Real Madrid boss Zinedine Zidane could once again face the wrath of Paris Saint-Germain sporting director Leonardo after declaring his love for Kylian Mbappe.
Mbappe, 20, is consistently linked with a move away from the Ligue 1 giants, where he has starred since arriving in 2017.
Zidane has long been an admirer of the France international and said last month it was Mbappe s dream to play for Los Blancos.
That led to Leonardo responding: It annoys me a little and it bothers me. This is not the time to talk about this. He still has two and a half years of contract with us. It s time to stop all this.
Speaking ahead of Madrid s Champions League clash with PSG on Tuesday, Zidane once again expressed his admiration for the World Cup winner.
You know …
Pele remains eternal and will be remembered as the greatest athlete of all time , Brazilian Football Confederation (CBF) president Ednaldo Rodrigues said after the 82-year-old s death.
The three-time World Cup winner s passing was confirmed on Thursday by his daughter after his battle with colon cancer.
Former forward Pele had been moved to palliative care early in December and his family travelled to be by his side at the Albert Einstein Israelite Hospital in Sao Paulo before Christmas Day.
The hospital confirmed Pele died after suffering multiple organ failure.
Tributes have poured in from players, clubs and sporting organisations after Pele s legendary impact on football, with Rodrigues declaring official mourning for seven days.
I am deeply m…
Manchester City director of football Txiki Begiristain says record-breaking signing Jack Grealish is a perfect match with the Premier League champions.
Grealish, 25, completed a move to Pep Guardiola s men for a reported £100million fee on Thursday, making him the most expensive signing in Premier League history.
Guardiola s newest recruit adds further creativity to City s already handsome depth of attacking talent at the Etihad Stadium and Begiristain could not be happier with the acquisition of Aston Villa s former captain.
Begiristain, speaking to the club s official website upon the announcement of Grealish s signing, said: We are absolutely delighted to be able to welcome Jack Grealish to Manchester City. He is an incredible talent.
Jack s deve…
Manchester United have joined Barcelona in the race to secure the services of Fiorentina winger Juan Cuadrado, .
The winger, who was one of the star performers for Colombia at this summer’s World Cup finals in Brazil, moved to Serie A in 2009, initially signing for Udinese.
He made just twenty league appearances for the club before being loaned out to Lecce, and the Fiorentina, signing for the latter on a permanent deal last summer.
He made forty-three appearances in all competitions last season, scoring fifteen times while he also got on the score-sheet in Brazil last month, grabbing the first goal in the 4-1 win over Japan in the group stages.
United are yet to make a new signing since Louis van Gaal began his role as manager, though they had alr…
Torino left it too late to reach the UEFA Europa League quarter-finals, with their last-gasp 1-0 win on Thursday not enough to overturn a two-goal deficit against Zenit St Petersburg.
Andre Villas-Boas men arrived with a 2-0 advantage from the first leg of the last-16 tie and mainly focused on holding onto what they had in a disciplined defensive performance in Turin.
The hosts produced their share of eye-catching and inventive attacking play but largely struggled to craft clear openings, with Alexander Farnerud s set-piece deliveries their major threat.
And while Torino did score, Kamil Glik s header came in the final minute, not leaving enough time for a second, despite a stoppage-time rally from the hosts in which Fabio Quagliarella had an effort cleared …
Paris Saint-Germain inflicted the first defeat of Luis Enrique s Barcelona reign with a 3-2 win at the Parc des Princes on Tuesday.
The Ligue 1 champions were without talismanic striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic as well as Thiago Silva and Ezequiel Lavezzi, but held off late Barca pressure to end the visitors unbeaten start to the campaign and dampen an historic occasion for midfielder Xavi.
Coming off the bench to make a record 143rd appearance in the UEFA Champions League proper, the former Spain international was on the losing side after defender David Luiz a target for the Spanish giants in the close-season showed his quality in the final third with a smart turn and finish to give PSG what proved to be a short-lived lead after 10 minutes.
Lionel Messi was the man to…
Edward Iordanescu wants Romania to embrace the greatest moment in our careers by securing a place in the Euro 2024 knockout stages.
Tricolorii top a tight Group E, in which all four teams are locked on four points heading into the final matchday, by virtue of scoring the most goals, having put three past Ukraine in their opener.
A draw against Slovakia in Frankfurt on Tuesday will likely be enough for Romania to progress beyond the European Championship group stage for only the second time, also achieving the feat in 2000.
However, Iordanesu insists his side are fully focused on holding onto first place.
Everything will be decided in the last round
— Echipa Națională (@hai_romania)
We can t control what people talk about, but we hav…
As Manchester United prepare for battle in Moscow, Wayne Rooney has set his sights on lifting the Champions League trophy for a second time.
United won their third Champions League crown in 2008 in the Russian capital, where they are set to take on CSKA Moscow in their Group B fixture on Wednesday.
Rooney described the win over Chelsea in the 2008 final as one of the best nights in his club career and hopes United manager Louis van Gaal can guide them to another title in the coming years.
I ve had mixed emotions in Moscow, he said. I lost here with England 2-1 [in Euro 2008 qualifying] and had possibly the greatest moment in my club career in winning the Champions League.
It was a special moment for Manchester United which myself and the fans wil…
Jeremy Doku is convinced Manchester City are the best and is determined to prove it.
The Belgium winger shone as the champions got back to winning ways in the Premier League on Saturday with a hard-fought 2-1 success over Brighton at the Etihad Stadium.
Doku created City’s opening goal for Julian Alvarez and was a constant threat on the left as City put the successive defeats they suffered prior to the international break behind them.
Goals from and secure a victory over Brighton, marking a record-breaking home win!
— Manchester City (@ManCity)
Doku, a £55million summer signing from Rennes, said: “It was very important – not only for the table but also just for us in our heads.
“It was a difficult game but we are a good tea…
The Football Association of Ireland (FAI) has issued a statement revealing the details of a €5m interest-free loan it was paid by FIFA as compensation after the Republic of Ireland controversially missed out on the 2010 World Cup.
FAI chief executive John Delaney claimed on Thursday that world football s governing body had paid compensation to prevent legal action after a handball from Thierry Henry in a qualifying play-off in November 2009 ensured France progressed to the finals in South Africa.
FIFA rejected the FAI s request of a replay after meeting president Sepp Blatter, who announced his intention to step down this week amid a corruption crisis, and other FIFA officials.
The FAI said they then held another meeting with FIFA in January 2010, wh…