PSG Boss Luis Enrique: Arsenal Are World's Best When Out of Possession

PSG's head coach Luis Enrique talks to his squad during a training session at the Paris Saint-Germain training center Wednesday May 20, 2026, in Poissy, west of Paris, ahead of the Champions League final against Arsenal in Budapest on May 30. (AP Photo/Thibault Camus)
PSG's head coach Luis Enrique talks to his squad during a training session at the Paris Saint-Germain training center Wednesday May 20, 2026, in Poissy, west of Paris, ahead of the Champions League final against Arsenal in Budapest on May 30. (AP Photo/Thibault Camus)
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PSG Boss Luis Enrique: Arsenal Are World's Best When Out of Possession

PSG's head coach Luis Enrique talks to his squad during a training session at the Paris Saint-Germain training center Wednesday May 20, 2026, in Poissy, west of Paris, ahead of the Champions League final against Arsenal in Budapest on May 30. (AP Photo/Thibault Camus)
PSG's head coach Luis Enrique talks to his squad during a training session at the Paris Saint-Germain training center Wednesday May 20, 2026, in Poissy, west of Paris, ahead of the Champions League final against Arsenal in Budapest on May 30. (AP Photo/Thibault Camus)

Paris St Germain head coach Luis Enrique has lavished praise on Arsenal ahead of this month's Champions League final, dubbing them the best team in the world without the ball.

Arsenal ended their 22-year wait for the Premier League title on Tuesday and Luis Enrique told reporters it was no surprise they had also reached the final of Europe's elite club competition.

"We’ve got experience of playing against ⁠Mikel Arteta’s Arsenal, ⁠and we know full well how good they are on the ball," he said on Wednesday.

"Off the ball, they’re the best team in the world, no doubt about it. With the ball, they’re capable ⁠of scoring plenty of goals.

"And it’s only natural to see them in the final. It’ll be a very tough final with two teams approaching it in two different ways. But I think we’re in for a cracking final."

The PSG boss stressed the importance of pressing and defending ahead of the Champions League final in Budapest on May 30, ⁠highlighting ⁠star forward Ousmane Dembele's work rate.

“He defends all the time, no matter the match or the minute," the Spanish manager said.

"It’s important to have him because we tend to always highlight what the forwards do when they score goals or provide assists, but we don’t highlight enough what he does as a defender. When a team doesn’t have the ball, you have to defend.”



Playing at Real Madrid ‘Not for Everyone’, Says Bernardo Silva

Pre-Season Friendly - Schalke 04 v Real Madrid - Veltins-Arena, Gelsenkirchen, Germany - August 16, 2026 Real Madrid's Bernardo Silva during the warm up before the match. (Reuters)
Pre-Season Friendly - Schalke 04 v Real Madrid - Veltins-Arena, Gelsenkirchen, Germany - August 16, 2026 Real Madrid's Bernardo Silva during the warm up before the match. (Reuters)
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Playing at Real Madrid ‘Not for Everyone’, Says Bernardo Silva

Pre-Season Friendly - Schalke 04 v Real Madrid - Veltins-Arena, Gelsenkirchen, Germany - August 16, 2026 Real Madrid's Bernardo Silva during the warm up before the match. (Reuters)
Pre-Season Friendly - Schalke 04 v Real Madrid - Veltins-Arena, Gelsenkirchen, Germany - August 16, 2026 Real Madrid's Bernardo Silva during the warm up before the match. (Reuters)

Bernardo Silva said playing for Real Madrid "is not for everyone" after the Portugal midfielder was presented by the 15-time European champions on Wednesday.

The 31-year-old, who joined from Manchester City at the end of his contract this summer, said he was proud to join the world's most successful club.

"I've already played quite a few times at the Bernabeu -- when you arrive and see the 15 Champions League titles they display there, it's very imposing, and having them here is very special," Silva told club television channel Real Madrid TV.

"Playing for a club that has 15 Champions League titles is not for everyone, so I'm very proud and now I'll give everything for this club."

Silva's former Manchester City team-mate Rodri joined Madrid's rivals Barcelona on Tuesday.

The Spanish midfielder had been linked with Real Madrid and new Los Blancos coach Jose Mourinho said he had spoken with Rodri earlier in the summer.

"I spoke with him a couple of times, and Real Madrid made him a very good offer," Mourinho told Spanish television show El Chiringuito this week.

"Rodri had doubts... and the doubts of Rodri created doubts for me.

"He's an extraordinary player and was very professional with us, nothing negative to say. But Real Madrid is a club of a stature that can't have players who think twice about it."


Tennis Player Kyrgios Suspended after Failing Test for Cocaine

(FILES) Australia's Nick Kyrgios reacts after a point against France's Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard during their men's singles match at the Brisbane International tennis tournament in Brisbane on December 31, 2024. (Photo by Patrick HAMILTON / AFP)
(FILES) Australia's Nick Kyrgios reacts after a point against France's Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard during their men's singles match at the Brisbane International tennis tournament in Brisbane on December 31, 2024. (Photo by Patrick HAMILTON / AFP)
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Tennis Player Kyrgios Suspended after Failing Test for Cocaine

(FILES) Australia's Nick Kyrgios reacts after a point against France's Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard during their men's singles match at the Brisbane International tennis tournament in Brisbane on December 31, 2024. (Photo by Patrick HAMILTON / AFP)
(FILES) Australia's Nick Kyrgios reacts after a point against France's Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard during their men's singles match at the Brisbane International tennis tournament in Brisbane on December 31, 2024. (Photo by Patrick HAMILTON / AFP)

Former Wimbledon finalist Nick Kyrgios has been provisionally suspended after testing positive for a cocaine metabolite during an ATP event in Mallorca, the International Tennis Integrity Agency said on Wednesday.

The 31-year-old acknowledged the finding on his ⁠Instagram account, telling ⁠his followers: "I wanted you to hear this from me first."

"I recently failed a drug test in Mallorca ⁠after testing positive for cocaine. I made a huge mistake and I take full responsibility for it," he wrote.

Kyrgios provided a sample at the ATP 250 tournament in Spain on June 22 and ⁠a ⁠World Anti-Doping Agency accredited laboratory subsequently detected benzoylecgonine, a metabolite of cocaine, the ITIA statement read.

Cocaine is classified as a stimulant and a substance of abuse under WADA rules and is prohibited in competition.


Club: Paul Pogba to be Released by Monaco

Monaco's French midfielder #08 Paul Pogba on the pitch ahead of the pre-season friendly football match between Liverpool and Monaco at Anfield in Liverpool, north west England on August 9, 2026. (Photo by Darren Staples / AFP)
Monaco's French midfielder #08 Paul Pogba on the pitch ahead of the pre-season friendly football match between Liverpool and Monaco at Anfield in Liverpool, north west England on August 9, 2026. (Photo by Darren Staples / AFP)
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Club: Paul Pogba to be Released by Monaco

Monaco's French midfielder #08 Paul Pogba on the pitch ahead of the pre-season friendly football match between Liverpool and Monaco at Anfield in Liverpool, north west England on August 9, 2026. (Photo by Darren Staples / AFP)
Monaco's French midfielder #08 Paul Pogba on the pitch ahead of the pre-season friendly football match between Liverpool and Monaco at Anfield in Liverpool, north west England on August 9, 2026. (Photo by Darren Staples / AFP)

Former Manchester United and Juventus midfielder Paul Pogba will be released by Monaco after a series of injuries, the French club said on Wednesday.

Pogba, 33, won the World Cup with France in 2018 but since serving a ban for doping has struggled to return to the elite level.

According to AFP, Monaco said in a statement that the objectives they had set for Pogba were "only partially achieved" and the Ligue 1 club were therefore ending his contract that would have run until June 2027.

Pogba is currently sidelined with a thigh injury, just after returning from a knee problem.

Monaco paid tribute to the player's "remarkable mindset, determination and unwavering high standards" and said even when injured he had had a positive influence on the Monaco squad by "sharing his experience and know-how" with the other players.