Welcome to the Thunder Football Newsletter. #21
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Table of Contents

• Franz Beckenbauer (1945-2024)

• The Headlines ⚽

• Transfer Talk

• Memes 😂

Franz Beckenbauer (1945-2024)

Franz Beckenbauer, widely celebrated as one of the greatest footballers in history and one of the rare individuals to achieve World Cup victories both as a player and manager, has passed away at the age of 78.

Beckenbauer stands as an iconic figure in German football, earning 104 caps for West Germany. He led the team to triumph at the 1974 World Cup as captain and later replicated the success as a manager in Italy 16 years later. His illustrious career also saw numerous accomplishments, including securing three European Cups with Bayern Munich in the mid-70s, where he solidified his reputation as an exceptional defender.

The news of Beckenbauer's passing was confirmed by his family through a statement to the German press agency DPA. The statement expressed deep sorrow, revealing that Franz Beckenbauer peacefully passed away in his sleep on Sunday, surrounded by his family. The family has requested privacy during this time of mourning. RIP Der Kaiser.

The Headlines

2023 African Cup of Nations

The 2023 (yes, it’s still called the 2023 AFCON even though it’s played in 2024) African Cup of Nations kicks off on Saturday the 13th of January 2024.

The opening match will be played with the host nation, Ivory Coast 🇨🇮, taking on Guinea-Bissau 🇬🇼 at the Olympic Stadium of Ebimpé.

The Tournament will take place from 13 January to 11 February 2024.

Senegal 🇸🇳 is the defending Champions after winning the tournament in 2021 in Cameroon thanks to a Player of the Tournament performance from Sadio Mané.

My money is on the 1996 Champions to go all the way and lift the trophy! Let’s Go Bafana Bafana! 🇿🇦

2023 Asian Cup

24 teams from Asia (which includes Australia for who knows what reason) will travel to Qatar to compete in the 2023 AFC Asian Cup.

The Tournament will take place from 12 January to 11 February 2024.

The Host nation, Qatar 🇶🇦, will seek to defend their trophy - this time on home soil, after winning the previous tournament in 2019 in the United Arab Emirates.

Madrid Derbies

Real Madrid and Atletico Madrid will play each other 3 times in the next 4 weeks.

Tune in tomorrow night at 21:00 (SAST) when they face each other in the Spanish Super Cup semi-final. The other semi-final will be played on Thursday and features Barcelona and Osasuna. The Final will take place on Sunday the 14th of January.

English FA Cup

The biggest match of Round 3 was Arsenal vs Liverpool. It was also the most-watched 3rd Round FA Cup Match in History. Liverpool won the match 2-0 thanks to a brilliant performance by Luis Díaz.

Kevin de Bruyne came off the bench during Man City’s 5-0 demolition of Huddersfield and marked his return with an assist after 17 minutes.

Tottenham, Man United, Chelsea and Wrexham all won their matches to proceed to the 4th Round.

The fixtures for the 4th round have been confirmed. The biggest clash will be Man City who travel to Tottenham on 27 January. City have lost all five games they’ve played at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium and have yet to score a goal there.

Patrick Bamford scored an outrageous volley during Leeds United’s 3-0 triumph over Peterborough. Watch the goal below ⚽️

Transfer Talk

2024 January Transfer Window 💰

We find ourselves in the January transfer window. During the month of January, clubs can buy, sell, or loan players in an effort to make adjustments to their squads halfway through the season.

In the past there have been big transfers taking place in January.
Here’s our Favourite 5:

1. Virgil van Dijk 🇳🇱 (Southampton to Liverpool, £75m) - 2018

2. Bruno Fernandes 🇵🇹 (Sporting to Man United, £55m) - 2020

3. Luis Suarez 🇺🇾 (Ajax to Liverpool, £23m) - 2011

4. Fernando Torres 🇪🇸 (Liverpool to Chelsea, £50m) - 2011

5. Kieran Trippier 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 (Atletico Madrid to Newcastle, £12m) - 2022

Timo Returns 🇩🇪

Germany International, Timo Werner, has returned to the English Premier League (and my FPL squad). He joins Tottenham on a 6-month loan deal from RB Leipzig with a buy option confirmed if Spurs decide to activate it in June.

Memes 😂

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