Portuguese Football in English
Manchester United have confirmed they have reached an agreement to bring Cristiano Ronaldo back to the club from Juventus.
Having been briefly linked with a move to Paris Saint-Germain in recent weeks, Manchester City had emerged as favourites for Ronaldo's signature over the last 48 hours. However, it is to be a return to Old Trafford, where Ronaldo spent six glorious years between 2003-2009, for the Portugal captain in one of the summer's most sensational unexpected transfers.
When Tottenham Hotspur hired Nuno Espírito Santo as the club’s new manager in July, the appointment was deemed by sections of the fanbase as an underwhelming end to a tediously drawn-out search to find a successor to José Mourinho.
Coupled with doubts over the future of wantaway talisman Harry Kane, a discernable sense of dread spread through Spurs’ pre-season preparations. However, with two rounds of the new Premier League season played, the ambience at the club has enjoyed a major upturn under former Porto boss Nuno.
Nottingham Forest 0-4 Wolverhampton Wanderers
Bruno Lage recorded his first victory as manager of Wolverhampton Wanderers and Francisco Trincão scored his first goal for the club in an impressive League Cup triumph at Nottingham Forest.
Daniel Podence also found the net as Wolves continued to demonstrate a desire to entertain with their style of play, following two frustrating 1-0 defeats in the Premier League during which Lage’s side earned praise for a positive approach.
Roma 3-1 Fiorentina
José Mourinho’s debut win on the Roma bench on Sunday saw him break a Serie A record upon his return to Italian football. A 3-1 victory against Fiorentina in the capital means Mourinho is the fastest coach to achieve 50 victories in Italy’s top flight, reaching the milestone in just 77 matches stemming from his two-year spell with Inter.
Mourinho also holds the record for the fastest coach to notch 50 victories in the English Premier League and Spain’s La Liga, and he took to social media to highlight the accomplishment with a touch of humorous modesty. “Please don’t show my negative records, just the good ones,” Mourinho wrote on Instagram in response to the story.
In sport, familiarity fosters contempt, a reality that has led to some of the greatest rivalries in sports history. Time after time, when you’re facing an old foe, the stakes are higher, and emotions are inflated. Football has, perhaps, produced some of the most notable rivalries including the likes of Scotland vs England, Argentina vs Brazil, and Portugal vs Spain.
However, at an individual level, you also have the likes of Portugal vs Argentina, though this is more because of the competition between Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi. This rivalry is particularly prickly when it comes to the prestigious honor of the Ballon d’Or. Messi may have football betting odds of 1.36 to win the 2021 Ballon d’Or following his shock move to Paris Saint-Germain, while Ronaldo has odds of 17.0, but, according to history, we shouldn’t write Portugal out of the competition just yet.
