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Former Ghana forward Derek Boateng says Stephen Appiah set the standard for leadership during his time as Black Stars captain, describing him as a player who led by example on and off the pitch.Speaking to Sporty FM, Boateng praised Appiah’s work ethic and authority within the national team, noting that his influence shaped Ghana’s most successful modern era.Appiah is widely hailed as the greatest Black Stars captain of all time and remains the first skipper to lead Ghana to a FIFA World Cup, achieving that milestone ahead of the 2006 tournament in Germany.Boateng said Appiah’s leadership was rooted in action rather than words.“Stephen would never ask a young player to do anything he wouldn’t do himself on the field or in training. I remember watching him train, the way he ran and worked. I said to myself, ‘Look at my senior, how he’s running, how he’s playing.""I need to do more. I need to step up.’ Everything he asked us to do, he did it himself to show us we had no excuse. His leadership quality was amazing. When it was time to joke, we joked. When it was time for business, it was business.”...

Former Black Stars midfielder Derek Boateng believes injuries played a decisive role in denying Ghana major silverware during Stephen Appiah’s time as captain.Boateng said the national team consistently performed at its highest level whenever Appiah was fully fit, describing the former Juventus midfielder as central to both structure and leadership.According to him, Appiah’s influence went beyond tactics, shaping the mentality of the squad during Ghana’s strongest competitive years.However, Boateng pointed to a serious knee injury that sidelined Appiah for an extended period as a turning point.Speaking in an interview with Sporty FM, Boateng said Ghana paid a heavy price despite frequent appearances in the latter stages of competitions.“As we went to about two or three finals, semifinals thereabouts, I feel like if not for Stephen Appiah’s injuries, he could have led us to win a trophy,” he said.“But the injury came so early, at his peak. And when you start having knee injuries, it means your career is going down,” he noted.Reflecting on Appiah’s leadership, Boateng highlighted his example-driven approach.“Stephen would never ask a young player to do anything he wouldn’t do himself,” he said, praising his work ethic and authority.

Italy head coach Gennaro Gattuso believes tonight’s Supercoppa Italiana semi-final between Milan and Napoli is finely balanced, while also using the occasion to reflect on the state of Italian football and potential new options for the national team.

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Manchester United and Arsenal are interested in signing the Olympiacos midfielder Christos Mouzakitis.

Fiorentina in crisis play their final Conference League opening phase game away to Lausanne-Sport with Edin Dzeko and Roberto Piccoli.

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Lega Serie A President Ezio Simonelli has confirmed that February’s match between Milan and Como will go ahead in Perth, Australia as planned.

Max Allegri explains AC Milan changes for the Supercoppa Italiana against Napoli, but also reveals uncertainty over Santiago Gimenez and that controversial Como fixture in Perth.

Napoli director of sport Giovanni Manna shrugs off Kobbie Mainoo and Giacomo Raspadori updates, assuring they are ‘doing very well’ ahead of the Supercoppa with AC Milan.

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Former Black Stars head coach James Kwesi Appiah is confident the team will impress at the 2026 FIFA World Cup.Speaking to Akoma FM, the Ghanaian tactician, who is currently in charge of Sudan’s national team, backed the Black Stars to progress from their group and go far in the tournament.“All the teams in the group are beatable, and a team in the World Cup can’t be underrated. We pray that our players don’t sustain any injuries before or during the stages. Nothing is impossible, and we can go far,” James Kwesi Appiah told Akoma FM in an interview.The Black Stars of Ghana, after qualifying for next year’s World Cup, have been pitted in Group L, where they will face off with England, Croatia, and Panama.With coach James Kwesi Appiah confident that Ghana can go far in the tournament, he believes that preparing well will be key.He proposes that the Black Stars should go into every game at the 2026 World Cup with the mentality to secure victory.

A Montenegrin forward linked with Milan inevitably brings memories of Dejan Savicevic, but this time the Rossoneri are looking firmly to the future.

Marcus Rashford is currently on loan at Barcelona, and they have an option to sign him permanently at the end of the season.

Roma want reinforcements in January and the plan is to secure at least two signings, targeting both Joshua Zirkzee from Manchester United and Atletico Madrid’s Giacomo Raspadori.