Players who can take control of a game and wrestle it the way of their team at the highest level are rare in the modern game. But at their absolute pomp, it’s exactly what Lionel Messi did for Barcelona and Cristiano Ronaldo did for Real Madrid. The former has been at the hub of all […]

Manchester (United Kingdom) (AFP) – Jose Mourinho has hinted that Bastian Schweinsteiger could stay at Manchester United beyond January because his contract makes him "the powerful one". The former Germany captain, 32, was frozen out by Mourinho and forced to train away from the first team earlier this season. But he was welcomed back into […]

Paris (AFP) – Cristiano Ronaldo, Lionel Messi and Antoine Griezmann will battle it out for the world player of the year title, FIFA said Friday. Real Madrid star Ronaldo is favourite for the crown after winning the Champions League and also Euro 2016 with Portugal, even though he exited the final win over France with […]

Barcelona (AFP) – Barcelona boss Luis Enrique accepted his side are by far the more in need of the three points when Real Madrid visit the Camp Nou on Saturday (1515GMT) in El Clasico. Madrid hold a six-point lead over Barca, who are off to their worst La Liga start in nine seasons, at the […]

Manchester (United Kingdom) (AFP) – Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola described his Chelsea counterpart Antonio Conte as "maybe the best coach in the world" on Friday ahead of their Premier League showdown on Saturday. Chelsea have stormed to the top of the league after seven straight wins, during which they have conceded only one goal, […]

Madrid (AFP) – Real Madrid boss Zinedine Zidane insists his side travel to Barcelona on Saturday full of confidence after opening up a six-point lead over the Catalans at the top of La Liga. Madrid have not tasted defeat all season during a 32-game unbeaten run stretching back to April. Just prior to the start […]

Paris (AFP) – Real Madrid star Cristiano Ronaldo and Manchester United coach Jose Mourinho hit back at claims over their tax arrangements on Friday with their agent declaring they had fully complied with British and Spanish fiscal requirements. They have respected "fully their obligations regarding Spanish and British authorities," read a statement for Gestifute, run by […]

London (AFP) – Tottenham Hotspur's Jan Vertonghen has signed a new contract that is set to keep him at the north London side until 2019, it was announced Friday. The Belgium central defender moved to White Hart Lane in July 2012 from Dutch side Ajax and has since become a mainstay of manager Mauricio Pochettino's […]

London (AFP) – Tottenham Hotspur's Jan Vertonghen has signed a new contract that is set to keep him at the north London side until 2019, it was announced Friday. The Belgium central defender moved to White Hart Lane in July 2012 from Dutch side Ajax and has since become a mainstay of manager Mauricio Pochettino's […]

The fact that el Clasico between Barcelona against Real Madrid will not be televised live on British TV this Saturday is an outrage. Everywhere else in the world — both in the first world and third world — countries will show the game live on television except the United Kingdom. In fact, Barcelona against Real Madrid will […]

London (AFP) – Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger has defended the club's handling of Santi Cazorla after it emerged that the midfielder could miss a further three months because of impending ankle surgery. The 31-year-old's Achilles problem had already sidelined the Spain international for nine games. Wenger said last week he hope Cazorla would be […]

London (AFP) – A former Chelsea player has claimed he was paid £50,000 ($63,000) by the Premier League club not to go public about allegations that he was sexually abused by its former chief scout. Gary Johnson, 57, told The Mirror on Friday that he had been abused as a youth player by Eddie Heath, […]

Sunderland (United Kingdom) (AFP) – With their Premier League title defence in disarray, Leicester manager Claudio Ranieri has been forced to defend the spluttering champions ahead of Saturday's trip to Sunderland. Ranieri backed his title-winning stars after criticism of their league form, which has fallen well below last season's remarkable standards. The Italian, whose team […]

London (AFP) – Chelsea's scintillating late-year burst of form faces its biggest test yet on Saturday when Antonio Conte takes the Premier League leaders to Pep Guardiola's Manchester City. Having secured a gritty 2-1 win over Tottenham Hotspur at Stamford Bridge last weekend, Chelsea have won their last seven league games — their best run […]

London (AFP) – Arsene Wenger is confident Arsenal will get back on track after their surprise League Cup exit when they face London rivals West Ham on Saturday. Wenger's side were beaten 2-0 at home by Southampton in the quarter-finals on Tuesday, while West Ham also crashed out of the competition with a 4-1 thrashing […]