International Football
Marcus Rashford and Juan Mata send messages to Louis van Gaal after cancer diagnosis
Marcus Rashford and Juan Mata have become the latest Manchester United players to send messages of support and good will to former boss Louis van Gaal who revealed he was fighting cancer on Sunday.
The 70-year old told Dutch TV show ‘Humberto’ that he has an aggressive form of the illness and has received treatment for it on 25 occasions over a prolonged period. After being invited onto the show to promote his new film ‘LOUIS’, in which it addresses his cancer battle, the Netherlands national team boss explaianed he had kept it from his players.
He said: “In each period during my time as manager of the national team, I had to leave in the night to go to the hospital without the players finding it out until now, while thinking I was healthy. But I am not.
“I didn’t want to tell it to my players because it could have influenced their performances. I have a lot of discipline and willpower.
“I can do the job because I like it. I like to work with this squad. This is a present for me at a late age, this is how I see it.”
Upon learning of the news, Manchester United tweeted: “Sending you strength and courage, Louis.” Van Gaal managed United between 2014 and 2016, being dismissed from his role days after lifting the FA Cup at Wembley.
David de Gea has sent his best wishes to his former boss and now Rashford and Mata have offered messages of support. Rashford was handed his senior debut by Van Gaal in February 2016, bursting onto the scene with two goals in a Europa League game against Midtjylland.
-MEN
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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