FIFA pays tribute to Van Quyet; Ronaldo scores his 906th goal.
The FIFA homepage pays tribute to striker Nguyen Van Quyet after his decision to retire from the national team; Ho Chi Minh City FC and 7 other teams advance to the AFC Champions League quarter-finals; Ronaldo scores his 906th goal... these are some of the notable sports news stories from the past 24 hours.
FIFA pays tribute to Van Quyet.
The FIFA website paid tribute to striker Nguyen Van Quyet following his decision to retire from the national team on the evening of October 12th.
"Class is permanent," FIFA briefly shared in a post paying tribute to striker Nguyen Van Quyet.
The FIFA homepage simultaneously posted nine different photos, capturing memorable moments of the Hanoi FC captain in the national team's jersey. The FIFA post attracted over 1,600 interactions in just over 10 minutes after being published.
Following the 1-1 draw against India on the evening of October 12th, striker Nguyen Van Quyet officially retired from the national team after 13 years of service.
Van Quyet first joined the national team in 2011. After 13 years playing for the Vietnamese national team, he scored 16 goals in 55 appearances. One of Van Quyet's most memorable moments was his goal against Manchester City in a friendly match in 2015.
Van Quyet was once a key player for the Vietnamese national team under coach Toshiya Miura. He scored many important goals, including the decisive goal that helped Vietnam come from behind to beat Malaysia 2-1 in the quarter-finals of the 2014 AFF Cup at Shah Alam Stadium.
Van Quyet's consistent performance at club level helped him continue to be included in the Vietnamese national team under Park Hang-seo and Philippe Troussier, before being named by Kim Sang-sik. Under the two previous coaches, Quyet had the opportunity to play in official matches, in the 2022 AFF Cup and the 2026 World Cup qualifiers.
Eight teams qualify for the AFC Champions League quarter-finals.
On the evening of October 12th, the Ho Chi Minh City women's club competed for the top spot in the league against Urawa Red Diamonds. Unsurprisingly, against a leading contender for the championship, Coach Doan Thi Kim Chi's team suffered a defeat.
In the 26th minute, striker Mei Shimada's backheel deflected off a home defender's leg and into the net. The game was under the control of the Japanese team. Ho Chi Minh City Women's Club tried hard but failed to score.
The Urawa Red Diamonds girls controlled 71% of the ball in the first half. They also made more than double the number of passes compared to the Ho Chi Minh City women's team. The second half unfolded similarly, with an additional goal scored.
In the 50th minute, taking advantage of a quick free kick on the left flank, captain Yuzuho Shiokoshi sprinted down the wing and crossed the ball to substitute midfielder Fuka Tsunoda, who tapped it in.
As the match progressed, the Ho Chi Minh City players' stamina decreased. Consequently, their resistance weakened. This forced the coaching staff to make several substitutions to maintain their strength.
The visiting team maintained their 2-0 lead until the end of the match. Huỳnh Như was unable to score a fourth goal. Meanwhile, the three foreign players of the Ho Chi Minh City women's club also failed to score any goals.
Despite losing 0-2 to Urawa Red Diamonds, Ho Chi Minh City Women's Club has reached the quarterfinals of the AFC Women's Champions League 2024-2025 for the first time. They earned 6 points in Group C and are the best-performing second-placed team after the group stage.
Thanks to that result, the Ho Chi Minh City women's club was seeded along with the top three teams from the remaining three groups. They will play their quarter-final match at home in March 2025.
Thus, the top two teams from each group advance to the next round: Hyundai Steel Red Angels, Abu Dhabi Country (Group A); Melbourne City, Bam Khatoon (Group B); Ho Chi Minh City, Urawa Red Diamonds (Group C); Taichung Blue Whale and Wuhan Jiangda (Group D).
Mbappe sparks controversy again.
The French striker reportedly refused to participate in less exciting matches for the national team.
Foot Mercato reports that Mbappe has informed coach Didier Deschamps that he only wants to play in important matches for the French national team, with the aim of competing for the Ballon d'Or in 2025.
With the number of international matches increasing, the former PSG star wants to maintain his fitness to play in big games and contribute to Real Madrid.
Previously, coach Deschamps admitted he didn't call up Mbappe for the Nations League because he wasn't in his best physical condition. However, fans suspect Mbappe prioritizes Real Madrid over contributing to the national team.
The relationship between Mbappe and French fans has become strained. The 26-year-old striker has been heavily criticized for refusing to join the national team despite having just played 71 minutes for Real Madrid. On the day France beat Israel 4-1 in the Nations League on October 11th, Mbappe was seen out at a nightclub with friends.
Real Madrid have given Mbappe permission to rest this week. Since the start of the 2024/25 season, the former PSG star has scored 7 goals and provided 2 assists for "Los Blancos". Mbappe will return to action when Real Madrid face Celta Vigo on October 20th in La Liga. The striker recently shared photos of himself training in the gym to improve his fitness, preparing for the numerous competitions he will have to compete in during the final months of the year.
Ronaldo scores his 906th goal.
Considered the stronger team, Poland, Portugal are confident of securing all three points in their trip to Stadion Narodowy in Warsaw.
Cristiano Ronaldo continues to be given the captain's armband and a starting spot by coach Roberto Martinez after his impressive performances in the opening two matches of the Nations League against Croatia and Scotland.
With a powerful attacking lineup led by Ronaldo, Portugal quickly established dominance over the home team, Poland. The visitors nearly took the lead in the 11th minute when Ronaldo's close-range shot hit the crossbar of the Polish goal.
The visitors didn't have to wait much longer for joy. In the 26th minute, Nuno Mendes delivered a cross from the left wing, and Bruno Fernandes made a perfectly timed header back to Bernardo Silva, who rushed in to finish with a lightning-fast shot. Poland's goalkeeper Lukasz Skorupski could only watch as the ball flew like lightning into the net.
Having taken the lead, Portugal maintained a high tempo in attack, and the visitors scored again shortly afterwards. In the 37th minute, Rafael Leao dribbled down the left wing and unleashed a powerful shot. Goalkeeper Skorupski made a timely save, but he couldn't prevent Ronaldo from firing a quick follow-up shot from close range.
The first half ended with the visitors leading by two goals. In the second half, Poland pressed forward but remained wary of Portugal's quick counter-attacks. After many attempts, the home team Poland managed to pull one back, with Piotr Zielinski scoring in the 77th minute to make it 1-2.
In the 88th minute, Nuno Mendes delivered a cross from the left wing, and Polish defender Jan Bednarek scored an own goal, sealing a 3-1 victory for Portugal.
Barcelona's young squad is worth half a billion euros.
According to Transfermarkt, 24 players from the La Masia academy have been promoted to the Barca first team during President Joan Laporta's second term. The total valuation of this group of players is nearly 500 million euros.
Lamine Yamal leads with a valuation of 150 million euros. Following him are Gavi (90 million euros) and Dani Olmo (60 million euros).
Olmo is a special case. Barca let the striker leave in 2014 on a free transfer to Dinamo Zagreb's youth team. This past summer, the Camp Nou club spent 55 million euros to buy Olmo back from Leipzig.
With Yamal, the 17-year-old ranks 5th in Transfermarkt's list of the world's most expensive players, after Erling Haaland, Vinicius Junior (200 million euros), Jude Bellingham and Kylian Mbappe (both 180 million euros).
Three other players from the La Masia academy with valuations above 30 million euros are Alejandro Balde, Pau Cubarsi (both 40 million euros) and Fermin Lopez (30 million euros).
During President Laporta's second term, coaches consistently prioritized promoting players from the La Masia academy to the first team. Coach Ronald Koeman was the one who gave Gavi playing opportunities. Spanish football legend Xavi contributed to bringing Yamal, Cubarsi, Fermin Lopez, and Hector Fort into the spotlight.
Following in Xavi's footsteps, coach Hansi Flick also placed his trust in the young players from the La Masia academy. Casado, Bernal, and Gerard Martin made their first appearances for the first team.
Among these cases, Bernal is particularly unfortunate. In early September, the 17-year-old had to undergo surgery to treat an anterior cruciate ligament and meniscus injury, and is expected to be out of action for a year.