Another bid for RussiaÂ’s Arshavin

Excited fans gathered in front of giant outdoor television screens, newspapers ran front pages in the team colour of red and shops planned to close early as Spain was gripped by football fever ahead of the Euro 2008 final Sunday.

Spain has an appointment with history, headlined the sports daily AS, hoping La Roja (The Reds) can end decades of disappointment in international competitions and defeat Germany in Vienna.

Now, we must do it, said the Catalan daily El Publico, against a background of the red team shirt across the front and back pages.

Spain has rid iteself of its ghosts and comes to this match at the height its game, said another sports daily, Marca, which also had a red front page and devoted over 50 pages to Euro 2008 coverage.

Spain s qu…

Gareth Bale has been backed to rediscover his best form at Tottenham by team-mate Ben Davies after Spurs boss Jose Mourinho conceded the forward is lacking in confidence.

The Wales international has one goal and no assists in seven appearances five of those being starts since returning to Tottenham on loan from Real Madrid in September.

He has played less than two hours of Premier League football this term and has been an unused substitute in Spurs last two top-flight outings.

Mourinho is expected to hand Bale his fifth Europa League start in Thursday s trip to LASK and is hopeful the one-time world s most expensive player can continue his  physical evolution .

The only problem with Gareth is to get into the dynamic and the confidence of playing consecu…

Chelsea manager Antonio Conte has struck another blow in his war of words with Jose Mourinho, claiming the Manchester United boss is suffering a bit of amnesia .

The Premier League rivals have been involved in a war of words after Mourinho s comments that he preferred to act more mature on the touchline were perceived as a dig at the Chelsea coach.

Mourinho intensified the spat following Manchester United s 2-0 win over Derby County on Friday, referring to Conte s ban over match-fixing allegations for which he was later acquitted.

I consider him a little man, I consider him a man with a very low profile, Conte said of Mourinho after his side s goalless FA Cup draw with Norwich City. There is a story to speak for him and me.

You can change the story…

Arsenal great Robert Pires believes Jamie Vardy has all the qualities to be a success at the Emirates Stadium, should he decide to leave Leicester City. 

The 29-year-old is said to be considering his future while at Euro 2016 with England after Arsenal met a reported £20million release clause in his Leicester contract.

Vardy scored 24 times in the league in 2015-16 as Leicester went on to complete one of the most remarkable triumphs in sporting history by claiming their first Premier League title. 

And Pires, who was part of Arsene Wenger s Invincibles , believes Vardy will thrive at Arsenal should he make the step up in the off-season. 

There is no reason why it couldn t work out for Vardy, the two-time Premier League winner told the Daily Mail.  H…

England manager Roy Hodgson has confirmed Ashley Cole will win his 100th international cap by starting against Brazil on Wednesday.

The Chelsea defender, who made his debut in 2001, will mark a century of appearances for England at Wembley.

While the 32-year-old will feature in the starting 11 at Wembley, Hodgson said he would not take the captain s armband from Steven Gerrard for the game.

Hodgson also defended the controversial full-back.

If you are an England fan and don t respect and love someone for what he s done, that s your problem, he said.

The 65-year-old also described the left-back as the most consistent player over last 10-12 years in our team he deserves to celebrate that.

Meanwhile, Hodgson is keen to see expectations sur…

AC Milan president Silvio Berlusconi has expressed interest in signing Paris Saint-Germain starlet Marco Verratti.

AC Milan president Silvio Berlusconi has expressed interest in signing Paris Saint-Germain starlet Marco Verratti.

The midfielder most recently hit the headlines by equalising in stoppage time during Italy s 1-1 friendly draw with Netherlands, and has played regularly under Carlo Ancelotti in Ligue 1 this season.

Verratti is a player that (Milan) are considering to buy, Berlusconi said.

We need to see if the financial aspects (of any deal) are good enough for us to acquire him.

Verratti has been compared to Azzurri icon Andrea Pirlo due to his fine performances in a Paris Saint-Germain shirt this term, and Berlusconi lamented …

Jose Mourinho says he cannot imagine taking charge of Bayern Munich as he is so settled at new club Tottenham.

Mourinho was appointed by Spurs last month, replacing Mauricio Pochettino, and has steered his side into the next round of the Champions League.

The former Manchester United boss had previously been linked with Bayern, who have also sacked a coach this season, dispensing with Niko Kovac s services after poor domestic displays.

Mourinho s contract at Tottenham runs until the end of the 2022-23 season, and the Portuguese does not expect to join Bayern in the future.

I don t imagine myself in the Bayern job because I m so happy at Tottenham, Mourinho told reporters ahead of Wednesday s Champions League clash between the sides.

Spurs were ha…

Alisson has challenged Liverpool to sustain the defensive focus that has helped them secure back-to-back clean sheets for the first time since September.

The Champions League holders reached the last 16 on Tuesday thanks to a 2-0 win away to Salzburg, with Naby Keita and Mohamed Salah scoring the goals.

It was also Liverpool s second clean sheet in a row, following last Saturday s 3-0 Premier League win at Bournemouth, a result that leaves the Reds eight points clear at the top of the table.

Since losing the Community Shield on penalties in August, Klopp s side have only lost once in all competitions  a 2-0 defeat to Napoli in September but their defence has nonetheless come under scrutiny following a run of 13 matches in which they conceded at least one goal.

Siem de Jong s injury nightmare continues after Newcastle United confirmed the Dutchman has suffered a collapsed lung.

Injury-plagued Newcastle United forward Siem de Jong is set for another two months on the sidelines after undergoing surgery on a collapsed lung.

Former Ajax captain De Jong has made just two Premier League appearances for Newcastle since arriving at St James Park last July.

The 26-year-old has not played since August due to a persistent thigh injury, and his frustrating season has now taken another turn for the worse, with Newcastle announcing on Tuesday that he will miss another eight weeks with a collapsed lung an issue he also suffered with in 2013.

After four months of hard work getting back to full fitness it is such bad luck to su…

Brazil s image has benefited from hosting the FIFA World Cup, according to the country s minister for strategic affairs Marcelo Neri.

Some in Brazil felt the money spent on hosting the finals would have been put to better use improving the country s infrastructure, with isolated protests against the government breaking out in the build-up to the tournament.

Demonstrations continued during the first couple of days of the finals, but there has been little sign of any unrest as the showpiece has progressed, with the exciting action on the pitch taking centre stage.

And with Rio de Janeiro where Sunday s World Cup final will be held due to host the Olympics in two years time, Neri believes the World Cup has done a lot to improve the mood in Brazil.

I think t…