Dublin (AFP) – Brendan Rodgers remains optimistic about Celtic's Champions League hopes even after seeing his side beaten 3-1 by Spanish giants Barcelona in a Dublin friendly. Luis Enrique's side scored three first-half goals through Arda Turan, Munir El Haddadi and an Efe Ambrose own-goal, to cancel out Leigh Griffiths's 29th-minute strike. Rodgers had one eye […]

Gothenburg (Sweden) (AFP) – New signing Zlatan Ibrahimovic scored an acrobatic scissor kick within four minutes of pulling on a Manchester United shirt for the first time in a 5-2 friendly rout of Galatasaray on Saturday. The superstar forward, who moved from Paris Saint Germain in the summer, was finally unleashed by new manager Jose […]

Dublin (AFP) – A blond-haired Lionel Messi failed to get on the scoresheet but it hardly mattered as under-strength Barcelona taught Celtic a footballing lesson in a Dublin friendly on Saturday. Strikes by Arda Turan and Munir El Haddadi, and an own goal by Efe Ambrose — all before the break — were enough to […]

London (AFP) – Geoff Hurst was reunited with the ball he hit a hat-trick with in the 1966 World Cup final on Saturday as English football marked the 50th anniversary of the country's greatest football success. It was on July 30, 1966 that Hurst scored three goals as hosts England beat West Germany 4-2 after […]

For the third consecutive year in a row, TV ratings for the MLS All-Star Game have declined. This year's game between the MLS All-Star team and Arsenal generated only 513,000 viewers on ESPN during a primetime broadcast that was televised live on Thursday, July 28. Compared to three years ago, the viewing figure for the […]

Madrid (AFP) – Atletico Madrid signed French forward Kevin Gameiro from fellow La Liga side Sevilla on Saturday, the Champions League runners-up announced. Atletico have brought in Gameiro on a four-year deal, and he will join up with compatriot Antoine Griezmann in attack. The 29-year-old joined Sevilla from Paris Saint-Germain in 2013 and was part […]

Hamburg (AFP) – Fifty years after THAT goal at Wembley, West Germany captain Uwe Seeler still insists England's Geoff Hurst's controversial shot never crossed the line in the 1966 World Cup final. Hurst's second goal in the 101st minute of extra time — which put England 3-2 ahead after the match had finished 2-2 over […]

Paris (AFP) – This Saturday marks 50 years since English football's finest hour, when Alf Ramsey's side beat West Germany 4-2 in an incident-packed 1966 World Cup final at Wembley. It was England's first and only World Cup triumph and, not surprisingly, is still recalled with passion and fondness. The late Bobby Moore lifted the […]

Los Angeles (AFP) – Poland international midfielder Grzegorz Krychowiak said on Friday he had moved to Paris Saint-Germain to power the French giant to an elusive first Champions League trophy. The Qatar-backed club dominates at home, having won four consecutive Ligue 1 titles, but has never progressed beyond the quarter-finals of Europe's elite competition. "PSG […]

New York (AFP) – Guatemala's former football chief pleaded guilty in New York on Friday to racketeering and wire fraud conspiracies in connection with the unprecedented FIFA corruption scandal rocking world soccer. Brayan Jimenez, 62, negotiated and accepted bribes worth hundreds of thousands of dollars in awarding media and marketing rights for his country's qualifier matches […]

Manchester (United Kingdom) (AFP) – Veteran Swedish star Zlatan Ibrahimovic said he is delighted his compatriots will get to see the moment 'everyone has been waiting for', namely his debut for new club Manchester United in his homeland on Saturday. Ibrahimovic will lead United's frontline in the pre-season friendly with Turkish side Galatasaray in Gothenburg, […]

While Swansea City was on their US tour this month, World Soccer Talk had a chance to speak with Swansea City legend Leon Britton to discuss his future at the club. Last season, the gifted midfielder began the season with a focus on helping train Swansea's u14 academy team. While the u14's showed lots of promise, Britton […]

Paris (AFP) – No deal has been reached between Juventus and Manchester United concerning the touted transfer of French international Paul Pogba, the player's agent Mino Raiola insisted Friday. "Journalist = parrots. No deal done between clubs," Raiola wrote on Twitter. "It's a game between Italy press and UK press who announce it first and […]

London (AFP) – Argentinian goalkeeper Paulo Gazzaniga will play second tier Spanish football this season after being sent on loan to Rayo Vallecano by his Premier League club Southampton on Friday. The 24-year-old — who has played just 21 times in the Premier League for Saints since the move he described as a 'dream' saw […]

Los Angeles (AFP) – With a first Premier League title under their belts and a place secured among Europe's footballing elite, Leicester City could be forgiven for expecting the silverware to just keep coming. But the Foxes' Italian boss Claudio Ranieri is keeping his players' feet firmly on the ground, insisting the goal for 2016-17 […]