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Pedro Neto Apologises After Incident Leaves Ball Boy Needing Medical Attention

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Pedro Neto has spoken out after an altercation left a ball boy needing medical attention during Chelsea’s 5-2 loss to Paris Saint-Germain on Wednesday night. Liam Rosenior’s side were humiliated by the reigning Champions League winners in the French capital and now look to be on the brink of elimination following the Round of 16 first leg.

Despite Malo Gusto restoring parity inside 30 minutes following Bradley Barcola’s opener, further goals from Ousmane Dembele, Vitinha, and a double from Khvicha Kvaratskhelia highlighted the Ligue 1 giants’ gulf in class at the Parc des Princes. Enzo Fernandez’s consolation goal offered only a faint glimmer of hope as the Blues take the result back to Stamford Bridge next week.

The occasion appeared to get to some of the Chelsea players’ heads, as one incident saw Neto channel his inner Eden Hazard by pushing a ball boy to get the ball back quickly (watch the incident below). A moment of madness, the Portuguese international has since issued an apology after the youngster fell to the ground.

Pedro Neto Speaks Out After Incident Leaves Ball Boy Needing Medical Help

Pedro Neto

Things got feisty immediately after the 26-year-old shoved the ball boy, as players rushed to the scene. PSG stars moved to block Reece James and Neto, while the likes of Marquinhos and Enzo Fernandez engaged in some jostling. Neto eventually offered an apology as the ball boy received attention from medical personnel.

Referee Alejandro Hernandez stepped in to diffuse the situation and clarified the next steps to the teams’ captains. Speaking to TNT Sports after the match, the winger addressed the incident, saying (watch the full segment below):

“I want to apologise to the ballboy. I have already spoken with him. With the emotions of the game, we were losing and I wanted to pick up the ball. He had the ball with him and I gave him a little push. I saw that I hurt him in the heat of the moment and I went there to apologise. I gave him my shirt as well.”

He continued to plead his guilt by adding: “That cannot happen, and I’m really, really sorry about that. I just want to say one more time that I’m really sorry to him.” Neto avoided a caution for the interaction. VAR reviewed the incident but opted against brandishing a red card, instead sticking to just the on-field decision.

Head coach Liam Rosenior echoed the apology, adding: “I saw there was an altercation with the ball boy. But if there was anything from our side that was wrong or out of order, I apologise on behalf of the club.”

Swansea ball boy who Eden Hazard kicked now co-owns £150m business


Swansea Ball Boy Who Eden Hazard Kicked Now Co-owns £150m Business

Charlie Morgan, the Swansea City ball boy kicked by Eden Hazard, now co-owns a vodka company that is now worth millions.

Neto Gives Ball Boy His Shirt After Altercation

MixCollage-12-Mar-2026-12-08-AM-2459

Despite Glenn Hoddle having defended Neto for his physical confrontation during his punditry duties for TNT Sports, the Blues winger went above and beyond in his attempts to reconcile with his victim, and donated his shirt to the youngster and could be seen embracing him after the full-time whistle in Paris. See below:

Chelsea will play the return leg against PSG at Stamford Bridge next Tuesday night, needing to win by three goals just to take the tie into extra-time. For that reason, their chances of going all the way after having beaten the same opposition in last summer’s Club World Cup final look bleak following the latest supercomputer update.

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Tottenham Told They Can Sign Rafael Leao for Just £51.3m

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Tottenham are said to have learned the asking price for one of their attacking transfer targets. Spurs are in the midst of a record-breaking transfer window, with the Mateus Fernandes and Sandro Tonali deals taking the North London side’s spending above what they have ever spent before.

Roberto De Zerbi is being fully backed in this window, and as much as £237million has been spent so far, with more spending still to come. De Zerbi likely demanded summer spending before taking the job, and Spurs have followed up on their promise after surviving the Premier League drop.

With the midfield now seen as complete, Tottenham will now likely prioritise a winger transfer, and AC Milan star Rafael Leao has been heavily linked, along with Manchester City’s Savinho and Manchester United’s Marcus Rashford.

Leao wants out from Milan

Rafael Leao of AC Milan

It is no secret that Leao is looking for a new club after seven years with AC Milan, and he is likely to have his pick of a number of top clubs this summer.

The winger said before the World Cup: “Personally, I’ve given everything at AC Milan. It’s a club that helped me grow a lot and supported me through tough times.

“Fortunately, I managed to make my mark in their history. Everyone has ambitions and I dream of a new challenge in a new league.

“If that happens, I’ll be very happy and fulfilled because I did my job at AC Milan.”

Tottenham learn Leao price tag

Rafael Leao in action for AC Milan

With AC Milan bracing for Leao’s exit, it is reported by Italian journalist Gianluca Di Marzio that the Italian giants want €60-70million (£51.3m-£59.9m) for the winger this summer. Leao is currently away with Portugal at the World Cup, so his future is unlikely to be resolved until after he returns, but a move is almost certain this summer.

The 27-year-old scored 10 and assisted three last season, but it was a disappointing season for him and Milan as a whole, leading to the Italian club missing out on Champions League football. Still, the ‘world-class’ Leao is thought of as one of Europe’s top-bracket wingers, and he has already been linked with Arsenal, Tottenham and many others.

Former Milan boss Massimiliano Allegri said Leao has ‘genius’ while speaking back in 2025. He added: “He’s been out for 45 days, so he’s still finding rhythm. Last week, he came on out of necessity and did well. He’s worked hard this week – we need him back quickly. He and Nkunku are technical players who can solve matches. He played as a striker at Lille, so it’s not new to him. His movement on [Luka] Modric’s pass was perfect.”

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What Cristiano Ronaldo Told Croatia Star After Controversy in World Cup Game

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Petar Sucic has revealed what Cristiano Ronaldo told him after Croatia were knocked out of the World Cup by Portugal in controversial circumstances on Thursday evening.

Croatia went into the match as underdogs but took the lead shortly after the half-time break when Ivan Perisic opened the scoring.

Ronaldo restored parity with 22 minutes remaining as he made no mistake from the penalty spot, before Goncalo Ramos gave Portugal the lead in stoppage-time.

Croatia thought they had equalised in the final seconds of the match when Josko Gvardiol found the net from close range. However, the goal was chalked off by VAR due to a controversial offside call.

FIFA have since released a statement explaining why the goal was chalked off.

Cristiano Ronaldo vs Croatia REUTERS/Jeenah Moon

Inter Milan midfielder Petar Sucic was not happy at all with the decision to disallow the goal. He said after the match, per the BBC:

“The referee told us he didn’t see our striker touch the ball. He said that the sensor in the ball said it did. It’s really difficult to explain, but we expect an explanation. What I saw is that Matanovic didn’t touch the ball. Today is like that, luck was on their side.”

A devastated Sucic was comforted by Ronaldo at full-time. The 22-year-old revealed exactly what the legendary forward said to him during their embrace. He said, per the Mirror:

“Honestly, I was very shaken. But he told me that this is football, that there will be difficult moments in football, but that I am great, to keep going and that things will get better in the future.”

He added: “I feel empty, but proud of the team, how we played, especially the second half.

“We deserved a lot more, at least extra time in the end because we really played well and had a lot of chances. The goalkeeper defended well, they disallowed three of our goals, I would like someone to explain some of the referee’s decisions to me.

“There were too many situations that were questionable and went against us. In the end, we have to congratulate Portugal on getting through.”

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Cristiano Ronaldo Speaks Out On Future

Cristiano Ronaldo Portugal training World Cup 2026 Marco Bello, Action Images via REUTERS

Ahead of the match, Ronaldo’s sister, Katia Aveiro, revealed that he would retire from international football following the tournament.

Addressing those rumours after the game, the 41-year-old said, per AS: “Cristiano’s future is not important right now. I’ll talk about it… I’ll have time. After we win or lose, I’ll speak with my family and then make the best decision. I don’t make decisions in the heat of the moment anymore. Everything is done calmly now. Right now it’s about enjoying the present.”

On the game against Croatia, he said: “Today we had to know how to suffer. To win a competition of this magnitude, you have to know how to suffer. It was a very entertaining match for the fans.

“We controlled the game quite well in the first half, but the second half was much more chaotic. They scored, we got a little nervous, but the emotional turning point came when we converted the penalty.

“From then on, the game became easier. We still had some difficulties, but that’s what this competition is all about, and we have to keep moving forward.”

Portugal will face Spain on Monday, July 6 for a place in the quarter-final.

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Arsenal Also Want Aston Villa Star Ezri Konsa After Morgan Rogers

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Arsenal are now being linked with a second Aston Villa star as they continue to mull over a potential big-money move for Morgan Rogers this summer. The Gunners have some careful squad planning to do this summer, hoping to take the next step up again after winning the Premier League but coming up short in the Champions League final.

Only penalties separated Arsenal from PSG in the final, but if Mikel Arteta is totally honest with himself, he will know PSG are currently another level above. But the Gunners are well on their way to becoming a dominant force, and they will believe they can get there with some careful recruitment this summer.

Arsenal want a new left-winger and likely a top number 8, and while they will likely have to replace some squad players who could be lured away, Arteta will want to be careful not to over-tinker with the core of his squad.

Arsenal linked with second Aston Villa squad

England's Ezri Konsa
International Friendly – England v Bosnia and Herzegovina – St James’ Park, Newcastle, Britain – June 3, 2024 England’s Ezri Konsa in action Action Images via Reuters/Lee Smith

According to The Telegraph, Arsenal are interested in a move for Villa centre-back Ezri Konsa this summer. It’s reported Konsa is valued at £60million by the Midlands side, and that they may have to sell one of their big-money players this summer if they want to keep hold of Rogers.

Arsenal have been heavily linked with Rogers, but with a reported asking price ranging from £100million to £130million, a deal could be out of the question. The Gunners may feel there is better value elsewhere, but they could take advantage of Villa’s determination to keep their prize talent.

Aware Villa may need to sell another player, Arsenal could move for Konsa, who is representing England at this World Cup. Arsenal do not strictly need a new centre-back, already able to call upon Gabriel Magalhaes, William Saliba, Cristhian Mosquera, Jurrien Timber, Piero Hincapie, Ben White and Riccardo Calafiori, who all either specialise in the middle or are able to play there.

But after they were left short on the right side of defence for the Champions League final, with Ben White out and Timber having been struggling for fitness, it has been floated that the Gunners could strengthen on the right this summer. And if there is one thing we know about Arteta and his defensive preferences, is that he likes to sign defenders who can also play full-back, and Konsa fits the bill, able to comfortably play right-back.

The question is whether Arsenal are willing to commit so much money to a position they don’t really need to strengthen, but there could yet be an exit among one of the defenders mentioned this summer.

Konsa an ‘outstanding’ defender

Ezri Konsa David Butler / IMAGN Images via Reuters

Konsa is coming off a superb season with Villa, following it up with steady performance at the World Cup. Former Villa boss Dean Smith, who signed Konsa twice in his career, said of the defender while on BBC 5Live: “He was one that was flagged up by the recruitment department at Brentford. I went to watch him against Shrewsbury in the playoffs. I remember he was playing right back at the time. He came in, he’s athletic, he’s good in the air, he’s a good defender.

“Man City played at Villa, I think it was last season, and Jack had come up to me after the game, and he was like, ‘I was thinking, I hope Ezri’s not playing it right-back, because I don’t want to be playing 1v1 against him.’

“I think that’s his biggest strength. He’s really calm on the ball, but 1v1 defending is outstanding.”


Mikel Arteta


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