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Former player Mesut Ozil took a sly dig at his ex-club Real Madrid's rivals Atletico Madrid, as reports suggesting the introduction of blue cards in football started doing the rounds on social media.
A new blue card is set to be introduced in football to prevent players from showing dissent or committing cynical fouls. Once shown a blue card, the player will be removed from the field of play and sent to the sin-bin for 10 minutes.
Manager Diego Simeone famously plays a defensive, hard-nosed style of football with Atletico. Supposedly mocking the aggressive and contemptuous nature of Atleti's game, Ozil posted on X saying:
"So Atletico Madrid will only play with 6 players then?"
Ozil moved from Werder Bremen to Real Madrid in 2010 for €18 million. He spent three fruitful personal seasons at the Santiago Bernabeu, bagging 27 goals and 81 assists in 159 games. He established himself as one of the best playmakers in the world, but could never lift the Champions League, even with perennial winners like Real.
The German has been known to make jovial posts on social media, especially after his retirement at the end of the 2022-23 season. In December 2023, Tottenham broke an undesirable record by losing five straight Premier League games after going 1-0 up in each of them.
Ozil, who played for Spurs' bitter rivals Arsenal after his spell at Real Madrid, was quick to react:
"Who else should be able to break that record? Bottle job FC is back."
With all that being said, the blue card is a revolutionary idea that has the potential to either deliver fair punishment or end up creating longer and more tedious football matches.
Spain boss de la Fuente could potentially re-introduce Real Madrid's Diaz to the national setup
Another attacking midfielder who has been making an impact at Real Madrid is young star Brahim Diaz. So much so, that Spain boss Luis de la Fuente has hinted that he might bring the 24-year-old back into the national fold.
Diaz has mostly been used off the bench this season but has delivered significant performances whenever called upon. He has bagged seven goals and three assists in 26 games, with a goal or assist in every 153 minutes of play.
Talking to Diario AS, de la Fuente said:
”He is an important player, whom I know well. He is highly valued in his club and in the RFEF (Spanish football federation). The important thing is that he maintains this level or increases it.”
Diaz has made only one appearance for the Spanish national team, netting on debut against Lithuania in a 4-0 win back in 2021.
