Sport Rants with Arique

MAJOR BREAKING: Lamine Yamal is BENCHED today against Athletic Club in the Supercopa de España semi-final in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. The teen winger is not injured and is completely fit, but the decision comes in the light of avoiding any sort of discomfort as Los Leones would give their all for a victory.

Hansi Flick wants to have a full fit and a fresh Lamine Yamal in a potential final on Sunday against one of the Madrid clubs. Roony Bardghji will start against Athletic Club today and unless Barça are unable to take a lead in the opening hours, Lamine Yamal will not play.

No Lamine-ball today but a good decision to manage his feet from Hansi Flick.

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All the four substitutes - Fermin, Olmo, Lewandowski, Pedri - have contributed with impact to turn this game around for FC Barcelona in a tough encounter against city rivals Espanyol.

Olmo and Lewandowski contributed with a goal each, Fermin with two amazing runs and assists, and Pedri with his instinct to control the midfield and the game.

But I must say playing Raphinha as a CAM is hardly working for Hansi Flick and throughout the game, which was terrible for Barça, only Lamine Yamal was creating some threats in the RCDE Stadium.

Still yet another 3 points in the bag for Barça to strengthen the lead on top of LaLiga and all thanks to none other than Joan Garcia in front of a hostile crowd that kept on whistling him for the whole 90 minutes.

Joan’s return to his childhood club’s home would have been unforgettable for him due to the hostile welcome he received but he made it even more memorable with a Player of the Match performance. The Spanish goalkeeper made 6 saves, with one of them being certainly the best save of the season and the best save of his career.

It is tough to even imagine but certainly the Blaugranas have found a goalkeeper that can change the course of a game by himself and that too for only €25.00m.

Mustafizur Rahman gets an IPL team once again and this time he will explore the tournament with Kolkata Knight Riders.

The Knight Riders have bought the Bangladeshi superstar for a whooping 9.20 crore Rupees, amounting to approximately 12.37 crore BDT. They had to fight hard with the previous owners of Mustafizur Chennai Super Kings in the bidding process, which started off with Delhi Capitals.

The Fizz becomes the most expensive Bangladeshi player to feature in the IPL - Indian Premier League despite probably having to skip the tournament halfway or so due to NOC issues for having national duties to fulfil.

Kolkata Knight Riders have bought Cameron Green for 25.20cr Rupees in IPL 2025 mini auction making him the most expensive overseas player in IPL history.

Rajasthan competed with Kolkata up until 13.40cr rupees for Cameron Green. As soon as Rajasthan left, Chennai entered the bid at 13.80cr rupees. Then Chennai and Kolkata continued going big for the Australian batting all-rounder non-stop and now, Cameron Green becomes the third most expensive IPL player of all time after Rishabh Pant and Shreyas Iyer, and right ahead of fourth-placed Mitchell Starc.

The most expensive IPL player so far in the history is Rishabh Pant for 27.00cr Rupees when Lucknow Super Giants bought him last year, and the second and fourth most expensive players are Shreyas Iyer and Mitchell Starc respectively for 26.75cr and 24.75cr Rupees when Cameron Green’s team Kolkata Knight Riders bought the Indian batter and Green’s national teammate respectively in 2025 and 2024.

Only the first set of auction took place so far for this year and we have already gotten an entertaining bidding. Can Cameron Green live up to the Andre Russell expectations of all these years for KKR?

You can clearly hear “Puta Barça” chants and whistles when Barça has the ball today in Camp Nou against Eintracht Frankfurt.

The Catalan Barça fans are nothing, but absolute thrash. They cannot even be loud and supportive at home; the away fans are being absolutely dominant, chaotic, and loud. The funny thing is there are only 2000 away fans and about 30000 home fans (correct me the numbers if I am wrong).

The only thing these home fans of FC Barcelona can do is perform the “Messi, Messi” chant for 1 minute on the 10th minute of the match and “Pedri, Pedri” chant for another minute when Pedri comes off. It seems like they are WWE fans, not Barça, as we often see such chants in WWE events!

UNPRECEDENTED ERA IN F1 COMES TO AN END.

December 12, 2021 to December 7, 2025 - the number 1 on Max Verstappen’s car will be missed which he had for 4 straight years.

Lando Norris is the World Champion this year and whether that is due to team order or if his McLaren teammate Oscar Piastri deserved it more or not is a different discussion.

But what I want to say is that Max Verstappen is surely the Driver of the Year.

Dragging that Red Bull car, which had a worse performance than last season, to a total of 421 points is a greater achievement than winning in the dominant car which Norris had with McLaren. When the Dutch Grand Prix was starting, Verstappen was trailing by 104 points from the leader Piastri at that point but today at the end of the season, he finished 11 points above Piastri and just 2 points behind Norris.

To win 6 out of the last 10 Grand Prix of the season and to claim a podium in Sao Paolo during the Brazilian Grand Prix starting from pitlane, this was yet again Verstappen showing off his monster mentality, unreal dedication, and unbeatable performance.

The history books will surely say Norris and why not? But the F1 paddock knows the truth and will always remember how Verstappen solely put an insane pressure on both the McLaren drivers. And that is summed up by the picture on this post!

LAMINE AT #10 - FULL POTENTIAL UNLOCKED?

Hansi Flick always surprises me with his lineups and for today I must say he has unlocked a side of Lamine Yamal which is certainly the scariest version of him. Lamine is playing at the traditional #10/CAM role today in the absence of Olmo and Fermin, and I must say he is living up to the full potential and even more.

Even though on paper Lamine is playing at CAM, he is moving around with full freedom and with the free role given, he is dropping down playing as box-to-box to help Eric Garcia and Pedri in recovery of the ball as well as helping the attackers to go for counters as both an RW and a CAM. Basically, he is linking up the play perfectly.

Not only that but the most important part of this setup is that the opposition defenders are heavily marking him which is a usual trait of his game. He is attracting the defenders to mark him, foul him, tackle him with his take-ons and dribbles, and that is leaving so much space for Roony and Rashford on the wings to exploit. That has so far been crucial to unlocking Roony’s potential as well.

As you can see in this picture, Lamine Yamal nutmegged the opposition, took a second touch, and played a magnificent through pass for a counter attack - you know who that reminds us of.

IF I CONSIDER PURELY TEAM AND PASSION, SØRENSEN AND HIS “BELIEVE” MOTTO ARE EDGING OVER MESSI AND MIAMI.

This isn’t just another MLS Cup Final, it is the biggest one the league and North America has ever seen, with eyes around the world tuning in. With Messi and Müller facing each other, this match is predicted to be the most watched match in the history of the MLS. But the storylines are endless, it doesn’t just contain these two superstars. Let’s start at the back and work our way forward.

Under the goal posts, Vancouver Whitecaps has the clear edge in experience. The 29-year-old Japanese keeper Yohei Takaoka has been the Whitecaps’ anchor, leading MLS in clean sheets while jump-starting attacks with his composure and distribution - showing why he is a proper ball-playing goalkeeper. Miami counters with 23-year-old Argentinian youth international Rocco Ríos Novo, who seized the starting spot in September and hasn’t looked back. A former USL Championship MVP, he’s no stranger to big moments.

On the backline, the biggest question for Vancouver is how MLS Defender of the Year Tristan Blackmon will slot back in after a shaky second half and red card against Son’s LAFC. With Mathías Laborda, Ralph Priso, and Edier Ocampo forming a steady unit during this Cup run, Tate Johnson may be the odd man out. Miami’s central pairing of 21-year-old Greek youth international Noah Allen and 28-year-old Uruguayan Maxi Falcón has quietly become one of the league’s most reliable duos. Expect a change at wingback.

On the left wingback, this will be the final match of Jordi Alba’s legendary career. The former FC Barcelona star has been a joy to watch, and there is no doubt he will definitely empty the tank one last time.

The midfield is where this match will be won. A proper like-to-like midfield battle with Vancouver edging over Miami!

For Vancouver, the partnership of Andrés Cubas and Sebastian Berhalter has already shut down Inter Miami twice this season. Add in Thomas Müller, who didn’t play in those earlier meetings but has since become the team’s rhythm-setter and transition link, and the Whitecaps enter with real confidence.

Miami relies on a single holding midfielder but that midfielder is Sergio Busquets, one of the greatest to ever play the position. Like Alba, this will be the last match of his illustrious career. His battle with Müller will be fascinating. Alongside him, Rodrigo De Paul adds relentless work rate, mirrored on the other side by another Argentine engine in Baltasar Rodríguez. Miami typically relies on Busquets’ brain and the shining in the engine room of De Paul and Baltasar.

Goals are expected, and for a great reason. Ali Ahmed and Emmanuel Sabbi have been shredding defenses all postseason, and a fully healthy Brian White, second in MLS in goals per 90 this year is crucial to the Whitecaps’ attack.

However, the individual who led the league in goals per 90 is Leo Messi. There is nothing to say about the greatest of all time. If he is not scoring, he is assisting. He is everything a team needs and rightly so he had a contribution behind each and every of Miami’s goals.

Everything Miami does funnels through him. His presence has elevated Tadeo Allende, whose 8 playoff goals have tied an MLS postseason record. But Allende missed Thursday training with the flu, so his sharpness is worth monitoring. Miami also benefits from the youthful spark of 19-year-old Mateo Silvetti, who joins Messi and Allende up front.

It feels surreal that an MLS Cup Final could feature Whitecaps Ryan Gauld and and yet another football legend Luis Suárez coming off the bench, but that’s the depth of these squads. At this stage in their careers, Gauld offers more two-way value, and if the match goes to extra time, Vancouver’s deeper bench could become a major advantage.

Jesper Sørensen and Javier Mascherano have already matched wits twice this season. Whitecaps fans will be hoping the third meeting brings the same result as the first two.

FIFA WORLD CUP? MORE LIKE GLOBAL FIASCO CREATION.

First, Donald Trump is awarded the “FIFA Peace Prize”. Second, FIFA has officially announced today that the halftime break in the upcoming FIFA World Cup 2026 final will be longer due to halftime show being hosted like the Superbowl. Third, FIFA is hosting the World Cup draw with no football personnel being there as the draw coordinator or assistants.

It seems as if as though the beautiful game that we all love, live, and enjoy is literally just getting destroyed and ruined right in front of our eyes. The aspect for which we love the game, the passion that comes from within, and the magic that evolves with time - FIFA World Cup 2026 in North America is going to destroy that and be massively successful in being the worst World Cup in the history of football.

On top of that, there is a certain delusion from these American hosts and even the President calling the game “Soccer” and not “Football”! That is absolutely ridiculous and sad to watch and hear for a true and die-hard football fan such as me.

The Western Media and the European Media did not think twice before criticising Qatar before and during hosting the FIFA World Cup 2022 even though they were doing everything right, except possibly the human rights violations which is actually legit for every other nation hosting the World Cup as well. But they eventually delivered the best World Cup experience in the history and yet the mentioned Medias criticised.

Hopefully, their sense of criticism can be relied upon regarding the fiasco that is going on so far for the FIFA World Cup 2026.

Finally, I just got to know that Haiti’s fans can’t come to the USA, Iran’s delegation was denied entry in the country, and World Cup VISAs are being denied across Africa, the Middle East, and the Caribbean. That is absurd!

52nd ODI hundred and 83rd International hundred. The 7000th International century by an individual. All these belong to one person and a person who is considered, if not the greatest, one of the greatest batters in the history of cricket. Virat Kohli is playing a banger of an innings against South Africa at home and he is playing it in an absolute blend of classic and modern fashion.

This is a proof and display of how form is temporary but class is permanent.