Deadpool and Mac are soccer club owners!

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In crazy but also awesome soccer news, Hollywood stars Ryan Reynolds, known to many as Deadpool from the hit movies, and Rob McElhenney, creator and star of hit tv show It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia have just finalized a deal that makes them owner’s of Welsh soccer club Wrexham Football Club. The deal which was first announced back in November of last year was finally finalized this Tuesday, with 100% ownership being given to “RR McReynolds Company LLC” . Both Reynolds and McElhenney contributed £2 million($2.7 USD) in equity investment to the club.

Ryan Reynolds wearing his Wrexham AFC gear.

In a mutual statement, the actors stated the following: “It is a special day for the two of us to become the latest stewards in the long and storied history of Wrexham AFC, together with the players, the staff, the fans, and the local community, we can now pursue our goal to grow the team and return it to the EFL in front of increased attendances, and in an improved stadium, while making a positive difference to the wider community in Wrexham. Wrexham AFC is only in a position to thrive because of the incredible efforts of the Wrexham Supporters Trust. Their members are a fitting reflection of the integrity and spirit of the town and they will always have an important role at the club.”

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Rob McElhenney rocking his Wrexham AFC gear.

The actors celebrated by rocking some Wrexham AFC gear, and besides announcing the new ownership, the pair also announced their plans for the club which also includes starting a women’s football team. The pair also gave a outline of how they want to run things, the following are their “4 guiding principles”:

• to protect the heritage of Wrexham AFC
• to reinforce the values of the community
• to use our resources to grow the exposure of the club at home and abroad
• and to create a winning culture

Wrexham AFC is currently 7th in the National league, looking to be promoted to the EFL League 2.

How do you guys feel about this? Please feel free to comment below, and if you enjoy this blog, go ahead amd follow. And also feel free to comment any soccer related topics to talk about, and also follow my instagram, @soccerfix365 . Olé ⚽️!

Bale returns home

Real Madrid and Tottenham have agreed to a one year loan deal to have Gareth Bale return to the club that made him a star.  The 31 year old Welsh winger was in North London on Friday finishing up the last of his medical with the team he left back in 2013 for a then world record transfer fee of £89.5 million or $115..6 million dollars.  Bale, who is coming from 7 years in Madrid comes back with quite a resume, having won the Champions League four times, La Liga title twice, as well as two UEFA Super Cups, three FIFA Club World Cups, a Copa Del Rey and a Spanish Super Cup. Aside from winning 13 cups with Madrid, Bale also put in a solid performance while he played, tallying 105 goals in 251 games where he played.

This move couldn’t come at a better time for Tottenham, as they have had an underwhelming start to their season, and Mourinho stating that the team is lacking creativity. Also the physical strain the team will be put through with the Premier League, as well as the Europa League and the Carabao Cup, Mourinho will want to avoid player injuries stacking up like last season.

As excited as Spurs fans are, they won’t be able to see their once talisman player on the pitch until sometime in October. The player still isn’t match fit and also will be recovering from a minor injury he suffered while playing for Wales during international duties. Also, Bale’s old kit number which was 11 is currently occupied by Erik Lamela, so Bale will be sporting the number 9 shirt. Here’s hoping he lives up to that number and gives the Spurs fans a flurry of goals. So, question is, do you think Bale will help turn Tottenham’s silverware drought around? Please feel free to answer and comment below, also go ahead and subscribe to the blog as well as my instagram and twitter at @soccerfix365 !

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Barcelona and Juventus do a switcheroo

Barcelona have agreed to send Brazilian midfielder Arthur to Juventus for a deal worth 81 million dollars, plus another 11 million in bonuses.  As well as Juventus sending the Catalan side Miralem Pjanic, and close to 73 million dollars.  The two sides have been in communication for weeks now, finally coming to on the morning of June 29th. 

Arthur joined Barcelona back in 2018, coming from Brazilian club Gremio.  He has won the league title as well as the Spanish Super Cup his last season.  Barcelona also released a statement with the details of the deal, also noting that the Brazilian will stay with the club until the end of the current season. 

Pjanic moving  to Barcelona was announced shortly after suprising to many including myself.  The Bosnian midfield maestro signed with the Catalan side till the end of the 2023-2024 season. Attached to his name is also a $450 million buyout clause. 

This deal is really interesting, on one side, you have the youngster Arthur heading to Juventus who are currently at the top of the Serie A.  Then, you have the seasoned pro Pjanic heading to a Barcelona team in 2nd place in the Spanish league, and who have had some under par games the last couple of matches dropping points while Real Madrid have taken the lead at the top.

It’ll be interesting to see how Juventus will utilize the youngster in the upcoming season, and where Pjanic will fit in, in an already cluttered midfield for the Catalan side.  I would like to know your thoughts on this guys, please feel free to drop a comment, also sign up to the blog as I will be trying to stay more consistent with articles, and also follow @soccerfix365 on Instagram!

 

Pogba inching towards Real Madrid

Paul Pogba, the French star playing for Manchester United is being heavily linked for a move to Real Madrid. Zinedine Zidane is said to be a big admirer of the fellow Frenchmen, and his name has been at the top of priorities for the Bernabéu side.

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Pogba was linked to the Spanish side last summer, but the move failed to come true after Manchester United would not drop the asking price for Pogba. There’s other offers coming through for Pogba, with another coming from Turin based Juventus in Italy, which would have him play along side Cristiano Ronaldo. But, all things point towards Pogba prioritising a move to the Spanish capital. Pogba’s current contract is up in 2021, United would have to decide this summer whether they want to renew or cash in on a sale before he becomes a free agent on June 30th of 2021.

Antoine Griezmann has a wonderful debut at the Camp Nou

Barcelona summer signing Antoine Griezmann had himself a great start at the Camp Nou as Barcelona came from behind to defeat Real Betis 5-2.  Griezmann, who scored twice during the match played all 90 minutes of the match.  Barcelona, who were playing without both Messi, Suarez, and Dembele, so Valverde had to tweak his line-up a bit, and instead opted for the front three consisting of Griezman, Rafinha, and Carles Perez who is a product of the Barcelona academy.  

The game initially started off on the wrong foot for Barcelona, who were coming off of a defeat in their opening season match against Athletic.  Real Betis scored on the 15th minute.  Following a rare possession error committed by Busquets, the away team took advantage and from the run of play Nabil Fekir scored, taking his tally to two goals this season.  The game remained tight for the rest of the first half but on the 41st minute, Sergi Roberto connects with Griezmann on a run, and the Frenchman connects on a volley that makes contact with his shin, but that was enough to beat Betis goalkeeper Martin.

At the start of the 2nd half, it was the Barcelona show, or should I say the Griezmann show.  Five minutes into the 2nd half, Griezmann strikes again as he shifts the ball onto his left foot and curls it around  Martin’s grasp just inside the box.  This goal paved the way for strikes from Vidal, who came in as a sub, and from Jordi Alba and Perez.

Once back in control of the game, Barcelona never really looked like they were in danger as Betis struggled with possession in the 2nd half, only being able to score once more in the 79th minute from a Griezmann possession error and Loren put it away nicely.

Griezmann who is a big basketball fan, gave homage to Lebron James during his second goal celebration doing the Lebron James powder celebration, only instead of baby powder, Griezmann did it with red and blue confetti.  Barcelona’s next match will be against Osasuna on August 31st.  Messi who hasn’t made his debut with the team is hoping for the chance against Osasuna.  Only time will tell if he will be fit to play, but in the mean time, with Griezmann’s performance should atleast relax Barcelona fans until their talisman returns to the field.  Ole’!

Welcome to the MLS St. Louis

Congrats to St. Louis for becoming the 28th team to join the MLS. Announcement was made on Tuesday, as the city was awarded an expansion team. The ownership which consist of Enterprise Holdings Foundation, makes it the first female majority owned team in MLS history. Enterprise Holdings Foundation is led by president Carolyn Kindle Betz and her female members of the Taylor family. The rest of the investor group also involves World Wide Technology CEO Jim Kavanaugh Holdings executive chairman Andy Taylor.

In his announcement MLS commissioner Don Garber said, “It is with great pride that we welcome St. Louis to Major League Soccer. St. Louis is a city with a rich soccer tradition, and it is a market we have considered since the leagues inception.”

The team will begin playing in 2022, and the planning for team name, mascots, badge and colors is beginning immediately. St. Louis really does have a strong presence in U.S. Soccer, with players like Taylor Twellman and Brad Davis being from the beautiful city, as well as Brian McBride playing college soccer at Saint Louis University. Also the youth development in the city is doing fairly well, with producing players like Tim Ream, who plays in Fulham, and Will Bruin who plays in the MLS for the Seattle Sounders.

Neymar out for over two months

Paris Saint-Germain will be down star player Neymar who picked up an injury last Wednesday when his side played against Strasbourg during their French cup encounter. Thankfully the injury won’t require surgery, but will have him sidelined for up to 10 weeks. Which means Neymar will miss both legs of Paris St. Germain’s games against Manchester United once the Champions League starts again.

PSG released a club statement which read: “On Tuesday evening Paris Saint-Germain gathered together a group of world-renowned medical experts at the Ooredoo Training Centre to carry out a thorough review of the injury to Neymar Jr.’s right foot, sustained against RC Strasbourg in the Coupe de France round of 16 match on Jan. 23. After detailed analysis by the specialists, a consensus was reached of a conservative treatment of Neymar Jr.’s injury to the fifth metatarsal. Informed of this recommendation, Paris Saint-Germain’s Brazilian international striker agreed with this protocol. As a result Neymar Jr. is expected to return on the field within 10 weeks. Paris Saint-Germain sends its strongest support and encouragement to Neymar Jr. to overcome this injury, with the courage and determination that the player has always shown.”

This is the second time Neymar has injured his fifth metatarsal on the same foot as well. Based on PSG’s recovery time frame, Neymar should be back in action mid-April. ⚽️Olé!

Monaco suspend manager Thierry Henry

Monaco has suspended manager Thierry Henry while deciding what to do with the French manager. Monaco , who were 2017 French champions are finding themselves in the relegation zone this season. They have been off to a very underwhelming campaign this season with only 5 wins in their last 20 games.

As of now, Frank Passi who was hired as Henry’s assistant will take the helm of manager as the club is deciding Henry’s fate with the club. Recently, Henry has issued an apology after he used foul language aimed at insulting Strasbourg defender Kenny Lala after Monaco’s 5-1 defeat on Saturday.

This is Henry’s first managerial role since leaving the Belgium national team as assistant. I’m hoping Henry turns the ship around, as a player he was one of my favorites, and his career in Arsenal was stuff of legends. Let’s hope he figures it out in time. Olé ⚽️!

 

World Cup Group Stage Predictions

So with the World Cup underway, I want to know everyones group stage predictions, who finishes first, and second to move forward into the round of 16. Here are mine:

GROUP A:

1. Russia
2. Uruguay

GROUP B:

1. Spain
2. Portugal

GROUP C

1. France
2. Denmark

GROUP D

1. Croatia
2. Argentina

GROUP E

1. Brazil
2. Serbia

GROUP F

1. Mexico
2. Germany

GROUP G

1. Belgium
2. England

GROUP H

1. Colombia
2. Poland

Once the group stage is set, and the Round of 16 spots are filled, I’ll let you know my predictions. Let me know what you guys think of the group stage as of now, as well as who you think the top 2 from each group would be in the comments below, and ofcourse subscribe! ⚽

Nike FC new releases!!!

Nike FC finally is finally coming out with some new items! Let me know what you guys think of the collection so far. Cop or not? Let me know what you guys think in the comments. Olé!