In football news, a letter revealing Mbappe's decision not to trigger his one-year contract extension, which would carry his deal over into 2024, sparked widespread confusion and shock among PSG officials.
In response to the reaction, Mbappe issued a statement claiming that he has never entertained conversations over a contract extension with PSG, who have known for nearly 12 months that he did not plan to trigger the extension.
Messi and Mbappe both will be gone in the summer? (Image- Getty Images)
PSG have now fired back at Mbappe, accusing the 24-year-old of 'emphatic' lies.
"It is emphatically untrue to say Mbappe's team have not been involved in renewal discussions," a club spokesperson told theNew York Times.
With Mbappe's contract now set to expire in 12 months, PSG face the prospect of being forced to sell the forward this summer before he can walk away for free at the end of the coming campaign - an eventuality sources believe is not even being considered at this point.
However, Mbappe himself has vowed to remain with PSG for the coming campaign, denying allegations he is looking to engineer a move to Real Madrid this summer.
In other football news, Real Madrid are looking for a new striker this summer following the departure of Karim Benzema and had been prepared to push for Tottenham's Harry Kane, with Mbappe seen as a target for a free transfer in 2024.
Their stance may well have changed following this public bust-up between Mbappe and PSG, who could be forced to consider offers for the superstar in the coming weeks.
The saga is the latest twist in what is shaping to be a defining summer for PSG. Lionel Messi's departure to Inter Miami has already been confirmed, while Neymar's representatives have explored the possibility of the Brazilian moving to Saudi Arabia.
Christophe Galtier has also been dismissed as manager despite delivering the club's ninth Ligue 1 title in the past 11 years - a consequence of failing to deliver in the Champions League among other things.
Watch: Luka Modric's goodbye at the Bernabeu; Toni Kroos and Ancelotti give big hugs
Watch the moments from Luka Modric's farewell match at the Santiago Bernabeu against Real Sociedad on Saturday. Modric, Madrid's most successful footballer, will leave the club at the end of the season.
Who is leading the 2024-25 European Golden Boot race?
Kylian Mbappe is leading the race for the 2024-25 European Golden Boot. However, players like Viktor Gyökeres, Mohamed Salah and a few others are also in race.
The European leagues are up and running and we have already witnessed some great encounters between the top European teams. The hunt to win the European Golden Boot is also taking shape for the 2024-25 season.
Some big names from the Top five European leagues are already in full swing and they are scoring loads of goals to clinch the coveted annual award for the highest goalscorer in Europe. However, some young and talented players have enlisted themselves in the charts as well; even from outside of the top five European leagues.
Sportzpoint brings you all the details about the leading goalscorers in the top five European leagues, details of the UEFA League ranking, and the leading goalscorers competing for the 2024-25 European Golden Boot.
The European Golden Boot Race
Bayern forward Harry Kane won the 2023-24 Golden Boot. (Image Credit | SuperSport))
The Golden Boot is awarded by European Sports Media (ESM) which is a unified association of Football Magazine publications such as Marca, Kicker, La Gazzetta dello Sport, Frankfurter AZ, etc. They took over since 1996-97 season and started a new ranking system based on the position of the league for the respective players.
The UEFA coefficient ranking is considered a measure for weighting points, with the principle being to acknowledge players who score in leagues of higher quality according to rankings, which makes it tougher to find the back of the net.
The number of goals scored in the top five leagues of Europe are counted with a multiplier of two, while those from leagues ranked six to 21 receive a 1.5 multiplier, and goals from all other leagues are counted as one.
This is how the points system works.
⚽️🏆 Players with the Most European Golden Boot Wins:
🇦🇷 Lionel Messi: 6 🇵🇹 Cristiano Ronaldo: 4 🇺🇾 Luis Suarez: 2 🇫🇷 Thierry Henry: 2 🇵🇱 Robert Lewandowski: 2
The Ultimate European Golden Boot Race (Among the top 10 European Leagues according to UEFA coefficient rankings)
Considering the players from the top 10 European leagues in this list, this is what the current race of chasing the 2024-25 European Golden Boot looks like:
Luka Modric to Depart Real Madrid After Club World Cup, Leaving Legacy as Club Legend
Over his 13 seasons at Real Madrid, Luka Modric won an unparalleled 28 titles, including 6 European Cups, 6 Club World Cups, 5 European Super Cups, 4 LaLiga titles, 2 Copas del Rey, and 5 Spanish Super Cups.
Real Madrid CF announced that their captain, Luka Modric, will conclude his illustrious tenure with the club following the Club World Cup, set to begin on June 18 in the United States. The Croatian midfielder, widely regarded as one of the greatest players in the club’s history, will bid farewell after an extraordinary 13-year journey.
Since joining Real Madrid in 2012, Modric has been a cornerstone of one of the most triumphant eras in the club’s storied history.
Over his 13 seasons, he amassed an unparalleled 28 titles, including 6 European Cups, 6 Club World Cups, 5 European Super Cups, 4 LaLiga titles, 2 Copas del Rey, and 5 Spanish Super Cups.
His trophy cabinet makes him the player with the most titles in Real Madrid’s 123-year history, a record shared by only five players in football history who have won six European Cups.
Modric’s individual accolades are equally remarkable. In 2018, he claimed the Ballon d’Or, FIFA The Best Men’s Player, and UEFA Men’s Player of the Year awards.
He has been named to the FIFA FIFPro World XI six times and was recognised as the Champions League Best Midfielder twice. On the pitch for Real Madrid, Modric made 590 appearances, scoring 43 goals, and earned a Golden Ball and Silver Ball at the Club World Cup.
Internationally, Modric is Croatia’s record holder for appearances with 186 caps. His leadership guided Croatia to a runner-up finish at the 2018 World Cup, where he won the Golden Ball, and a third-place finish in 2022, earning the Bronze Ball.
Real Madrid president Florentino Pérez praised Modric’s impact, stating, “Luka Modric will forever remain in the hearts of all madridistas as a unique and exemplary footballer who has always embodied the values of Real Madrid. His football has captured the imagination of Madridismo and fans all over the world. His legacy will live on forever.”
Real Madrid have won 106 El-Clasico matches, while Barcelona have won 103 times, excluding the exhibition games where Barcelona has dominated the Los Blancos.
El Clasico refers to a match between two of Spain's biggest teams, FC Barcelona and Real Madrid. The rivalry goes beyond the football field as Madrid, the capital of Spain and Barcelona, the capital of Catalonia's autonomous community, have shared their fair share of political tension over the years.
Initially, the term was only used for the matches in the domestic Spanish championship, La Liga. Over the years, however, it's been globally recognised for every single meeting, such as in the UEFA Champions League or even domestic cup competitions like the Copa del Rey and Supercopa de España.
With both teams boasting big budgets and reputations that appeal to world-class performers across the planet, their respective ranks have been loaded with match-winners over the years.
Here we have for you a breakdown of the games the two giants have played!
Competition
Matches
RMA Wins
BAR Wins
Draws
RMA Goals
BAR Goals
La Liga
189
79
75
35
304
305
Copa de la Coronación
1
0
1
0
1
3
Copa del Rey
39
13
18
8
72
74
Copa de la Liga
6
0
2
4
8
13
Supercopa de España
18
10
6
2
40
29
UEFA Champions League
8
3
2
3
13
10
All competitions
258
106
103
51
440
431
Exhibition games
43
6
25
12
56
106
Most Appearances in El-Clasico
Sergio Busquets has played the most number of El-Clasico matches.
Former Barcelona captain Sergio Busquets has played 48 El-Clasico games, the most in the rivalry's history. Lionel Messi and Sergio Raoms follow him in the list with 45 El-Clasico games.
Apps
Player
Club
48
Sergio Busquets
Barcelona
45
Lionel Messi
Barcelona
Sergio Ramos
Real Madrid
43
Karim Benzema
Real Madrid
42
Paco Gento
Real Madrid
Manuel Sanchís
Real Madrid
Xavi
Barcelona
40
Gerard Piqué
Barcelona
Most goals in El-Clasico
Former FC Barcelona forward Lionel Messi has scored the most goals in El-Clasico. Since making his first Clasico appearance in 2005, the Argentine legend has played a joint-record 45 matches against Madrid, scoring 26 goals. This includes two hat-tricks in 2007 and 2014.
Former Real Madrid forwards Alfredo Di Stefano and Cristiano Ronaldo share the second spot with 18 goals each.
PSG vs Arsenal UEFA Champions League 2024-25 Semi-final Highlights: PSG knockout Arsenal by 2-1 (3-1 agg) to set a date with Inter in final
Get the highlights of PSG vs Arsenal UEFA Champions League 2024-25 Semi-final second leg match at the Parc des Princes in Paris as PSG knocked out Arsenal by 3-1 on aggregate to qualify for their second Champions League final ever.
Hello and welcome to another exciting evening of UEFA Champions League football. This is Koushik Biswas, who will bring you all the updates of the PSG vs Arsenal UEFA Champions League 2024-25 Semi-final second leg match at the Parc des Princes in Paris.
Meanwhile, Arsenal looked good in spells but could not convert their chances to level with PSG at their home. But with only one goal deficit, this game is far from over.
With both teams not tasting European success in their history, they will not want to miss the chance to qualify for the final.
So, sit back and relax as we bring you every minute update of the match. Enjoy the coverage.
LIVE Updates
May 7, 2025, 7:01 PM
LIVE Score!
May 7, 2025, 9:11 PM
Final thoughts!
Arsenal dominated the first 15 minutes, but after that, it was all about PSG at their home.
Luis Enrique has done a tremendous job with PSG and created leaders in different positions.
Donnarumma has been a beast under the post. Hakimi, with 21 goal contributions, is now one of the best. Vitniha, Neves and Marquinhos are one of the best in their positions as well.
Dembele is running for a potential Ballon d'Or finish. So, the credit should go to Enrique for all his efforts.
Arsenal had their chances, but they failed to take them. Saka did score but missed one as well.
So, it will be Inter Milan vs PSG in the final in Munich. Thank you for staying up with us.
Good night, and I will see you on 1st June in the final. Till then, take care and enjoy football.
Arsenal dominated the first 15 minutes of the game. But saves from Donnarumma made sure PSG did not concede any before Fabian Ruiz scored a screamer to hand PSG the lead.
Will Arsenal be able to make a match out of it, like Barcelona did last night?
Or, PSG are heading to Munich?
We'll see that after the break.
May 7, 2025, 7:48 PM
45+1' | Hakimi with the block
Rice and Odegaard linked up with Saka for a portable chance before the first half whistle.
Saka's cross was cleared away by Hakimi.
May 7, 2025, 7:47 PM
45' | 2 minutes added
2 minutes have been added as stoppage time.
May 7, 2025, 7:46 PM
45' | Lewis-Skelly is down
Barcola's powerful shot hit Lewis-Skelly hard. He is down in pain and we have a stoppage.
May 7, 2025, 7:46 PM
44' | Ruiz does the defensive work
Saka went through Mendes, and Rice nearly met with the pass. But, Ruiz was there to clear it out and create another counter attack for PSG.
May 7, 2025, 7:44 PM
41' | Chance for Arsenal
Saka's cross was left alone by Merino, hoping that someone from his team would connect with it in the far post.
But, no red shirt was there to receive the ball.
May 7, 2025, 7:43 PM
41' | Not good enough from Timber
Timber went for a cross from the right, but Pacho was there to clear the ball with a header.
Arsenal are trying but PSG are looking like the team in control.
May 7, 2025, 7:41 PM
Ouucchh!
5 - Since the start of April, no Premier League side has conceded more goals from set plays (excl. pens) in all competitions than Arsenal (5, level with Ipswich Town). Turnabout. pic.twitter.com/3PKwUNxCB8
Almost time for PSG v Arsenal. No Dembele for the hosts with Doue expected to play through the middle. Thomas Partey returns in midfield for the visitors pic.twitter.com/Z3lz3W2Rgl
In the first semi-final, Inter Milan knocked out FC Barcelona by 7-6 in a Champions League classic match. Inter now have qualified for the final for the second time in last three seasons.
Football fans from India can watch the PSG vs Arsenal UEFA Champions League 2024-25 Semi-final second leg match LIVE on Sony Sports Network TV Channels.
Meantime, they can also stream the match LIVE on Sony LIV app and website.
May 7, 2025, 10:13 AM
Match Details
Match: PSG vs Arsenal, UEFA Champions League 2024-25, Semi-final, second leg
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