footballer

Egyptian official says Liverpool star will fade away if he opts for the MLS as San Diego FC owner welcomes compatriot.

Egypt’s ‌national team director Ibrahim Hassan has cautioned Mohamed Salah against moving ⁠to Major League ⁠Soccer (MLS) after he leaves Liverpool at the end of the season, as it would see the forward fade into obscurity.

Salah, 33, ⁠has yet to decide his next move after he ends a hugely successful nine-year spell at Liverpool, where he won two Premier League titles ⁠and the Champions League.

MLS Commissioner Don Garber has said he would love to see Salah in the league, though it is unclear whether any league teams will attempt to sign him.

“Personally, I would prefer him to stay in Europe,” ‌Hassan told On Sports. “I have heard about offers from Paris Saint-Germain (PSG), Bayern Munich and clubs in the Italian league.

“A move to the Major League? He would be far too out of the spotlight. You won’t remember Salah any more than I remember [Lionel] Messi now, I don’t even try to watch him.”

After trophy-laden stints with Barcelona and PSG, ⁠Argentina captain Messi joined Inter Miami in 2023, months ⁠after lifting the World Cup, and became the club’s all-time top scorer.

Hassan said the Saudi Pro League would be a suitable option if Salah chose not to stay in Europe.

“If ⁠he does not receive offers from Europe, then a move to the Saudi league would be a good ⁠option, especially with big names such as Cristiano [Ronaldo],” ⁠Hassan, twin brother of Egypt coach Hossam Hassan, added.

However, San Diego FC’s billionaire owner Mohamed Mansour believes his Egyptian compatriot would be an “asset” as speculation builds over the Liverpool forward’s next club.

If he does move to the United States, recent MLS expansion club San Diego FC, who reached the playoff semifinals in their debut season last year, have been heavily linked with Salah, not least due to their British-Egyptian owner, Mansour.

“He’s probably one of the great players today. And any team that will get him, or any country that will get him, he will definitely be an asset,” Mansour told the AFP news agency at a summit in Atlanta on Thursday.

Mansour declined to answer whether he is actively trying to recruit Salah or has previously sounded out a move for the striker.

But he added: “Of course, Mo Salah is somebody that, as an Egyptian, my origin, I’m very proud of. He is somebody that reached the world stage as one of the great players.”

“And I think he will, if he does decide … wherever he will go, he will add a lot to that league and to that country and to that team for sure. So he’s somebody I’m very proud of.”

Mansour said the entire Egypt comes to a halt whenever Salah plays and named the forward as his favourite footballer of all time.

While effusive in his praise for Salah, Mansour insisted that footballing recruitment decisions are left to San Diego FC’s sports director and coach.

“I let the people in charge” decide, he said.

Salah is currently sidelined by injury and will miss Egypt’s ongoing training camp as they prepare for the World Cup in North America.

Egypt ‌face Spain in a friendly in Barcelona on Tuesday after a 4-0 win over Saudi Arabia in Jeddah on Friday.

The seven-time African champions are in ‌Group ‌G with Belgium, New Zealand and Iran at the World Cup, which runs from June 11 to July 19.

Reports say Sardar Azmoun, who plays for UAE club Shabab Al-Ahli, was expelled for Instagram post with Dubai’s ‌ruler.

Sardar Azmoun, one of ⁠Iran’s top football players, has ⁠been expelled from the national team for a perceived act of disloyalty to the government, Iranian media has reported, making it unlikely he will play any part in the upcoming FIFA World Cup.

Iran’s participation in the global football showpiece is under a cloud because of the ongoing conflict with the United States, who are co-hosting the June 11-July 19 tournament with Mexico and Canada.

If Team Melli do turn up for their opening-round group matches, they will ⁠undoubtedly be weakened by the absence of striker Azmoun, who has scored 57 goals in 91 internationals since making his debut as a teenager in 2014.

Azmoun, who plays his club football in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) for Dubai club Shabab Al-Ahli, upset the Iranian authorities this week by posting a picture on his Instagram feed of a meeting with Dubai’s ruler Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum.

Iran has launched rocket ‌and drone attacks on the UAE following air strikes by the US and Israel, which killed the country’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.

A report on the Fars News Agency, which has links to the hardline Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, cited “an informed source within the national team” as saying Azmoun had been expelled from the squad.

Pictures removed

Azmoun later removed the pictures but was still lambasted on state TV on Thursday, with football pundit Mohammad Misaghi saying the striker’s actions had been an act of disloyalty.

“It’s unfortunate that you don’t have enough sense to understand what kind of behaviour is appropriate ⁠at a given time,” Misaghi said.

“We should not mince words with such people. They should be ⁠told that they are not worthy of wearing the national team jersey.

“We have no patience for this sulking and childish behaviour. National team players should be people who proudly belt out the national anthem and deserve to wear the Iran jersey.”

There was no immediate response to a request for comment on ⁠the matter from the Football Federation of the Islamic Republic of Iran (FFIRI).

Azmoun, 31, is one of the best-known footballers in Iran, where the game is a national obsession.

He has played his ⁠entire club career abroad with stints at Zenit Saint Petersburg, Bayer Leverkusen and ⁠Roma, as well as featuring for Iran in the 2018 and 2022 FIFA World Cups.

An unsourced report on the Novad News channel said on Thursday that an order had been issued for the seizure of the assets of Azmoun, another UAE-based national team forward Mehdi Ghayedi, and former international Soroush Rafiei.

Misaghi was speaking against ‌the backdrop of pictures of a ceremony welcoming the Iranian women’s national team back to Tehran on their return from Australia.

Seven of the delegation accepted asylum in Australia after the team was branded “wartime traitors” on Iranian state TV for not singing the ‌national ‌anthem before a Women’s Asian Cup match. Five later decided to return to Iran.

Iran’s men are scheduled to play friendly internationals in Antalya, Turkiye, against Nigeria on March 27 and Costa Rica four days later as part of their World Cup preparations.

JUNIOR Andre has joked that his mum Katie Price “crushed his dreams” of becoming a professional footballer, after he was scouted as a child.

The 20-year-old, whose dad is Mysterious Girl singer Peter Andre, is now carving out a career for himself as a musician and actor.

But once upon a time, Junior had high hopes of becoming a footballer.

And he was even scouted by professional club Millwall, before trialing for premiere league side Chelsea, Junior has revealed.

Appearing on the Not My Bagg podcast, Junior said that glamour model mum Katie informed him he didn’t have the skills to make it big time in the sport.

“My mum crushed my dreams,” said Junior.

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“She watched me play once and she says, ‘Junior, let’s be real, you’re not gonna be a footballer. You’re not good enough. Don’t worry, you’re gonna be an entertainer’.”

“But, also, equally, I wanted to be a musician and actor,” assured Junior.

Continuing that he would play Saturday league, he said: “I used to play every week and I loved it.

“When I was young I got scouted at Millwall, and I had a trial and Brighton and Chelsea and I was loving it.

“But I was never actually really that good, I was just above average.”

Just this month, Junior made his acting debut as he is starring in a new coming-of-age drama called Finding My Voice.

He stars alongside his dad Peter and EastEnders star Michelle Ryan in the flick.

Alongside acting, Junior has been in the studio working on new music, with the budding star seen recording in a recent episode of his sister’s reality show, The Princess Diaries.

Despite his famous parents, it’s not all been glamorous for Junior, who revealed in the TV show that he had also been working full time for TFL while his music was on hold.

Junior revealed he worked through the nights, full time, while he sorted out “differences” with his record label.

Speaking on his secret TFL job, Junior said: “It’s been a long time coming, it’s been hard, you know I’ve obviously had to do nine-to-five, Monday to Friday.

“I found a night job basically just working on the London underground, grafting, lifting heavy metals, cutting, filing, painting. I got them jobs so I could do my music career, so I could fund it.”

Princess, 18, gushed over her brother for following his dreams self- sufficiently.

The reality TV star said: “So proud of Junior, his last two singles went in at number one , but while he was sorting differences out with his label he went to work through the nights and work a full time job so he was fully self sufficient. Which I’m super proud of.”