London (AFP) – Southampton completed the signing of striker Adam Armstrong from Blackburn on a four-year deal for a reported £15 million on Tuesday. Armstrong's arrival helps fill the void left by the departure of last season's top goalscorer Danny Ings to Aston Villa earlier this month. "It's unbelievable to be here – such a […]

Belfast (AFP) – Chelsea defender Antonio Rudiger described Romelu Lukaku as a "beast" to handle for defenders with the Belgian closing in on a return to Stamford Bridge for a reported club record fee of £97 million ($135 million). Lukaku is expected to complete his move from Inter Milan ahead of the start of the […]

Paris (AFP) – Lionel Messi landed in Paris on Tuesday with the 34-year-old Argentinian superstar set to sign a deal with Paris Saint-Germain following his departure from boyhood club Barcelona. Messi arrived at Le Bourget airport to the north of the French capital around 3:30 pm (1330 GMT) and was greeted by hundreds of PSG […]

Kobe (Japan) (AFP) – They played together for Barcelona for 14 years, winning everything the club game has to offer on multiple occasions. Both have now left the Catalan club — but former midfield general Andres Iniesta, who joined Japan's Vissel Kobe three years ago, says it will be hard to see Leo Messi play […]

Geneva (AFP) – Former FIFA president Sepp Blatter will meet with a Swiss prosecutor for a third straight day, following a second meeting Tuesday in a probe surrounding a suspect payment to Michel Platini. Former world football chief Blatter is being investigated over a two million Swiss franc ($2.2 million, 1.85 million euro) FIFA payment […]

Paris (AFP) – The prospect of seeing Lionel Messi team up again with Neymar will have many football fans around the world salivating. Not all of fans will rejoice. Many will struggle to come to terms with Messi leaving Barcelona. Others would have preferred to see him go to a club where he really could […]

Paris (AFP) – There was once the romantic notion that whenever Lionel Messi finally left Barcelona he would return to Argentina and play for Newell's Old Boys, the club he supported as a boy. Paris Saint-Germain, a club transformed by the unfathomable state wealth of Qatar, is a rather less romantic destination for the player […]

Paris (AFP) – Lionel Messi arrived at Barcelona airport on Tuesday, set to board a flight to the French capital as Paris Saint-Germain look to complete the signing of the Argentinian superstar. The 34-year-old was accompanied by his wife and three children as he entered El Prat airport just before 1:30 pm (1130 GMT). His […]

London (AFP) – John Stones has signed a four-year contract extension that will keep him tied to Manchester City till 2026, the Premier League champions announced on Tuesday. The new deal rewards Stones, who joined the club from Everton in a £47.5million ($66 million) deal in 2016, for a past year in which he has […]

Doha (AFP) – The focus of the sporting world shifts to the 2022 World Cup in Qatar following the Tokyo Olympics, with lingering questions over Covid safety and human rights. Unlike the Games, which played out to a backdrop of surging case numbers in Tokyo and without spectators to limit viral transmission, organisers of the […]

Liverpool (AFP) – Liverpool will be without Andy Robertson for the opening weeks of the Premier League season, but manager Jurgen Klopp believes the Scotland captain "got lucky" after initial fears his ankle injury could have been much worse. Robertson had to be helped off the pitch in Sunday's friendly against Athletic Bilbao after his […]

Paris (AFP) – Paris Saint-Germain supporters have been gathering in anticipation of the arrival of Argentina superstar Lionel Messi after his emotional Barcelona departure at the weekend. Members of the PSG faithful assembled outside the club's Parc des Princes home and at an airport to the north of the French capital on Monday as the Qatari-owned […]

Paris (AFP) – As Argentine superstar Lionel Messi leaves Barcelona and looks set to sign for Paris Saint-Germain, he takes with him a legacy which has inspired a legion of lesser-known players who have been compared, often against their will, to the 34-year-old. AFP Sport looks at a Messi for every occasion: The Arabian Messi: […]

Belfast (AFP) – Chelsea will aim to start the new season as they ended the last with more silverware when the European champions face Europa League winners Villarreal in the UEFA Super Cup in Belfast on Wednesday. Thomas Tuchel's stunning impact since taking charge of the Blues in January has raised expectations for Chelsea to […]

The 2021-22 Premier League season kicks off this weekend across the networks of NBCUniversal and Peacock, beginning this Friday, August 13 with newly promoted Brentford hosting Arsenal at 3 p.m. ET on NBCSN and Universo. Coverage begins at 1 p.m. ET on NBCSN with a special two-hour, season-opening edition of Premier League Live. NBC Sports’ […]