Read a few days ago that they played 196 games as a central defensive partnership.
Conceded 23 goals... in 196 games.
Maldini was Man of the Match in a CL semi-final at the age of 38, without having to make one tackle during the game, his positioning was so good.
Next level defending.
The CL Final's been moved to Porto. 6,000 fans allowed to go.
Brittany ferries are doing a cruise to Porto just for fans.
No guarantees yet that we can go but Ryanair and Easyjet are doing return flights for £300.
Porto does look like a fine City.
English fans attending the Champions League final in Porto between Manchester City and Chelsea will have to fly in and out of the country on the day of the match, the Portuguese government said.
They will also need to stay in a 'bubble' while in the city.
Uefa announced on Thursday that 6,000 fans from each club will be able to attend the final on 29 May.
The final was moved from Turkey because of coronavirus restrictions.
Portugal is on England's green list so players and fans can attend without having to quarantine on their return home. Turkey is on the red list.
Portugal's cabinet affairs minister Mariana Vieira da Silva said a set of rules had been put in place for those fans attending the final.
"Those who come to the final of the Champions League will come and return on the same day, with a test done, in a bubble situation, on charter flights," she said.
"There will be two fan zones and from there they will be moved to the stadium and from the stadium to the airport, being in Portugal less than 24 hours.
"Obviously those coming by plane [to be in Porto while the match is on but do not actually go the stadium] will comply with the established rules and security measures will be put in place as happened in Lisbon last year."
She said the restrictions put in place were to ensure that Covid rates remain low in Portugal.
Vieira da Silva said that the local health authority was in charge of selecting seats for fans to ensure social distancing and that tickets were non-transferable.
Manchester City said on their website that the club would be "offering qualifying supporters an official day trip travel package from Manchester to Porto".
The final had been due to be staged at Istanbul's Ataturk Olympic Stadium.
"To deprive supporters of the chance to see the match in person was not an option and I am delighted that this compromise has been found," said Uefa president Aleksander Ceferin.
Uefa, UK government officials and the Football Association met to talk about Wembley hosting the game but no agreement could be reached on quarantine exemptions for sponsors, VIPs and broadcasters.
"Fans have had to suffer more than 12 months without the ability to see their teams live and reaching a Champions League final is the pinnacle of club football," added Ceferin.
"After the year that fans have endured, it is not right that they don't have the chance to watch their teams in the biggest game of the season."
Both Chelsea and Manchester City say they are in discussions with Uefa and other stakeholders over ticketing and travel arrangements.
City say they will offer fans a day-trip travel package from Manchester to Porto for the 20:00 BST match.
The sale of tickets to the general public will start on 24 May 2021 at 13:00 BST.
It is the second successive year the final has been held in Portugal with Lisbon the location for the delayed final stages of last season's competition, won by Bayern Munich.
The final capacity limit at the Estadio do Dragao in Porto is still to be fixed.
Ceferin acknowledged that the UK government's decision to place Turkey on the red list for travel was made in good faith but said it also left the governing body with "a major challenge".
"The difficulties of moving the final are great and the FA and the authorities made every effort to try to stage the match in England, and I would like to thank them for their work in trying to make it happen," he added.
"The Turkish Football Federation and the authorities have always been reliable partners of Uefa and I hope to be in Istanbul and Turkey for a Champions League final and many other events in the near future.
"I hope the final will be a symbol of hope at the re-emergence of Europe from a difficult period and that the fans who travel to the game will once again be able to lend their voices to showcase this final as the best in club football."
Shalom
WCL Final about to kick off.
Chelsea V Barca.
Surely Chelsea would be the first team ever to win both the CL and WCL in one season.
Bring it on.
Pep Guardiola argues with officials over Manchester City's disallowed goal in the Champions League quarter-final against Liverpool in 2018Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola says he "could not care less" that Antonio Mateu Lahoz will referee the Champions League final on Saturday despite his history with the official.
The Spaniard sent Guardiola off in the Champions League quarter-final defeat against Liverpool in 2018.
After the match, Guardiola said the official "likes to be different".
But, speaking before Saturday's final with Chelsea, Guardiola said he had not thought about Lahoz for "one second".
"I could not care less. I am so confident in my team," the Spanish boss said. "You cannot imagine how confident I am in my team and what we have to do."
Leroy Sane's disallowed goal against Liverpool sparked the clash at Etihad Stadium that led to Guardiola being sent to the stands and the same referee upset the City manager in the 2017 game with Monaco when Sergio Aguero was booked for diving.
"He's a referee who likes to feel different, he's special. When everybody sees things, he is going to see the opposite. It's too much to send me off because I didn't say any wrong word," said Guardiola at the time.
City face Chelsea in Porto on Saturday, having lost twice against Thomas Tuchel's side in the last six weeks, including the FA Cup semi-final - but Guardiola is not reading anything into past results.
"It's a different competition, new game," he said.
Guardiola will have the option of playing midfielder Ilkay Gundogan, after the German declared himself fit and "feeling good" after a knee injury that saw him miss City's final game of the season.
Slagging off the ref may not be the best course of action....
The Galactitossers and Juventus are being investigated by UEFA for the ESL shite.
The rest have agreed to a a few slaps on the wrist:
In particular, each club:
- unreservedly acknowledges and accepts the binding nature of the UEFA Statutes
- remains committed to and will participate in any UEFA Club Competitions each season for which that club qualifies on sporting merit
- will rejoin the European Club Association, which is the only representative body for clubs that UEFA recognises
- will take all steps within their power with a view to terminate their involvement in the company established to form and operate the Super League and cease any existing related legal actions
- as a gesture of goodwill, and together with the other clubs, will make a donation totalling an aggregate of €15 million, to be used for the benefit of children, youth and grassroots football in local communities across Europe, including the UK
- will be subject to the withholding of 5% of the revenues they would have received from UEFA club competitions for one season, which will be redistributed
- agree to have substantial fines imposed if they seek to play in such an unauthorised competition (€100 million) or if they breach any other commitment they have entered into in the Club Commitment Declaration (€50 million)
- will provide individual commitments to UEFA in which all the principles and values set out in the 2019 Memorandum of Understanding between UEFA and the European Club Association are accepted
Fun fact: on the last 16 occasions that Spanish teams have faced a non-Spanish team in a European semi or final, they've won 15 of them.
You have to go back to 2000/2001 for the last time a Spanish team lost a final: Liverpool v Alaves/Bayern v Valencia.
Signing off until August.
Hal
Last edited by hallelujah; 26-05-2021 at 07:50 PM.
Bit o argy-bargy in town.
Saw worse when Conor McGregor attacked that bus while pretending to be angry.
De Gea, Wan-Bissaka, Bailly, Lindelof, Shaw, McTominay, Pogba, Greenwood, Fernandes, Rashford, Cavani
Damn nice attacking line up with Tommy and Pogz ( ) in CM, the pace and silky skills of Greenwood and Saint Rashford coming in from out wide, the sheer brilliance of Cavani with the genius of Bruno behind him.
Would be lying if the Calamity Janes of Bailly Lindelof and to some extent in the past DeGea isn't a worry.
Let's go.
Morena has scored 30 goals this season for Villarreal.
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