Outgoing Barcelona coach Pep Guardiola says Lionel Messi is likely to be the best player he will ever see.
Argentina international Messi netted his 73rd goal of the season during Barca s 3-0 victory over Athletic Bilbao in the final of the Copa del Rey on Friday.
The victory at Estadio Vicente Calderon meant a winning send-off for Guardiola in what was the record-breaking coach s final match in charge.
Guardiola, 41, has led Barca to 14 major honours in just four seasons at Camp Nou and paid special tribute to the contribution of superstar Messi.
It has been an honour to be the coach of the best player I have ever seen and probably the best I will see, Guardiola said.
Messi taught me to be even more competitive. We would have won trophies witho…
Disgraced former FIFA official Chuck Blazer worked undercover to help the authorities with their investigation into corruption within football s global governing body.
Back in November 2013, Blazer pleaded guilty to 10 charges including racketeering conspiracy, money laundering and tax evasion.
As part of his plea, the 70-year-old agreed to feed the authorities information pertaining to their investigation.
The 19-page agreement was unsealed on Monday, and includes references to agreements between Blazer and the United States government dating back to December 2011.
The defendant agrees to furnish to the office all documents and other material that may be relevant to the investigation and that are in the defendant s possession or control and to parti…
West Brom centre-back Gareth McAuley has signed a new one-year contract with the Premier League club.
Northern Ireland international McAuley was out of contract following the 2014-15 campaign but his new deal at the Hawthorns will commence on July 1.
The 35-year-old has made 138 appearances for West Brom, scoring nine goals, since joining on a free transfer from Ipswich Town in 2011.
…
West Ham manager Sam Allardyce revealed on Wednesday that the club s deal to sign free agent Lassana Diarra has fallen through.
Sam Allardyce said administrative difficulties have prevented West Ham from completing the signing of Lassana Diarra on a free transfer.
West Ham had been expected to tie up a deal for Diarra in the coming days after the French midfielder was released by Russian side Lokomotiv Moscow in August.
Diarra, 29, had been training with West Ham in the view of earning a contract but Allardyce told reporters following Wednesday s goalless draw against Southampton that the former Real Madrid man would not be arriving at Upton Park.
We have waited and we have negotiated for weeks to get the right deal and now we ve got it, we find we can t…
Erling Haaland has been backed to get even better ahead of Borussia Dortmund s DFL-Supercup showdown with Bayern Munich.
Haaland is Dortmund s outstanding star, having scored 62 goals in 61 games in all competitions since his debut for the club in January 2020.
Of players in Europe s top five leagues, only Bayern s Robert Lewandowski (74 in 63) has scored more in that time, while Haaland s shot conversion rate of 33.3 per cent is the best among those with 20 goals or more.
After a cup hat-trick at Wehen Wiesbaden and then a league double against Eintracht Frankfurt, Haaland s 2021-22 tally of five in two games already leads the way. His 15 shots represent another high, as does their expected goals value of 4.6.
Bayern coach Julian Nagelsmann praised Ha…
Darren Bent believes that Bournemouth striker Joshua King would be a good signing for Tottenham Hotspur in the summer transfer window.
The former Tottenham striker has outlined the attributes of the Norway international that would make him perfect for Spurs.
According to , Spurs are interested in signing the 28-year-old striker this summer.
Bent said on , as relayed by : Someone like a Josh King would be a perfect signing because he can play left, right or down the middle. But it [the lack of a second striker] has been an issue for a while.
Joshua King stats
According to , King has played 23 minutes in the Championship for Bournemouth so far this season, while during the 2019-20 campaign, he made 24 starts and two starts in the Premier League fo…
Memphis Depay was frustrated to be restricted to the role of a substitute in the Netherlands World Cup opener, but he is confident of having a greater impact in coming matches.
Depay had been ruled out of Monday s match against Senegal in Louis van Gaal s pre-match news conference.
But the Barcelona forward appeared on the bench and was introduced in the final half an hour with the game still goalless.
Although Depay did not get on the scoresheet, he was involved in the build-up to both Oranje goals in a 2-0 win, with Cody Gakpo scoring the first before Davy Klaassen tucked away the rebound from the Netherlands number 10 s shot.
Speaking afterwards, Depay said: I feel good, I feel good, I feel fit. Obviously a player like me always wants to start from the…
Fred scored the only goal of the game as Manchester United started Ralf Rangnick s reign with a 1-0 victory over Crystal Palace at Old Trafford.
United made a blistering start to their first game under interim manager Rangnick, but they were frustrated by a well-drilled Palace side for much of the game.
Alex Telles struck the crossbar before Fred s clinical finish secured all three points for the Red Devils on Sunday.
Victory for United boosted their bid to secure a Champions League spot as Palace suffered their first defeat at Old Trafford for over four years.
United showed the intensity Rangnick demands from the start with a high-press approach and Telles flashed an early shot narrowly wide.
The Red Devils were relentless as they continued to pe…
Real Madrid will be out to close the gap on leaders Barcelona, who host Valencia in a tantalising La Liga clash on the weekend.
Barcelona, on top of the table with two wins, lead champions Real by five points after two matches.
A draw at home to Valencia and a loss away to Getafe has seen Real make their worst start to a season in 39 years.
Barcelona, on the other hand, thumped Real Sociedad at home before pinching an away win over Osasuna.
Real will take on Granada at the Bernabeu on Sunday, followed by Barcelona s clash against Valencia at Camp Nou.
Jose Mourinho s side will be buoyed by their Spanish Super Cup success over Barcelona midweek, while Granada, who narrowly avoided relegation last season, aim to somehow defy the odds.
Valen…
Jamie Vardy has challenged his Leicester City team-mates to reach 100 points after sealing the Championship title with one game to spare.
The Foxes were promoted back to the Premier League without kicking a ball after Leeds United’s 4-0 defeat to QPR on Friday, but they needed to win on Monday to earn top spot.
Enzo Maresca’s side cruised to a 3-0 victory over Preston through Vardy’s brace and Kasey McAteer’s header, moving them to 97 points.
With one last milestone in their reach, Vardy wants to make sure they end an already successful season on a high.
Speaking to Sky Sports, he said: “We can celebrate it tonight, but now we have another target which is 100 points.
“We are over the moon. It has gone by quick but it s a graft. Not man…