Weekly Football News Catch Up: May 14th: Drogba Hails Osimhen; Busquets To Leave Barca; Man Utd New Owners; Others

Drogba Praises Osimhen For Helping Napoli Win Serie A

Didier Drogba, a former striker for Chelsea and the Ivory Coast, praised Victor Osimhen for helping Napoli win their first Serie A championship in 33 years.

Drogba praised Osimhen’s tenacity which has helped him advance in his career while congratulating the Nigerian who scored the goal that gave the Azzurri the scudetto victory.

He said that by encouraging Napoli to win their first scudetto since the Diego Maradona era, the 24-year-old has inscribed his name in the annals of history.

He also praised Napoli for finally putting a stop to the northern clubs’ hegemony in Italian soccer.

Drogba wrote: “Indeed, Capo @victorosimhen9 from the streets of Nigeria to the World’s History books.

“Congratulations my brother, to you and your Club @en_sscnapoli.”

Replying, Osimhen tweeted, “Thank you, LEGEND.”

Osimhen has stated in numerous interviews that Didier Drogba was his hero growing up.

Sergio Busquets Set To Exit Barcelona

Sergio Busquets, a star midfielder for Barcelona, has confirmed his exit from the club.

The legendary midfielder spent 18 magnificent years with the Catalan club before departing as a free agent.

The midfielder won three Champions Leagues and eight La Liga championships during his stay at Barca.

The international player for Spain is anticipated to relocate to Saudi Arabia to join Al Hilal, which is stoking rumours that he would team up with Lionel Messi once again.

“The time has come to announce that this will be my last season with Barca,” he said in a farewell video released by Barcelona.

“I wouldn’t have believed it if you had told me when I arrived as a youth player that I would play 15 seasons at the best club in the world and surpass 700 matches.

“Although it has not been an easy decision I think the time has come.”

Glazers Family Decides Who To Sell Club To

The Glazers, the owners of Manchester United, have reportedly decided that Sir Jim Ratcliffe is the best offer.

Ratcliffe, the founder of Ineos, and Sheikh Jassim bin Hamad al-Thani, a Qatari financier, are competing to become the new owner of Old Trafford.

There have been three rounds of bids in the takeover conflict, which has lasted for more than five months.

The US bank Raine Group, which has been managing the sale, received the third and final proposal for the club in April.

The Glazers have reportedly chosen the Ineos founder’s proposal as their preferred partner, according to The Sun, and an official announcement may occur “within days.”

Under Ratcliffe’s proposal, Joel and Avram Glazer, two members of the Glazer family, will continue to own shares in United, while the four other Glazer siblings have decided to sell theirs.

Mikel Obi To Make A Return To Stamford Bridge

Former Chelsea player, John Mikel Obi is slated to return to Stamford Bridge in September for a charity match between the Blues legends and Bayern Munich legends.

The Blues will field a team that won the UEFA Champions League in 2012.

West London defeated Bayern Munich 4-3 on penalties in the final, with Mikel playing a key role.

The meeting will allow the players to reconnect and remember about that memorable night in Munich.

The “Legends of Europe” game was put together in memory of Gianluca Vialli, a Chelsea icon who died last year.

Chelsea will be led by John Terry and coached by Roberto Di Matteo.

Mikel announced he was retiring from playing football in September 2022.

Israel Adesanya’s Ex-Girl Demands Half Of His Wealth

Charlotte Powdrell, the former girlfriend of Israel Adesanya, a New Zealander-Nigerian mixed martial artist, reportedly took him to court and wants half of his assets as a settlement.

UFC fighter Sean O’Malley revealed this during a podcast broadcast on the Suga YouTube channel.

He claims the woman in issue was never married to Israel and never had a child with him, but she believes she is entitled to half of his fortune since they “dated too long and she supported his Ultimate Fighting Championship, UFC, career.”

O’Malley said, “Izzy’s [Israel Adesanya’s] ex-girlfriend…They are not married, right they were never married I didn’t believe it. She wants half of his assets.

“I don’t know how their relationship was because I didn’t even know he had a girlfriend, but to want half of what he’s gone out there and done is absolutely ridiculous.”

Adesanya’s romance with Charlotte Powdrell made headlines in 2019 after she was photographed with the ‘Last Stylebender’ following his victory over Robert Whittaker.

Israel Adesanya is the current UFC Middleweight champion and one of the world’s most-paid MMA fighters, while Powdrell is a real estate agent in Auckland, New Zealand.