Angel di Maria believes FIFA should create a separate award for Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi.
Having played with both Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo, Angel di Maria believes the pair deserve to have their own award to fight over.
Di Maria spent four years at Real Madrid with Ronaldo before his move to Old Trafford at the start of this season, while Messi is a long-time team-mate with Argentina.
The goalscoring exploits of Ronaldo and Messi continue to amaze all onlookers, as the duo underline their status as the greatest two players on the planet.
Since the inception of the FIFA Ballon d Or in 2010, the pair have picked up the award on every occasion, Messi clinching the title in its first three years before Ronaldo laid claim to it in 20…
Market: New York Red Bulls win
Odds: 4/6 @
Looking to make a welcomed return to winning ways in the early hours of Sunday, New York will welcome Toronto to the Red Bull Arena this weekend.
Starting with the hosts, while New York might have failed to collect a win from any of their previous three MLS appearances, the Red Bulls have continued to shine since opening up the 2024 campaign. Battling it out at the top of the Eastern Conference standings and cruising their way to another play-off ticket, Sandro Schwarz’s men have suffered just a single defeat across any competition since the start of May. Rightfully pencilled in as a standout contender this weekend, the former Hertha Berlin boss will certainly be excited to make a return to home soil here. Signing off…
Colombia striker Carlos Bacca is on the hunt for more silverware as the Copa America draws closer.
The 44th edition of the Copa America kicks off in Chile next week and Colombia are in action beforehand, with an international friendly against Costa Rica scheduled on Saturday.
Colombia pooled in Group C alongside Brazil, Peru and Venezuela for South America s showpiece event travel to Buenos Aires over the weekend as coach Jose Pekerman runs the rule over his team for the first time since announcing his squad.
One player set to feature is Bacca, who helped Sevilla to back-to-back UEFA Europa League titles last month.
Bacca scored twice in the Europa League final and the 28-year-old has now set his sights on international glory in Chile, where 2001 champion…
Francesco Totti is surprised that Romelu Lukaku could return to Inter but thinks he wanted to go back to where he was good.
Having only left Inter to join Chelsea in a reported £97.5million deal last August, Lukaku is reportedly keen to move back to the club where he won the Serie A title last year.
Inter s managing director Alessandro Antonello said earlier this week that the forward holds a great desire to return after scoring just eight Premier League goals during an underwhelming 2021-22 season at Stamford Bridge.
While Italy great Totti expected Lukaku to move elsewhere, he says the potential return of a man who scored 30 goals in his final season with Inter would be a huge boost for the Nerazzurri.
I wouldn t have expected it, Totti told Sky Spo…
Market: Both teams to score
Odds: 4/5 @
In what could prove to be an enjoyable affair from the Riverside on Saturday afternoon, Middlesbrough will welcome Birmingham to town.
Starting with the hosts, while Middlesbrough might have opened up the new campaign in the midst of a public struggle, Michael Carrick’s side have come roaring back in some style. Last seen heading into October’s international break with a stunning 4-0 romp against local rivals Sunderland, the Reds should be relishing their return on Saturday afternoon. Appearing to have turned a real corner over the past month, the one-time Manchester United coach now has his sights set on mounting another genuine play-off charge. Signing off September with an action-packed 3-2 win against Watford, Midd…
Zinedine Zidane has partnered with Formula One team Alpine as a brand ambassador for their equal opportunities programmes.
The announcement was made at the French team s 2023 car launch in London on Thursday, where their new A523 car was unveiled.
Former Juventus, Real Madrid and France midfielder Zidane, who also managed Madrid for two spells, was pictured visiting the Alpine garage at last season s Monaco Grand Prix.
I am very happy to be here today and happy to be part of the Alpine team, Zidane said. I had the opportunity to meet Laurent [Rossi, Alpine s CEO] with the whole team for a Grand Prix.
We had a good exchange, and they had a project to give the opportunities to young people, to have their opportunities for all the young talent. I was inter…
Rio Mavuba has demanded a response from Lille in the Coupe de la Ligue semi-final against Bordeaux after they were surprisingly beaten 3-1 by Troyes on Saturday.
Frederic Antonetti s men appeared to be on their way to a 1-0 victory, but conceded three goals in the final 15 minutes to hand Troyes their first Ligue 1 win of the season.
Mavuba was not impressed with his side s outing, but sees Tuesday s semi-final encounter as the perfect opportunity to get back on track.
We have to show something else. We are waiting for a response from the team, Mavuba told Lille s official website.
We understand the fans frustration. It has not been an easy season so far. Tuesday is the chance to lift up our heads again, even if the league remains our top priority.
that Arsenal are set to sell Kieran Gibbs at the end of the season.
Aside from a brief loan spell with Norwich City in 2008, the twenty-six year old has spent his entire career with the Gunners, racking up over two hundred appearances for the club in all competitions, scoring six goals.
He was part of the squads that won back to back FA Cups over the past two seasons, while internationally he has won ten senior caps for England.
The full-back has made just three league appearances in 2016 and has just started twice this season with Nacho Monreal ahead of him in the pecking order.
Newcastle United are among the clubs interested in making a move for the defender and could be set to lodge a bid when the transfer window reopens.
Arsene Wenger�…
Germany goalkeeper Ron-Robert Zieler has announced his intention to leave Hannover after the club s relegation from the Bundesliga.
Eintracht Frankfurt s victory over Mainz on Sunday consigned bottom side Hannover to the second tier.
And the shot-stopper has revealed he believes his future lies away from HDI-Arena.
Zieler is under contract until the end of next season but his deal reportedly includes a €3.5million relegation release clause.
Anyone who knows me knows how much this relegation hurts, he posted on Facebook.
I feel closely connected to Hannover, with the people and the club.
And I just think that a club like 96 belongs in the Bundesliga, no ifs or buts. So I really hope that the second division is only a stopover.
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Ronald Koeman will get his first taste of El Clasico from a dugout when Barcelona host Real Madrid on Saturday.
The LaLiga champions head to Camp Nou after a pretty rotten week in which back-to-back home defeats to Cadiz and Shakhtar Donetsk have left fans and pundits alike thoroughly disillusioned with Zinedine Zidane s current approach.
Barca also lost 1-0 in their previous league game, away to Getafe, but a 5-1 thumping of Ferencvaros in the Champions League was a tonic and, in truth, that defeat at Coliseum Alfonso Perez felt more like an aberration during what has mostly been an encouraging start under Koeman.
The Clasico is always the acid test, though – and Barca, barring a dramatic change in system, will line up for this one in a 4-2-3-1 formation, so…