Shanghai (AFP) – Tottenham Hotspur manager Mauricio Pochettino heaped praise Wednesday on Son Heung-min and said he regarded the South Korean superstar as Asia's answer to David Beckham. The 27-year-old forward was undoubtedly the focus of attention for fans in Shanghai, where Spurs play Premier League rivals Manchester United in a friendly on Thursday. Pochettino's […]

Washington (AFP) – Gareth Bale shrugged off uncertainty over his Real Madrid future Tuesday, his second-half goal helping the La Liga giants rally for a friendly win over Arsenal. Madrid clawed back from two goals down to finish full time at 2-2, and prevailed 3-2 in the penalty shootout dictated by the International Champions Cup […]

Paris (AFP) – PSV Eindhoven forward Donyell Malen struck in injury time to earn the former European Cup winners a last gasp 3-2 win over Basel in Tuesday's Champions League second qualifying round first leg. Basel were on their way to an important away win after goals from Albian Ajeti and Alderete Fernandez. PSV's new […]

Rio de Janeiro (AFP) – Brazil Copa America winner Filipe Luis has joined Flamengo as a free agent after four seasons with Atletico Madrid, the Rio de Janeiro club announced Tuesday. The veteran 33-year-old left-back has signed a two-year deal until 2021. His Copa America campaign ended prematurely with injury in the quarter-final against Paraguay. […]

Berlin (AFP) – Newcastle United have signed Brazilian forward Joelinton from Hoffenheim, the Premier League club said Tuesday in what is the biggest transfer fee in their history. The 22-year-old will wear Newcastle's number nine shirt — made famous by Alan Shearer among others — after agreeing to a six-year deal reported to be worth […]

Paris (AFP) – Neymar will travel on an upcoming tour of China with Paris-Saint Germain, the club said Tuesday, as the troubled Brazilian superstar's future remains up in the air amid mounting signs he is unhappy at the French champions. The 27-year-old, who has been repeatedly linked to a move to Barcelona, failed to show […]

Rio de Janeiro (AFP) – Brazilian footballer Filipe Luis, free of any contract after four straight seasons with Atletico Madrid, has agreed to play for Brazil's Flamengo until 2021, the Rio de Janeiro club said Tuesday. A member of the Brazilian team that won this year's Copa America, Luis was forced out of the South […]

Saitama (Japan) (AFP) – Goals from Tammy Abraham and Ross Barkley saw Chelsea grab a 2-1 victory against Barcelona on Tuesday in an exhibition match in Japan. Chelsea striker Abraham opened the scoring in the 34th minute by pouncing on a mistake by Barcelona midfielder Sergio Busquets who attempted to clear the ball. But with Chelsea […]

London (AFP) – Gareth Bale will not be leaving Real Madrid on loan during the transfer window despite falling out of favour under Zinedine Zidane, his agent said on Tuesday. The Real boss said at the weekend the La Liga giants were poised to offload the 30-year-old Wales star. But his representative, Jonathan Barnett, told Sky […]

Madrid (AFP) – French World Cup winning midfielder Nabil Fekir has completed a surprising move from Lyon to Real Betis, the La Liga club announced on Tuesday. "Real Betis and Olympique Lyonnais have reached an agreement for the transfer of midfielder Nabil Fekir," the club stated on its website. "The French international has signed a […]

Hong Kong (AFP) – Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola blasted a report in Chinese state media as "false" on Tuesday after the Premier League champions were accused of showing "utter disrespect" during their tour of China. Guardiola hit out at the lengthy commentary posted on the English-language website of Xinhua, the state news agency, which […]

Washington (AFP) – Real Madrid boss Zinedine Zidane has denied disrespecting Wales star Gareth Bale as he discussed the expected transfer of the 30-year-old forward from the La Liga giants on Monday. Speaking to reporters on the eve of Real Madrid's friendly with Arsenal at FedEx Field — home of the NFL's Washington Redskins — […]

Los Angeles (AFP) – Juventus star Cristiano Ronaldo will not face any charges over an alleged rape in Las Vegas a decade ago after US prosecutors said Monday they did not have enough evidence to proceed. A district attorney in the state of Nevada said it would not prosecute the Portuguese soccer player because it […]

Los Angeles (AFP) – Juventus star Cristiano Ronaldo will not face any charges over an alleged rape in the US state of Nevada a decade ago, prosecutors said on Monday. The Clark County District Attorney's Office said it had declined to prosecute the Portuguese star because it "cannot be proven beyond a reasonable doubt" that […]

Paris (AFP) – Last season's Champions League semi-finalists Ajax were on Monday drawn to face Greek champions PAOK Thessaloniki in the third qualifying round for this year's group stages. The Dutch side do not get automatic entry into the group stages despite winning the Eredivisie for the 34th time and coming within seconds of reaching […]