Category Uncategorized

Jamaica coach Steve McClaren has revealed his disappointment after learning that Mason Greenwood is refusing to make a decision on his international future at present.

Jamaica eager to recruit GreenwoodForward granted citizenship and passportMarseille player still unwilling to commitFollow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱WHAT HAPPENED?

Greenwood had been expected to pledge his international future to Jamaica after being granted citizenship and a new passport. McClaren had even been hoping to have the Marseille forward in his squad for World Cup qualifiers against Bermuda and Trinidad and Tobago over the current international break but has not been able to call up the 23-year-old.

AdvertisementAFPTHE BIGGER PICTURE

McClaren has now lifted the lid on the situation and revealed the conversations he has had with Greenwood. The Marseille forward, who scored 21 goals last season in Ligue 1, has still not committed his international future to Jamaica and has told the coach that he wants to focus on his club football for the time being.

WHAT MCCLAREN SAID

McClaren told a press conference: "We acquired a passport and we expected him to be coming to this camp but on a conversation with his family, he's not going to commit at this time to anybody. So he's taking his time over that. It's a little bit disappointing, we probably have to be more patient.

"We will keep the contact. We will keep pursuing him because I know from my conversations with Mason that he loves Jamaica, he respects Jamaica. He wants to concentrate on club football and not commit to an international team at the moment.

"We have to respect that, however much we've worked to get him here for these camps. So, who knows in the future."

ENJOYED THIS STORY?

Add GOAL.com as a preferred source on Google to see more of our reporting

AFPWHAT NEXT FOR GREENWOOD?

Jamaica still seem hopeful that Greenwood can be convinced to switch allegiance from England as they bid to qualify for the World Cup for just the second time. In the meantime, the ex-Manchester United player will return to action with Marseille against Lorient on Friday, September 12.

The ECB has made members of England’s T20 World Cup squad unavailable for the IPL play-offs and will call them home ahead of a four-match T20I series against Pakistan which starts on May 22. As things stand, the decision is likely to affect Jos Buttler (Rajasthan Royals), Phil Salt (Kolkata Knight Riders) and Moeen Ali (Chennai Super Kings).Rob Key, England men’s managing director, spoke to the players selected in their provisional World Cup squad on Monday to tell them that they had been picked, and told those involved in the IPL that they will not be available for the knockout stages. The play-offs run from May 21 until May 26, clashing directly with England’s Pakistan series.The other players who are involved in both England’s World Cup squad and the IPL are: Jonny Bairstow, Sam Curran, Liam Livingstone (all Punjab Kings), Will Jacks and Reece Topley (both Royal Challengers Bengaluru). Both franchises have struggled this season and may need to win all of their remaining group fixtures to qualify for the play-offs.ESPNcricinfo understands that players will be expected to return to the UK on the weekend of May 18-19, which could rule them out of their respective franchises’ final group-stage fixtures. The group stage runs until May 19 and England are keen for their World Cup squad to have a few days together before their first T20I since December.Phil Salt has been in formidable form for KKR but will miss their likely play-off matches•Associated Press

“You can’t just call people back for no reasons: there are protections,” Key said on Tuesday after announcing England’s provisional squad. “Without injury or England commitments, we couldn’t say to Phil Salt, for example, come back and have a rest for the next 15 days. But there is a window just before an England series when you can bring players back for England duty or injury.”Key revealed that Buttler, who has hit two centuries for table-topping Rajasthan Royals, had instigated the decision to come home before the end of the IPL. “I asked him very early on in the piece and said, ‘Look, as England captain, you’re obviously going to have this series against Pakistan. How do you see it?’ And straightaway, he said, ‘No, no, I want to come back and start getting ready for the World Cup in that series that’s just before it.’Buttler and his wife Louise are expecting their third child next month, so he may miss the start of the Pakistan series on paternity leave regardless. “When the due date is and when the baby comes is slightly fluid,” Key said. “But whatever happens, I think you put your family first and make sure you’re at the birth of your child. We’ll cross that bridge when we come to it.”Key told players when they left for India: “Look, there is a good chance that you’ll be coming back [early],” he said. “There is a chance you could stay out there. We may feel that if you get through to an IPL final that, maybe, that’s the best thing to do. It might be that if there’s only one of you then you’d let you go on and do that… we have to keep it pretty fluid.”Related

• India's T20 World Cup squad: Pant, Dube and Samson make the cut

• Chris Jordan, Jofra Archer recalled for T20 World Cup

• India's T20 World Cup squad: IPL form unlikely to heavily influence selection

• Rashid: 'Things change quickly… we have the mindset of champions'

• South Africa's batting options for T20 World Cup: de Kock? Hendricks? Du Plessis?

But he said that England’s management decided the Pakistan series would help them to find clarity in the players’ roles ahead of their opening T20 World Cup fixture, against Scotland on June 4. “We’ve got to the point where actually, we think it’s more important that you come back and that group gets together: the likes of Phil Salt, opening the batting for England, getting that role going with Jos Buttler.”You just want them to get together and spend a bit of time and build up to it. So much of what our white-ball team has done has been turning up a couple of days before and, bang, we’re into a series, whereas I think that Pakistan series is going to be important for that, so they’ll all come back ready for that.”You want people to really start understanding what their roles are, what your best XI is going to be, and that’s what we want to make sure: when we hit Barbados, we know exactly what that is. Last time, for the [50-over] World Cup, Adil Rashid was injured in that series versus New Zealand and we probably didn’t take into account how much, when he came back, that altered the balance.”Other boards’ approach to clashes between T20I series and the IPL play-offs have varied. New Zealand fielded a second-string team in Pakistan earlier this month, while the BCB have pulled Mustafizur Rahman out of the IPL early for a series against Zimbabwe. CSA will allow their players to stay in India for the play-offs, despite a clash with a three-match series against West Indies.

Both Bayern Munich and Borussia Dortmund may soon go head-to-head in a bid to secure Markus Krosche with his track record drawing serious interest.

Bayern and Dortmund are targeting KroscheKrosche’s transfer record at Frankfurt has elevated his profileKrosche’s transfer record is nearly €300m in salesFollow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱WHAT HAPPENED?

According to and multiple other outlets, both Bayern and Dortmund have expressed concrete interest in appointing Eintracht Frankfurt’s Krosche as sporting director. Pressure is mounting on Bayern’s current sporting director Max Eberl following a series of failed transfer pursuits and internal discussions about the club’s future direction. Dortmund, meanwhile, are considering Krosche as a replacement for Sebastian Kehl. Both clubs are closely monitoring the situation, and Krosche’s contract is believed to contain a release clause.

AdvertisementGettyWHAT IS THE BACKGROUND?

Krosche has been Frankfurt’s sporting CEO since 2021 and has been instrumental in the club’s recent successes, including their Europa League triumph in 2022 and securing Champions League qualification. Dortmund explored a move for Krosche during their sporting crisis last season, but negotiations reportedly stalled as he chose to focus on Frankfurt’s campaign. Bayern’s recent transfer struggles – including big-money pursuits of Nick Woltemade and Luis Diaz – have put Eberl’s position under increased scrutiny. Internal tension and restructuring discussions at Bayern mean significant changes remain possible before the transfer window closes.

DID YOU KNOW?

Krosche has a proven record of engineering lucrative transfers. Under his leadership, Frankfurt generated nearly €300m (£255m/$327m) in transfer revenue from relatively unknown players such as Randal Kolo Muani, Omar Marmoush and Hugo Ekitike. His knack for spotting talent and negotiating high-value deals has made him a sought-after executive across Europe, with Premier League interest previously reported.

ENJOYED THIS STORY?

Add GOAL.com as a preferred source on Google to see more of our reporting

Getty ImagesA LOOK AT THE FIGURES

His name has already been mentioned in the supervisory board, but there are also doubts about his suitability for the job in Munich despite his impressive numbers. Krosche negotiated the €95m (£81m/$104m) sale of Kolo Muani to Paris Saint-Germain, secured around €75m (£64m/$82m) from Manchester City for Marmoush and orchestrated Hugo Ekitike’s sale to Liverpool for €95m. Bayern’s annual payroll is reported to be €308m (£262m/$336m).

Big picture – Teams look to capitalise on momentum

While this World Cup has only belatedly started offering up some nail-biters, it’s been rather more generous in terms of unexpected results. As a result, despite the sides currently occupying the top-four spots in the points table being the likeliest to make it through to the knockouts, there’s a cluster of teams just below them ready to capitalise on any potential slip-ups.For Afghanistan and Sri Lanka, three wins from their final four games in the league stage will leave them on ten points, which would give them a genuine shot at a semi-final berth. But of those four games, Afghanistan will face Australia and South Africa, while Sri Lanka still have to take on India and New Zealand.This is what makes Monday’s game in Pune all the more spicy; a win for either side leaves a margin for error in at least one of those “tougher” games, lose and those fledgling semi-final hopes become considerably dimmer.Related

• Trott believes his team is inspiring Afghanistan's youth

• The unsung heroes behind India's spectacular stadium atmosphere

• Chameera replaces injured Kumara

Both sides also come into this fixture with some form. Well, as much form as sides that have lost three of their five games can be in.While defeats to India and New Zealand might have been accounted for, an opening loss to Bangladesh hurt Afghanistan. But historic wins against England and Pakistan have rejuvenated Afghanistan’s campaign.As for Sri Lanka, three defeats on the bounce to South Africa, Pakistan and Australia had seemingly left their tournament hopes in tatters, but back-to-back wins over Netherlands and, more impressively, England has injected new vigour into a unit that was badly in need of a jolt.There won’t be many secrets between these two sides, with them having squared off in six ODIs over the past year. Sri Lanka have won four of them, though the last – an Asia Cup thriller in September – is one that would have left a sour taste in Afghanistan’s mouths and will serve as added motivation if needed.

Form guide

Afghanistan WLWLL
Sri Lanka WWLLL

In the spotlight – Rashid Khan and Pathum Nissanka

It’s no secret that Rashid Khan‘s effectiveness in ODIs has not quite been at the same level as that in T20Is. So far, across five games, he’s picked up six wickets, not exactly stats to set the world alight, but then again, this has been predominantly a batters’ tournament so far.However his record against Sri Lanka provides more cause for optimism. His 11 wickets across six innings at an average of 18.54 is only bettered by his record against Zimbabwe and Ireland among Full-Member nations; in those six innings, he’s gone wicketless just once. Sri Lanka also have a soft underbelly, one that Afghanistan exploited once already in the warm-ups, and Rashid will be key to testing that brittle middle and lower order once more.Will Rashid Khan make an impact against Sri Lanka?•ICC/Getty Images

Masking those middle-order jitters for Sri Lanka has been a rather more consistent top order, with Pathum Nissanka emerging as an unlikely leader. Indeed, if there was an award for most improved cricketer in the Sri Lankan ranks, you wouldn’t have to look much beyond Nissanka.Having debuted as a Test grafter in 2021, he was fast-tracked into the white-ball setup during a period when SLC was in the midst of a youth-driven overhaul and were taking a more long-term approach to squad building. This meant the selectors stuck with him through his lean start to ODIs – he scored 86 runs across his first nine innings – but he has paid that faith back in spades. It was at the end of that barren run that he was promoted to regular opener, and his 36 innings since have brought 13 fifties and three centuries. His average in ODIs now stands at 39.97, and in this World Cup he’s kicked that up a notch, racking up four consecutive fifties at 60.75. More importantly, he has begun to show signs of developing a more aggressive approach – his strike rate in the tournament is 91.35, up from 83.64 prior to the start.

Team news

Afghanistan have had a six-day break since their last game and are well rested. Fazalhaq Farooqi is likely to come back in for Noor Ahmad.Afghanistan (possible): 1 Rahmanullah Gurbaz, 2 Ibrahim Zadran, 3 Rahmat Shah, 4 Hashmatullah Shahidi (capt), 5 Azmatullah Omarzai, 6 Ikram Alikhil (wk), 7 Mohammad Nabi, 8 Rashid Khan, 9 Mujeeb Ur Rahman, 10 Naveen-ul-Haq, 11 Fazalhaq FarooqiSri Lanka were dealt yet another injury blow, after Player of the Match against England, Lahiru Kumara, was ruled out of the tournament with a thigh injury. He has been replaced in the squad by Dushmantha Chameera, himself returning from injury, and it is likely he will come straight into the side. Kusal Perera’s form meanwhile has been a concern of late, and there have been murmurs of Dimuth Karunaratne replacing him at the top of the order.Sri Lanka (probable): 1 Pathum Nissanka, 2 Kusal Perera/Dimuth Karunaratne, 3 Kusal Mendis (capt, wk) 4 Sadeera Samarawickrama, 5 Charith Asalanka, 6 Dhananjaya de Silva, 7 Angelo Mathews 8 Maheesh Theekshana, 9 Kasun Rajitha, 10 Dushmantha Chameera, 11 Dilshan Madushanka1:46

Bond: Hopefully this win kickstarts Sri Lanka’s campaign

Pitch and conditions

The Pune surface in recent times has shown a propensity for high scores, but there’s also been some assistance for the spinners – something both sides could benefit from. That said, dew might come into play in the evening, so the toss will prove crucial as usual.

Stats and trivia

• Nissanka’s 296 runs is the most by a Sri Lanka batter against Afghanistan. It is also the most he’s scored against a single nation.
• Hashmatullah Shahidi is 57 runs away from reaching 2000 ODI runs
• Sadeera Samarawickrama is 90 short of 1000 ODI runs

Quotes

“I think this break is good for us because we had back-to-back games before that and when you play too many games in short time, so the players get like tired. So that was good – after a good win when you are having rest and think about other games also that give you time and also give rest for the bodies and I can say that was good for us.”

Tottenham and West Ham are both considering swoops for Aston Villa's £40 million-rated midfielder Jacob Ramsey.

Article continues below

Article continues below

Article continues below

Villa would be open to dealSelling homegrown player beneficial for PSR rulesNewcastle also monitoring the midfielderFollow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱WHAT HAPPENED?

Mail Sport understands Villa are open to selling Ramsey, as he would represent pure profit on their balance sheet against the Premier League's profit and sustainability rules. While Spurs and West Ham are interested in the player, the £40m ($55m) price tag might be prohibitively expensive for both clubs.

AdvertisementGetty Images SportTHE BIGGER PICTURE

Newcastle have also expressed interest in the player, however the Mail suggests a long-mooted swap deal with Harvey Barnes is no longer a viable option.

DID YOU KNOW?

Ramsey has become a consistent performer for the Villans, and is a trusted member of Unai Emery's squad. The 24-year-old has made 90 appearances under the Spanish manager, contributing 10 goals and 16 assists in all competitions.

ENJOYED THIS STORY?

Add GOAL.com as a preferred source on Google to see more of our reporting

Getty Images SportWHAT NEXT FOR RAMSEY?

Villa find themselves in a less perilous position with PSR this summer. There will be no repeats of the mad rush to offload Douglas Luiz to Juventus to avoid a points deduction, but if the Villans are able to pursue high-ticket targets in the window, offloading assets like Ramsey might turn out to be a necessary evil.

Manchester United have a new £70m forward on their radar who has been called the “next” Kylian Mbappe, as per one Sky Sports reporter.

Man Utd eyeing new forward as Hojlund breaks goalscoring duck vs Leicester

The Red Devils have struggled in front of goal in the Premier League under both Erik ten Hag and Ruben Amorim this season with 13 sides netting more than United’s tally of 37 in 29 games.

Rasmus Hojlund, who cost more than £70m back in 2023 from Atalanta, has only netted three times in the top flight in 24 games in 2024/25, although he did end a 21-game wait for a goal in the recent 3-0 win at Leicester City.

Talking after the game, the Denmark international said: “I think it comes down to my performances as well. I think obviously I’ve not been on top of my game as I wanted to and we’re still adapting to a new system and some new positions.

“But I think I’ve been growing into it lately and starting to look a bit better. But I’m just happy to get on the scoresheet and I’m sure they will come more now. I’m happy, but it’s not all about goals. I’m obviously very happy to get my goal and it gives me a lot of confidence.

“I think we’re starting to get a bit more of a connection between myself and the players, then starting to understand what my qualities are even more and playing to them as well.”

Man Utd now make big £58m offer to sign Brazil star who Amorim wants

He’s been one of Europe’s best players this season.

1

By
Barney Lane

Mar 17, 2025

Despite this, Man Utd are still looking to bring in a striker ahead of Amorim’s first full season in charge and have been linked with the likes of Liam Delap, Viktor Gyokeres, Victor Osimhen and Benjamin Sesko. Now, a new name has emerged on the Old Trafford radar.

Man Utd eyeing £70m forward Hugo Ekitike – Sky Sports

According to Sky Sports reporter Florian Plettenberg, Man Utd also have their eyes on Eintracht Frankfurt striker Hugo Ekitike.

Alongside, Gyokeres, Osimhen and Sesko, Ekitike is also being discussed as a target by Red Devils officials. Reports elsewhere have claimed that Ekitike, called the “next Mbappe” by Graeme Bailey, is valued at £70m.

The 22-year-old only joined Frankfurt on a permanent deal last summer from PSG following a successful loan spell, and he has continued his fine form in front of goal in Germany.

So far this season, Ekitike has scored 19 goals and provided eight assists in 38 games in all competitions, and by the looks of things, he will be one to keep an eye on for Man Utd over the coming months.

Everton have work to do in the transfer market this summer.

David Moyes deserves all the plaudits for his hard work since taking the reins in January, but The Friedkin Group need to build a lasting era of success and that can only be achieved with precision and guile.

The Premier League will house the Toffees once again next year, but how high will Moyes’ vision stretch? Much depends on the summer transfer window, with plenty of stars approaching the culmination of their contracts.

Everton's summer plans

The Athletic report that 15 Everton players are set – as things stand – to depart at the end of the season. Angus Kinnear, incoming Director of Football, has his work cut out for sure.

However, not all will go. Moreover, some of these players are currently out on loan – Neal Maupay and Mason Holgate being two cases in point – while Jack Harrison and Jesper Lindstrom are both loanees, neither pulling enough weight this season to justify permanent extensions.

Everton have the tenth-highest wage bill in the Premier League, per GIVEMESPORT, and while that will drop following expected departures of players such as Dominic Calvert-Lewin, Michael Keane, Ashley Young and Seamus Coleman (35-year-old Idrissa Gueye may be handed a short extension), there’s one player earning above all others who must leave for the greater good of the club.

Everton need to axe high-earning star

As Everton step into a new era at Bramley Moore, there’s little question that Moyes is going to need to oversee a flurry of activity. In fairness, though, The i Paper report that TFG are willing to hand him significant transfer powers – with the promise of big investment.

Wage Burners

Football FanCast’s Wage Burners series explores the salaries of the modern-day game.

It’s indeed going to be a case of out with the old and in with the new. Abdoulaye Doucoure very much falls into that bracket.

The experienced attacking midfielder is out of contract at the end of the season and given he’s pocketing more in earnings than any of his teammates, it makes sense to part ways.

1.

Abdoulaye Doucoure

32

2025

£140k-per-week

2.

Jordan Pickford

30

2027

£125k-per-week

3.

Idrissa Gueye

35

2025

£120k-per-week

=4

James Tarkowski

32

2026

£100k-per-week

=4

Dominic Calvert-Lewin

27

2025

£100k-per-week

Everton signed Doucoure from Watford for a £20m fee in 2020, and you’d have to say – for the most part – they’ve received bang for their buck. Even so, earning £140k per week, he’s been quite the costly figure, actually taking over £20m in earnings since first arriving.

However, every dog has his day and all that. Doucoure is now 32 years old and perhaps not providing the same kind of sharp attacking presence as before. Everton writer Ell Bretland has even claimed that he “can’t start games,” suggesting that the Blues are a more fluent and purposeful outfit when he is reduced to second-half cameos.

The Malian midfielder has started 24 Premier League matches this term but there are clear signs of regression. As per Sofascore, he’s won just 36% of his ground duels, also scoring just twice.

With Charly Alcaraz only five games away from seeing his loan deal become permanent, Everton have to part with their veteran ace.

It’s time to shake things up at Everton. Doucoure has earned over £20m in wages across his near-five-year stay; couple that with the £20m figure, and he’s cost a pretty.

There are no regrets over his time on Merseyside, but it’s the right time to go.

Not Harrison: Everton have their new Bilyaletdinov in "frustrated" flop

Everton may have found their new version of Diniyar Bilyaletdinov & it is not Jack Harrison.

ByDan Emery Mar 24, 2025

Pooran, who suffered an accident in 2015 that prevented him from even walking for six months, knows what Pant is going through at the moment

ESPNcricinfo staff14-Apr-2023Nicholas Pooran has been where Rishabh Pant is at the moment. An accident similar to the one Pant was in late last year had put Pooran in hospital eight-and-some years ago; he required two surgeries, and it was a good six months before he could walk again. Pooran understands that the position Pant is in might leave him “depressed and frustrated”, but is confident he will bounce back.Pooran, playing for Lucknow Super Giants in IPL 2023, said he has been in touch with Pant, who will be out of action at least for the rest of the year. Pant was present at his team Delhi Capitals’ home game against Gujarat Titans a few days back, but needed help to get out of the car and get to his seat at the Feroz Shah Kotla.”It’s very challenging. It’s one where no one understands. Sometimes, I can remember… I have been chatting with Rishabh obviously. Both of us have a really good relationship. But there’s times when you go into a place where you’re very depressed, and frustrated, because you want the healing process to happen so fast. But it’s difficult,” Pooran said ahead of Super Giants’ next game, on Saturday at home against Punjab Kings.Related

Rishabh Pant expected to return for Delhi Capitals in IPL 2024

Rishabh Pant expected to be out of action for most of 2023

How Nicholas Pooran came back from the brink

On December 30 last year, Pant was driving to see his mother in Roorkee in Uttarakhand when his car hit a road divider at around 5.30am. He escaped without life-threatening injuries even as his car went up in flames. He has since undergone knee-ligament surgery at a Mumbai hospital.It was in January 2015, when he was just past his 19th birthday, when Pooran, while driving back from a training session at home in Trinidad & Tobago, swerved to avoid an oncoming car, drove into a sand heap and back on to the road, where another car rammed into him. He was knocked out and regained consciousness only after reaching a hospital. He required surgeries to repair the left patellar tendon, which had ruptured, and on his right leg to repair an ankle fracture.Speaking from his experience dealing with the low phase, Pooran said, “Sometimes you don’t see progress. In life, you want to see progress, you want it to happen so fast, but it doesn’t happen the whole time. It’s very challenging, but [you] need to believe in yourself.

“You just need to believe in yourself; he needs to spend time with himself and understand who are the people for him and who is against him. This is where you know who are your family and who are your friends”Nicholas Pooran

“Need to believe that whatever happened, happened for a reason. Can’t question it, because you won’t get an answer. You need to believe in your God as well. Have faith in yourself, have faith in your hard work.”And then, if all goes well, things change for the better. For Pooran, it was seven months before he could start jogging again, and another month before he took part in his first net session.”As soon as you see… that first step you take, once you can see that improvement, I think that’s when you become motivated,” he said. “Rishabh will come out of this. He’s a strong guy. He will come out of this. And he will be better. You just need to believe in yourself; he needs to spend time with himself and understand who are the people for him and who is against him. This is where you know who are your family and who are your friends.”It’s a difficult period in anyone’s life. Everyone has different challenges. Challenges come in different forms and ways. But it’s a blessing in disguise [in a way], and you’ll figure it out. Everyone goes through challenges. He’ll get back up.”

Mario Balotelli has opened up on why he fell short of Cristiano Ronaldo’s success and confirmed his next move will likely take him near Lionel Messi.

Article continues below

Article continues below

Article continues below

Balotelli admits Ronaldo’s dedication set them apartConfirms plans to move to MLS and retireStriker failed to score in six appearances for GenoaFollow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱WHAT HAPPENED?

The Italian admitted that Ronaldo's relentless work ethic is something he never matched, with 40-year-old still going strong with Al-Nassr and the Portugal national team while Balotelli is leaving Genoa after a dismal spell with the Serie A side.

AdvertisementGetty Images SportTHE BIGGER PICTURE

Balotelli, whose career has seen dramatic highs and steep declines, broke through as one of Europe's most promising strikers at Inter, but has failed to live up to the hype in a tumultuous career. He did, however, win the Champions League with Inter, a dramatic Premier League title with Manchester City and has three Serie A crowns to his name. Since joining Genoa in October last year, though, he has played only 56 minutes spread across six appearances. Balotelli said he will not be staying in his homeland and instead plans to end his career in the United States.

WHAT BALOTELLI SAID

Balotelli was asked on why he is not as successful as five-time Ballon d'Or winner and ex-Real Madrid star Ronaldo, saying: "He kills himself with training, I don't… He has more money!"

The 34-year-old admitted he made a mistake joining Genoa and revealed he will retire in a few years. He added: "I could have done more, but I'm happy. I thank the fans who love me, but I made the wrong choice for the type of club. It's unlikely that I will play again in Italy or Europe."

Asked if he has an idea of where he will go, he replied: "Yes, America. I will play two or three years before I stop."

ENJOYED THIS STORY?

Add GOAL.com as a preferred source on Google to see more of our reporting

Getty Images SportWHAT NEXT FOR BALOTELLI?

Balotelli will become a free agent when his contract expires this summer, clearing him up to make a free move to an MLS club.