The performance of Manuel Neuer with Bayern Munich against Real Madrid in the UEFA Champions League has sparked debate in Germany over whether he should be part of the 2026 FIFA World Cup. Bayern Munich’s 2-1 win over Real Madrid in the first leg of the UEFA Champions League quarterfinals was built, in part, on Manuel Neuer’s performance. That put the veteran goalkeeper back in the spotlight, fueling debate over whether he should return to the Germany national team for the 2026 FIFA World Cup. “This version of Neuer is world-class; he belongs in the national team,” said legend Lothar Matthaus after the match, according to Marca. He also sent a message to the Germany head coach: “I hope Nagelsmann watched the match. I would love to see Neuer in this kind of form at the World Cup… but I also know that won’t happen. Nagelsmann won’t open that door.” That push comes nearly two years after Neuer’s retirement from international soccer. He chose to close that chapter of his career following Germany’s elimination from UEFA Euro 2024 in the quarterfinals against Spain. In that way, the goalkeeper said goodbye to Germany after 15 years, having first been called up in 2009. During that span, he played in four World Cups and four European Championships, and won the sport’s biggest prize at the 2014 World Cup in Brazil, defeating Argentina 1-0 in the final. In total, he made 124 international appearances and recorded 54 clean sheets. Germany coach Julian Nagelsmann. “The best players have to go to the World Cup, and Manu is by far the best goalkeeper in the world,” said former star Benedikt Howedes, who was Neuer’s teammate at the 2014 World Cup. Even a current Germany and Bayern Munich player, Aleksandar Pavlovic, shared his view: “I would never say no to Manu, no matter his age. He is still an exceptional goalkeeper.” What did Neuer say about a possible return to Germany? Those calls for Manuel Neuer’s return to the Germany national team generated enough speculation that the 40-year-old goalkeeper addressed the topic himself after the match against Real Madrid in the Champions League. “Everything has already been said about it,” Neuer replied when asked about a potential appearance at the 2026 World Cup. Instead, he chose to focus on his club objectives: “What matters now is finishing the rest of the season with Bayern. I’m enjoying my time with the team, at the club, with the coaching staff. It’s true that I’m 40 years old, but I’m still here.” How have Germany replaced Neuer? Since Manuel Neuer’s international retirement, Julian Nagelsmann has been forced to test different options in goal for Germany. Over the past two years, the coach has used three different goalkeepers in official matches and friendlies. The most-used has been Hoffenheim’s Oliver Baumann, with a total of 11 appearances. Behind him is Marc-Andre ter Stegen, who has managed just four matches due to injury issues during his time with Barcelona, which have also kept him sidelined at Girona. The third goalkeeper selected by Nagelsmann is Stuttgart’s Alexander Nubel, who has featured in three matches.

There is a concept in ancient Stoic philosophy called Amor Fati. Love of fate. The idea that a person of true character does not merely tolerate what the world throws at them. They do not grit their teeth and endure it. They embrace it. They walk toward the fire and find it warm. Marcus Aurelius… The post Lamine Yamal: The Boy Who Skipped the Development Curve first appeared on Breaking The Lines.

Paulo Fonseca arrived in Lyon after a negative experience at AC Milan, one that was not entirely his fault, but rather the fault of a nonexistent club, one of the worst in AC Milan’s history, and of a number of players who had never been with him from the start. Despite having proven himself a… The post How Paulo Fonseca got his groove back at Lyon first appeared on Breaking The Lines.

Maguire is suspended for the clash.

Harry Maguire reportedly turned down the chance to become Inter Miami’s latest high-profile signing before signing a new deal at Manchester United. The England defender penned a new one-year …

The 26-year-old Argentina forward looks set for a decisive few months, beginning with a Champions League quarter-final at Barcelona

Plus: teams who went out of Europe without losing a game, and rare competitive meetings Mail us with your questions and answers “What’s the furthest a team has gone in Europe while being relegated in the same season?” wonders Matt Reilly. This question was probably asked in reference to Tottenham, who were still in the Champions League at the time, but it’s still relevant to some of this year’s quarter-finalists. Nottingham Forest are three points above the relegation places in the Premier League; Fiorentina only have a five-point cushion in Serie A. Real Zaragoza 2001-02, first round; 2007-08, first round Alavés 2002-03, second round Celta Vigo 2006-07, last 16 Real Zaragoza 2007-08, first round Real Betis 2013-14, last 16 Espanyol 2019-20, last 32 Blackburn Rovers 1998-99, Uefa Cup first round Bradford City 2000-01, Intertoto semi-final Ipswich Town 2001-02, Uefa Cup third round Ruda Hvezda Brno 1960-61, Cup Winners’ Cup Dynamo Zilina 1961-62, Cup Winners’ Cup Espanyol 1961-62. Inter-Cities Fairs Cup Napoli 1962-63, Cup Winners’ Cup Bayern Munich 1962-63, Inter-Cities Fairs Cup 1. FC Magdeburg 1965-66, Cup Winners’ Cup Lyn 1968-69, Cup Winners’ Cup Beroe Stara Zagora 1973-74, Cup Winners’ Cup Real Betis 1977-78, Cup Winners’ Cup Bologna 1990-91, Uefa Cup First round Artmedia Bratislavia (2-2 away, 3-1 home) Group stage Sparta Prague (2-0 away), Zulte Waregem (6-2 home), Ajax (2-0 away), Austria Wien (1-0 home) Last 32 Livorno (2-1 away, 2-0 home) Last 16 Maccabi Haifa (0-0 away, 4-0 home) Quarter-final Benfica (3-2 home, 0-0 away) Semi-final Werder Bremen (3-0 home, 2-1 away) Final Sevilla 2-2 (1-3 pens)

2026 World Cup Leer

After the early exit in the Champions Cup, Lionel Messi's Inter Miami suffered a drop of four places in the CONCACAF rankings. Inter Miami have struggled to live up to the expectations that surrounded them heading into the season, suffering an early setback with an earlier-than-expected elimination from the 2026 CONCACAF Champions Cup. The Herons’ inconsistent run has now cost them in the standings, with Lionel Messi‘s side dropping four places in the CONCACAF club rankings. Ahead of the start of both the 2026 MLS season and the Champions Cup back in February, CONCACAF published their updated club rankings with Inter Miami sitting third, ahead of every MLS side and trailing only Toluca and Cruz Azul. Two months on, the picture looks considerably different for the Herons. Cruz Azul has since overtaken Toluca as the top-ranked club in CONCACAF, while Inter Miami have tumbled from third down to seventh in the same two-month span. The Herons have been leapfrogged by Seattle Sounders, LAFC, Club America and Tigres UANL, all of whom have boosted their standing by advancing to the quarterfinals of the current Champions Cup. Nashville’s series: the biggest blow for Inter Miami As CONCACAF explains, its rankings are calculated using a weighted system that factors in performances across domestic leagues, national cups, continental tournaments and global competitions. Inter Miami had climbed to third on the strength of their 2025 MLS Cup triumph, but their recent results have steadily eroded that standing. Lionel Messi #10 of Inter Miami CF dribbles the ball against Jeisson Palacios #4 of Nashville SC. The most damaging blow came in the CONCACAF Champions Cup, where Messi and company entered directly at the Round of 16 and were promptly knocked out by Nashville SC in a shocking upset. Combined with an inconsistent MLS campaign featuring three wins, two draws and one defeat, the Herons have seen their status as one of the continent’s dominant clubs take a significant hit. Are Inter Miami relying too much on Messi? Inter Miami’s slide in the CONCACAF rankings is also a reflection of a broader concern about the team’s overall trajectory, having fallen short in one of their primary objectives for the 2026 season. The issue is not a decline in Messi’s individual level, but rather the extent to which the team has become dependent on him to produce. Through six MLS games, Inter Miami have scored 11 goals, with Messi leading the way as the team’s top scorer with five. No other player has managed more than one goal, with the rest of the tally spread across six different scorers including Mateo Silvetti, Telasco Segovia, Rodrigo De Paul, Gonzalo Luján, Micael and most recently Luis Suárez, while designated strikers Tadeo Allende and German Berterame have struggled to find the net. The lack of firepower from the supporting cast is further highlighted by Messi’s own numbers, as the Argentine has yet to register a single assist through five MLS appearances despite posting an expected assists figure of 1.71 on SofaScore and averaging 2.2 key passes per game. After finishing the 2025 regular season with 81 goals in 34 games, a rate of 2.4 per match, Inter Miami’s current average of 1.8 goals per game is a sign of a team running well below its capabilities, and a problem head coach Javier Mascherano will need to address sooner rather than later.

Ecuador se impuso ante Uruguay y sumó tres puntos importantes para mantenerse líder en la tabla. Colombia superó a Chile por la mínima y escaló posiciones en el Grupo A. La CONMEBOL Sub17 2026 disputó la primera jornada del Grupo A correspondiente a la Fecha 3, este martes 7 de abril, en el estadio CARFEM de Ypané – Paraguay. La selección ecuatoriana venció 2-1 a Uruguay y se mantiene como líder de la tabla. Por su parte, Colombia superó 1-0 a Chile en un duelo parejo, imponiéndose por la mínima diferencia para quedarse con tres puntos importantes en su camino hacia la clasificación. Ver esta publicación en Instagram Una publicación compartida de CONMEBOLtorneos (@conmeboltorneos) Próxima jornada – 8 de abril – Fecha 3 | Grupo B: Bolivia vs. Perú – Estadio Ameliano, Villeta. Venezuela vs. Argentina – Estadio Ameliano, Villeta. Ecuador 2-1 Uruguay - Grupo A Ecuador superó 2-1 a Uruguay en el duelo inaugural de la jornada y se mantiene como líder del grupo. Jhon Chica abrió el marcador para Ecuador a los 12’, mientras que Nicolás Scotti igualó a los 28’ para la ‘Celeste’. En la segunda mitad, Steven Guerrero anotó a los 67’ y selló el triunfo para la ‘Tri’. Ver esta publicación en Instagram Una publicación compartida de CONMEBOLtorneos (@conmeboltorneos) - Números del partido - Ecuador ganó cuatro de sus últimos seis partidos contra Uruguay en CONMEBOL Sub17 (2D), después de haber ganado solo uno de sus anteriores cinco duelos con la Celeste en el torneo (2E 2D). Desde 2009, Ecuador arranca un CONMEBOL Sub17 sin derrota en sus primeros tres partidos (2V 1E) por cuarta vez, tras 2011 (2V 1E), 2015 (3V) y 2019 (2V 1E). Hólger Quintero (1G 1A) es el primer jugador de Ecuador que marca y asiste en esta edición del CONMEBOL Sub17, mientras que Nicolás Scotti (1G 1A) es el primero que lo hace para Uruguay en el torneo en 2026. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PdtXlEVNX10 Colombia 1-0 Chile - Grupo A Colombia se impuso 1-0 a Chile y escaló posiciones en la tabla del Grupo A. José Escorcia anotó el único tanto del encuentro a los 49' de la primera etapa. Ver esta publicación en Instagram Una publicación compartida de CONMEBOLtorneos (@conmeboltorneos) - Números del partido - Colombia anotó su segundo gol de penal en las últimas dos ediciones del CONMEBOL Sub17, con la apertura del marcador hoy ante Chile. De hecho, solo el conjunto colombiano y el chileno tienen más de un gol por esta vía en este lapso, ambos con dos. Colombia realizó 25 remates ante Chile en este partido, la mayor cantidad de disparos en un encuentro de la actual CONMEBOL Sub17, junto a lo hecho por Paraguay ante Ecuador. Colombia extiende su invicto actual en CONMEBOL Sub17 a cinco partidos (3V 2E), su mejor racha en el torneo desde una similar en 2009 (3V 2E). https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8c60Vh-zLkU – Dónde ver – Ver esta publicación en Instagram Una publicación compartida de CONMEBOLtorneos (@conmeboltorneos) CONMEBOL.com/OPTA