Leonardo admitted that Mbappe is willing to leave the club. This is the last year of his contract with PSG and the French star is interested in joining dream club Real Madrid. On Monday, Real Madrid made him an offer of about 160 million euros. The footballer revealed that PSG rejected the offer on Tuesday night.
Leonardo revealed while speaking to RMC sport, "Mbappe would like to leave, this seems clear to me. If Real Madrid makes an offer, this seems clear to me. Me, I give a position, which I think is clear for everyone. We cannot change our plans in the final week of the window. If he is set on leaving, we will not hold him back, but it will be our terms."
He further stated. "I can't confirm the figures but it's around that. It's less than we paid. But it's especially the way Madrid have done it that displeases us. Real have behaved like this for two years. It is wrong, illegal even as they have contacted the player. It is unacceptable for us, because it is not right."
Also, he added, "We speak lots. He has always said the same things. Kylian has always promised he would not leave the club for free. It's what he has always said. We don't foresee speaking again with Real. This is the market and for us, we are clear: we want to keep him and extend his deal. But we aren't going to let him leave for a few smaller than what we paid given we still owe a sum of money to Monaco."
The contract of the 22-year-old footballer with PSG ends the next summer. He joined the club at the age of 18 in August 2017. Later in 2018, he signed a permanent four-year deal with the club.
UEFA Champions League 2024-25 Round of 16 First Leg Round Up: Liverpool, Barcelona and Real Madrid snatch narrow wins; Bayern, Arsenal are halfway into the Quarters
Liverpool, Barcelona, and Real Madrid snatch narrow wins, whereas Bayern and Arsenal are halfway into the quarter-finals after the UEFA Champions League 2024-25 Round of 16 First Leg.
Following the conclusion of the UEFA Champions League 2024-25Round of 16 First Leg, we can presume the potential entrants into the UCL quarter-finals, whereas the fate of some match-ups will be decided in the second leg.
Liverpool, the league phase leaders, managed a hard-fought 1-0 win against PSG; whereas ten-men Barcelona snatched a narrow 1-0 victory over Benfica. Real Madrid emerged victorious by 2-1 in the Madrid Derby against Atletico Madrid.
On the contrary, Bayern Munich thrashed Bayer Leverkusen 3-0 and Arsenal ran riot over PSV, winning 7-1 to practically secure their advancement to the next round of the competition.
UEFA Champions League 2024-25 Round of 16 First Leg Round Up
Club Brugge 1-3 Aston Villa
(Image Source | X)
Aston Villa salvaged two late goals to triumph 3-1 over Club Brugge in the first leg of the RO16 tie at the Jan Breydel Stadium in Bruges, Belgium.
Leon Bailey opened the account for Aston Villa in only three minutes into the game. Club Brugge quickly answered with Maxim De Cuyper scoring in the 12th minute.
However, Bruges defender Brandon Mechele scored a cheeky own goal to hand Villa the lead in the 82nd minute. Following that, Marco Asensio scored from the spot in the 88th minute, securing a two-goal lead for Aston Villa in the first leg.
Real Madrid impressively managed a 2-1 victory in the first leg of the 'Madrid Derby' against Atletico Madrid, in one of the biggest fixtures of UCL 2024-25 RO16 this season.
Rodrygo scored a spectacular goal from Los Blancos in the fourth minute of the game, with Julian Alvarez canceling it out with another world-class strike in the 32nd minute.
However, Brahim Diaz scored the winner for Real Madrid in the 55th minute to hand Atletico a one-goal deficit ahead of the second leg.
Arsenal ran demolition over PSV, crushing the Dutch side 7-1 in the first leg at the Philips Stadion in Eindhoven, Netherlands, practically securing their quarter-final tickets.
Jurrien Timber opened the scoring for Arsenal in the 18th minute, as Ethan Nwaneri doubled the lead in the 21st minute. Mikel Merino extended the lead in the 31st minutes, but PSV pulled off a goal from Noa Lang's spotkick in the 43rd minute.
Arsenal's scoring spree continued in the second half, with Martin Odegaard and Leandro Trossard scoring consecutively in the 47th and the 48th minute. Odegaard completed his brace in the 73rd minute, and Ricardo Calafiori put the final coffin on the nail in the 85th minute.
Borussia Dortmund 1-1 LOSC
(Image Source | BVB)
Borussia Dortmund and Lille OSC shared an exciting 1-1 stalemate in the first leg at the Signal Iduna Park in Dortmund, with everything to play for in the second leg.
Karim Adeyemi netted an absolute banger in the 22nd minute of the match. Following that, Borussia found the equalizer in the 68th minute with Haraldsson tapping the ball home.
Feyenoord 0-2 Inter Milan
(Image Source | X)
Inter Milan earned a dominant first-leg lead over Feyenoord, winning 2-0 in Rotterdam to manage a two-goal cushion ahead of the reverse fixture.
Marcus Thuram found the breakthrough for Inter in the 38th minute with a volleyed strike. Shortly after the break, Lautaro Martinez doubled the Nerazzurri's lead with a superb strike, also becoming Inter's all-time leading goalscorer in UCL.
The Italian outfit were close to adding a third goal from the spot, but Piotr Zieliński's penalty was well saved by Feyenoord custodian Timon Wellenreuther.
Bayern Munich 3-0 Bayer Leverkusen
(Image Source | X)
Bayern Munich eased past Bayer Leverkusen in the first-ever all-German tie in the UCL, beating the Bundesliga counterparts 3-0 at the Allianz Arena.
Harry Kane opened the account for Bayern only nine minutes into the game, scoring a powerful header. In the 54th minute, Jamal Musiala extended the lead as he slashed it home from a rebound.
Leverkusen defender Nordi Mukiele was shown a second yellow and was sent off in the 62nd minute, resulting in the third goal for Bayern. Harry Kane completed his brace in the 75th minute by scoring from the penalty spot to hand Bayern a comfortable victory.
Keeper Wojciech Szczęsny's trusted gloves resisted the fall of a ten-men FC Barcelona against Benfica in the first leg at Estádio da Luz, leading them to a slender 1-0 victory.
Defender Pau Cubarsi was sent off in the 22nd minute of the game, following a straight red card. Barcelona were down to ten men, but Wojciech Szczęsny became unbreakable beneath the sticks, making a massive eight saves on the way.
The only goal of the match came off Raphinha's magical feet, as the Brazilian found the back of the net with a sublime long-ranger strike that went past Trubin through the left-bottom corner.
PSG 0-1 Liverpool
(Image Source | X)
It was another Champions League classic at Parc des Princes as Liverpool salvaged a narrow 1-0 victory against Paris Saint-Germain in an electric encounter.
Liverpool custodian Alisson Becker became absolute impregnable against continuous efforts from PSG attackers, especially Ousmane Dembele and Khvicha Kvaratskhelia. Alisson was only beaten once in the 20th minute, when a marvellous curler from Kvaratskhelia ended up in the net, but was cancelled for offside.
Alisson made nine saves in the whole game, whereas Liverpool earned the winning goal in the 87th minute as Harvey Elliot fired his strike past Donnarumma, only 47 seconds after coming off the bench.
Many Players have experienced taking the UEFA Champions League match ball home. But few have done it multiple times. Listening to the UEFA Champions League anthem on the pitch while being in the starting lineup is the dream of every other kid football fan. But among the dreamers, few players go on to make further history in the game.
Players who leave a lasting impression through their quality, be it defending, goalkeeping, or even scoring goals. In this article, we will have a look at the players with the most hat-tricks in the UEFA Champions League history.
RANK
PLAYERS
HAT-TRICKS
CLUBS
1
Cristiano Ronaldo
8
Real Madrid (7), Juventus (1)
2
Lionel Messi
8
FC Barcelona (8)
3
Robert Lewandowski
6
Borussia Dortmund (1), Bayern Munich (4), FC Barcelona (1)
4
Karim Benzema
4
Real Madrid (1)
5
Luiz Adriano
3
Shakhtar Donetsk (3)
6
Mario Gomez
3
Bayern Munich (3)
7
Filippo Inzaghi
3
Juventus (2), AC Milan (1)
8
Neymar Junior
3
FC Barcelona (1), Paris Saint-Germain (2)
9
Kylian Mbappe
3
Paris Saint-Germain (2), Real Madrid (1)
10
Harry Kane
2
Tottenham Hotspurs (1), FC Bayern Munich (1)
10. Harry Kane| 2 Hat-tricks| Tottenham Hotspurs & Bayern Munich:
First Hat-trick | Tottenham Hotspurs:
On 26th September 2017, Harry Kane hit his first hat-trick in the UEFA Champions League against APOEL FC, Tottenham Hotspurs won that match 3-0 in the group stage and Kane finished the group stage joint second in the top scorers chart with six goals.
Second Hat-trick | FC Bayern Munich:
On 18th September 2024, Harry Kane hit his second hat-trick against Dinamo Zagreb in the UEFA Champions League. Kane scored 4 goals and Bayern Munich won that match 9-2 at Allianz Arena in Munich.
9. Kylian Mbappe | 3 Hat-tricks | Paris Saint-Germain & Real Madrid:
On 17 February 2017, Kylian Mbappe scored his second UEFA Champions League Round of 16 hat-tricks against the mighty FC Barcelona in Parc des Princes. Mbappe scored 3 goals and Moises Keane scored the last goal against Barcelona and they won 4-1 against the Blaugranes.
8. Neymar Jr. | 3 Hat-tricks | FC Barcelona & Paris Saint-Germain:
First Hat-trick | FC Barcelona:
On December 11, 2013, Neymar Jr. scored his first-ever hat-trick in the UEFA Champions League at Camp Nou in Spain. In that Lionel Messi was injured, but Neymar stepped up and scored a hat-trick against Celtic FC and FC Barcelona triumphed over a dominant 6-1 win against Celtic FC.
Filippo Inzaghi scored his first UEFA Champions League hat-trick against Dynamo Kyiv. Filippo Inzaghi became the first Juventus player to score a UEFA Champions League hat-trick when he found the back of the net on three occasions against Dynamo Kyiv in March 1998. Juventus won that match with a comfortable 4-1 scoreline.
Second Hat-trick | Juventus:
On 13 September 2000, Filippo Inzaghi netted his first UEFA Champions League hat-trick against Hamburg. Filippo Inzaghi's hat-trick rescued Juventus as an astonishing Champions League match against Hamburg finished 4-4 in Germany. Juventus led 3-1 at one stage before falling 4-3 behind and it needed a late penalty from Inzaghi to rescue a point.
Third Hat-trick | AC Milan:
The former Italian international scored his third UEFA Champions League hat-trick in his iconic AC Milan Jersey against Deportivo La Coruna. With the help of his hat-trick AC Milan won with a comfortable 4-0 scoreline in the 2002-03 season.
6. Mario Gomez | 3 Hat-tricks | FC Bayern Munich:
Mario Gomez bagged 3 UCL hat-tricks for Bayern Munich | Bayern Munich
Mario Gomez scored his first UEFA Champions League hat-trick against the Romanian side CFR Cluj in November 2010. Almost a year to the day later, the German forward scored a match-winning hat-trick against Napoli to seal a 3-2 win.
Luiz Adriano had registered his first UEFA Champions League hat-trick two years prior when he netted three times in Shakhtar's 5-2 win over Danish side Nordsjaelland in November 2012. Luiz Adriano netted his second UEFA Champions League hat-trick against BATE Borisov in the 2014 season. The Brazilian recorded his third hat-trick against BATE as he inspired Shakhtar to a 5-0 win.
The Frenchman would wait five years for his second as he scored three times in an 8-0 win over Malmo, scoring three against PSG in March 2022, Benzema recorded his fourth UEFA Champions League hat-trick in a 3-1 win over Chelsea in April that year.
The Polish forward had already agreed on terms with Bayern at that point and Lewandowski recorded four hat-tricks for the German giants when opposing Dinamo Zagreb, Red Star Belgrade, Benfica, and lastly Red Bull Salzburg.
The former Barcelona legend scored other six UEFA Champions League hat-tricks against Ajax, APOEL Nicosia, Celtic, Manchester City, and PSV Eindhoven, a record equaled by Cristiano Ronaldo just six months later.
1. Cristiano Ronaldo | 8 Hat-tricks | Real Madrid & Juventus:
Although the most memorable one came against Atlético de Madrid the second time. This time in the colors of Juventus. Juventus progressed 3-2 on aggregate to reach the quarterfinals.
Over the years, many footballers have accumulated huge numbers of goals and assists in every season, putting up all-round performances for both their club and country.
The all-time football greats such as Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo are always present in almost every football stats like these, proving the sheer dominance they created over the years.
However, there are many former players as well, who have racked up plenty of goals and assists to lead their respective teams to coveted success, but we often miss their names.
Sportz Point attempts to delve into football facts which include the world-class footballers who accumulated the most goal contributions in a single season since the year 2000.
Most Goal Contributions in a single season since 2000
10. Roy Makaay | 51 in 2004-05
(Image Source | Tumblr)
Former Dutch international Roy Makaay registered 51 goal contributions in 48 matches for his club and country in the 2004-05 season.
Makaay, who was Bayern Munich's one of the most crucial players that season, scored 34 goals and delivered 17 assists to top the charts.
Total G+A: 51
Season: 2004-05
Club: Bayern Munich
Matches: 48
Goals: 34
Assists: 17
9. Thierry Henry | 56 in 2002-03
(Image Source | Squawka on X)
Hailed as one of the greatest goalscorers ever in football, Thierry Henry made 56 goal contributions in the 2002-03 season while playing for Arsenal.
The French striker netted 32 goals and provided 24 assists in 55 appearances across the season. Henry went on to prove himself as one of the most important puzzle pieces for Arsenal's golden period.
Interestingly, Henry made 20 assists in the Premier League that season, which is by far the highest number of assists provided in a single PL season, being the first player ever to register 20 assists.
Total G+A: 56
Season: 2002-03
Club: Arsenal
Matches: 55
Goals: 32
Assists: 24
8. Henrik Larsson | 61 in 2003-04
(Image Source | Tumblr)
Henrik Larsson brought himself into contention with elite footballers in the 2003-04 season, when he accumulated 61 goal contributions for the Scottish side Celtic FC.
Larsson, the former Swedish international put up 41 goals and made 20 assists in 58 appearances across all competitions that season.
Total G+A: 61
Season: 2003-04
Club: Celtic
Matches: 58
Goals: 41
Assists: 20
7. Erling Haaland | 61 in 2022-23
(Image Credit | GOAL)
Erling Haaland is currently one of the most feared strikers in world football. In a blockbuster move, the Norwegian forward signed for Manchester City ahead in the summer of 2022.
Proving his worth, Haaland fired 52 goals and provided 9 assists in 53 appearances across competitions that season. The current City marksman also won the 2022-23 UEFA Best Footballer award for his monstrous performance.
Total G+A: 61
Season: 2022-23
Club: Manchester City
Matches: 53
Goals: 52
Assists: 9
6. Jardel | 63 in 2001-02
(Image Credit Record)
Mário de Jardel Almeida Ribeiro, who was commonly referred to as Jardel, cracked the headlines for making 63 goal contributions in 41 matches while playing for the Portuguese side Sporting CP.
The former Brazilian striker netted 55 goals and delivered 8 assists that season. Jardel also won the Portuguese Footballer of the Year award in 2002, despite being a foreign footballer.
Total G+A: 63
Season: 2001-02
Club: Sporting CP
Matches: 41
Goals: 55
Assists: 8
5. Kylian Mbappe | 64 in 2021-22
(Image Credit | Sqauwka on X)
Kylian Mbappe shone like a diamond even after playing with stalwarts such as Lionel Messi and Neymar Jr. at Paris Saint-Germain in the 2021-22 season.
The French superstar accumulated 64 goal contributions in 46 games that season, studded with 39 goals and 25 assists across all competitions.
Despite playing in the COVID-affected season, the Polish striker accumulated 65 goal contributions for the German side, netting 55 goals along with 10 assists in 47 appearances.
Total G+A: 65
Season: 2019-20
Club: Bayern Munich
Matches: 47
Goals: 55
Assists: 10
3. Cristiano Ronaldo | 68 in 2013-14
(Image Credit | Eurosport)
Cristiano Ronaldois undoubtedly the greatest goalscorer who ever donned the shirt for Real Madrid, whereas he is also considered the Greatest of all-time by many.
The Portuguese sensation racked up a staggering 68 goal contributions for Los Blancos in the 2013-14 season. Ronaldo netted 51 goals and provided 17 assists in 47 games.
Total G+A: 68
Season: 2013-14
Club: Real Madrid
Matches: 47
Goals: 51
Assists: 17
2. Luis Suarez | 83 in 2015-16
(Image Source | X)
Luis Suarez registered a huge tally of 83 goal contributions in the 2015-16 season, while playing for FC Barcelona.
The former Uruguay international is one of the greatest footballers to ever don the Blaugrana shirt. In 2015-16, Suarez fired an outstanding 59 goals and also provided 24 assists in 53 appearances.
Total G+A: 83
Season: 2015-16
Club: FC Barcelona
Matches: 53
Goals: 59
Assists: 24
1. Lionel Messi | 105 in 2011-12
(Image Credit | UEFA)
Lionel Messi, arguably the greatest footballer ever, reached an inhuman number of goal contributions while playing for FC Barcelona in the 2011-12 season.
The Argentine legend registered 105 goal contributions, studded with an unbelievable 73 goals while also delivering 32 assists in 60 appearances.
UEFA Champions League 2024-25 Knockout phase play-off Round Up: Real Madrid, PSG, PSV go through
Dortmund, Bayern Munich, Benfica, Club Brugge, Feyenoord, PSG, PSV and Real Madrid qualified for the Round of 16 from the UEFA Champions League 2024-25 Knockout phase play-offs.
Borussia Dortmund, Bayern Munich, Benfica, Club Brugge, Feyenoord, PSG, PSV and Real Madrid qualified for the Round of 16 from the UEFA Champions League 2024-25 Knockout phase play-offs.
UEFA Champions League 2024-25 Knockout phase play-offs Round-Up
Milan 1-1 Feyenoord (agg: 1-2)
Italian football giants and one of the most successful teams in UEFA Champions League history AC Milan were knocked out of this season's tournament after Dutch club Feyenoord defeated them by 1-2 on aggregate.
Feyenoord were leading by 1-0 after the first leg and then they ensured a 1-1 draw to progress to the round of 16 for the first time in their history.
Santiago Giménez scored early for Milan but against a 10-men Milan side Julián Carranza came off the bench to seal an equaliser with a stunning header.
Benfica 3-3 Monaco (agg: 4-3)
Orkun Kökçü scored a late winner for Benfica to progress to the next round after beating Monaco by 4-3 on aggregate.
Kerem Aktürkoğlu gave Benfica the early edge only to see Takumi Minamino and Eliesse Ben Seghir put Monaco back on level terms.
Vangelis Pavlidis then gave Benfica the lead but George Ilenikhena levelled things again. Kokcu then sealed the winner for Benfica with a later goal.
Atalanta 1-3 Club Brugge (agg: 2-5)
Chemsdine Talbi's brace and Ferran Jutglà's stunning long-range goal took Club Brugge to the round of 16 with ease.
Ademola Lookman scored the lone goal for Atalanta. However, he also saw one penalty saved by Simon Mignolet as well.
Bayern Munich 1-1 Celtic (agg: 3-2)
Bayern Munich narrowly passed the Celtic test with a late goal from Alphonso Davies. Nicolas Kuhn scored the goal for Celtic in the one-hour mark and when they were nearly close to taking Bayern Munich to extra time, Davies took the German Champions home.
B. Dortmund 0-0 Sporting CP (agg: 3-0)
Despite a goalless draw at their home, Borussia Dortmund went past their Portuguese visitors with ease, after a solid 3-0 lead from the first leg.
In the second leg, Rui Silva was the hero for the Portuguese team who made multiple saves to deny the Dortmund players.
Paris 7-0 Brest (agg: 10-0)
PSG thrashed their Ligue 1 opponent Brest via a 7-0 victory in the second leg to manage a 10-0 win on aggregate.
PSG became the first team to have seven different scorers in a single match. Bradley Barcola, Khvicha Kvaratskhelia, Vitinha, Désiré Doué, Nuno Mendes, Gonçalo Ramos and Senny Mayulu scored for the French giants.
PSV 3-1 Juventus, aet (agg: 4-3)
🚨🇪🇺 GOAL | PSV 3-1 Juventus | Ryan Flamingo
RYAN FLAMINGO MAKES IT THREE FOR PSV IN THE 98TH MINUTE OF OVERTIME !!!!!!!!!!!!! 4-3 ON AGGREGATE !!!!!!!pic.twitter.com/n9Y0TXCmmo
PSV stunned the Italian giants to qualify for the round of 16. This is their first Champions League knockout win since 2007.
Ryan Flamingo scored an extra-time goal to nullify Timothy Weah's stunning goal.
Ivan Perisic and Ismael Saibari scored the other two goals for the Dutch club.
Real Madrid 3-1 Man City (agg: 6-3)
Real Madrid proved why they are the 15 times Champions League winner as they eased past a struggling Manchester City to reach the Round of 16.
Kylian Mbappe scored a stunning hat-trick to take the defending champions to the next round in front of their home crowd. Nico González scored a late consolation goal for City.
The knockout phase to qualify for the UEFA Champions League 2024-25 round of 16 has been done. 16 teams who had finished from 9 to 24 in the league stage have went against their opponent in a two-legged fixture to determine the 8 teams of the round of 16. Those who had finished in the top 8 in the league stage had already qualified for the round of 16 stage.
Now, from these qualified teams, a draw will take place among potential opponents to determine who will face whom in the round of 16, quarter-final and in the semi-final. Here is everything you need to know about the 2024-25 UEFA Champions League round of 16, quarter-final and semi-final draw.
When and Where will it take place?
The 2024-25 UEFA Champions League round of 16, quarter-final and semi-final draw will take place at 12:00 CET on Friday 21 February at the House of European Football in Nyon, Switzerland.
This means that football fans from India will be able to see the draw at 4:30 pm on Friday 21 February.
Which teams have qualified for the UCL 2024-25 Round of 16 draw?
Graphic by UEFA.com
The top 8 teams from the league stage had automatically qualified for the UCL 2024-25 Round of 16 draw. Now, another 8 teams have qualified for the round of 16 stage after playing a two-legged knock-out fixture against their drawn opponents.
Knockout phase play-off winners (unseeded, ordered by league phase position) 10. B. Dortmund (GER) 11.Real Madrid (ESP) 12.Bayern Munich (GER) 14. PSV (NED) 15.PSG (FRA) 16.Benfica (POR) 19. Feyenoord (NED) 24. Club Brugge (BEL)
Which teams are potential opponents of which teams?
So, as per the new theme of the tournament, the top 8 teams have been put into a bracket of four seeded groups i.e. 1 or 2, 3 or 4, 5 or 6, 7 or 8.
In the knockout phase play-off draw, the potential bracket of possible winners from the knockout-phase play-off was already made to determine their possible opponent from the bracket of the seeded groups from the top 8.
Here are the potential opponents who could face each other in the UEFA Champions League 2024-25 round of 16 (in order of match No.)
So, from the above list, you can get that Liverpool's and Barcelona's potential opponents are PSG or Benfica. The draw will be done to determine which team will face whom in the round of 16. For Lille and Aston Villa, the potential opponents are Club Brugge or Borussia Dortmund. Atletico Madrid and Bayer Leverkusen will face either Real Madrid or Bayern Munich. Arsenal and Inter Milan could face either PSV or Feyenoord.
How the draw will be done?
Graphic by UEFA.com
One ball is taken from the bowl containing the two relevant ranked teams (i.e. the teams ranked 7 and 8) and is opened to display the team. The first team drawn from this bowl is placed in their reserved spot on the silver side of the bracket (see bracket graphic above). The other seeded team of the pairing is then drawn and displayed, and allocated in the corresponding reserved spot on the blue side of the bracket.
How the quarter-final and semi-final fixtures will be made?
The winner of Round of 16 Match No. 1 will play against the winner of Round of 16 Match No. 2 in the 1st Quarter-final. The rest will continue as per the graphic above. The draw will be done only to determine which team will play the first leg and which will play the second leg of the fixture.
UCL 2024-25 QF Fixture Bracket
QF1: RO16-1 vs RO16-2
QF2: RO16-3 vs RO16-4
QF3: RO16-5 vs RO16-6
QF4: RO16-7 vs RO16-8
UCL 2024-25 Semi-final fixture bracket
SF1: QF1 vs QF2
SF2: QF3 vs QF4
Dates for the Champions League round of 16, quarter-finals and semi-finals