Good morning, football fans! Welcome to the Dongqiudi Morning News for July 22nd. It's the second day after the World Cup ended, and everyone has returned to their daily routines. Let's see what happened that day.
Top News
[Official: Chelsea sign Aston Villa midfielder Morgan Rodgers; reported transfer fee £117 million]
Chelsea have officially signed Aston Villa midfielder Morgan Rodgers. The transfer fee is reportedly £117 million, breaking the previous record for an English player's transfer fee set by Elliott Anderson when he joined Manchester City (£116 million).
[DO: Al-Hilal is close to signing Dutch international Somerville for approximately €80 million]
Al-Hilal and West Ham United have reached an agreement to sign Dutch international Somerville for approximately €80 million. Somerville is scheduled to undergo a medical with Al-Hilal. A long-term contract is ready and awaits final authorization.
Match Summary
[Action score: Henan 6-7 Yingbo; Stanciu scores, Maranhão and Abdurosuli miss penalties]
[Tongliang Long 2-0 Ten-Man West Coast, Du Yuezheng Scores Twice, Ding Haifeng Gets a Red Card]
Latest news from 0:00 to 7:00
[41-year-old Mexican goalkeeper Ochoa announces retirement, ending his 22-year professional career]
Mexican goalkeeper Ochoa announced his retirement on social media, ending his 22-year professional career.
Morgan Rogers: I'm a Warriors fan; Palmer was overjoyed and kept talking to me.
Following the official announcement of his move to Chelsea, Morgan Rodgers gave his first official interview as a Chelsea player.
[Catalan TV: Laporte has agreed to join Barcelona this summer]
According to Catalan television channel Esport3, Athletic Bilbao defender Aymeric Laporte has agreed to join Barcelona this summer to help strengthen the team's defense.
[Gavi: I don't think Paredes should be suspended further; it's part of football]
After helping Spain win the World Cup, Gave returned to his hometown to receive honors and spoke about his clash with Argentine midfielder Paredes after the final.
According to the latest news from renowned journalist Moreto, Real Madrid has made positive progress in signing Manchester City midfielder Rodri.
Infantino pays tribute to Argentina: Reaching the final twice in a row has inspired millions.
Argentina received a special message from FIFA President Gianni Infantino after their defeat in the World Cup final.
[FIFA World Cup Best XI Fan Vote Nominees: Kubasi and Laporte Miss Out]
According to AS, FIFA has released the shortlist of candidates for the World Cup All-Star Team, but neither Spanish center-backs Aymeric Laporte nor Pablo Kubasi were selected.
[Official: Kylian Mbappé will be the cover athlete for EA Sports FC 27]
According to official sources, Kylian Mbappé will once again be the cover athlete for EA Sports FC series games.
Argentine international Carlos McAllister published a lengthy post on his personal social media, reflecting on the team's experience in this World Cup, expressing gratitude to fans, family, and all supporters, while also looking to the future and emphasizing the importance of unity and belief.
[Ibrahimovic: If I were on the field, I would have headed Paredes and then been sent off]
Ibrahimovic, commentating on the World Cup final on Fox Sports, said that if he were on the field, he would have headbutted Paredes and been sent off.
24-hour hot news
47-year-old Premier League referee Anthony Taylor issued a statement today announcing that he will end his refereeing career.
[L'Equipe: Mbappe leads Ballon d'Or polls, Rodri second, Yamal third]
According to L'Equipe, with the World Cup just concluded, Mbappe remains the top favorite for the Ballon d'Or in the eyes of readers, ahead of Spanish players.
[Former German international: I thought Paraguay was dirty enough, Argentina is simply disgusting]
According to Sport1, Thomas Hitzlsperger harshly criticized Argentina after the World Cup final, accusing some players of behaving rudely throughout the tournament and in the final against Spain.
According to Argentina's La Nación newspaper, President Javier Mille revealed that the national team rejected the government's proposed celebration plan after their defeat in the 2026 World Cup final. Mille also praised the players' performance: "They were restrained, even when the referee made unfair calls against the team."
[Leo on social media: Girls, the World Cup is over, no need to pretend you know football anymore]
On July 20th local time, AC Milan winger Rafael Leão updated his social media on his alternate account: "Girls, the World Cup is over, you don't need to pretend you know football anymore." This post was deleted after causing a huge controversy.
Despite international criticism, Argentine media outlets still gave positive reviews of their team's performance during and after Sunday's World Cup final against Spain. Major Argentine newspapers published articles stating that despite the chaotic scenes after the defeat to Spain, the Argentine team "lost with their heads held high, a defeat worthy of honor." The British newspaper *The Daily Telegraph* compiled some of the Argentine media reports.
Argentine journalist Hernán Castillo revealed on social media that Messi told his teammates in the locker room yesterday that he had finished his last match for the national team.
Argentina lost 0-1 to Spain in the World Cup final, with Lautaro Martinez not making a single appearance. After the match, he liked a post on social media criticizing Scaloni's personnel decision.
Match Preview
Wednesday, July 22
20:00 FA Cup Round of 16: Lanzhou Longyuan Athletic vs. Shaanxi United
Thursday, July 23
0:00 Friendly Match: Tottenham Hotspur vs Milton Keynes Dons
0:00 Friendly Match: Napoli vs Arezzo
