth of Competition

In several of Europe’s top leagues, it already feels like the title race is over. But is dominance what fans really want?

#barcelona-soccer-team, #bayern-munich-soccer-team, #english-premier-league, #lewandowski-robert-1988, #paris-st-germain-fc-soccer-team, #soccer

The True Cost of Kylian Mbappé’s New Deal

It is easy to be dazzled by money in soccer, especially as the figures blur into incomprehension. But the numbers matter because of what comes next.

#mbappe-kylian-1998, #paris-st-germain-fc-soccer-team, #real-madrid-soccer-team, #soccer, #uefa-champions-league-soccer

Soccer’s Focus Needs to Be Product, Not Packaging

A simple rule change paved the way for the modern soccer we watch today. An obsession with Super Bowl-style changes won’t move it forward.

#english-premier-league, #internal-sub-only-nl, #khelaifi-nasser-al, #manchester-city-soccer-team, #paris-st-germain-fc-soccer-team, #soccer, #uefa-champions-league-soccer

At P.S.G., Kylian Mbappé Has to Go

Mbappé is a generational talent who deserves a bigger stage on a weekly basis than the one Paris St.-Germain can offer.

#bennett-roger-1970, #internal-sub-only, #mbappe-kylian-1998, #paris-st-germain-fc-soccer-team, #soccer

Champions League Repeats Its Draw After a ‘Technical Problem’

A buzzed-about round of 16 matchup between Manchester United and Paris St.-Germain was the result of a mistake. P.S.G. will face Real Madrid instead.

#manchester-united-soccer-team, #paris-st-germain-fc-soccer-team, #real-madrid-soccer-team, #soccer, #uefa-champions-league-soccer, #uefa-europa-league, #union-of-european-football-assns-uefa

What Happened in the P.S.G. Attack?

The assault of a top women’s player made headlines, with masked men, a metal bar and a teammate arrested. But weeks later, new details suggest the original story might have been wrong.

#abidal-eric, #assaults, #barcelona-soccer-team, #diallo-aminata-1995, #hamraoui-kheira-1990, #paris-st-germain-fc-soccer-team, #soccer

Lionel Messi Wins Record Seventh Ballon d’Or

The Paris St.-Germain star capped a year in which he led Argentina to the Copa América title by edging Bayern Munich’s Robert Lewandowski.

#ballon-dor, #barcelona-soccer-team, #lewandowski-robert-1988, #messi-lionel, #paris-st-germain-fc-soccer-team, #ronaldo-cristiano, #soccer

P.S.G. Soccer Player Aminata Diallo Released Without Charges

Aminata Diallo was arrested and questioned by the police after her teammate was pulled from a car that Diallo was driving and beaten by masked men.

#diallo-aminata-1995, #hamraoui-kheira-1990, #paris-st-germain-fc-soccer-team, #soccer

P.S.G. Women’s Player Arrested After Teammate Is Attacked

Aminata Diallo was taken into custody by investigators looking into an assault on her teammate Kheira Hamraoui.

#aminata-diallo, #harding-tonya, #kheira-hamraoui, #paris-st-germain-fc-soccer-team, #soccer

In One Moment, Messi and P.S.G. Make It All Work

The Lionel Messi goal that completed a Champions League win over Manchester City offered a flash of his past, and a glimpse of his new club’s future.

#manchester-city-soccer-team, #mbappe-kylian-1998, #messi-lionel, #neymar, #paris-st-germain-fc-soccer-team, #soccer, #uefa-champions-league-soccer

Why Are Soccer’s Stars Talking to Ibai Llanos?

A 26-year-old Spanish streamer counts Lionel Messi as an admirer and Gerard Piqué as a business partner. His interviews might be a glimpse into the future of sports media.

#barcelona-soccer-team, #ibai-llanos, #messi-lionel, #news-and-news-media, #paris-st-germain-fc-soccer-team, #soccer

From Afghanistan to the World Cup, Tiny, Wealthy Qatar Steps Up

The Gulf state played a major role in the American airlift, the latest evidence of the small but gas-rich country punching above its weight on the world stage.

#afghanistan-war-2001, #airlifts, #al-jazeera, #austin-lloyd-j-iii, #evacuations-and-evacuees, #messi-lionel, #paris-st-germain-fc-soccer-team, #politics-and-government, #soccer, #taliban, #terrorism, #thani-tamim-bin-hamad-al, #united-states-international-relations, #world-cup-2022-soccer

Soccer’s New Rich Leave the Old Guard Looking Beleaguered

European soccer’s summer trading window closed this week, with teams backed by nation states and the super rich cementing their dominance.

#barcelona-soccer-team, #paris-st-germain-fc-soccer-team, #real-madrid-soccer-team, #soccer, #trades-sports

Mbappé, Ronaldo and the South Beach Moment

Lionel Messi moved to P.S.G. because Barcelona couldn’t stop him. Kylian Mbappé may have to stay put because his club holds all the leverage.

#kane-harry-1993, #manchester-city-soccer-team, #mbappe-kylian-1998, #messi-lionel, #paris-st-germain-fc-soccer-team, #real-madrid-soccer-team, #ronaldo-cristiano, #soccer, #uefa-champions-league-soccer

Champions League: Deep Pockets, Deep Benches, English Winners

Manchester City and Chelsea seal an all-Premier League final thanks in part to resources and rosters that no club, not even their biggest rivals, can match.

#chelsea-soccer-team, #guardiola-josep, #manchester-city-soccer-team, #paris-st-germain-fc-soccer-team, #real-madrid-soccer-team, #soccer, #uefa-champions-league-soccer

Manchester City Beats PSG, Advancing to Champions League Final

With a win over Paris St.-Germain, City worked past some demons and headed to the Champions League final.

#manchester-city-soccer-team, #paris-st-germain-fc-soccer-team, #soccer, #uefa-champions-league-soccer

When the Goals Come Out of Nowhere

A Greek striker is one of the top scorers in Europe, and his play has caught the eye of big clubs. But are his goals a product of his talent, or his environment?

#chelsea-soccer-team, #european-super-league-soccer, #manchester-city-soccer-team, #paris-st-germain-fc-soccer-team, #real-madrid-soccer-team, #soccer, #uefa-champions-league-soccer

At Real Madrid, the Champions League Can Still Slip Away

A history of Champions League success is part of the fabric at Real Madrid. No club has won it more often. But rivals keep driving up the price.

#chelsea-soccer-team, #manchester-city-soccer-team, #paris-st-germain-fc-soccer-team, #perez-florentino, #real-madrid-soccer-team, #soccer, #uefa-champions-league-soccer

What Happened to Europe’s Soccer Super League?

A timeline of the Super League, which was designed to reshape European soccer and instead rained only grief on its 12 clubs in the two days before it imploded.

#bayern-munich-soccer-team, #chelsea-soccer-team, #european-super-league-soccer, #liverpool-soccer-team, #paris-st-germain-fc-soccer-team, #real-madrid-soccer-team, #soccer

FIFA’s Infantino Issues Super League Warning; P.S.G. Won’t Join It

As opposition mounts to a breakaway European league, Paris St.-Germain opted out, Manchester City’s coach spoke up and an Italian official called an architect of the plan “a Judas.”

#english-premier-league, #european-super-league-soccer, #infantino-gianni, #international-federation-of-association-football-fifa, #klopp-jurgen-norbert-1967, #liverpool-soccer-team, #paris-st-germain-fc-soccer-team, #soccer, #uefa-champions-league-soccer

Europe Plunders Paris for Talent, and PSG Pays the Price

A deep-pocketed club’s Champions League ambitions run up against a familiar obstacle: opposing rosters studded with stars who got away.

#bayern-munich-soccer-team, #borussia-dortmund-soccer-team, #liverpool-soccer-team, #manchester-city-soccer-team, #paris-st-germain-fc-soccer-team, #real-madrid-soccer-team, #uefa-champions-league-soccer

Facing P.S.G., Lille Clings to First Place as the Bottom Falls Out

Lille will play its deep-pocketed rival Paris St.-Germain for the league lead on Saturday. But not even a title may spare it from a financial reckoning.

#ligue-1-soccer, #lille-olympique-sporting-club-soccer-team, #paris-st-germain-fc-soccer-team, #soccer, #uefa-champions-league-soccer

Soccer Samples Streetwear and Likes the Fit

Juventus reimagined its look, P.S.G. partnered with Jordan Brand, and now Arsenal and Inter Milan are following suit. But soccer’s interest in design has little to do with the sport.

#adidas-ag, #art, #fashion-and-apparel, #interbrand, #juventus-soccer-team, #logos, #nike-inc, #paris-st-germain-fc-soccer-team, #ronaldo-cristiano, #soccer, #uniforms

P.S.G. Robberies Cast Light on Soccer’s Security Problem

A string of robberies at the homes of soccer stars has cast a spotlight on the wealthy athlete’s newest luxury items: protection dogs, private guards and even panic rooms.

#di-maria-angel, #england, #english-premier-league, #high-net-worth-individuals, #italy, #paris-france, #paris-st-germain-fc-soccer-team, #robberies-and-thefts, #security-and-warning-systems, #service-dogs-and-other-animals, #soccer, #spain

The Women’s Team Won a Title. Weeks Later, Owners Shut It Down.

A top women’s soccer team won its first league title last season. But as richer rivals pour money into the women’s game, Kopparbergs decided to fold rather than fight.

#kopparbergs-goteborg-soccer-team, #lavelle-rose, #manchester-city-soccer-team, #olympique-lyonnais-soccer-team, #paris-st-germain-fc-soccer-team, #soccer, #solo-hope, #uefa-champions-league-soccer, #united-states-womens-national-soccer-team

Lionel Messi, Barcelona and the Crippling Cost of Success

The world’s richest soccer club is facing a financial crisis. Executives blame the pandemic, but many of its biggest problems, including its enormous debt to Lionel Messi, are its own fault.

#barcelona-soccer-team, #bartomeu-josep-maria-1963, #messi-lionel, #neymar, #paris-st-germain-fc-soccer-team, #pique-gerard-1987, #soccer

Champions League Match Stopped After Official Is Accused of Racial Abuse

Players from the Turkish club Basaksehir and their Paris St.-Germain counterparts refused to play and left the field after a match official was accused of using racist language.

#black-people, #discrimination, #istanbul-basaksehir-soccer-team, #officiating-sports, #paris-st-germain-fc-soccer-team, #soccer, #uefa-champions-league-soccer

P.S.G. vs. Bayern Munich: Champions League Live Updates

Paris St.-Germain and Bayern Munich are meeting Sunday in the final of the Champions League, European soccer’s richest and grandest club competition.

#bayern-munich-soccer-team, #lewandowski-robert-1988, #mbappe-kylian-1998, #neymar, #paris-st-germain-fc-soccer-team, #soccer, #uefa-champions-league-soccer

Neymar Finally Grows Up

Paris St.-Germain brought in the Brazilian forward to win games like Sunday’s Champions League final. The key to achieving his goal, and the club’s, may be realizing he doesn’t have to do it alone.

#neymar, #paris-france, #paris-st-germain-fc-soccer-team, #soccer, #uefa-champions-league-soccer

Champions League Live: Bayern Munich vs. Lyon

Bayern Munich and Lyon are playing in the Champions League semifinals on Wednesday. The winner faces Paris St.-Germain in Sunday’s final. Follow here for live updates.

#bayern-munich-soccer-team, #mbappe-kylian-1998, #neymar, #olympique-lyonnais-soccer-team, #paris-st-germain-fc-soccer-team, #soccer, #uefa-champions-league-soccer

How Atalanta Inspired Hope in Bergamo in the Coronavirus Pandemic

This has been the most painful of years in Bergamo, a proud Italian city that became synonymous with the coronavirus. As it emerges from the pandemic, one bright spot has been its title-chasing soccer team.

#atalanta-soccer-team, #bergamo-italy, #paris-st-germain-fc-soccer-team, #soccer, #uefa-champions-league-soccer

Manchester City Won. Now Brace for the Losses.

City’s victory will be welcomed by rivals with deep pockets. But the demise of cost-control rules risks destabilizing teams and a sport already shaken by the coronavirus pandemic.

#manchester-city-soccer-team, #paris-st-germain-fc-soccer-team, #soccer, #uefa-champions-league-soccer, #union-of-european-football-assns-uefa

How French Soccer Fell Apart

France’s Ligue 1 is the only one of Europe’s major soccer leagues to cancel its season. What nobody yet understands is why, or even who made the decision.

#ligue-1-soccer, #olympique-lyonnais-soccer-team, #paris-st-germain-fc-soccer-team, #soccer, #uefa-champions-league-soccer