East Rutherford (United States) (AFP) – Neymar gave Barcelona fans a dazzling reminder of what they could be about to lose on Saturday, scoring twice as the Spanish giants defeated Juventus 2-1 in a pre-season friendly. The 25-year-old Brazilian superstar is at the centre of frenzied speculation linking him to a gargantuan, world record 222-million-euro […]

Doetinchem (Netherlands) (AFP) – Amandine Henry's second-half header rescued a 1-1 draw for title contenders France against women's European Championship newcomers Austria in the Netherlands on Saturday. Captain Lara Dickenmann and Ramona Bachmann scored as Switzerland recovered from a goal down to beat Iceland 2-1 in the earlier game. France and Austria top Group C […]

Los Angeles (AFP) – Cristiano Ronaldo will be remain a Real Madrid player for "the next 2-3 years", coach Zinedine Zidane said Saturday, ending talk the Bernabeu superstar might depart for Manchester United. On the eve of Real's pre-season friendly against United at Santa Clara, California, Zidane spoke in Los Angeles about the 32-year-old Portuguese […]

Los Angeles (AFP) – Real Madrid coach Zinedine Zidane said Saturday that Brazilian right-back Danilo is no longer with the Champions League trophy-holders, with Manchester City apparently set to benefit from his Bernabeu departure. On the eve of Real's pre-season friendly against English Premier League side Manchester United at Santa Clara, California, Zidane spoke in […]

Doetinchem (Netherlands) (AFP) – Captain Lara Dickenmann and Ramona Bachmann scored as Switzerland recovered from a goal down to beat Iceland 2-1 at the women's Euro in the Netherlands on Saturday. Iceland took the lead on 33 minutes as Fanndis Fridriksdottir beat Gaelle Thalmann in the Swiss goal with a low left-footed strike. Ten minutes […]

London (AFP) – Stoke City forward Marko Arnautovic is to join Premier League rivals West Ham United in a move potentially worth £25 million ($32 million, 28 million euros), both clubs announced Saturday. "West Ham United are delighted to announce the club-record signing of Austria attacker Marko Arnautovic," the Hammers said on their website. "It feels special […]

Heelsum (Netherlands) (AFP) – Having fled her native Afghanistan with her family as a child, Nadia Nadim has found a new home in Denmark, whose shirt she is wearing at the women's Euro tournament in the Netherlands. The 29-year-old striker with the Portland Thorns in the US National Women's Soccer League left her home with […]

Sao Paulo (AFP) – The son of Brazilian football legend Pele will return to prison after his appeal against a 13-year sentence for laundering drug-trafficking money was rejected, local authorities said on Saturday. Edson "Edinho" Cholbi do Nascimento, 46, turned himself into a police station in Sao Paulo on Friday afternoon, a spokesperson for the […]

Hong Kong (AFP) – A moment of Philippe Coutinho magic lifted Liverpool to a 2-1 victory over Leicester City in the final of the preseason Premier League Asia Trophy on Saturday. With Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp rejecting a big-money offer from Spanish giants Barcelona for Coutinho earlier this week, the mercurial Brazilian underlined his important […]

Beijing (AFP) – Chelsea crushed Arsenal 3-0 in a preseason game in Beijing on Saturday but the friendly turned ugly as Pedro left the field with a bloodied face after a big collision with David Ospina. The injury scare was followed by a two-goal performance by Chelsea's Belgian forward Michy Batshuayi before a crowd of […]

Orlando (AFP) – Christian Eriksen is adamant Tottenham Hotspur's lack of action in the transfer market this summer will not hamper manager Mauricio Pochettino's push for the Premier League title. While Manchester United, Manchester City and Chelsea have all spent vast amounts in the last few weeks, Tottenham have brought in no fresh faces to […]

London (AFP) – Five things on Alvaro Morata, after the Spanish international striker signed for English champions Chelsea from Champions League holders Real Madrid on Friday for a deal reported to be worth up to 80 million euros ($92.2m): Decent proposal Morata possesses a flamboyant side as he revealed when he proposed to his sweetheart […]

Paris (AFP) – Neymar's decision to post a photo of himself in thoughtful contemplation sparked a fresh wave of speculation that he is on the verge of sealing a world record 222-million-euro ($256.8 million) move from Barcelona to Paris Saint-Germain. The Instagram picture, even accompanied by a matching emoji, shows the 25-year-old Brazilian superstar stretched […]

New York (AFP) – Barcelona manager Ernesto Valverde swatted down talk of star striker Neymar departing for a world-record transfer to Paris Saint-Germain, dismissing "rumors" Friday and saying the squad wants him to stay. Amid reports Neymar's future at the Camp Nou is in doubt, Valverde says the Brazil international is beloved and wanted at […]

Deventer (Netherlands) (AFP) – Babett Peter's second-half penalty edged defending champions Germany to a 2-1 victory over 10-woman Italy at the women's Euro tournament in the Netherlands on Friday. In the other Group B game, captain Lotta Schelin and Stina Blackstenius powered Sweden to a 2-0 win over Russia. In an eventful game in Tilburg, […]