World Cup News

Italy legend Dino Baggio shared his opinion on why Diego Maradona is considered even better than Lionel Messi. Approaching the end of his professional career, Lionel Messi is regarded by many as the greatest player of all time. However, in that debate, other heavyweights come into play, such as Diego Maradona, whom Italy icon Dino Baggio considered the number one. During an interview with Diario AS, the former Juventus and Parma midfielder was asked about his view of modern soccer, particularly Serie A, comparing it with the 1980s and 1990s. Baggio acknowledged that it was more difficult to play in Italy back then: “Perhaps Messi could have had problems here in his day.” That led the conversation toward the differences in soccer over the years. Dino based his opinion on the fact that a few decades ago referees were more lenient when it came to physical contact, resulting in a harsher sport for talented players. “Today, fouls are called before contact, practically,” Baggio noted, before highlighting who he considered the best player in the world during those years. “Maradona, in modern times, would score a thousand goals per season. You can’t imagine what they would hit him with when he was at Napoli,” said the 1994 FIFA World Cup finalist. Dino Baggio playing for Italy vs England in a World Cup qualifier in 1997. Immediately, Dino Baggio compared the two Argentine superstars and pointed out the difference between them: “Messi, back then, would have been equally brilliant, but completely, absolutely crushed. That’s why I say Diego was the greatest. The God of world soccer.” Comparisons between Messi and Maradona Dino Baggio is not the first to highlight the contrast between the leniency of the past and the extreme caution of modern soccer. This is usually one of the arguments used to place stars from previous decades, like Diego Maradona, Pele, or Alfredo Di Stefano, above modern geniuses like Lionel Messi or Cristiano Ronaldo. Some statistics support this view. FIFA shared an analysis on its official website a few years ago regarding the number of fouls committed in each edition of the World Cup (with records starting in Chile 1962) and the players who were most frequently fouled. There is an indisputable leader in the rankings. Diego Maradona is the player who received the most fouls in World Cup history, totaling 152 across his four tournaments (1982, 1986, 1990, and 1994). He doubles the second player on the list, Lionel Messi, who was fouled 75 times across his five tournaments from 2006 onwards. Further down are Brazil’s Jairzinho (64), Neymar (60), and Portugal’s Cristiano Ronaldo (58). The most astonishing fact is that Maradona ranks first, second, and third for the most fouls received in a single World Cup. In Mexico 1986, he was fouled 53 times; in Italy 1990, 50 times; and in Spain 1982, 36 times. Only in fourth place does another player appear—curiously also Argentine—Ariel Ortega, with 33 fouls in France 1998.

Zidane watches from the stands as Mbappé keeps Madrid breathing. Leer

Former Arsenal and Wales star Aaron Ramsey has officially retired from professional football with immediate effect.

The London Card Show is back and bigger than ever before as it prepares for its first event at Excel London. Once hosted in a sports hall, it’s now set to welcome thousands of trading card co…

ARNE Slot's men travel to France for the first leg of their Champions League quarter final against PSG on the back of an FA Cup hammering. And a trip to face the reigning European champions is probably the last thing they need after being spanked 4-0 by Manchester City. Luis Enrique's side saw off another...

Liverpool renew hostilities with Paris Saint-Germain on Wednesday night in a thrilling Champions League quarter-final clash, live on talkSPORT. Last year’s edition saw the Reds suffer a heart…

Xabi Alonso is gearing up for a return to management. Sources close to the Spaniard have indicated he is looking to get back to work after being sacked by Real Madrid in January. The Liverpool lege…

Former Everton and Real Madrid star was rushed to hospital with severe dehydration during Colombia's World Cup warm-up match against France

Who is the leading contender?

Steven Gerrard has named Bayern Munich winger Michael Olise as his dream transfer target to replace Mohamed Salah at Liverpool.

Steven Gerrard doesn’t want Arne Slot to lose his job, but the next three games have him worried for the manager’s position. Liverpool’s iconic ex-captain has been touted as a pot…

JAMES RODRIGUEZ’s club have shut down rumours that the Colombia midfielder has a potentially fatal muscle-wasting condition. The former Everton star, 34, was in hospital for three days after suffering from “severe dehydration” following his country’s friendly defeat to France in the US on March 29. Colombia’s football federation had revealed he had been in...

Former Everton and Real Madrid playmaker James Rodriguez was hospitalised after a World Cup warm-up game against France leading to serious concerns

Colombian star James Rodriguez returned to training with Minnesota United on Monday, six days after he was hospitalized with severe dehydration. Rodriguez, 34, played for Los Cafeteros in their 3-1 loss to France in a friendly on March 29 and afterwards began experiencing symptoms of dehydration that worsened. The following day, he was diagnosed with severe dehydration […] The post James Rodriguez returns to individual training at Minnesota United appeared first on Soccer America.

Max Dowman is a better player than Jude Bellingham was at his age, according to ex-Premier League manager Alan Pardew. The 16-year-old Arsenal star scored a stunning solo goal for England’s U…

Liverpool star Ibrahima Konate wants his future resolved before this summer's World Cup in the United States, Canada and Mexico.

Virgil van Dijk has apologised as he suggested Liverpool gave up during their FA Cup thumping at Manchester City. The Reds were dumped out of the FA Cup as they were thrashed 4-0 during their quart…

Zinedine Zidane's return to management is imminent, with the France job supposedly his, but according to reports in Spain he has been heavily pursued by one Premier League club in the past.

Rodriguez played for his country earlier this as Colombia were beaten 3-1 by France in a friendly game ahead of the summer's World Cup, and was rushed to hospital soon after.

Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta confirmed Gabriel will be assessed after he picked up an injury in the Gunners’ FA Cup defeat to Southampton. The Brazilian was forced off in the 72nd minute against…

Valentin Barco has agreed terms on a six-year contract at Chelsea to join from sister club Strasbourg, talkSPORT understands. The 21-year-old will join the Blues in the summer, with the deal, which…

Rayan Cherki delivered a ‘virtuoso’ display in Manchester City’s demolition of Liverpool – he reminded us how football should be played. Those were the words of talkSPORT…

Gabriel Jesus has described Arsenal youngster Ethan Nwaneri as a 'killer' and believes the teenager is the best finisher he has seen in training.

Rayan Cherki was ordered to remove Hugo Ekitike's Liverpool shirt on the Manchester City bench during their FA Cup tie on Saturday.

Marseille head coach Habib Beye has warned Arsenal loanee Ethan Nwaneri that parts of his game still need to be 'much stronger'.

Possible Arsenal starting XI against Southampton, injury team news and how to watch the FA Cup quarter-final on TV and live stream today.

Here are the top five Easter weekend games to watch from an American perspective. The post Top 5 games this weekend: Tracking U.S. World Cup hopefuls in France, MLS, England and Italy appeared first on Soccer America.

Manchester United legend Paul Scholes has snubbed Michael Carrick and named the 'perfect' manager to take over at Old Trafford.

Gareth Bale has recommended 'genius manager' Carlo Ancelotti to Manchester United as they prepare to appoint Ruben Amorim's replacement.

Mikel Arteta has confirmed three of his Arsenal stars will miss this weekend’s FA quarter-final clash with Southampton.

Roberto Mancini is one of three candidates drawn up to replace Gennaro Gattuso as Italy boss, talkSPORT understands. Gattuso has officially stepped down from his role following their failure to qua…

On Thursday, the Colombian Football Federation released a statement confirming the former Real Madrid star had spent 72 in the hospital.

World Cup author Dominic Hougham joins Martyn to see France break a bit of a hoodoo, West Germany bore their way past Morocco, Bobby's boys march on despite another shaky start and Denmark absolutely losing their collective mind. Italy v France - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nV1Ocz4GyzY Morocco v West Germany - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zNA2e_cdt4I England v Paraguay - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J672j5Ko_xg Denmark v Spain - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x9FHL5bFXYo If you want weekly exclusive bonus shows, join our Nessun Dorma community chat, want your episodes without ads and a couple of days earlier or just want to support the podcast, then head over to ⁠⁠⁠patreon.com/NessunDormaPodcast⁠⁠⁠ where you can subscribe for only $3.99 a month (less than 75p a week!). Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

There are a whole host of games taking place on Good Friday, with a full EFL programme in England supplemented by action in Spain’s La Liga and Ligue 1 in France. GET £40 IN FREE BETS WHEN YO…

The Real Madrid forward, who moved to France to seize opportunities and earn a spot for the 2026 World Cup, comes out of the latest international break strengthened. Leer

The Colombian federation released a statement saying that Rodríguez's dehydration episode "is not linked to his footballing activities."

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.

The Frenchman opened up about his defensive side Leer

Igor Thiago was booed before scoring his first international goal for Brazil on Tuesday. The striker’s own fans jeered him as he stepped up to take a penalty in their victory over Croatia. Th…

Roberto De Zerbi has apologised over previous comments made about Mason Greenwood in his first interview as Tottenham Hotspur boss. The Italian defended ex-Manchester United striker Mason Greenwood…

The first open sale of tickets for the 2026 World Cup final show that FIFA are selling some for just shy of $11,000 – around £8,333. Reports suggest that is the most expensive ticket for gene…

Bryan names the legendary pair as early inspirations, before speaking about a star he admired while emerging in France.

Gianluigi Buffon has resigned as the head of Italian national team delegation. It comes just two days after the four-time World Cup winners failed to qualify for this summer’s tournament. Ita…

In today's TAFC: Are France going to be the strongest team at the World Cup? And Yamal speaks out after hateful chants at a Spain match

The Real Madrid striker is preparing for his first World Cup as his country's on-field leader. The role has not been without its challenges

It sounds absurd but often being the best isn't the best way to reach a World Cup. Leer

From Algeria to Uzbekistan, our writers and contributors from around the world assess the state of the 48 nations to qualify for the tournament “There’s more talent and potential than in 2022,” Kylian Mbappé said ominously this week after France had beaten Brazil 2-1 despite having Dayot Upamecano sent off after 55 minutes. He may well be right. For the second game of this window, against Colombia, Didier Deschamps changed the entire starting XI but was still able to field an attack of Marcus Thuram, Désiré Doué, Rayan Cherki and Maghnes Akliouche. Doué scored two in a comfortable 3-1 victory. “I’m well aware that there are some very good players that I won’t be bringing because, in my opinion, there are even better ones,” Deschamps said. Marcus Christenson

Liverpool’s run-in to the end of the season has been given a gargantuan boost as Alexander Isak returns to training. The Reds confirmed the superstar striker will re-join his teammates on Thu…

Liverpool should focus on signing RB Leipzig’s £87million-rated winger Yan Diomande – Michael Olise is not a feasible option. That’s the view of The Athletic’s James Pearce,…

Italian celebrity chef Aldo Zilli has labelled the national team as a bunch ‘mummy’s boys’. Italy became the first former winners to miss out on three consecutive World Cups havin…