International Football
NIGERIA’S SAID; SENEGAL’S SARR; RACE FOR GOLDEN BOOT BEGINS
BY KUNLE SOLAJA.
When the curtain falls on the FIFA U17 World Cup in Brazil on November 17, apart from the winner’s trophy, the Golden Boot will be awarded to the top goal scorer of the tournament.
At the moment, the race appears to have pitched two West Africans with all most the same syllable for the race. Said for Nigeria and Sarr for Senegal. Both are on three goals each to top the scorers’ sheet so far.
Both have also scored crucial goals for their respective West African teams. Ibrahim Said scored the opening goal for Nigeria in the tensed game with Ecuador. He went ahead to score equalizing and winning goals in his hat trick performance last Tuesday. He remains the only player with a hat trick so far.
Two of his goals also came very late just like that of Senegal’s Pape Sarr in encounters with the US and later with The Netherlands on Wednesday. Against USA, he scored in the 88th minute while in the encounter with the European champions, Sarr scored the winner in the 87th minute.
Trailing the duo are Nigeria’s Samson Tijani , Japan’s Yamato Wakatsuki and Brazil’s Peglow who have scored two goals each.
Statistically too, so far, the teams of the leading scorers also lead overall. After two match-apiece, Nigeria, Senegal and Brazil have scored seven goals each as the most potent attacks so far.
But which team will be on the winning podium on November 17? Sports Village Square recalls that world champions have only managed to crown one of their own as top goalscorer on five occasions:
Nigeria’s Wilson Oruma in 1993, Florent Sinama Pongolle for France in 2001, Mexico’s Carlos Vela in 2005, Victor Osimhen for Nigeria in 2015, and England’s Rhian Brewster in 2017.
Well-travelled Portuguese coach Paulo Duarte has been named as Guinea’s new coach, less than a month before their next round of World Cup qualifiers.
Duarte, 56, has twice previously coached Burkina Faso and taken charge of Gabon and Togo, while also coaching at clubs in Portugal, France, Tunisia, Angola and Saudi Arabia.
Guinea’s football federation gave no contract details when they made the announcement on Monday, but said they would be looking for Duarte to “restructure their national team”.
Guinea trail leaders Algeria by eight points in their World Cup qualifying group with four games remaining, leaving them with only a slim chance of qualification.
They play Somalia away on September 5 and then Algeria at home on September 8 in their next two qualifiers although a stadium ban means Guinea have moved their home game to Casablanca, Morocco.
-Reuters
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Veteran coach Louis van Gaal says he has been cured of cancer and is keen for a return to the higher levels of the game.
The 73-year-old announced three years ago that he was suffering from prostate cancer, but told a Dutch television talk show, “I’m no longer bothered by cancer.”
When he announced his illness, Van Gaal was the coach of the Dutch national team, but he has not worked since the last World Cup in Qatar in 2022.
“Two years ago, I had a few operations. It was all bad then. But it all worked out in the end. I have check-ups every few months, and that’s going well. I’m getting fitter and fitter,” he said.
Van Gaal, whose career has included stints at Ajax Amsterdam, Barcelona, Bayern Munich and Manchester United, reiterated a lack of interest in returning to club management but said becoming the national coach of a top-tier country could tempt him back.
He now serves as a special advisor to Ajax.
-Reuters
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In a compelling twist of football destiny, Davide Ancelotti is stepping into his own spotlight as he begins his first head coaching role at Brazilian club Botafogo—just months after parting ways with his legendary father, Carlo Ancelotti, at Real Madrid.
The 35-year-old has been appointed as Botafogo’s new manager, the club announced on Tuesday, following the sacking of Renato Paiva. Davide, who has spent the last decade working alongside his father at some of Europe’s top clubs—including Bayern Munich, Napoli, Everton, and Real Madrid—has signed a one-year deal with the Rio-based team.
This marks a significant milestone for the younger Ancelotti, whose career has long been shaped by his father’s influence, but who now faces the challenge of carving his own identity on the touchline.
The move comes shortly after both father and son departed Real Madrid at the end of last season, with Carlo taking over the Brazilian national team. Now, in a poetic alignment, father and son find themselves on different paths within Brazilian football—one leading the Seleção, the other steering the fortunes of a storied domestic club.
Botafogo’s decision to appoint Davide follows a controversial parting with Paiva, who was dismissed just days after their exit from the Club World Cup. Though he oversaw a stunning win over Champions League holders Paris Saint-Germain, a 1-0 extra-time loss to Palmeiras in the round of 16 proved to be his final act after just four months in charge.
As Davide Ancelotti begins this new chapter, all eyes will be on whether the son of one of football’s most decorated managers can step out from his father’s shadow—and perhaps, in time, build a legacy of his own.
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