Sports

Mbappe ‘confused’ by ‘political and economic pressure’, Perez says

AFP

Real Madrid president Florentino Perez has claimed Kylian Mbappe decided to stay at Paris Saint-Germain because he was “confused” after being put under intense “political and economic pressure”.

But when asked about the possibility of Mbappe joining Real Madrid in the future, Perez kept the door open to the 23-year-old.

“This Mbappe is not my Mbappe,” Perez said. “But if he changes, who knows? Life takes a thousand turns.”

Mbappe stunned Real Madrid last month by rejecting a move to the Santiago Bernabeu in favour of signing a new three-year contract at PSG, with a reported salary of between 40 to 50 million euros ($41.6 million to $52 million) .

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“They practically offered him the chance to be the leader, not only of a football team, but the management,” Perez told the Spanish television programme El Chiringuito on Wednesday.

“We saw that it was not the Mbappe that we wanted to bring – but it was a result of the pressure he was under that he changed his dreams.

“If a kid is called by the president of a country, of course it affects him… that influenced him a lot. But you can succeed at Real Madrid, like Zidane did, and also be a source of pride for the president of your country.”

Perez believes Mbappe was influenced most by French and Qatari political pressure, due to the reported involvement of French president Emmanuel Macron, as well as PSG president Nasser Al-Khelaifi, who is chairman of Qatar Sports Investments.

“I think the pressure that might have affected him the most was the politics,” Perez said.

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“That, plus the money and the offer of leadership have made him change his mind. He had a hard time. When you get into a panic, you try to get out of that as quickly as possible, I can understand that. But what I can’t understand is the King of Spain calling a Spanish club to tell him a player should stay.

“There are two states involved there, one is Qatar and the other is France,” Perez continued. “I have been here since 2000 and I have never seen that before, that a president of a state calls a player. You can be a world-class player and not play in France, like (Zinedine) Zidane or (Karim) Benzema.”

Asked for a second time about Mbappe joining in the future, Perez said: “I tell you calmly, that life is not over yet.”

Real Madrid had also been linked with a move for Erling Haaland at Borussia Dortmund but by the time Mbappe chose to stay at PSG, Haaland had joined Manchester City.

“It had nothing to do with it. We already have the best centre-forward in the world (Benzema) so this situation was incompatible with Haaland,” Perez said.

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Central America

Guatemala’s Fuego Volcano ends eruption after forcing hundreds to evacuate

The Fuego volcano, located near Guatemala’s capital, concluded an eruption on Friday (June 6, 2025) that lasted more than 30 hours and forced the evacuation of nearly 800 people, according to the National Institute of Seismology (Insivumeh).

The eruption began Wednesday night, sending plumes of ash and smoke over 7,000 meters into the sky and triggering pyroclastic flows — fast-moving currents of hot gas and volcanic matter — down its slopes.

“The activity of the Fuego volcano has decreased significantly,” Insivumeh reported in a bulletin, adding that “it is possible to declare the eruption over.”

The National Coordinator for Disaster Reduction (Conred) stated that transportation will be made available for the families currently in shelters so they can return to their homes.

International

Pope Leo XIV blesses Giro d’Italia riders in Vatican Ceremony

Pope Leo XIV offered his blessing to the Giro d’Italia peloton, presenting the riders as “role models for all the youth in the world,” as the cyclists passed through Vatican City during the 21st and final stage of the race on Sunday.

Riders pedaled at a slow pace through the famous gardens of the world’s smallest state during the neutralized start of the last stage.

Leo XIV was presented with a replica of the iconic pink jersey—the “maglia rosa” worn by the race leader—by Urbano Cairo, owner of RCS Sport, the Giro’s organizing company.

The cyclists stopped to greet the pontiff, and the four wearers of the race’s distinctive jerseys, including race leader Simon Yates and Mexican rider Isaac del Toro, best young rider, dismounted their bikes to shake hands with him.

“Welcome to the Vatican. I’m pleased to greet you on this final stage of the Giro; I hope it will be a beautiful day for everyone,” Pope Leo XIV said in a brief address.

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“You are role models for all the youth of the world—not just in Italy—because cycling is one of the most important sports in the world,” added the first American pope in history, before offering his blessing to the riders.

The Giro previously passed through the Vatican in 1974 and 2000. This year’s route through the Vatican was initially planned as part of the Jubilee celebrations—a holy year held every 25 years when pilgrims from around the globe visit the city—but later became a tribute to Pope Francis, who passed away on April 21.

International

Ronaldo confirms departure from Al Nassr as contract nears end

Portuguese star Cristiano Ronaldo announced on Monday that his “chapter” with the Saudi team Al Nassr has “ended,” in a message posted following the final round of the Saudi Arabian league.

“This chapter has come to an end. The story? It’s still being written. Thank you all,” the superstar wrote on his Instagram account, accompanying the message with a photo of himself wearing the Riyadh club’s jersey. His contract with Al Nassr was set to expire in the northern hemisphere summer of 2025.

The 40-year-old forward finished the season as the league’s top scorer, netting 24 goals.

His announcement comes after FIFA confirmed a special transfer window from June 1 to June 10 to allow the 32 clubs participating in the Club World Cup (June 14 to July 13 in the United States) to sign new players for the tournament.