Berlin (AFP) – Chelsea forward Kai Havertz said on Wednesday he has raised nearly 400,000 euros ($473,000) for the victims of western Germany's floods — and revealed he has helped save rescue ponies and donkeys from abattoirs. Havertz, 22, hails from Aachen, one of the regions badly affected by heavy rain in mid-July in which […]

Manchester (United Kingdom) (AFP) – Cristiano Ronaldo revealed his relationship with former Manchester United manager Alex Ferguson played the key role in convincing the Portuguese to return to Old Trafford. Ferguson retired as boss of the Red Devils in 2013, four years after Ronaldo departed for Real Madrid in a then world record £80 million […]

Barcelona (AFP) – Barcelona's 18-year-old striker Ansu Fati is to inherit the number 10 shirt worn for years by Argentina legend Lionel Messi, the club said on Wednesday. In a short clip published by the Catalans on social media, the teenager is thrown a blank shirt which he looks at quizzically before holding it up […]

Berlin (AFP) – Germany captain Manuel Neuer and forward Thomas Mueller are both injured and ruled out of Thursday's World Cup qualifier against minnows Liechtenstein. Arsenal goalkeeper Bernd Leno will deputise for Neuer, who sat out training all week with an ankle knock. Coach Hansi Flick is hopeful he will be fit for for their […]

London (AFP) – English Premier League clubs flexed their financial muscle over the rest of Europe by brushing off the after-effects of reduced revenue due to the coronavirus pandemic to spend over £1 billion ($1.4 billion) for the sixth consecutive summer transfer window. Cristiano Ronaldo's return to Manchester United headlined a stellar cast of stars, […]

Madrid (AFP) – La Liga president Javier Tebas on Wednesday hit out at Qatari-owned Paris Saint-Germain and what he called "club-states" after the French club signed Lionel Messi and a host of stars in the transfer window. "The club-states are as dangerous for the ecosystem of football as the Super League," Tebas said on Twitter. […]

Paris (AFP) – France forward Antoine Griezmann has made a shock return to Atletico Madrid just two years after leaving to join Barcelona, on the final day of a hectic European transfer window. Real Madrid also bagged a French international star as Eduardo Camavinga arrived from Rennes — but their attempts to sign Kylian Mbappe […]

Montevideo (AFP) – South American World Cup qualifying has been "tarnished" by the refusal of top English Premier League clubs to release star players over coronavirus quarantine rules, says Uruguay veteran Diego Godin. Already shorn of the injured Luis Suarez, the two-time world champions will have to make do without their other attacking icon, Edinson […]

London (AFP) – England manager Gareth Southgate believes the Three Lions are closer to ending their wait to win a first major tournament since 1966 than they have been for generations, with the Qatar World Cup little over a year away. Southgate's side return to action this week for the first time since losing the […]

Paris (AFP) – Paris Saint-Germain got Lionel Messi but that has somehow turned out not to be the most remarkable moment of the transfer window for them. There can hardly be a bigger statement from the Qatar-owned club than turning their noses up at an offer understood to be worth 180 million euros ($212m) from […]

Madrid (AFP) – France forward Antoine Griezmann has made a shock deadline-day return to Atletico Madrid, just two years after leaving to join Barcelona, the clubs announced on Wednesday. The 30-year-old, who scored 133 goals in his first spell with Atletico, has rejoined on a one-year loan deal with an option to extend by another […]

London (AFP) – Chelsea secured the signing of Atletico Madrid midfielder Saul Niguez on a season-long loan deal on Tuesday to further strengthen Thomas Tuchel's wealth of options. The Spanish international has been a key player of Diego Simeone's reign at Atletico, but fell down the pecking order last season as Los Rojiblancos won La […]

Paris (AFP) – Paris Saint-Germain announced the signing of teenage Portugal defender Nuno Mendes from Sporting Lisbon on Tuesday, on a season-long loan with an option to buy. The 19-year-old, who was part of Sporting's Portuguese title-winning side last season, has won five international caps and was an unused member of Fernando Santos' Euro 2020 […]

London (AFP) – Arsenal signed Japan defender Takehiro Tomiyasu from Bologna for a fee worth a reported £19.8 million ($27.2 million) on Tuesday. The Premier League club said Tomiyasu agreed a "long-term" contract, believed to be an initial four-year deal with the option of a further season's extension. The 22-year-old can play both centre-back and […]

London (AFP) – Crystal Palace completed the signing of French under-21 international Odsonne Edouard from Celtic for a reported initial fee of £15 million ($21 million)ahead of Tuesday's transfer deadline. The Eagles were eager to improve their attacking options after scoring just twice in new manager Patrick Vieira's first three Premier League games. Edouard had […]