Cristiano Ronaldo has been named in UEFA s Team of the Year nominees for a record 14th time as part of an 11-strong contingent from Real Madrid, in a list that also includes fellow usual suspects Lionel Messi and Neymar.
Madrid dominated on the domestic and European front last season, clinching a first LaLiga title since 2012 and becoming the first team to defend the Champions League.
Portugal superstar Ronaldo was typically at the forefront of their success, scoring 25 league goals and a further 12 in Europe s premier competition.
Madrid team-mates Karim Benzema, Marco Asensio, Casemiro, Isco, Toni Kroos, Luka Modric, Dani Carvajal, Marcelo, Keylor Navas and Sergio Ramos – who earned the highest percentage of votes in last year s poll – also made the cut.
Lionel Messi is currently holidaying in his homeland after Argentina s World Cup victory.
But the seven-time Ballon d Or winner s club future is a hot topic, having put off any contract talks until after the event.
Messi is out of contract at Paris Saint-Germain at the end of this season, with former club Barcelona consistently linked.
TOP STORY – MESSI AGREES TO STAY WITH PSG
Lionel Messi has agreed to a one-year contract extension with PSG, according to Le Parisien.
The 35-year-old had put off contract talks until after the World Cup, which concluded on Sunday with Messi lifting the title with Argentina.
The report claims Messi and PSG have reached an agreement in principle, with the deal to be sealed once the Argentine returns to Fra…
With another stacked schedule from across the MLS on the cards this weekend, we have a host of noteworthy meetings for those of you looking to stick on a Sunday acca. On that note, we have found a handful of helpful tips from throughout the early hours of Sunday morning that are worth keeping an eye out for.
Sunday 4th July
BST 00:30 Orlando City vs New York Red Bulls
Starting with Sunday s hosts, despite getting hit with a 2-1 defeat when they faced off against this weekend s guests when heading into the international break, Orlando have only continued on a real purple patch. Last seen landing themselves a deserved victory against Inter Miami, The Lions are now in the midst of a three-match winning run and have their sights set on clinching top spot in the Ea…
Liverpool teenager Rhian Brewster would not be guaranteed regular Premier League starts if he joined Crystal Palace on loan, says Roy Hodgson.
The 19-year-old is one of England s most highly rated young forwards, having fired the Young Lions to Under-17 World Cup glory in 2017.
But Brewster subsequently suffered serious knee and ankle injuries and only made his Liverpool debut against MK Dons in the EFL Cup in September.
The striker has featured just once at senior level since in the same competition and is yet to score for the Reds.
Brewster therefore looks primed for a loan move in January, with Palace and Aston Villa both linked with bids.
But Palace manager Hodgson would be reluctant to offer any assurances over game time for a player yet to a…
Striker Umut Bulut hopes Monday s Group A clash with Latvia can serve to kickstart Turkey s Euro 2016 qualification campaign.
Both sides have made poor starts in their bid to reach the competition in France, with Turkey coach Fatih Terim reported to be under plenty of pressure going into the clash at Stadions Skonto in Riga
While Latvia have picked up a point in their campaign so far, Turkey are yet to get off the mark as they followed up a 3-0 defeat against Iceland with Friday s 2-1 loss to Czech Republic.
Bulut opened the scoring in Istanbul but goals from Tomas Sivok and Borek Dockal condemned Terim s men to a second defeat of the group.
Now in his third term as coach of the national team, Terim spoke of maintaining belief in the dressing room as Tur…
While his old club Liverpool battle to finish in first place in the Premier League, Xherdan Shaqiri is top of the money tree in Major League Soccer with the Chicago Fire.
Switzerland international Shaqiri is the highest-earning player in the US-centred top flight, new figures released on Tuesday by the MLS Players Association (MLSPA) revealed.
The 30-year-old is on a base annual salary of $7.35million, with guaranteed compensation of $8.15million.
Shaqiri left Liverpool at the end of last season to join French club Lyon, but he spent less than six months in Ligue 1 before being signed as a designated player by Chicago in February.
He became the Fire s most expensive acquisition, reportedly costing €6.5million ($7.5million), and was described by Chica…
Juventus are interested in signing Timo Werner from Chelsea in the summer transfer window, according to . The report has claimed that Werner s advisor Volker Struth travelled to Italy this week to meet with Juventus officials over a potential transfer at the end of the season.
Werner moved to Chelsea from RB Leipzig in the summer of 2020 and has failed to make a huge impact at Stamford Bridge. The Germany international forward has scored seven goals in 50 Premier League appearances for the Blues so far in his career.
Juventus are fourth in the Serie A table at the moment with 59 points from 31 matches. Meanwhile, Chelsea currently find themselves third in the Premier League table with 59 points from 29 matches.
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Stoke City manager Mark Hughes expects Robert Huth to join in with the first day of pre-season training after a lengthy lay-off.
Huth suffered a knee injury in a 2-0 victory over Sunderland last November, a problem that subsequently required surgery and ruled the defender out for the rest of the 2013-14 season.
However, the 29-year-old German is on course to join in with his team-mates when Stoke commence pre-season training next Wednesday.
Hughes told The Sentinel: I ve seen Robert this week and he looks in great nick, as you d expect.
He s been in all summer, working hard and looking forward to beginning pre-season. The hope is that he will start on the same day as everyone else.
He s gone through all the stages. We were trying to get him back…
United States international Landon Donovan has announced that he will retire at the end of the MLS season.
The 32-year-old Los Angeles Galaxy forward has scored a record 138 goals in America s domestic league and won five MLS cups throughout his career.
On the international stage, Donovan is his country s leading goalscorer with 57 and his tally of 156 caps puts him second on the list of appearance-makers for the USA.
However, his time with the national team ended on something of a sour note when he was overlooked by Jurgen Klinsmann ahead of the recent World Cup.
Upon announcing his decision to retire, Donovan thanked those who had helped him throughout his distinguished career.
After careful deliberation and after many conversations with those …
Bayern Munich head coach Pep Guardiola will face his former club Barcelona for the first time in the last four of the UEFA Champions League.
Guardiola spent 11 years at Camp Nou as a player, which included winning the European Cup in 1992.
He then returned to manage the club in 2008 and, in his first season, guided Barca to the treble of La Liga, Copa del Rey and Champions League, courtesy of a 2-0 win over Manchester United in Rome.
Two years later Guardiola lifted the iconic trophy once more, and again it was United who were vanquished, 3-1 at Wembley in a stunning display.
Now at Bayern, Guardiola looks well set to retain the Bundesliga and DFB-Pokal crowns he won in 2013-14, whilst also seeking vengeance after a 5-0 aggregate drubbing by Real Madrid a…