Real Madrid star Cristiano Ronaldo says he is driven to be the best player in the world by the fear of being surpassed by the likes of Lionel Messi and Neymar.
The 32-year-old Portugal international, who won the Ballon d Or in January, is a firm favourite to be crowned the world s finest footballer for the fifth time following Madrid s triumphs in LaLiga and the Champions League in 2016-17.
Ronaldo and long-time rival Messi have shared the Ballon d Or and FIFA Ballon d Or every year since 2008 and another triumph for the former Manchester United man would see him draw level with the Barcelona great on the all-time list.
And Ronaldo admits that the healthy competition between the world s finest forwards, among whom he includes Bayern Munich s Robert Lewandowski an…
James Forrest inspired Scotland to Nations League promotion as his hat-trick headlined a come-from-behind 3-2 win over Israel in Glasgow on Tuesday.
Twice on target in the 4-0 trouncing of Albania on Saturday, Forrest maintained his rich form by overturning former Celtic team-mate Beram Kayal s opener in the space of nine first-half minutes and completing a decisive treble just after the hour.
Alex McLeish s men beaten 2-1 in the reverse fixture needed three points to leapfrog Israel into top spot in Group 1 of League C and were made to negotiate an anxious last 15 minutes when Eran Zahavi reduced the deficit.
Scotland demonstrated maturity to steady and saw off one final scare with help from Allan McGregor to confirm their ascension to the Nations League s secon…
Paris Saint-Germain right-back Dani Alves claims moves to Liverpool, Chelsea and Real Madrid all fell through before he joined Barcelona from Sevilla.
Alves spent the best part of six years at the Ramon Sanchez Pizjuan and established himself as one of Europe s most exciting youngsters, attracting interest from all over the continent as he helped the club to win back-to-back UEFA Cup titles.
He moved on to Barcelona for €35million in 2008, but could have ended up at any of a number of top clubs, if his latest claims are to be believed.
Liverpool were strongly linked with the Brazilian in 2006 and, although reports at the time suggested the club were not willing to meet Sevilla s £8m asking price, Alves believes an agreement was more or less finalised before th…
Atletico Madrid coach Diego Simeone believes Antoine Griezmann is silencing his many, many doubters with form for club and country that proves he is still extraordinary .
Griezmann had become a source of frustration for Barcelona fans during his two-year spell at Camp Nou, and also left many underwhelmed upon his return to Atletico in 2021.
He began look more influential during the first half of this season but a €40million purchase option centred around the number of minutes he played meant he was rarely a starter until Barca dropped their asking price and agreed a permanent sale to Atletico for €20m in October.
Griezmann then enjoyed a tremendous World Cup campaign with France despite featuring in a much deeper position, playing a vital role as Les Bleus ma…
Jose Mourinho responded to criticism of Manchester United s style of play in the Europa League final by stressing poets don t win many titles .
United beat Ajax 2-0 in Stockholm on Wednesday to claim the trophy and a priceless place in the group stages of the Champions League for next season.
Ajax captain Davy Klaassen accused United of waiting to play long balls during a match in which they comfortably kept the Dutch side s attack at bay while scoring goals through Paul Pogba and Henrikh Mkhitaryan.
It is not the first time Mourinho s side have been criticised in this season s tournament, with Celta Vigo striker Iago Aspas claiming his side were infinitely superior as they narrowly lost their semi-final tie 2-1 on aggregate.
There are lot of poets in fo…
Dani Ceballos could be the next big thing for Spain / image via
The Under-21 Spanish squad arrived in Poland seen as the strongest team in the UEFA U21 European Championship.
Star-Studded Spain
Albert Celades’ men failed to disappoint by extending an impressive unbeaten run initiated back in March after a qualifying 3-0 defeat at the hands of Croatia. Unbeaten in nine consecutive matches, La Roja added four compelling wins in Poland to prolong their streak to 13 matches in a row without a single loss.
With only a day away from the most important match this season, that will either give credit to their formidable string of results or destroy everything these Spanish Under-21 side built over the past couple of months, La Roja are given to emerge victorious fro…
Real Madrid are still expected to sign Kylian Mbappe when his contract with Paris Saint-Germain expires next summer, but according to Spanish outlet Fichajes, they are contemplating other options, namely Manchester City s Julian Alvarez at the moment, in case the Mbappe transfer doesn t happen.
City signed Alvarez in January 2022 from River Plate for around £20 million and sent him back on a season long loan. That means he actually arrived at the club in the same transfer window as Erling Haaland, and he s mostly been in the shadow of the Norwegian sensation, though in recent matches, manager Pep Guardiola has been using both his strikers together. In all competitions, Alvarez has scored 19 goals and produced five assists in 55 matches for City.
The 23-year-old attacke…
Manchester United midfielder Juan Mata has refused to be drawn on speculation regarding his future, according to the Mirror.
The thirty-year-old is out of contract at the end of the season and has been linked with a move to his side’s Champions League quarter-final opponents Barcelona.
However, he is remaining focussed on matters on the pitch, with that European tie just two days away.
Mata moved to Old Trafford from Chelsea in January 2014 and has since racked up two hundred and fifteen appearances in all competitions, scoring forty-four goals while during that time he has won the FA Cup, EFL Cup and Europa League.
He also won a trio of medals during his time at Stamford Bridge – including the Champions League while internationally he won the …
Guiding Villarreal into the Europa League has earned coach Javi Calleja a one-year contract extension at the Estadio de la Ceramica.
Calleja was promoted from his role with the B team for the remainder of the season following the sacking of Fran Escriba last September.
Villarreal were 14th when the 40-year-old took over, but they guaranteed a fifth-place finish in LaLiga and a return to the Europa League – which they were eliminated from at the last-32 stage by Lyon this term – by coming from two goals down to draw 2-2 with Real Madrid on Saturday.
An official club statement read: Villarreal and Javi Calleja have reached a renewal agreement for the coach from Madrid to lead the Yellow Submarine during the 2018-19 season.
A news conference will be hel…
Leandro Trossard and Thomas Partey’s second-half goals ensured Arsenal continued their winning start to the Premier League season as they beat Aston Villa 2-0 at Villa Park.
In an entertaining contest that saw Ollie Watkins squander glorious chances in either half, Mikel Arteta’s side would hit the front in the 67th minute.
Substitute Trossard struck 110 seconds after his introduction with a fine finish from the edge of the area, with Partey’s powerful effort sealing the triumph 10 minutes later.
Martin Odegaard could have added further gloss to the Gunners’ impressive display but blazed over from inside the area after being picked out by Declan Rice.
Arsenal join Manchester City and Brighton Hove Albion at the top of the early-season table with s…