FIFA World Cup 2018 Russia: Sergio Ramos releases World Cup Anthem for Spain

The 38-year-old, who like Ramos is from the southwestern region of Andalusia, released his first album last year.

FIFA World Cup 2018 » Real Madrid defender Sergio Ramos has released an anthem for Spain’s 2018 World Cup campaign which he co-wrote with Spanish flamenco fusion singer Demarco Flamenco.

The 32-year-old Spain captain yesterday uploaded on his Instagram page a short video teaser of the song, which he is seen performing with Flamenco, a former gas canister distributor.

“I always keep my promises. This is what my friend Demarco Flamenco and I have been working on. Warming up for the World Cup,” Ramos wrote alongside the video which has been seen nearly four million times.

The mid-tempo ballad called “Otra estrella en tu corazon”, or “Another star in your heart” was made available on iTunes and other online platforms on Friday.

The lyrics include: “Come on, Spain, raise your voice; scream loudly, shout that goal. Thinking big we will achieve the best, fighting together, towards the star with honour. We have to try. May La Roja shine once more.” Demarco, whose real name is Marco Jesus Borrego, told Spanish public broadcaster RTVE he wrote the lyrics with Ramos.

“He worked on it from his end, I did it from mine,” he said.

The 38-year-old, who like Ramos is from the southwestern region of Andalusia, released his first album last year.

Ramos also sang lead vocals for Spain’s Euro 2016 song “La Roja Baila”, or “La Roja dances”.

Spain won its only World Cup in 2010. It won the European Championship in 1964, 2008 and 2012.

Read More → FIFA World Cup 2018 Anthem

FIFA World Cup 2018 Morocco Squad: Renard’s defensive firepower to take on biggies

Renard’s Atlas Lions plays Ukraine on 31 May and Slovakia on 4 June (both games in Geneva, Switzerland) before taking on Estonia in Tallinn on 9 June.

 

FIFA World Cup 2018 » Two-time ‘Africa Cup of Nations’ winning coach Herve Renard announced a provisional list of 23 players and three reserves that will make up the North African team, who will return to the World Cup after an absence of 20 years.

The Atlas Lions will be hoping to repeat their achievement from the 1986 World Cup when they surged into the last 16, holding England and Poland to goalless draws before defeating Portugal to top their group.

Unusually for a national team, over half the players heading to Russia were born outside of Morocco, in either France, Spain, or the Netherlands. However, FIFA rules on nationality and citizenship allow them to represent the north African country internationally.

Morocco is grouped with the 2010 World Cup winners Spain, European Championship title holders Portugal and Asian powerhouse Iran in a tough Group B.

With the Iberian duo widely considered strong favourites to progress far into the knock-out stages of the tournament, the Morocco squad, arrive in Russia as underdogs and will have to play very well in order to secure a last 16 berth.

In their last round of qualification, Renard’s men finished top of a group containing Cote d’Ivoire (Ivory Coast), Gabon and Mali, maintaining a six-game unbeaten streak without conceding a single goal and scoring 11 in the process. The Atlas Lions are known to play possession-based football and press aggressively in defence.

In a group like this, a defensive approach will be the order of the day, and Morocco’s defence is boosted with the presence of Juventus center-back Medhi Benatia. A former Italian Serie A all-star player, Benatia also captains the team and his leadership both on and off the pitch will be crucial to the teams success.

The Atlas Lions list for the prestigious tournament did not include the name of Al Ahly striker and Egyptian Premier League top scorer, Wualid Azaro, who marked his return to the national team last March. Additionally, Al Hilal forward Achraf Bencharki wasn’t named among the squad after Moroccan reports claimed he would be called. Southampton’s out of favour midfielder Sofiane Boufal also misses the train to Russia.

Renard’s Atlas Lions will play Ukraine on 31 May and Slovakia on 4 June (both games in Geneva, Switzerland) before taking on Estonia in Tallinn on 9 June.

Full List of Players → FIFA 2018 Morocco Squad

FIFA World Cup 2018 Croatia Squad: Luka Modric leads team chances in ‘group of death’

In Group-D, Croatia will face Nigeria on June 16, Argentina on June 21 in Nizhny Novgorod, and Iceland on June 26 in Rostov-on-Don.

 

FIFA World Cup 2018 » Croatia coach Zlatko Dalic named a 24-man World Cup squad, which will eventually be prune by one, according to FIFA regulations.

The Croats, making their fifth football World Cup appearance in the FIFA World Cup 2018, being played in Russia, have been drawn alongside two-time former champions Argentina, Nigeria and Iceland in a tricky Group D, surely one of the toughest groups in the latest edition of the tournament.

The squad is led by Real Madrid’s midfield maestro Luka Modric, who will be spearheading Croatia’s World Cup journey in Russia.

Apart from Modric, Barcelona star Ivan Rakitic, Inter’s Ivan Perisic and Juventus’s Mario Mandzukic, are expected to give a tough competition in the ‘group of death’.

Danijel Subasic of AS Monaco is going to guard the goal, with Dejan Lovren of Liverpool spearheading the defence.

Croatia qualified for the World Cup by ousting Greece in the playoffs and the coach has kept the the original team intact, making it one of the top contenders in Group D.

“One of the stoppers will be removed from the list.” the coach said when asked about the final list of 23 players that he will take to Russia.

Croatia faces strong pre-tournament friendlies against Brazil on June 3 at Anfield and take on Senegal five days later in Osijek before flying out to Russia.

The friendly match against Brazil will test the Croat players before they face the tough challenge of playing another Latin American powerhouse, Argentina.

In the group stage, Croatia will face Nigeria on June 16, Argentina on June 21 in Nizhny Novgorod, and Iceland in Rostov-on-Don on June 26.

Full List of Players → FIFA 2018 Croatia Squad

FIFA 2018: Here’s why World Cup 2018 is causing insomnia to Bangladeshi flagmakers

Homes have been converted into makeshift printing and sewing plants as orders pour in from across the country.

FIFA World Cup 2018 » Flagmakers in Bangladesh are doing a roaring trade week ahead of the World Cup, but no-one is interested in the home nation’s colours — the money is all on pennants for Lionel Messi’s Argentina and Neymar’s Brazil.

Hossain owns one of scores of small, hot, sweaty workshops in the Merajnagar district of capital Dhaka, working flat-out to produce flags and pennants for the local market ahead of the tournament in Russia.

“For the last two months I have been working non-stop,” said Hossain. “There are days when I do not even get two hours of sleep,” added the 40-year-old, barely lifting his head from his screen-printing machine.

Bangladesh is traditionally cricket territory, but every four years the country of 160 million people — whose national team is ranked 197th out of 202 in the world by FIFA — goes World Cup crazy.

Flags in the colours of Argentina and Brazil take over the streets, and printers in Merajnagar are expecting to produce hundreds of thousands before the tournament starts in Moscow on June 14.

Homes have been converted into makeshift printing and sewing plants as orders pour in from across the country.

“Every day we’re printing and making thousands of flags. Today we’ve already printed 11,000 Argentina pennants,” said Hossain.

– Maradona to Messi –

Fans across Bangladesh hold flag-waving processions to honour their favourite team. Last week, a video of supporters marching with a 200 metre-long Argentina flag in the northwestern town of Madarganj went viral on social media.

The impoverished country first saw live World Cup matches in 1982. But it was the 1986 tournament, when Diego Maradona single-handedly helped Argentina win the trophy, that cemented football into the Bangladesh psyche — along with a new favourite team.

“The craze for Argentina is still going strong, Maradona is gone but Messi is the new superstar,” said Faruq Mia, a flag hawker who came from neighbouring Narayanganj district to stock up.

Read More on → FIFA 2018

FIFA World Cup 2018 Portugal Squad: These 23 players will fly with Ronaldo to Russia

Portugal booked their ticket to Russia thanks in no small measure to Ronaldo and his 15 goals.

 

FIFA World Cup 2018 » Portugal head to Russia as European champions after their unlikely Euro 2016 triumph in France. There is little doubt that captain and talisman Cristiano Ronaldo is eager for his team to follow in the footsteps of neighbours Spain by winning two consecutive major tournaments.

However, fulfilling a lifetime’s ambition by winning the World Cup may prove a step too far for the five-time World Player of the Year and his teammates, reports Xinhua news agency.

Road to Russia

Topping their World Cup qualifying group on goal difference ahead of Switzerland, Portugal booked their ticket to Russia thanks in no small measure to Ronaldo and his 15 goals.

The European champions bounced back from an opening round defeat to Switzerland by winning their remaining nine fixtures. Ronaldo apart, however, Portugal’s squad looks a little short on quality in comparison to favourites Brazil, Germany and Spain.

What to Expect

2018 marks Portugal’s seventh appearance at the World Cup and their fifth in a row. Their best performance came on their debut in 1966, when they finished third after losing to hosts England in the semi-finals. They also reached the semis in 2006, losing to France. Meanwhile, they went out in the group stage in both 2002 and 2014, and lost to Spain in the round of 16 in 2010.

But after the euphoria of winning Euro 2016, even the most ardent aficionado of A Selecao das Quinas would admit that their victory was largely unexpected and was achieved in a pragmatic, attritional style uncomfortably similar to that of Greece at Euro 2004.

Portugal: World Cup victory a difficult mission for Ronaldo (Team Profile)
Portugal’s success in recent years has been in large part due to coach Fernando Santos, who oversaw a significant turnaround in form after replacing Paulo Bento following an embarrassing home defeat against Albania in a Euro 2016 qualifier. Santos subsequently led Portugal to the Euro 2016 title and has lost only once in 29 competitive internationals.

The 63-year-old is a former defender who played for Estoril and Maritimo. He has coached all Portugal’s “big three” clubs — Benfica, Porto and Sporting — and led Greece at Euro 2012 and the 2014 World Cup.

Full list of Players → FIFA 2018 Portugal Squad