Berlin (AFP) – There are not many players who can make one of the world's best defenders look average, but two weeks ago, Bayern Munich and Germany prodigy Serge Gnabry did just that. A dip of the shoulder and a quick shift of weight was all it took for Gnabry to dance past the Netherlands' […]

London (AFP) – Wolves broke their club transfer record on Thursday to ensure top scorer Raul Jimenez remains at Molineux on a permanent deal worth a reported £30 million ($39 million) from Benfica. The Mexican has scored 15 goals in his debut season in England as the Midlands club have enjoyed a fine first campaign […]

London (AFP) – Tottenham posted a world-record net profit of £113 million in 2017/18 but costs for the club's new stadium rose above £1 billion ($1.3 billion), annual accounts showed on Thursday. Spurs opened their state-of-the-art 62,000-capacity home on Wednesday with the hope that increased matchday revenue and an agreement to host NFL games will […]

Milan (AFP) – Forward Mario Mandzukic has extended his contract with Juventus until 2021, the Italian champions confirmed on Wednesday. "Mario Mandzukic's Bianconero career will continue until 2021. The official notice of his contract renewal was confirmed today and it is news that the Bianconeri fans will warmly welcome," Juve said in a statement. The […]

Liverpool (AFP) – Virgil van Dijk returns to his former club Southampton on Friday with a growing reputation as one of the most influential figures in the Premier League title race between his Liverpool side and Manchester City. For all their attacking threat, Jurgen Klopp's men owe a huge debt to their Dutch defender, signed […]

Mexico City (AFP) – The Mexican Football Federation said Wednesday it has opened an investigation into whether Diego Maradona violated its ethics code when he praised Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro after a recent match. Maradona, the coach of Mexican second-division side Dorados, triggered the controversy — the latest in a long line for the Argentine […]

Paris (AFP) – Football legend Pele was taken to a Paris hospital as a precaution on Wednesday after suffering from a "urinary infection" but is "doing well", according to members of his entourage. The 78-year-old Brazilian three-time World Cup winner was receiving antibiotics prior to the long flight back to his home country, his spokesman and […]

Glasgow (AFP) – Celtic took another step closer to an eighth straight Scottish Premiership title on Wednesday, but a 2-0 victory over St Mirren was overshadowed by the throwing of a firecracker by the travelling support which left the hosts' goalkeeper needing treatment for a suspected burst eardrum. Timothy Weah headed in the opener after […]

Madrid (AFP) – Zinedine Zidane dropped Gareth Bale and endured his first defeat since returning to Real Madrid as his side were deservedly beaten 2-1 by a resurgent Valencia on Wednesday. The last time Zidane left Bale on the bench, the Welshman proved a spectacular substitute against Liverpool in the Champions League final 10 months […]

Milan (AFP) – Under-fire Juventus centre-back Leonardo Bonucci said Wednesday he had been "too hasty" when blaming young teammate Moise Kean for being partly responsible for racist insults hurled at him in a Serie A game at Cagliari. "After 24 hours I want to clarify my feelings," said Bonucci, 31, on Instagram. "Yesterday (Tuesday), I […]

Manchester (United Kingdom) (AFP) – Pep Guardiola counted the cost of a comfortable 2-0 victory over Cardiff that took his team to the top of the Premier League on Wednesday as he faced the prospect of an FA Cup semi-final without a fit left-back. City, still in the hunt to win all four of the […]

London (AFP) – Maurizio Sarri hailed Callum Hudson-Odoi and Ruben Loftus-Cheek as the future of Chelsea after the young guns inspired a crucial 3-0 win over Brighton on Wednesday. Sarri couldn't afford a negative result against struggling Brighton at Stamford Bridge after being subjected to fresh calls for his sacking during Sunday's unconvincing win at […]

Madrid (AFP) – Zinedine Zidane dropped Gareth Bale and endured his first defeat since returning to Real Madrid as his side were deservedly beaten 2-1 by Valencia on Wednesday. The last time Zidane left Bale on the bench, the Welshman proved a spectacular substitute against Liverpool in the Champions League final 10 months ago but […]

Milan (AFP) – Napoli fell to a 2-1 defeat by relegation-threatened Empoli on Wednesday, opening the way for Juventus to claim an eighth consecutive Scudetto from as early as this weekend, while Mauro Icardi returned to help Inter Milan get back to winning ways. Juventus beat Cagliari 2-0 on Tuesday in a game overshadowed by […]

Paris (AFP) – Football legend Pele was taken to a Paris hospital as a precaution on Wednesday after suffering from an "infection" but is "doing well", according to members of his entourage. The 78-year-old Brazilian three-time World Cup winner was being treated for "a light fever" prior to the long flight back to his home country, […]