Players should not be vilified for forcing through transfer moves, former England star Rio Ferdinand told AFP on Wednesday following the Alexander Isak saga, adding: “Nice guys don’t win.”
Isak is public enemy number one at Newcastle United after making it clear that he did not want to play for the club again as he attempted to engineer a move to Liverpool.
The Swedish striker got his wish by sealing a British-record £125 million ($167 million) switch to the Premier League champions on Monday.
England defender Marc Guehi, however, saw his move to Liverpool break down after Crystal Palace vetoed his sale at the last minute.
In contrast to the bitter Isak saga, Guehi earned plaudits for continuing to play and perform for Palace despite Liverpool’s advances.
“Nice guys don’t win,” former England and Manchester United defender Ferdinand said on the sidelines of the World Football Summit in Hong Kong.
He added, “The clubs get away with murder in these situations. How many players down the years were denied a move because the clubs said it wasn’t this and it wasn’t that? Being greedy.
“But players get vilified when they say, ‘It’s a great offer, it’s a load of money, why aren’t you letting me go? I want to go to a club that’s winning trophies.’”
Ferdinand, who moved from Leeds to Manchester United in 2002 for a then-British record fee, added: “Marc Guehi’s not been able to go and everyone’s going, ‘Great, brilliant.’
“But what if Liverpool don’t buy him now? Or he gets injured, he never gets to that point and he never gets a chance to win trophies?
“People wonder why players sometimes get bolshie and get their elbows out and say, ‘No, I need to go.’
“I just think it’s business. Players shouldn’t get vilified –- clubs aren’t and it should be equal.”
– Tuchel ‘needs time’ –
The 25-year-old Guehi, who could yet move to Liverpool next summer after his Palace contract expires, is in the England squad for World Cup qualifiers against Andorra and Serbia over the next week.
Ferdinand, who won the Champions League and six Premier Leagues with United, fears England are struggling for depth in central defence.
“I’m not saying the quality is really bad, but there’s not enough,” said the 46-year-old, who made 81 appearances for his country in that position.
“You’ve got Marc Guehi and John Stones, and then after that you’re going… who else is there really?”
England under boss Thomas Tuchel are yet to really impress since the German started in the role at the beginning of the year with the remit of lifting the World Cup.
But Ferdinand said the only thing that matters is what happens at the tournament in North America in June-July.
“It’s a work in progress and I don’t think we should expect miracles immediately. We don’t want miracles now, you want miracles in the summer,” he said.
“Even if there’s a stuttering period now and things aren’t going perfectly well, it’s not panic stations.”
He added, “This is a getting-to-know-you period for the manager and the players.
“He needs time with the players to get to know who’s who and who gels well.”
Spanish Club UD Almería have announced that they will donate all ticket sales revenue from their home match against CD Tenerife to support the family of Jesús de Miguel.
The initiative was established by club president Mohammed Al Khereiji as the Spanish club seeks to provide financial assistance to the bereaved family following their loss.
Announcing the decision, the club expressed its sympathy and acknowledged that no amount of financial assistance could make up for the loss of a loved one.
As reported by ESPN on Wednesday, the club was quoted as saying, “We are fully aware that nothing can ever compensate for the loss of a loved one, and that no form of support, whether financial or emotional, can ease the pain caused by a tragedy of this kind.”
Despite recognising the limitations of the gesture, UD Almería hope that donating the entire proceeds from the match will provide some support to Jesús de Miguel’s family during this difficult period.
The initiative comes under the leadership of Al Khereiji, who is the club’s president.
It also puts the spotlight on UD Almería’s ownership, with Portuguese football superstar Cristiano Ronaldo having acquired a 25 per cent stake in the Spanish club earlier this year.
Borussia Dortmund’s 8-4 victory over Legia Warszawa remains the highest-scoring match in UEFA Champions League history, while Como’s 9-1 demolition of Lens has joined the competition’s list of most prolific encounters.
The Dortmund-Legia encounter produced 12 goals during the 2016/17 group stage, with the German side emerging victorious in a remarkable contest.
According to the UEFA website on Wednesday, the match featured five goals in the opening 32 minutes, including a spell in which three goals were scored within four minutes.
Aleksandar Prijović gave Legia a 10th-minute lead, but Shinji Kagawa scored twice in quick succession to put Dortmund ahead.
Marco Reus also registered a brace, while three goals were scored in the closing 10 minutes to complete the 8-4 result.
Como’s 9-1 victory away to Lens on November 4, 2026, also entered the record books, with the 10-goal encounter ranking among the highest-scoring matches in the competition.
Bayern Munich’s 9-2 victory over GNK Dinamo in September 2024 and Monaco’s 8-3 win against Deportivo La Coruña in November 2003 are other notable entries on the list.
Barcelona’s 8-2 defeat of Bayern Munich in the 2019/20 campaign also features among the highest-scoring Champions League matches.
Bayern thrash Barca 8-2
Full list of highest-scoring Champions League matches
• Borussia Dortmund 8-4 Legia Warszawa — November 22, 2016 (12 goals)
Como have joined Liverpool and Real Madrid in recording the biggest winning margin in UEFA Champions League history after thrashing Lens 9-1 in their Matchday 4 encounter on Tuesday night.
The Italian side’s nine-goal haul secured an eight-goal victory margin, equalling Liverpool’s 8-0 defeat of Beşiktaş in 2007 and Real Madrid’s 8-0 triumph over Malmö in 2015.
According to the UEFA website on Wednesday, Como also became only the second team after Bayern Munich to score nine goals in a Champions League match.
Tasos Douvikas scored a hat-trick in the encounter, while six other Como players also found the net as the competition debutants recorded the biggest away victory in the tournament’s history.
Liverpool were the first team to achieve an eight-goal winning margin when they defeated Beşiktaş 8-0 during the 2007/08 group stage.
Crouch scores two joining Yossi Benayoun who scored hatrick. Ryan Babel also netted a brace and captain Steven Gerrard scored the eight goal
Yossi Benayoun scored three goals, while Ryan Babel and Peter Crouch each contributed two. Steven Gerrard completed the scoring as Liverpool secured the record victory despite having collected just one point from their opening three group matches.
Real Madrid matched the feat on December 8, 2015, when they overwhelmed Malmö 8-0 at home.
Cristiano Ronaldo scored four goals, setting what was then an individual group-stage record of 11 goals, while Karim Benzema registered a hat-trick.
Ronaldo nets four in Malmö thrashing
Bayern Munich also feature prominently in the record books after defeating GNK Dinamo 9-2 on September 17, 2024, establishing a new record for the most goals scored by a team in a single Champions League match.
Harry Kane scored four goals in the encounter, while Michael Olise added two.
