London (AFP) – Jose Mourinho has warned Wayne Rooney he cannot be sure of being involved in Manchester United's clash with Crystal Palace on Wednesday despite Henrikh Mkhitaryan's injury. The United and England captain has been relegated to the bench by both this season and has started just one league game since being left out […]

Manchester (United Kingdom) (AFP) – Bacary Sagna confesses Manchester City did not give 100 per cent in their 4-2 defeat at Leicester and must show more desire to get their season back on course when they host Watford on Wednesday. Pep Guardiola's side have not won a home league game since the middle of September […]

London (AFP) – Diego Costa is beginning to have the same impact at Chelsea as Didier Drogba once did, central defender Gary Cahill believes. Costa has come to symbolise the club's transformation under Antonio Conte and ensured the Blues extended their winning streak to nine Premier League games with the winning goal against West Bromwich […]

London (AFP) – England international striker Harry Kane says teams have worked Tottenham Hotspur out and the Londoners need to adapt if they are to reignite their Premier League title challenge. Mauricio Pochettino’s side have stalled in recent weeks with Sunday’s defeat at Manchester United extending a sticky run that has brought just two wins […]

Milan (AFP) – Radja Nainggolan hit a second-half scorcher to secure a 1-0 win over AC Milan, who saw M'Baye Niang miss a first-half penalty, to close to within four points of leaders Juventus on Monday. Roma and Milan had both dropped to seven points behind Juventus after Gonzalo Higuain scored twice on Sunday to […]

Madrid (AFP) – Atletico Madrid's feint hopes of challenging for the La Liga title evaporated as they fell to sixth, 12 points adrift of leaders Real Madrid, with a 3-0 defeat at Villarreal on Monday. The hosts capitalised on rare defensive errors from Atletico to go 2-0 up before half-time thanks to goals from Manu […]

Milan (AFP) – Croatia striker Nikola Kalinic struck a stunning first-half brace as Fiorentina held off a spirited fightback from Sassuolo to prevail 2-1 and move up to seventh in Serie A on Monday. Fiorentina were missing Borja Valero through injury and had to do without Senegal striker Khouma Babacar, who headed a last-gasp winner […]

Madrid (AFP) – For the fourth time in his career Cristiano Ronaldo was crowned the best player in the world by winning the Ballon d'Or on Monday. Here, AFP Sports looks at five key moments from 2016 that landed the Portuguese the biggest individual prize in football. – Snaps unbeaten Barca run Real Madrid are […]

Paris (AFP) – Cristiano Ronaldo won his fourth Ballon d'Or on Monday to get one over his nemesis Lionel Messi in their long-running duel for the title of best footballer on the planet. It was the perfect ending to another fantastic year for the Real Madrid star, who won the Champions League for the second […]

London (AFP) – Algerian international Riyad Mahrez' dynamic performances in Leicester's remarkable Premier League title win last season garnered him the prestigious BBC African player of the year award on Monday. The 25-year-old France-born forward — who earlier this year became the first African to win the Professional Footballers Association Player of the Year award on […]

Nyon (Switzerland) (AFP) – Manchester United will take on Saint-Etienne in the last 32 of the Europa League pitting world-record signing Paul Pogba against his elder brother Florentin for the first time. Jose Mourinho's side will host the French club in the first leg on February 16 at Old Trafford, with the return the following […]

Paris (AFP) – Spanish sport daily Marca was one of several media to publish a photo on Monday that appears to confirm Cristiano Ronaldo as the winner of this year's Ballon d'Or. Marca published a shot of the cover of next edition of the French magazine that hands out the award, with Ronaldo on the […]

London (AFP) – Pep Guardiola faces one of the biggest challenges of his glittering managerial career as the Manchester City boss tries to stop his side's surprising slump. As Guardiola paced the touchline during Saturday's chastening 4-2 defeat at Leicester, the exasperated Spaniard's message to his players appeared to fall on deaf ears as the […]

London (AFP) – Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp has launched a scathing attack on Gary and Phil Neville after the former Manchester United stars criticised the Anfield club's German goalkeeper Loris Karius. Reds boss Klopp is furious the Neville brothers have been so negative in their opinions about the error-prone Karius and on Monday he took […]

Manchester (United Kingdom) (AFP) – Jose Mourinho admits he was scared when he saw Manchester United midfielder Henrikh Mkhitaryan stretchered off the field during his team's 1-0 Premier League victory over Tottenham Hotspur. Mkhitaryan scored the winning goal against Tottenham on Sunday and is finally displaying the sort of form that had convinced United to […]