Sports
If Ryan Giggs was French, I would’ve been Stuck on the Bench
Zinedine Zidane built a remarkable reputation as a footballer long before stepping into coaching. The elegant midfielder started out at Cannes, but it was after his 1992 switch to Bordeaux that he truly began catching the eye of top clubs across Europe.
His performances helped Bordeaux reach the 1996 UEFA Cup final, and soon after he left France to sign for Juventus. Zidane spent five seasons in Turin, where his influence continued to grow, playing a key role as the club secured two Serie A titles and advanced to a pair of Champions League finals.
His impact was just as significant on the international stage. With France, Zidane became indispensable, famously inspiring the team to World Cup glory in 1998 — the same year he collected the Ballon d’Or. He added another major honour two years later, helping France win Euro 2000.
Renowned for his technique, vision and composure on the ball, Zidane earned admiration from teammates and rivals alike. In 2001, Real Madrid paid a then-record transfer fee to bring him to Spain. During his five seasons at the Bernabéu, he captured both the La Liga title and the Champions League before bringing his playing career to an end in 2006.
And yet, Zidane claims that his career would have panned out very differently, had a certain British footballer represented his beloved France instead – insisting he’d be stuck behind him the pecking order. In 2020, as per Planet Football, the Frenchman had glowing praise for Manchester United legend Ryan Giggs.
‘Ryan Giggs Would have Left me on France’s Bench’
Few players are as synonymous with the term “one-club man” as Ryan Giggs is. After debuting in 1990, Giggs spent a staggering 24 years amidst the Manchester United ranks, quickly becoming a key part of Sir Alex Ferguson’s first team and being a crucial cog in the club’s dominance under the Scot. To date, no player has won more than the 13 Premier League titles that Giggs lifted.
Giggs’ brilliance and the longevity of such quality ensured that his legacy in the sport was firmly cemented, a player that would be consistently noticed by fans and peers alike. In discussing Giggs once, Zidane simply said:
“If he was French, (Robert) Pires or myself would have been on the bench.”
Given Zidane’s ability and stature within the French national side, something that is also true of former Arsenal winger Pires, it is an immense compliment to suggest that Giggs would have condemned one of them to the bench were he able. Such admiration was not one way, as Giggs also spoke glowingly of the Frenchman.
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The player in question was labeled as the ‘most complete footballer’ according to Zidane.
Giggs Singled out Zidane as his Greatest Ever Opponent
As aforementioned, Zidane’s ability was so mercurial that he was never far from being a point of praise, with Giggs being yet another professional player to have complimented the midfielder. Speaking to The Manchester Evening News in 2019, as per United in Focus, Giggs said:
“Okay, the best player I played with is Cristiano Ronaldo. He’s the best player I have played with. Best I have played against? Or who had the biggest impact on me was Zidane, when I first played against him, he was playing for Juventus and he was just amazing.
“I looked at him and thought, ‘I need to get to his level.’ He was huge, his touch was brilliant and he had great balance. I played against Messi as well, who is one of the greatest ever, but Zidane just had a big impact on me and was obviously a magnificent player as well.”
Arsenal are looking to make some serious additions to their Premier League-winning squad this summer, and new forwards are being considered.
The Gunners have already agreed to sell Leandro Trossard to Besiktas this summer, while there is strong speculation that the likes of Gabriel Martinelli, Gabriel Jesus, and Ethan Nwaneri will also be allowed to leave, as Mikel Arteta looks to freshen the squad up.
But while midfield has emerged as the priority, with talks intensifying for Newcastle captain Bruno Guimaraes, another Brazil star has now emerged as a target at the Emirates Stadium.
Arsenal Eyeing Rayan Deal
According to a report by journalist Edu Burgos, Arsenal are among the clubs paying close attention to the situation of Rayan at Bournemouth.
The Brazil international, who has been described as ‘deadly’, enjoyed a stunning first half-season in England after joining the Cherries in January, registering five goals and two assists in just 12 starts in the Premier League.
His performances earned him a place in Carlo Ancelotti’s World Cup squad, and he has found himself in a starting role on the right-wing following Raphinha’s injury, including the Last 16 clash with Norway on Sunday night.
Bournemouth do not want to sell him under any circumstances this summer, but it is known that the 20-year-old has a €100m (£87m) release clause that is active from 2027, and they could be forced to consider any big offers this year.
Arsenal have held internal talks about a move for the winger, while Man Utd and PSG are also said to be showing an interest. A deal isn’t on the table at this stage, but it is looking inevitable that Rayan’s stay at the Cherries won’t be a long one.
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Arsenal to Add Another Brazilian?
Arsenal are ready to make a big splash in the transfer market once again this summer as they look to retain their crown as English champions for the first time in their history.
A new injection of pace and fresh blood in the attack looks like a necessity, and a player like Rayan who is ready to explode at the highest level could be the perfect remedy, while also providing quality depth and competition for Bukayo Saka on the right.
It would be an expensive deal, but Arsenal have a great Brazilian group in their squad already, and this would almost certainly be a welcome addition.
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Arsenal are now confident that they will be able to secure the signature of Newcastle midfielder Bruno Guimaraes.
England defeated Mexico in a five-goal thriller at the Azteca Stadium to advance to the 2026 World Cup quarter-finals, but there were a couple of casualties along the way.
First, Jarell Quansah was sent off for a high challenge on an opposition player, meaning the ex-Liverpool man would be ruled out of the next game. Then, Jordan Henderson was involved in a freak accident following the full-time whistle. The midfielder had to be taken off the pitch on a stretcher, with Thomas Tuchel quite downbeat about his condition.
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Kane had football fans cracking up as he struggled to speak after England’s dramatic victory.
But it wasn’t only a tough night for the Three Lions. Mexico became the second of the three host nations to crash out of the competition on home soil. And had they advanced to the next round, one of their bigger names would’ve likely been watching from the sidelines.
Mexico Star Suffers Nasty Injury in Heartbreaking Loss
Mexico’s manager, Javier Aguirre, threw caution to the wind in search of an equaliser against 10-man England. As a result, he introduced as many attacking players as possible as the opposition soaked up the pressure.
One of those positive substitutions was bringing on AC Milan forward Santiago Gimenez for 17-year-old Gilberto Mora in the 61st minute. However, the change didn’t have the desired impact and the striker failed to get involved.
To make matters worse, Gimenez was unable to take part in the final moments of stoppage time and could be seen lying at the side of the pitch in severe pain. The 25-year-old was quickly taken to hospital after the full-time whistle, according to The Sun.
He had been chasing down the ball but was challenged by England’s Djed Spence. While the defender got the ball perfectly, Gimenez’s ankle could be seen twisting awkwardly.
He left the stadium on a stretcher and was taken to get checked over in a southern Mexico facility, as his manager confirmed: “We need to check Santi because he is at the hospital right now.”
He Joins Jordan Henderson in Hospital
As the players and staff enjoyed the massive win with the travelling support inside the iconic Mexican stadium, Henderson had attempted to jump back over the advertising boards when he landed awkwardly.
Medical staff rushed over to see to the unused substitute. who was then placed on a stretcher and given oxygen. Thomas Tuchel confirmed Henderson had suffered a ‘serious’ wrist injury. The extent of the knock is currently unknown, but the England boss said:
“Not good. Jordan fell over and injured his wrist. It looks really bad.
“It’s quite a serious injury.”
Thomas Tuchel did not hold back when speaking about the officials after England’s dramatic victory over Mexico in their 2026 World Cup last 16 match.
England picked up a historic victory at the Azteca Stadium on Sunday evening as they defeated the co-hosts 3-2.
The Three Lions went into the break leading 2-1, with Jude Bellingham scoring a brace. England’s chances of victory took a major blow early in the second half when Jarell Quansah was shown a straight red card.
Despite the man disadvantage, Harry Kane restored England’s two-goal lead via the penalty spot, only for Raul Jimenez to get Mexico back in it when Mexico were given a penalty of their own.
Mexico threw everything they had at England for the remainder of the match, but they could not find an equaliser as England held on to book their place in the quarter-finals of the competition.
Thomas Tuchel Rages at Officials After England’s Victory vs Mexico
Despite England’s victory, Tuchel was not happy at all with the officials, and he made his feelings very clear in his post-match interview with the BBC.
He said: “It’s just not good enough. The referees are just not good enough, fourth officials are just not good enough. That’s the bottom line.
“Three people in the VAR from South America in a match like this. VAR overturns [but] is this a clear and obvious error for the penalty? For sure not. They overturned a situation where [the referee] doesn’t even give a foul. Referees just not good enough, fourth officials just not good enough.”
Tuchel also praised his side, adding: “If a team has heart and belief, then it’s this team. They did it on pure will. I have no words. That’s an iconic match, an iconic stadium. We overcame so much adversity today. Very proud.”
He also gave an update on Jordan Henderson, who suffered a ‘really bad’ injury during England’s post-match celebrations. On the Brentford star, he said: “Not good, not good, next thing is a right defender now with the red card, Jordan just fell over an injured his wrist, it looks really bad.”
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BBC Sport pundit Joe Hart came to the defence of referee Alireza Faghani following Tuchel’s comments. He said:
“I think [Tuchel] has got that wrong. I don’t know why he has gone so hard on that after such an impressive performance. I get it, against all the odds the red card and the penalties, but I don’t think they were borderline decisions. I thought they were decent decisions in the end.”
Micah Richards and Wayne Rooney disagreed with Hart, though, with the former saying that ‘he did not mind’ Tuchel’s comments and the latter stating the 52-year-old was creating an ‘us against the world’ mentality.
England will now face Norway in the quarter-finals of the competition. Stale Solbakken’s side beat Brazil 2-1 on Sunday afternoon, with Erling Haaland netting a brace. The match will take place at Miami Stadium on Saturday, July 11, with kick-off set for 10pm BST.
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