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UEFA makes bonus payment today following Champions League results, with 95% going to Inter among Italian clubs.

UEFA has made the Champions League bonus payment today for the results achieved: a portion for those who reached the playoffs and those who made it to the round of 16. Among the Italian clubs, practically all of the total bonus has been taken by Inter, while the others only received crumbs.

UEFA, Champions League bonus payment, Inter to receive 11 million euros, others only receive crumbs

The UEFA today made the bonus payment related to the results achieved in the Champions League: this is the fourth payment made by the European football governing body, which rewards the results of those who qualified for the playoffs and those who reached the round of 16.

The payment concerned the 24 clubs that took part in the knockout phase, including Inter, Juventus, Milan, and Atalanta from Italy. As we know, only Inter progressed to the quarter-finals, while the others were eliminated in the playoffs. In total, the Italian clubs received 14 million euros, but only Inter received 11 million, with the other three teams receiving 1 million each.

Inter advanced directly to the round of 16 thanks to their position in the group stage, then they defeated Feyenoord in the round of 16, while the other teams were all knocked out. This bonus will benefit the finances of the Nerazzurri club, which is having a great season competing on all three fronts: league, Champions League, and Coppa Italia.

For the other Italian clubs, only crumbs, especially for Juventus and Milan, the big disappointments of this year, while Atalanta certainly did not enjoy the bonus they had last year when they won the Europa League. Another good result for the Nerazzurri club, which could end the year with a strong financial performance.

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Welcomed by a chorus of boos just 80 km from where he was born, De Kuip gave an unusual reception to Huijsen (a defender born in 2005 playing for Spain).

Dean Donny Huijsen Wijsmuller, a name that could suggest anything but being carried by a person from the southwest of Europe who also plays for the Spanish national team. Yet it is true, because Huijsen, born in 2005, also seen in Italy with the jerseys of Roma and Juventus (despite having only one appearance with the Bianconeri), obtained Spanish nationality on February 21, 2024, thus acquiring the bureaucratic approval to play for the Furia Roja.

Huijsen’s first appearance in the Spanish national team jersey was scheduled for last night in the quarter-finals of the Nations League against the Netherlands. An debut that, despite not ending in a defeat, remains bitter due to the boos that accompanied his entrance onto the field. Boos coming as expected from the sections of the opposing team, but for a reason that has nothing to do with something that happened on the field.

Why did the Dutch fans boo Huijsen?

An emblematic debut for the Bournemouth defender, taking the field against the country of his birth and the one he had represented up to the Under 19 level. From Under 21 onwards, in fact, he chose to represent Spain, making his debut exactly 29 days after obtaining Spanish nationality. His decision to take Spanish nationality was not well received by the Oranje fans, who decided to shower Donny’s son with boos every time he touched the ball (a player known in his country for wearing the jerseys of Ajax, AZ, and GA Eagles, despite never wearing the senior national team jersey).

However, there was a positive note in the debut in the Netherlands. “Before the game, my father sent me a message saying, ‘If you debut, we will both have debuted in the same stadium.’ “I think that’s really special.”

But why, then, this choice? Huijsen, after spending the first five years of his life in the Netherlands, moved to Spain with his family, specifically to Marbella, in Andalusia. This move allowed him to meet the requirements to apply for dual citizenship and, consequently, Spanish nationality.

Spain, Huijsen’s words in the post-match

Just like “the Frenchman born in London,” Michael Olise, Dean Huijsen, “the Spaniard born in Amsterdam,” will have the opportunity to thank the nation that granted him dual citizenship on the field. However, the situation for Olise is quite different, as he represents the French national team due to his mother’s origins.

Asked about the nature of the boos after the game, Huijsen responded: “This is football. It was predictable – “. I also received some messages. And it’s also positive that they boo you because it means they would also like you on their team. That’s how it is. I just tried to play my game. You’re so focused on the game that you don’t really think about it. I wasn’t even particularly impressed.”

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Tijjani Reijnders, midfielder from Netherlands, spoke after the first leg of the Nations League quarter-finals, which ended in a 2-2 draw against Spain.

Netherlands vs. Spain was the most exciting match in the first leg of the Nations League quarter-finals. The European champions took the lead after 9 minutes with Nico Williams, before conceding two goals to the home team with strikes from Gakpo just before the half-hour mark and Reijnders early in the second half. The Orange played with 10 men in the last 15 minutes due to a second yellow card for Hato, and the Spaniards capitalized by scoring the equalizer in the 93rd minute through substitute Merino.

Netherlands vs. Spain 2-2: Reijnders’ post-match comments

Tijjani Reijnders continues to be one of the most in-form midfielders at the moment. With 9 goals already in Serie A, 3 in the Champions League, and one in the Italian Cup for AC Milan, he added to his tally last night at De Kuip in Rotterdam, scoring the temporary lead. All this while playing in midfield in a 4-2-3-1 formation alongside Frenkie de Jong, with other talented players like Justin Kluivert, Xavi Simons, and more in the attacking midfield.

After the match, the Rossoneri midfielder spoke to ESPN, saying: “We were close to victory. We showed some really good things, but there were others we didn’t do as well. However, we had great chances to score more goals, which gives us confidence. We are more in tune with each other, even though it has been a long time since we were last together. The tactics are better, you can see it in our positional play.”

UNAI SIMON SPAIN ( PHOTO BY SALVATORE FORNELLI )

“We always found the free man, this is the Dutch team you want to see. If we play like we did today, we have excellent chances in the return leg. The players who came on played a really strong game. This speaks volumes about our National Team. We had to put Frimpong and Gakpo in the wider spaces, which contributed greatly,” concluded the former AZ player. The next match is on Sunday night at Mestalla in Valencia.