United News of Bangladesh

The Ballon d'Or is the most prestigious annual football award presented by France Football. This magazine has been presenting this award to the best footballer of the year regularly since 1958. At the end of the year, journalists, coaches, and national team captains vote to choose the best footballer in Europe. Every professional footballer's ultimate dream is to win this award. The best players from the clubs that won the Champions League and domestic leagues are usually nominated for the award. The eventual winner is then decided by vote. Who will win the Ballon d'Or 2021 is discussed in this article. The front-runners for the prestigious Ballon d'Or 2021 award We've compiled a list of the best performers so far this year to see who may win the Ballon d'Or 2021 award. Let's take a look at the top 10 players who are on this list. 10) Neymar (Brazil & Paris Saint-Germain) Achievements in 2021:  Coupe de France &Trophee des Champions Brazil's star player Neymar had a decent season with PSG. He was unable to participate in the Champions League quarterfinals due to injury and also failed to assist PSG in winning the domestic league title. Even then, Neymar had shown his charisma in several matches of the 2020/21 season for Paris Saint-Germain.  Read: DPL T20 2021: Marvelous Mominul Shows his T20 Batting Prowess 09) KylianMbappe (Paris Saint-Germain& France) Achievements in 2021: Coupe de France &Trophee des Champions Neymar's teammate KylianMbappe has been in great form this year. Mbappe is scoring regular goals for Paris. Although he could not win any big trophy with PSG, on an individual level he was outstanding.  08) Ruben Dias (Manchester City & Portugal) Achievements in 2021: Premier League & Carabao Cup Portugal's Ruben Dias was Manchester City's top player last season. He was in charge of Manchester's defense last season. Ruben Diaz will be hoping to make an impression during the Euro 2021 tournament for Portugal.  07) Robert Lewandowski (Bayern Munich & Germany) Achievements in 2021: Bundesliga&FifaClub World Cup Bayern Munich's Polish goal machine Robert Lewandowski was in superb form last season. However, Bayern Munich was unable to win anything other than the FIFA Club World Cup at the start of the year and the Bundesliga.  Read: Shakib, Mustafizur unlikely to play in the remainder of IPL 2021 06) Luis Suarez (Atletico Madrid & Uruguay) Achievements in 2021: La Liga Uruguay striker Luis Suarez left Barcelona last season to join Atletico Madrid. Suarez won La Liga for Atletico Madrid and made an invaluable contribution in winning the Spanish La Liga trophy for Atletico.  05) Cristiano Ronaldo (Juventus& Portugal) Achievements in 2021: Coppa Italia &SupercoppaItaliana Portuguese superstar Cristiano Ronaldo had maintained his goal-scoring ability in the last season for Juventas. However, the season did not particularly go well for his club. Juventus confirmed their next season Champions League spot in the last match of the league.  04) Lionel Messi (Barcelona & Argentina) Achievements in 2021: Copa del Rey On an individual level, Barcelona superstar Lionel Messi is playing well enough this year. He has netted 28 goals this year but Barcelona could not win anything other than the Copa del Rey last season.  03) RomeluLukaku (Inter Milan & Belgium) Achievements in 2021: Serie A Striker RomeluLukaku played a key role in Inter Milan's Serie A triumph last season. He was in magnificent form throughout the last season. So the Belgian striker is one of the prime contenders to win the next Ballon d'Or trophy.  Read: ICC announces major changes to cricket world cup format  02) Kevin De Bruyne (Manchester City & Belgium) Achievements in 2021: Premier League & Carabao Cup Kevin de Bruyne of Manchester City is currently one of the top midfielders in the world. Kevin may win the Ballon d'Or award for the first time if he performs well for the national team at Euro 2021.  01) N'GoloKante (Chelsea & France) Achievements in 2021: Champions League Chelsea and France's standout midfielder N'GoloKante knows how to take possession in the middle. His contribution to Chelsea's Champions League victory was crucial. Kante won the best player of the match award three times in a row in the last season CL from the semi-final to the final. So, Kante is one of the hot favorites to win the Ballon d'Or 2021 award.  Bottom Line Winning the Ballon d'Or at least once is the dream of every professional footballer. Because the athlete who receives this award is highly regarded and admired by everyone. Many famous footballers of the world have established themselves as one of the best players in history by winning this award multiple times. The Frenchman N'GoloKante is one of the favorites to win the Ballon d'Or 2021 this year because he was instrumental in Chelsea's Champions League victory. However, the equation may change if any star player does well in the Euro 2021 tournament. Read: DPL T20 2021: Shakib Al Hasan Shines in First Round

Wari Club registered a 2-0 victory over Dhaka City FC in the 12-team Bangladesh Championship League (BCL) Football 2020-21 at the Kamalapur Stadium Thursday. Ali put Wari Club ahead in the 36th minute while Arafat scored the second goal for the winners in the 43rd minute. In the day's other match, Kawran Bazar Pragati Sangha overpowered Fakirerpool Youngmen's Club 2-1 at the Bangabandhu National Stadium in the afternoon. Also read: BCL Football: Wanderers beat Agrani 3-1; Swadhinata crush Victoria 3-0 Kankar Biswas scored first for Fakirerpool in the ninth minute while Saddam levelled the margin for Pragati Sangha in the 54th minute. Saddam again came forward to score the match-winning goal for Pragati in the stoppage time (90+4 minute).

Dhaka Wanderers Club beat Agrani Bank SC 3-1 in the 12-team Bangladesh Championship League (BCL) Football 2020-21 at the Kamalapur Stadium Wednesday. Shawon, Mostakim and Shakib scored one each for Wanderers in the first half. Shakhwat scored the consolation goal for Agrani Bank in the second half from a penalty. Also read: BCL Football: NoFel beat Uttara 2-0 In the day's other match, Swadhinata Krira Sangha crushed Victoria Sporting Club 3-0 at the Bangabandhu National Stadium in the afternoon. After a barren first half, Shakib, Emon and Abu Bakar scored one each for the winners. Also read: BCL Football league final: Police FC beat Feni Soccer Club by 5-1 goals

Bangladesh National Football team will play against Afghanistan in the Group 2022 FIFA World Cup and 2023 AFC Asian Cup joint qualifiers Thursday.   The match will start at 8pm Bangladesh time at the Jassim Bin Hamad Stadium in Doha. T-Sports and Gazi TV will telecast the match live. In the remaining two Group E qualifiers, Bangladesh will play against India on June 7 at 8pm and Oman on June 15 at 11pm, both at the Jassim Bin Hamad Stadium. Ahead of Thursday's vital match, the Bangladesh team spent a busy time Wednesday. They took part in a half-an-hour gym session at the hotel in the morning, addressed a press conference in the afternoon before leaving for the final practice session at the Qatar University Ground in the late afternoon. Afghanistan and Bangladesh faced each other eight times; both teams won two matches each and the remaining four ended in a draw. Bangladesh booters, who conceded 0-1 defeat against Afghanistan in their away group match in Tajikistan's Dushanbe, are optimistic to beat their rivals Thursday. Afghanistan have played two practice matches against Indonesia and Singapore national teams and also started preparations in Qatar a few days ahead of Bangladesh. Bangladesh team missed a five-day visit to Saudi Arabia for training and to play a couple of warm-up matches as they failed to manage the necessary quarantine exemption letter from Saudi Arabia in time. They had to prepare themselves at home before the heavyweight meet. Earlier, Bangladesh started their FIFA and AFC joint qualifiers campaign with a 0-1 defeat against Afghanistan, a 0-2 loss against Asian champions Qatar in Dhaka, a 1-4 defeat against Oman, and a humiliating 0-5 loss against Qatar in Doha. However, the booters earned a 1-1 draw against India in Kolkata. In the five-team Group E, Qatar are now comfortably leading the points table, securing 16 points from six matches while Bangladesh have hit the rock bottom with one point from five matches. Among others, Oman have secured 12, Afghanistan 4 and India 3 points from five matches. 24-member Bangladesh squad Goal Keeper: Md Shahidul Alam, Rasel Mahmud and Anisur Rahman Zico Defender: Md Rahmat Miya, Topu Barman, Riyadul Hasan, Yeasin Arafat, Rimon Hossain, Mehadi Hasan, Habibur Rahman Shohag, Tariq Raihan Kazi and Mohammad Emon Midfielder: Jamal Bhuyan, Mohammad Abdullah, Masuk Miya Zoni, Sohel Rana, Biplu Ahmed, Md Matin Miah, Rakib Hossain, Manik Hossain Mollah and Md Mehadi Hasan Forward: Md Sumon Reza, Mohammad Jewel and Mohammad Ibrahim.

Kanchijhuli SC beat Suddopuskorini JSC by 3-1 goals in the Women's Football League '2020-21 at the Bangabandhu National Stadium here Tuesday. Shikha struck twice in the 8th and 37th minutes while Marufa netted the other goal for the winners in the 27th minute. Sumaiys netted the lone goal for Suddopuskorini JSC in the 72nd minute.

Bashundhara Kings maintain a 100% win record in the Women's Football League 2020-21, crushing Cumilla United 9-0 at the floodlit Bangabandhu National Stadium Monday. With the day's victory, star-studded Kings topped the league table securing 15 points from five straight matches. Shamsunnahar Junior netted a hat-trick, Tohura Khatun and Sabina Khatun scored two goals each while Krishna Rani Sarkar and Ritu Porna scored one each for the winners. READ: World Cup qualifiers: Bangladesh continue fitness training In the day's other match, Nasrin Sports Academy played out a 2-2 draw with FC Brahmanbaria at the same venue in the afternoon. After a barren first half, Shopna Akter (49th min) and Kursia Jannat (54th min) scored one each for Nasrin Academy while Munmun Akter (75th min) and Munni Akter (90+8 min) netted one each for FC Brahmanbaria. READ: BCL Football: NoFel beat Uttara 2-0

NoFel Sporting Club made a good start to the second phase of the 12-team Bangladesh Championship League (BCL) Football after beating Uttara Football Club 2-0 at the Kamalapur Stadium Monday. Mahmudul put NoFel ahead in the 43rd minute (1-0) while Fuad confirmed victory for them, scoring one more goal in the 47th minute (2-0). Fortis Football Club will play Farashganj SC Tuesday at the time and same venue.

Bangladesh National Football team, now in Qatar's Doha to play Group E 2022 FIFA World Cup and 2023 AFC Asian Cup joint qualifiers, took part in a half-an-hour fitness training at the team hotel Monday. Bangladesh will play against Afghanistan, India and Oman in their remaining three Group E qualifiers on June 3, 7 and 15 at the Jassim Bin Hamad Stadium in Doha. After taking the field in the last two days at the Qatar University Ground in Doha, Bangladeshi booters took a rest this afternoon as they had no outdoor training session today. However, the team will resume preparations Tuesday at the same venue. Earlier, the Bangladesh football team reached Doha on a Qatar Airways flight Friday with 23 players and 9 officials. Soon after reaching Doha, the Bangladesh team gave their samples for the Covid-19 test and all of the team members tested negative. Also, they tested negative for the second time Monday. Meanwhile, striker Mohammad Ibrahim, who failed to accompany the national team last Friday, left Dhaka for Qatar today. He is expected to join the team's practice session Tuesday.

Zinedine Zidane left Real Madrid because he didn’t feel he had the support or respect he deserved from the club, the coach said in an open letter to fans on Monday. In his first public comments since quitting last week, Zidane said the club didn’t fully value his work and hinted it leaked information to the media to undermine him. The Frenchman said he wished his relationship with president Florentino Pérez had been different in recent months. Zidane left a year before the end of his contract in his second stint with the Spanish club. The stint began in March 2019 and ended with Madrid finishing the season without a title for the first time since 2009-10. It was a completely different farewell from when he left the first time after leading Madrid to one of its most successful runs from 2016-18, when the club won three consecutive Champions League titles. He went out on top then, saying the club needed someone fresh at the helm to keep winning. Read: Real Madrid says Zidane stepping down as team's coach “Things are different now,” Zidane said in a long letter published by the Spanish sports daily As. “I’m leaving because I feel the club no longer gives me the confidence that I need, it does not offer me the support to build something in the medium or long term.” The 48-year-old Zidane, who won nine titles in his first stint with Madrid and two in his second, said he deserved more recognition from the club for his work. He said “what we achieved together has to be respected. “I know football and I know the demands of a club like Madrid. I know that when you don’t win you have to go,” he said. “But this time something very important has been forgotten, everything that I have built on a daily basis has been forgotten, what I have contributed in the relationship with the players and with the 150 people who work at the club.” Zidane said “in a way he felt reproached” by the club for trying to work on those relationships. “I was born a winner and I was here to win trophies, but beyond this there are human beings, emotions, life... And I feel that these things have not been valued, that it wasn’t understood that those things are also important for a great club,” he said. Zidane said he will always be grateful to Pérez for bringing him to Madrid and fighting for him, but he wished his relationship with the president and the club was different in recent months. He said he deserved to be treated better. “I wasn’t asking for privileges, of course not, but for some memory,” Zidane said. “These days coaches don’t often stay more than two seasons with a top club. For that to change, human relationships are essential, they are more important than money, more important than fame, more important than everything.” He said it “hurt a lot” to constantly read in the media that he was in danger of being fired. “It hurt me and it hurt the squad,” he said, “because these messages that were intentionally leaked to the media created negative interference within the team.” Zidane said he wished journalists would have focused their questions more on soccer than on controversy. “I wished we could have talked more about the ball and the players, who will always be the most important thing in this game,” he said. “We have to take care of football.” Madrid said after Zidane’s departure on Thursday that it respected his decision and expressed its “gratitude for his professionalism, dedication and passion over the years and what he means to Real Madrid.” The club said Zidane ”is aware that he has a place in the hearts of the Real Madrid fans and that he will always have a home at Real Madrid.” The club has yet to announce a replacement for Zidane, with Antonio Conte, Mauricio Pochettino, Xabi Alonso and Raúl González among the possible candidates for the job.

The Copa America 2020 was postponed for a year due to the outbreak of novel coronavirus. Finally, the South American Championship will go off on June 13 this year, with the final match taking place on July 10. Brazil won the Copa America 2019 and they will be a strong competitor to retain the title. The host Argentina will be one of the favourites to win this year's tournament. Apart from them, a few other nations have a chance to win the championship. In this article, we discussed who is more likely to win the Copa America 2021 between Argentina and Brazil? Chances of Argentina to win the Copa America 2021 Argentina was unable to win the Copa America since 1993 despite reaching the final multiple times. Argentina always take part in the South American Championship as one of the hot favourites. This will undoubtedly be Lionel Messi's final Copa America competition. Argentina should win this year's tournament in honor of Messi. In addition, Argentina will get an additional benefit from the fact that they are hosting the tournament. Argentina will be really motivated to win the Copa America this time. Read: UEFA EURO 2020: The favourites, underdogs and outsiders  As usual, Argentina's defense is a bit shaky but they have some excellent midfielders and forwards. Superstars such as Lionel Messi, Sergio Aguero, Angel Di Maria, and Lautaro Martinez are among them. The hosts will be able to easily reach the semi-finals if they perform at their best. The main concern is that the Argentines are unable to handle the pressure of the final. In the past six editions, they've made it to the final four times and lost all of them. They will have to play sensibly in the final in order to win the title. Albiceleste will win the Copa America 2021 if they can properly implement their strategy. Five important players of Argentina Lionel Messi (Striker), Sergio Aguero (Striker), Angel Di Maria (Midfielder), Lautaro Martínez (Striker), Lisandro Martínez (Defender) Probable Squad Marcos Acuña, Sergio Agüero, Lucas Alario, Ángel Correa, Joaquín Correa, Rodrigo de Paul, Ángel di María, Nicolás Domínguez, Juan Foyth, Alejandro Gómez, Nicolás González, Giovanni lo Celso, Agustín Marchesín, Emiliano Martínez, Lautaro Martínez, Lisandro Martínez, Lionel Messi, Nahuel Molina, Juan Musso, Guido Rodríguez, Lucas Ocampos, Nicolás Otamendi, Exequiel Palacios, Leandro Paredes, Germán Pezzella, Nicolás Tagliafico Read Copa America 2021: Things you need to know Chances of Brazil to win the Copa America 2021 The defending champion Brazil are one of the leading contenders for the championship. The Brazilian side has a number of outstanding players that may wreak havoc on the opposing side. Led by Neymar; the Brazilian side is quite strong in every department. Brazil will easily win the South American Championship if they can play at their best from the beginning to the end of the competition.    The Brazilian team usually attacks the opponent's area while maintaining control of the ball. The opponent team normally finds it hard to take the control of the game against Brazil. The Brazilian attack revolves around Neymar. Roberto Firmino, Thiago Silva, Casemiro, Danilo, Anderson, and Allison are also notable star footballers who will take part in the competition for Seleção. Brazil should win the tournament for the second time in a row with such a strong team. Read: BAN vs SL ODI Series 2021: Bangladesh Player Ratings  Five important players of Brazil Neymar (Striker), Thiago Silva (Defender), Marquinhos (Defender), Roberto Firmino (Striker), Alisson (Goalkeeper) Probable Squad Alisson, Ederson, Weverton, Marquinhos, Thiago Silva, Diego Carlos, Danilo, Felipe, Guilherme Arana, Alex Telles, Renan Lodi, Éverton Ribeiro, Everton Soares, Lucas Paquetá, Douglas Luiz, Bruno Guimarães, Allan, Arthur, Casemiro, Neymar, Richarlison, Vinícius Júnior, Gabriel Jesus, Roberto Firmino, Thiago Galhardo. Read 2022 World Cup qualifiers: Bangladesh start preparations in Qatar Who else have a chance to win the trophy? Luis Suarez's Uruguay, James Rodriguez's Colombo, and Alexis Sanchez's Chile are among the teams with a strong possibility of winning the Copa America 2021. The current Uruguayan team is a bit aged therefore winning the title will be difficult for them. However, they can become a dangerous side in the competition if they can get momentum from the beginning. On the other hand, Colombia have a good squad and they can beat any team on their day. Beating Argentina twice, Chile won the 2015 and 2016 Copa America respectively, so their potential cannot be ruled out. Verdict After analyzing the qualities of the teams, it is evident that Brazil and Argentina are the two clear favorites to win the Copa America 2021. In addition, Uruguay, Colombia, and Chile all have a fair chance of winning Copa America 2021. Consistency is important in order to win a big competition like this. Overall, we anticipate the tournament will be won by the best team. Read: Winners and losers at the end of 2020/2021 European Season