London (AFP) – Mikel Arteta hailed Martin Odegaard's leadership qualities on Tuesday after the Norway midfielder was instrumental in leading Arsenal's recovery from a poor start to their Premier League campaign. Odegaard's pin-point free-kick handed the Gunners a 1-0 victory at Burnley last weekend as Arsenal responded to losing their first three games in the […]

Munich (Germany) (AFP) – Bayern Munich striker Robert Lewandowski offered warm praise and thanks to his wife Anna when he received the "Golden Shoe" on Tuesday as top scorer in European football last season. The 33-year-old forward netted 41 goals in 29 games for Bayern in the 2020-21 season, breaking the great Gerd Mueller's record […]

Milan (AFP) – Massimiliano Allegri said on Tuesday that Juventus' visit to Spezia was a relegation battle as his team head into their fifth league match of the season without a win and in the Serie A drop zone. Juve's 1-1 home draw with AC Milan on Sunday night left them 18th with just two […]

Paris (AFP) – Lionel Messi will miss Paris Saint-Germain's game away to Metz on Wednesday due to a knee injury which coach Mauricio Pochettino has said was the real reason behind his surprise decision to take the six-time Ballon d'Or winner off against Lyon at the weekend. The Argentine star underwent an MRI on Tuesday […]

London (AFP) – Chelsea defender Marcos Alonso will no longer take the knee as a sign of protest against racism because the Spain left-back believes the gesture is "losing a bit of strength." Alonso will instead point to an anti-racism badge on his shirt before kick-off. Former NFL quarterback Colin Kaepernick started the trend of […]

Madrid (AFP) – Ronald Koeman defended his direct tactics after being accused of betraying Barcelona's attacking traditions in a 1-1 draw at home to Granada on Monday. Koeman brought Gerard Pique off the bench at Camp Nou to play up front alongside Luuk de Jong, with Ronald Araujo, another central defender, also thrown into the […]

Madrid (AFP) – Ronald Koeman’s position as Barcelona coach became even more fragile on Monday as Ronald Araujo’s late header was only enough to rescue a 1-1 draw at home to struggling Granada. Granada were ahead inside two minutes and while Araujo’s equaliser gave Barca a dramatic finish at Camp Nou, the whistles from the home […]

Madrid (AFP) – Ronald Koeman’s position as Barcelona coach became even more fragile on Monday as Ronald Araujo’s late header was only enough to rescue a 1-1 draw at home to struggling Granada. Granada were ahead inside two minutes and while Araujo’s equaliser gave Barca a dramatic finish at Camp Nou, the whistles from the home […]

Milan (AFP) – Napoli moved top of Serie A on Monday thanks to a 4-0 stroll at Udinese which made sure they maintained their 100 percent start to the season. Goals from Victor Osimhen, Amir Rrahmani, Kalidou Koulibaly and Hirving Lozano earned Luciano Spalletti's side an impressive win at the Dacia Arena which gives them […]

Miami (AFP) – Inter Miami coach Phil Neville believes David Beckham's son Romeo has the potential to forge a career in professional football following his debut in Florida. Romeo Beckham played in his first professional game on Sunday after starting for Inter Miami's sister team Fort Lauderdale CF. The 19-year-old played 79 minutes in a […]

Paris (AFP) – French football authorities on Monday ordered Lens to play their home matches behind closed doors until further notice after a half-time pitch invasion marred their 1-0 win over northern rivals Lille. The ruling applies to Wednesday's Ligue 1 game against Strasbourg and the October 1 visit of Reims. A final decision will […]

Paris (AFP) – It was a memorable weekend for Sadio Mane as he bagged his 100th goal for Liverpool and became the first Premier League footballer to score in nine consecutive matches against the same opponent. The reigning African Footballer of the Year netted in the opening half of a 3-0 triumph over Crystal Palace […]

London (AFP) – Ex-Leeds and Liverpool player Harry Kewell has been sacked from his position as head coach at struggling Barnet, the English non-league side said on Monday. The former Australia international, 42, who has previously managed a number of other clubs in the lower leagues, was appointed at Barnet in June. The club play […]

Sao Paulo (AFP) – Brazilian football legend Pele said Sunday he is "punching the air" to celebrate "every better day" after the 80-year-old suffered his latest health scare. "As you can see, I'm punching the air in celebration of every better day," Pele wrote on Instagram beside a photograph of him sitting in a hospital […]

Paris (AFP) – Paris Saint-Germain coach Mauricio Pochettino defended his decision to take off Lionel Messi as the former Barcelona man made his home debut in Sunday's Ligue 1 game against Lyon. Messi was outstanding in the first half at the Parc des Princes but began to fade from the game after the break and […]