By DAN KARELL
Carlo Ancelotti’s introduction at Real Madrid could spell the end of Cristiano Ronaldo’s era at the club.
Ronaldo is set for meetings with Manchester United officials this summer according to reports in Spain, after the Portuguese international took to Twitter earlier this week to refute rumors of him signing a new contract with Madrid. Both United and Madrid will deny the meetings, as it’s against FIFA rules for a player under contract to meet with another club without an official inquiry.
The 29-year-old made his displeasure with the Madrid club known last fall, choosing to not celebrate after some goals, but not going into detail with the media about why he was upset. Ronaldo still wound up scoring 55 times last season in all competition, adding to his total of 202 goals since trading his digs in Manchester for the Spanish capital in 2009.
Here are some more stories to get your Wednesday started:
UEFA UNVEILS EURO 2016 LOGO
Less than three years away from the first kickoff, UEFA revealed the logo for the 2016 European Championships, set to take place in France.
The logo features the cup in the center bathed in the colors of the French flag, the red, white, and blue, while UEFA says the design comes from the theme of “celebrating the art of football.” The tournament is set to begin on June, 10, 2016.
The design was created by Brandia Central, a Portuguese company that came up with the logo for the Euro 2012 tournament in Poland/Ukraine. France beat out Italy and Turkey to become the host for the tournament. It’s their first major tournament since hosting the World Cup in 1998.
ZIDANE NAMED ANCELOTTI ASSISTANT
Maybe the biggest news to come out of today’s introduction of Carlo Ancelotti as Real Madrid manager was that former Galactico Zinedine Zidane was named Ancelotti’s assistant coach for this coming season.
Since retiring in 2006, Zidane has worked a number of roles for Madrid, starting as adviser to the President before becoming the club’s sporting director in 2011. The announcement was rumored to occur since the start of the summer, and many see Zidane as a potential manager of the club someday.
Ancelotti also announced that his assistant coach at Paris Saint-Germain, Paul Clement, will also serve on Ancelotti’s staff in Madrid.
DE NIGRIS OUT FOR TWO MONTHS
Chivas Guadalajara paid a high price to bring El Tri forward Aldo de Nigris to the club during the Liga MX draft, but they’ll have to wait a while before they can even use him in matches.
De Nigris, who suffered a knee injury while on national team duty at the Confederations Cup in Brazil, will now miss up to two months due to the severity of the injury, according to reports in Mexico. Chivas, who are starting their pre-season preparations ahead of the Apertura campaign, left de Nigris off their squad that will travel to the U.S. for a couple of friendly matches, cluing fans in to a potential issue with the 29-year-old.
De Nigris was acquired from Monterrey earlier this month for a reported $5.5 million USD, and is expected to lead the Chivas attack after a poor Clausura season that saw them finish a disappointing 17th. Chivas begins their new season on July 21.
QUICK KICKS
Over 100,000 protesters are expected to show up ahead of Wednesday’s Confederations Cup semifinal between Brazil and Uruguay. (REPORT)
Liverpool have confirmed the signing of Belgian international goalkeeper Simon Mignolet. (REPORT)
Beñat Etxebarria has returned to his former home at Athletic Bilbao from Real Betis. (REPORT)
Arsenal have confirmed their interest in Lyon midfielder Clement Grenier. (REPORT)
———
What do you make of these reports? Do you see Ronaldo returning to Man United? Do you like the Euro 2016 design? How big of a loss is De Nigris to Chivas?
Share your thoughts below.