Former Northern Ireland captain Aaron Hughes has retired from professional football.
The 39-year-old defender did not play as Michael O Neill s side won 1-0 away to Belarus in Euro 2020 qualifying on Tuesday.
Hughes has made 112 appearances for his country, more than any other outfield player and behind only goalkeeper Pat Jennings.
The former Newcastle United and Fulham centre-back has not publicly announced his decision but told his international team-mates after Paddy McNair s goal secured victory in Borisov.
Aaron spoke to us after the game and he was a little bit emotional, which is understandable, said Northern Ireland captain Steven Davis.
He has been a huge player for us over many years, such a consistent performer, and he will be reme…
Eric Abidal is to leave Barcelona after six years at Camp Nou when his contract expires next month.
Abidal has made 192 appearances for the Catalan giants since signing from Lyon in 2007, but his football career has been largely overshadowed by health issues in recent years.
The French defender was diagnosed with a tumour on his liver in March 2011, immediately undergoing surgery and returning to action just six weeks later and captaining Barca to UEFA Champions League success against Manchester United.
However, in March 2012 it was announced that Abidal would have to undergo a liver transplant due to unresolved issues from his surgery, limiting him to just four appearances since.
He explained that he would have preferred to stay on at Barcelona but the club were not willing to …
Luka Modric wants to dominate domestic and European football with Real Madrid after signing a one-year contract extension.
The Croatia international joined the club from Tottenham in 2012 and clinched the Supercopa de Espana in his first season at the Santiago Bernabeu.
Copa del Rey and UEFA Champions League winners medals followed during 2013-14, while Real started the new season on a winning note, beating Sevilla 2-0 in the UEFA Super Cup last week.
With Modric now committed to Real until 2018, the 28-year-old hopes more success will follow, starting with the Supercopa second leg against Atletico Madrid on Friday, with the tie level at 1-1.
When I arrived here two years ago, we won the Supercopa de Espana, he told Real s official website.
It w…
Iran on Sunday sacked its national football team coach Ali Daei following its defeat against Saudi Arabia in a 2010 World Cup qualifier, the state news agency IRNA reported on Sunday.
Ali Daei was sacked from coaching the national team in response to people s demands for his negligence in fulfilling his duty and the team s poor results in World Cup qualifiers, IRNA said, quoting an unnamed source.
The announcement of Daei s dismissal who is the world record-holder scorer in international matches, came after his lacklustre performances as coach for the 2010 World Cup Asia s qualifiers.
Iran, seeking a fourth appearance in the finals, are fourth in Group B with six points from five games managing only a win and three consecutive draws.
Daei s dismissal be…
Welsh midfielder Ryan Giggs reached yet another milestone in his already impressive career, playing his 800th match for reigning European champions Manchester United this Wednesday.
Giggs started on the bench but was brought on in the second half of the Champions League semi final clash with Arsenal, at Old Trafford.
The Welshman started his career at Manchester City in 1985 but joined local rivals United two years later. With the Red Devils, Giggs would end up winning one trophy after the other.
The player formed a key part of the United teams that won the Champions League in 1999 and 2008, and helped the English giants to no less than ten domestic titles.
In February, Giggs and United agreed to yet another contract extension, keeping the player at the …
LA Galaxy were thrashed 4-0 by lowly Dallas with Ricardo Pepi netting a hat-trick in the MLS on Saturday.
The Galaxy, who were without Javier Hernandez due to injury and Jonathan dos Santos, Efrain Alvarez and Sebastian Lletget to Gold Cup call-ups, were brushed aside by Dallas who were last in the Western Conference prior to the game.
Pepi, who turned 18 in January, becomes the youngest player in MLS history to net a hat-trick.
The teenager netted twice in the first half before completed his treble with a low shot from the edge of the box in the 50th minute.
Substitute Jader Obrian added another in the 88th minute as Dallas moved up to 10th in the west, while the Galaxy are third but are winless in their past three.
The youngest player to ever sc…
Alfred Schreuder says there has been no change of stance at Ajax over Antony s future, with the Manchester United target again left out of their squad.
Antony missed last week s win over Sparta Rotterdam and on Sunday was absent once more as Ajax faced Utrecht.
The Brazil forward is a target for United, who have reportedly had several bids turned down for the 22-year-old, with speculation on Friday claiming a £76million (€89.4m) offer was rejected.
In an interview with journalist Fabrizio Romano, Antony pleaded with Ajax to sell him for the highest bid ever for a player in the Eredivisie , as he explained he had made his desire to leave clear to the club earlier in 2022.
No changes
— AFC Ajax (@AFCAjax)
Antony s public reques…
Arsenal s players will have a clean slate under Mikel Arteta, who has confirmed Freddie Ljungberg will remain at the club as part of the coaching staff.
After watching Saturday s 0-0 draw at Everton from the stands, Arteta will take charge of his first game on Thursday, as the Gunners travel to Bournemouth.
Ljungberg was instead at the helm at the weekend, the interim boss picking a youthful, inexperienced line-up for the game at Goodison Park.
Mesut Ozil was left out of the squad due to injury, though Ljungberg confirmed the ex-Germany international would not have been selected anyway due to his reaction to being substituted during the loss to Manchester City.
However, Ozil and the rest of his team-mates will get the chance to enjoy a fresh start under A…
Gianluigi Buffon has completed a return to Juventus, a year after leaving the club for Paris Saint-Germain.
Buffon departed Juve for PSG, ending a 17-year stay, but was unable to dislodge Alphonse Areola as the club s regular first-choice goalkeeper.
And after turning down a second season in the French capital, the former Italy goalkeeper is heading back to Juve.
Buffon has agreed a one-year deal with the Serie A champions, which will take him past his 42nd birthday.
OFFICIAL| is back in Bianconero!
Welcome home, Gigi!
— JuventusFC (@juventusfcen)
A return to the Bianconeri had been mooted for several weeks, with second-choice goalkeeper Mattia Perin reportedly set for a move, and club great Buffon has joined up wi…
With Diego Simeone at the helm, former Atletico Madrid forward David Villa believes the Spanish capital club can repeat the feat of 2014 and upstage Barcelona and Real Madrid to LaLiga glory.
Villa and Atletico did the seemingly impossible two years ago, breaking the stranglehold of Spain s two superpowers to win the league.
Simeone masterminded Atletico s first LaLiga title in 18 years and the capital club have since finish third in the past two seasons.
Atletico fell agonisingly short of domestic glory last term, ending the campaign just three points behind champions Barca, but with Simeone s men further bolstered by the inclusions of Kevin Gameiro, Nicolas Gaitan, Sime Vrsaljko and Diogo Jota, Villa has backed his former team to return to the Spanish summit.