Football Mag

Zlatan Ibrahimovic has warned Paris Saint-Germain forward Kylian Mbappe to ignore the increasing hype that surrounds him. The 20-year-old has enjoyed a meteoric rise in recent seasons, playing an integral role in France's World Cup triumph last year and winning the inaugural Kopa Trophy in December – a new award given to the world's best male footballer aged under 21. The PSG star man has enjoyed another stellar campaign this year for the Ligue 1 leaders, and stepped into the void left in the wake of injuries to Neymar and Edinson Cavani to put the club on the brink of the quarter-finals of the Champions League. "Mbappe is fantastic," the LA Galaxy forward told the MLS club's official website. "He's young, he's won nice trophies so far and he's developing. He is doing a good job and he'll continue to do the job. "He just has to keep his focus, even if the hype is around him and all things happening. Just keep focused, train h...

Nantes have made a complaint to FIFA after Cardiff City failed to pay the first instalment of Emiliano Sala's £15 million ($20m) transfer fee. The Premier League side signed Sala for a club-record fee in January, but the plane carrying the striker went missing over the English channel as he travelled from Nantes to Cardiff to join up with his new team-mates. The player's death was later confirmed after a body was recovered from the plane wreckage, with Sala's funeral having since taken place in Argentina on February 16. Cardiff delayed their initial payment for the Argentine striker as chairman Mehmet Dalman said there were "anomalies" in the deal that need to be investigated beforehand, prompting Nantes to threaten legal action. The French club then granted an extension on the first deadline, but Cardiff have held off paying. A statement from FIFA confirmed that Nantes have now taken the case to a higher authority.

Angel Di Maria capped a superb performance with two goals as Coupe de France holders Paris Saint-Germain beat Dijon 3-0 in Tuesday's quarter-finals. Di Maria has stepped into the breach since Neymar's metatarsal injury with five goals, the latest two helping seal PSG's progression to the last four with ease. A sumptuous lob put Thomas Tuchel's side ahead, before he pounced on a loose ball to double their advantage before the break. Their intensity dropped in the second half but Thomas Meunier added a late third to keep PSG's treble hopes alive.

France striker Kylian Mbappe became the youngest player score 50 goals in Ligue 1 after his brace helped Paris Saint-Germain beat Nimes 3-0. The 20-year-old scored twice in the final 21 minutes to take his tally to 51 goals in just 88 Ligue 1 matches. At the age of 20 years, two months and three days, Mbappe is the youngest player since to score a half-century of goals in Ligue 1, breaking Yannick Stopyra's mark of 21 years, 11 months and nine days, which he accomplished with Sochaux in 1982. Mbappe currently tops the Ligue 1 scoring charts with 22 goals, five ahead of nearest challenger and teammate Edinson Cavani, who is currently sidelined with a calf injury. In total the former Monaco forward has scored 27 goals in 31 matches in all competitions so far this campaign.

Arsene Wenger will not become Paris Saint-Germain's new sporting director, according to the club's president Nasser Al-Khelaifi. Wenger has been without a job since stepping down as Arsenal boss at the end of last season after 22 years in charge of the Premier League side. The 68-year-old has stated that he has no plans to retire and his been linked with a number of roles. Henrique has often had a difficult relationship with head coach Thomas Tuchel, with the German openly critical of the club's transfer activity during the January window. However, Al-Khelaifi insists reports of an imminent move for the Frenchman are wide of the mark. "I have very good relations with Arsene," he told Le Parisien. "I'm close to him and I've known him for a long time. He is a wonderful manager and coach. He has a very sharp and very complete knowledge of football. "But we have a sports director, Antero Henrique, in whom I have great confidence. "I hear the m...

Thomas Tuchel is hopeful Dani Alves will agree on a new contract with Paris Saint-Germain as he confirmed the player is in negotiations with the club. Alves has become a key man since joining PSG from Juventus in 2017, but the two-year deal he signed at Parc des Princes expires at the end of this season. Reports in recent days suggested the Ligue 1 champions had taken steps to extend the right-back's stay in the capital for another year, though. And while head coach Tuchel is not involved in the talks, he is keen to see a positive outcome. "[Negotiating contracts] is not my job," he told a news conference ahead of the clash with Nimes. "Dani is Dani. He is very important, and his attitude is great. "But I am not involved in these negotiations. I hope the club and his agents will come to an agreement." Meanwhile, Tuchel confirmed that only Neymar and Edinson Cavani are certain to miss Saturday’s Ligue 1 clash. "Only Neymar and Cavani will be absent....