Will We Ever See Zinedine Zidane In The Dugout Again?

Former French Midfielder and Manager Zinedine Zidane popularly known as Zizou is certainly one of the most-sought-after football managers in the game today judging by the heroic role he played in Real Madrid's Champions League successes.

The former Le Bleu Star was appointed by Real Madrid's President Florentino Perez to take the Spanish Giants to the next level at the time and Zidane didn't disappoint neither did he falter. 

The former French midfield Maestro took the football world by surprise with his brand of attacking football. Fortunately for the Frenchman, he had top stars like Cristiano Ronaldo in his fold to deliver the goods. Ronaldo at the time was busy smashing every available record in the Spanish La Liga and in Europe at the time. 

Zidane's managerial prowess and style led Real Madrid to winning the UEFA Champions League title three times in a roll to the surprise and utter shock of many. 

Ever since that managerial feat, Zizou became the toast of every managerial vacancy in and out of Europe. He has been linked with managerial vacancies at Manchester United, Chelsea and even Real Madrid. 

It was recently discussed in some section of the European press that Real Madrid would do everything to bring their former Manager back should present manager Carlo Ancelotti fail to take Madrid to the knockout phase of the UEFA Champions League. 

It is left to be seen when the former iconic midfield Maestro will grace the European club dugout again, time will certainly tell! 

Will Manchester City Ever Sack Pep Guardiola?

Widely celebrated and decorated Manager Josef Pep Guardiola has come under serious scrutiny these past few weeks in the English Premier League following a string of embarrassing results for his Manchester City side. 

The Citizens are currently going through their worst moments in recent years, infact since the Arabian conglomerate took over the affairs of the club. 

Guardiola during his reign won four English Premier League titles, a feat that has never been posted by any Manager in the English League. He also won the highly-coveted UEFA Champions League title last season making it an impressive treble but the Spaniard is literally fighting for his football future at the moment despite just putting pen to paper a few weeks ago in a celebrated manner. 

Since putting pen to paper over a contract extension and losing Ballon Dor Winner Rodri to a long injury lay-off, Pep and his men have endured one torrid moment after the other. They have endured shock losses to clubs such as Bournemouth, Liverpool, Tottenham Hotspurs, Manchester United and the latest loss to Unai Emery's men Aston villa. 

To think that many thought Guardiola had nipped the defeats in the bud when he faced neighbours Manchester United, little did he know his neighbours would beat his team to it at full time.

It is left to be seen if results will go Guardiola's way as we march into year 2025. One thing is clear, the Manchester City hierarchy are in awe of Pep's managerial prowess and process. The footballing world are keen to see how this particular drama would pan out in the coming weeks. 

Jose Mourinho Undergoes Minor Surgery

The Head Coach of Turkish Giants Fenerbahce, Jose Mourinho has undergone a minor surgery.

It was widely circulated few days ago that the Special One was to go under the knife in order to solve a health challenge but the Portuguese serial winner insists that the news of his surgery was exaggerated by the World Press. 

Jose took to his Instag

ram account to correct this impression and also allay the fears of many about his health insisting that the procedure was a minor and quick one. He also took out time to wish his friends all over the world a happy Christmas. 

In his words ""I wish everyone happy holidays. May this time be filled with love and joy for you and your families. For those who were worried, I can confirm that the information about my surgery has been greatly exaggerated. It was just a quick and minor intervention". 

"I will return to training on the first day after the holidays, as always. I have never missed a training session in 25 years, and I have no intention of starting now," Mourinho wrote on Instagram.

Fenerbahce currently sit second on the league table behind high flyers Galatasaray. 

AS Roma Captain Lorenzo Pellegrini Shown The Door

It has been reported in the Italian media that Lorenzo Pellegrini the captain of Italian side AS Roma is on his way out of the club after a string of underwhelming performances this season. 

Over recent hours the news broke out that Roma are in talks with Napo

li for a swap involving Pellegrini and Raspadori.

Gianluca Di Marzio of Sky Sport confirms this rumor: Roma are in need of a back-up striker and Napoli would gladly sign an additional midfielder.

In this case, however, the problem could be the salary of the Roma captain. Pellegrini had been mostly benched by new coach Claudio Ranieri. Ranieri became Roma's third this season following the previous dismissals of Rossi and Juric. 

Juventus, Galatasaray, Inter Milan are also keen on securing the services of the midfielder who has gone down the pecking order under Italian tactician Ranieri. 

Another Boring Draw For Fenerbahce Puts Jose Mourinho's Job In Jeopardy

Portuguese Manager Jose Mourinho's job at Turkish Giants Fenerbahce is in jeopardy following another lackluster performance away at Eyupspor on Friday night. The Turkish Giants have endured a torrid time under Jose which has seen them fall behind their fiercest rival in Galatasaray who are flying high at the moment. 

To think that the Fenerbahce hierarchy brought in the Portuguese with the hope that he would be able to outdo his predecessor who only lost the Turkish title to Galatasaray by only one point, now he has left them worse off with a string of inconsistent performances. 

Mourinho has been under fire for the kind of choices he has had to make in the dugout. Players like Cenk Tosun and Cegis Under have had very limited playing time under Jose Mourinho. He only brings them on the pitch when the team is in big trouble, and he needs their goals in order to salvage a face-saving-draw. 

It would be recalled that Fenerbahce suffered a shock 2-0 defeat at home to Spanish side Athletico Bilbao who basically ran riot at the Turkish home of Fenerbahce thanks to a brace by Inaki Williams. Jose Mourinho's team could only manage less than three shots on goal on the night. 

Jose Mourinho has come under scrutiny lately following a seeming decline in his managerial career, a decline that made him lose out on top managerial vacancies in Europe in the summer after he was dismissed by Italian side AS Roma where he won the Inaugural UEFA Conference League and while also getting to the Europa League final only to lose to Sevilla. It has been argued that he ought to have secured one of the vacant spots at Bayern Munich, Napoli, Juventus or AC Milan among others, but he opted to sign with Fenerbahce which is outside of the Big Five European Leagues. 

It is left to be seen how the future of the Portuguese would be decided following the latest 1-1 draw on Friday night to lowly rated Eyupspor. 

Why Nigerian Ladies Opt To Do Hookup Rather Than Fall In Love

 

Over the years Nigerian ladies have been known to always follow exactly what their heart tells them to do, they are usually known to be hopeless romantics who like to feel butterflies in their belly and be in tune with their feelings but nowadays, things have gone south.

The average Nigerian lady long before now would entertain romantic date nights, crave long conversations over the phone, go on dates during the day with the guy she is seeing and even burn the midnight oil chatting on social media chatrooms but these days the priorities of the average lady have changed for the worst.

This is the era where ladies favour sleeping around in the name of doing hookup. The concept of hookup stems from laziness and the urgent need to live life to the fullest without being gainfully employed or doing meaningful business that would put money in their pockets.

The concept of hookup reigns supreme when the average Nigerian ‘babe’ as they are fondly called want to use the latest Apple-made phones and smart watch without having the financial muscle to buy one. In the quest to oppress the babe next door, the average Nigerian babe would resort to doing hookup.

Hookup helps the babes you see around level up; it makes them feel among the ‘happening’ personalities. That is why most of them sleep with men who have money to dole on them all in a bid to be able to afford a certain lavish lifestyle without having to work for it gainfully. It should be expressly stated here that the bulk of Nigerian babes who brandish high-end I-phones do not have the needed funds to buy one. They got those expensive phones by charging men for a moment of pleasure, that’s the kind of ladies we have around these days.

The bulk of ladies who live on the island these days stay there because its now the fancy thing to do, they do so because they want to be counted among the big girls. They are of the opinion that staying on the island of Lagos puts them a different level, little wonder why a babe who stays somewhere on the mainland would get enmeshed in the act of hookup just because she wants to identify with a particular sect of girls.

Many Nigerian ladies no longer want love or the idea of love as it doesn’t pay the bills. They decide to hang with men who have the money to give them that lavish lifestyle they desperately crave. These days whenever you are chatting with a Nigerian lady who lives in Lagos, the conversation soon becomes transactional with the lady asking you to send money before she can either come see you or have anything explicit with you and this is the norm these days.

While it should be stated expressly that we still have ladies who are making their own money which is used to fund the kind of lavish lifestyle they really want, the bulk of the ladies or babes we have around just want to sleep with the man who has the kind of money they need all in the name of living it up!

 

 

Why The English Premier League Is More Superior To Other European Leagues

 

 

Lovers of the round leather game will tell you that the kind of excitement and intrigue they get from following the English Premier League cannot be matched or rivaled in any way by the Spanish La Liga. The English Premiership and the Spanish La Liga both belong to the top five football leagues in Europe but one stands tall than the other.

The English premiership is watched every week by millions of viewers all over the world little wonder why it's the most watched football league among other European leagues. The fan base of the premiership is way higher than whatever the La Liga has to offer. 

The English Premier League (EPL) is the kind of league where nothing is promised, and the intrigue is second to none, unlike the La Liga where you can easily predict the outcome of certain matches. In the EPL, the surprise factor is so high compared to what's obtainable in La Liga. 

The revenue gotten from television rights is more in the EPL compared to what is shared among club sides in Spain. While clubs such as Real Madrid and Barcelona get way more than the remaining 18 teams in that league. According to Google.com If a comparison is made among the 5 big soccer leagues, the Premier League is by far the one that receives the most money for overseas TV rights. The EPL is the only league to cash in more than €1 bn in a season (€1.58bn), followed by LaLiga (€897m), Serie A (€371m), Bundesliga (€240m) and Ligue 1, with €80m.

Regarding viewership across the top five leagues, the EPL is watched by a wider audience compared to the La Liga.  According to Google, the English Premier League dominates Bundesliga, Ligue 1, La Liga and Serie A, attracting 3.2 billion TV viewers.

As the new season draws near it is left to be seen if the La Liga can overtake the English Premiership in terms of viewers and global appeal, only time will tell.

 

The Rise and Rise of Funke Akindele

Olufunke Akindele popularly known as Jenifa or Omo Ghetto is now a name that resonates with creativity, brilliance and stardom.

The iconic Nollywood Star Actress keeps growing in the movie industry so much that her current status has now become a prayer point for many in that industry. 

It was never rosy for this talented star who came into public consciousness when she starred in the popular high school sitcom back in the day titled "I Need To Know", a programme geared at educating Nigerian youths at the time. She acted alongside Nollywood Star Actress Carole King among others. 

From "I Need To Know", Funke journeyed through the Yoruba arm of Nollywood where she eventually carved a niche for herself and as they usually say, the rest is history. 

Now, Funke has done many enviable works and she totally deserves every accolade that comes her way. It was indeed impressive the way she smashed box office figures with blockbusters such as Omo Ghetto and A Tribe Called Judah which went on to become the very first N1bn movie in the history of Nollywood. 

Now that her new flick "Everybody Loves Jenifa" is currently showing in cinemas all over Nigeria and beyond, it is left to be seen if her new project's sale would dwarf the previous one. 

One thing is sure in the Nigerian movie space and it is that Everybody Loves Jenifa!!! 

Paulo Dybala Willing To Link Up With Victor Osimhen In Turkey

Argentine Forward and AS Roma Striker, Paulo Dybala is willing to leave the Italian Capital of Rome as the club hasn't has shown interest in discussing the future of the iconic attacker. Dybala, whose current deal ends next summer has not been called in for contract renewals, a move that is getting the Argentine star agitated. 

Turkish Giants Galatasaray have made a bid of around $12m for the former Juventus attacker as far back in November following the lengthy injury to another Argentine forward Mauro Icardi. It has been reported that Dybala's camp is willing to consider the deal from the Turkish Giants which will potentially link him up upfront with Nigerian Striker Victor Osimhen who is currently on loan from Italian side Napoli. 

Should this deal happen, the Turkish league will be better for it as another iconic player in Paulo Dybala joins. It remains to be seen what would happen when the January transfer window opens even though it has been reported that Dybala is not too keen on changing clubs mid-season. 

Nigeria's Apex Bank Introduces Restriction On Daily Withdrawal

The Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) has introduced a daily transaction limit of N100,000 per customer for cash-out transactions conducted by Point of Sale (POS) agents.

This policy, part of a new directive issued on December 17, 2024, and signed by Oladimeji Yisa Taiwo for the Director of the Payments System Management Department at the CBN, aims to streamline agency banking operations, encourage electronic payment adoption, and enhance the country’s cashless economy drive.

It will be recalled that the Apex Bank under the leadership of Mr. Olayemi Cardozo has introduced a series of reforms in the financial sector aimed at moving the country forward. It is left to be seen how Nigerians would react to this new directive especially as the yuletide season draws near. 

Ademola Lookman: The Stone Leicester City Rejected

It's no longer news that Nigerian Attacker and Atalanta Star Ademola Olajade Lookman has been voted the Best Player in Africa for the very first time following his impressive displays for both club and country. 

Lookman who was born in England plays for the Nigerian National team. He has impressed at the Bergamo club in the last two years from his move from English Premier League side, Leicester City. Lookman made 26 appearances for the English outfit before his transfer to Italy. Under Manager Gian Piero Giasperini, Ademola Lookman found his feet following his permanent transfer.

Ademola became the first Atalanta player to be nominated for the annual Ballon Dor shortlist following his impressive hatrick in the final of the Europa League. While Lookman could not find his feet while plying his trade with Leicester City, he has found love again with football with his attacking creativity at the Bergamo stadium where he churns out impressive performances' week in, week out. 

We wish the current Player of the Year a very fruitful 2024 and 2025...... Salute!