Tag Archives: PSV Eindhoven

Manchester City Completes Five-Year Deal with Sávio

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Sávio is headed to England.

Manchester City has completed a deal for the 20-year-old Brazil winger, whose full name is Sávio Moreira de Oliveira, on a five-year-deal, the club has confirmed.

SávioSources told ESPN that Manchester City has paid an initial transfer fee of €25 million ($27.3m), plus a potential €15m ($16.4m) in add-ons.

Sávio joins the team from French side Troyes after loan spells at PSV Eindhoven and Girona.

Both Troyes and Girona are part of the City Football Group (CFG), which is headed by Manchester City.

“I’m so happy to be joining Manchester City, the Premier League champions and Club World Cup winners,” Sávio said.

“Everyone knows they are the best team in the world right now, so to be here is very exciting for me.

“I’m excited about the chance to work under Pep Guardiola, one of the greatest coaches ever, and someone I know will help me improve even more.

“I had an amazing time in Spain and I’m looking forward to a new challenge of playing in the Premier League and alongside some of the best players in the world.

“I can’t wait to meet the fans and my new team-mates and hopefully be a part of bringing more success to City.”

Sávio scored 11 goals in 41 games for Girona last season as they earned qualification for the Champions League for the first time in their history.

He played for Brazil in this year’s Copa América and scored one goal while playing in each of their four games until they were knocked out by Uruguay in the quarterfinals.

Andrés Guardado Signs with Liga MX’s León

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Andrés Guardado is making his triumphant return to Mexico.

The 37-year-old Mexican professional footballer, a midfielder who retired from the national team in 2023 after a record-breaking 179 appearances for Mexico, has been signed by Liga MX’s León side.

Andrés GuardadoThe former Mexico captain and five-time World Cup participant is returning to Liga MX after last playing for boyhood club Atlas in 2007. 

After leaving Atlas, Guardado had a lengthy 17-year run in European club soccer that took him through Deportivo La Coruña, Valencia, Bayer Leverkusen, PSV Eindhoven, and most recently, Real Betis.

Guardado stands as the Mexican with the most seasons in European soccer and as the all-time non-domestic leader in appearances (218) with Real Betis.

“The Green and White Captain has been key in the sporting growth in recent years. With him, the team has qualified for European competitions four times and also won the Copa del Rey in 2022,” Real Betis said in a statement.

“The Club would like to effusively thank Guardado for his services and wish him all the best in the future.”

Under the guidance of new manager Jorge Bava, León kicked off the 2024 Clausura season on Wednesday with a 2-1 loss at home to Tigres.

Earlier in December, the 2023 Concacaf Champions League winners were knocked out in their debut match at the Club World Cup after a 1-0 loss to Urawa Red Diamonds.

PSV Eindhoven Announces Signing of Ricardo Pepi from FC Augsburg

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Ricardo Pepi is switching sides…

PSV Eindhoven has announced the signing of the 20-year-old Mexican American professional soccer player and United States striker from Bundesliga side FC Augsburg.

Ricardo Pepi Pepi previously starred in the Netherlands while on loan at FC Groningen last season, where he scored 13 goals in 31 appearances in all competitions.

ESPN reported last month that Pepi had signed a five-year deal with PSV after the Dutch side agreed a transfer fee of €9 million ($9.8m) with Augsburg.

Philips Sport Vereniging is a Dutch sports club has played in the Eredivisie, the top tier in Dutch football, since its inception in 1956.

“I am incredibly happy and excited to be here,” Pepi said in a statement on Friday. “I believe this is the right step for my career.

“PSV is a club with great ambitions, and I share the same desire to win trophies. I am a hardworking player who is willing to put in the dirty work. I prefer to have the ball close to the goal because that’s when I can score goals.”

Pepi has 15 caps for the USMNT, during which he has scored seven goals and helped the side win last month’s CONCACAF Nations League.

“Ricardo is still very young, so this transfer is also an investment for the future,” PSV head coach Peter Bosz said.

Ronaldo Buys Controlling Stake in His Former ‘Cruzeiro’ Club

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Ronaldo is official a club owner…

The 45-year-old Brazilian retired soccer player, who played for Real Madrid and Brazil’s national team, has bought a controlling stake in his former club Cruzeiro.

Ronaldo Ronaldo, who played for Cruzeiro as a teenager in the early 1990s before going on to become one of the most successful center forwards in soccer history, finalized the deal with the help of Brazilian investment bank XP.

The transaction, which was done through Ronaldo’s Tara Sports company and is still subject to what the bank called “a series of conditions,” sees Ronaldo invest 400 million reais ($70 million) in the Belo Horizonte club, which has spent two years in Brazil’s second division.

“I am so happy to have concluded this operation,” Ronaldo said in a video posted by the Cruzeiro president, adding, while holding one of the club’s blue shirts, that he wants to “give back to Cruzeiro and take them where they deserve to be.”

“We have a lot of hard to work to do. There’s nothing to celebrate yet but we bring a lot of hard work and the ambition to make Cruzeiro great again.”

He wrote on Instagram: “It’s my turn to try and open doors for the team. Not as a hero. Not with superpowers to single-handedly change reality. But with immense responsibility. With intelligent and sustainable management for medium- and long-term growth.”

“I don’t have all the answers to the questions that I ask myself and I possibly won’t have all the answers to the questions that you will ask me,” he wrote in an open letter to fans.

“What I do know is that the kid who learnt at Cruzeiro that dreams can come true today makes me believe that it is possible to rescue the club from its crisis.”

It is the second foray into management for the former PSV Eindhoven, Internazionale, AC Milan, Barcelona and Corinthians striker. Ronaldo bought a 51% stake in Spanish club Real Valladolid in 2018.

Neither he nor Cruzeiro provided any significant details but XP said in a statement “it seeks to help the Brazilian football industry with professionalisation, capitalization and opening new opportunities.”

Ronaldo posted a blue heart and a fox — the Cruzeiro mascot — on Twitter, and a club spokesperson confirmed the deal.

Cruzeiro also told the fans they were “phenomenal”, in a reference to Ronaldo’s nickname as a player, “Ronaldo Fenomeno”.

The deal comes a few months after the Brazilian Congress sanctioned a law allowing football clubs, historically fan-owned and closed off to outside investors, to become businesses.

“This is the first bit of business in a relevant new front for the investment banking market in Brazil, the country of football,” said Jose Berenguer, CEO of Banco XP.

“I have no doubt this is transformational in the history of Brazilian sport. We will have clubs that are stronger, with the capacity for global investment. Brazilian football will never be the same again.”

Guardado Leads Mexico to 3-1 Win Over Jamaica in CONCACAF Gold Cup Title Match

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Andrés Guardado is returning south of the border as Mexico’s new soccer hero…

The 28-year-old Mexican futbol player, who plays for Dutch club PSV Eindhoven and the Mexico national team, scored his fourth goal of the knockout rounds to help propel Mexico to its seventh CONCACAF Gold Cup title Sunday with a 3-1 victory over upstart Jamaica.

Andrés Guardado

Jesus Corona and Oribe Peralta contributed goals as El Tri scored twice early in the second half to ensure this match wouldn’t come down to any calls in the final minutes.

It was a convincing performance for coach Miguel Herrera and his team after some rough play and contentious moments in the previous two games.

Jamaica had made a rousing run to the final, stunning the U.S. in the semis to become the first Caribbean nation to reach the Gold Cup’s championship match. And they looked as though they belonged in the opening minutes, keeping the pressure on Mexico with several promising scoring chances but never putting a shot on goal.

Jamaica hadn’t trailed since early in the second half of its Gold Cup opener before a yellow card helped lead to Mexico’s first goal.

Darren Mattocks scored in the 80th minute to pull the Reggae Boyz within 3-1.

El Tri will face the U.S., the 2013 Gold Cup champions, on October 9 for CONCACAF’S spot in the 2017 Confederations Cup in Russia.

The only way Mexico had been able to score in the knockout rounds before Sunday had been on penalty kicks, all three by Guardado. And two of those came on late, questionable calls.

Against Costa Rica in the quarterfinals, a scoreless game was moments from going to a shootout when Guardado converted his penalty in the final minute of extra time. Mexico had been the better team that day, but that wasn’t the case in the semifinals. Down to 10 men, Panama was on the verge of victory when a disputed hand ball set up a penalty for Guardado in second-half stoppage time, and he scored on another for the winner in extra time.

Mexico had gone 272 minutes since one of its players scored on anything other than a penalty when Guardado put El Tri ahead for good Sunday. Jonathan dos Santos found Paul Aguilar out wide on a free kick, and Aguilar crossed it to Guardado, whose left-footed volley made it 1-0 in the 31st minute. It was his sixth goal of the tournament, one behind Clint Dempsey of the U.S.

Guardado came off to a thunderous ovation from the pro-Mexico crowd of 68,930 at Lincoln Financial Field, home of the NFL‘s Philadelphia Eagles.