Bayern Munich suffered some rare bad news on Tuesday when defender David Alaba announced that he will be leaving the German club at the end of the season.
The 28-year-old has spent more than a decade with the Bundesliga champions and played a key role in helping them dominate club football over the last couple of years.
Last week, he won the Club World Cup for a second time, helping Bayern complete a clean sweep of all domestic and European titles they competed for in 2020 and are the first team to match Barcelona's sextuple from 2009.
After discussions with the club over a new deal, the Austria international has decided against extending his current terms and will become a free agent in the summer.
Alaba, who has scored 33 goals in 415 games for Bayern, said in a press conference: "I have made the decision to leave Bayern at the end of this season and try something new.
"It obviously wasn't an easy decision – I've been here for 13 years and the club means a lot to me. I haven't decided where I'm going next.
"I wanted a challenge, to develop as a player on and off the pitch. I wanted to get out of my comfort zone. What will also influence my decision is where can I continue playing successful football."
Alaba also said that his agent was already in talks with several clubs without providing any further details.
The announcement came two days after Bayern signed French defender Dayot Upamecano from RB Leipzig on a five-year contract.
Alaba, linked with a move to Real Madrid and several Premier League clubs, started his career with Austria Wien before he made the move to Germany in 2008.
During a glittering spell at the Allianz Arena, he has won 24 trophies – including two Champions League titles, nine Bundesliga and six German Cups – and Bayern remain on course to secure another German title this season while they have progressed into the Champions League knockout stage.
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Florida: The critical Sunshine State
Though mostly conservative, Florida is usually always “close” in presidential elections. In most elections, the candidate that wins the Sunshine State almost always wins the election, as evidenced in 2016 when Trump took Florida, a state which has not had a democratic governor since 1991.
Joe Biden’s campaign has spent $100 million there to turn things around, understandable given the state’s crucial 29 electoral votes.
In 2016, Mr Trump’s democratic rival Hillary Clinton paid frequent visits to Florida though analysts concluded that she failed to appeal towards middle-class voters, whom Barack Obama won over in the previous election.
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Venue Insportz, Dubai; Admission Free
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The UN-brokered ceasefire deal for Hodeidah will be implemented in two stages, with the first to be completed before the New Year begins, according to the Arab Coalition supporting the Yemeni government.
By midnight on December 31, the Houthi rebels will have to withdraw from the ports of Hodeidah, Ras Issa and Al Saqef, coalition officials told The National.
The second stage will be the complete withdrawal of all pro-government forces and rebels from Hodeidah city, to be completed by midnight on January 7.
The process is to be overseen by a Redeployment Co-ordination Committee (RCC) comprising UN monitors and representatives of the government and the rebels.
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Brief scores:
Everton 0
Leicester City 1
Vardy 58'
