Lisbon (AFP) – Cristiano Ronaldo says the key to his staggering success is believing nobody is better than he is — and he advised his Portuguese teammates to adopt the same attitude. The Real Madrid star made the comments as he accepted the Portuguese player of the year award in Lisbon. "We should always believe […]

London (AFP) – Rafael Benitez says things have to change at English giants Newcastle United if they are to reward their devoted fans with trophies after decades without silverware. The 57-year-old Champions League-winning coach has stuck with the Magpies even though his demands for new blood has constantly been ignored by controversial owner Mike Ashley. […]

London (AFP) – Ronald Koeman says he is over the disappointment of being sacked by Everton and anticipating a "great game" against England on Friday in what will be his first match as Netherlands coach. The 54-year-old European Cup and Euro 1988 winner — who lost his job in October after his £140 million (159 […]

Los Angeles (AFP) – Leaders of North America's joint bid for the 2026 World Cup said Monday they have seen no evidence of anti-American sentiment as they enter the home stretch of the campaign. The joint US-Canada-Mexico bid has long been viewed as the favourite to stage the most prestigious tournament in football, which will […]

Paris (AFP) – France coach Didier Deschamps on Monday said that Manchester United midfielder Paul Pogba "can't be happy" with his current situation at Old Trafford. Pogba was an unused substitute in United's FA Cup win over Brighton on Saturday, after being left out of the starting line-up when Jose Mourinho's side were dumped out […]

Paris (AFP) – Lyon could be banned from all European competition after UEFA on Monday charged the French club over incidents at last week's Europa League match against CSKA Moscow. UEFA said the charges centre on racist behaviour and crowd disturbances. The club already have a suspended two-year ban hanging over them from incidents at […]

Rome (AFP) – Serie A club Fiorentina announced that their training ground will be renamed in tribute to former captain Davide Astori, who died aged 31 earlier this month. The Italian international died suddenly in his hotel room before a match at Udinese on March 4. The team's training ground will be renamed the 'Centro […]

Paris (AFP) – France coach Didier Deschamps said Monday he will speak to Paul Pogba about why is currently out of favour at Manchester United and said he "can't be happy about what he's going through". The 25-year-old former Juventus star arrived at United in 2016 for a fee of £89 million (105 million euros […]

Rome (AFP) – Italy's Giorgio Chiellini has a hamstring injury that will rule the defender out of friendly internationals against Argentina and England that should have provided his swansong, the Italian federation said on Monday. Juventus will also be worried over getting the 33-year-old fit for their Champions League quarter-final against Real Madrid with the […]

Paris (AFP) – UEFA on Monday charged French club Lyon with racist behaviour and crowd disturbances at last week's Europa League match against CSKA Moscow. Up to 150 hooded Lyon fans clashed with riot police ahead of the game in the French city leaving eight officers injured. The club already has a European ban, suspended […]

Paris (AFP) – An extraordinary season for Liverpool star Mohamed Salah reached a new high at the weekend when he scored four goals against Watford to once again be the star African performer in Europe. The 25-year-old striker raised his season goal tally to 36 in all competitions after becoming the first Egyptian to score […]

Manchester (United Kingdom) (AFP) – Manchester United triggered a one-year contract extension clause on Monday to retain the services of utility man Ashley Young until 2019. The 32-year-old's deal was due to expire this summer, but United have confirmed they have taken up the option of an extra 12 months. Young, who joined United back […]

Berlin (AFP) – Former Germany football captain Bastian Schweinsteiger and one-time world tennis number one Ana Ivanovic were celebrating the birth of their first child at the weekend. "Welcome to the world our little boy! We are so happy," the footballer wrote on his Instagram account beneath a snap of the baby's feet, which look […]

Bordeaux (AFP) – The owners of French club Bordeaux are reported to be in advanced talks to sell the Ligue 1 outfit to a US investment fund, according to regional daily Sud Ouest. The club's main shareholder is the French M6 media group, who own the M6 and W9 television channels, and the investment group […]

Shanghai (AFP) – Brazil international Hulk offered warm praise after his Shanghai SIPG team-mate Wu Lei topped the Chinese Super League scoring charts by smashing four goals in one game — including a 12-minute hat-trick. The China attacker moved on to seven goals in just three matches when he single-handedly erased Guangzhou R&F's 2-0 lead […]