Guus Hiddink has set his sights on giving Chelsea the perfect farewell as the Blues interim manager sets out on the road to Wembley in the FA Cup. Hiddink confirmed this week that he will step down from his second spell as Chelsea caretaker once the current campaign comes to an end, but he is […]

Wayne Rooney's stoppage-time penalty spared Manchester United's blushes as they narrowly avoided FA Cup third round embarrassment with a 1-0 win over Sheffield United on Saturday. United, 11-times winners of the FA Cup, had only once before lost to lower league opposition in 37 ties in the competition. That record was severely tested by the […]

Lionel Messi warmed up for his anticipated fifth World Player of the Year crown by scoring his first hat-trick of the season to move Barcelona back to the top of La Liga by cruising past Granada 4-0 on Saturday. Messi effectively ended the contest within the first 15 minutes with two easy finishes before completing […]

Gareth Bale struck a hat-trick as Zinedine Zidane enjoyed a winning start to his career as Real Madrid boss with a 5-0 rout of Deportivo la Coruna on Saturday. Bale took his tally to 10 goals in his last seven games with two excellent headers either side of a composed left-footed finish after Karim Benzema […]

Remi Garde praised Aston Villa captain Micah Richards for confronting angry fans after the struggling Premier League club were held to a 1-1 draw by fourth tier Wycombe in the FA Cup third round on Saturday. With Villa languishing at the bottom of the table, their embarrassing failure to beat Wycombe only added to the […]

At the start of this season Manchester United had vast, romantic notions of returning to their “rightful” place as Premier League royalty. But the season has unfolded more along the lines of a Shakespearean tragedy than one of romance with Louis van Gaal as the noble, but flawed, protagonist. But it hasn’t turned out that […]

Arsene Wenger insists the allure of the FA Cup remains strong despite fresh claims that the famous old competition has lost its appeal. Sunderland manager Sam Allardyce has been infuriated by the Premier League's decision to put a round of fixtures in midweek following the third round and suggested the move was a further sign […]

Newly-appointed Real Madrid coach Zinedine Zidane warned Friday that star forward Cristiano Ronaldo would not be leaving the club under his tenure. "Cristiano is more than untransferable, he's the soul of this Madrid. As long as I'm here he won't leave, that's for sure," the Frenchman told a press conference ahead of his first game […]

Liverpool were forced to come from behind twice to draw 2-2 at fourth tier Exeter City in the FA Cup third round after an horrendous error by goalkeeper Adam Bogdan almost gifted the minnows a shock victory on Friday. Tom Nichols opened the scoring for Exeter, seeking a place in the fourth round for the […]

It has long been said, in every major sport around the world, that it’s easier to replace a manager than to replace the whole team. But is it? In a year where we’ve seen some high profile managers sacked, shockingly so at times, we need to ask ourselves what defines a world-class manager, and what […]

FIFA expressed their regret Friday over Pep Guardiola's absence from Monday's Ballon d'Or awards where he is in the running for coach of the year. The Spaniard is skipping the ceremony in Zurich to oversee Bayern Munich's training camp in Qatar. "It is certainly a great shame that one of the finalists for manager of […]

Iconic Roma captain Francesco Totti is poised to return after a near four month lay off against AC Milan on Saturday. The 39-year-old figured in coach Rudi Garcia's match squad released Friday for the first time since suffering a thigh injury on Sept. 26. "Totti will be called. He's still not 100 percent but he […]

Star Borussia Dortmund striker Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang rejected English Premier League overtures as he celebrated winning the African player of the year award. The Gabonese, who is the leading Bundesliga scorer this season, was reduced to tears after stopping Yaya Toure winning a fifth straight title on Thursday. "I am staying at Dortmund," the 26-year-old Aubameyang, […]

Spanish prosecutors have requested that legal action be taken against Brazilian superstar Neymar over alleged fraud surrounding his transfer to Barcelona. "The prosecutor... considers it appropriate for him to appear as accused," the public prosecutors at the National Court, which specializes in financial affairs and terrorism, said in a ruling released Friday. Legal action was […]

Barcelona striker Luis Suarez was on Friday banned for two Copa del Rey matches after being cited in the referee's report for calling Espanyol players "a waste of space" at the end of a heated Catalan derby. Barcelona said they would appeal the ban, arguing that it was not Suarez who uttered those words. Barca […]