Category Sports News

Real Madrid captain Luka Modric has revealed he will leave the Spanish giants after the end of their Club World Cup campaign this summer.

The 39-year-old Croatia midfielder, the 2018 Ballon d’Or winner, will play his final match at Real’s Bernabeu home when they welcome Real Sociedad on Saturday in their final La Liga game of the season.

“The moment has arrived. The moment I never wanted to come, but that’s football, and in life everything has a beginning and an end”, Modric said on Instagram.

The Croat has won 28 trophies, including six Champions Leagues and four domestic titles, since joining Real from Spurs in 2012.

“I arrived in 2012 with the hope of wearing the jersey of the best team in the world and the ambition to do great things, but I couldn’t have imagined what came next”, he said.

“Playing for Real Madrid changed my life as a footballer and as a person.

” I’m proud to have been part of one of the most successful eras of the best club in history. “

Real will open their Club World Cup campaign against Saudi Arabia’s Al Hilal on 18 June and will also face Mexico’s Pachuca and RB Salzburg of Austria in the group stage.

Modric bagged two goals and six assists in 34 appearances in the Spanish top flight this season, as Real were pipped to the title by Barcelona.

He also featured in every game as Carlo Ancelotti’s side reached the quarter-finals of the Champions League, where they were beaten 5-1 on aggregate by Arsenal.

Following the announcement that the Irish Athletic Boxing Association (IABA) has formally joined World Boxing, Team Ireland’s future participation in the Olympic Games has been secured.

Although the Irish Boxing Association (IBA), the governing body for amateur boxing in Ireland, has a long history, IABA members overwhelmingly voted in favor of changing.

In an extraordinary general meeting in April, 116 of the 117 clubs represented approved of constitutional reform, which made it possible for an international federation to join the IBA and World Boxing.

Following a provisional recognition of World Boxing, the International Olympic Committee’s (IOC) executive board made the recommendation to include boxing in the Los Angeles 2028 summer Olympics program.

After the IOC stripped the IBA of recognition in 2023 for its failure to implement reforms in governance and finance, the IOC held the boxing competition at the Paris 2024 Games.

When the schedule for LA 2028 was first announced in 2022, the IOC had encouraged the sport’s national federations to establish a new global body.

The IOC stated that only World Boxing athletes whose national federations were members of the World Boxing organization could compete in Los Angeles at the time the 2028 Olympics qualifying events began.

Niall O’Carroll, the head of IABA’s board of directors, referred to the development as “an historic moment for Irish boxing.”

Every boxing player in the Association has a right to the Olympic dream, and their clubs have ensured that dream will continue into LA 2028 and beyond, he said.

“Irish Boxing has always valued our Olympic journey, from our first team of nine boxers in Paris in 1924, to maintaining our position as Team Ireland’s most successful Olympic sport.”

We have more Olympic podiums to climb and medals to win, but Kellie Harrington, a double Olympic gold medalist from Tokyo 2020 and Paris 2024, Katie Taylor, a champion boxer from Ireland in 1992, and Michael Carruth, a champion of boxing, are “the best of us.”

Despite a heavily crowded end-of-season schedule, England manager Thomas Tuchel is expected to name a strong squad on Friday. He is unlikely to negotiate with clubs.

According to sources, the England boss wants to work with as many players as possible and for as long as possible, so he won’t offer guarantees to Premier League managers on workload.

Before the 2026 World Cup begins, Tuchel emphasized before victories over Latvia and Albania in March that he has only 60 days and 24 sessions with his squad.

Gareth Southgate was replaced by a German manager with a mandate to win the tournament.

A six-day England training camp will take place from 4 to 10 June, with a qualifier for the World Cup in Andorra on June 7 and a friendly encounter with Senegal on June 10.

Manchester City, Chelsea, Real Madrid, and Bayern Munich will compete in the expanded Club World Cup that Fifa will host on June 15 through July 13 during the course of its expanded run in the United States.

The tournament’s participating clubs are eager to release their players from June’s international window, not just England.

Tuchel and the players’ briefing before the World Cup was made clear from their first meeting, though.

In his first team, Tuchel makes big selection calls and makes justifications in press conferences, as evidenced by the surprise calls-ups of Jordan Henderson, Marcus Rashford, and Dan Burn.

The FA cited the Club World Cup as a “significant challenge” for protecting players’ welfare, which could also have “financial implications.”

Trent Alexander-Arnold, who is currently a free agent, might also be called up because the Spanish team is attempting to complete his Liverpool transfer before the Club World Cup begins.

Phil Foden, a player from Manchester City, started Tuchel’s first game but has struggled this season.

The attacker claimed that the incident from the Manchester derby on April 6 caused him to “struggle” this season and that he has been “struggling” mentally due to “things going on off the pitch.”

If Tuchel chooses Foden, it may also spark the club versus country debate by giving him a few weeks off to get it back to 100%.

Harry Kane has been celebrating his first trophy with Bayern Munich, and England is expected to take home another one before the Club World Cup.

With their Europa Conference League final in Poland on May 28th, Cole Palmer, who missed the first games while Tuchelis was unavailable, is another player in contention for the Club World Cup with Chelsea team-mates Reece James, Levi Colwill, and Noni Madueke all in contention.

Tuchel once said in March in the club versus country debate, “We do what’s good for us.” We stay in touch with the clubs, monitor the statuses closely, and take no unprofessional risks. Because I consider the players to be first and foremost. The player should not suffer any injuries.

In the end, we take good care of ourselves, the clubs take good care of themselves, and the main focus is the players. This is where it is.

Morgan Gibbs-White, a late call-up at Nottingham Forest after missing out on the first team, is another option. Will Ipswich’s forward Liam Delap, who is in demand at various Premier League clubs, be called up for a senior role?

Rashford, an on-loan at Aston Villa, has been sidelined for several weeks with a hamstring injury, so his fitness is unknown, while Anthony Gordon, a Newcastle player, has suffered a decline in performance. Eberechi Eze, who won the FA Cup with Crystal Palace, could now have a clear shot at the left-wing position in Tuchel’s side.

Eze has scored seven goals in his past six games and is currently in excellent form in the latter part of the season. In the win over Lativa in March, he scored his first England goal.

In midfield, Tuchel might turn to teammate Adam Wharton for assistance. Although Tuchel was a member of the U21 squad during Tuchel’s first training camp, he was unable to play in the 4-2 victory over Wolves on Tuesday due to a concussion. However, he did train with the senior squad during Tuchel’s first training camp after that.

French Open 2025

Dates: May 25 through June 8th, Location: Roland Garros, Paris

Francesca Jones, a Brit, is one win away from the French Open main draw, but Dan Evans suffered a defeat in Paris’ second qualifying round.

World No. 113 Jones fought back from a set down to defeat Mai Hontama from Japan 2-6, 6-3, 6-4, in the final qualifying round.

The main draw will begin on Sunday when the 24-year-old faces Ukrainian Anastasiia Soboleva, a 230-ranked player.

Clement Tabur, the 311th-ranked Frenchman, defeated Evans 6-1, 6-3, in an effort to make his eighth appearance at Roland Garros.

After a difficult two hours and 17 minutes, Jones clearly enjoyed her second qualifying encounter.

Before Jones took control of the second set, the players exchanged six consecutive serve breaks at the start of the second.

She would win the match if she won it in four games straight, but the tension only grew as the match drew to a close with five more breakups.

Crucially, Jones was the first to dig in on serve in the second set, giving her a springboard to victory as she won her third match point.

Before turning to embrace her supporters in the crowd, the Briton exuded joy.

Former US Open champion Marin Cilic is also qualified for the final round of qualifying for the men’s event.

Ireland greats Peter O’Mahony and Conor Murray and former New Zealand captain Sam Cane have been named in the Barbarians squad for next month’s fixture against South Africa.

Flanker O’Mahony and scrum-half Murray retired from international rugby following this year’s Six Nations after decorated careers in green, while Cane ended his time with the All Blacks at the end of 2024.

The Irish duo both won five Six Nations titles and represented the British and Irish Lions during their Test careers.

Cane, also a flanker, earned 104 New Zealand caps and helped his country win the 2015 World Cup.

However, he became the first male player in World Cup history to be sent off in a final during the All Blacks ‘ defeat by South Africa at the 2023 tournament.

Baa-Baas head coach Robbie Deans says his squad will feature a “blend of high-profile global international stars, and other standout performers from European clubs, Super Rugby and the Japanese league”.

“Peter and Conor have been an integral part of the Irish team for nearly 15 years and both have amassed over hundred caps for their country and represented the British &amp, Irish Lions on a number of tours”, said Deans.

“Sam is also a Test centurion, played in the last three Rugby World Cups and captained the All Blacks from 2020-2023.

O’Mahony and Cane are poised to line out in the same back row after the pair were involved in a verbal spat during Ireland’s win over the All Blacks in Dunedin in 2022.

It happened as tempers flared after O’Mahony helped hold the ball up over the line to deny the All Blacks a late try and help Ireland secure their first ever win in New Zealand.

Cane later shrugged off the altercation, saying:” No, it’s just good rugby banter, it’s all part of the game.

“I don’t mind it. It’s good stuff”.

Cane went on to inspire New Zealand to a World Cup quarter-final win over Ireland in Paris in 2023, but insisted he did not use his history with O’Mahony as extra motivation.

“We know they’ve got a few players who like to try to get under your skin”, he said.

World Rugby has confirmed that December will be the draw for the 2027 Men’s Rugby World Cup pool draw.

The tournament, which will take place in Australia from October 1 through November 13, will now have 24 teams instead of the 20 that have previously existed since the 1999 World Cup.

Six teams of four will be divided into the teams.

So far in the tournament, 16 teams have qualified: South Africa, France, New Zealand, Italy, Ireland, Scotland, Wales, Fiji, Australia, England, Argentina, Japan, Georgia, Spain, Portugal, and Romania, two-time defending champions.

The 8 to 18 November tournament’s final qualifying event will take place in Dubai.