MIAMI, United States: One of the reasons Real Madrid ended last season without any major trophies was the sudden decline in the performance of its main striker, Vinicius Junior.

Instead of competing for the Ballon d’Or award while helping Los Blancos win the Champions League and La Liga in the 2023–24 season, the Brazilian appeared to be sinking as Madrid ended the Carlo Ancelotti era in second place behind arch-rivals Barcelona.

However, new coach Xabi Alonso is pleased to see Vinicius shine again as Madrid progress to the last 16 of the Club World Cup, where they will face Juventus early on Wednesday morning.

If Vinicius is able to perform at his best, plus Kylian Mbappe’s return after recovering from a gastrointestinal problem, Madrid are believed to have a potent enough attacking line to win the tournament.

Vinicius scored a goal and created another for Federico Valverde in a 3-0 win over Salzburg, ensuring Madrid emerged as Group H champions and avoided facing Manchester City, who are seen as the strongest team so far in the United States.

“I’m very happy because Vini, like any striker, needed that goal,” Alonso said.

Vinicius is currently in the process of negotiating a new contract with Real Madrid, with his current contract still running until 2027.

“I hope to stay here for a long time. I’ve always said this is my life and death club,” Vinicius said earlier this week.

“I’m very comfortable with the coach and all the staff here, so I hope I can stay.”

Madrid want to ensure Vinicius is compatible with Mbappe, without compromising the team’s defensive balance.

Los Blancos will face Juventus in Orlando with the hope of reaching the quarter-finals and may be strengthened by the return of Mbappe who will have the opportunity to team up with Vinicius for the first time under Alonso.

Mbappe missed all three previous group matches and was hospitalized due to acute gastroenteritis, but has returned to training as usual in the past few days.

Alonso believes the two stars can work together, although initially there were problems because they were often in the same area of ​​the field.

Mbappe finally found his rhythm and finished last season with 43 goals in all competitions, while Vinicius scored 22 goals without really reaching his best form.

“They can do it – Vini plays on the wing, Kylian more in the middle… it’s not a big problem, because there is a very high level of individual quality. What’s important is that the team works,” Alonso explained.

LONDON: Marcus Rashford has made it clear he wants to link up with teenage sensation Lamine Yamal at Barcelona as he continues to push for a move away from Manchester United.

Rashford has reportedly been interested in joining Barcelona for a long time and his brother, who acts as his agent, Dwaine Maynard, held talks with Barcelona sporting director Deco in Spain last month over a potential £40 million transfer.

But with Barcelona now turning their attention to Athletic Bilbao star Nico Williams, the England striker has taken the plunge by meeting Spanish influencer Javi Ruiz in Marbella.

When asked if he would like to play alongside Yamal one day, Rashford replied: “Of course I would. Everyone wants to play with the best players. Hopefully… we’ll see.”

Rashford’s hopes of staying at Manchester United under Ruben Amorim look slim after a reported disagreement and his priority is now a move to Spain.

“Spain is an interesting place and not too far from home,” Rashford told the YouTuber.

“If I train here for a long period, it’s good because my family can come and visit for a few days – the flight only takes three hours. The weather is also good here.”

Deco has previously publicly stated that Barcelona are “interested” in Rashford, as well as also holding an interest in Liverpool winger Luis Diaz.

He then met with Maynard at a hotel in Barcelona to discuss the basic terms of a potential transfer.

Rashford, who still has three years left on his contract at Old Trafford, is not expected to play again for his boyhood club as long as Amorim remains manager.

United are now looking to offload the £315,000-a-week wage burden they are shouldering for Rashford, especially after he spent half of last season on loan at Aston Villa.

The club are willing to listen to offers of around £40 million.

However, Rashford’s dream of a move to Barcelona could be thwarted as the Catalan club are now accelerating their pursuit of Williams.

Barcelona have reportedly reached personal terms with the Spanish winger.

LONDON: Manchester United chief executive Omar Berrada is sticking to the club’s long-term target of winning the Premier League by 2028 – the year that will mark the club’s 150th anniversary – despite Ruben Amorim’s side having just endured their worst season in modern history.

The club, which has won 20 league titles, finished 15th last season, its worst finish since relegation in the 1973/74 season, and 42 points behind champions Liverpool.

In fact, they were also disappointed on the European stage when they lost to Tottenham Hotspur in the Europa League final, thus causing United to not play in any European competitions next season.

Berrada, who previously served as Manchester City’s Head of Football Operations, introduced the “Project 150” initiative to staff last September – aiming to successfully clinch the Premier League and Women’s Super League (WSL) titles by 2028.

While the men’s team is still far from the level they dream of, United’s women’s team also faces a huge challenge to break the dominance of Chelsea, who have won six consecutive WSL titles.

United’s women’s team finished third last season, 16 points behind Chelsea and also lost to the same club in the FA Cup final.

However, Berrada remains optimistic that the double success can be achieved within the next three years.

“It’s about setting targets within a certain time frame so that we can focus our energy and efforts towards that goal,” he said in an interview with the fanzine United We Stand.

“Can this team win the Premier League by 2028? Absolutely.

“We just finished the season in 15th place and it seemed like an impossible mission. But why don’t we make that our goal? Why not do the best we can?”

United, who were founded as Newton Heath in 1878, will celebrate their 150th anniversary in 2028.

They last lifted the league title in Alex Ferguson’s final season as manager in 2012/13.

“I truly believe we can do it,” he said.

“We have two or three summer transfer windows to build a team that is truly capable of challenging for the Premier League title.”

MANCHESTER: Matheus Cunha hopes he can bring Wayne Rooney’s spirit back to Manchester United.

The £62.5 million Brazilian signing was a revelation for the Red Devils’ 2008 Champions League-winning squad.

At that time, he was only nine years old, fascinated to make Man United his favorite club.

Every week he watches matches involving Man United and goes out to play at his own version of ‘Old Trafford’.

Among the stars in Alex Ferguson’s squad at that time, the one he was most interested in was England captain Wayne Rooney.

Cunha, 26, sees the qualities of the club’s top scorer with 253 goals as very close to his own and he hopes to bring that glory back to the current United squad.

The former Wolves and Atletico Madrid striker said: “I remember the whole squad when I first saw it.

“I like Rooney up front. He’s someone who has the same thing in my game, because I always give my all too.

“He wears the number 10, everyone loves his skills but he always gives more than that.

“He will make tackles to get the ball, this kind of energy in him is the best example.”

Even though 17 years have passed, Cunha can still name every player who helped United beat Chelsea 6-5 on penalties in Moscow after the Champions League final ended 1-1 after extra time.

“Of course I can name players. Cristiano Ronaldo – everyone knows, Ryan Giggs too.

“I can picture the team now – starting with Edwin van der Sar in goal, Rio Ferdinand and Nemanja Vidic in defence. Paul Scholes, Michael Carrick.

“That team had a big impact on me as a teenager,” Cunha said.

Cunha’s performances at Molineux and his 17 goals for Wolves last season have made him one of the most sought-after players in this transfer window.

United may not be the first choice for some players after a disappointing season, especially without European competition next season when they finished the campaign in 15th place on 42 points.

But for Cunha, the opportunity to wear a United jersey is something quite special for him and hard to pass up.

“Maybe other people don’t understand my decision. But when you cultivate the dream since childhood to play here, it’s easy to make that decision.

“It’s hard for me to explain, but there’s no other like United. My decision is based on what this club is capable of,” he said.

RIYADH: Cristiano Ronaldo has reportedly received a hefty offer from a Brazilian club ahead of the Club World Cup.

The Manchester United legend has a mega 164 million pound a year contract with Saudi Pro League club Al-Nassr, which expires this summer.

Ronaldo, 40, is now in his third season in Saudi Arabia but has yet to win a league trophy in the Middle Eastern country.

On the other hand, Al-Ittihad – lined up by Karim Benzema, N’Golo Kante and Fabinho – were superior and lifted the league trophy last week.

Ronaldo’s contract extension was also suspended after Al-Nassr failed to qualify for next season’s Asian Champions League.

Now the five-time Ballon d’Or winner has a final chance to finish his career with the glory of a trophy.

According to Spanish media reports, Ronaldo was contacted by a Brazilian club that will compete in the Club World Cup this summer.

Although it was not stated which clubs, only Palmeiras, Flamengo, Fluminense and Botafogo from Brazil will compete next month.

If the club in question is Palmeiras, he will find Ronaldo with his old enemy, Lionel Messi, who represents Inter Miami.

Palmeiras is in the same group as Inter Miami, Porto and Egyptian club Al Ahly.

The Club World Cup is no stranger to Ronaldo, who has won the trophy four times throughout his career.

The first time he won it was with Man United in 2008 when the English Premier League club beat LDU Quito 1-0 thanks to Wayne Rooney’s goal.

The Portuguese striker added three more tournament trophies to his collection with Real Madrid, scoring a hat-trick in the 2016 final to beat Kashima Antlers 4-2.

The 2025 Club World Cup will take place in the United States from June 15 to July 13.

The English Premier League is represented by Chelsea and Manchester City, while Real Madrid and Bayern Munich are among the main European teams in the tournament.